Android Netrunner

History of Archetypes

(with decklists!)

Core Set

• Young game + limited cardpool means most factions were doing what you would expect them to do right out of the Core Set.
• HB Glacier and Weyland TagNBag are strong right out of the box.
• On the runner side, a disruptive Noise Siphon and Gabe with Anarch Breakers define the runner meta.

Core Set Decklists

• Noise Siphon
• Mill / disrupt with viruses and deny them money with Siphon.
• Link

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• Gabe Anarch Breakers
• Pair the good Criminal events with Anarch breakers + Datasucker.
• Link

• HB Glacier
• Get lots of money and tax them out.
• Link

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• Weyland TagNBag
• Get lots of money and keep them out. If you can’t keep them out, SEA Source + Scorch + Scorch for the kill.
• Link

Genesis

• Geoff Hollis writes a great article on how to play Jinteki PE and the community has an a-ha moment:
• https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/19853/my-secret-love-affair-jintekipersonal-evolution
• At least one Plascrete goes into every deck.
• Personal Workshop enables: Noise Shop and Stimshop.
• Andromeda replaces Gabe in the Anarch breaker deck and becomes Andy Datasucker or Andysucker.
• Some more details about the early meta:
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/953472/three-strong-deck-archetypes-and-thoughts-metagame

Genesis Decklists

• Noise Shop
• Load a bunch of viruses on Workshop, then Stimhack into archives unloading all the viruses at once.
• Link
• Andysucker
• Pair the good Criminal events with Anarch breakers + Datasucker.
• Link
• Stimshop
• Magnum opus + standard breakers. Host breakers on workshop, then Stimhack to set them up.
• Link

• PE ‘Click Compression’
• Use traps, net damage, and bluffing to tax the runner’s clicks.
• Link

Creation & Control

• Huge boon for Shaper decks and runner decks in general. Clone Chip, Dirty Laundry, and Same Old Thing go into everything.
• Justin Kopinsky wins North American Championship with a Kate Datasucker + Atman deck, also known as Katman.
• HB Fast Advance was already present but gains popularity.

Creation & Control Decklists

• Katman
• Use two Atman (usually str 0 and 4) and the efficiency of Desperado+Datasucker to get into any server.
• Link

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• Shaper good stuff
• Build a full rig with lots of econ. Lock the remote, then lock R&D.
• Link

• HB Fast Advance
• Use Biotic Labor and SanSan to fast advance 3/2s.
• Link

Spin

• Jackson Howard arrives. Everybody goes nuts. Alexfrog writes a great article: http://stimhack.com/netrunner-episode-iv-a-new-hope/
• Steven Wooley writes his influential Anatomy of Anarchy article:
• http://teamcovenant.com/android-netrunner/anatomy-of-anarchy
• Folks pair Power Shutdown with Accelerated Diagnostics. Some combo experimentation. Some SEA Scorch played in Cerebral Imaging.
• HB Glacier gets an update with Nordrunner’s Redcoats.
• Sweeps Week and Wraparound give us a taste of NBN Fast Advance. There’s also a glacier / fast advance hybrid: Yellow Coats.
• Weyland Supermodernism reigns supreme during the Plugged-in Tour.

Spin Decklists

• Anatomy of Anarchy
• Account Siphon in Anarch. Be as destructive as possible.
• Link

• HB Redcoats
• Called Redcoats because it is a taxing deck (US independence). Play costly ice. Ash in the remote. Never advance.
• Link
• NBN Fast Advance
• Score 3/2s out of hand with Biotic, Astro, and SanSan city grid.
• Link
• NBN Yellow Jackets
• Making News deck that can both fast advance and tax the runner glacier-style.
• Link
• Weyland Supermodernism
• Evolution of Weyland TagNBag.
• Link

Honor & Profit

• Replicating Perfection becomes a glacier option thanks to the big box + Caprice/Sundew/Celebrity Gift last cycle.
• Chris Hinkes wins the Cambridge Regional with a Jinteki PE deck that becomes known as Cambridge Jinteki.
• Criminals stop going tag-me to leverage Security Testing.
• A Silhouette deck called Notorious Daily Quester wins the Chicago Regionals.

Honor & Profit Decklists

• Notorious Daily Quester
• Use the criminal central-only breakers to get through all three centrals. Then, play Notoriety or Quest Completed depending on what you saw in the remote with Silhouette's ability.
• Link

• Cambridge Jinteki
• Evolution of PE click compression. Try to kill the runner or score if they are scared.
• Link

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• Replicating Perfection
• Glacier-style deck where you put painful ice on centrals and lock them out of the remote with Caprice and a Nisei Mk II counter.
• Link

Lunar

• Near Earth Hub fast advance takes the ridiculousness of yellow to a whole new level.
• Prepaid Kate, which was already present since the end of Spin cycle, becomes extremely strong and popular.
• Stealth Andy becomes a popular counter to Replicating Perfection.
• A Vamp Kit wins the Dortmund Regionals.
• A number of Blue Sun decks appear. There is a Vegan Blue Sun that is pretty effective.

