Honor and Profit Review

Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released Honor and Profit deluxe expansion. In this first part we will be looking at cards 1 through 18. 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 expansion!


Harmony Medtech: Biomedical Pioneer 24 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 3 out of 5
This is the identity that should’ve been in the core set! Jinteki is this identity. The traps, the shell game, the ICE, they all get more dangerous as you get to match point. And, depending on the build, your match point can be just 3 points. I really don’t know which is the better build: having Fast Track fetch a 5/3 into your hand of multiple Snare! and Punitive Counterstrike or, Biotic Labor and SanSan churning out numerous agendas? Either way the possibilities are there, and it’s very refreshing to see a new archetype come to life in Jinteki. With that said, Jinteki does have the most permissive ICE and they have some troubles ending runs. Still a good balance concoction can prove to be very lethal, but everyone has to bear in mind, that one does not simply end the run in Jinteki.

Corps3mourn - 4 out of 5
After a few attempts at assembling a 6 card count 3 point agenda build, I now question if it can be done effectively at this point. However, when the deck is riddled with 2 point agendas things seem to go a bit more smoothly. Racing to match point and then making the runner take a stab at everything is good, but whether it’s a flatline or a scored win makes no difference. And if indeed you are trying to kill sprinters, Ziabatsu Loyalty is basically a must as the deck will require relatively cheap end run ICE that won’t keep them out forever...

Grimwalker - 4 out of 5
Influence aside, this feels a lot like the draft identity The Shadow. One thing I did not expect is just how fast a draft deck can go when you only need six points, so a good HMT deck could rush to victory very very quickly. I thought this would be great with Medical Breakthrough even before Fast Track was spoiled, so that will make an amazing deck.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
There's two reason why I like this ID. First, it allows you to use less agendas. Considering that Jinteki has the worst agenda set in the game (in the sense that they don't synergize with each other like other Corps' agendas), it is an advantage. Second, it leads you to the match point faster, and match point for Jinteki means that the Runner has to throw himself into whatever trap you install. This card is serious business.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
Talk about setting the mood for the rest of this pack - This is the first card you see when you open this deluxe expansion. This is a very interesting ID and will definitely be the new hotness while everyone tries it out. I don't really feel like you are gaining any advantage here since your ability also gives the runner the same ability. The only things this card does is change the pace of the game. Jinteki in the past has been a slower play and now your games might be done in 5 min. Im not worried about the lower influence count as most of the tools and tricks are already built in faction. But I do think what people choose to include out of faction will be the most interesting thing. The way to go right now is with only 6, 3 point agendas ( obviously half of those future perfect). I also don't believe that many will run this at the 40 card limit like NBN the world is yours. It feels right at about 44. Struggled with giving this a rating as I really want it to be a 4 but I'm not sure it reaches that bar. Make no mistake, this card changes the game but because it changes it for both sides I just couldn't do it. Still going to be fun to play.

Scud - 4 out of 5
Fast Track + Medical Breakthrough is sweet. I think the all 5|3 version may actually be a bit stronger, though. Regardless of which build is “optimal,” I like this ID for what it brings to the game. I’m surprised that it didn’t get saddled with only 10 Influence—12 allows you to pack 2-ofs (which, with 40 cards, is all you really need) of some strong cards.

SlySquid ~3 out of 5
I love the idea of a faster Jinteki ID, but in my play tests it's not any faster then my RP deck because you really need to rely on bluffs and traps far more then normal.
It's hard to rate this ID because it was the one I was most excited for but after play tests it dosent seem to hold up that and a the -1 agenda trap was a great start till I found out that you could Data Dealer it away for 9 credits, couple that with cards that out right prevent damage and you have something that is very hard to pilot consistently.
Maybe it's my play style or it is in fact the state of the game but I've lost a lot of love for this card.



Nisei Division: The Next Generation 19 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 2 out of 5
I feel this Identity is gimmicky. You’re not going to do a Psi game every turn, so you won’t get that credit often. Also, using this identity will mean that you’ll more likely want to run things like Bullfrog or Snowflake, which don’t really gain any advantage over the other ICE you could (should) be playing. The other Psi cards available can just as easily be ran in other identities and you won’t feel that you’re losing any game by not receiving that credit!

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
This card is already good with the current card pool, albeit it will then be predictable in composition. I have a funny feeling that if I find myself sitting across from this I’d already know exactly how to go about my game. Likewise I would expect the same of any future opponents if I came toting Nisei Division. Worth a solid 3 in my book though as it will lessen the taxing effect of the ol’ 0, 1, 2 wagers.

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
I distinctly remember back during the Plugged In Tour, someone from the Chicago meta wishing/predicting this exact card, nearly word for word. I personally suspect there's Game Theory to it--not just a guessing game--that we haven't seen yet, and to that end, this helps prevent situations where the Corp's bid would be constrained to 0 or 1. No coincidence that we recently got an Asset that pumps out $2 every turn, either. When people stop being mentally lazy with dice and modular arithmetic and other such nonsense, there could be Psi decks that are startlingly difficult to deal with.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
I couldn't ask for much more than an economical ID for Jinteki. While we still don't know how good the non-Caprice Nisei psi cards are going to be, this ability will bring a whole new archetype for Jinteki, which only makes the game richer.

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
This card pretty much builds your deck style for you. Are you using alot of the Psi ability cards, then you might want to try this out. Im not really a fan of being held to a particular deck style though. I do like the fact that when using this with the Psi ability you are only losing money when you are spending 2 credits - Spend 0 you gain 1, Spend 1 its a wash. But I really feel the ability is just not too interesting or needed right now. Jinteki does not run as broke as they used to, and gaining back a credit here or there is nothing that is needed. The wording on the card does not directly state Psi abilities it only says when you and the runner reveal secretly spent credits. This might be foreshadowing for things down the road where this could get more of a bump in value.

Scud - 3 out of 5
This is riding the line between 2 and 3 for me but I’m going to give it the old round-up. Now that we have some Psi effects that can’t be ignored (due to being breakable Subroutines), we’ll start seeing the mechanic working more often. However, I don’t think that there is a build yet that makes this ID shine above the other available Jinteki flavors. Just one or two more decent Psi cards will probably change that. For now, though, the other IDs offer more cohesive game plans.

SlySquid ~3 out of 5
Ok so I'm the guy that loves Snowflake, I'm not going to go into all the reasons why but I've used it for a long time and love it, but it has one small flaw, if it's the outer most ice the runner can just keep running it wile paying zero credits and forcing you to pay, not any more! That goes with almost all of the psi test.
Now for a little walk down combo corner, let's look at Cerebral Cast+Scorched Earth a fun little combo that let's the runner choose how fast he would like to die, throw in a few Archive memory's or J. Howard's and you have a cute little tag and bag deck.
The long and short of my jumbled thoughts is, I like psi tests and this ID.



