Fear and Loathing Review

Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released Fear and Loathing data pack. We’ve used a one through five scale; five being the best. The cards are listed in numeric order. Our reviewers are listed in alphabetical order. Let us know in the comments how you feel about the cards in this pack!


[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_quest-completed-fear-and-loathing.png'] Quest Completed 13 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
I believe there is more to this card than meets the eye… in a tactical sense. I think that once a game has matured past the halfway point, Quest Completed could be that perfect finisher. If a remote and R&D are heavily iced (as seems to be the trend overall), you’ll only need to make 3 runs to access that fat 3 pointer sitting left of centrals. If you’ve played your cards right, only one of the 3 centrals will be iced enough to really put a dent in your pocket. This will only fall apart when the corp is scoring out of hand. Even then, you could gain access to that San San and nix it for the trash cost alone. Not a bad card all-in-all and no one will see you coming.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
As far as I know, Notoriety has never had any relevance in a competitive enviroments. I don't think this is going to change now, but this card can be useful. I, for one, play a Joshua B. deck, so running the 3 centrals is not that complicated for me - but even I don't want to use this in my deck by now. Maybe when we finally get the Doppleganger Runner?

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
Not the most exciting card to see when you tear into the new data pack. In the current state of the game this card has no deck to call home. If you have the strength and credits to burn through 3 different central servers you should be able to break through 1 remote. If this style of corporation attack is your thing Notoriety is a better choice. Quest Completed will be stronger when we want to steal an agenda and don't want to deal with all the Jinteki Psi upgrades. Or maybe you already play in a upgrade heavy meta and just can't deal with Ash and Red Herrings any longer.

Scud - 3 out of 5
Just like Notoriety before it, people are underestimating the utility of this card. Or, more precisely, they are overestimating the “work” needed to pull it off. You still get any and all benefits of the runs you make on Centrals. If you’re playing an R&D-locking deck, for instance, you still get all your card accesses from hitting R&D, still to look at a card or activate the Run event you used on HQ, still get your Datasucker token or Desperado credits or Dirty Laundry money from running Archives. Then you can go ahead and trash that SanSan or steal that Agenda the Corp thought you couldn’t get to. It isn’t the best card in the game or anything, but in a Keyhole-centered deck that packs Account Siphon or some other HQ threats, Quest Completed can be final kick in the unmentionables you need.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
Normally I'm the guy that loves the high risk cards but the reward for this is just too hard to predict, I understand that unlike Notoriety you can score up to 3 points but it's a much higher chance you'll hit something less than, or even an asset that will net you nothing or worse damage of some sort... I think with the two splash the only ID that will run this card successfully is Silhouette because you make the HQ run first check the card and if it's worth taking you can follow thru with a Quest Complete FTW! Come to think of it Early Bird from honor and profit will be a great compliment to this sub par card, which bumped this little guy to a three from a two IMO..
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_hemorrhage-fear-and-loathing.png'] Hemorrhage 19 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
It’s the influence cost that will hold this card back from achieving true greatness. Hemorrhage wants to be that thorn in the side of the corp as a game progresses. Rewarding frequent runs that avoid HQ altogether. This is not to say that it won’t heavily benefit a nice control Anarch deck. I’m sure it will be said, but anything that rewards running is amazing as is.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
Most cards that rewards you from running are good. Even the unpopular ones got high score from me. I still think that Hemorrhage is weaker than John Masanori and Grifter, but it might be dangerous in the right deck. I can see it being used by Gabriel Santiago players, but it probably won't be that good for Shapers.

Jamieson - 5 out of 5
This card rewards you for doing something you need to do anyway - Make a run. It lets you create a threat to HQ without having to even run it. You really put the corporation in a tuff spot forcing them to make decisions they don't want to make. Be that what card do I want to discard, do I spend my clicks drawing, do I use Jackson Howard early since I have discarded Agendas or cards I need, do I spend my whole turn and purge Virus counters? It is 4 influence and even though that is huge it sits right with me. This card is too powerful to just have it being able to be seen all over (its scary in a criminal deck). Noise will definitely love another virus and this is auto include in any Anarch deck in my book.

Scud - 4 out of 5
This is close to being a 5, but the Influence holds it back. Hemorrhage plus Keyhole is a really bad day for the Corp. You threaten HQ without ever having to run it. That’s a new and powerful trick and it fits into Anarch oh so well. I expect to face a lot of new, run-heavy Noise “Hemorrhaging Out Your Keyhole” decks in the near future.

