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| http://fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4859 |
Android Netrunner by Fantasy Flight Games. The purpose here is for me to spur discussion on the WWPD Forums with each article. With the Corps cards done its time to talk Runner!
Identity:
Faction: Criminal Subtype: Trained Pragmatist/Natural
Min Deck Size: 45 Influence Cap: 15 Base Link: 0
Whenever an agenda is scored or stolen, add 1 unrezzed card to HQ
Leela really peaks my curiosity. Neat way to tax the Corp for Clicks as they will have to spend a click to install that card again. You can use the ability offensively, albeit very situationaly. Neat tactic for using Inside Job where you can use this ability to reshape ICE to make it easier to run by removing ICE so you can Bypass the remaining ICE easier. You can also use it to remove those assets cards with advancement counters and stick the Corp with losing credits spent as well. Both the Corp and the Runner need to plan ahead when dealing with Ms Patel. Remember, her ability can trigger in the Corps AND the Runners turn. Corps need to plan ahead and set the board BEFORE they score an agenda and the Runner needs to be aware of the board state for those opportunities when the Corp didn't set up correctly or is set up poorly which increases the need to risk a run and score which will amplify any damage. Still, very situational but very big when it happens! Where do I go to study Pragmatism?
Events: None :-(
Hardware:
*Ekomind
Faction: Anarch Type: Console Install Cost: 2 Influence: 3 1cr Recurring. Use this credit to install programs
Your memory Limit is equal to the number of cards in your grip. Limit 1 console per player.
This has some pretty cool interactions and needs several supporting cards. First, is Memory Chips don't do you any good to increase your memory limit; so you don't need to add those support cards. Having a big hand size helps protect you from flatlining; so you don't need Plascrete Carapace or Feedback Filter/Net Shield. This helps open up card space for what you do need...cards that increase hand size and put cards into your hand. Cards like Borrowed Satellites (Shaper +1 hand size/+1 Link, 2 Influence), Public Sympathy (Neutral +2 Hand Size, 0 Influence), and Theophilus Bagbiter (Criminal Hand size equal to credit pool, 4 Influence) all will be critical to maximize your MU. With that big hand size there are some programs that really get powerful. If your MU is high and you install Overmind (Neutral AI ICE Breaker, Place 1 Power Counter on Overmind when it is installed for each unused MU. Hosted Power Counter: Break Ice Subroutine; 1 credit: +1 Strength) early, you could have 10 Power Counters on it if you have an 11 card Grip (the MU for Overmind takes 1 from the 11 which leaves 10 MU unused)!!! You will also need cards that fill your grip quick...what better cards than Duggars (Anarch resource 4 Influence CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK: Draw 10 cards), Diesel (Shaper Event, 2 Influence Draw 3 Cards) or Quality Time (Shaper Event 1 Influence, Draw 5 cards) to do just that. Bottomline: Not my favorite console. Very combo dependent which means it is slow to build the rig. You have to get the hand size up...and keep it up. Downside is that if you take any damage and lose cards from your hand, you IMMEDIATELY have to trash any programs to bring you back into your MU limit.
Faction: Shaper Install Cost: 2 Influence: 1
1cr Recurring. Use this credit to install programs
This is something Runners have been waiting for. We have Inside Man that provides recurring credits to install Hardware, but needed something specifically for programs. Cheap and low Influence make this very splash-able.
Programs (aka The Kennel):
Faction: Anarch Type: Icebreaker/Killer Install Cost: 3 Memory: 1 Influence: 3 Strength: 0
Place 4 power counters on Cerberus "CUJ.0" H3 when it is installed.
Hosted Power Counter: Break up to 2 sentry subroutines.
1cr: +1 Strength
Cerberus "REX" H2Faction: Criminal Type: Icebreaker/Decoder Install Cost: 3 Memory: 1 Influence: 3 Strength: 1
Place 4 power counters on Cerberus "CUJ.0" H3 when it is installed.
Hosted Power Counter: Break up to 2 sentry subroutines.
1cr: +1 Strength
Cerberus "Lady" H1
Faction: Shaper Type: Icebreaker/Fracter Install Cost: 4 Memory: 1 Influence: 3 Strength: 3
Place 4 power counters on Cerberus "Lady" H1 when it is installed.
Hosted Power Counter: Break up to 2 Barrier subroutines.
