2018 Netrunner North American Championship friends @ Gen Con
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@fetalai
2018 Netrunner North American Championship friends @ Gen Con
"Shut the fuck up, Zach." - Ran Cao joking with Zach Cavis during their match in the Top 16 cut at Netrunner’s North American Championship. [Scenes from Netrunner’s 2017 North American Championship at Gen Con]
If I’m recalling this correctly, Zach gave Ran the Andromeda deck she’s playing here. Not having much time to spend playing or practicing Netrunner lately, she relied on friends to give her Cerebral Imaging and Andy lists to learn right before the event -- before the tournament began, you could see Ran reviewing the stapled pages of decklists and articles she printed out with instructions on how to pull off CI combos. And she took those decks right to Top 16.
Paired against her Gen Con roommate here, Ran teased that he should give her advice on what to do. Zach proceeded to predict each click Ran would take during her first turn (optimal Andy turns are pretty easy to plot out), even reminding her to use Dirty Laundry during a Temüjin Contract run to get the most money possible. Anyone who caught her Blast Zone segment in ScoopsCast episode 2 would not be surprised by her reaction.
“He’s gone bananas with these remotes.” - Me, after Sam Suied scored a Successful Field Test that let him install seven new cards all at once. [Scenes from Netrunner’s 2017 North American Championship at Gen Con]
Sam pulled off the sickest play in the lead-up to scoring SFT -- his opponent was keeping great control of the board up until this point in the Losers Finals match-up, but then he neglected to trash an Advanced Assembly Lines. Before the end of the runner’s turn, Sam used a Project Vitruvius token to retrieve a Clone Suffrage Movement from Archives, then installed it with AAL. Rezzing CSM, he returned a Friends in High Places to his hand at the start of his own turn, and installed a mix of threats (including a Blacklist to stop Bloo Moose from firing) that the opponent had to spend time dealing with. This setup allowed Sam to score SFT next turn and flood the board with Donkey Kongs.
Congrats to Sam, who is having a stellar 2017. After coming in second at regional after regional for several years, he took down TWO regionals this year, and then won the North American Championship! He also tried to steal my deckbox at Gen Con, but that’s okay because I’ve been stealing his runner decklists (shoutouts to Headlock Reina) for years.
Dien Tran watches with an uneasy expression as Jason Deng attempts to pull off a kill combo during his Grand Finals match-up. [Scenes from Netrunner’s 2017 North American Championship at Gen Con]
Deng didn’t end up winning this one -- I know your pain, Jason -- but the NYC-based player should be commended for almost taking the event with a wild Near-Earth Hub, a corp long-presumed dead in the current meta. He also was responsible for making sure people could watch a livestream of the final cut for the tournament, driving 10+ hours to and back from Gen Con (instead of taking an easy flight) to transport his streaming equipment.
Unfortunately, Twitch did not archive the stream, so those matches are likely lost forever. I rounded up the list of Top 16 players, along with their runner and corp IDs, after the break, though:
"We'll have an announcement relatively soon that I think players will be happy about." - Netrunner’s lead designer Michael Boggs. [Scenes from Netrunner’s 2017 North American Championship at Gen Con]
I spoke with the designer briefly at Gen Con, and this statement seemed important to share, as morale amongst the general community seemed to be at an all-time low due to the dearth of information on the cyberpunk card game’s future. Boggs didn’t indicate if this announcement is related to news that's been long expected like the updated Most Wanted List or something bigger.
Help save Fetal.AI, get some alt-arts ⧉
This wildly expensive domain expires in less than a week, and I was prepared to shut it all down and let rotation hit Fetal.AI early. But after hanging out with friends at a recent regional, hearing people’s appreciation for the site, and receiving a kind donation of cards from Peter McOwen and Ellen Biscotti, I’m motivated to renew the domain and get back to updating it!
So if you want to keep Fetal.AI going and add to your alt-art collection, take these cards off of my hands. Or if you don’t want cards and just want to contribute to the site, which would be REALLY awesome and appreciated, get in touch with me.
Prices on above cards (more after the break):
Hedge Fund set - $120 or make me an offer / sold
Wall of Static set - $120 or make me an offer
NAPD Contract set - $75 or make me an offer
Chronos Project sets - $35 for a set or make me an offer
Professional Contacts - $45 each or make me an offer
All cards shown as a complete set will be sold as such, unless I fail to move them and get desperate. Add $3 for shipping if you’re Continental US -- international and everyone else, we’ll figure out an appropriate amount. You can reach me on the Stimhack Slack (eric_c), Facebook, Twitter, email (eric at tinycartridge diggitydot com -- no diggity), or the comments below, and I’ll give you my PayPal. Maybe I’ll convince Kenny to let me give you a Scoopscast shout-out as thanks, too.
Vote for Netrunner’s first Hall of Fame candidates ⧉
[Community leader Scott “Spags” Pagliaroni just launched and opened voting for a new tribute meant to celebrate exemplary members of the Netrunner scene. We’ve given him the space here to introduce the Hall of Fame and explain how this first wave of nominees will be voted in. The King of Servers organizer also shared his personal picks from the initial ballot after the break.]