SlySquid - 4 out of 5
This card is an animal, having two on the table early game making two runs and two trashes a turn was very debilitating for the corp and forced him into making choices that really didn't help him, I recognize that that is a very lucky draw and with a few more ice he could have shut me out but it was "cray cray" none the less... But I that aside I love the passive ability this card offers, lay it and just play your game like normal till you have no other real good plays then spend your turns Hemorrhaging the corp stupid... This card with see it's fair share of time on the mat!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_tallie-perrault-fear-and-loathing.png'] Tallie Perrault 14 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
I can never get behind cards (even if they could potentially be pieces of a complex draw engine) that pass out tags. Handing over a scorched win or the prerequisite to trashing said card in the first place is not a way to get things done in my book. As a hardware it would have been more tempting, but the number of components needed to make this a successful in-faction draw engine make it hard to choose over a nice simple Quality Time.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
When I complained about Wyldside, I wanted a Mr. Li, not this - but I can get used to it, I guess... By now, I'm not a big fan of the idea that I must forteit 3 agendas and spend 6 clicks to have access to a Diesel that costs me 2 credits. Tallie Perrault can be a little problem to Weyland, but we still need something a little better than Frame Job and Activist Support to use Tallie as an actual draw engine.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
After the excitement from Hemorrhage we slide back to reality with Tallie. She is not going to be able to find room in most decks. I like what she brings to the game and could be a life saver in the right moment if the corp as some Bad Publicity and you just got hit with a damage card and lost your hand size. But that might be a little to situational. There are a good amount of gray and black ops cards out that are very popular so you can definitely bet you will be playing against them just make sure you have a way to pop tags. I have seen a few people say she is great in TAG-ME decks and I am not an advocate of this style of play. There is too much common tag punishment out now to not think that play style will not hinder you in competitive play. Tallie Perrault is the best way so far for the Runner to give Bad Publicity. Maybe there will be a good Bad Publicity punishment deck on the horizon.

Scud - 3 out of 5
Does everyone actually think this is a draw engine card? Because it’s really Anarch’s in-faction Crash Space. The first ability is for use against Corps that don’t generate a lot of Bad Publicity. Honestly, I’ll take a tag to give HB or Jinteki a Bad Publicity that I can leverage and will actually be happy to see them spend a click and two credits to trash Tallie, especially early in the game, and extra-especially if I’m holding Blackmail or some other way to punish BP. Subliminal Messaging is a Gray Op, and a lot of Corps are at least testing it out right now, so let them keep playing it and either force them to trash Tallie or pile on the BP. And that’s just the less important ability. This thing is decent Weyland (GRNDL in particular) protection. Get stuck in a bad spot, tagged at the end of a turn or hit with SEA Source? Trash Tallie, draw your grip up over handsize, and let ‘em blast you. As long as you’re keeping your grip relatively full and they have some BP, you may be able to survive the onslaught long enough to clear those tags.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
Ok I know my score is a little on the high end but I truly see a lot of potential for this card, maybe not ATM but in the near future... One card that I feel is making a comeback is NACH (New Angeles City Hall) because I feel people are tired of using Plascrette Carapace to protect themselves from being flatlined, and want new and unique ways to get around all damage not just one type... In comes a "tag me" style deck that uses NACH to scrub the tags you get from cards like Tallie, I can't see any farther in to the future of this game anymore then the rest of you but I feel like this build is something that FFG is working toward... I think the draw ability will save you against an aggressive Tag and Bag player because after the scorch you can draw back up and laugh in there face! Time will tell on this card but I know she will be in the back of my mind moving forward...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_executive-wiretaps-fear-and-loathing.png'] Executive Wiretaps 9 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
Executive Wiretaps is a very expensive way to confirm your suspicions about the corp’s hand. If you do any work in R&D at all, this card becomes less and less “worth it”. If you really need to know what they’re holding, throw down an HQ Interface or two and do some work.

Hraklea - 1 out of 5
Hard at Work just got a new friend at the bottom tier. This is ridiculously expensive and rarely better than Expert Schedule Analyzer. Don't waste your time with this.

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
I have not seen Expert Schedule Analyzer used so I can't see anyone playing a card that is a one time use of it. Knowledge is power but should power cost you 4 credits and an additional click? Criminal will already be attacking HQ so must runners protect it early against them. Just because you have seen where the agendas are you still need to break in to get them.

Scud - 2 out of 5
Two clicks and four credits doesn’t seem that expensive to see the Corp’s hand without having to make a run and open yourself up to SEA Source or Neural Emp or whatever. The problem I have with this card isn’t that I think it is too costly, it’s that right now there isn’t enough benefit from revealing the Corp’s hand for the effect to be all that useful.