Tennin Institute: The Secrets Within 23 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 4 out of 5
I’m very impressed with this little ability. It’s worth a click and the only thing it asks is for an unsuccessful run, which, can be tricky to pull off in Jinteki, but doable. Ronin is one of the cards that pops into my head, as you can theoretically have free 3 net damage to the face with this Identity (will not actually happen but the thought is nice though). Shipment from Kaguya, Shipment from Sansan, Trick of Light, advanceable assets and some advanceable ICE all work very well with this Identity. Traps have a very relevant role in this identity, as you can be advancing an agenda for free if the Runner doesn’t check it, but if he does, to deny you the free advance, it might just stumble upon a Cerebral Overwriter, Project Junebug, Edge of the World, or any other nasty stuff Jinteki is known to pull off. Being able to put advancement tokens into Snare! and whatnot is also very dynamic for the type of game you’re trying to pull off with Tennin Institute.

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Tennin Institute gets my creative juices flowing. I’m working on something that has heavy flatline and trap elements that heavily utilizes Shipments from Kaguya and Trick of light. Saving those clicks and credits to pump up your advanceables while the runner recovers their hand might be enough to make the game a win either way. Aggression to prevent scoring could lead to death and pausing for a restock could lead to a scored win or a Ronin blast. I’m a cookin’ up a somethin’ good.

Grimwalker - 2 out of 5
This one is a headscratcher that I've been holding at arm's length for a while. Jinteki is not exactly known for ETR, but then I haven't really started counting how many turns a runner lets go by without runs against my Jinteki decks. I have a feeling there's some combination in the card pool that this will turn on because in essence it gives you four clicks in a turn. You could run this with Trick of Light or Biotic Labor and really get a jump on things, and being able to advance *anything* is pretty intense. There might be a deck there, time will tell.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
Free advancement is good. Not only it advances your agendas (or traps!), it is the first card that allows the Corp to advance an unrezzed Woodcutter. I'm sure Jinteki players won't start using Salvage because of it, but this interaction is interesting, at least. I think this is a great (if not the best) ID for a Jinteki never advance/Trick of Light deck.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
This is my favorite of the 3. So why does it not get a higher rating you ask? This ability is controlled by your opponent more than it is controller by you. The Corporation can definitely influence that with tools in faction; being mind games, traps and your placement and choice of ICE. The great thing about this card is that its advance ANY card. That is crazy. Now obviously we can advance agendas, asset traps, and ice walls. But think of all the dirty plays we can now do. Advance cards that normally can't advance. Advance cards that normally have to be rezzed to advance. Advance your own Identity card. Maybe even advance a runner card.Opening up a new path of possibilities that will make Jinteki even more dangerous.

Scud - 4 out of 5
This is a great rush ID. Cheap ETR ICE means a lot of early advancements. With Shock! and Shi.Kyu to dump in your Archives, you can force some hard decisions—does the Runner blow some cash running on your most lightly defended server just to turn your ability off or does she bide her time and let you build up Trick of Light fodder. And the fact that you can advance one of the Runner’s cards means you can pretty safely stock up on tokens. (It’s been ruled that while you can advance your ID, you can’t subsequently move the tokens off it, so it’s pretty useless.)

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
Lots you could do with this little guy!
Trick of light "fast advance", Jintenki "Never advance", "shell game" or just an outright taxing "slow advance".
Although I have not played around with this card I have played this faction since the day the game came to Canada and I can tell you that it's the real deal, if you play red and all your boys play yellow fast advance try fast tracking your medical breakthroughs and trick of lighting them with the free advancements you get from your ID and watch the tables turn! Now add in all the bluffs and fun jazz this faction has to offer and bobs your uncle you have yourself a fun deck that is just as competitive as the rest



House of Knives 31 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 5 out of 5
I do believe this is one of the best agendas to come into this faction. If they run and happen to be on three cards, you can just poke them, so they get afraid of Snare! or Fetal AI. If they facecheck something, this can just kill them. The pressure this card brings to the board upon being scored is fantastic. Junebug on two advancement? Can only be run on a full hand. And I can’t even begin to fathom the pain on the Runner if you make him/her run a server with Tori Hanzo having this agenda scored. The possibilities are just too much. And making the Runner too much cautious is a sure way to steal away a game. It’s quick to score and slow (and painful) to deal with. Just the type of agenda Jinteki loves and a good card all around.

Corps3mourn - 4 out of 5
So good. In a typical 11 agenda card setup, 2 single point agendas are necessary (until you see Mr. P. Entangle that is). Drop that to 10 and you only need one. This is my one. House of Knives. The Jamesteki build benefits greatly from this card, allowing you to remove Veteran’s for something entirely more useful. So good. More dependable than Philotic Entanglement as PE requires a later game appearance. I expect to get caught off guard by this in the very near future.

Grimwalker - 4 out of 5
This card is so much fun it should be taxed. If you score this, then it really forces the runner into making hard decisions. The only downside is that it is mutually exclusive to Psychic Field. Extremely playable.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
Arguably the best Jinteki agenda so far. While it will hardly flatline a Runner, as there's no surprise element about this card, it slows down the Runner, and if properly managed, it will create you windows to score other agendas. I can't think in a single reason not to use this card.

Jamieson - 5 out of 5
We are now into the area where Jinteki shines in the expansion - the Agendas. The best 3/1 in the game currently is House of Knives. It makes every trap in your deck better and will have the runner second guessing any move he makes. Giving the runner damage just before they access a card can put them in a very difficult situation.

Scud - 4 out of 5
This is a spectacular 3|1. If you can get two scored, you can really slow the Runner down (if not slow them permanently). I don’t want to get into the whole “mind games, shmind games” thing that “top players” like to engage in, I’m just going to say that scoring this Agenda opens some windows for clever play, applying pressure and forcing some scary decisions.

SlySquid ~5 out of 5
Remember the "Jamiesteki" decks that broke Personal evolution? You know the ones with only one pointers and fetal AIs...? Because I do! It was hard enough to beat before this card, it's like it was build for that deck...
(Rant over)
This card is crazy go nuts, my new favourite 3/1 in the game but when you squeeze it into my favourite ID in the game Replicating Perfection you have a card that deals two damage to someone just trying to get into a remote! Thought your sundews were good before!? Lol now the runner has to get zapped twice just to trash it, I don't even know what else to say other then watch out, this card is legit!



