So, Double Time is now up on octgn, and, to help me pick out a deck for next week’s store championship, I figured I’d take a look at the top tier corp decks and see what they gain from the pack. I will list out what I believe are the tier 1 corp decks, with a short rundown of how they work, what they gain, and what they’re weak to. Because I’m bored right now
Cerebral Imaging FA
Variants: Not much, some run sansan city grid, i’ve even seen one splash scorched for tagme decks, but they’re all very similar
How does it work: Build a giant bank with your 18+ economy cards, lay a bunch of very taxing ice on centrals, and score agendas out of hand with biotics/archived memories/shipment from sansan + efficiency commitee.
What does it gain: Reclamation order could lead to some shenanigans, versions eschewing efficiency committee might go for NAPD contracts, but I don’t think that’s correct, Hive would be very strong, but influence is extremely tight.
What is it weak to: Heavy ice destruction, vamp, The Source (relevant with the release of fall guy), awkward starts. Mulligans are scary with this deck.
HB Fast Advance
Variants: taxing versions with eve/adonis campaigns and larger ice, rush versions with gear check ice and all operation economy. Most of the stronger lists now run closed accounts.
How does it work: stick a sansan and push through points, backup plan of biotic labor and either rushing behind an early server or scoring behind a super server depending on the version. Similar to NBN FA with more money and no astro shenanigans
What does it gain: Gear checking versions technically gain quandry, although next bronze is probably better. NAPD contracts is probably worth it in more taxing builds. Corporate shuffle if you can afford the influence.
What is it weak to: Varies depending on build. Gear check versions are weak against andy, taxing versions are weak to early R&D interfaces. On average not weak in any particular matchup, but not the strongest list in any matchup either, with room for specific matchup hosers.
HB Combo
Variants: Accelerated diagnostics and CI 7 Point
How does it works: score 7 points in one turn, back up plan of being a weaker version of a fast advance list. I never bothered to learn the combo so I assume it runs on voodoo, sorcery and shipment from sansan.
What does it gain: Reclamation order probably helps with the sorcery, probably.
What is it weak to: I don’t know, ask the russians
HB Big Ice
Variants: Backup plans include a mix of Haas arcology AI, biotic labor, Troubleshooter/Ash, rarely mandatory upgrades and director haas
How does it work: obnoxiously expensive ice mixed with high trash cost assets can make runners very poor, use those timing windows to score out behind ash. some versions even try to get really big payouts like mandatory upgrades
What is it weak to: Whizzard, criminal tricks so long as they have enough money (andromedas of the world, scrubber is a real card), stimhacks
What does it gain: not much, NAPD Contracts fits the style, but they usually want effects off their agendas. Definite maybe
NBN TWIY Rush
Variants: biotic labors, snares, various splashed ice. anything works so long as you can chain astros. some lists go with 12 agendas with no 4s, while some play 10 agendas and 2 4s
How does it work: Push through some early points with sansans or multiple etr servers, if you can make it to 5 points with an astro counter you’ve probably won.
What does it gain: corporate shuffle lets it shuffle out of an R&D lock and draw 5 cards giving it a lot more endgame reach. Both neutral cards are very playable in all non-bad pub builds. Hive also keeps people out pretty well to get the first astro.
What is it weak to: knight, early R&D locks. Whoever scores the first astroscript probably wins, and sometimes it isn’t you.
NBN Credit Drain
Variants: Ash, Interns, program trashing
How does it work: Super efficient ice like eli, viper and caduceus + multiple high trash cost cards make the runner very poor. Can afford to slow advance because of this, although it has access to all the nbn tricks
What does it gain: NAPD Contracts, although character assassination is at it’s best in these kinds of builds. Shinobi might find a place as a high strength 3 sub sentry, although bp hurts. If broadcast square is more playable than i think it is, it would go here.
What is it weak to: Whizzard, Magnum Opus, RNG (slightly porous R&D)
NBN Combo
Variants: Scorched, Psychographics
How does it work: use the tempo gained by being nbn to force them to overextend, punish with a large midseason and either psycho out a beale or blow up their house. You still have astros and sansan if they try to play around it.
What is it weak to: you need to overpower them economically, so any deck running more than 12 econ cards usually just stays out of reach of the combo. Opus and imp are also quite strong here.
What does it gain: NAPD contracts is pretty good here, corporate shuffle lets you start over if they see scorched and drop plascretes. Hive might be worth a splash since you want them to overextend.
Jinteki Shutdown
Variants: Snare, Troubleshooter, agendas can vary from 10 to 13, some run nisei over braintrust
How does it work: Kill their rig with destroyers, shutdown, and random jinteki damage. score behind etrs and the fear of jinteki
What does it gain: Caprice is likely going to be ridiculously strong in these kinds of builds. quandry might be playable, shinobi fits but sentry slots are tight.
What is it weak to: Vamp, losing priority reqs in R&D/to shutdown, versions without troubleshooter and nisei are weak to shaper recursion
Weyland
Disclaimer: I don’t think any weyland builds are tier 1, they lose to runners who know how to keep up economically and can play around snare.
Variants: Traditional rush, Accelerated combo
How does it work: rush agendas with scorched earth as the backup plan if the runner slips up.
What does it gain: Hive. Hive is amazing for the all in scorched builds. Quandry is also good for the codegate-light weyland
What is it weak to: runners with 3 plascretes, people who stay within 6 credits, Opus, Andromeda
Kill The Corroder
How does it work: gear check ice, high powered destroyers, troubleshooters and power shutdown. lock them out of a server by making sure they don’t have a breaker.
What does it gain: Hive and quandry are perfect for this kind of deck, although they don’t shore up its weaknesses
What is it weak to: decks that can keep up economically, have chaff under the cost of their cheapest breaker, and can deal with high strength sentries. basically, if they prepare for this deck, it loses.
With all that out of the way, I’m leaning towards CI, taxing NBN or possibly shutdown jinteki, depending on how ridiculous caprice winds up being in testing. Thoughts?
EDIT: Names now in Bold because my spacing didn’t work out