SlySquid - 2 out of 5
I see the need for this card and see it being played but not something to rely on, what I mean by that is if you're already playing a few Same Old Things to recur your Account Syphons and Inside Jobs then throwing one or two of this card in your deck might warrant a play from time to time. I'd rather have a few extra tools in my box when the time come in the game where there is not a whole lot for you to do so you decide to make the glory runs on HQ to hopefully pull a card or two but now you can just simply see if it's worth your time... And let's face it some people like a sure thing...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_blackguard-fear-and-loathing.png'] Blackguard 17 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Blackguard’s existence will lead to a few new deck builds that should prove interesting. The trick will lie in the expose deck’s usefulness against anything but red and yellow decks. Weyland and HB may not have any issue rezzing what is spotted. NBN and Jinteki may quite possibly be the only targets with anything to lose from the expose attack. High cost for a necessary cog. Looks like it might pay off though.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
Considering that this is the Silhouette's console, who wants to run HQ every turn and probably will want to have a Sneakdoor Beta on the board, a +2 MU console couldn't be better (ok, it could, but remember that Monolith costs 18 credits...). It is too soon to say if exposed based decks will be competitive, but I consider information too powerful in Android: Netrunner not to be worried about Silhoutte.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
Lots of us have been waiting on the release of Blackguard since we heard whispers about it in the forums. An 11 cost criminal console! Damn. The challenge now is going to be getting this to the table early enough to start utilizing the ability with all the expose cards you packed in your deck with it. Love the inclusion of 2 MU, that really helps criminal open up a bit more with programs. The influence cost is really appealing to me as this opens doors to see it out of faction. Im not really sure this is a popular thought for everyone, but most of you know I love seeing creative ideas over following the herd. There is already a good size card pool out for expose effects so even without Silhouette Blackguard can still see play. There will be those that dive head first into this embarrassing the ability and there will be those that sit back and run with desperado waiting for the Blackguard deck list to appear online. I believe this will produce some very powerful competitive decks, but will it be enough to pull the loyal criminal fan base away from Desperado?

Scud - 4 out of 5
Look, expose-a-rama decks are going to be a legitimate thing. One just took third at a recent local Store Championship here in Chicago. Snitch + Infiltration + Satellite Uplink (+ Lemuria Codecracker + Raymond Flint) can make a Corp broke. Is it “better” than a good old Desperado-fueled Criminal deck? Maybe not. But it is a completely different headache for the Corp to deal with and, right now, that makes it pretty powerful. +2MU is nice, since Snitch becomes a must-have. At 2 pips of Influence, we may see this thing out of faction although at this point, I don’t know how great that would be—this is a Criminal console through and through.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
Man do I love the idea of this card! To force the corp to play money when you want sounds OP, but finding room for all the toys you need to make this deck work is hard... The first challenge I had was economy, how do I get an eleven costing console out and still maintain pressure on the corp? Next was, how many expose cards is enough to warrant even playing a deck based around Blackguard?
And last was, if I don't see Blackguard early enough who will my deck preform? Although I still don't have a clear answer to those questions I know that Silhouette is the missing link that makes it a far more tangible choice to have a deck based around... I'm rooting for this card to make waves and promote new Criminal decks, because I feel they have become stagnant...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_cybersolutions-mem-chip-fear-and-loathing.png'] CyberSolutions Mem Chip 15 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
What I see is a cheap sudo console. Totally usable at the price.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
Akamatsu Mem Chip is not that great, but this is worse. If you need memory that bad, you should be running a bigger console and/or a better rig. At last, you have Djinn, which is better than this simply because Datasucker exists. Sorry, Cybersolutions, time to go out of business.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
The piece of the Shaper puzzle we have been missing. This expands the ability of Shaper and creates better deck building possibilities. 4 credits can set you back a little but a play of Modded as Kate can get this in for a steal of a price.

Scud - 3 out of 5
This is a better in-faction console than The Toolbox for most Shaper builds. It’s a nice option across the board because of its 2 Influence cost. Program-heavy rigs are going to be a thing, especially for The Professor…

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
Space is a valuable commodity in all are decks and although this is a little pricier than the other chips we've seen it does offer a lot of bang for its buck. We're starting to see the huge breakers that are coming and I can only guess there will be more, making me feel that this card and others like it will be an integral piece to the puzzle that is netrunner deck building...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_alpha-fear-and-loathing.png'] Alpha 10 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
When I look at this card there are so many ideas that pop into mind. I want to use it with its counterpart and fill the void with Atman and Datasuckers and all manner of stuff and junk. Thing is, once I start building the deck the price of Alpha/Omega gets in the way forcing me to start adding cards to ease the pain. By the time I’m done, I’ve passed up solid win condition cards just to build my rig. I’ll keep my eye on the DB decks for a solution though...

Hraklea - 1 out of 5
If there's one faction that doesn't need to use Crypsis, it is Shaper. What would make Fantasy Flight Games think that Shaper needed a piece of ICE that is more expensive than Crypsis? It seems that they are trying too hard to make a Eureka! based deck...

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
This is an expensive price to pay for a breaker that if you are using you kind of want to see early to get your value out of it. The challenge could be managing the MU space to really justify this as a deck include. I like the creativeness it brings to the game but question how much we will see it. This is the lesser of the pair. Its a better option than crypsis but not as versatile as a regular breaker.