Medical Breakthrough 27 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 4 out of 5
Finally! A good agenda for Jinteki. They were the absolute worst faction in terms of agendas. If the runner steals the first one, you shrug your shoulders and proceed to score the other two out of hand. And there’s about a million of ways to do that. This is obviously designed to play in Harmony Medtech and in fast advance builds, generally speaking, as these three seal the game in a very dominating fashion. Chaining these agendas through fast advance effects is almost as satisfying as doing the Astrotrain (which is still the best agenda in the game, no chance).

Corps3mourn - 4 out of 5
Very first time playing this, (and I swear I shuffled) I drew all 3 copies in the span of 5 turns. Scored them all. Absolutely disgusting. How could you not play this? How? Explain yourself. Even if the runner grabs the first one, you can score the second one out of hand with a trick of light. Third one is score out of hand on it’s own! Good gravy...

Grimwalker - 4 out of 5
I love this agenda unreservedly. If you put three in your deck, then no matter what, one is a 4/2, one is a 3/2, and one is a 2/2. Like Fetal AI, this will be a card where if I don't see it in your Jinteki list, I'm going to ask you why.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
This is not broken as the AstroScript Pilot Program, but it is definitely a "must have" for Jinteki never advance decks. While it has no utility value compared to Braintrust, the few matches were you'll be able to score it as a 2/2 agenda, in my opinion, is enough to make it better than the What Lies Ahead agenda. This is the only agenda in the game that can be more efficient than a Market Research with its agenda counter, so it has my respect.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
Possibility of scoring a 2/2 out of hand is so good.. An agenda that only gets better if scored or stolen is mind blowing. Really opening up Jinteki for fast advance options which it turn forces the runner to take more risks. Lots of talk about using data dealer and frame jobs on Shi Kyu - but maybe this will be the agenda the runner wants to get out of their score area quickly as to not boost the abilities of the ones the corp still needs to score. A very dangerous card and a great home in red.

Scud - 4 out of 5
Jinteki rush is a thing now and Medical Breakthrough is a key component. If you can get one through early and then manage to find the others quickly (*coughcough*Fast Track*coughcough*), well, that’s a spicy meatball! Even if the Runner nabs one, they’re just doing you a favor, since it doesn’t matter if you beat them 7-0 or 7-2 (or 6, if you’re Harmony Medtech).

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
Holy hell was I initially wrong about this card! I know that there is a lot of fun ways to fast advance this little monster out, but I don't play like that, I play the taxing RP deck that runs Caprice so you would think this card wouldn't work as well (or at least I did) but it really does!
I think it's a straight swap for Fetal AIs if you are not trying to kill the runner and you want to just score out, it's also fun to just IAA into a new server and have the runner over think it like crazy just to find out that it was a lose lose for him all along, that's what I like about this card the most, it's very consistent! Well done FFG



Philotic Entanglement 24 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 3 out of 5
I have a lot of problems liking cards with this much variance. I’m only granting it a 3 because it’s a 3/2 agenda and Jinteki is clearly lacking in that department. If you see this in your opening hand it’s horrendous! If you see it mid-game it’s super good. If you see it in the late game, it won’t matter too much. Occasionally you’ll kill someone with it and feel this is the most potent thing in the world. Don’t be deceived though, that won’t come as often as this agenda promises.

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Not entirely comfortable giving this a ? as it is a bit time sensitive. If you need to round out your agenda suite, PE is a great way to do so without reaching for a 4 for 2 agenda or two different 2 for 1s (or 3 for 1s). In a Jamesteki, with a little luck, it could win you the game. In fact, I’m sure it’s probably already happened.

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
A lovely card if you see it late, particularly if you've given up points to the runner. Net Damage on the Runner's turn is easy, Net Damage on the Corp's turn is difficult or inefficient, and having another tool in the second category is welcome. A nice choice to round out an Agenda set if you need another point.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
Talking about agendas that are better than Braintrust, here's the Chairman Hiro's Pet Project. With potential to be an instant kill in a "20-1-point-agenda-decks" (doesn't Jamieson has a deck like this?), this is one of the most important cards Jinteki is receiving this month. The only thing more scary in a shell game Jinteki than Ronin is a Ronin that gives the Corp agenda points.

Jamieson - 5 out of 5
So its Limited - who cares. When HB got their limited it was a 3/1. This is a 3/2 ( which is already good) with potential game winning ability. Oh and guess what we now have a card that can fetch agendas from R&D. Personal Evolution is marrying this card and never wants to be separated from it again. But it also has a home in so many jinteki builds. Watch out for this card if you are running against Jinteki.

Scud - 3 out of 5
Remember that 16 Agenda Personal Evolution deck that a bunch of people were pimping a while back (including your truly)? Well, Philotic Entaglement makes that plan even better (along with House of Knives, Shi.Kyu, and Susanoo-no-Mikoto). It is timing-dependent, which makes it a little less reliable. If only there was a way to get it in hand when you needed it (*coughcough*Fast Track*coughcough*).

SlySquid ~3 out of 5
There is a clear deck this works in and that is the "Jamiesteki" all one pointer PE deck that punishes the runner for everything he does, and I truly only think this card is good in that deck, all be it's INSANE in that deck but it's scope is very limited in any other type of deck.
It's just to inconsistent.



The Future Perfect 22 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 2 out of 5
NAPD Contract this is not. It’s cool that you have the chance to not have it being stolen from you, but the Runner can just wait and prepare to run it upon installation, then, stealing it no questions asked. With that said, the chances of stealing it whilst running central servers are still around 33% and if the Runner indeed does you may have (in worst case scenario) just lost 2 credits and a 3 point swing. A 5/3 is already more difficult to score than a 3/2 or 4/2 and Future Perfect loses its charm as it hits the table, giving you nothing in return of scoring it. If you want really good 5/3 look for Project Wotan, Executive Retreat, Restructured Datapool.

Corps3mourn - 4 out of 5
The Future Perfect is a solid 4 for me. While it does need to be in a deck that runs a well protected remote server for peace of mind, when it’s everywhere else it’s pretty safe. With a 33% chance of stealing with blind luck, but around an 80% chance of stealing with a runner who knows their stuff, a battle of intuition will decide the odds. Still, some odds are better than no odds!

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
What you think of this card depends entirely on what you think of Psi. I'm just going to apply that caveat to all of them now and leave it alone going forward. Plenty of Jinteki decks run Priority Req and Executive Retreat as blank agendas, and this is unreservedly better for that. NAPD Contract has shown us how disruptive self-protecting agendas can be.

Hraklea - 1 out of 5
Ok, this one is worse than Braintrust. It is not enough that it has no ability after you score it, it also does nothing if the Runner steals it while it is installed. The extra agenda point is not worth how circunstantial this card is. Don't let the "psi" subtype fool you: your Nisei Division deck will be better without this garbage.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
There is nothing worse that a 5/3 agenda being accessed from R&D or HQ. Now we have a built in protection. I love this card and its probably the best 5/3 we have seen. Any Jinteki player that has been looking to run 3 pointers your calls have been heard.