Lunar Decklists

• Stealth Andy
• Uses Switchblade and sometimes Refractor to make very efficient runs.
• Link
• Prepaid Kate
• Use Prepaid Voicepad and event econ to get huge bursts of money. Then, lock the remote and R&D for the win.
• Link
• Vamp Kit
• Gain tons of money with Opus, then play Vamp.
• Link

• NEH Fast Advance
• Use NEH’s card draw and extra influence to spam econ assets. Fast advance with Astro, SanSan, and Biotic Labor.
• Link
• Vegan Blue Sun (Bootcamp Glacier)
• Recur Adonis for econ. Build huge, taxing servers.
• Link

Order & Chaos

• Lots of goodies for Anarch with little for Weyland.
• Eater + Siphon + Keyhole + Wanton makes for some painful Eater Keyhole decks, also known as ‘bad’ anarch.
• There are also a few ‘good’ anarch decks that use the Anarch breakers and multiaccess to secure the win. World champ Dan D’argenio builds one called RegAss MaxX.
• Headlock Reina gains some popularity around this time.
• NEH benefits the most from the Weyland box via Traffic Accident and NEH Butchershop is born.

Order & Chaos Decklists

• Eater Keyhole
• Spam access replacement effects using Eater as the only breaker. Can be done with many different Anarch identities.
• Link
• RegAss MaxX
• Use MaxX’s acceleration to set up Anarch breakers quickly and hit hard with multiaccess.
• Link
• Headlock Reina
• Uses Crescentus and Emergency Shutdown to derez ice. Deniesecon with Lamprey.
• Link

• NEH Butchershop
• Score out quickly by chaining Astroscript. Threaten the kill with Scorched Earth and Traffic Accident.
• Link

SanSan

• Clot is a nuisance for fast advance decks but corps play around it with Cyberdex Virus Suite.
• Faust and Adjusted Chronotype bring a standard Noise back.
• HB decks get Breaker Bay grid and Turing.
• The new Haarpsichord identity is a good candidate for NBN butchershop.
• Argus Supermodernism appears here and there.
• Rotage starts experimenting with Dyper.

SanSan Decklists

• Standard Noise
• Wyldside to draw. Aesop’s to sell used viruses. Faust to contest the remote.
• Link
• Dyper
• Combo deck that uses DDoS+False echo to bounce all the ice on R&D; then uses Keyhole for the win.
• Link

• Haarp Butchershop
• Like the NEH version but more resilient to multiaccess.
• Link

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• Argus Supermodernism
• Evolution of the BABW Supermodernism decks. Rush and kill.
• Link

Data & Destiny (Worlds 2015)

• Data & Destiny’s release was immediately followed by Worlds 2015 which resulted in a very interesting meta.
• Steven Wooley and Spags collaborate on a Whiz deck called Looking For A Job (or L4J). Timmy Wong pilots it to second at Worlds.
• The top runner present is an updated Prepaid Kate.
• Top players add Global Food Initiative to the HB Redcoats deck, turning it into Foodcoats.
• Dan D’Argenio wins Worlds with Foodcoats and a Valencia DLR deck.
• Chris Hinkes popularizes another kill deck named IG Graveyard.
• Dave Hoyland achieves top 4 with a Desperado Leela.

Data & Destiny (Worlds 2015) Decklists

• Whizzard L4J
• Evolution of ‘good’ Anarch decks. Uses Career Fair to install lots of resources.
• Link
• Valencia DLR
• Denies the corp money and tags itself with Siphon. Then mills with DLR while protecting with Fall Guy + Wireless Net.
• Link
• Desperado Leela
• Regular Criminal deck that uses Leela’s ability to swing the game back around.
• Link
• Prepaid Kate
• Updated version (see Lunar).
• Link

• Foodcoats
• Evolution of Redcoats that uses Global Food to disrupt the agenda math.
• Link

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• IG Graveyard
• Similar to the PE kill decks except uses Chairman Hiro and has more resilient Ronins.
• Link

Data & Destiny (MWL)

• The Most Wanted List makes NEH fast advance trickier with influence but still manageable. An NEH asset spam deck becomes a popular variant.
• Prepaid Kate, on the other hand, gets hit very hard. Folks build other variants of Kate like Nexus Kate and Hyperdriver Kate.
• SYNC Tagstorm leverages a bunch of new D&D cards and gets played a decent amount.
• A Gagarin Asset Spam deck appears.
• TheBigBoy discovers that Faust pairs well with the ice-trashing events. Dumblefork, becomes the top runner in the meta.

