What are some common tactics to make runs against servers with unrezzed ICE in Netrunner?

Question

When I play as a runner, I tend to be apprehensive about unrezzed ICE unless I have a breaker of each type and a pile of credits. Naturally, neither of those things are in place early in the game, and some decks might not even be able to get all 3 breaker types out during the play (if they even exist in the deck).

So far, I've played the core Shaper deck a few times, as well as the core Criminal deck once (fun fact, the only way to break code gates in it is with Crypsis or bypass with Femme Fatale, both of which seem very expensive). I'm trying to keep the pool of cards small so it's less overwhelming to keep track of which cards do what. So, I'm sticking to the core set for the moment, although the corp decks I run against could have cards from any set. I am starting to look at decks that others have built, particularly some Shaper Dagger/Paintbrush decks (which is raising it's own set of questions, which I'll probably ask later).

So, early in the game when your rig is incomplete or non-existent and unrezzed ICE is out on the board, what are some common tactics in dealing with them? Is it usually "safe" to simply facecheck ICE early on?

Answer 1

Obviously it depends on the game-state, but here are some tips:

• Be aware of how much money the Corp has. The less they have, the less dangerous the ICE they can afford to rez. (Also, don't forget that the more aggressively you run, the more they rez and the less money they have for other plans.)

• Run on click one, especially against HB. Judge the threat of bioroids, which are cheap for how dangerous they are, but can be safely face-checked if you have clicks to spare.

• Run with redundant cards, especially against Jinteki. You should already be aware of traps in Jinteki servers, but ICE can also hurt you. Related to this, if you have something you absolutely have to keep, get it on the table if you suspect damage from ICE. If you lose one card from a hand of five, of course you'll lose the one you could least afford to!

• Run with a click (and two credits) to spare, especially against NBN (and some Weyland). Tags are a genuine threat, and Corps won't ever try to tag you without having something nasty round the corner. Scorched Earth is a game-defining card. Your last click should be reserved for clearing a tag until you know you won't need to.

• Don't install any programs. Counter-intuitive, and kind of contradictory to installing cards you need, this makes you particularly resilient against program-trashing strategies. It's surprisingly viable to run very aggressively with no rig. Once you're being consistently kept out, slow down, build a rig and come back ready.

• Forewarned is forearmed. Run HQ and R&D aggressively from the start. Missing an agenda is not a waste of a click at the start of the game. Learn from what you do see. You'll almost certainly see ICE at some point, so log it. Especially watch for out-of-faction ICE, or ICE that would be particularly punishing. (Obviously, this applies to more than just ICE.)

Answer 2

I'd like to add to the given answer that it matters what parts of your rig you have built. Killers tend to be more important to have than Fracters and Decoders, since most of the punishing ice are Sentries, Code gates tend to give a benefit to the Corp if you don't break them, Barriers tend to end the run if not broken but it's sentries that actively punish the runner. If you only have your killer, running is less risky than it would be if you only have your Fracter.

There are exceptions of course, Fairchild for instance is a Code Gate, Tithonium is a Barrier, both function more like a Sentry would be expected to, but the general rule of thumb based on type still applies.