Here’s an update on what I’m playing lately. I’m running a metric ton of burst econ and QT. The idea is to set up the Nexus as fast as I can, in lieu of playing an AI breaker to contest remotes with. Vulnerable to stacked ETR on the remote, however. Nexus is great to face-check without fear, but it’s not really reliable enough to give you accesses when it counts.
Resource (20)
2x Access to Globalsec
2x Armitage Codebusting
3x Earthrise Hotel
2x Film Critic ●●
1x Globalsec Security Clearance
2x Jak Sinclair
2x New Angeles City Hall
1x Scrubber ●
1x Symmetrical Visage
1x The Turning Wheel ●
3x Underworld Contact
It’s quite similar to what I’m running, sans the Power Taps.
One consideration is Temujin over Lucky Find. Temujin is not quite as bursty, but for one card slot you can get 16c for 6 clicks (or less clicks if Jak can help here). However, Lucky Find is better for setting up, because it only takes 2 clicks and then you can do other stuff. It’s something to test.
Paricia over Scrubber - I think this is simply better, and I like having two personally - maybe even three.
I also think that dropping any one of your 2 pip econ cards to turn Striker into Zu is better for your econ than those cards. 3c benefit in install costs, and an average of 1c credit for almost every ICE in the game. Or you could go balls-deep with the Yog and throw in a second one, relying on suckers, Nexus and link to get you past big code gates. It’s risky, but could be worth a shot.
Finally, Datasucker - worth it or not? I have not played this, but I have played Mopus. And Mopus basically says that once the game has gone on long enough, the corp can ICE all they want.
I don’t think you ever want Armitage in Sunny. It’s too click intensive for the setup phase and not sustain-y enough for the late game. Daily Casts or even the loathed Data Folding are just a little bit better in my opinion.
I haven’t jumped into the Flashpoint Cycle yet, that’s why haven’t tried Temujin. I want to get my setup done really fast, that’s why I have cards like Armitage and Dirty Laundry over more click-efficient ones like Daily Casts, which sets you back for two turns. But I won’t go out on a limb to try to convince anyone Armitage is a must have for Sunny.
Spending influence on Zu seems much less flexible than spending it on burst econ. It’s true that if you see Zu early, installing it is barely a slowdown; but early on, I usually try to get my Nexus online ASAP, and that’s what I need the money for.
However, my latest iteration is -1 Lucky Find, -2 Datasuckers, +2 Knights, +1 Security Chip. So I did change out some influence econ for cheaper breakers after all. Before I started playing Mopus, I had two Paricias, but it felt like I didn’t have enough permanent economy for the late game that way. I also didn’t like that they can’t be used with Jak Sinclair. I’m just now considering -2 Armitage, -Scrubber, +2 Daily Casts, +Career Fair.
Datasuckers are decent, but probably too unreliable. If you count on them for a high-impact run, the corp might shut them down with CVS; CVS also makes farming them on archives impossible, unless you spend more influence on something like Security Testing or Archives Interface, neither of which is worth it for Sunny. They do make your Yog a lot more potent, but to really help Sunny’s cloud breakers and against high strength codegates, you need both of them out. If you can’t farm tokens with Jak, they’re ultimately not great. The Knights I’m using instead now seem much better.
I’ve taken a second Security Chip because it’s basically a late-game Stimhack for Sunny, or they can get Yog past Lotus Field,etc in a pinch.
Here’s a build I am going to try out tonight. I tried to come up with something that is faster and more aggressive. I will be using NACH instead of Citadel Sanctuary for now, but the idea of firing a trace and gaining Power Tap credits after you’ve vamped the corp to 0 is just too hilarious to pass up.
So I played this a few times last night and it seemed awful. Switched to Andy on Pacer’s suggestion with better breakers and 3 Siphon/1 Vamp and it was better.
I am now convinced that the main issue with Sunny is her breakers and how long it takes to get them. Not sure of there is a solution to it that I would be satisfied with at this point.
