EdTech is a Scam! Azmari Thread

Decklists
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Didn’t see a thread posted for this amazing ID. There are a lot of interesting ways you can go with it I think as well, so I’m interested to see what other lists people have come up with. I know there was a really great list from @eric_c for cannats, and i’m sure there are others.

Here is my submission, which is quite different (but did take the 2x Death and Taxes). This is the write-up/session report of my deck that carried me to 5th at NZ Nationals. My runner basically held me back, and I made one huge mistake to prevent me from going undefeated with it (so blame me, not the deck). The only loss was to the only person who managed 6 points during swiss, so it still holds after the secret’s out.
I think there are a lot of ways to improve/modify this list, especially once your opponent realises you’re on Jua > Wraparound and installs the Paperclip first, but like i said, it still has plenty of outs if you know the matchup.

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I’ll just say I’ve been very impressed with this ID. It tends to pay as much as other economic IDs (e.g. P Foods) but sometimes much quicker and many runner decks cannot deny you ID triggers because their game plan relies so heavily on particular card types. The 44/15 deck stats are just gravy on top. I haven’t played a 6-agenda version yet but the classic NBN agenda suites that use GFI and QPM to essentially have more corp points than runner points have clearly been working.

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Ha, is FCIII that broken it can’t just be Tollbooth? Then you could have Food.

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Food isn’t too valuable in 6x3 agenda spreads because the Runner already has to steal 3 agendas to win.

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I unreasonably love this ID and will be playing a lot of it in the next six months at least.

On the GFI matter, because I’m not a big fan of Echo Chamber I’ve been playing the slightly riskier but more rewarding Agenda suite of 3 Project Beale, 3 Global Food, 1 5/3 (typically SSL) with the goal of scoring a four-point Beale. Otherwise I agree there’s no reason to play GFI in the six-agenda blend.

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Is 15 Minutes not a crazy idea (even as a 19th agenda point)? Or are the Echo Chambers easy enough to score that it’s not worth the increase in agenda density?

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Definitely the latter.

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yeah, i see so many runners just not play/install something i name. the correct play as the corp is just keep it on that card type until they break. if you switch it up every turn, they’ll just install/play when you’re on something else

one of my favourite plays, regardless if the runner is trying to play around my ID or not, is to name program to signify that i’m trying to rush out in my remote. but it could be an agenda, an NGO, or reversed accounts, but it’s a big indicator for the runner to run, and i’ll get paid for it.

i think the correct play as the runner is to hold onto things if the corp is impatient or just flood all of the named card type if you can. like install all your daily casts and liberateds on one turn instead of waiting

it’s not crazy, but like @Kopiok said, Echo Chamber is fine
i have found it greatly depends on when you ‘score’ EC though. if you get it first or 2nd, it’s usually not a problem, because the runner will generally ignore an unadvanced card in the remote early. but after you’re on six, by that point runners will often have enough to challenge your remote and keep you from scoring. it’s also possible for the runner to trash them from centrals, but you do have the option to score 9 (which is doable)

i think it’s not a bad slot at all, just that it wasn’t necessary.

i have a few comments to this

@moistloaf is correct that food doesn’t work here (except in the rare occurrence that they steal all 3 Food and/or steal something with Mad Dash / Freedom / etc.)

FC3 is basically the only other viable unicorn. as i mentioned in my write-up, the window for hunter-seeker is very small, whampoa is unnecessary with special report, a low agenda density, and just scoring out.

i can’t think of any others i’d even consider or like to have, so FC3 works really well here. and yeah, it’s kinda better than tollbooth. sure, the runner can spend their whole turn to click through it, but that’s usually fine. all the code gates here are meants to tax, not necessarily end the run. but with 3 FC3 and an enigma, you can stack them for a decent effect. the original list has FC3 and Tollbooth, but i just took the booths out. i also tried other things in lieu of FC3 and it was just a lot better.

i think if you’re on the agenda spread from Wishbone, food makes a lot of sense, especially if you include the tagging effects and Exchange of Information and things like that

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Less of a mechanical comment and more of a thematic comment: Azmari is friggen sinister.