1cr: +1 Strength
Who let the dogs out...wooof woofwoof....yeah I went there. All 3 programs do similar things get 4 power counters which can be used to break subroutines. What is interesting is that the Breaker Type/Faction is different than the "standard" Shapers get Decoders, Anarchs get Fracters and Criminal gets Killers. Add a set of E3 Feedback Implants you can make those counters go a little farther to break any additional subroutines on that ICE. I'm not a fan of the disposable breakers like this. You need multiple copies and good recursion to make sure you have can bring them back and always have a copy active. So that makes me think Shaper would benefit the most from those since all the neat recursion tools (Scavenge, Clone Chip, Levy AR Lab Access) are in house and maybe Anarch because of Deja Vu (Add 1 card or 2 viruses from heap to Grip). It does give an in faction solution for a breaker type that was lacking. I just think that there are other solutions, and even bringing something from another faction might cost Influence, but would take fewer support cards to make a workable solution.
That said...I still want to make an all puppies deck. Sue me, I am a dog lover. Woof!
Resources:
Faction: Criminal Install Cost: 2 Influence: 1
Place 1cr on Zona Sul Shipping when your turn begins.
CLICK: Take all credits from Zona Sul Shipping.
Trash Zona Sul Shipping if you are tagged.
Very nice if you get it early...fantastic if you get all 3 early. Set them up and let them just build credits. Of you get them late...not so good. And you have to protect them. If you get tagged you automatically lose the card. So you need good tag avoidance support cards like Crash Space (TRASH to avoid a tag) or New Angeles City Hall (pay 2 credits to prevent a tag) and then support cards to protect those until you need them (namely Fallguy). Compared to Kati Jones...I like Kati. Lets look at assuming you install 3 Zona Suls and 1 Kati on turn 1. Turn 2 all 3 Zona Suls gain a credit...Click Kati and she gets 3 credits. This repeats each turn. Final turn you trash all the Zona Suls and click Kati to take the credits there you end up with the same amount of money in hand. The difference is the click each turn to charge Kati up and then to clear her. So you have to loss of click efficiently if you run Kati vs Deck space as you will need more cards to run Zona Sul (need all 3 to match Kati for credits) and you have to deal with Influence if you pull Zona Sull out of Faction and Kati is a 0 Influence Neutral card. That makes me like Kati a little more, but in a deck that already has Tag avoidance it could be a neat addition.
*Utpoia Shard
Whenever you make a successful run on HQ instead of accessing cards, you may install Utopia Shard from
your grip, ignoring all costs.
TRASH: The Corp discards 2 cards from HQ at random Limit 1 per deck
Not TOO bad. Its a "one of" card so it has a low % to get out early. High cost, unless you install after a successful run on HQ...but even that isn't free as you had to pay to get into HQ most likely. A real bargain if the HQ run was cheap though. Once installed you can use it to clear the hand and increase your chance of accessing a good card from a successful HQ run (1 in 5 cards in a full hand to 1 in 3 cards after the trash). Follow up with an Archives run to clean up the discarded cards (more money most likely and if you avoid any Jackson Howard shenanigans). I think that Hades Shard (Trash to access all cards in Archives) is more useful as once installed it can get ALL the cards in Archives before Jackson can use his special ability (Remove Jackson from game and return 3 cards from Archives to R&D) and it doesn't require a second run to clean up any missed cards. Now...Utopia Shard and Hades Shard used in tandem ..that is nice. Pop Utopia Shard then pop Hades Shard to get those cards just discarded...THEN run HQ to see the hand. Nice and if you make that HQ run with a Legwork (Run and access 2 additional cards) or have HQ Interfaces (Access 1 additional card in HQ) installed you can see every card in that hand. Nothing is SAFE!!!!! The 1 Influence does make it compete with other cards, mainly if I want to target HQ I will already have additional access cards in play anyways and will see all of the hand when I run.
Summary:
Overall, not that good a data pack for the Runner, in my opinion. Leela Patel is a pretty cool Runner and am looking forward to playing around with making some decks based on her identity. That is about it. The rest of the cards are just interesting. The Dog Breakers are cool, but very Influence heavy if you try to run all 3. Zona Sul Shipping is tempting but you need all 3 (takes deck space and influence if out of faction) and you need them early to make any real impact.
Hope this helps and come join the discussion on the forums to carry our talks further. We can't let those evil corps succeed with their nasty agendas.
SonBae (AKA Jeff Flint) is a long time wargamer and painter. From cardboard to lead to cards he has lost at them all. Follow him @wwpdSonBae on Twitter.