Scud - 3 out of 5
A nice self-defending Agenda that fits in well not only with Nisei Division but with any Jinteki build looking to run 5|3s. Three of these and three Fetal AIs in a 40-card Harmony Medtech deck isn’t a bad thing at all.

SlySquid ~5 out of 5
This is the card that all of us Jinteki players were waiting for, and is my favourite card in the set!
If you are with all the hype of NAPD contracts being bonkers then you my friend with love this card, there are three differences the first and most obvious being it's a 5/3 not a 4/3, secondly it doesn't work wile it's installed and lastly instead of just taxing the runner with a large credit pool you can outright deny them 66% of the time...
This is the holy grail of 5/3 in my honest opinion, and all the play testing I've had is only confirming it more and more each game... Did I mention it's my favourite card in the set!? Cause it is...



Chairman Hiro 18 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 3 out of 5
I’m curious to see if Chairman Hiro will pull its weight. Gyri Labyrinth is also around, which is a mini-Hiro on a Code Gate. Gyri, Hiro and Chum are a 5 credit kill (after passing Chum, if the Runner doesn’t jack out you rez Hiro and let the Runner face the Gyri Labyrinth, the hand size decreased will happen first and the net damage after, triggering the flatline), which is nothing to scoff at. Rezzed at the right time, Chairman Hiro can be absolutely devastating, say, before popping a Ronin and 1 Neural EMP. The combos I wrote off are just one of the many ones you can pull with Hiro. Its flexibility might lead to some hilarious game states. But he may prove not worth the trouble to get the Runner’s hand to decrease by 2.

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
The problem with Chairman Hiro doesn’t just come from its complete nullification by one copy of Public Sympathy, but from the “here I am, come and take me” issue that plagues Director Haas. Granted, Hiro plays to the strengths of red more than Hass does in purple, potentially granting a flatline on a foolhardy runner. But still. If they have any boost draw and enough credits to trash, (lessened even more by Wizzard or Imp) they will muck up your day real fast. This card is not for me.

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
Amazing trash cost, can be rezzed after the runner's last click for on-demand net damage, which is not very common if the runner hasn't been baited or forced into a bad decision. Will it do much on its own? Perhaps not. But it's sure to become priority one for a runner to trash, and I can't wait to have the runner spend a bucket of effort getting to it and then rez a second one in the server next door and watch the runner be sad. If you think some Weyland dirtbag won't find a way to swing 5 influence, think again. Protip, though, your ice on HQ ought to be bullet proof.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
It is hard to say if its ability is better or worse than Director Haas' one because none of them has seen too much play. While this executive has the possibility to kill the Runner, I wouldn't be 100% confortable with one of these in my deck. It is cheap, hard to trash, and has a lot of synergy with Ronin and Philotic Entanglement, so I'm giving it an average score, but take it with a huge grain of salt.

Jamieson - 1 out of 5
wow- I love seeing low rez and high trash asset cards. Sad thing is that trashed it turns to points. I never saw director Haas out of faction and I think it will be the same here. Five is alot of spend on a card. Its going to have its uses sure, but I don't like the added agenda points in my deck. Six is really high and could really set the runner back but never look the runner in the face on the turn they get two points from just burning an IMP token on this.

Scud - 2 out of 5
The Chairman has some uses (although 5 pips of Influence makes some of them almost prohibitive), but I just don’t see him being a widespread presence. HB Brain damage might like him—rezzing him as a surprise after the Runner gets herself lost in a Gyri Labyrinth would be funny. Weyland might like him, too, but GRNDL can’t afford him and the other Weyland IDs have better options. In-house, Hiro can enable some unforeseen flatlines when coupled with a smidge of Brain damage or he can simply make the Runner even more cautious than usual.

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
I know my score is a little high on this one but I do see huge potential for Mr. Hero and I have lots of little ideas that swim around in my head using him to great effect, I just don't thin knows the time.
I like him a lot more than his counter part Mrs. Hass because he seems to have an ability that you only need to pop of once then you can simply install over him and prevent the points being taken where as Hass "the walking talking biotic labor" wants to stay in play tempting the runner to run her.
And in decks like an all 3 point agenda Harmony Medtech deck who cares if you lose one!? They still need one more agenda to win anywho...



Mental Health Clinic 18 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 4 out of 5
I do believe this is a very good card. In HB would be decent if they didn’t had already the best economy assets, since you could stick a brain damage and control the drawback a little better, the same is true to any corporation that can import brain damage. Still, this can be a good asset in Replicating Perfection and an early game strong drip economy. You never lose anything with this card, which is also important to mention. The first rez puts you already at +1 credit. If the runner goes for it it’s +4 essentially (at least), for 0, nothing, thats a winning deal (better than PAD campaign). Also, the runner cannot ignore this forever to keep its hand at 6-8 cards, 20+ credits are well worth more than +1-2 hand size! Indeed the amount of money you can gain with this can be more or less a million, and at that time you just focus on building super servers and scoring in a more straight forward fashion.

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
I could only get behind this card inside a replicating perfection deck that builds remotes horizontally. It seems a little counter productive in red to be honest. Sure, the runner may second guess trashing it as it is giving them a false sense of security, but all in all it’s not necessarily as good as a Pad Campaign. Even though it is cheaper...

Grimwalker - 2 out of 5
I think this actually undermines a lot of fundamental Jinteki strategy, to threaten pain on the runner in order to gain work compression. How many runners will draw up and then run, you just made that easier for them to do, and it makes all your Shocks and Snares and Junebugs and Ronins less scary. However, Komainu and Psychic Field remain a concern, so this will find play in Psi decks and out of faction decks that want some drip econ and don't care about the runner's hand size.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
Ok, look... It is possible to play a Weyland deck without Scorched Earth. It is possible to play a NBN deck without tags. Is it possible to play a Jinteki deck that doesn't rely on threating the Runner with flatline? I seriously doubt it. With Sundew and PAD Campaign out there, I don't see why use this card.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
Great economy card in non kill decks. Costs you nothing and starts earning you money right away. May works in your favour if the runner wants bigger hand size. Very reasonable influence so potential out of faction. Lots of buzz with it being paired to complement sweeps week.

Scud - 4 out of 5
This is a great little economy card. The bonus it gives the Runner doesn’t just disincentivize her trashing it, it also may get them to waste extra clicks drawing up in order to make use of it. Although it is probably most at home in a deck that isn’t trying to kill the Runner, evenflatline decks can use it, especially if they are running any Brain damage sources. A decent Trash cost and only 2 pips of Influence means we could see this in other builds, too (Asset-heavy HB comes to mind).

