Deconstructing: NBN

Welcome back to my Deconstructing series, looking at the cards for a faction in detail. We continue with a Corp faction, with NBN.

NBN are the most tag loving corporation in the game, based on their background of being in control of media and their networking connections.

So, let us begin

Identity
NBN: Making News (Core) - With this identity NBN's love for tracing is reinforced, by having two recurring credits each turn. So depending on how many traces you think you will need to make before the start of your next turn, as well as how strong the Runner's link is and their credit pile, it could be spent on one trace to make certain it goes through, or split over two traces. With the trace mechaninc getting a push in the first data pack, NBN will only get more useful. The downside to their agenda, compared to the other corporate identities, is that you can't be certain of tracing often enough to make your ability worthwhile.

Agenda
AstroScript Pilot Program (Core) - One of what I consider to be the strongest agendas in the game (beaten only by Nisei Mk II (Core), which will be covered in the future). A cost of three for two agenda points is standard, and if installed in one turn and survives the Runner's turn, it could be advanced and scored in the following turn. That is not what makes it so amazing however, but the effect gained when it is scored. By being able to spend the agenda counter, you can advance an agenda without needing a click. Which means you could then in one turn, install another AstroScript, spend the counter and advance it twice, scoring it without the Runner being able to do anything about it. With three of them scored in such a way, it means the Corp needs only a single point left to score.

Breaking News (Core) - Our other agenda, and the first card that shows NBN's love of tagging the Runner. By the end of the turn, the Runner won't have any extra tags, however the real incentive for this agenda is one of two cards. The first is Scorched Earth (Core), so that even if the Runner has avoided being tagged, they will get two of them allowing you to flatten them and ideally flatline to victory. The second is Psychographics (to be covered below). It can also be used with Closed Accounts (also to be covered below), however I personally don't feel many NBN players will be saving it to wipe out the Runner's credit pool. I have also seen this installed and scored simply for the assured agenda point, as it can be installed and scored with one full turn, with the text being of no use.

Asset
Ghost Branch (Core) - Our only asset, and like most other Corps, is a trap. And once again, supports the Corp theme to give the Runner as many tags as we can, so that they will never be able to lose them all. Just beware how many times you advance it, as if you get too greedy, the Runner will suspect it is a trap and ignore it.

Ice
Data Raven (Core) - The first of our Ice, and one that shares a common ability shared by all core NBN Ice, in that it has an ability that is triggered by the Runner encountering the Ice. Because of this, they are no sub-routines and cannot be broken by the Runner. Their only options are Femme Fatale (Core) or Inside Job (Core), as they bypass the Ice and therefore won't suffer the effects. Data Raven can be a risky piece of Ice for the Runner, as they have to decide how much trouble getting a tag will be. If the have the credits and clicks, they may feel that they can take the tag and keep going, especially if the Ice is protecting what could be an agenda or R&D. Alternatively, they can end the run (ETR) and then not worry about the sub-routine. If the sub-routine isn't broken and the trace suceeds, then you now have the flexibility to tag the Runner, at almost any time.

Matrix Analyzer (Core) - Our second piece of Ice, and is a Sentry just like Data Raven. Being able to pay a credit to advance any card that can be advanced just because the Runner encountered it gives you several options. Have a well defended agenda that needs another advancement? Got a trap waiting for them to fall upon? Using Weyland Ice you want to improve? If this is guarding an unrezzed card that is then advanced, the Runner is put into a tough decision. Do they think it is a trap, and so should jack out after dealing with this Ice, so avoid it? Or do they think it is an agenda, and they should keep pushing on? Inevitably, it will depend on the board situation, and how close either side is to winning. If you intend to guard traps, using those from other Corps could be a unwanted surprise for the Runner. In addition, our sub-routine can also give the Runner a tag, just in-case NBN were running low. With the low rez cost of a single credit however, makes this a good one to have early game without breaking the bank.

Tollbooth (Core) - Our final piece of Ice, and what a piece of Ice it is. Whilst it costs a painstaking eight credits to rez, if the Runner encounters it three times, they havepaid for you to rez it, plus interest. Due to the wording of the card, if the Runner has three credits, including those from temporary sources such as Bad Publicity or Stimhack (Core), the Runner MUST pay it. They cannot chose to not pay and ETR. Conversely, if they do not have three credits, they don't have to spend what they have and just ETR. Even after paying the credits, they still have to break it or suffer the ETR routine, making this a solid wall to protect yourself with. It is understandably a popular card.

