Last updated: August 5, 2026
TLDR
- Netrunner has three major Runner factions: Anarch, Criminal, and Shaper.
- It has four Corp factions: Haas-Bioroid, Jinteki, NBN, and Weyland Consortium.
- Factions describe recurring strengths and habits, not rigid classes. Influence lets decks import cards from other factions.
- Pick based on the decisions you enjoy: disruption, tempo, preparation, efficiency, bluffing, tags, or raw economic force.
- You will eventually try all seven. This is partly strategic education and partly how card games acquire shelf space.
Getting the Netrunner factions explained early makes deckbuilding much less mysterious. Each faction has recognizable tools and preferred ways to create pressure. But a faction is not a fixed character class. Criminal does not have to run every click, and Jinteki is allowed to install an agenda without surrounding it with theater smoke.
Identities, influence, formats, and individual cards all bend the stereotypes. The stereotypes are still useful because they tell a new player what a deck probably wants and what it may sacrifice to get there.
The Seven Major Factions
The three major Runner factions are:
- Anarch
- Criminal
- Shaper
The four Corp factions are:
- Haas-Bioroid
- Jinteki
- NBN
- Weyland Consortium
Every deck begins with an identity. The identity sets the deck’s faction, minimum deck size, influence limit, and usually a special ability.
Neutral cards are shared tools rather than an eighth major faction.
Netrunner Factions Explained at a Glance
| Faction | Side | Common Strengths | Typical Feel | Common Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anarch | Runner | Disruption, viruses, trashing, recursion | Aggressive and improvised | Can spend safety or consistency for momentum |
| Criminal | Runner | Run economy, central pressure, bypass | Opportunistic and fast | Can struggle against slow, taxing remotes |
| Shaper | Runner | Rig building, tutoring, recursion | Technical and prepared | Setup takes time |
| Haas-Bioroid | Corp | Efficient engines, assets, strong ice | Structured and productive | Some defenses offer unusual Runner counterplay |
| Jinteki | Corp | Traps, net damage, hidden information | Psychological and reactive | Bluffs need money and credibility |
| NBN | Corp | Tags, fast scoring, tempo | Fast and manipulative | Tags need useful follow-up |
| Weyland Consortium | Corp | Economy, barriers, advancement, damage | Direct and forceful | Expensive plans can become predictable |
A faction identity tells you what comes naturally, not what is enforced by the cardboard police.
Anarch: Break the System
Anarch is the Runner faction most associated with disruption.
Anarch decks often use viruses, sabotage, trashing, temporary tools, heap recursion, and cards that trade personal resources for immediate pressure. They may attack ice or the Corp’s wider board rather than simply paying the advertised cost of entry.
Core question: What can I destroy, weaken, or ignore so the Corp never becomes comfortable?
Pick Anarch If You Like
- Viruses, recursion, and card destruction
- Aggressive lines where both plans become unstable
- Disposable tools and improvised solutions
- Turning trashed cards into later value
The Tradeoff
Anarch can be less tidy than a complete Shaper rig or a Criminal economy loop. Synergy pieces may require careful sequencing, and aggressive choices can leave the Runner low on credits or cards.
Criminal: Make Every Run Pay
Criminal is the Runner faction of opportunism, access, and tempo.
Criminal decks commonly reward successful runs, pressure central servers, bypass defenses, and generate value by acting before the Corp can stabilize. Their economy often comes from running rather than waiting for a perfect rig.
Core question: Where is the Corp weak right now, and how much can I gain before they fix it?
Pick Criminal If You Like
- Running early
- Successful-run rewards
- HQ and R&D pressure
- Bypass, derez, and tactical tricks
The Tradeoff
Criminal can become uncomfortable when the Corp builds a heavily defended remote and stops offering easy central-server value. Some tools are excellent at making the first access but less efficient during repeated late-game runs.
Criminal often works well for beginners because each run gives immediate feedback.
Shaper: Build the Right Tool
Shaper is the Runner faction of technical preparation.
Shaper decks commonly assemble efficient rigs, search for specific programs, recur tools, improve memory, and create sustained pressure once their system is online. R&D pressure is also a recurring faction theme.
Core question: What complete system lets me solve the Corp’s defenses repeatedly and efficiently?
Pick Shaper If You Like
- Reliable rigs
- Tutoring and recursion
- Specialized technical answers
- Long-term efficiency
The Tradeoff
Setup costs clicks and credits. A Shaper deck that prepares forever may eventually construct an elegant machine for losing 7 to 0.
Haas-Bioroid: Efficient Systems
Haas-Bioroid, usually shortened to HB, is the Corp faction of structured efficiency.
HB commonly uses strong economy assets, install-based value, recursion, click compression, and powerful ice. Many bioroid ice cards let the Runner spend clicks to break subroutines, creating a distinctive tension between raw efficiency and timing.
Core question: How do I turn each click and installed card into productive board development?
Pick HB If You Like
- Stable economic engines
- Strong ice and durable remotes
- Structured scoring plans
- Making the Runner choose between credits and clicks
The Tradeoff
The Runner may exploit click-based weaknesses on some bioroid ice. HB can also overbuild one impressive server while the Runner quietly removes agendas from HQ and R&D.
In my opinion, HB is one of the clearest Corp factions for beginners because it teaches economy, ice placement, and scoring windows without requiring every remote to be an interpretive dance.
