How it wins
- On turn 3 you have two attackers and at least one +2 Gear in play. Every card is a three-of and 21 of 42 cost 2 or less, so that is the normal draw, not the lucky one.
- The lead comes from a 10-power hit your rival can't block. Bonnie and Clyde or Carnage at the Colosseum removes the Blocker, then Animals Wrecker or a double-geared 6th Street Recruits takes two Gigs.
- By the time they stabilise you should be one or two attacks from seven Gigs, with Yorinobu Arasaka: Steel Dragon refilling the board and V: Streetkid recovering removal.
Strengths
- Six removal Programs, plus Adam Smasher: Ender of Legends, who defeats a rival Unit as he enters through Go Solo.
- Falling behind has an upside: once your rival controls two or more Gigs than you, Bonnie and Clyde defeats two Units with power 4 or less.
- Your removal comes back: when you Call V: Streetkid, three cards go to the trash and a BRAINDANCE Program returns to your hand - one of your removal spells or Industrial Assembly.
- Appetite for Destruction turns a lopsided fight into a Gig, and Dum Dum's Call cashes in a spare Gear for two cards instead of one.
Weaknesses
- Dum Dum's 1-Eddie pump (+1 power per Gear on a Unit) is your only trick on the rival's turn; the rest is blocking with Secondhand Bombus or Augmented Negotiators, since no card in the list is Quick.
- Each rival Unit costs a removal spell of its own, so a board of four small Blockers can outlast your Programs.
- If cheap removal answers your opening, 15 Units is not much to rebuild with.
Key cards
- 6th Street Recruits
- Your default Gear carrier, and the card that snowballs d6 steals: each one lets you raise a Gig of yours by up to 6, towards the 8+ that Industrial Assembly and Carnage want.
- Bonnie and Clyde
- Makes your attacks unblockable in practice by deleting the small Blocker in the way.
- Animals Wrecker
- Threatens two Gigs the moment it can attack, with no Gear needed.
- Yorinobu Arasaka: Steel Dragon
- Refills an empty board with one card, because the free Unit it brings from hand or trash (cost 4 or less) can fight straight away.
- Industrial Assembly
- Fuels Carnage at the Colosseum (1 Eddie cheaper per Gig of yours at 8+) and draws a card if you control a Gig at 8+.
- Mantis Blades
- The cheap half of your 10-power package: with Satori: Sword of Saburo, Recruits sits exactly on 10.
First turns
Keep: Keep a hand like Secondhand Bombus, 6th Street Recruits, Mantis Blades and Bonnie and Clyde.
Mulligan: Mulligan a hand like Animals Wrecker, Steel Dragon, Carnage at the Colosseum and two Gears with no Unit at 4 or less.
- On the draw with Secondhand Bombus, 6th Street Recruits, Mantis Blades, Satori, Bonnie and Clyde and Industrial Assembly: turn 1 sells Industrial Assembly, and that Eddie plus three face-down Legends pay for Recruits. Your rival is looking at a 6-power Unit before they have made a single attack.
- Turn 2: Mantis Blades and Satori go on Recruits and Bombus joins it, five Eddies' worth from two Eddies and three Legends. Recruits attacks at 10, and if nothing blocks, two Gigs change hands on turn 2 - few decks threaten two Gigs this early.
- Turn 3: Bonnie and Clyde removes the Blocker they cast in reply, and Recruits swings again.
Common mistakes
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Mistake: You cast Carnage at the Colosseum for its full 6 Eddies.
Better: Spend the same 6 on Industrial Assembly and then Carnage: Assembly lifts a Gig to 8+ and draws a card, which cuts Carnage to 5 - same Eddies, one extra card.
-
Mistake: With 6th Street Recruits on the field you steal their d10 rather than their d6.
Better: Take the d6. Recruits then lifts one of your Gigs by up to 6, often to 8+, where Industrial Assembly draws and Carnage gets cheaper.
-
Mistake: Animals Wrecker attacks a spent 6-power Unit and the fight is all you get.
Better: Cast Appetite for Destruction first. Ten power against six wins by four, so the same attack also steals a Gig.
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Mistake: Steel Dragon's free Unit is a Secondhand Bombus.
Better: Take 6th Street Recruits from your hand or trash and send it at a spent rival Unit straight away; at 0 power, Bombus can only stand in front of your Gigs.
Matchups
| Against | Result | How it plays |
|---|---|---|
| Embracing Power (Arasaka) | Favourable | Arasaka wants to grow small Units with Gear; Bonnie and Clyde kills most of them, Corpo Security included, and they have no Quick cards. Stealing Gigs also keeps their Street Cred low, which switches off Minotaur. |
| The Heist (Mercs) | Favourable | The Heist wants to hold you off with small Blockers and tricks. Bonnie and Clyde handles Evelyn Parker: Scheming Siren and Bombus, and nothing of theirs matches Animals Wrecker without Gear - just respect open Eddies for Floor It and Reboot Optics. |
| Johnny / Panam / Viktor | Favourable | They want the same race, but their only removal, Gilded Matón, reaches just your Units costing 3 or less - Secondhand Bombus and Augmented Negotiators, never Recruits or Animals Wrecker. Johnny Silverhand: Never Stop Fighting untaps after a won fight, so meet him with Carnage at the Colosseum backed by Animals Wrecker or Yorinobu. |
| Kerry / River / V | Favourable | Bonnie and Clyde lines up with their early defence - Augmented Negotiators and Lizzy Wizzy: Delicate Weapon both have 2 power - so save Carnage for MaxTac and Placide and aim to be ahead on Gigs before Placide lands. |
| Jackie / Johnny / V | Even | They want the same race with the same Bonnie and Clyde. Their 5-power Meredith Stout: Stone Cold Corpo is out of its range and their Johnny beats your CORPO Units (Yorinobu, Augmented Negotiators), but Animals Wrecker outsizes their early plays. |
| Alt / Judy / V | Favourable | Maman Brigitte: Spirit of Death can't target an equipped Unit, so every Gear you play is a step they struggle to undo; take your Gigs in the turns before Unlikely Bond comes online. |
| Hanako / Jackie / Judy | Even | Most of their removal costs 3-5 and sends your Units to the bottom of the deck, so each extra turn costs you a Unit; the Gig count when that removal starts decides the game. |