Hack The Planet: Deck Diving 1: Weyland Tag & Bag

Avoid 4chan. It’s bad news.

Hello and welcome to another article the L5R players will skip because it’s about Android: Netrunner. For today’s article I will begin a series discussing a specific deck and some of the choices made (mostly as I’m nearly out of better ideas) So today, we’ll start with a deck type you’re likely to see at the spring’s regionals: Weyland style Tag ‘n Bag.

A quick disclaimer: in the interest of not annoying anyone by publishing their deck /I’m too lazy to look them up, these will be my own decklists. Thus why they are so lousy. You have been warned.

A first note: Tag and Bag is a combo deck. The goal is to kill the Runner by tagging them and then having enough Scorched Earth in hand to flatline them. Thus large parts of the deck are built around implementing this combo, stalling until you can set it up, and affording it.

On to The Deck (deck created with CardGameDB.com):

Identity:

Weyland Consortium: Building a Better World (Core) Tag And Bag can be done most effectively in Weyland or NBN. This deck uses Weyland so it can play 3 Scorched Earth without eating up all of the influence.

Total Cards: (49) We are using the maximum deck size to thin out our agendas, rather than make it easy for the Runner to hit them.  

I suggest a new strategy Gentlemen, Nuke the runner in the face.
Those in Favor?

Agenda (12) (Total Agenda Points: 21)
Executive Retreat (Trace Amount #39) x3  The big points agenda, I like the opportunity to get a new hand as it’s very helpful while hunting for the combo. Government Contracts would be an equally valid swap, which I go back and forth on. Personal flavor really.

Hostile Takeover (Core #94) x3 These two small agendas are best scored early to be forfeited to Archer. 

Posted Bounty (Core #95) x3  Alternatively Posted Bounty can be scored and dropped late game to tag the Runner.

Project Atlas (What Lies Ahead #18) x3 Try to score this with 2 counters on it: doing so will let you fish out a Sea Source and a Scorched Earth when the opportunity presents itself.

Asset (4) As with most Corps, the assets here are to fuel the economy. While Weyland can go all Ops for their cash, I like some asset based economy since a successful Sea Source plus 2 Scorched Earths can be expensive. Early game if you can drop either asset in a safe spot and spend a few turns getting money off of it you should be set cash wise for the entire game.
Private Contracts (Cyber Exodus #59) x2
Melange Mining Corp (Core #108) x2

ICE (18) Fair warning: this is a low ICE count. To make room for the combo and the cards to fuel it I had to cut some ICE. As such you won’t be keeping the runner out very well in Stage 3. Don’t worry though: you just need to smack him in the face the once to win.

Archer (Core #101) x2 The best ICE. Against an unsuspecting Runner Archie can set them back turns and turns by trashing programs, which gives you more than enough time to set up your combo. Even when they’re prepared for it, it’s still expensive for the Runner to break, again slowing the Runner until you can kill them.

Chimera (Cyber Exodus #60) x2

Target Acquired.
I seeee you!

Data Raven (Core #88) x2 ■■ One of the scarier ICE for the Runner, it’s very nice in this deck as it either keeps the Runner out of whichever fort it’s protecting, or it gives them a tag (and maybe a tag on your turn thanks to the trace) which means you don’t have to SEA Source to be able to nuke them.

Draco (What Lies Ahead #20) x3

Enigma (Core #111) x3

Ice Wall (Core #103) x3

Wall of Static (Core #113) x2

Rototurret (Core #64) x1 ■ An odd 1 of, I still like it as Rototurret is great for keeping the runner honest. While any sentry breaker deals with it easily, a lack of sentry breakers means the Runner will be losing something else they need, and staying off your lawn out of your fort.

Operation (15)
Beanstalk Royalties (Core #98) x3
Archived Memories (Core #58) x2 ■■ Best used for combo reuse. If the runner is tagged and you have this and a Scorched Earth in hand you can play the earth, this, then the earth again – almost assuredly finishing them off.
Green Level Clearance (A Study in Static #70) x2 ■
Hedge Fund (Core #110) x3
Scorched Earth (Core #99) x3
SEA Source (Core #86) x2 ■■

And the winner of creepiest bowl cut goes to:
Nuke them from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

So, there’s the deck. It’s entirely focused on killing, stalling till you kill, and being able to afford the kill, meaning some otherwise bad choices (low ICE) are mitigated. Most of the Agendas are there for their side benefits rather than in hopes of winning the game that way. Playing it you mostly want to accrue sufficient funds and the right cards in hand that at some point you can take a turn of Sea Source, Scorched Earth, Scorched Earth. If you’re lucky and the Runner isn’t paying attention you may be able to get away with less than that.

Hopefully I’ve given you some insight into Tag and Bag. If there’s a deck you’d like to see in the next Deck Dive feel free to ask in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Happy Running!

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