In this quote, Sun Tzu implicitly refers to troops. If you are short of troops, you can still win - by being prepared for the behavior of the superior force.

What are the troops of NetRunner? The cards? But everyone in NetRunner plays with (roughly) the same number of cards, around 45. Sun Tzu would surely recognize that playing with bigger decks is likely to decrease playing strength; his advice cannot be read in that way. The big numbers difference in cards between players is the size of collections. My brother Neal has a huge number of cards. My cousin Johnny Quazar (of Rob's NetRunner Node) has access to as many cards as he desires, almost regardless of value or rarity. My collection is more modest, but still adequate. My friend Jon has only a couple of starters and a few boosters.

Nonetheless, those of us less card-endowed tend to win our share of constructed-deck NetRunner games. How do we do it? By being prepared for the well-known strategies used by those with superior collections. My tournament constructed Corp is actually very modest in its requirement of multiple rare cards; nonetheless, it performs reasonably. Why? I've put a lot of thought into how to respond to such threats as:

• TagMe: I include some Closed Accounts and Pattel Antibodies, and make sure that even successful runs are expensive by keeping trash costs as high as possible.

• Viral Pipeline/Bad Publicity: Remote Facility, used properly, is a powerful resource in shutdown situations. Edgerunner Temps would also be a useful choice in this regard. Both of these cards are highly useful anyhow.

• Ice Destruction: I have a good mix of cheap + expensive ice, and a good supply of Offsite Backups. I often play with 18 or more ice; it may force me to make hard decisions elsewhere, but it allows me to respond well to a wide range of Runner threats.

I could go on, but you get the point. None of the cards mentioned above requires a spectacular card collection to own a few of, but the thought has to be put in up front---what am I going to do when I see, e.g., 3 Scaldans hit the table?

If you're Mr. Suitcase, with all the cards you need to put together any plan, enjoy it---throw in those 12 Schlaghunds and let the rest of 'em figure out what to do about it. Otherwise, whether Corp or Runner, get in the habit of developing plans for the expected when you build your decks. Your reward will be frequent victory against superior force; what more could the wisdom of Sun Tzu offer you?

PO8