In the “So you wanna…” series we introduce each of the major and minor factions that you can play in Netrunner. These articles survey common themes, flavor, mechanics, and strategies that these factions employ, as well as a brief overview of key cards in the faction. “So you wanna…” will help you find the right faction to play and prepare you to compete against every faction in the game!

Meet Jinteki

Greetings, aspiring Netrunner! Today we will be discussing the Jinteki faction on the Corporation side. Jinteki is one of four core Corporation factions. Their cards are dark red and feature identities such as Jinteki: Personal Evolution and Industrial Genomics. Jinteki engineers and sells clones, and they maintain that their products are immune from concerns like “human rights” and “personal liberty.” There are also rumors that they know a thing or two about some uncanny, even inexplicable functions of the human brain…

Jinteki features the most sources of net damage of any faction. They also feature extensive use of the Psi game, in which the Runner and Corp simultaneously spend credits, usually to the benefit of the Corp. Jinteki’s suite of advance-able traps, powerful IDs, and tricky mechanics give Jinteki access to a very cerebral brand of Netrunner through confounding mind games and bizarre tactics.

Signature Cards

If Snare! is accessed from R&D, the Runner must reveal it. If you pay 4 [credits] when the Runner accesses Snare!, do 3 net damage and give the Runner 1 tag. Ignore this effect if the Runner accesses Snare! from Archives.

Dying to Snare! is like a rite of passage in Netrunner. Even experienced Runners will make a gamble and sometimes find themselves on the receiving end of a lethal zap.

Snare! is natural central server protection for Jinteki. Though it is fairly costly for the Corp to use it, the amount by which it sets the Runner back when it fires is usually worth the cost. Snare! players always crack a wry smile whenever a Runner initiates a run with fewer than 3 cards in hand.

Snare! is also a great deterrent to Runners who feel the need to peek in every remote. As long as the Corp has at least 4 credits, this card is always a threat. Speaking of threats…

Project Junebug can be advanced. If you pay 1 [credit] when the Runner accesses Project Junebug, do 2 net damage for each advancement token on Project Junebug.

Project Junebug is an advance-able Jinteki trap. Because it only requires one credit to fire, it is the “cheapest” trap that Jinteki has access to. Only by reducing a Corp’s credit pool to 0 will a Runner be safe to run any triple-advanced remotes without fear of flatlining. Which makes it a natural combo with the following card…

As an additional cost to play this operation, spend [1 click]. Install an asset, agenda, or upgrade from HQ in a new remote server. Place 3 advancement tokens on that card. You cannot score or rez that card until your next turn begins.

And behind Server #6… Just because it’s advanced, doesn’t mean it’s an agenda!

With the combination of Snare! (which CAN be Mushin’d!), Junebug, and Mushin, the Runner is always forced to play a high-stakes game with every remote run! The mind games that Mushin allows the Corp to play with agendas, traps, and regular old cards (Surprise! It’s Jackson Howard!) are endless… so long as Jinteki is packing enough credits.

When the Runner accesses The Future Perfect, you and the Runner secretly spend 0, 1, or 2 [credits]. Reveal spent credits. If you and the Runner spent a different number of credits, prevent The Future Perfect from being stolen. Ignore this ability if the Runner accesses The Future Perfect while it is installed.

Ah, the Psi game. The trademark mechanic of Jinteki. Jinteki has some of the strongest agendas in the game, and The Future Perfect, the “unstealable” agenda, is a staple of the Jinteki “glacier” deck that aims to grind the runner down with high-strength ICE and Psi games… even when The Future Perfect is in Archives! Keep in mind however, that if you choose to install or Mushin The Future Perfect, you disable the Psi game ability.

Evolving a Better You

Jinteki is among the most varied of factions due to the presence of strong IDs and agendas that allow for a variety of strategies. While they don’t have the fastest economy or most efficient ICE, the power of Psi games, the threat of traps, and the sheer versatility of the faction make Jinteki a Corp to be reckoned with. Learning to play Jinteki well means really studying the game, your opponent, and even your own habits so you can win Psi games and gamble on traps.

