Faust is strong and it has crazy numbers, but it can be played around. 3+ str ice, multiple subs, any kind of damage that can happen during runs, etc. The reason it’s so prevalent now is because it’s easy to build around. Pick any ID, shove in a bunch of draw and a Levy, sprinkle in 1-3 Fausts and you’ve got a deck that can win you some games. Doesn’t mean it’s optimal, but it is easy.
What I’d like to see printed is more direct AI hate. Until this point there was little need for the likes of Swordsman. Now we need some neutral/easily splashable AI dedicated hate cards that aren’t solved by including stuff like Mimic/Corroder that are being played in-faction anyway. Putting Faust on the MWL doesn’t help with the fact that Anarch has all the optimal support for it. Anarchs still play Parasite regardless, same will happen for Faust. Actual answers would help more.
From an ice design perspective the ice that deals the best with the combo of d4 and faust is multi sub and taxes a lot of other breaker suites just as unfairly. Anti-faust ice has an option of pure AI hate, like swordsman and turing, or fairly strong ice like ichi or hive.
Rather than printing a bunch of generically strong ice it will have the least impact for other runners to just reduce faust’s resources and limit Chronotype.
I think the meta was heading towards large amounts of card draw, and hence Levy, regardless of Faust; but it’s an environment that Faust benefits from either way.
A lot of Shaper decks (Prepaid Kate namely; wyldside noise secondly; l4j variants even) were able to leverage card advantage and I don’t think that’s going to change. While we used to say “card advantage doesn’t matter”, I don’t think it holds true anymore. Having more cards won’t win you a game, but having the right ones will and seeing more leads to that happening more often. Being able to do it twice without increasing deck size? Now we’re cooking with fire.
On the topic of Faust, I had my most wins was runner when I swapped from shaper decks I at tested and tried to improve to a Faust Whizzard deck I barely played. Kinda felt like I didn’t need to try to win, I just needed faust and clone chip parasite. That doesn’t seem how the game is intended to be played.
I doubt this would do anything - Professors biggest draw now, and why I play him as a serious deck now, is that you can play 3 Clone Chip, 2 Lady, Parasite, and still have influence left for D4, Datasucker, Imp, whatever sentry breaker, Medium, etc. Right now Professor is, comparatively, better than ever.