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
I play a non kill taxing deck that use to waist it's time fiddling around with PAD's and that drove me crazy till Jinteki sent me to the Far East Wing of the Harmony compound, sitting in that room really makes you rethink life and you're economy.
I love this card! It gives you money ASAP, sure it trashes for one less this it's colourless cousin but with all the net damage you could shell out is the runner really going to want to lose the extra hand size? I'd say more often then not no...
Any good Jinteki player worth his salts will tell you that more often then not you are not avidly trying to kill the runner, if it happens it happens, well this card let's you take that to a new level, letting the fear of being flatlined net you some "bit coinage" (credits).



Psychic Field 22 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 2 out of 5
I like that it triggers out of expose, making that move a little riskier and this card’s install safer. Nonetheless, you are not 100% sure that you’ll wipe the Runner’s hand clean. Again, this is a do nothing or a kill-them-all (almost but not quite) type of card. I prefer to have a sure way to hand down the pain!

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Since the trigger for this card requires it to be installed, I could not give Psychic Field a 4. Needing to be installed means that only those with a bluffing game will be adding this beauty to their deck rosters. Great part is, it kills their hand. In its entirety. Even on the expose. Wow. Even the existence of this card should send shivers down the spine of a cautious runner...

Grimwalker - 4 out of 5
Put your goddamned hand in the goddamned box of pain. This card terrifies me. The only consolation is that it can't flatline you on its own, but between this and Komainu there are now more ways to put you in range of a Neural EMP. No coincidence that Ronin plus Chairman Hiro is also five cards' worth of discarding. Psychic Field joins Shock and Snare as part of the cost of doing business against Jinteki pretty much until forever. This could go into nearly any deck.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
A punishment for exposes better than Zaibatsu Loyalty, yey! A very creative card that is both strong and fun. Good job, Fantasy Flight Games! That said, I'm not a big fan of non-advanceable ambushes. It is hard to fake them for too long (unless you use it as a fake SanSan City Grid, I guess?).

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
I think this is going to have to fit in the right deck. Jinteki does not do well with traps that don’t advance but hey its another Psi. Low trash value here is going to hurt this you have to hope you can get it installed before the runner can see it. The fact it triggers on expose as well as access is where this card gets its teeth. Its going to take so combo cards to help it along though.

Scud - 3 out of 5
So close to a 4 but for that pesky “when installed” caveat. It’s a swell card, though. The “clear the Runner’s hand” cards are interesting, forcing more cautious play around the clock—the Runner has to consider playing any important card immediately, regardless of tempo.

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
This card in any “Never Advance” deck is great, and with all the expose cards seeing light again it's a nice punishing way to make people fear you regardless of there contingency plans.
For the sake of the review I'm going to focus on comparing this to SNARE! in a never advance build, because it's doing sort of the same thing for less.
It costs less influence to splash and also costs less you use, even if you pay the full 2 credits for the psi test it's still half the cost of setting of your snare. It also costs money to trash, we all know that a snare over a SanSan is a great way to keep it safe till the next agenda hits play but know they could lose all the cards in their hand AND pay 2 credits on top of the five it costs to burn the SanSan. I think this card is going to see a lot of play!



Shi.Kyu 19 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 2 out of 5
So, this basically is a 6 cred to “rez”, 0 to trash ambush? If you want to deal a lethal amount of damage, they’ll lose an agenda point. If you don’t deal a lethal amount, they’ll take it and draw back up to a healthy amount. This may offset aggressive Runners and in some cases balance a strong beginning from the other part, avoiding a quick loss. But you won’t ever put them (the Runners) in a spot where they’ll be too much bothered to see this. There might be also times where you won’t want to spend the money that equals their hand +1 making this card turn into a worse Snare!.

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
Nearly gave it a 3. In a Harmony Medtech deck using 5 for 3 agendas exclusively, this card is gold as it can put the runner in a spot where he/she needs to score 3 of the 6 agenda cards in the deck to win. Not unheard of, but not an easy task. However, put this in anything else and it is marginal at best. While it does work with Philotic Entanglement barring some random errata creation, it still doesn’t have a place in every deck.

Grimwalker - 2 out of 5
It quite neatly fits into HMT as an offset to the built in drawback of that Identity. Whether I run this in another build might depend on my agenda mix: If I'm running 2 point agendas, then this does not put the runner off of match point by itself. You're spending money on something that doesn't reliably hurt the runner's board position, unless you think you can score off a Philotic Entanglement. If only there were a card that allowed you to fish a specific agenda out of your deck on demand.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
This is a godlike HQ/Archives defense. Sadly, Corps cannot afford to leave their HQ unprotected due Account Siphon, but it still is a great card to team up with Snare!, Shock! and Fetal AI.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
LOVE the concept of the negative point agenda. This would have been a 5 if it wasn't giving the runner a choice. It is definitely changing the game bring in the first negative point agenda. But again its almost helping the runner giving them something to flip for Data Dealer and Frame Job. Not triggering from R&D is strange to see and again that holds this card back for me. I guess its best in the archives with a few Shock! Little high on the influence to see this heavy away from this faction.

Scud - 4 out of 5
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I love it. I’m also pretty pumped that this card gives some life to Data Dealer and Frame Job. Players who think that an damaging Ambush needs to kill in order to be effective are missing the point of tempo control. This card provides access to one of the best tempo control tools yet—causing the Runner to need one additional point to win, which can change the math of the entire game.

SlySquid ~2 out of 5
Crap did I love this card till I heard you could Data Dealer it for 9 credits... I know, I know, Data dealer hasn't seen much play as of late but I think it's on the cusp of coming back what with Stirling and the idea of Contact based economy decks, the final shove would be this Harmony Medtech build that it's almost unstoppable just because it uses Shi.Kyü to make you have to score three 5/3's wile the corp only needs two... And I think it just falls to short in any other deck with a normal agenda count.



Tenma Line 17 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 3 out of 5
I like this effect! It keeps the Chum in the game, Curtain Wall very big, helps making facechecking worse by pulling all the nasty ICE up top. The trash cost also helps this to be reasonable enough to see some play. Some decks might have a need for this as a 1-of to help the building of the servers. After all, the Jinteki ICE is known to combine with and give bonuses to the next ICEs in line. This helps you set up so much more easily and doesn’t cost you any tempo, as you can just install the ICE and later adjust it to a better position in the server.

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
Couldn’t part with a 3 on this one. Unless you’re building for it, never has there been a time when I was dying to swap some ICE around. Straight up, one for one, already needs to be in play, and it needs to be done on your turn. If you find that this is a necessity for you, perhaps it would be time to revisit the old deck list...