Data & Destiny (MWL) Decklists

• Dumblefork
• Whizzard deck that trashes ice with parasite and cutlery. Uses Faust and D4vid as main breakers.
• Link
• Nexus Kate
• Uses Security Nexus and lots of link to bypass expensive ice.
• Link
• Hyperdriver Kate
• A pretty standard Kate build that uses Hyperdriver to set up faster.
• Link

• NEH Asset Spam
• Plays lots of assets like DBS and SanSan to accelerate and fast advance.
• Link
• SYNC Tagstorm
• Uses Quantum Predictive and News team to mess up agenda math and Midseason the runner.
• Link
• Gagarin Asset Spam
• Plays lots of must-trash assets like Team Sponsorship to deny the runner time and money.
• Link

Mumbad

• Mumbad City Hall and Museum of History enable the first true ‘prison’ archetypes in Netrunner. IG Bio-Lock and Dan D’Argenio’s Hot Tub Time Machine take the meta by a storm.
• Geist gains a ton of support. Andy gets an interesting Au Revoir deck.
• Spags creates the popular Hayley Pitchfork deck. There’s also a Spycam Hayley going around.
• Palana Glacier decks appear. They are very similar to RP but more resilient to Whizzard.
• Bblum starts posting CI7 combo puzzles on the Stimhack forums.
• Damon Stone takes over as lead designer.

Mumbad Decklists

• Geist
• Lots of trashable cards that leverage Tech Trader and Geist’s ability for a super strong mid to late game.
• Link
• Au Revoir Andy
• Jack out to trigger Turning Wheel, Reflection, and Au Revoir. Then, do a big glory run.
• Link
• Hayley Pitchfork
• Uses Hayley’s ability to install a lot of programs and resources and sell some with Aesop’s.
• Link
• Spycam Hayley
• Uses Bazaar+Replicator to repeatedly install 6 spy cameras at once.
• Link

• CI7
• Cerebral Imaging deck that combos out 7 points in 1 turn.
• Link
• IG Bio-Lock
• Spams and recurs assets until the runner can neither trash the assets nor protect themselves from dying to Bio-Ethics Committee.
• Link
• Palana Glacier
• Variant of RP Glacier.
• Link
• Hot Tub Time Machine
• Similar to the IG version but uses Salem, Scorch, and Mumbad Construction Co.
• Link

Flashpoint (MWL1.1)(Worlds 2016)

• New MWL weakens Dumblefork but the deck is still strong. Astroscript limit 1 makes NBN fast advance significantly weaker.
• Dan D’Argenio wins US Nationals with IG49.
• Rumor Mill shuts down glacier’s defensive upgrades.
• CTM Tempo using political assets and Hard Hitting News is the deck to beat. Many folks run Temujin Whizzard as a response.
• Alternatively, some runners take all the CTM tags in the form of Siphon Obelus decks like Miffed Val and Hate Bear.
• Ben Ni pilots an updated SYNC called Fiery Inferno to second at worlds.
• Dien Tran popularizes NEH Railgun. A Power Shutdown + Boom combo.
• There’s a Dyper deck in the top 16.

Flashpoint (MWL1.1)(Worlds 2016) Decklists

• Temujin Whizzard
• Evolution of RegAss anarch decks that uses anarch breakers and lots of money from Temujin Contracts.
• Link

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• Miffed Val / Hate Bear
• Tagme deck leveraging Obelus. Siphons the runner, then draws tons of cards with Obelus+Medium.
• Link / Link

• IG 49
• Flatline the runner with Ronin+Dedication Ceremony.
• Link
• CTM Tempo
• Keep the runner low on econ with ID ability then play Hard Hitting News. Once they are tagged, used Closed Accounts and Exchange of Information.
• Link
• SYNC Fiery Inferno
• Updated SYNC tagstorm that uses Exchange of Information and Boom.
• Link
• NEH Railgun
• Combo deck that uses PS+AD+Jackson to fire 24/7 and two Booms in one click.
• Link

Flashpoint Pt.2

• Andromeda makes a comeback. There’s also a Nexus Andy built as a counter to the CTM problem.
• Successful experiments with new IDs: Smoke and Potential Unleashed.
• Much of the community feels that the power level of the Flashpoint cycle is above the curve. The release of Sifr is a tipping point. Many players take a break from the game as a result.
• Both Dumblefork and RegAss anarch decks incorporate Sifr+parasite extensively. As a result, corps focus less on ice and more on assets/combos. Prison RP is the latest version of Jinteki asset spam. Railgun and CI7 are both still popular as well as the new Hasty CI.

