Joining us this evening to discuss the deck of the week is stimhack league champion TheBigBoy!

Good evening nerdbears, this is Net Night, I’m your host Marcus Chatty and with me, to my dismay is the only co-host I could find: Stimbot , the chat AI from stimhack’s slack channel.

Did you play any other card games before netrunner?

I started at about Honor and Profit I think, I bought a Core just to try out the game. I’m not quite sure how I heard about it, probably an Amazon recommendation

Let’s get all of the basics out of the way, what got you into Netrunner?

Okay, there we go! Please have a seat. Sorry about that Abram, may I call you Abram?

That’s… not even close to correct.

Thank you for joining us, let me have Stimbot pull up a seat for you.

MarcusChatty

That explains it.

TheBigBoy

So after the core I watched the entire Team Covenant Channel, Bought all the cards, played OCTGN for a month, then made top 8 a Store Champ with 50 people

MarcusChatty

You were only playing online before that?

TheBigBoy

That tournament was my first in-person netrunner

MarcusChatty

Wow, so how much of what you learned online translate into real life?

TheBigBoy

Everything, – online is far better practice than in-person, at least for me

although playing in person is much more fun

MarcusChatty

So in your opinion, if someone is interested in learning the game, is online play worth it?

TheBigBoy

Yes, but only OCTGN 😉

MarcusChatty

How has being the stimhack league champion and a renowned netrunner blogger affected your personal life?

TheBigBoy

Oh god, some people actually listen to me now?

MarcusChatty

Your blog is very instructive! You have a really analytical, yet easy to follow approach to the game that really comes through in the several minutes that I spent reading your blog before this interview.

TheBigBoy

Most of the ideas for my blog just come from explaining things to people I know. then I try to get everything concrete and in writing.

MarcusChatty

Well, it’s working out great. Has it been hard for you to juggle time spent attending fundraisers, speaking engagements and rolling in piles of [netrunner money]?

Stimbot





TheBigBoy

Game is ruined

by all the money

MarcusChatty

Give me 0 – 2 credits and I’ll be happy, know what I mean?

TheBigBoy

Someone once asked me why i always bid 0 with Noise

I said for me caprice is an 8-cost upgrade that says “the runner cannot steal from remote servers” and Noise can beat that card.

MarcusChatty

Caprice is overrated, I mean she’s not even a sysop, so… what does she know?

TheBigBoy

She is pretty good… Some decks try to steal things out of remotes, lol – Caprice is pretty good against them.

MarcusChatty

One time Akitaro tried to steal Caprice’s lunch, he bid 0 and had to eat at Arbys.

TheBigBoy

Here’s an example for you. In a regionals game I had a D4vid vs Wraparound + Caprice Sundrew. I had 3 shots at it. I bid 0 – 0 – 0

MarcusChatty

What did he bid?

TheBigBoy

1 – 1 – 0 got ’em 😉

MarcusChatty

Ugh, that truly hurts me inside.

TheBigBoy

But do you know why he bid 0 on the last run?

MarcusChatty

Why?

TheBigBoy

because he went into that situation with like 6 credits and I apply pressure. If you just sit back and remote-camp, sure then Caprice is random. But, if you get in their face, it’s not random. You can tilt them into 0.

MarcusChatty

So Sure Gamble is pretty good, why do you think Kookoobah hates it so much?

TheBigBoy

Sometimes I hate it too. I think he’s right to run some number of Easy Mark. I’m convinced that some kind of mix is probably best, like 2 gamble 1 mark. I’d rather draw 1 of each than 2 of either. Being able to play from 0 is important right now.

MarcusChatty

What makes you say that?

TheBigBoy

There are many must-trash situations where if you miss your window the corp gets rich. Not having to click for credits means that you won’t miss those opportunities.

MarcusChatty

Alright, I know a thing or two about Psi games, let’s do one now.

TheBigBoy

If you win do I lose my corroder?

MarcusChatty

Ah, how’d you get that thing in here, security was supposed to pat you down…Nevermind! I Bid 2!

TheBigBoy

bid 0

MarcusChatty

Ha! I win!

TheBigBoy

run again.

MarcusChatty

Well, I seem to be a little short right now… I bid… 0

TheBigBoy

bid 0

MarcusChatty

IM-IMPOSSIBLE!

TheBigBoy

See? Can’t afford those 2’s 🙂 So what really happens when you lose a psi game?

MarcusChatty

Oh it’s no big deal, Jinteki has this great cross-training program. You get promoted to a position out on a farm in Palana where you get to run around and play with all the other clones and sysops. I’ve heard it’s great.

TheBigBoy

I think I know where the Improved Protein Source comes from now.

MarcusChatty

Soy probably, but that’s a strange thing to bring up just now. Let’s talk some more about this Gabe deck. What’s your take on Kookoobah’s revisions and why are they all wrong?

TheBigBoy

They’re good! I’d keep 3 Fisk Seminar and go to 1 Shutdown, but that’s it. 2 plascrete is smart – though it’s a bit annoying that 24/7 Breaking News Scorch will never rotate.

MarcusChatty

What else do you find annoying in Netrunner right now?

TheBigBoy

Maybe how awful some people are at teaching this game? There are a lot of new players getting told things that are just false.

MarcusChatty

Lay it on me

TheBigBoy

Like that they should “netdeck”

MarcusChatty

But Abram, netdecks are proven to work!

TheBigBoy

“ Work” When I introduce people to the game, I tell them that as a runner, you don’t need cards to win. Your cards are answers to questions the corp will ask you. I taught a friend recently that took all of the things I said at face value. He built a Gabe deck with just 2 cores and Honor & Profit.

MarcusChatty

How did that go?

TheBigBoy

He dominated the local scene for weeks! Crypsis for days.

MarcusChatty

Let’s hope nobody tells him about Faust then.

TheBigBoy

People don’t understand Faust. You don’t need money, and you can’t get locked out. Like ever.

MarcusChatty

What’s the one thing you think players can learn from playing decks like this Gabe.

TheBigBoy

That you don’t need to run remotes to win at netrunner 😉

MarcusChatty

Just win Psi games.

TheBigBoy

And play decks before you talk about them.

MarcusChatty

Of course… you’d have to be a pretty arrogant asshole to do that. Do you have any final thoughts to help aspiring deck builders navigate this complicated children’s game?

TheBigBoy

Netrunner isn’t a children’s game… It’s for Big Boys 😉



MarcusChatty

Ha! I walked right into that one…

TheBigBoy

Just play a ton, and use your brain. If a card seems good to you, then play it a ton, and see if it is

MarcusChatty

That is a great sentiment! Thank you so much for taking your time to chat with us this evening Abram. Everyone, be sure to follow TheBigBoy’s blog [Run The Net on wordpress].