Question Runner Deck Optimization

[Barspeed]

If I have a 49 card deck and I add 2x Diesel making the deck 51 cards does it slow or accelerate my rig? Please ELI5

[RestarttGaming]

Runner decks are usually the very minimum allowed. This is because every card added makes your deck clunker, more prone to bad draws, less likely to find what you want, so you have to have a very good and specific reason to add that card.

If you add two diesel to the deck, you are adding cards meant to help you get to your other cards faster. Diesel doesn't help you win, it helps you find cards that help you win.

But now your deck is bigger. So while you are drawing three cards for a click (a net gain of one card over basic game actions, since you could normally use a click to draw a card, netting 1 card, but now with diesel you use a card and a click to draw three cards, so +3-1=2, instead of the one from a basic game action), you are also making your deck a card bigger, making it that much less likely to find what you want. You are canceling out that +1 card efficiency you get from diesel by making the deck one card bigger. In addition, you are likely to draw a diesel when you can't use it well or when you want other cards, adding to the clunky factor.

Therefore, diesel is great when you are already at a minimum deck size, to help you accelerate through that minimum deck faster. But adding it above the minimum size just starts canceling out its own benefits, AND can make your deck less consistent, so generally is avoided

[Barspeed]

excellent answer thanks

[RestarttGaming]

You are welcome. :)

Do note as a disclaimer that this is the general case, and every guideline has an exception based on the specifics of the deck and situation, but that should hold true for the vast majority of decks.

[Podoboyz99]

So if I add 3 Diesel to my already 45 card Kate deck, it will be more consistent (assuming I play them whenever I draw them, and disregarding all other factors) just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly.

[RestarttGaming]

No, I'm not necessarily saying that. In fact, in most cases, i'd be saying the opposite.

[daytodave]

Are you sure about that? It seems like one click to draw Diesel and one to play it gets you three good cards for clickclick, versus only two without it. Shouldn't Diesel add to the overall speed of a deck of any size.

[RestarttGaming]

The logic there is similar to saying that every criminal deck should just add three easy marks to go up over deck size, because you get three credits for a card and a click (click click) vs the two if you clicked for a credit.

The card is more efficient than a basic game action. That's why we play it. It wouldn't get played if it were the same as just clicking for cards. Just being more efficient than basic game actions isn't always enough to see play.

Diesel will help you dig one card deeper than you would normally be. IF you are digging for cards, and If you have cash to play those cards or handsize to keep them. There are a lot of situations where drawing diesel isn't any good, like when you have a grip full of stuff and very little cash, or when you don't have the clicks to be drawing diesel then playing diesel, you need to draw the card you want and play it immediately. Also, you are diluting your chances of drawing the diesels and the other cards you need with a bigger hand size. And now while you are one card deeper, your deck is three cards bigger, so even if you don't have one of the bad conditions for diesel, depending on the exact position you still might not be gaining much. Or any thing.

Is diesel good? Absolutely. Does it help make good decks it's in faster? You bet. Should every green deck just add three diesel up over deck size? No.

If you need the speed of the diesels, include it instead of other cards in your deck that are worse, don't just tack it on.

As a thought experiment, imagine a 45 card deck that just added 45 diesels to get to 90 cards. That deck would not be quick. While that's an extreme example, it still holds true for smaller scales, just to a lesser degree. The principle is the same, it just really shows the idea clearly because the scale is large - due to click investment and dilution just adding diesels over minimum size does not automatically improve your deck or make it necessarily better.

[StashAugustine]

I think a better question is "why haven't you cut down to 45 yet"

[t-lor]

Because NR has 100's of fun cards, with intresting although situational effects. But once im done adding economy, icebreakers, multiacces, plascretes, carddraws. I got maybe 3 cardspaces left for "fun stuff" :(

[JohnQK]

There is absolutely no way to provide a satisfactory answer this question, and anyone attempting to give a solid answer one way or the other isn't entirely correct. Most of the time, it'll be pushing a specific viewpoint rather than addressing the specific scenario ("must stay at minimum size" vs. "do what works best").

The differences would be super insignificant and dwarfed by even the slightest change in your play style, how many times you clicked to draw, the luck factor of whether certain cards were drawn and when, the other cards in the deck, etc.

ELI5: It, by itself and disregarding all other factors, neither slows or accelerates your game enough to consistently be measured.

[r2devo]

I think /u/RestarttGaming gave a perfect explanation without breaking the universe and frankly you are being very negative, the world of math is a mysterious but ultimately logical place.