04/13/2013 – Whizz’s best usage
Oh, what a world we live in, and what a beautiful game we play. Whizzard, once the laughing stock of the community, including yours truly, has sat upon his Iron Throne replica this entire calendar year, with the briefest lull coming around MWL2. People doubted his strength, or necessity, after the Mumbad Cycle cards took a slight hit, and he showed them their folly. Granted, he did not win Gencon, but was well represented, performed well, and continues to thrive. Remember when I noted that the BABW finals was dominated by CtM? Well, they were all also playing Whizzard.
If you want to win Worlds, you should be playing Whizzard, running tech against him, or both. It would be nice to see him get his final run, and win the crown, before his imminent death. However, in the world of cyberspace, does one truly die? Perhaps he will become Apex’s manservant, uploaded into an ill-fitting cybersuit, having to wait on Apex’s hunger demands constantly.
The real winner of Worlds will be Temujin Contract (TCON). That bloody card was costed one Influence too little, and instead of being an adrenaline shot to the heart of Criminal economy, it has become an invasive parasite, showing up in nigh every Runner deck. It will be in the winning Worlds deck, and its prize will be a prompt placement on the MWL3 sometime during Store Champs season. We could see another rogue deck win that doesn’t run it, like MaxX DLR; I would not count on it.
DICE WILL BE USED AT WORLDS
Worlds 2016 Banned List
In a controversial decision recently, FFG OP updated the FAQ, and noted that third party tokens are not allowed at major FFG-run events. They confirmed it via Twitter. I am taking someone’s word on that, as I abhor the medium. As many of the community are known Dice Wizards, Dice Lords, or Dice Slammers, the news of this did not go over well. Some have been reaching out to FFG, trying to get a ‘doctor’s note’ to allow them to use dice due to a ‘medical condition’. Others are resigned to the fact that their stock in ANRPC metal dice has plummeted, and will have to dump them at a loss due to their inability to see usage. However, I believe some will flaunt the rules, sending a middle finger (or two fingers if you’re from England) to FFG, and try using them anyhow. They can’t disqualify and ban all of us, can they?
They have attempted to push some of these rules in the past, including banning third party IDs at major events. I would like to believe this was due to them seeing many acrylic NEH at Worlds 2015, and not being happy about it. Despite an official rule change to this regard, I saw plenty of third party IDs being used at Regionals and Nationals, and not a single warning nor disqualification was handed down. Granted, using dice, especially for credits, is what prompted this response from FFG. Personally, I am not a fan of dice for econ, and use metal coins for that, displayed in columns by denomination, on the top corner of my mat. It’s clean and clear to both players on my econ at all times. Dice are easily manipulated and changed, intentionally or not. However, I am not accusing any of cheating or foul play. I am just noting that I see FFG’s point of view, but don’t believe in their ruling. Some people only rely on dice, and will continue to do so. Expect to either see dice used at Worlds, or a large amount of judge calls early to tell people to put away their dice.
Worlds 2016 is shaping up to be another great experience. I expect to experience a lot of laughs, some hot tubs, great beer, horrid weather, and some fun sportsball. Win or lose, the opponents and camaraderie are top notch, and not to be missed. If you are a big Netrunner fan, and want to both challenge yourself at the highest level while having a great time, I heartily recommend coming to Worlds. 2017 should be even better, due to the Star Warsian folk being shunted to their own event, allowing more room on site for FFG-run events.