Flashpoint Pt.2 Decklists

• Sifr Parasite Whizzard
• Evolution of Dumblefork. Trash ice with Sifr Parasite combo. Use Sifr to efficiently break remaining ice.
• Link
• Good Stuff Andy
• Run economy and standard rig paired with powerful criminal events and resources.
• Link
• Nexus Andy
• Combines Security Nexus, Rabbit Hole, Power Tap, and Citadel Sanctuary to sustain economy off of traces.
• Link
• Smoke
• Good stuff shaper deck that uses Net Mercur and stealth breakers to make very efficient runs.
• Link

• Hasty CI
• Combo deck that uses Hasty Relocation+Accelerated Diagnostics to fast advance 7 points in 1 to 3 turns.
• Link
• Prison RP
• Evolution of IG Bio-lock. Uses Friends in High Places and Clone Suffrage Movement to recur Bio-Ethics Committee and grind out the kill.
• Link
• Potential Unleashed
• Spams out pings of damage to quickly deck the runner.
• Link

Red Sands / Terminal Directive (MWL1.2)

• Michael Boggs takes over as lead designer. New MWL makes it harder to play Rumor Mill / Sifr.
• theBigUnit and friends make an HB asset spam deck called Mooninites. It quickly becomes the deck to beat.
• Siphon Anarch is a popular counterplay to Mooninites. Also popular are Ben Ni’s Fiery Inferno and reg Andy (with Aeneas Informant).
• Power Shutdown gets an errata but players find new ways to combo with CI7. The US version draws the entire deck while the UK version uses Estelle Moon + Successful Field Test.
• Joseki wins US Nationals with the US CI7 and an Ayla Dyper2 that takes four consecutive turns.
• Saetzero builds a delightfully bizarre DDM Adjusted Matrix deck and wins Philly regionals.
• AgInfusion glacier makes a surprise debut thanks to its tax and resilience to run events.
• A Clan Vengeance Val deck emerges. It denies the corp cards using self-inflicted runner damage.

Red Sands / Terminal Directive Decklists

• Clan Vengeance Val
• Pairs self-inflicted damage with Officer Frank and Clan Vengeance to disrupt the corp’s game plan.
• Link
• Dyper 2
• One turn combo that Apocalypse’s the corp’s ice, then uses Equivocation to either mill the corp or find 7 points in R&D.
• Link
• DDM Adjusted Matrix
• Uses Deus Ex equipped with Adjusted Matrix to get through R&D and access 5 cards with Deep Data Mining.
• Link

• Mooninites
• Asset spam that leverages Estelle Moon and Friends in High Places to accelerate tempo.
• Link
• CI7 Reborn
• Evolution of CI7 combo that draws the whole deck before starting the combo (instead of using Power Shutdown).
• Link
• Penguin 7
• Hasty CI combo that uses Estelle Moon and Successful field test to draw the whole deck.
• Link
• AgInfusion Glacier
• Burst economy, taxing ice, and Caprice Nisei to score defensive agendas.
• Link

Core 2.0 (Rotation & MWL2.0)(Worlds17)

• FFG releases a second core set. The new core removes some of the problematic cards in the card pool while also preserving cards that were supposed to rotate in the Genesis and Spin cycles.
• Boggs also releases the MWL2.0 which shifts to a ban/restricted format.
• There is some drama that occurs with mining decks on NRDB.
• Wilfy wins worlds with Reversed CI (not a combo) and a Tapwrm Hayley that is well-teched for the field. Both CI and Hayley are prevalent at the top tables and following the tourney.
• Some corps make it through rotation with little damage like CTM and AgInfusion while others make a resurgence or bigger presence with the new pool like CI Brain Rewiring and PU.
• There is lots of Aumakua going around. Other than the Hayley decks, the major runners are Reg Val and Reg MaxX. Criminal is having a tough time.

Core 2.0 Decklists

• Reg Val
• Similar to older Reg Anarch decks. Includes Mining Accident and Aumakua.
• Link
• Reg MaxX
• See above. A little bit faster / consistent but weaker late game.
• Link
• Tapwrm Hayley
• Regular Shaper deck that uses Tapwrm paired with Sacrificial Construct to get consistent drip economy
• Link

• Reversed CI
• Forces the runner into a remote with must-trash assets, and punishes the runner with Stinson when they go low in credits. Usually fast advances for the win.
• Link
• CI Brain Rewiring
• Combo that kills the runner with Brain Rewiring or scores 7 points in one turn.
• Link
• PU Comrades
• Slightly different version of classic PU potatoes decks. Grinds by recurring EMPs.
• Link
• CTM
• Latest version of the CTM tempo deck. Now runs a SEA Source to guarantee the tag.
• Link

Kitara (MWL2.1)