From the Azmari-themed cards we have so far, they include:

Self-Growth Program: A hokey-sounding spirituality program seemingly ingrained in an amalgam of world religions, designed with the ability for memory wiping and subsequent subliminal messaging

Jua: A corporate ICE that induces unconsciousness while running, allowing a corp to infilitrate a runner’s weakened consciousness and make them dismantle their rig

Amani Senai: Azmari figurehead and motivational speaker. Presumably uses her honeyed voice to control the minds of others through her broadcasts and spout the same nonsense as Self Growth Program, initiating a trace the runner must pay out of in order to escape.

EDIT: Market Forces: An economic operation that leverages individuals targeted by Azmari programs’ actions of "self interest" for the corps gain and the runner loss, presumably through market investments or economic trends.

Sandman: An ICE that causes memory loss.

Better Citizen Program: a sinister project that, once activated, turns all participants into NBN informants.

Degree Mill: An agenda, that, once accessed, downloads educational junk into the runner’s mind, washing away some of their rig in the process.

Azmari is evil. Beware!

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i think the other sinister themes at play as well:

Degree Mill is just printing degrees for people that basically become high-cost, low-value. like for-profit colleges that say ‘once you graduate from our university, everyone will want to hire!’ and in reality, employers tend to avoid these graduates. i think in the android universe it could lead some moment where someone says something absurd like ‘i’m 23 and only have 47 PhDs! i need to diversify my academic portfolio!’

also Amani Senai is kind of like a user of those teaching apps (think like a user of Uber or Youtube). they just get ad revenue and some people can do well, but the umbrella company makes so much more money than you ever will and does no actual work (they just provide the platform and let you make the content)

Personalized Portal is your login, and like facebook and google, it has your profile, interests, etc. and bombards you with advertisements for products it ‘knows’ you will like.
but because of the volume, the algorithm is really sensitive. think Amazon that sends you notices all the time about something you bought as a gift for something. or this:

jac-rayner-atgirlfromblupo-dear-amazon-i-bought-a-toilet-seat-because-i-needed-one-necessity-not-desire-i-do-not-collect-them-i-am-not-a-toilet-seat-addict-no-matter-how-temptingly-you-email-me-im-not-going-to-think-oh-go-on-th-
jac-rayner-atgirlfromblupo-dear-amazon-i-bought-a-toilet-seat-because-i-needed-one-necessity-not-desire-i-do-not-collect-them-i-am-not-a-toilet-seat-addict-no-matter-how-temptingly-you-email-me-im-not-going-to-think-oh-go-on-th-.jpg640×515 31.3 KB

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Scarcity of resources is the card that you wanna see against Gheist. Actually you wanna mulligan for Scarcity. If you get, you actually get a real chance, playin Scarcity turn one and naming event on his turn. Otherwise, the match up can be really difficult, he can actually get anywhere with no real cost once he is set up.

So, my restricted card will always be 3X scarcity for the 6 agenda Build. I have tried FCs in the past, but Scarcity and MCA Austerity Policy are real win enablers.

Cheers,

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@ZiNOS Scarcity of Resources is not Restricted in MWL 2.1.

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@ZiNOS Scarcity of Resources is not Restricted in MWL 2.1.

Yeah, but it should be…

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My bad then, brain fart. Soz.

Still, my comment stands. After more than 40 ganes on comp Jinteki with just more than 60% win, mca austerity policy and scarcity seems like must includes.

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In my limited play with it, I have found that “event” is a safe call early on, ideally with an early Scarcity to keep resources somewhat locked down as well. Calling “program” when you’re jamming agendas (or “resource” if they’re on cryptozooids) is about as much thinking as I do with the ID ability it in most cases.

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What are these cryptozooids of which you speak? The new Shaper resources that trash to break subroutines?

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whoops, yep. I guess the proper term is “cryptid.” Looks like Kongamato was popular enough to make the cut, but not gbahali.

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I was in a SC with this ID a week after it was released and it caught many by surprise. My favourite play was a 19 credit swing. Forcing a run through the remote, popping an NGO Front and them having to trash a MVT. Hard-Hitting News followed up. BOOM! was going to be next turn but my R&D betrayed me and it gave up 4 points. But the ID was a lot of fun to play all day.

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