The two most common win conditions for Jinteki decks are to score out using big agendas that sit behind taxing ICE in remotes, and to flatline the runner using an overwhelming amount of Net damage either in bursts or in a thousand tiny cuts. In the first style, glacier, learning to properly build remotes and defend centrals is very important. In flatline decks, the Corp instead tries to bait the runner into running traps, scare the runner away from running agendas, and rely on the strength of their cards and IDs to protect them from random Runner accesses.

The IDs that lend themselves most naturally to a glacier style are Jinteki: Replicating Perfection and Pālanā Foods. RP’s ability is pretty clearly “glacier:” in order to run ANY remotes, the Runner must first run a central on the same turn! Pālanā’s ID is simpler but arguably just as powerful: the first time each turn the Runner draws a card, you gain a credit. There are styles of Jinteki glacier that do or do not include any net damage; the style you play is up to you!

On the other hand, IDs that naturally try to flatline the Runner include Jinteki: Personal Evolution and Industrial Genomics. Both attempt to build up a board state that leaves the Runner with fewer and fewer options: run and face possible death, or don’t run for long enough and lose anyway. PE turns every agenda into a trap; and Industrial Genomics makes trashing advance-able traps and other valuable cards much, much harder.

Playing Against Jinteki

Rule #1: Always be ready to hit a Snare!, but don’t be afraid to run if you are ready.

As a rule of thumb, running any Jinteki card means keeping a hand size of 3 or preferably greater. This greatly slows down the Runner and means that rushing to get multi-accesses on central servers can lead to an untimely death.

Against flatline decks, install ONLY cards you absolutely need. Cards in your grip are your hit points in this case, and should be treated as such. Against glacier, you have to balance installing cards with the off chance that the Corp may be packing Snare!. Try to assess the risk if ever running a server with fewer than 3 cards in hand or going for multi-access.

Rule #2: Learn how to play and win Psi games.

Let’s say you’ve hit The Future Perfect in HQ or a server protected by Caprice Nisei. How do you get at those sweet agenda points?

As the Runner, your best bet is to bid 0 credits unless you have a read on your opponent, or it is a do-or-die situation. You are welcome to use a randomizer, as well, but the credit advantage of almost always bidding 0 makes re-running the server that much better in case you lose. If you default to bidding 0, Psi games become a drain on the Corp’s credit pool and allow you to get them down to 0 credits sooner, where they have no choice but to bid 0.

Rule #3: Quickly identify a Corp’s strategy.

To defeat Jinteki, you must learn to identify the strategy the Corp is employing early in the game. Experience against many styles and strategies of Jinteki and their often strange card effects is vital. In addition, getting a read on your opponent’s habits and tells is key to winning Psi games and identifying traps and baits.

Look at their ID, remember cards you’ve seen, and pay attention to which servers are being ICEd. A weakly-defended R&D could be a sign of a trap-style deck, whereas large amounts of ICE and upgrades suggests a glacier strategy backed by Caprice Nisei. Especially against trap-style decks, carefully watch the Corp’s credit count at all times and memorize the credit amounts needed to fire all the most important traps, and keep tabs on every card you’ve seen so far.

Correctly identifying strategies, counting cards, and knowing the costs of traps and ICE is key in assessing the risk of making runs against Jinteki and countering their diverse strategies.

Is Jinteki Right For Me?

Are you interested in the mental aspects of Netrunner? Do you enjoy high-stakes mind-games and trying to bait the Runner into making mistakes? Want to stay unpredictable and play cards that involve unusual effects? Or do you just enjoy the sheer diversity and power of the Jinteki IDs? If you answered yes to any or all of these, you might be a good fit for Jinteki!

If you’re looking for a strong Jinteki net damage kill deck that is competitive and legal to play as of the Flashpoint cycle, check out Hinky IG by Dan D’Argenio.

We hope you enjoyed this introductory article on the Jinteki faction. Here at Levy University, your educational satisfaction is guaranteed, or your credits back!

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