• Most Core2 decks like Val, MaxX, Hayley, CI, AgInfusion, and CTM continue to be pretty strong. We also see variations of Shaper slightly faster than Hayley like Smoke and new runner Wu. Skorpios appears a little in the UK. We also see some Adam?
• New decks emerge that are popular on Jnet but not as represented in tourneys. These include Assimilator Apex and Aumakua Zamba Crim.
• There are also some new decks that take wins. Pirate Hayley leverages Kongamoto and Ghabali to get through ice. New HB Glacier builds huge remotes with Jinja Grid.
• Geist, who was floating around mid-tiers for a while, shoots up in popularity with the release of Corporate Grant.
• Boggs releases MWL2.1 which most notably shuts down the CI Brain Rewiring deck.
• Timmy Wong wins a tourney with Nero Severn, fulfilling a long-standing bounty.

Kitara (MWL2.1) Decklists

• Geist
• Evolution of the classic Geist deck. Uses Corporate Grant to slow the corp.
• Link
• Pirate Hayley
• Uses Kongamoto, Ghabali, and Grappling Hook to make big runs on R&D, all while getting Tech Trader money in return.
• Link
• Adam
• Seeks early points, then leverages recurring and drip econ to build to a strong late game. Creates a soft lock on R&D with Find the Truth and Corporate Defector.
• Link

• AOT Jinja Glacier
• Puts a lot of ice on the remote and on R&D using Jinja City grid, then advances agendas in the remote. NGO Front helps to bait 5/3 agendas. There are also Jinteki versions of this deck.
• Link

Kitara Pt2

• People keep tinkering with Freedom most notably Ben Ni.
• Azmari see play as a taxing rush hybrid kind of deck with 3/5 agendas.
• Both Rashida and NGO Front are very strong neutral cards slotted into a majority of corps.
• On the runner side, Anarch is king. The top decks are nearly all Clan Vengeance decks which leverage Zero, the new Anarch console. Top contenders are MaxX and Valencia.
• Nonetheless, reg crim sees some play with the new account siphon: Diversion of Funds.
• On the corp side, there is a larger spread of decks, but Mti Mwekundu Reigns supreme with all kinds of builds ranging from prison to glacier.
• Outside of Mti, both CTM and PU are still popular. Glacier is doing well with the release of Surveyor, an extremely taxing piece of ice.
• SSO industries has a very popular rush deck which sometimes uses Red Planet Couriers to end the game.

Kitara Pt2 Decklists

• CV Valencia
• Uses Zero + Clan Vengeance to gain huge tempo while also disrupting the corp
• Link
• CV MaxX
• Similar to CV Valencia but uses Patchwork and sets up faster
• Link
• Freedom
• Virus tribal deck
• Link
• 419
• Similar to the old criminal decks, now with Diversion of Funds
• Link

• Mti Glacier
• Uses Mti ability, taxing ice, and redirect/etr abilities to make it difficult to get in
• Link
• Azmari Rush
• Rushes 5/3 agendas out while baiting NGO Front. Builds taxing servers before the runner can set up.
• Link
• CTM
• Evolution of the classic CTM deck. Now has Rashida and Amani Senai for extra tempo.
• Link
• SSO Rush
• Rushes out a 5/3 behind advanceable ice, then scores another 5/3 with Red Planet
• Link

Reign & Reverie (MWL2.2)(Magnum Opus)

• Reign & Reverie injects a brand new set of cards into the meta. Sportsmetal and Liza tagme archetypes are created.
• Variations of 419 gain some popularity including Nexus 419 and Apocalypse 419.
• Boggs releases MWL 2.2 which cuts some of the meta’s most prevalent cards. Zero, Tapwrm, CI, Museum, and Estelle Moon are all banned.
• FFG announces it was unable to renew the Netrunner license. They announce a final world championship called Magnum Opus after which they will no longer print new cards and support competitive play.
• At Magnum Opus, players receive a playset of the remaining gencon/world champion cards.
• With the new MWL in place, the Magnum Opus meta looks very similar to Worlds 2016. CTM and Reg Anarch are the decks to beat. Joe Schupp wins with CTM and Reg Val.
• Joshua Quinlan places top 8 with Jinteki Biotech, proving the mushin dream is alive and real.