Scud - 1 out of 5
I’m not really sure what Alpha’s niche is supposed to be. It is too expensive (both up-front and in-use) to be an early-game ‘breaker or a mid- to late-game safety net when you have Sharpshooter and Deus X in-faction. Three pips of Influence mean we won’t be seeing this splashed much. I’m sure sometime during Upstalk, we’ll all go, “Oh, that’s why Alpha!” But for now, I just don’t get it.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
Boy oh boy do I love wonky AI breakers! I see a strong build with this card and it's twin, using parasites and Krakens to keep servers small and manageable only using Alpha and Omega as breakers, maybe round them off with a few Knights and really put the pressure on... The price is a little steep but using SMC and Stimhack would be a great use of the nine credits... Never wanted to play shapers before but these big boys make me want to throw something together...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_omega-fear-and-loathing.png'] Omega 13 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
See my Alpha review above. Also worth note, as long as there is only one ICE protecting a server, either Alpha or Omega can be used to break it.

Hraklea - 1 out of 5
As said, this is expensive and useless. Datasucker won't disappear and Atman is way better than this. I guess Shapers are paying the price for Creation and Control. Criminals, get ready to suck in the Lunar Cycle!

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
Omega gets more love than Alpha. Inner ICE is usually the early game cheap to rez low strength ICE. So having a breaker that can handle pretty much all of it is a great thing. Down side again is the cost. Great complement in a Kit deck, having the corp needing a 3 deep ICE set to really start keeping her out. Again I like what this card brings to the game with a different approach to building a breaker set but feel the install cost is the biggest set back.

Scud - 3 out of 5
Solid Kit-tech, letting her punch through a 2-deep server where the innermost ICE is probably something pretty cheap. It’s still a little spendy in both credits and Influence to be seen anywhere other than Shaper, though. At least it has a clear niche.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
I talked about a deck I'd run with Alpha and Omega in my review of Alpha, so I'm going to talk about a build that I this makes Omega the better of the Two, everyone's favourite little cyborg Kit... Omega combined with Kits ability makes a very aggressive build, normally she laughs at single ice servers but now she gets to run two deep without worry... Using other great combos like re-occurring Parasites to keep servers thin I see this deck as a huge threat and something to watch out for!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_blackmail-fear-and-loathing.png'] Blackmail 12 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
Well, I don’t love it. It only works with a Bad Publicity attached and even then only if there’s ICE to rez in the first place and only THEN if it’s the ICE that’s keeping you out in the first place. Upgrades do a damn fine job of keeping runners out too. This card will be a dead draw a great deal more often than one would think at first glance.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
This is a good bad publicity punishment, but it is not as good as Personal Workshop and Self-Modifying Code. Considering it is neutral, I'm giving it a higher score than I think I should do, but I'm not worried about it by now.

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
This card when first spoiled got a lot of people excited, and rightfully so, since it is a great ability but I have not been able to find a home for it in any of my decks. With the runner still not having a great way to give the corp Bad Publicity this card in your deck is at the mercy of the corporation you are playing. As soon as all ICE is rezzed it becomes voided. If its a deck that does not generate Bad Publicity it becomes voided. I think the best part about this card is that it exists so it makes the corporate think more during the deck building phase than the game play phase. You might be able to get some use out of it while people are testing out GRNDL decks.

Scud - 2 out of 5
This might be a 3, honestly, but I think you’ll need to work at it a little too hard to round up my rating. The issue here is that, right now, Corps other than Weyland get their BP from rezzing ICE. If the ICE is already rezzed, Blackmail is useless. So you have to run on servers OTHER than the one you actually want to hit, get them to rez some illicit ICE, THEN run the server you want to hit. It’s just way more situational than it seemed when it was spoiled. You can build a deck for it and GRNDL is afraid of it right off the bat, but most other options are better.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
This card is a game changer! For the same reason swordsman, sweeps week and Plascrettes are, just knowing that their is a potential of having it be used against you will sway the way you build your deck, I for one don't think it's Blackmails time to shine given that not every faction has a clear way to gain Bad Publicity and that cards that are out are too situational to be played just to make use of this card... Given time this card will be a powerhouse and I think will be spammed, maybe even have a deck tailored to only scoring with it, but until that day it will make people think twice about trying to rush behind unrezzed ice with a few Bad Publicity...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_blue-level-clearance-fear-and-loathing.png'] Blue Level Clearance 13 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
If you really need another burst economy choice then here you go. I personally do not care much for double click cards save Same Old Thing, leaving this card as fifth fiddle behind Beanstalk, Green Level, Hedge Fund and Restructure. (Although I do have a profound hate for the… latterest?) The diminished returns on Blue Level and Restructure bum me out.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
This card is just ok, there’s not much to talk about it. It is a good alternative to Green Level Clearance in faction, but I doubt anyone would use this as out of faction.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
HB will surely have use for this. Great draw value and a gain of 3 credits. In faction I really like it. The increase of the influence value over Green Level means it will be rare to see outside its native colour. Weyland could be tempted since its a transaction. Hey Blue Level Clearance man - loved your performance at the grammy awards . Daft Punk

Scud - 3 out of 5
A solid card in HB decks. At 2 pips of Influence, it probably won’t be seen much out-of-faction since its effect isn’t flashy.