Operations
Anonymous Tip (Core) - Card advantage is always popular and useful, especially as it has no credit cost. As it costs a click to play, and effectively was a click to draw, then it only really gives a one card profit. However, for when you need to bury deep into your deck for a specific card, it will help. As the Corp is forced to draw every turn, I feel this is not as useful when compared to Diesel (Core). This is one I will leave to the comments to decide on how essential it is to decks, but in and out-of-faction.

Closed Accounts (Core) - The first of our cards that reward us for having the Runner being tagged, outside of the innate ability to trash their resources. With this, it can stop any Runner who has built up an unhealthy amount of credits, in preparation to break through a series of Ice defending one of your servers, or to pay for some expensive card. Or even to get revenge against a Runner who has hit you with Account Siphon (Core) and got fat off your hard work.

Psychographics (Core) - The second of our cards that reward us for tagging the Runner, and unlike the offensive nature of Closed Accounts, Psychographics accelerates our path to victory. Being able to spend up to X, where X is the number of their tags, means if we have snowballed the number of tags on the Runner to the point they have stopped trying to remove them, it means we're not forced to spend more than we need. Scoring a Breaking News that has been quietly waiting for a turn until a Psychographics has arrived allows you to score it, install another agenda and then give it two advancement tokens. That means another Breaking News can be scored, or when combined with an unspent AstroScript or SanSan City Grid (detailed below), can score another AstroScript or even bigger agendas in combination. And that is with just two tags. With more, even a Priority Requisition (Core) could be scored, rezzing Tollbooth for free and scoring three points.

SEA Source (Core) - Our final card built to tag the Runner, and like Breaking News is designed to work with you when you need a Runner tagged that turn. Whilst it can only be played if the Runner has made a successful run against you, if that never happens, then victory won't be a concern. With it having a trace of three and combined with the recurring credits from the identity, it will be expensive for the Runner to avoid getting the tag. However, I feel the card is too niche right now, and when combined with the credit cost to play, it means you have had to be sitting on a pile of credits to combine this with a combo, that the Runner should see coming.

Upgrades
Red Herrings (Core) - An interesting upgrade, as it will likely only last one run due to its trash cost of only one, but making it more expensive for the Runner to access your agendas can slow them down, especially when short of credits. As it is for every agenda accessed, even when Red Herrings is trashed, it becomes more noticeable when the Runner accesses multiple cards from R&D, and lucks out with more than one agenda..

SanSan City Grid (Core) - A daunting card, as the rez cost of six will make some people unsure how useful the card is. Thankfully, with a trash of five means it is unlikely the Runner will be easily trashing it. If they do trash it before you have rezzed it, then the dent in their credits should slow them down for a turn or two. Now economically, with the rez cost of six and the click to install, it needs to save the Corp four advances, due to needing a click and credit each time to advance. However, that ignores a critical factor, in that it means that any agenda with an advancement cost of three or less can be installed and completed the same turn, which has greater benefits then just saving clicks and credits.

NBN are an interesting Corp right now, as they are very short in terms of Ice to protect their servers, as with only having ETR on Tollbooth means influence will be needed for getting Ice from elsewhere. Currently there are two directions I see NBN taken in. Going for flatlining with Scorched Earth, or rushing agendas through with SanSan and AstroScript. Currently our meta has the former, although I intend to try the latter, as I think it will be more reliable. But with Genesis cycle pushing new rewards for trace, although it also gives more Link to the Runner, it will be a mixed bag.

Threat wise, Shapers will be the most troublesome, having the most Link in-faction. Meanwhile Criminals have Decoy and Crash Space to help deal with tags. Finally Anarch can cope without any resources in play, though often have Wyldside and Armitage Codebusting.

Finally, please combine this with Corporate Operations, written by Nerdcore, for more of a practical approach to using this faction.

Please note that like so many people, this is based on theory and a small but growing amount of practical experience. I do not dare declare myself as a seasoned veteran, although I do plan to be one day