TWIY is a bit of an enigma. It currently has the highest winrate on OCTGN, yet this community has primarily discussed MN. I know Alexfrog was interested to see others’ successful decks (and it seems he now has one of his own), and I’m greatly interested in gaining insight from others as well.
I genuinely believe that in discussing the minutiae behind our decklists among the veterans here, we all will take something away from this.
Without further ado, I’ll discuss my own. This deck was originally 40 cards, but I have expanded to 44 after thinking about Hollis’s opinion on the matter on BGG.
Copy of TWIY* (44 cards)
NBN: The World Is Yours*
Agenda (10)
3 AstroScript Pilot Program
2 Breaking News
2 Character Assassination
3 Project Beale
Asset (1)
1 Jackson Howard
Upgrade (3)
3 SanSan City Grid
Operation (17)
3 Anonymous Tip
3 Celebrity Gift
3 Hedge Fund
2 Restructure
3 Subliminal Messaging
3 Sweeps Week
Barrier (5)
2 Bastion
3 Wraparound
Code Gate (3)
2 Datapike
1 Tollbooth
Sentry (3)
3 Rototurret
ICE (2)
2 Chimera
Obviously, there are some newer elements that need testing. The most important variables in my opinion are choice of Sentry, economic engine, and tagging strategy (if any).
What are y’alls thoughts/decklists?
I’ve tried to convert my MN to TWIY* … scratch that, my MN started off as a TWIY* but went to MN despite Draco being my only source of Traces because I wanted to play x3 Biotic Labor and still have influence left over for Beanstalk Royalties, which seems to be a key ingredient in activating Hedge Fund and Restructure without sacrificing tempo. When Sweeps week came out, I tried swapping Beanstalks for it but found that I’d rather have more economy than staying even and reducing card count.
My MN has been extremely successful in my Meta, and it is tough to justify an ID swap when things are going very well. With Subliminal Messaging there is now another opportunity to cut the stalks, so I will reconsider the switch again, but it seems odd that I keep coming back to MN despite only one card that traces, almost entirely for a mere 3 influence. I’m even tempted to stay in MN, even while swapping Beanstalks for Subliminal Messaging simply because i could then use the influence to swap Draco for Rototurret - leaving me with an MN deck with 0 trace cards.
I’ve always found importing two Biotic Labors to be sufficient, especially in NBN with SanSan as well. Do you need those beanstalks because you often find yourself dipping below 5c? I find it hard to relate, since I have 14 operations that net me 4c+ each.
Still, Caduceus and Draco are reason enough to warrant playing MN. Cheap nonporous sentries are very hard to come by for NBN. I’d recommend you build from scratch and consider slightly altered builds - I often improve my decks by letting go of older iterations I have become attached to.
Anyway, this is the TWIY* variant I’ve been playing with, My successful MN is exactly the same, except with an additional x3 Beanstalk Royalties and x1 Character Assasination:
Jackson Howard’s Biotic Elves (44 cards)
NBN: The World Is Yours*
Agenda (11)
3 AstroScript Pilot Program
3 Breaking News
1 Character Assassination
1 Profiteering
3 Project Beale
Asset (3)
3 Jackson Howard
Upgrade (3)
3 SanSan City Grid
Operation (12)
3 Biotic Labor
3 Hedge Fund
3 Restructure
3 Sweeps Week
Barrier (3)
3 Bastion
Code Gate (6)
3 Pop-up Window
3 Tollbooth
Sentry (3)
3 Draco
ICE (3)
3 Chimera
I run x3 Biotic Labor because that allows my San Sans become bait. I almost never score off San San, playing them unprotected to take a click and 5 creds out of the runner. If I didn’t have x3 Biotic, this flexibility would drop dramatically. Over the past 2 months, this deck is 23 and 2 in my local meta. Now obviously this win rate probably wouldn’t stand up in tournament play, or even OCTGN, but it has been really, really tough to cut that 3rd Biotic Labor when it makes scoring that critical first Astrocript so much easier. Have an equal number of 3/2 Agendas as ways to fast advance them makes the early game much more consistent. Also if I see Beales early, I can just get rid of them immediately and know I have a ton of support still coming for future Astroscript draws.
As for the Beanstalks, they could be swapped for Celebrity Gifts but that’s mostly a matter of play style. They aren’t there to get up from 0 so much as to help quickly get to 16 credits, which is a magic number for this deck [enough to score an Astroscript using SanSan or Biotic while still being able to Rez a Tollbooth]. Celebrity Gift would work very well, but I’d rather not show the Runner when I have a Biotic Labor in hand, and it is possible to get Agenda flooded for a couple turns while I’m searching for Jackson Howard and i would like play every econ operations i draw during that window.