SlySquid - 2 out of 5
Not too much to say here, it's a variant card... I don't think it's better or worse than other economy choices, I have a strong feeling that it's influence will make it it very hard to splash... Just a very Vanilla card...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_strongbox-fear-and-loathing.png'] Strongbox 10 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
Not as good as Ash. Flat out, there it is. But if you like the stopping power that upgrades provide, adding Strongbox to your arsenal can’t hurt. Paired with Ruhr Valley in an HB Bioroid ICE heavy deck and you could spring a bit of a trap that will work exactly once...

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
I love upgrades. They are the alternative that Corps have to install more pieces of ICE once they become too expensive (usually, after the 3rd one). I love good upgrades even more. That's why I'll use Ash 2X3ZB9CY and leave this in the box (no pun intended).

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
The only corporation to see immediate use out of Strongbox is HB. All that click through Bioroid ICE can hurt you sometimes. It adds some value to Hourglass, making the runner have to deal with it rather than just run over it on last click. Dont like to see the super low trash cost. That hurts this for me. The chance of seeing this out of faction is a little weak although I could see entertaining it in a Replicating Perfect deck but Jinteki will probably want to use influence values elsewhere. They have far too many interesting toys coming up in faction.

Scud - 2 out of 5
I want to like this a lot more than I do. Its relatively high rez cost and low trash cost hurt, although it makes a nice companion to Ash. Encryption Protocol also boosts the card’s utility, so this will work best in-faction. Some Jinteki: RP folks will try it out, but they’ll find limited use, I think.

SlySquid - 2 out of 5
Let's face it, there are cards that do what this wants to do better and more reliable... That said, I do like the idea of this in a Replicating Perfection runner compensation deck with a few hourglasses and Ichi's... Aside from that I don't see this getting much play...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_toshiyuki-sakai-fear-and-loathing.png'] Toshiyuki Sakai 13 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
The effectiveness of this card will depend on which player is at match point first. If it’s the runner, not a whole lotta point in using it. However, if the tables are turned and the corp is on top, then you could try to bluff your way into a runner flatline to hedge the risk of having an agenda sitting out in the open. Also, if you can bluff and/or read your opponent, Mr. Sakai could fast track an early win vs. the impetuous.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
This is a great card if you're good at reading your opponent. But if you're a good readers, why won't bluff an actual ambush? Not just that, but Jinteki can't afford to keep advancing things - there's not enough time and money for everything, and by now, I rather advance a Ronin.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
If you are playing the trap game this card is great. It really opens up the ability to pull back or install the right trap for the right moment rather than just install and have it laying in play. This could be the include you are looking for with all the expose effects we will start to see. Taking your Jinteki mind games to a whole new level. It definitely has solid value and most of the die hard Jinteki players have been screaming for this dude since he was spoiled.

Scud - 2 out of 5
I think this guy is almost as misunderstood as Tallie. Mind you, I’m not saying he’s a house or anything, but I don’t think the point of Mr. Sakai is to doublebluffsupermindgame the Runner. He is an extra couple copies of your traps that also functions as a kind of anti-Expose tech. If he gets Exposed, he can act as a fairly safe Trick of Light battery since it is unlikely the Runner is going to go after him once she knows he’s there. Mostly, though, he’s there to give you more chances to effectively get your Ambushes on the table. He isn’t great, but he can be useful.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
This is a tough card card to write about for me, I'm more of a ranter by nature... The only use I see for this card in competitive play is on match point making the runner run everything you have out and advanced, and the only card I see pairing well at this point is snare... Let's face it if you have the Junebug you just IAA and hope they run it, but with Sakai and snare you can now turn a card that's is less useful in your hand late game... I think the play is instal Sakai and advance him once to bluff the score of a Nessie next turn, baiting the runner into running it, once reviled swap with the snare, if he calls your bluff he gets hit and if not you made him waste there time a money...
I just don't think he will make the cut in a lot of top tier decks...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_yagura-fear-and-loathing.png'] Yagura 18 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Unfortunately, it’s Parasite food. That sobering fact aside, I like it! Nice and cheap, no end-run, it’s ready to be sliced into a nice Jamesteki build or to a lesser extent, the standard original Jinteki builds. Anyone using Datamine either now has a replacement, or a companion.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
Great central server defense. Even if you use it to protect HQ or Archives, looking at the top card of your deck is great. Sadly, it dies to Yog.0, but that is not enough to make this card weak. Very cool art, by the way.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
This is a great fit into a Jinteki build. Lots of people are going to take up the Yog argument but lets face it that card is here, it aint going anywhere and just because a code gate is 3 or less doesn't mean they should be discarded and tossed aside so quick and easily. You rez this cheap little guy for 1 credit and you are still forcing them to find and pay for the Yog. Early game it’s also providing you a nice subroutine to cycle through a few cards. In a money strapped runner its also the sub that they will ignore to break. I dont see it appearing heavy out for faction but it would complement a few builds being an early game damaging code gate.