Reign & Reverie Decklists

• Reg Valencia
• Evolution of the regular Valencia deck
• Link
• Apoc 419
• Uses Aumakua and Eater to apply central pressure and wipe the board with Apocalypse
• Link
• Liza Tagme
• Takes a lot of tags, then uses Mars for Martians paired with either Counter Surveillance or Obelus for huge plays
• Link

• Sportsmetal
• Many variations of this deck. Typically, uses 1 pointers to get a tempo advantage and trigger the ID ability.
• Link
• Biotech Mushin
• Evolution of PE decks that uses Mushin to bluff agendas and flatline the runner
• Link
• CTM
• Standard CTM similar to previous cycles
• Link

Magnum Opus Decklists

• Apoc Val
• Very few installables. Rebirth into Omar
• Link
• Scamshop 410
• Relies on Link and Security Nexus
• Link
• Geist
• Link

• Mti
• The addition of Border Control gives the deck even more stopping power
• Link
• CtM
• Link

NISEI forms

• Fan-run organization
• Tournament support
• More frequent ban list updates
• Additional formats (Eternal, Snapshot)
• Proxies now allowed in tournament play
• Development of new cards and sets

Link

System Core 2019 (MWL3.0)

• System Core 2019 is released by NISEI
• Consists only of previously existing cards
• No physical version
• Terminal Directive and Revised Core rotate out of Standard
• Terminal Directive is axed long before schedule due to development issues
• MWL 3.0
• Removes neutral cards released in Magnum Opus
• Restricts Mti Mwekundu, Commercial Bankers Group, and Paper Clip
• Crowdfunding begins to show up everywhere, making Asset Decks nigh unplayable.
• Despite restriction Mti Mwekundu remains extremely strong.

System Core 2019 decklists

• Apoc Val
• Now with more Crowdfunding
• Link
• Big Deck MaxX
• Large decksize to avoid Levy AR Lab Access
• Link
• Gang Sign Leela
• Make scoring for the corp as annoying as possible
• Link
• Prey Leela
• Regular Leela Shell that uses Crowdfunding to power Prey
• Link
• Kickstarter Haley
• Crowdfunding fueled
• Link

• Mti
• Despite restriction still dominant
• Link
• Grinder PE
• Can efficiently run the Runner out of cards
• Link
• Lobstermodernism
• Link
• Fake Points Sportsmetal
• Feeds the runner both real and fake agendas to power up Game Changer
• Link

Downfall (MWL 3.1)

• NISEI’s first self-developed set releases, Downfall
• Spin Cycle rotates out of Standard
• MWL 3.1 is released
• Removes Jinteki: Potential Unleashed
• Restricts Crowdfunding and Dorm Computer
• Crowdfunding too efficient of a source of Runner credits
• Dorm Computer invalidates certain Corp Strategies
• Stargate and Pelangi make major impacts on Runner Side
• Fully Operational and gives HB very strong draw and econ, but takes its time to fully arrive

Downfall decklists

• Stabby FoxX/MaxX
• Uses Laamb to turn ice into Barriers that get trashed by Knifed
• Link
• Scamshop 419
• Relies on Link and Security Nexus
• Link
• Leela
• Various iterations
• Link

• Blue Sun
• The addition of Border Control gives the deck even more stopping power
• Link
• Mti
• Link
• Azmari Glacier
• Slot Machine and Daily Quest give it even more power over credit pools
• Link

Downfall Pt. 2 (MWL 3.2)

• Removes Mti Mwekundu
• Dominant Corp for several months
• Removes Employee Strike and GPI Net Tap
• Restricts Labor Rights and Laamb
• Reduce impact of Stabby MaxX deck
• Unrestricts Commercial Bankers Group and Violet Level Clearance
• Attempt to make Asset decks more viable.

​

Downfall Pt 2 Decklists

• Apoc Val
• Stargate introduced for multiaccess
• Link
• 419
• Addition of Class Act gives Criminals more draw power.
• Link
• Leela
• Link
• Link

• Blue Sun
• Link
• Lobstermodernism
• Link
• Jinja Sportsmetal
• Uses the draw power of sportsmetal to fuel Jinja City Grid
• Link
• Gagarin Asset Spam
• Uses SIU and Zealous Judge to bury the runner in tags for High Profile Target kill
• Link
• Link (post SIU & ZJ restriction)
• Titan fastadvance
• Link

MWL 3.3

• MWL 3.3 makes major changes
• Removes Crowdfunding
• Restricts several other Criminal econ engines (Power Tap, Au Revoir, Tech Trader) and Corporate “Grant”
• Restricts SIU and Zealous Judge to break up their interaction
• Removes restriction on Surveyor and Excalibur

Uprising Booster Pack (MWL 3.4)

• Due to delays in production, NISEI releases a “booster pack” of one card per faction from the upcoming set
• Legal for Worlds as it was distributed on-site
• MWL 3.4
• Zealous Judge and Laamb are removed
• Engolo is restricted
• SIU is unrestricted
• Oliver “Pinsel” Siccha wins Worlds on Freedom Khumalo and Asa Group

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Uprising Booster Pack decklists

• Freedom Khumalo
• Virus deck with Consume for money and Pelangi to make breaking easier
• Link
• Adam
• Link
• Apoc Val
• Link
• 419
• Link
• Counter Surveillance Liza
• TagMe deck that can make large accesses with Counter Surveillance
• Link

