Jinteki - Rig Removal

Decklists
1

This is a Jinteki deck I’ve created and tweaked over the past month. I don’t consider it complete (I doubt I will ever consider it as such), but its results have been outstanding. For the most part, it has crushed Shapers and Criminals especially.

 Identity
        Jinteki: Personal Evolution (Core)
    Total Cards: 49
    
Agenda (11)
    Braintrust (What Lies Ahead) x2
    False Lead (A Study in Static) x2
    Fetal AI (Trace Amount) x3
    Nisei MK II (Core) x2
    Corporate War (Future Proof) x2
Asset (11)
    Melange Mining Corp (Core) x2
    Snare! (Core) x3
    Ronin (Future Proof) x2
    Aggressive Secretary (Core) x2 
    Zaibatsu Loyalty (Core) x2
ICE (19)
    Chum (Core) x3
    Chimera (Cyber Exodus) x2
    Neural Katana (Core) x3
    Whirlpool (Humanity's Shadow) x2
    Snowflake (What Lies Ahead) x3
    Wall of Static (Core) x2
    Archer (Core) x2
    Eli 1.0 (Future Proof) x2
Operation (8)
    Trick of Light (Trace Amount) x2
    Hedge Fund (Core) x3
    Aggressive Negotiation (Core) x1
    Archived Memories (Core) x2
Upgrade (0)

What sets this deck apart from most Jinteki decks I’ve seen is that its goal is Agenda scoring rather than flatlining. The threat of Jinteki’s traps coupled with loading up after taking net damage forces the runner to run less aggressively, or pay the price. In the current meta, runners are unafraid to attack twice-advanced assets, or run against centrals with little money. Thus Archer/Aggressive Secretary comes into play, to great effect.

The one variable I’m still tweaking more than any other is Scorched Earth. It’s great against runners that ignore tags, or if a Snare goes off and I can force a False Lead, but for the most part, this accounts for perhaps 5% of my wins, if that. I’m contemplating subbing for Archived Memories, since virus milling is prevalent and Jinteki can do little about it (it’ll also be useful for recycling Snares and econ against other opponents).

1 Like
2

I like this deck, I will have to try it out and see how it compares to the Jinteki deck I have currently been playing with.

The two cards I am most curious about are the one of tollbooth (seems expensive) and the the Aggressive Negotiation (just wondering why it is in the deck).

I am also not totally sold on Hunter, I think playing it telegraphs the Scorched Earth too much.

3

Hunter, Chimera, and Data Mine are here fore the sole purpose of being Chum bait. As you well know, Jinteki lacks the econ to get off even one trace effectively, much less every time Hunter is encountered. However, once Hunter is chummed, breaking it becomes brutal. At 6 str, it costs Ninja 7 to break and Femmesaurus 5. Plus, many see that I have only two credits, so they’ll run a two ice server, not expecting that I can rez both. Once Jinteki gets better ice, I’ll definitely contemplate removing Hunter.

Tollbooth is a bit expensive, but my intent was to focus on maintaining strengths throughout all phases of the game. Therefore, I needed something with decent stopping power late game, since Jinteki’s ice comes nowhere close to cutting it. Ergo Archer and Tollbooth. As long as I can get one of them over R&D, it becomes significantly harder for the runner to maintain deep R&D digs.

Aggressive Negotiation I added about a week ago on a whim, and holy crap it’s been far more effective than I thought it would. The issue here is Nisei. At four to score, it must be advanced across two separate turns. However, advancing it once the first turn with the intent to advance it thrice more the next sends red flags across the board. A one-advanced card is either an agenda, or a rather crappy trap. Most runners will make sure they have two cards in hand and run it almost every time. (This is a nice trick to pull off with Aggressive Secretary by the way) Therefore, it makes more sense to advance Nisei twice the first turn, as it gives it more of an appearance of possibly being a trap with teeth. After scoring, you’re left with an extra click, which is where AN comes in. It’s a fantastic utility card. Left with no econ? Pull Melange. Runner has had a tag the last two turns? Pull SE. Been pummeled in HQ? Here’s a Snare. Expecting retaliation? Pull an Archer or Aggressive Secretary. One more point to win? Pull an agenda or ToL. Jinteki relies on draws more than any other corp (hence Precog), and this allows the precision it needs, at only 1 credit and 1 influence.

2 Likes
4

That seems like pretty good justification to me. I think Corporate Troubleshooter is a card I really need to test in Jinteki. Especially now that people will just assume it’s a Hokusai.

5

It just occurred to me I said Corporate Troubleshooter, and I meant Aggressive Negotiation. Whoops.

6

I was wondering why you were talking about a card not in the deck. :wink:

7

I would really like to try out this deck! Been experimenting with more of a flatlining build with Hokusai, but doesn’t seem really efficient.

8

Deck updated.
My goal with these changes was to alleviate the deck’s weaknesses. The deck now feels more streamlined, consistent, and I feel far less limited at the expense of the situational danger it had.

-1 Project Junebug, +2 Ronin

The threat of Ronin truly breathes life into Aggressive Secretary. Before, if the runner chose not to run an asset, if it was a trap it was rendered moot. Now runners feel pressured into running an asset that’s been thrice+ advanced over several turns. And the Ronins are worth having themselves, in case the runner chooses to ignore remotes in favor of central servers.

-2 Neural EMP, +2 Zaibatsu Loyalty

Expose cards were on the rise prior to FP, and I fear now that there are more Upgrades/Assets that pack a punch, the problem will be further exacerbated. I knew I would have to incorporate ZL eventually, and now seems to be the proper time.

-2 Data Mine, +1 Whirlpool

Not that Whirlpool is fantastic, but it offers far more versatility than Data Mine. I had only ever used DM behind Chum, and a Chummed Whirlpool is essentially the same thing.

-1 Enigma, -2 Hunter, -1 Wall of Thorns, +2 Snowflake, +2 Eli 1.0

I’m glad to be rid of Hunter, as once the runner gets a decoder, a chummed Hunter is defanged. Snowflake provides some stopping power early game and costs little to do so, and Eli is amazing at defending centrals and scales rather nicely into late-game. I’m far more excited and at ease with these defending my centrals.

-1 Tollbooth, -1 Scorched Earth, +2 Archived Memories

Good riddance! I’d only see it every other game anyways, it was abhorrently expensive to rez, and it was instantly Parasite/Shutdown bait. Archived Memories directly counters Noise as well as allowing me to recycle economy, snares, and play mind games with the runner as well. Recycle a Ronin, install a Secretary, and advance it once.

My only concern with these changes is that it has 3 additional assets now and 2 fewer ice. Hopefully it won’t be too detrimental. I’m also seriously considering Replicating Perfection with this deck, and will be testing it throughout the week.

1 Like
9

One concern I would have is how much teeth do the Ronin actually have without Neural EMP?

10

Not a ton, but I’ve diverged quite a bit from the flatlining strategy. However, it’s still viable. Earlier this morning I fired one off after the runner hit a Snare on click one and I forfeit False Lead. Another effect is that once the runner sees one Ronin (while installed or just in my HQ/R&D) he is paranoid that any advanced card could be a Ronin. And finally, using Archived Memories on a Ronin puts a lot of pressure on the runner the next time I install and begin advancing an asset.

So yeah, directly it’s not that much of a threat. The major benefit is that once a runner hits a Secretary or two, he’ll stop attacking remotes, and I need a counter to deep R&D digs anyways. I may replace it, but from what I’ve seen thus far it’s done its job admirably, if only indirectly.