For those about to troll…
Today I built a New Angeles Sol deck that I would love to share with you. It is interesting - to say the least. I certainly need to test more, but I find the concept more than appealing plus it can build the weirdest scoring server ever. But let’s begin with the list:
New Angeles Sol: Your News (Data and Destiny)
Agenda (9)
3x AstroScript Pilot Program (Core Set)
3x Global Food Initiative (Data and Destiny)•••
2x Project Beale (Future Proof)
1x 15 Minutes (Data and Destiny)
Asset (5)
3x Jackson Howard (Opening Moves)
2x Melange Mining Corp. (Core Set)
Upgrade (4)
2x Ash 2X3ZB9CY (What Lies Ahead) ••••
2x Keegan Lane (Data and Destiny)
Operation (12)
1x Closed Accounts (Core Set)
3x Hedge Fund (Core Set)
2x Psychographics (Core Set)
3x Surveillance Sweep (Data and Destiny)
3x Sweeps Week (True Colors)
Barrier (2)
2x Resistor (Data and Destiny)
Code Gate (4)
3x Archangel (Data and Destiny)
1x Viper (Cyber Exodus)•
Sentry (13)
2x Caduceus (What Lies Ahead) ••••
3x Data Raven (Core Set)
1x Information Overload (The Spaces Between)
3x News Hound (Data and Destiny)
1x Shinobi (Double Time) •••
3x Troll (The Source)
15 influence spent (max 15)
20 agenda points (between 20 and 21)
49 cards (min 45)
Cards up to Data and Destiny
Let’s begin with how you want to score agendas: If your opponent floats tags, Psychographics is the obvious choice. You usually score in a remote, though. And that remote is weird. It consists of two Trolls (maybe some stuff in addition) and an Ash. Plus you can even have slightly less credits than your opponent. What basically happens is that your opponent runs the remote and has to encounter Troll. As he has to trace first (Surveillance Sweep), he loses a click. The same happens on the second Troll. The runner then loses the trace on Ash and has one more Click to try to get in. So he has to run, but now Trolls stop him because he cannot lose a Click anymore such that the run ends. What?! Rez cost of that remote including Ash is 4 ridiculous credits. Someone please do the math on how many Credits you need if everything is unrezzed and you want to have 3 more credits at the end to score out the agenda. It’s too late over here…
Apart from bypass effects there is nothing that the Runner can do to prevent the score in that server…
Your other ICE goes on the centrals. Data Raven usually is a great deterrent for runs, particularly when the subroutine cannot be broken by the runner. News Hound is great. As is Caduceus. Do I need to say anything about Archangel? Viper gets actual teeth due to Surveillance Sweep. Resistor is a great tax. Shinobi can outright kill a careless Runner and Information Overload punishes tag floaters brutally. Also, it has a nasty on-encounter trace that suddenly is super annoying for the runner…
Your ICE is mostly cheap and thanks to Surveillance Sweep you never overcommit to traces (unlike the runner). However, there is not too much end-the-run, thats why the agendas are chosen to be less effectful for the runner. Three Global Food Initiatives mean less points available, as does 15 minutes. You can still ride the Astrotrain and when you have that weird scoring remote, overadvancing Project Beale is a great option.
Three Jacksons are the usual staple, Melange Mining Corp. is the asset economy that fits this deck best, I feel. Ash is an all-star and Keegan Lane can secure your centrals nicely. Finally, Sweeps Week and Hedge Fund are the operation eco package. A singleton Closed Accounts can create the scoring window you may need at the end of the game. Or you just punish those pesky tag-floating Criminals even more.
So, that’s about it. The games with this deck feel super weird, but not in a bad way. It is just so different. The ICE is taxing and tag-floating punished by Psychographics and Information Overload. Any more ideas and feedback are much appreciated