Scud - 3 out of 5
Yes, it “dies to Yog.0!” But it forces Yog.0 out onto the table, which is a click and 5 credits just to start getting through your 1-cost ICE. Yes, it “dies to Parasite!” But it uses up a Parasite and/or the tutoring/recursion to fetch the Parasite just to kill your 1-cost ICE. Because, let’s face it, the Runner doesn’t want to keep running through this thing. It’s great R&D defense (until they drop Yog, that is) and should be a staple in most Jinteki decks.

SlySquid - 5 out of 5
This card was the MVP at the Store Championship I just played in! I truly believe that having a well rounded mix of ice in important in any deck and a cheap code gate is a needed card, even more so in a faction where the only other choice is Chum... This card will protect your R&D turn after turn at next to no cost until the runner realizes that it's time to find a breaker for it, 80% of the time will be Yog which is so costly to put out for a little speed bump that cost you one to rez... I will have three copies in every Jinteki deck I make for a long while, if you are on the fence just try it and see... And there is nothing funnier than watching someone play a Sentry breaker first turn and running thinking they're immune to damage and hitting this little pain, even more so when I put the agenda they would have stole on the bottom of my deck... I love this card!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_restoring-face-fear-and-loathing.png'] Restoring Face 9 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
At the moment, Restoring Face doesn’t seem like it will be an asset to any corp deck. It could have been useful in Weyland, but the dual influence cost put a pin in that pretty fast. The future may see this card in use but for now, it’s a pass for me.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
We still don’t know how important bad publicities are going to be, but this card seems fair to me. Trashing an executive prevents the Runner from taking it, and losing 2 bad publiticies is a lot. By now, I’ll rate this card as underpowered, but I won’t be surprised if it becomes popular.

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
Most of us include a sysop or executive in a deck for use of their printed on card ability( clones are yet to come), not to chain it off something else. Currently there is not many you would want to burn for this unless you are rolling in the deep with Bad Publicity in Weyland - Remove one by rezzing Elizabeth Mills and then trash her to kill off 2 more. It is one of the most effective ways for removing Bad Publicity but I just can't see it in play that much.

Scud - 2 out of 5
This combos well with Elizabeth Mills to ditch Bad Pub (if you don’t need Miss Mills other ability, of course). But I can’t think of a sysop or executive that you’d play and isn’t more useful than losing two Bad Publicity. Unless Blackmail actually becomes a thing, I guess.

SlySquid - 1 out of 5
Why does this faction always get the worst and most situational cards to deal with things... I hate this card, and feel it's just a terrible way to deal with something that Jinteki really doesn't get anyway...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_market-research-fear-and-loathing.png'] Market Research 22 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 4 out of 5
If you’re running Midseason Replacements, you’ve potentially got a 3 score agenda for 4 advancements. Awesome! But, there is a chance you won’t get it at the right time and also a chance that the game will be at match point for the runner prior to being able to rip Midseasons. It’s good. Really good in fact. But it may not be better than the standard NBN Agenda setup depending on your build.

Hraklea - 5 out of 5
So… Psycho/Beale isn’t strong enough, it needed an agenda that gives you 3 agenda points for 4 advancements… Really? While this is a good “counter” against tag floatting decks, I don’t think it will be used with that goal in mind. NBN decks without tags probably should stay with Character Assassination or NAPD Contract.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
Its great seeing another reason for NBN just to drop a tag on a runner. I LOVE the theme of the cards that have been released for NBN and am edge of my seat for the new ID. I dont see it changing the run style against this corp and I think the TAG-ME runner deck style is a thing of the past. We have too much tag punishment out these days for the runner to camp on tags. It adds more of a bump to a sneaky corp that just needs to drop 3 points for a win. I like this a lot better than Character Assassination.

Scud - 5 out of 5
Netrunner Card Rating Flowchart: Is it NBN? If yes, then “5.” An Agenda that will often be 4|3 in the faction that has SanSan City Grid? Buh. Just, you know, buh.

