Top 5 cards for each side

Netrunner General
1

Tonight I started an interesting discussion with a few friends and I’m curious what the greater multiverse of the internet thinks. What do you think the top 5 cards in the game for both corp and runner are currently(as of opening moves). For me the list goes like this.

Runner-

  1. Desperado (often called the best console in the game, I think this is actually the best runner card in the game currently.)
  2. Datasucker (rewards running agressively for a measly cost of 1 dollar and 1 influence… Sign me up!)
  3. Account Siphon (15 dollar credit swing for one action… Obviously insanely powerful)
  4. Kati Jones (easy marks every turn, the economic backbone for so many runner decks)
  5. R&D interface (Double the efficiency of every r&d run, great way to close out games)
    Honorable mention to sure gamble and daily casts both being tied in my mind at about 6th.

Corp-

  1. Astroscript Pilot program (a 3/2 that is worth at least 4 points by the end of the game and frequently is worth 6)
  2. Melange Mining Corp (a double turn everytime you use it. Huge tempo gain while losing alot of flexibility)
  3. Jackson Howard (too many upsides to list, but most importantly reduces variance for the corp)
  4. Hedge Fund (more important than its sure gamble counterpart as economy is much more important for the corp than the runner)
  5. SanSan City Grid (biotic that leaves a biotic behind until the runner trashes it, seems great and has a high trash cost)
    Honorable mention to Scorched Earth and other 3/2 agendas here.

Lets open up the flood gates and see what the global consensus is.

2 Likes
2

I’d take out Hedge Fund in favor of Scorched Earth. Otherwise I’d say that list is pretty spot-on aside from the order.

I’d rank Datasucker before Desperado and RDI before Kati. For Corp, it would be Astroscript, Jackson, SanSan, SE, Melange (in my opinion, at least).

1 Like
3

looks about right however i would move jackson howard to number 1. the last week was the first time i got to see the card in live games and it feels like im playing an entirely different game. i cannot imagine every corp deck not running 2-3 copies. while i enjoy the power it gives the corp i do not like how i dont have a decision when it comes to including it in my deck.

i would put scorch on the list for sure. tag n bag has never gone away even with plascrete and the threat of it means a runner has to pack plascrete or lose games that should be wins. i used to skimp on plascrete in league and i can’t anymore. weyland is more popular than ever.

hedge fund outside of weyland i think will eventually be optional if we keep getting faction specific transactions like celebrity gift and successful demonstration.

i think snare should get honorable mention as its is just about the only way the corp can be the luckbox and win random games they have no business being in.

2 Likes
4

I agree with the various observations.

I do feel like honorable mention should also go to Emergency Shutdown for effectively denying anyone from competitively playing big ice consistently.

5

Yea i think i should have transposed melange and jacksons positions in my corp list, but hey it was late when i made the post :stuck_out_tongue:

6

I’d replace Kati Jones with Parasite on the runner side, Parasite recursion is just a massive thing.

Other than that I agree with all of these. Though I think I might fit Scorched Earth in on the Corp side somehow. Its an enormous alternate win condition, even if there are counters to it.

7

I agree parasite is quite powerful and it was initially in my top 5 until i realized i forgot datasucker(which is obviously more powerful). Parasite is definitely in the top 10.

8

My list would be something like:

Runner top 5:
Account Siphon
Desperado
R&D Interface
Parasite
Datasucker

Honorable Mentions:
Medium
Emergency Shutdown
Escher
Clone Chip
Daily Casts
Sure Gamble
Makers Eye/Indexing
Kati Jones
Imp
Atman
Corroder
Yog
Femme Fatale
Crypsis

Corp Top 5:
Astroscript
SanSan City Grid
Scorched Earth
Jackson Howard
Hedge Fund

Honorable Mentions:
Melange Mining Corp
Snare
All 3/2 Agendas
Breaking News
Hostile Takeover
Fetal AI
Ice Wall
Popup Window

Datasucker is amazing mostly due to its synergy with various other powerful cards: Parasite, Atman, Yog. If there were no fixed strength breakers, no Atman, and no Parasite, Datasucker would be a good card, but not in the top 10.

2 Likes
9

Professional Contacts and Stimhack need to be on the Runner list somewhere. Contacts is so click-efficient and Stimhack’s ability to guarantee a successful run on a server from a surprisingly low number of credits in a runner’s pool is incredibly strong.

10

I think Enigma is an underrated but powerful corporation card. In the early game, it can singelhandedly get the corp their first scored agenda. A Project Atlas with 2 counters on it or the first Astroscript? Yes, please.