by mrthefter
Alexfrog wrote:
mrthefter wrote:
Alexfrog wrote:
In my version I've replaced the Lemurias with Cyberfeeders, which I like better. (They serve a similar purpose of saving you from the expense of running some terrible large fort repeatedly, in different ways).
I'm not sure I understand you here. Lemuria is for fact-checking, and keeping the corp honest. Sure, with your cyberfeeder, you can get into the remote server. But it doesn't tell you whether that installed card is an ambush or not. Additionally, you can use it to see what facedown ICE is (like Archer) and plan your credits accordingly, or check for other things like Corporate Troubleshooter which might wreck your rig.
Lemuria's purpose is to prevent you from wasting money, by making it so that you dont have to run a heavily defended fort to see that the face down card is a pad campaign, not an agenda. Or a trap, not an agenda.
Cyberfeeder reduces the money cost of the run to check it, or it reduces the cost of a once a turn run on R&D or HQ. Its not as good against a trap (but I usually save infiltration for cards that get advancement couners onto them). The lemuria is reasonable and serves a purpose. But I prefer the economy of cyberfeeder over it, as I like to begin a 'run R&D every turn' plan once my rig is set up and I get some money. I feel that with sufficient money and the complete rig, I dont care what their face down ice is. The lemuria is counterable by heavy HQ ice, making the informational run super expensive.
Hmm. I guess that's another valid way of looking at it. However, if you're just going to run R&D all the time instead of HQ, then R&D is going to have the larger ICE fort. Granted, your economy will be better in the long run, but there are other considerations. I've played against this deck, and a well-used LC can really put the pressure on the corp; more so than a few extra credits per turn. I think you're seriously underestimating LC here.
For starters, you mention saving credits via this avenue instead of using LC to check for econ assets/ambushes. However, traps can also destroy your programs or give tags. In both cases, this is almost always going to cost you far more credits in the long run, as you have to spend clicks and credits removing tags or for drawing and installing replacement software. Not to mention, the corp's probably targeted your MO as well, so your economic option is gone, too.
Infiltration is useful for checking advanced cards, sure. But are there really only 3 advanced cards you ever check for? And this is if you have infiltration in your hand when a card is advanced, too. Additionally, chances are, as you're building your rig, you may have to trash one of these as you're drawing for consoles or programs.
And while, most of the time, you may be OK for unrezzed ICE as long as you stock enough credits, it still doesn't prevent Corporate Troubleshooter from ruining your day. Worst case, this is rezzed on ICE that has brain damage or program trashing. LC will spot this and let you prepare for it.
Finally, it basically shuts down all corp bluffing. They can't put out undefended agendas, they can't bait with traps. Putting a agenda out means they have to be able to advance it before you can run it, but you run HQ all the time to LC everything, which means you'll hit their agendas if they're keeping it in hand until they can advance it. Additionally, corp needs to effectively heavy ICE 3 servers (remote, HQ, R&D), not counting any additional servers they want, because any run you make on any of those 3 is going to be a big gain for you. The pressure is ENORMOUS on the corp.
Even if they heavy ICE HQ to prevent LC, this will likely make the remote server or R&D lightly defended, making it extremely cheap to run it and just skip LC and use infilitrations like you would instead. It will also likely leave the corp broke as they're paying humongous ICE install costs, while you prance right through their servers with shaper's efficient breakers.
tl;dr
LC in a shaper deck pressures the corp to install lots of ICE on 3 separate servers and makes runs safe (but not necessarily economical). Cyberfeeder only provides a few meager credits in comparison, which are only replenished once a turn, but still leaves you open to corp punishment from traps.
Concession point: Cyberfeeder is far more useful early game for the free credits. But the way rbelikov plays this deck, he goes straight for end game and skips early game, letting the corp do whatever. If your playstyle is to run early, run often, then cyberfeeder will be more useful. But that's not what this deck was built for.