The idea of an Android: Netrunner (ANR) Hall of Fame (HOF) started as a Slack #general chat folly between Dien Tran and Abram Jopp. It is now becoming a reality. One of the reasons people play the game is to gain the admiration and esteem of one’s peers. Another thing people gain enjoyment from is organizing events, or contributing to the community in a myriad of ways. The ANR HOF is a fan-run idea that will enshrine ANR players past and present, based on votes of their peers, that recognizes them for their contributions and performances.
The ANR HOF will initially induct twelve players from a list of 32. Voters will pick their top 12 in the initial vote. Every six months or so, in the spring, and before Worlds, six more players will be inducted. The list will be added to before being put forward for a vote. Players that do not make it in will remain on the list for the next vote. For the next vote, the community can voice whom they would like to see on the list of nominees.
The initial list was created by myself, and a number of people on the list itself, who nominated others. These people are known for their past performances and community contributions. Some no longer even play the game, but we felt that they should be at least nominated for their work towards making ANR a better game. You can turn in your ballot here!
Below is my ballot, with some brief words on each:
Thank you, bootleg Netrunner stream koala 🐨
With seemingly fewer live tournament streams for Netrunner this year (might have something to do with the dwindling attendance for events 😭), it’s harder to catch top-cut coverage of regionals this season. That’s why I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the heroes who’ve sacrificed their phone batteries and data limits for the community, streaming top cuts with the Periscope app on their phones so that Stimslack jokers at home can follow them.
Mike Summers did it last weekend at the NorCal regional, sharing some WILD matches with Timmy Wong and Jon Dalesandry. And today, Chris Hinkes is coming through with scenes from Seattle’s Top 8, and this adorable koala.
If you want to set up your own illicit Netrunner koala stream, you can pick up a great portable phone battery charger here, and one of the dancing arboreal marsupials here or here. S/o to Dave Cheng for the photo of the Periscope rig.
Autism Acceptance in A:NR
Autism acceptance month is this month (April), so I’ve put together a little primer on autism for the Android: Netrunner community with some suggestions on how to make A:NR events more accessible. I’m no expert, but I’m an adult on the spectrum whose special interest is A:NR, and since nobody seems to be talking about this I figured I would.
I think I’ve only made it through all the swiss rounds in three A:NR events of the dozen or so I’ve played in. It’s always an ordeal for me to prepare for an event. I’m not a competitive player, so I don’t worry about being at the top of my game or gauging the meta. I worry about what the space will be like, when I get breaks and for how long, and where I can go to have a meltdown/shutdown. I worry about how many people will be there, what (precisely) will be expected of me, and I worry whether I’ll be having a ‘good day’; that is, a day where my symptoms are less severe - all among other things that will ruin my fun and have nothing to do with the game. It is not a wonder that I tilt easily and if I leave an event without crying, I consider that a victory. I don’t think it has to be this way.
Keep reading
Netrunner has even more trans representation than we thought ⧉
We’ve known for a couple years now that at least one of Netrunner’s characters, Quetzal, has dismissed gender binarism, and many have celebrated publisher Fantasy Flight Games for being so progressive. It turns out the game’s designers wrote an explicitly trans runner into the Android universe last year but didn’t make a point to call much attention to it. You can see one of the hints they dropped in the Democracy & Dogma insert above.
Former lead developer Damon Stone discussed Nero’s runner ID art in the Women of Netrunner group on Facebook:
“It's the sort of thing that the artist is made aware of in the art brief and [former senior art coordinator] Zoë Robinson took a lot of time and care working with [artist Matt Zeilinger] to get Nero just right, but beyond the way it affects their world view and how that may affect how they act and present themselves, they are us. We don't mention sexuality or gender identity or religion unless it has direct impact on the story being told, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a wide range of sexual, racial, and gender diversity that goes into the creation of them. ...
We just thought the game should reflect the world we live in. Shouldn't seem to be in your face or radical, but so few games ever bother that it seems like a substantial departure.”
And maybe it’s unintentional, but friend-of-the-site Cass Sparks recently pointed out that Terminal Directive’s new shaper ID, Ayla Rahim, is wearing a scarf that looks like the colors of the Transgender Pride flag!
Unfortunately, players rarely pick Nero as their runner. With this weekend being the last of the Store Championship season, though, it’s a good opportunity to attempt the $100 bounty put out last year challenging someone to win a store championship (or a bigger event) with Nero. The bounty is valid even if you start off as another runner ID and rebirth into Nero!
Team USA vs Team UK flyer ⧉
I designed (put text on someone else’s art) another thing for a big Netrunner streaming event. Keep your Sunday open because this is going to be wildddd. The colonies have an absolutely stacked dream team, and the Brits are running a tournament with its best players just to determine who will rep the queen.
You’ll be able to watch Top Deck’s stream for the Jnet matches here. More details about the event and its rules are posted on Stimhack.
ANRPC Grudge Match: A Holiday Charity Event ⧉
It started as a squabble and bet over whether Geist could beat Controlling the Message, but now it’s a holiday charity event featuring two of the Netrunner community’s biggest personalities, Scott “Spags” Pagliaroni and Josh Wilson!