SlySquid - 4 out of 5
Well well, if you didn't already want clear the tags that you got against NBN now you have to worry them scoring a 4/3!? Good god! This is just a fantastic card and not a whole lot more to say about that...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_wraparound-fear-and-loathing.png'] Wraparound 19 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Since every barrier breaker is a fracter, I think Wraparound is a solid 3. I need to look at it as a 0 strength, end-run for 2 credits at 1 influence. The strength boost is only going to be useful like 15% of the time. Still, in faction as an early game end-run, pretty solid.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
Great counter against AI-only decks, but as those decks will start to dissapear, you better stay with Ice Wall of Paper Wall (except for NBN, of course). The card is cool, but nothing to be hyped about.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
An interesting twist to an ICE type that NBN was needing in faction. The fact that this exists puts more strain on the runner relying heavy on AI breaker sets than Swordsman ever did. The amazing cost of just 2 credits and a influence value of 1 I can see this being in every faction. Swap your Ice Wall for a Wraparound. Even with a fractor breaker there is not much difference to this and those other 1 subroutine barriers. Without one this is a beast. Good luck even trying to Parasite it down. The right timing on this could force the runner to adjust strategy and start the search for a fracter earlier than they wanted.

Scud - 4 out of 5
NBN’s answer to Ice Wall is pretty great. Ice-destruction decks (which are still a thing) now need to pack a Corroder/Inti just in case. And a 2-cost ETR Barrier, even with 0 Strength, is hot for NBN rush decks, freeing up Ice Wall influence for other tricks.

SlySquid - 4 out of 5
The final nail in the coffin to lay the monster Atman to rest, long gone are the days that every green deck was a carbon copy of every other... What a great card, I think the best cheap Barrier in the game ATM, it's cheap, splash is next to nothing and it forces the runner to find and play his fracture or pay out the nose with all but one AI breaker, my fav of the lot Knight... I feel this will replace all out of faction Ice Walls...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_grndl-power-unleashed-fear-and-loathing.png'] GRNDL: Power Unleashed 18 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
To save myself going into a heap of detail, I recommend viewing the GRNDL video we recently put out here on CGDB. TL;DR version is it’s okay. Downsides outweigh the 5 credit boost.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
I'm not convinced that playing with 5 less influence limit is viable, but starting with 10 credits is huge. Screw Restructure, this allows you to ICE your servers up and score agendas in turn 2 with so much more liberty. It might be better than the Core Set ID in some cases.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
Nothing opens the game up for than a fresh new ID. This definitely deserves you and your group run some testing against a GRNDL deck. The starting money is a large boost to a very dangerous faction. The IDs that give you a bonus before turn 1 are incredible powerful. A runner facing GRNDL should be very scared early game. You will have to try and drag the game into the later stages to get the advantage. I have not see Weyland decks evolve that much over the course of this game. I attribute that to the fact that what they currently have works so why mess with the formula. So with that being said I dont see alot of players making the switch from Building a Better World to GRNDL. I hope to be proven wrong. For more on this discussion check this video -

Scud - 4 out of 5
Rivals Core Set Weyland as long as you play to keep the game short. Threatens early Agenda rushing OR early kills and makes the Runner have to consider both off the bat, slowing them down, which is what you want from a Corp deck that starts faster. The 10 Influence is tricky to use wisely but not at all impossible to trick out effectively. You shouldn’t just swap IDs in your current Weyland deck, though, which I have seen many people, specifically the ones that dislike the ID, doing.

SlySquid - 4 out of 5
GRNDL promotes a rush style of play that others ID's in it's Faction can't hope to accomplish, while making the runner less worried of hitting cheap early game ice and more inclined to think "face checking" will lead to more middle/high end punishing ice... I feel the downside of the Bad Publicity is irrelevant early game because you need to have cards in play that can benefit from the extra credit like a breaker or things like Personal Workshop, that said it will hurt late in the game and should make you strive for an early win...
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_vulcan-coverup-fear-and-loathing.png'] Vulcan Coverup 15 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Yet more unexpected meat damage. It will more than likely go toward wearing down those pesky Plascrete Carapaces. The question is, is it better than Hostile Takeover? I don’t think it is just yet.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
Weyland got a Ronin, that’s just great. Play it unprotected and let your opponent guess if it is a Plascrete Carapace destroyer or a 3 advanced Project Junebug/Cerebral Overwritter. As a Weyland player, this is my favorite card of the pack. If we ever get an in-faction ambush, GG.

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
This is Weyland doing what Weyland does well - Doing Meat Damage. Opening up some great agenda selection debate in faction. And thats where I have to dip the value on my rating. Weyland already has a power house of agendas to choose from with abilities I like better than this. We already have so many meat damage dealing cards in faction do you think we need this also? Its a nice 3 for 1 packaged up with a pretty bow. The Bad Publicity gain on a steal though could be more trouble than its worth in the long run.

