Cache is NOT a virus target for that operation.
You’d better play Infiltrations for money with less setup. A card that don’t bring more than 2c is not an economy card.
Khumalo will play VGB.
This is not just money, it’s money that can be spent to destroy things without a trash cost. Similar to how Ghost Runner only brings in 2c but is useful to anyone who can use the Stealth type.
VBG is good, but it doesn’t help you use your ID ability the turn you install it like Cache does.
2 Likes
The simplest way to look at Freedom is that once/turn, on a successful run, all your Viruses are Cache.
And he’s better than that.
I’d say he’s Playable, but that he’s also a deck that doesn’t currently exist in the meta. (Unless it changes between now and pack five, anyway…) For that reason, he gets the Power Tap/10 rating. 
Probably not good right now, but in a cycle he might get Good. (Honestly he has a strong potential to wax and wane with how many cards are currently in the pool.)
I’m pretty stoked about what it can do in Chronos Protocol and Harishchandra
oh, n/m 
4 Likes
sits upright in bed
…virus tokens are the new stealth credits, and Freedom is Red Smoke.
5 Likes
I wasn’t referencing any operation…
With 2 Friday Chips and a Cache Khumalo can quickly dismantle even the most oppressive board states.
Trash a thing for real dollars, get 2 Friday tokens, trash another thing with Khumalo and Friday tokens, get 2 Friday tokens. Begin next turn, turn Friday tokens into real dollars with Cache, rinse repeat.
Also, Gravedigger could become a pseudo DLR: click 1 trash a thing, get 2 or 3 Friday counters. Next turn move them to Gravedigger. As long as you trash a thing each turn, you can mill 2 to 3 a turn with Gravedigger (all these examples are assuming the Corp does not purge).
2 Likes
Mind blown by this new head cannon.
I find it very interesting that we still have no clue what Shapers are up to in this cycle. Anarchs will do more virus stuff, Crims expose, but for Shapers we have only seen Upya and Cyberdelia, which I think are very common cards that do not push any specific deck type.
2 Likes
As Anarchs are back to core set virusland, my money is that we will see shapers get big rig support. It would be nice for a few more chunky, competitive programs to exist in the game. Something that really incentivizes consoles with extra mu.
I kind of hope Yusuf is hinting that they are willing to explore MU as a cost over credits for breakers. Both Criminals and Anarchs got a program like that in pack 1 and I expect to see something like that for Shaper at some point.
5 Likes
Overseer matrix, old Hollywood grid, casting call
Edit - I guess this combo already works without matrix since the runner gets the casting call tags twice. Wonder why I haven’t heard about it before?
The more I’m looking at Standard Procedure, the more I’m liking it. Costs nothing and only a little bit of luck of them having 2x of something, probably event, brings this up to Hedge Fund range. Doesn’t have the absurd potential gain of Biased Reporting but costs 2 less and you get a peek into the runner’s hand. Could get funny if the runner is doing some Obelus max hand size thing or is Adam. Overall seems like a solid card, and I love that Kitara is finally exploring the “spying into the runner’s hand and profiting from it” pie that has been overlooked until now.
2 Likes
It should definitely be a strong Econ card, but the run requirement is significant in the early game. Runners are already decentivized to run early against NBN and this lets Runner also deny an economy card
But you have to guess what card type they have two of. You might even get zero
Cache stay this:
- Draw Cache
- Install Cache, pay 1c
- Run and pay rez cost with Cache.
I see the benefit in this, but, this cost 3/4 of a turn : this means most of the time these 3 actions won’t be in the same turn : the “high alphashot” aspect of Cache is mitigated by that I think : in faction Imp for 0 inf.
VGB are putting 1, 2 or 3 counters a turn, this is very oppresive : the corp have something else to do than purging each turn or more, if you play something like TTW / Equivocation (which to me is a better aggressive use of your 4 MU : Cache means you’ll need quick MU support, whereas VGB provide a all-in-one-card solution).
What happens with equivocation there:
Run R&D, draw if not agenda, then trash if not agenda (VGBs).
Then re-run : draw if not agenda, then steal if agenda.
That’s the top 4 R&D cards.
I think it’s better to stay with 4MU + maybe something like Turntables than needing support, in a case where nothing in your engine provides economy, and use liberated card slots to put more credit/draw.
If you don’t stay atomic, this will just be a Johnny deck (and I am a Johnny player, mind you).
I’m thinking about a Chakana-Acacia synergy #Johnnymatters #Chakanacacia.
Basically, R&D lock them with Chakana running, and once they want to purge Legwork them or SOT Legwork them, financing your run with Acacia money.
Also, could make a cool Gangsign deck.
Chakana, Acacia, Datasucker and Aumakua.
Pretty choice spread.
Been experimenting with SSO Industries and its been pretty good.
City Works Project is killer and nobody wants to steal it. Been trying out some jank by using Calibration Testing to make it a surprise kill.
Odudawa is cool if you can DedCer it early or rez it with Anson tokens. costly for a rush deck though, may take it out for Hortums.
Speaking of Dedication Ceremony, its pretty great. Casting Call, DEdication, advance into a CWP can make scoring 5/3s a breeze and I use Mausolus or Fire Wall to protect it.
Punitive Plan is good here. I tried out some Virtual Tours to make CWPs sting even more, but the CalTest/MVT plan is variable and a work in progress.
Oaktown makes econ pretty fluid and I’ve also been using Lateral Growth to make a little extra cash and get an install when Casting Call is absent.
That being said, the ID has the same weakness as other rush ID’s; you need to get the ball rolling fast enough so the runner can’t keep pace. Getting too many ICE, not enough ICE, not getting you DedCers, etc. etc. If you don’t score your first 5/3 or Oaktown in the first few turns, you’re kind of limping into the mid game and the runner can capitalize on your slow start.
Overall SSO Industries brings a new playstyle (or a resurgence of an old one) to the table and is frankly a blast to play.
2 Likes
I agree with the idea that Shaper will get some cards that support larger rigs and lots of support programs. I think it would be neat if the ID coming in this cycle allowed you to search your deck and install programs on some kind of trigger (e.g., successful run on R&D) so you can set up rigs faster. That would put it on a similar competitive level as Hayley but more niche.
My money is on an ID that will hurt asset based strategies somehow. Anarch and Criminals IDs both are very good against asset spam.
But then again, they don’t always come in cycles like that.
The only problem with Aumakua is that you would bump any Wall of Static once the corp flush viruses (so no legwork / remote lock until you regain aumakua’s viruses counters).
You need another AI than Aumakua (maybe a second one : for exemple Dhegdheer / Maven + all of this).