The two will play a streamed series of matches on December 11, 2016 at 11AM Eastern Time, with commentary by Timmy Wong and Abram “TheBigBoy” Jopp. Those who donate toward the event will receive special rewards (add an extra $5 if you’re shipping physical rewards outside of the U.S.):
$1 - Commentators will read your name during the stream
$10 - 2 Android: Netrunner Player Circuit dice
$25 - 1 ANRPC Blue/Sun/Argus carbon fibre ID or Engineering the Future/Stronger Together steel ID (IDs are limited to 10 of each available)
$25 - Name a matchup, with Corp and Runner IDs, that you want to see played (players will pick from matchup options)
Paypal donations can be sent to [email protected]. Josh has chosen to play for Feeding America, while Spags has selected Planned Parenthood and Doctors Without Borders as his charities -- 65% of donations will be sent to the winner’s organization(s) of choice, and the remaining 35% will be sent to the other charity or charities.
[Update: Wow, we’ve already raised over $750!]
How I Found My Identity At Worlds 2016 ⧉
[In this motivational piece by guest contributor Dien Tran, the two-time Worlds Top 16 competitor reaches out to those who won, lost, laughed, and cried at this year’s premiere event for Android: Netrunner.]
7:00AM, the alarm on my phone fires off a light melody to gently stir me from a 4-hour slumber. The waking up part is never hard; it’s a quick reach to the left of my bed, and a soft touch to stop the sound. I want to be courteous, because it’s not just me in the room; Mikhail is in our hotel room’s other bed, and while he’s all cocooned up, he may need the sleep more than I do. I quickly turn on my laptop in bed, and it’s onto Jinteki.net to play a few games before the big event. I had great conversations with Jesse Vandover, Tomasz Fedorczyk, and David Cheng the previous night about decks they were set on for today’s Worlds tournament, and they convinced me to make a last-minute switch. Two hours go by, and I’m mixed about the results. Although they were very strong decks, they didn’t speak to me the way I expect from my personal deck builds.
The drive to win games is strong; I want to win just like everyone else. I want to prove to myself that I’m more than just a good player in my own local meta, that making Top 16 last year wasn’t a fluke. There’s something else buzzing in the back of my head that I can’t let go. It’s my internal values on why I play the game, and why I’m here at the World Championship. It’s this constant reminder that stops my previous line of thinking and brings me back on track. This is how I found my identity 30 minutes before Worlds.
Please Vote ⧉
This photo came from last week’s King of Servers team tournament, when our Ohio crew was paired against the Wotan Clan on the left side. From what I was told, our opponents only wore the “Make America Great Again” hats to tilt opponents -- at least one player refused to wear his, though, fearing that he would be the one feeling tilted if anyone applauded the caps. Either way, as you can see here, Josh was not amused. Credit to Spags for the photo.
Here is a useful voting guide full of links with details on where you should vote, what to bring, whether you can take ballot selfies in your state, etc.
Netrunner's Five Secret Factions ⧉
Hidden from the eyes of Android: Netrunner's general public, several secret societies are operating unchecked, shaping the future of the game and its meta. These shadowy groups emerged in recent months, each with separate motives, some sinister and others unknown. As a voice for working class Netrunner players, I felt it my duty to name these shrouded factions and bring their misdeeds to light.
❤️ Netrunner’s shout-out to Mae Jemison ⧉
I always love it when Netrunner’s cards reference real-life people who deserve some extra shine, so I appreciate this newly revealed Jemison Astronautics ID from the game’s upcoming Red Sand cycle. The astronaut pictured next to Weyland’s card is Dr. Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to travel in space.
Jemison went up with the space shuttle Endeavor back in September 12, 1992 on an 8-day mission focused on “conducting experiments in life and material sciences.” Jemison also served as a Lieutenant junior grade on the U.S.S. Enterprise-D for an episode (Remember that one with two Rikers?)!
The Weyland ID’s subtitle -- “Sacrifice. Audacity. Success.” -- alludes to a lecture Jemison delivered earlier this year called “On Fear, Audacity, and the Importance of Inclusion”. Big ups to Jarred for catching the reference.
Netrunner 2016 Worlds Fantasy Draft ⧉
Okay, this looks way fun! EmergencyShutdown.Net set up a fantasy draft allowing you to put together a team of five players for Netrunner’s World Championship tournament in November, and compare your scores with others based on their performance. Whether you plan to attend the event or not, this looks like a great side-game to play while we’re all following/watching the results of the World Championship tournament’s top cut.
The players available so far have “draft values” based on their performance at recent premiere events and other evaluations, but you can submit write-ins for cheap picks if you can think of any people that would be a steal. While my name is in the pool, I couldn’t tell you whether I’m under- or overvalued.
With Fantasy Flight Games’ floor rules disallowing any gambling at its tournaments, the site makes sure to note, “This is not a gambling or betting website. I neither solicit nor accept wagers. The news, information, opinion, and recommendations on this website are for education and entertainment only.”