Scud - 3 out of 5
Vulcan Coverup is a lot like Posted Bounty. If you can keep it around, ready to score when you need it, it can be a beast. Tons of money, SEA Source and two SEs in hand, and a fully advanced Vulcan installed means GG against a single Plascrete-wearing Runner. It plays well with The Cleaners and Punitive Counterstrike in much the same way, adding the extra oomph you need to punch through. Oh, and if you’re REAL lucky, a Runner will end turn one with no cards (or one) in hand after a set-up turn where she assumed that not running made her safe and you can score the naked Vulcan you installed and flatline them for the win. It’s hilarious.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
Oh good another way to give meat damage, I was worried that we had enough already... I'm going to say that I inherently dislike 3/1 agendas I feel like it's a huge investment for little reward, that said I feel the two damage will offset the cost and make it more worthwhile to try and score... Now, is the chance of them taking it and adding more bad pub to a faction that is swimming in it already worthy of space in your deck...? All I know is people sure love to flatline these days!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_grndl-refinery-fear-and-loathing.png'] GRNDL Refinery 16 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
Since GRNDL Refinery needs an action and a trash to gain the credits, it must be done on the corp’s turn making it a bit of a risk. I would not want all my credits and actions going to waste. I just can’t get behind this. Traditional Weyland builds have enough money as is. Too long to set up and too easy to knock down I say.

Hraklea - 1 out of 5
Most Weyland decks currently run transactions, Melange Mining Corp and/or Commercialization. There's no room for this.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
This card is a beast of money maker and you should be trying to find a slot for it. I would use this over Melange in faction and anywhere you have the influence to spare. With the Click needed to trigger the payout you will have to watch you don't get too greedy with it as it can't be done when the runner accesses it. Used in the right situation it is also a nice trap forcing the runner to run a remote with an unrezzed card and some advancements..

Scud - 5 out of 5
Just the existence of GRNDL Refinery makes every other Ambush in the game better. Here’s an advanceable card that definitely gets better the more you advance it. Now the Runner has to consider doing something about that card with 6 advancements on it because letting you have 24 credits is bughouse-crazy. The difference between GRNDL Refinery and Haas Arcology AI (the other card that gets better the more you advance it) is that the latter still has to sit on the table, waiting to be trashed, if you want to benefit from it. GRNDL Refinery gives you the reward all at once, so if the Runner doesn’t hit it while it’s unrezzed, they aren’t going to get to deal with it. You know what card absolutely LOVES GRNDL? Ghost Branch. Seriously. Try it.

SlySquid - 4 out of 5
Good by Thomas Haas, hello GRNDL Refinery! I know the money isn't a sure thing like Thomas but there is a huge potential for more, not just the initial investment... I think this card is great on its own but when you talk about using it with midseasons and psychographics now you're talking about a HUGE pay day! It's also nice to have in a faction that is really lacking I assets that are able to be advanced, it's a great match point bluff, if they run it they more then likely payed out the nose and if they don't advance twice and make a boatload of money's!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/an/med_subliminal-messaging-fear-and-loathing.png'] Subliminal Messaging 15 out of 25

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
It’s like Pad Campain but trickier. Not much point in playing more than one per turn unless there’s a Gorman Drip in play. And when you’re up against a frantic criminal deck you may never get to use it. Still, it could really pay off over time, it’s colourless and it’s cheap as free. A solid 3 for those looking for that little credit boost on top of their current set up.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
A lot of people is hyped about this card, but I honestly don’t see why. Runners run and this doesn’t stack. I’m not sure which economy card people expect to cut out of their decks in order to use Subliminal Messaging. I don’t think this will be remembered after a couple of months.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
This card is a huge burden to a runner that does not run every turn. That is great pressure for a 0 cost 0 influence card. I think the magic number with these are 2 copies in a deck. Its giving you free drip economy. Find me someone that doesn't love free. The only draw back to this card is that some corps unfortunately wont have the room to squeeze this in. We have seen some pretty great corporation economy cards come out already so it might wind up on the cutting room floor but something this interesting deserves you give it a try.

Scud - 3 out of 5
This is a great card in a slow Corp deck and not so great in a rush-y type Corp deck. When it gets going, it’s three to four times the pain in the tuchus the PAD Campaign is, since you can’t trash it without tricks and why would you spend your trashing tricks on it? Overall, I think the hype is overblown but so is the hate—in the right deck, this card is very strong, the trick is knowing if you’re playing the right deck.

SlySquid - 3 out of 5
From this time we first saw this card spoiled and now is crazy, before this cycle half the corps were starving for funds and we all saw this as a great addition to the terrible economy we were worried we would always have... But nearing the end of the cycle that's just not the case, everyone got the tools they need to make money (some more then others lol) making this card less and less needed... Like others in its class it's going to come down to personal preference, I feel it's closely comparable to the good old PAD Campaign and will work better in some decks, but not all, one thing is for sure it'll be played...
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