So I’m a decent enough player, but feel like I’ve hit a bit of a plateau in terms of improving. Reached top 4 in the last two store champs I’ve played in, but now feel like I’m not improving too much.
What I’m currently doing:
Sticking with two decks (Noise and Pālāna)
Taking notes of any misplays/things I would have done differently with hindsight
Playing in the Stimhack league from time to time
Reading/watching/listening to as much content as I can (but don’t want to spend any more time on this than I currently am)
Does anyone have any other suggestions of ways I could improve? I’m more looking to get the most out of the time I currently spend on this game, rather than increasing the amount of time I put into it.
The only other thing I can think of is finding a sparring partner and playing in a more educational/discussion based way. Asking questions and so forth.
The only thing I can think of right now is to ask a friend to spec your games and analyse the board state with you (on skype or whatever). It could give you more insight without increasing the amount of games played.
Stick with the same decks when you play IRL but play a lot of different ones on line. IRL can be tougher sometimes, so you have to practice your real life play more if you play decks like Shapers and comboish corps. Glacier will be glacier anywhere though.
Try to spend more time looking at your opponent. Try to get any advantage that you can. A lot of people will play the card they just drew, even if you have seen it via an RnD access just before. Try to check your opponents’ cred total. It is very very important.
Run HQ more :P.
Play in the SHL…more and always play when you are not tired. If you are tired, you make mistakes and sloppy plays, without getting anything from the game.
And after you finish a game, discuss about it, especially if you play online and the opponent is someone out of your group/meta mentality.
I think this is pretty good advice - it seems like a paradox as people tell you that you should both A) play the same decks enough to know them inside and out, and B) play a variety of decks to learn the field.
I think the truth is a good mix of the two. It’s a huge advantage to be playing decks you’re very comfortable with - when the small decisions become autopilot, you have more brain-space to focus on the tough questions in a game. That said, experience with a range of archetypes is going to give important insight into the other side of the table in terms of what threats they plan to bring to the table and what weaknesses they might be worried about.
Personally, I often err too much on the latter; I often feel like I know exactly what the other player is planning or what they have slotted, but I more frequently forget what answers my deck has or misplay them The flip side is that player in your group (maybe it’s you?) that’s always playing a powerhouse deck to peak efficiency, only to get caught offgaurd by weird jank b/c they’re too focused on their own board.
Consider applying to the Stimhack mentor program. In my one session so far (with RJay) I already learned a ton – lots of critical analysis during and after our games. It was a good way to take an hour or two that I would have spent playing Netrunner anyway and make it a lot more productive for playing better.
This. He may be half joking, but consitant HQ pounding can win you a lot of games. If you ever have spare clicks, use them to check HQ. Especially if you are shaper, people don’t really expect multiple HQ runs, and that can be devastating against a glacier deck to lose a couple free agendas vs Shaper.
Actually I was not joking, hq is one of the most neglected servers to check. I have lost a regional because of not enough hq pressure. I learned my lesson the hard way.
I’ve won games even against decks you expect would keep HQ agenda-free, like NEH FA, when they leave HQ underprotected. ZiNOS, I’ve been playing a slightly modified version of your Hayley list, and the one-of HQI in there has been so worth it. Love the deck, too.
I’m grunching the rest of the thread for now, but with Palana, the biggest mistake, as it was with RP, is not forcing the runner on the remote. You need to get set up as quickly as possible, and threaten scores. For me this past weekend, this meant jamming a nisei without a defensive upgrade, and hoping my opponent didn’t have exactly faust and enough cards next turn. They had I’ve had worse, and drew into faust, for just enough cards to get in. But it kind of acted like a komainu, and allowed me to palanaplex into caprice and another nisei, which was trivial to score. Had the runner had enough time to dig because I waited to pressure the remote, he would have had a much easier time contesting the remote twice.
For noise, dig hard for the 3 combo pieces and attack whatever server is the weakest, while keeping the option to lamprey lock in mind. Try to install and run every turn, and let aesops handle your econ. Don’t forget sometimes all you have to do is run.
The flip side is that player in your group (maybe it’s you?) that’s always playing a powerhouse deck to peak efficiency, only to get caught offgaurd by weird jank b/c they’re too focused on their own board.