• Fully Dedicated Asa
• Fast Advance plan supported by Lakshmi Smartfabrics and Cybernetics Court to keep Agendas hidden
• Link
• Palana
• Using LaCosta Grid from the Booster
• Link
• Spombo
• Uses Arella Salvatore and Calibration Testing (recurred through Team Sponsorship) to score multiple agendas in a row.
• Link
• CtM
• Link
• Argus
• Link
• AgInfusion
• Excalibur to restrict runs
• Link

Uprising (MWL 3.4b)

• Uprising releases in full
• Creation & Control and the Lunar cycle rotate out of standard
• MWL 3.4b
• Liza Talking Thunder is banned
• Daily Casts, Self-Modifying Code and Cerebral Overwriter are reprinted and saved from rotation
• Hoshiko and her Companions become a viable archetype
• Boomerang becomes a popular breaker support tool
• Project Vacheron allows for the inclusion of 5/3 Agenda in HB that allows the Corp to play on even if stolen in the lategame.
• GameNet slowly forms as a glacier ID in NBN

​

Uprising decklists

• Hoshiko
• Link
• Apoc Val
• Link
• German Geist
• Link
• Leela
• Link
• Hayley
• Link

• Spombo Asa
• Spombo list applied to Asa Group
• Link
• Fake Points Sportsmetal
• Link
• Azmari Glacier
• Link
• Argus
• Link
• Gagarin Asset Spam
• Link
• Titan
• Link

Early 2020 to Standard Ban List 20.06

• Due to the Pandemic in-person play is almost entirely shut down and the community shifts largely online
• Also impacts NISEI in production of new sets
• Various fan-made Online tournaments and variants such as OKORINA become popular
• New Ban List Format replacing MWL
• No more restricted cards. Cards are either banned or not
• All Events and Operations of the subtype Current are banned
• Large shift in legal cardpool
• Link
• Project Kitara, a fan project to “reprint” the Kitara cycle with all new art launches to make the cards more accessible

2020 Decklists

• Freedom
• Link
• Hoshiko
• Link
• Val
• Link
• Leela
• Link

• Asa
• Link
• GameNet
• Gold Farmer and Slot Machine can enforce credit differentials, making Bellona hard to steal
• Link
• Titan
• Link

Ban List 20.09

• SSL Endorsement, Gold Farmer and Pad Tap are banned
• NISEI announces product delays for upcoming sets
• Limes wins Worlds with Fake Points Sportsmetal and Virus Hoshiko.

Worlds 2020 decklists

• Virus Hoshiko
• Disrupt the Corp’s gameplan with Imp
• Link
• Freedom
• Link
• Geist
• Link
• 419
• Link
• Leela
• Link

• Fake Points Sportsmetal
• Link
• CtM
• Link
• AgInfusion
• Link
• Red Titan
• Using Red Level Clearance
• Link
• Sandbox Asa
• Link

Salvaged Memories

• NISEI adds a small set of old cards to change up Standard while awaiting release of the new set
• No in-print release, to be removed again when the next set releases
• No Major tournaments played with it

System Gateway and System Update 2021

• System Gateway releases alongside System Update 2021
• System Gateway is a new Core experience of all new cards (except Sure Gamble and Hedge fund)
• System Update 2021 is all reprints to complete a basic cardpool
• System Core 2019, SanSan Cycle, Honor & Profit, Salvaged Memories rotate
• Startup format is created and becomes popular secondary format for a smaller cardpool
• Standard Ban List 20.04 bans Titan Transnational
• Standard Ban List 20.05 bans Violet Level Clearance

System Gateway decklists

• Hivemind MaxX
• Virus tribal deck that powers up viruses with Hivemind on Progenitor
• Link

• BtL Takeover Combo
• Scores a Government Takeover with Red Planet Couriers, powered by Mass Commercialization
• Link
• Precision Design
• Scoring never-advanced tempo-positive Agendas like Cyberdex Sandbox and Offworld Office via Seamless Launch
• Link
• Fake Points Sportsmetal
• Now with Snare!
• Link

Standard Ban List 21.06

• After the dominance of perceived unfun decks like Spombo and BtL Takeover combo, additional corp bans are implemented
• Slot Machine, Engram Flush, Fairchild 3.0, Game Changer, Mass Commercialization and Government Takeover are banned
• Community drama ensues due to Project Vacheron not being removed
• Runner meta atrophies between MaxX and 419

Standard Ban List 21.06 decklists

• Apoc MaxX
• Link
• Big Deck MaxX
• Link
• 419
• Link

• Blamechanger
• Sportsmetal Fast Advance that retains strength despite the ban of Game Changer
• Link
• Precision Design
• Link
• Reality Plus
• Tagging Glacier
• Link
• The Outfit
• Link