Lysander, your deck looks like it can produce an insane amount of $. I just don’t see much too spend it on, have you found that you are devoting too much influence+space for $?. Most of your ice is fairly cheap, and if they kill SanSan you won’t have a money sink there.
It’s hard for me too really tell without actually playing the deck myself.
I know from experience that the Chimeras can get expensive, but only in certain games.
It is a little surprising to only see one Tollbooth, which would also be a good place to spend the money. I’m guessing the idea is that all this little ice will protect the SanSans just long enough to spend the money on it, so the assumption is the corp needs the money to use all of those that are drawn.
I hope this doesn’t come off as a rude question, but rather than discussing the merits of TWIY, would anybody mind talking about specific weaknesses?
For example it seems to me, that if a runner can sustain trashing SanSans you’ll have a rough game.
I feel like that’s the reason people have started running biotic labor- it lets you score that crucial astroscript if the runner keeps trashing your san sans. Once you have a single astroscript you’re in business- I’ve won plenty of games with TWIY by just chaining astro into astro into beale, finish with breaking news.
My decklist is much more rush focused:
Agenda (12)
3x AstroScript Pilot Program
3x Breaking News
1x Gila Hands Arcology
3x Project Beale
1x Character Assassination
Asset (3)
3x Jackson Howard
Ice (16)
1x Archer
2x Chimera
2x Enigma
2x Grim
1x Ice Wall
3x Wraparound
2x RSVP
1x Rototurret
2x Swordsman
Operation (11)
2x Anonymous Tip
3x Subliminal Messaging
3x Hedge Fund
3x Sweeps Week
1x Biotic Labor
Upgrade (2)
2x SanSan City Grid
A third SanSan would almost certainly be correct, but I don’t have 3 core sets. That being said, I don’t need to rely on SanSan for scores all that often. The deck focuses on trying to score out an astro behind end the run ice early, relying on SanSan later game if it needs to, with plenty of end the run ice and program trashing to give me time to chain the astros together.
Edit: Forgot to update to include wraparound, replacing an ice wall and some paper walls
Yep, you only need to hit the first Astroscript and then the SanSans become mostly redundant.
But if you don’t pack Biotic Labors, you still only need to hit with one SanSan to Astroscript, and protecting one SanSan for one turn isn’t that difficult and the risk is minimal if you fail. Hedge Fund, Chimera, SanSan early in the game is a pretty typical lead in to scoring an Astroscript on the next turn.
Even if they can trash it, you make the Chimera a Sentry so they need to put out their most expensive breaker, and then they often won’t have the 5 credits to trash it. Unlike putting an actual agenda behind it, if they do get through you don’t care too much.
Once the runner has their rig, they can of course trash the SanSans at will, but by that point you’ve scored the Astroscript and don’t need the SanSans that much anyway.
Well, pure rush TWIY requires a lot of econ in order to function seamlessly. As you’ve seen, I get asked often why my ice is so cheap for how much econ I have, and it’s because I can power through Fast Advance.
I have no experience with TWIY flatline or flytrap, so I can only speak for FA. You need to be able to start scoring by turn two or three, and to continue scoring rapidly, else the runner will catch up. TWIY needs to get to phase two of the game in which the corp has the advantage, and keep it there.
TWIY FA isn’t as versatile as MN in that it often doesn’t pack Bernice, Draco, Caduceus, etc. Rather it’s a one trick pony that takes advantage of breakneck speed.
I agree with you in principle but i will say that the best alteration i ever made to my deck was to add a full complement of Tollbooths.
Tollbooth is an interesting card, because toting three largely gives you options in the mid to late game if things go south. By sacrificing a mere 3 card slots, Tollbooth opens up a host of new pathways to victory. Most often, you are using the Tollbooth to lock up whatever central server the Runner is putting the most pressure on in order to give Jackson enough time to juggle your way into the draw/play cycle you want … but beyond that you can get into situations with a stranded Character Assassination in HQ, which a clever Tollboothed remote along with some good timing can transform from a liability into a dead Professional Contact or Kati Jones.