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
Jinteki's been waiting a long time for this card and it is worth keeping an eye on. I'm not certain that it will make cards like Bullfrog and Cell Portal viable in their own right, but it won't hurt. The trash cost is nice, and the utility is probably decent. Overall a nice card to have in the stable; someone will make it work. If you expect that Planned Attack Siphons will be a huge problem for you, this lets you stack the worst ice onto HQ.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
Another card for my Cell Portal deck! It seems that Fantasy Flight Games really want it to happen. But will it? Honestly, I doubt Tenma Line is what it was missing. Swaping pieces of ICE is far from being a good thing, and we already knew that since Sunset.

Jamieson - 2 out of 5
Its nice to have a way for Jinteki to have a way to reorganize their all that special ICE and ICE traps they have. The trash cost is set nice but I just don't think this will see play. It will be hard to find a slot in your deck for this ability.

Scud - 2 out of 5
When you build for it, this deck can be a lot of fun and pretty brutal. All that positional ICE gets a bit better when you don’t have to worry so much about when/where you install it. However, outside of a positional-ICE-heavy deck, I don’t see this bringing much to the table.

SlySquid ~3 out of 5
I strongly dislike situational ice, I'm the guy that doesn't even run Chum, and I'm not sure this card make me like them any more but it does help a little.
I think this card and a little time will make fun decks but I'm not sure I see it as a competitive option ATM.



Cerebral Cast 19 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 1 out of 5
Okay. Let me just start by saying, when you’re evaluating cards you have to evaluate them at their worst, if they’re still good, then you have a good card. Now, with Cerebral Cast: first, you need to win the psi game, or else nothing happens and you just lost 1 click, 1 card, and 1 credit (congrats you have 3-for-1’ed yourself), if you do win the psi game against Jinteki the Runner will likely want the tag over the brain damage. There’s an argue to be made, that you can then play Scorched Earth, Closed Accounts, or any other thing that punishes tags. Well, you should, as you’ll improve the quality of this card. But, if what you real want is to tag the Runner, then, just play SEA Source. If the Runner takes the brain damage it only really hurts if you’ve already stuck some before. I’d rather like this card to give either net damage or brain damage. No tagging. The tag just seems out of tune. In the end, if your deck punishes one of the routes (brain or being tagged) the Runner will always choose the safest.

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
I can’t get behind Cerebral Cast simply because of its utility purpose paired with its uncertainty of function. If you want to tag, there’s better ways. If you want to brain damage, there are better ways. Not to mention that the runner gets to make the decision on what happens anyway. Chances are, if the game came down to the point where there was no good choice for the runner, you’d have won a few turns earlier by using a more practical/tactical card.

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
A nice little card. Best played with some means to punish either choice, which probably means going out of faction. I'm thinking of having a Scorched Earth up my sleeve, or else splashing this into a faction that has more ways to leverage it.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
One thing that Magic the Gathering tough me is that letting your opponent decide what will screw him is not a good think, even when the card is economically efficient. One credit for a brain damage? Broken! One credit for a tag? Broken! Letting the Runner choose? Meh... this card is good, and I'd probably use it if Jinteki were my main faction, but it doesn't deserve a score above the average.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
Glad the Gray Ops card pool is growing. Can I bring out Tallie Perrault yet……..No but you can't bring this card out just yet either. I really don't like the fact the choice is on the runner with what happens. Its going to find a home in a select style of deck. Cost to play is GREAT and but splash is a little heavy. Its nice to have a way to pass a TAG without a trace effect though.

Scud - 3 out of 5
A nice way to stick a tag in-faction for Jinteki. If you aren’t splashing a Scorched in your Jinteki kill deck, you’re already doing it wrong. If you are, Cerebral Cast saves you having to run Hunter or splurging for SEA Source. Decks that usually leverage tags can make use of the card, too, as an active source of Brain damage, which often seems like a good choice in the mid- to late-game against decks that don’t traditionally damage the Runner.

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
"Welcome to HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE!
I'm your host SlySquid, broadcasting from under the gazebo in the garden of the beautiful Nisie compound, this is the show where we watch an unsuspecting runner choose his death! Will it be slow and painful with brain damage or will he give up his position letting our friends from the Weyland Consortium do what they do best and Scorch the very Earth they walk on!?"
This is a double edged sword if I've ever saw one, and I love both options... Watch out for this card...



Medical Research Fundraiser 20 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 4 out of 5
This cards nets you 5 credits for 3. The only other card that can top this, without any additional costs or any conditions is Sweep’s Week… against Andromeda. And that’s saying a lot. Restructure nets you the same but requires 10 credits at the ready. Celebrity Gift and the like can net you more, but have real costs attached to them: a full click, revealing cards (Celebrity Gift), the need for the Runner to perform a certain action (Successful Demonstration) or having to have some sort of set up (Diversified Portfolio). If you’re asset heavy this wouldn’t be a first choice, as those 3 credits you give the Runner are very real (just assume that for a turn you have 3 Bad Publicity) and your Assets become easily trashable. If you are, however, not planning on building remotes and just Fast Advance everything out of hand, the 3 credits given to the Runner lose some importance, as you’ll more likely deprive the Runner to use them. If he/she spends them on a run, fine. Funnily enough, the 3 credits given to the Runner are less of a drawback the more money the Runner has, since then 3 credits won’t impact what the Runner could do anyway. Medical Research Fundraiser is very potent, you just have to be sure, you’re ready to give the Runner three credits and withstand whatever the Runner can throw at you, when you’re playing this card. Being at one influence clearly points that we may see this card outside this faction.

Corps3mourn - 1 out of 5
Allow me to put this into perspective for anyone wondering why I don’t like this card at all. I have to go a bit retro and use the old “clicks to credits” theory. So, corp plays this and they get 8 credits and the runner gets 3 credits. The corp most likely used up their mandatory draw click on this so there’s 1 credit gone (albeit you can’t gain a credit for that click but there it is anyway). Then they used a click to play it, there’s another credit down the tubes. It cost them 3 credits to play, pretty self explanatory, so at the end of the day, the true net value of this card to the corp is, (drumroll) 8-1-1-3=$3. Then, as a byproduct of playing this card, the runner gets… 3 freakin credits! Out of turn! No clicking necessary!!! Gah. So bad. I would take literally any other income card over this. Literally anything. I would scarf down a whole wet bucket of meecrab before I put this in my deck. And don’t even get me started on what happens when Donut Taganes is in play...

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
I have often felt that the more mixed my feelings are about a card, the more I'd go back and forth about whether to run it, the better designed it is. This card must be very well designed indeed. No matter what, it's a five credit swing with a minimal activation cost, so that's good. On the other hand, you're giving away free money. Ugh. I would run this in Harmony Medtech for fast money. And once again, Weyland is happy to have another 1-influence transaction.

