Who are EA Sports?
Team profile
Founded: Nov 2023
Members: 14
Mission: to hang out and play netrunner, and to help each other get really good at it
Notable Performances: multiple Top 16 at UK Nats 2023, and EMEA 2024
Notable Decklists: RIDE or DI(v)E (2023), Ashnikko (2024), Dial EA for Murder (2024)
How to get in touch: message cobra_bubbles or .not_yeti on discord
Where to find us: We host regular, in person, meetups and tournaments in both Norwich and Cambridge (UK)
Foundation
Norwich enjoyed a lively, if not hugely competitive, netrunner scene, right up until the FFG cancellation, when—for a variety of mostly personal reasons—everyone stopped playing. When the Game of Thrones LCG was also cancelled, in 2021, CobraBubbles began to eye System Gateway as a way to get back into Netrunner, but with the intention of playing more competitively than in previous years. He introduced not_yeti to the game, and a shared love of tabletop gaming, and the appeal of NSG’s post-scarcity print-and-play distribution model, quickly led to an explosion of interest in Netrunner that spread throughout the Norwich housing union—to which many EA Sports members belong. By mid 2022 there was a regular weekly meet up in Norwich of 6-10 players, that included both new players and some returning old hands.
A group trip to 2022 UK nats catalysed some of the newer players’ interest in competitive play, with many attending COs and online tournaments throughout 2023. This culminated in a big group trip to Barcelona for the World Championship. It was on the return flight to the UK from this tournament that the historic Norwich / Cambridge Netrunner rivalry was put aside. The two cities joined forces, and the name ‘EA Sports’ was coined (EA being a reference to East Anglia).
Testing Process
During spoiler season (and beyond), we track any sparks of inspiration in a dedicated discord channel. Promising sparks become decklist testing threads. When we’re happy (enough) with a theorycrafted list to actually play it, we add it to The Spreadsheet. This is where we track all of our games, including win/loss and general “vibes”. The data paints a picture of which matchups are good (but feel terrible), and which matchups feel good (but actually aren’t). Most testing is done in person (at the pub), but some is done online (on j.net).
We also keep a close eye on the competitive meta. We use scripts to harvest data from cobra and aesops, and spreadsheets to analyse which identities are popular, and which identities are doing well. This analysis is dumped into discord, where much speculation and evaluation ensues.
Applications
If you frequent Norwich or Cambridge (or Paris?), then come and play netrunner with us! There is a regular pubrunner night in Norwich at The Plasterers Arms, and a less frequent pubrunner night in Cambridge at The Tram Depot.
For more information send a discord message to either cobra_bubbles or .not_yeti (or kikai.noraneko for Cambridge)
Roster
Aashbo
Bartimaeus
Brindelmold
CobraBubbles
Countzer0
cursor
davz131
Fridan
Havvy
KamiKami
Kikai
not_yeti
Ollie
Tanzzen
If you are part of an existing testing group, or if you are trying to get a new testing group up and running, then The Surveyor would love to publish a profile of your team!
Send a message to kikai.noraneko on discord.