I definitely noticed a huge drop when I cut them completely, but I think the main issue is the cost to install and use her breakers. I found if I didn’t get to stick an early Temujin Contract on a server without ice, then I’d just loose WAY too much tempo, even with a first turn Kati.
She’s three influence in a 50 card deck. I’ve tried a singleton in my Hostage connections deck, and yes she’s still a great card, but she doesn’t help Sunny’s weakness in the early game.
IMO Sunny’s weakness is burst econ, draw, and early aggression. She has plenty of drip econ options.
I want to reiterate that I’ve had very similar problems with both Sunny and Adam: I keep getting cards stuck in my hand that I don’t want to play right now. For Sunny, it’s the SunnyBreakers specifically and often Overmind too. For Adam, it’s extra copies of Dr. Lovegood, E3 Feedback Implants, or NACH.
The problem is that I’m a good enough player to recognize this issue, but I’m not a good enough deckbuilder to know how to fix it.
Short of slotting Faust or replacing extra copies of the above with more draw, I think the only way past is to overdraw and discard. I frequently have that problem with Adam.
Took down a local GNK with this Sunny deck. Went 4-0, so something has to be right about it.
Relies on powerdrawing like a mofo, Nexus to keep the corp honest, and a soul-crushing lategame. Any critique and thoughts are always welcome.
All my friends are runners
Sunny Lebeau: Security Specialist
Event (9)
3x Calling in Favors ●●●
1x Career Fair ●
2x Employee Strike ●●
3x Sure Gamble
Hardware (2)
2x Security Nexus
Resource (35)
1x Access to Globalsec
1x Beth Kilrain-Chang ●●●
3x Daily Casts
3x Data Folding
3x Earthrise Hotel
3x Fall Guy ●●●
2x Film Critic ●●
1x Globalsec Security Clearance
1x Guru Davinder ●
2x Jak Sinclair
1x John Masanori
2x Kati Jones
1x New Angeles City Hall
3x Off-Campus Apartment ●●●
1x Political Operative ●
2x Scrubber ●●
2x The Source ●●●●
3x Underworld Contact
Bunch here that looks like it shouldn’t work (primary concern: Money) but it’s interesting enough that I think I want to take it for a spin.
Not a fan of: Access to Globalsec (1-of to bring your link to 4 isn’t… exactly where I want to be with a Nexus deck.)
Guru Davinder (Though I do admit that he’s pretty damn good against Boom! decks, so I’m guessing you literally only play him in that case.)
3x Daily Casts (This is the only way I really see your econ actually working, though, so this might be the critical mass piece.)
John Masanori (In my tests with Sunny, he’s tended to be a larger liability than a help, especially if the corp can beat your Nexus trace. ETR + 2 Tags is a severe ouch and only mitigated by NACH.)
1x NACH (I’ve been running 2x for a while because a lot of my losses occur because I can’t find it fast enough against the decks that run HHN.)
Things that I like in particular:
Calling in Favors + Off-Campus Apartment. I love this idea for a credit engine and is probably the other part of the Credit puzzle for this deck. I am saddened by 0x Hostage, though. Lots of 1-ofs that you’re just hoping to draw to… Though you do at least draw like an Anarch. Tutor by way of Anarch, it seems?
2x Employee Strike. Testing’s confirmed this to be the right number for Sunny so far.
Beth, The Source, Scrubber, Fall Guy: My bet is that you won games where you drew some combination of these cards and had a hard time otherwise… These are the real reasons to be running OCA and Calling in Favors. I like it.
Again I don’t want to pass judgment on it prematurely, but On Paper, it seems short on $$ and Early Aggression, which, to be fair, are normal Sunny weaknesses. Definitely want to take it for a spin on J.Net Casual though.
Interesting thought; Counter-thought is that part of that 5 install cost for Gauntlet is the +2MU, which Sunny really doesn’t need. I’d say look for a way to fill that memory and Gauntlet might fit into Sunny.
Then again, I just realized that if you run Gauntlet you can’t run Security Nexus.
And Nexus is the only reason people even consider Sunny playable…