Jinteki: Weaponize Uncertainty
Jinteki is the Corp faction of hidden information, ambushes, net damage, and traps.
Jinteki decks often use facedown threats, tricky upgrades, positional ice, and cards that punish unsafe access. The strongest Jinteki turns make agendas and traps resemble each other closely enough that caution itself costs the Runner tempo.
Core question: Can I make the Runner choose wrong because every option carries risk?
Pick Jinteki If You Like
- Bluffing with facedown cards
- Net damage and ambush effects
- Punishing reckless runs
- Reading the opponent
The Tradeoff
A bluff only works when the Runner believes you can support it. Traps require credits, timing, and a reason for the Runner to check them. Installing random facedown cards and looking mysterious is furniture placement, not strategy.
NBN: Tags, Tempo, and Fast Scoring
NBN is the Corp faction of media, information, tags, and speed.
NBN decks commonly score agendas quickly, use operations to manipulate resources, and punish the Runner for remaining tagged. Some build wide asset boards, while others create scoring windows before the Runner can respond.
Core question: Can I force the Runner to answer my threats faster than they can attack my servers?
Pick NBN If You Like
- Fast scoring
- Tags and traces
- Tempo operations
- Forcing immediate responses
The Tradeoff
A tag by itself may accomplish very little. NBN needs timely follow-up, and its ice can be less imposing than the largest defenses in other factions.
Weyland Consortium: Money and Consequences
Weyland Consortium is the Corp faction of economic power, barriers, advancement, and direct punishment.
Weyland decks often use burst economy, cards that reward advancement, imposing ice, damage threats, and tools that punish the Runner’s rig. The faction can rush agendas or build servers that look less like cybersecurity and more like public works.
Core question: Can I make the Runner pay more than they can afford, then punish them for trying?
Pick Weyland If You Like
- Strong economy
- Barriers and direct protection
- Advancement-based value
- Damage and rig punishment
The Tradeoff
Large ice and ambitious operations are expensive. Weyland plans can also become readable when every credit and advancement counter points toward the same threat.
Faction Does Not Equal Archetype
Faction gives a deck its natural card pool, but identity and influence determine the actual plan.
Influence lets decks import a limited number of out-of-faction cards. That means Shaper can add disruption, Jinteki can build a durable glacier, and Weyland can score faster than its stereotype suggests. The cost is that every imported card competes for the same limited influence budget.
This is why How to Use NetrunnerDB to Build and Print a Legal Deck helps once you begin experimenting. It tracks influence, deck size, format, and other restrictions before a clever idea becomes a beautifully printed rules violation.
How to Choose Your First Runner
Use this simple rule:
- Choose Anarch for disruption, viruses, and aggression.
- Choose Criminal for early runs, immediate rewards, and tactical tricks.
- Choose Shaper for rig building, tutoring, and long-term efficiency.
My practical recommendation:
- Pick Criminal if you learn by doing.
- Pick Shaper if you learn by constructing.
- Pick Anarch if you learn by breaking the plan and examining the debris.
The best first faction is the one whose mistakes still feel interesting.
How to Choose Your First Corp
- Choose HB for efficient development and structured scoring.
- Choose Jinteki for traps, bluffs, and damage.
- Choose NBN for fast scoring, tags, and tempo.
- Choose Weyland for economy, barriers, advancement, and direct punishment.
For many beginners, HB or Weyland gives the clearest first lessons. Jinteki and NBN are learnable, but their strongest turns often depend more heavily on sequencing, threat recognition, and opponent behavior.
Start with a focused deck rather than trying to express every faction theme at once. How to Start Playing Netrunner in 2026 covers the broader beginner path.
A Better Way to Learn the Factions
Do not choose one faction and refuse to touch the others.
Play a few games with a straightforward Runner and Corp pairing, then switch sides with the same decks. After that, try one faction with a clearly different tempo or scoring plan.
Playing Jinteki teaches you what a credible trap looks like. Playing against Jinteki teaches you why “I had a feeling” is not adequate damage prevention. Change one major variable at a time so the lesson remains visible.
Netrunner Factions Explained FAQ
Which Faction Is Best for Beginners?
There is no universal best. Criminal and Shaper often provide clear Runner lessons, while HB and Weyland provide understandable Corp economy and scoring structures. A good teaching deck matters more than the label.
Can a Deck Use Cards From Multiple Factions?
Yes. Out-of-faction cards cost influence, subject to the identity’s limit, format legality, and card-specific restrictions.
Are Neutral Cards a Faction?
Neutral cards are shared tools, but Neutral is not one of the seven major factions. Normal decks still use a Runner or Corp identity.
What Are the Runner Mini-Factions?
Adam, Apex, and Sunny Lebeau are Runner mini-factions with unusual mechanics and deckbuilding constraints. Check current format legality before using them.
Do Faction Playstyles Change?
Yes. New identities and sets can push a faction into unfamiliar strategies. The broad tendencies remain useful, but always read the identity and actual decklist.
Final Takeaway
With the Netrunner factions explained, the choice becomes less about memorizing colors and more about choosing the decisions you enjoy.
Anarch disrupts. Criminal exploits openings. Shaper builds solutions. HB creates efficient systems. Jinteki weaponizes uncertainty. NBN controls tempo and information. Weyland converts money into pressure.
Then identities and influence complicate all of that, because Netrunner is considerate enough to teach you a pattern before handing you cards that break it.