Pretty good. But unless you're building a really big rig, why not just use Akamatsu Mem Chips? They're only 1 credit.

Maybe the best way to look at them is Akamatsu Mem Chip copies 4-6?

Akuatsu Mem Chip doesn't provide a recurring credit to help power the hosted card.

so say you host Crypsis in the Omni-Drive. that's like playing Personal Touch on Crypsis, since you get one free credit every turn to make it +1 strength. Omni-Drive then pays for itself after three runs, something Akuatsu Mem Chip cannot do.

Use it to host Djinn, to give your the credit you need to search every turn, only requiring you to spend a click for the first virus you want to search for each turn.

Or use it to host Darwin, free strength increase

Or Net Shield, free damage soak!

My single biggest regret with Omni-Drive is that I can't host Morningstar on it

A thought: can this recurring credit be used to power something like Paricia?
Paricia has 2 recurring credits and the text "Use these credits to trash assets".
The wording these credits might be viewed by a grammar nazi to mean you cannot use Omni-Drive´s ability in this instance.
A few other cards, besides Paricia is worded in a similar fashion.

It's not the wording on Paricia that's the problem. Omni-drive says "Use this credit to pay for using the hosted program." Paricia has no cost to use. It's not a credit you can use through the program. It's a credit that can pay for the program's abilities.

This card is really meh. Kate and Kit are really the only competitive shapers IMO (MAYBE Chaos Theory, but I'd need some convincing on that one), and this card doesn't really help them. As Kate, I'd much rather have Akamatsu's and Cyberfeeders for added flexibility and to benefit more from Kate's ability. As Kit, if you are using Yog, and you really should be, then this doesn't help you at all outside of providing you with one inflexible memory. Even if you include Chaos Theory, she doesn't really need more memory in the first place (IMO, the only time that she is viable is if you really want a 5MU rig that benefits from the smaller deck size. Playing Kate would mean that you have to add on Akamatsu's just to get that one extra memory. Even in this situation, I'm still not sure she's better than Kate).

A big problem with this card is its inflexibility. It only provides you with a memory if you host a program on it. That means that if you really need another memory to play your 2MU program or to parasite something then this doesn't help you at all, thus the memory it provides is definitely worse than Akamatsu. The recurring credit it provides is definitely worse than Cyberfeeder since this credit can only be used on the program being hosted, while Cyberfeeder can be used to install viruses and use icebreakers (the only time Omni-Drive works when Cyberfeeder doesn't is with Net Shield and Djinn). Hosting a high cost program like Femme or Yog on this also opens yourself up to getting destroyed by Hardware trashing. It is rare, but I personally don't like the extra caution required to make sure you don't run into a Flare or get hit by an Overload, especially if that can be avoided by just running Akamatsu.

I've played with this card a decent amount, and I can tell you from experience that it is infuriating when you only have 1MU left and you want to drop down your SMC to search for a key piece of your rig, and then you draw this card. If only you had been playing Akamatsu instead!

Overall, this card is too narrow to warrant playing it over Akamatsu in most situations. I really like the design, though, and I am hopeful that it will become better with future releases. Maybe a program that you really want to pay $1 to use every turn that can't be triggered by Cyberfeeder.

Chaos theory is my favorite shaper and this card is useless in her deck too.

This could have some legs with Study Guide, especially in Kit.

This could have some legs with Study Guide, especially in Kit.

 

Not particularly. Sadly, Omni-drive is just a bad card, currently. 

I think the concept behind the card is fine. What kills it for me is the install cost. If this were a 0 cost card I would find it very compelling.

I think the concept behind the card is fine. What kills it for me is the install cost. If this were a 0 cost card I would find it very compelling.

Modded is your friend.

Modded is your friend.

Card slots are my true friends.

I think the concept behind the card is fine. What kills it for me is the install cost. If this were a 0 cost card I would find it very compelling.

Me too. It's like a mini-console. When it came out it was borderline playable as it was equivalent to 1 MU and also 1 (limited use) recurring credit which could sometimes be useful. But these days getting +MU or equivalent is easier, and econ options are more numerous. Particularly in shaper.

 

Putting this on the table sets you back roughly 1 turn of tempo. You have to get it on the board before the program you want to put on it, which means it's an earlier game play. However, since it extends your MU and you tend to run out of MU later in the game there's an intrinsic awkwardness to the card's draw vs play timing. To make your money back from installing it you have to use it over three turns, only starting to turn a profit on the fourth turn of usage. 

 

Bottom line, there are better cards in the card pool these days, and this card just doesn't make the cut for most conceivable decks. There might be an edge case out there where it makes sense, but I don't know of it.

I could see a use with Overmind in that it frees up an MU for another token. I'm not saying it's a great use, just an idea.

I could see a use with Overmind in that it frees up an MU for another token. I'm not saying it's a great use, just an idea.

 

Well, as it happens, one of my favorite decks is a Overmind recursion deck using LLDS and various recursion tricks. In the early days of the deck I included Omni-drive as it seems, on paper, like it would be a good fit.

 

But $3 to install as well as draw vs play timing made it cumbersome in hand, and quite frankly there are better cards, so Omni-drive got cut.