Almost never, but @thunderfist has it right in that I don’t need to bother using stealth creds for it, nor anything top boost it. Plus, it can often hit multiple ICE if used correctly, and can be used to save those valuable stealth credits rather than use them up.
Just a thought - has anyone tried using Desperado in Smoke in place of Temujin? Maybe with the new resource that lets you draw twice whenever you draw a card, to make up for losing the draw of Astrolabe?
I did a few weeks ago, list is a bit messy: https://netrunnerdb.com/en/deck/view/912037
It’s a bit unrefined but felt OK to me. I probably wouldn’t add Laguna Velasco District - I think diesel and the draw off Net Mercur is fine for a 40 card deck.
Edit: Looking at the list again, clone chip might well just be a wasted influence. Maybe employee strike instead?
However appealing, I feel like Desperado is just a poor call with HB asset spam being a strong contender right now.
You miss out on a lot of free card draw.
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Desperado is pretty great against asset spam!
Basically I only bother installing Dai V if I can’t find an SMC and I’m running against Skorpios… There’s a few other facecheck penalties that hurt, but nothing I can’t recover from, unless it’s Skorpios rigshooting for keeps.
Right, but with the frequency that decks like Mooniknights install, you will be missing out on around 12+ clickless draws a game. Factoring in Diesel and you probably will never have to click to draw outside the first three turns.
But maybe I am just being a curmudgeon. If you could reliably get both Desperado and Temujin without compromising influence, Smoke would be pretty happy.
Has anybody experimented with NRE in Smoke? Stealth breakers boost str in bunches, so there should be some synergy here
That’s actually why NRE is generally worse for stealth than say, Corroder or other 1:1 breakers. It helps less often and when it does it’s still just a single credit. Blackstone is another matter since it’s more than one to boost.
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Mm, I see your point. Saving a Stealth credit was better than saving a regular credit - until Net Mercur, that is.
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Datasucker is a bit better as it can occasionally let you munch down something spiky and save you a stealth to pump. It also rounds off those just shy pumps too.
If influence and MU wasn’t an issue, it really, really helps blackstone, dagger and refractor.
So what do we think those new Shaper mods coming next week will do for smoke? Is the pumpable mod going to find a slot for switchblade or into? Is the AI mod maybe worth it on Blackstone or Houdini?
Discuss! I can’t wait to try these and maybe play around with Egret some more.
I’ve been using NRE with Switchblade, Refractor, and Blackstone. Depending on the match-up, NRE has synergy with all three, with Switchblade getting into Cobra/Komainu territory, Blackstone hitting Eli and IP Block (and getting up to Chiyashi strength with one boost), and Refractor getting up to Magnet strength with no stealth credits and DNA Tracker/Archangel/Crick-on-Archives strength with just one stealth credit. I play a Desperado build that aims to play a bit more of a long game, so the discounts often allow me to walk through centrals with moderately expensive ICE for basically nothing. That said, it’s match-up dependent, and I don’t always install it. But I wouldn’t even consider playing Blackstone without it, because paying 4+ for any strength 4 barrier just feels awful.
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I’m wondering if the AI mod would be good with Dagger or Switchblade to help set up quickly. And if it didn’t show up early, then it might be good in late game to keep from getting locked out by Skorpios. Egret, though, has been really fun. I’d like try it with System Seizure and Switchblade.
Egret switchblade with the AI mod sounds very interesting.
Also, if your opponent is not HB Houdini is a pretty respectable ai target.
I think the best breaker spread will be a Dedicated Processor on Inti + a Refracter + a Switchblade. DP + Inti is essentially the same or better than Corroder against everything common except Spiderweb or Wall of Static, plus you retain Inti’s value against things like Vanilla or the NEXT suite all while spending no influence. Switchblade is a decent target for copies of DP past Inti, if only to save stealth credits in a pinch, so it’s not completely dead later. Refractor vs. Houdini is highly dependant on your meta’s ice makeup, but I think Refractor should be the default choice because of its 1-to-pump ability which gives you a breaker besides Swtichblade to fuel Net Mercur when you run un-iced servers. Switchblade just blows Dagger out of the water economically, which I think is something Smoke needs.
Indexing + Mad Dash is incredibly powerful and makes Mirror the obvious console choice. The second memory is incredibly valuable if only for giving you space for an SMC while Cloaks are out, plus you can probably get away with using an Equivocation (which also goes with Mirror!). Use the rest of your influence for Temujins and PolOps, maybe Employee Strikes… baby you’ve got a stew going.
Edit: A mockup of what I think a solid deck might look like. It’s weak vs. a damage deck. Might wanna replace a SacCon with a Feedback Filter or Net Shield.
Earth’s Scion Smoke
Ele “Smoke” Scovak: Cynosure of the Net (Intervention)
Event (14)
3x Diesel (Core Set)
3x Dirty Laundry (Creation and Control)
2x Employee Strike (Data and Destiny) ●●
2x Indexing (Future Proof)
1x Mad Dash (Daedalus Complex)
3x Sure Gamble (Core Set)
Hardware (5)
1x Clone Chip (Creation and Control) ★
2x Mirror (23 Seconds)
2x Dedicated Processor (Earth’s Scion)
Resource (10)
1x Film Critic (Old Hollywood)
1x Kati Jones (Humanity’s Shadow)
2x Net Mercur i[/i]
1x Political Operative (Democracy and Dogma) ●
2x Sacrificial Construct (Core Set)
3x Temüjin Contract (Blood Money) ★★★●●●●● ●
Icebreaker (4)
1x Dai V (23 Seconds)
1x Inti (Creation and Control)
1x Refractor (First Contact)
1x Switchblade (Up and Over) ●●
Program (7)
3x Cloak (Creation and Control)
1x Equivocation (Martial Law)
3x Self-modifying Code (Creation and Control)
15 influence spent (max 15, available 0)
40 cards (min 40)
Cards up to Daedalus Complex
Deck built on NetrunnerDB.
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Unfortunately, Inti only keeps its strength when you pump it using its pump ability, not if it gets pumped through Dedicated Processor. However, if you include System Seizure…
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Unfortunately, Inti only keeps its strength when you pump it using its pump ability, not if it gets pumped through Dedicated Processor.
Never claimed otherwise. That’s also one of the main reasons why it’s not as good as Corroder against those strength 2 and 3 barriers. That said, I think the 0 install cost of Inti its self and non-use of influence more than makes up for it. I squeezed in all 3 Temujins! That’s crazy.
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I think Shaper has been reaching a point of critical mass in which you can build a decent, reliable rig without needing to spend influence, if you don’t want to. Being able to look at in-faction fracters means we can spend more influence on economy and tech cards, which will help in the current meta.
I am excited to play around with Dedicated Processor. Thanks for the ideas.
I do think Astrolabe is a very powerful console worth considering right now, especially with the popularity of Estelle Moon, and Shaper really could use the help against asset spam matchups. I’m not sure I could convince myself to part with it right now.
I just wish we had the MU to run 3x Paricia. It and Astrolabe together would do a lot to combat the problems of Asset spam.
Aeneas Informant might be an alright splash.
Also, I agree. I think Dedicated Processor opens up Inti as a viable option. I cannot wait to try it with Switchblade or Inti.