Standard Ban List 21.10

• Major changes to card pool
• Corp
• Project Vacheron and Jinteki: Personal Evolution are banned
• Identities Azmari EdTech and Gagarin Deep Space are unbanned
• Shipment from Tennin and Kakugo are unbanned
• Runner
• Top Criminal ID 419: Amoral Scammer is banned
• Pad Tap, Encore and Mad Dash are unbanned
• RotomAppliance wins Worlds with Precision Design and a 60-card MaxX

Ban List 21.10 decklists (Worlds 2021)

• Big Deck MaxX
• Link
• Hivemind MaxX
• Link
• Steve Cambridge
• Link
• Adam
• Link

• Precision Design
• Link
• Gagarin Asset Spam
• Link
• CtM
• Link

Midnight Sun Booster Pack

• Due to production delays, a booster pack with one card per faction from the upcoming Midnight Sun set is added to the Standard card pool
• Is released in-print
• Does not shake up the meta very much

Midnight Sun Booster Pack decklists

• Big Deck Max
• Link
• Steve Cambridge
• Deep Dive as multiaccess
• Link
• Adam
• Link

• Precision Design
• Link
• Gagarin Asset Spam
• Link
• CtM
• Link

Midnight Sun (Standard Ban List 22.08)

• Midnight Sun releases
• Mumbad Cycle and Order & Chaos rotate out of Standard
• NISEI announced it will change its name in the near future
• Issue with change in card backs on physical releases
• Standard Ban List 22.08
• Jinteki: Personal Evolution and Fairchild 3.0 are unbanned
• Cyberdex Sandbox, Kakugo, Shipment from Tennin and High-Profile Target are banned
• Drago Ivanov makes tagging the runner very easy
• Endurance makes Shaper more prominent as a faction.
• Allows for early breaking while setting up economy cards for late game
• Lat becomes top Identity by a wide margin
• In response fast advance decks become more prevalent, trying to outrace the boat.

Midnight Sun decklists

• Boat Lat
• Endurance and lots of Economy. Into the Depths finds breakers, tech cards and multiaccess
• Link
• Adam
• Link
• Smoke
• Link
• Hoshipko
• Using Endurance and Hippo to cut up servers
• Link

• Reality Plus Drago Lock
• Uses Drago to tag the runner every turn and play punishment cards
• Link
• Audacity Sportsmetal
• Elivagar Bifurcation giving it a new 2/1 agenda
• Link
• Moon Pool Sportsmetal
• Link
• Mitosis PE
• Link
• Asset Spam Ob
• Self-trashing assets allow to tutor for new ones
• Link

​

Standard Ban List 22.09

• In wake of a Standard meta dominated by infinite credits for the runner, changes were made.
• Rezeki and Pad Tap are banned
• 419: Amoral Scammer is unbanned
• Archived Memories and Preemptive Action are banned
• To reduce recursion and force Corps to be more pro-active

​

• NISEI Announces name change to Null Signal Games
• Sokka234 wins Worlds on Apocalypse Lat and Midrange Sportsmetal

Worlds 2022 decklists

• Apocalypse Lat
• Link
• Tag Me Zahya
• Link
• Hoshipko
• Link
• Good Stuff 419
• Link

• SNACS
• Sportsmetal with NEXT Activation Command
• Link
• Lacosta Reality Plus
• Link
• Trieste AgInfusion
• Creates an Unbreakable Loki with Net Damage that locks out the runner from all servers
• Link
• Rush Ob
• Link

​

Parhelion

• Second part of the Borealis block is released in December 2022
• Slow Runner control decks and Corp prison decks enter a feedback loop where the popularity of one encourages more of the other, pushing other strategies out.

Parhelion Decklists decklists

• Hoshipko
• Link
• Good Stuff 419
• Link
• World Tree Kabonesa
• Sets up a World Tree that allows to tutor for many silver bullet cards
• Link

• Keeling Asa
• Builds Clown Car remote to protect Dr. Keeling
• Link
• Nightmare AgInfusion
• Heavy ice with Kill threat of Bathonymus activated by Nanisivik Grid
• Link
• LaCosta Reality Plus
• Link
• Urban Renewal Ob
• Link

​

Standard Ban List 23.03

Exploitative cards from the Borealis cycle finally are hit with the Banhammer

• Kabonesa Wu: Netspace Thrillseeker is banned
• Endurance is banned
• Nanisivik Grid is banned
• Drago Ivanov is banned

​

The Future

• New Products in Development by Null Signal Games.
• All the latest Null Signal news can be found at nullsignal.games

​

Presentation originally created by kata124. Further developed by chaosof99.