Hraklea - 2 out of 5
Jinteki usually doesn't care much about the Runner economy pool. Jinteki's pieces of ICE are easy to break even for a poor Runner. But still... giving credits to your enemy? That's too much. This card is just too risky.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
This card NEEDS to be played at the right time or you could just be hurting yourself. There is never a time you want to give the runner money. I think this will be used heavier out of faction than in. Weyland ( its a transaction) and NBN can deal with this if they can TAG and close accounts.

Scud - 3 out of 5
This is a solid four in certain Jinteki builds. There are plenty of times when I’m using Jinteki that I could not care less how many credits the Runner has—Grip size is the only thing that matters. However, I need the credits. Badly. In any other deck, Medical Breakthrough requires real timing to play well. There are points in the game where, due to tempo, the Corp can spot the Runner a few credits. In fact, some tricksy Glacier builds, like GRNDL with a Ghost Branch or two, may want to “accidentally” enable the Runner to get into a server...

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
This card is not for everyone and it's going to be hard to convince most people of its merits but I can tell you that I really love it, it's a great way to get your economy off the ground. There is a time and a place for this card those being the start of the game and any point you become broke, yes I know it give the runner money too but they need something to spend that money on and more often then not the runner won't run on Jinteki early for fear for net damage and that fear greatly increases if you have 9 credits and an ice over HQ and R&D, you also need money more then they do and if you have none then it's totally worth them getting a few credits for you to be out of the red and making bank.
Like I said not for everyone but if you've ever been to the point you need to spend to full turns to play your Hedge Fund you know how hard it is to recover



Mushin No Shin 29 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 5 out of 5
“Mushin no shin (無心の心), a Zen expression meaning “the mind without mind” and is also referred to as the state of "no-mindness". That is, a mind not fixed or occupied by thought or emotion and thus open to everything.” This card is very, very good. Toshiyuki Sakai, Plan B (see below), Thomas Haas and the sort gain immense value with Mushin no Shin and this burst install foments the “always advance” strategy profusely. If you play your cards right, you can score an agenda under the Runner’s nose. The click you’re left with can act to impose your bluff (install an ICE to dare the Runner, leave it alone and gain one credit to feign a trap, advance it one more time, etc.). It is also important to mention that Mushin no Shin is a whole turn in a card. Two influence makes it easily splashable. It’s really refreshing to see a card enhancing one archetype that was clearly in need of some help.

Corps3mourn - 4 out of 5
Now we’re cooking with gas. It would be prudent to make sure you take along your 3 Ziabatsu Loyalties when you’re packing this card as one errant Infiltration could spoil your whole day. That aside, wowie Maui… Playing directly into the unpredictability of red with a dash of analysis paralysis. Just what the doctor ordered. Not only will you see it heavily in faction, but you’ll see it elsewhere too. HB comes to mind straight away, but even always-advance NBN will enjoy Mushin No Shin to the fullest extent. 3 advancements on any potential trap is terrifying.

Grimwalker - 5 out of 5
Just from an efficiency perspective, this card is pants-on-head crazy. Four clicks and $3 of effort for two clicks is a *negative* play cost. The requirement that it be a *new* server is a big balancing factor that has to be dealt with, which makes this card...elegant, is all I can say. But the game is worth the candle. In-faction, 3 advancement counters is a great place to be; the runner can cowboy up and facecheck 2 tokens, but 3 is a much larger risk. This won't go into every Jinteki deck but will be a very solid tool for those that build toward it. Two influence is extremely splashable: think about what this card does in conjunction with Project Atlas or Mandatory Upgrades and just let that sink in for a minute. Shipment from Mirrormorph on the third click, Yahtzee. Even with its drawback, I'm giving it top marks as I’ve already seen it used to amazing effect.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
This one is tough. A wrong guess might kill you. A good guess would do nothing that you already wouldn't do, as there's no difference between installing a card with this or not for the Runner. This is solid, and I believe most Jinteki players will be using it.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
This is a card I have given a lot of thought on. It is obviously perfectly fit in Jinteki but the two influence is going to lead to some creative uses out of faction. There is no better way to spring load your traps than this card since it cost you nothing but an extra click. Hello mid games. I do think that you are going to have some tuff choices on whether to include him or not. Lots of good cards are now fighting for space and something like this could be first to face the cut.

Scud - 4 out of 5
IAAA for two clicks and zero credits? YOU STILL HAVE A CLICK TO USE! Install some ICE in front of the server. Play an economy card so you’re ready to pay for the trap. You can even advance non-advancable cards, so the mind-games never end!

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
Another card I was stoke to start playing with that just fell short for me, I find myself getting more and more away from tricks and traps to making runner do "damned if you do, damned if you don't" things.
I completely see the power of this card but it truly doesn't fit into every deck, I'd almost always rather an economy card and just advance behind a server with two or three ice not just one.



Inazuma 26 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 3 out of 5
Although the status of this card are really good, the rez cost is at least 4 (3 and the credit to install), to put it above a second piece of ICE you need if you want Inazuma to do anything, making it pretty conditional already. It goes very well with Bioroid ICE, where the nastier of subroutines reside and being a Code Gate is a nice type. Not being trampled by Yog.0 favors this card as well. All in all it’s a nice little trick you can pull to really screw the Runner, but nothing more than that. I know I’ll try to pull Inazuma into Heimdall 2.0/Janus 1.0, but I’m a bit skeptical as to say if that is really competitive or not.

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
Being a player who is not especially fond of combo ICE, I can’t ignore Inazuma’s utility. Better than Chum for sure, this card will see some serious action. Still a free pass with Yogosarus Rex on the table, but that’s forcing the runner to play their codegate breaker super early at a hefty cost. The fact that the runner MUST encounter the next piece of ICE means that you should load up on as much damaging ICE as possible. This will also breathe new life into old damagers such as the likes of Neural Katana. Solid card.

Grimwalker - 5 out of 5
I look at this card and I still can't believe it exists. The only drawback is that it's really not just $3 to rez, it's $3 plus the rez cost of anything behind it. So you need to plan accordingly, and draw cards in the right order. Code Gates with 5 Strength are one of my personal favorite sweet spots for taxing, and there's almost no reason not to include 1-2 of these in any Jinteki deck. And at 2 influence, you'll see it in HB as well. This ice is to be feared.

Hraklea - 3 out of 5
A good and hard to break alternative to Whirlpool, with the same influence cost. It will be hard to find a place for this, so I don't think it is going to be very popular. Maybe it can replace Chum?

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
This is truly a scary card to see if you can't break the subs on it. Priced very nice at the two influence 5 strenght level. The only hit against this card is that its positioning has to be right. You need something good after it. Surely one of the strongest and most deadly Code Gates we have seen. I expect you will see this in more places than just Jinteki. More players a leaning towards playing taxing ICE over cheap end runs and this will be right at home in all those builds.