Looked at abstractly, NBN FA isn’t about Astroscript or SanSan specifically, but about laying an economic foundation where the Corp can sustain 8 usable credits and quickly convert those credits into immediate progress toward victory without building a defended remote, preferably off the mandatory draw. Typically that is 8 credits spent on SanSan into an scored 3/2 agenda, but there are only 3 San Sans in a deck so why not take your economic framework and allow it to fire against different draws to similar effect? Biotic Labor and Tollbooth neatly fit into that 8 credit sweet spot that you are already cultivating for the SanSan play, and can each have a similarly game shifting effect with little to no preparation other than having money.
I like the idea of backup tollbooths, but I’d think that 2 would do the job fine- after all, you’re not looking to draw it early, and you probably don’t want multiples. Why do you stick to the full complement of 3?
here is mine. im using few techs not seen before 
rsvp + sansan/ash is incredible as long as people around play yog exclusively. i got shutdowns for their datasuckers/faeries, then grim finish some important breakers.
world is mine
NBN: The World is Yours* (Future Proof)
Agenda (12)
3x AstroScript Pilot Program (Core Set)
3x Breaking News (Core Set)
3x Gila Hands Arcology (Creation and Control)
3x Project Beale (Future Proof)
Asset (3)
3x Jackson Howard (Opening Moves)
Upgrade (5)
2x Ash 2X3ZB9CY (What Lies Ahead) ••••
3x SanSan City Grid (Core Set)
Operation (8)
3x Hedge Fund (Core Set)
2x Power Shutdown (Mala Tempora) ••••
3x Sweeps Week (True Colors)
Barrier (4)
2x Ice Wall (Core Set) ••
2x Paper Wall (Mala Tempora)
Code Gate (8)
2x Enigma (Core Set)
3x Pop-up Window (Cyber Exodus)
3x RSVP (True Colors)
Sentry (4)
1x Archer (Core Set) ••
3x Grim (Opening Moves)
12 influence spent (max 12)
18 agenda points (between 18 and 19)
44 cards (min 40)
Cards up to True Colors
you DO want it early. Get one on R&D ASAP. then the rest you want to have before you need them so you can play them in response to pressure instead of draw/search in response to pressure.
also, to be able to play a second on R&D after the first is femmed.
So I’ve often heard talk of TWIY scorch decks and have seen the brutality myself, but have never seen such a decklist. Is there any out there of good repute?
TWIY deck is neat. ASH in non-MN is weird but still solid with RSVP. I’d dump the 2x Ice Walls for Wraparounds and use the influence for anything else now. Maybe more Ice? 2nd Archer?
I don’t run Scorch in TWIY*, but this is my current list. I’m very happy with it so far, although I have yet to play against a Criminal, so I don’t feel like it’s really passed the acid test yet.
Boardroom Blitz (v1.1)
NBN: The World is Yours* (Future Proof)
Agenda (12)
3x AstroScript Pilot Program (Core Set)
3x Breaking News (Core Set)
3x Profiteering (Second Thoughts)
3x Project Beale (Future Proof)
Asset (3)
3x Jackson Howard (Opening Moves)
Upgrade (3)
3x SanSan City Grid (Core Set)
Operation (13)
2x Anonymous Tip (Core Set)
3x Biotic Labor (Core Set)••••• ••••• ••
3x Hedge Fund (Core Set)
2x Subliminal Messaging (Fear and Loathing)
3x Sweeps Week (True Colors)
Barrier (4)
1x Bastion (Creation and Control)
3x Wraparound (Fear and Loathing)
Code Gate (4)
2x Enigma (Core Set)
2x Tollbooth (Core Set)
Sentry (3)
3x Grim (Opening Moves)
ICE (2)
2x Chimera (Cyber Exodus)
12 influence spent (max 12)
18 agenda points (between 18 and 19)
44 cards (min 40)
Cards up to Fear and Loathing
Decklist published on NetrunnerDB.
I originally ran 40 cards with -2 Anonymous Tip and -2 Subliminal Messaging. The only way I was comfortable going up to 44 was if I was adding draw to compensate for the dilution of my SanSans and Biotics, but the deck did feel like it wanted an extra credit here or there, so I knew Subliminal would be a very nice add. Care is needed in Profiteering decisions and rezzing Grim, but otherwise I think it’s pretty straightforward.
Like striatic, having 3x Biotic Labor makes me comfortable baiting the Runner with SanSans. I’ll use them, sure, but I’m often just as happy if the Runner works to trash it. So far, the games where I draw more Biotics than I want are the games where I get on the Astrotrain early and don’t really need them. I like the redundancy of having SanSan, Astroscript, and Biotic providing potential FA capability.
When Guard is available, I’m thinking I’ll cut a Wraparound and a Grim to fit two of them in.