Scud - 4 out of 5
This ICE is cray-cray. It’s very existence forces the Runner to need a Decoder AND a Killer in order to face-check with impunity. And Inazuma HAS to be broken, which wastes ‘Sucker tokens if the Runner is using Yog.0 or spends credits with any other Decoder. (And remember, if Inazuma is the only ICE on the server, the Runner cannot jack out—hello Archives full of death!)?

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
The reason I don't like chum is because at the end of the day you don't need to have a Code Gate breaker to get past it, you only need to have a breaker for the ice that's behind it. Inazuma changes that by forcing the runner to find something to deal with it or just constantly get slammed into the next piece of ice, it's the can't jack out bit that makes it far better than chum because more often than not the runner will just jack out after the chum making your tasty trap a simple boring ETR but not with his big brother, you have to hurdle face first into the next little nightmare set by the corp. That's a big deal for corps like Replicating Perfection and Tennin Institute because they want to have punishing ice so the runner doesn't just bounce of a simple end the run rendering their ability useless (more or less).



Komainu 23 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 4 out of 5
“This dies to Parasite so bad!”, so did Tsurugi, but that didn’t refrain Tsurugi from showing up and wrecking the party. And Komainu is Tsurugi’s pet (which is weird for a sword to have a pet, but, screw it). This ICE loses value mid-game onwards, nevertheless, the rez cost is cheap enough to make some damage early (swiping the Runner’s hand clean and even maybe trashing that Parasite out of the hand) and after that if the Runner wants to run on 4+ cards, this costs him that same amount of credits to break with Mimic, Garrote, Femme Fatale, etc., and that’s a very taxing value! In two runs through it you not only get your investment back, but you are already costing the Runner at least 3 credits above what you spent. If the Runner runs on 3 or less cards so he/she can break Komainu for cheaper… well, the survival rate decreases a lot which is a good thing. Also, Komainu paired with anything can just kill the Runner, which, for 5 credits is very frightening indeed. At a whooping 4 influence and rightfully so, I don’t think we’ll see Komainu out of faction very frequently, although it can happen, as the surprise factor is this card best trump.

Corps3mourn - 2 out of 5
I can’t love it because of some common threats like; Parasite, sentry breakers, trash-to-break AP breakers, Grappling Hook, AND the fact that this will only work early game and even then, only once. I see this as more of a trap than an ICE but there are better traps… and better ICE. Komainu is a pass for me at the moment.

Grimwalker - 2 out of 5
Consider this Ice to be a 5-cost Operation, because you will get one use out of it. I want to love this, but unless it's comboed with some other enhancement like Inazuma, RSVP, or Chum, you could really have a failure to launch. It's not the worst piece of tax ice, so it'll cost a few credits to run through repeatedly on a central server unless they're running parasites. It creates a perverse incentive to run with *fewer* cards in hand, which is a terrible risk to take, so that aspect is vicious.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
A cost 5 piece of ICE that might cost 5 credits to break? Yeah, baby! Komainu protects your central servers very well and helps you to flatline in a facecheck. It can't be better than that.

Jamieson - 3 out of 5
That is a hefty rez cost and influence cost for this anti face-checker ICE. Its can potentially cost you a good chunk of change to burn through. If parasite wasn't particle everywhere this would be higher valued. Its one strength is not helping it at all

Scud - 4 out of 5
It has as many subroutines as the Runner has cards in her hand! In-faction (or vs. Weyland), that is often going to be 5+. Extra Subroutines are very, very good, since almost ALL ‘breakers pay one per Sub to break as opposed to Strength, which usually isn’t a one-for-one propsition (most ‘breakers either start with some base Strength, which reduces overall break cost, or they increase STr at a better than one-to-one rate). Yes, it dies hard to Parasite, but if the Runner has to break it normally, it is a really nice piece of taxing ICE… unless she wants to lose some cards, in which case, ok, I kill you now.

SlySquid ~4 out of 5
If face checking wasn't scary enough now there's a card that could wipe your whole hand! Granted this card can't kill the runner but it will make them second guess if they want to access cards or not.
I know, I know...that it's parasite food but so is Tsurugi, Yagura and Pup and those still see a lot of play and some might argue this is the best out of the bunch (not me YAGURA ALL THE WAY!).
With the high influence cost I don't think it'll see a lot of play in other decks but I really don't look forward to the day I see this in another faction and lose my hand, and that though alone makes it a great one or two of in a deck, that and the art is sweeeeet!



Pup 25 out of 35

Ashtaroth - 4 out of 5
As there’s no Killer that breaks for 0, nor breaks multiple subroutines at once and the only ones that can do it for free are a one-time shot (Deus Ex, Faerie), makes this ICE already great value. 2 credits every time is a nice drainage, although, there might be times where the Runner manages the losses between credits and cards, but either way you won’t be at a loss. This card will show anywhere where you want to slow the pace of the Runner. And, although this doesn’t end any runs per se, I suspect Runners will be wary when this pup, famished for cards, barks at them. Yip Yip!

Corps3mourn - 3 out of 5
I can’t really say too much about Pup. Solid little piece of early game taxing ICE. It’s probably going to cost the runner 2 credits to break it each pass no matter what, and at a mere $1 charge to you! Why not?

Grimwalker - 3 out of 5
Besides being perfectly adorable, probably one of the best pieces of tax ice in quite a while. I love Ice that doesn't necessarily stop the runner cold and say I'm not running there until I go find my Killer. Which is great, because I want the runner to pass this over and over and over again. It's got the same credit swing as a Pop-Up window, and doesn't get a free pass by Yog. Maybe not an autoinclude, but will get a lot of play--One influence means Jinteki is selling a cardboard box of them in the back of a van in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Hraklea - 4 out of 5
I'm a big fan of this. Cheap taxing pieces of ICE are strong because you can rez them in your first turn without hurting your economy. I probably won't replace Pop-Up Window as out of faction as credit denial decks are very popular, but I'm sure this guy will see the board very very often.

Jamieson - 4 out of 5
Great card. This little guy will go to work for you. Low influence cost is nice here as the should be splashed almost as much as popup window (almost). It does not fall to the Yog as its a sentry.

Scud - 4 out of 5
Great little piece of taxing ICE that is also ADORBZ. Who’s a mean widdle kiwwer? You are!

SlySquid ~3 out of 5
This is a solid taxing ice that it's going to get a lot of mileage in your deck, and in a trap heavy deck that wants it's ice a little easier to get through. Not much more to say other then it's a solid early game ice..



Due to the upgrades we are undergoing it might be a few more days before the next installment, sorry - Darksbane