I have two questions:

1) May I install operations facedown?

2) Cards installed facedown can't be rezzed, I assume?

A Runner installing facedown cards? So it rezzes them like a Corp? Nifty click-savings idea.

If it's any good, Foxfire could become a thing.

After going through his arsenal, I conclude that neither damage nor ETR works against him, but he's extremely vulnerable to destroyers. Let him run into a surprise Ichi, Rototurret or, heck, even Burke Bugs(!) and he will suffer. Or use Power Shutdown and mill 0 Cards. Or let him walk through a Data Raven -> Keegan Lane combo. Wendigo, though not a Destroyer, works too.

A slight correction here: ETR works very well, but only if there are many subroutines. Breaking one or two ETRs isn't a problem for Apex. Going through 2 Hives or Spiderwebs in a row, however, is not acceptable. You can only draw and install that much.

Archangel or Inazuma in front of the ETR ICE works, too.

So, Adam failed to impress. How about Apex?

The core idea here is the face down install, for free (no click, no money), and then use those face down cards to fuel other effects.  

One thing that comes to mind is that Apex might find some synergy by packing multiple copies of unique cards, as any redundancy can go face down and still be useful.

However, limited to putting down 1 a turn means that Apex can't rush effectively; it will take him a little while to get a toehold on the board, and after he blows through his available installed cards it will take a little while to ramp back up again. Hunting Grounds helps with this, but only after you find it and get it onto the board. Either way, Apex is often going to be a little slow out of the starting gate while he amasses sufficient face down cards to fuel his effects.

This seems to suggest Apex wants to play a pump and go sort of game, building up to a big bursty turn. If so, he'll want some things to sink clicks into in off turns. This is where his flaw rears up. Kati in particular would be a useful outlet for Apex's extra clicks during a build up process, but alas she's a meatbag and thus inaccessible to Apex.

Clicky hardware and programs look good for Apex; Magnum Opus could be very useful. But Endless Hunger wants 4MU, and thus presents a potential problem. So do traces. Dyson Mem Chip (+1 link, +1 MU) looks like a good deal for Apex.

Currents are also a good place to look to compensate for the lack of Resource options. Apex can pack more currents than normal, and then just use whichever ones aren't relevant to the game state as face down fodder. Hacktivist, Employee Strike, Traffic Jam, and Net Celebrity all offer something useful to him...and played early enough the usually crappy Unscheduled Maintenance might actually do some work here and give Apex a chance at applying phase 1 pressure.

Endless Hunger

Type: Program: Icebreaker  Cost: 0 Memory Units: 4  Faction Cost: 2    Trash an installed card: Break “ [Subroutine] End the run.” subroutine. 

Strength: 11 

So, this can be good in theory, and it's a wonderful card design. But is it good in practice? We'll see.

Wasteland

Type: Resource: Location - Virtual 
Cost: 2 
Faction: Runner Apex 
Faction Cost: 2 
The first time each turn you trash one of your installed cards, gain 1 [Credit] . 
 

This is a fairly obvious decent card for Apex, though the $2 install is a bit rough. And the "FIRST TIME" clause make me think it better to skip this card altogether in many decks.

 

 

Prey
Type: Event: Run 
Cost: 0 
Faction: Runner Apex 
Faction Cost: 2 
Make a run. Once during this run, when you pass a piece of ice, you may trash a number of your installed cards equal to the strength of that ice. If you do, trash that ice. 

This has some potential, but is not really sustainable. Could be a nasty surprise.

Heartbeat

Type: Hardware: Console 
Cost: 2 
Faction: Runner Apex 
Faction Cost: 3 
+ [1 MU] 
Trash an installed card: Prevent 1 damage.
Limit 1 console per player. 

Apex gets a thematic and interesting console, with damage preventing tech. This combos well with Endless Hunger, potentially protecting against against net, brain, and meat damage or face checked surprises.

Apocalypse

Type: Event 
Cost: 3 
Faction: Runner Apex 
Faction Cost: 3 
Play only if you made a successful run on HQ, R&D, and Archives this turn.
Trash all installed Corp cards. Turn all installed Runner cards facedown. 

Tough to trigger, especially if relying on Endless Hunger as your breaker. But, if triggered it is pretty epic.

Harbinger

Type: Program 
Cost: 0 Memory Units: 0 
Faction: Runner Apex 
Faction Cost: 1 
When Harbinger is trashed, install it face down instead of adding it to your heap. 

Necessary deck smoother. Helps a little bit with Apex's difficulties sustaining his momentum.

Hunting Grounds

Type: Resource: Location - Virtual 
Cost: 2 
Faction: Runner Apex 
Faction Cost: 1 
Once per turn, prevent a “when encountered” ability on a piece of ice.
[Trash] : Install the top 3 cards of your stack facedown. 

Get more face down cards out, and help get through a single problematic subroutine. Pretty much a must-have for Apex.

So, whiie Apex is a bit quirky, he really isn't that different from an average runner. The no non-virtual resources restriction and the needs of his unique rig presents some deck building challenges, but of the fun variety.  

I think I'll give him a spin, and will see where it leads.

You missed Hunting Grounds, the card that gives Apex the build-up you are searching for.

To the point, the main mechanic here are the facedown cards, but what is their use? Endless Hunger and Heartbeat. Prey takes too much cards for a highly situational effects, achieved better with cutlery (25 influence, why not). So unless we see more cards for the off-factions, Apex has only one style of play - go through ice, soak damage with redundant cards, check constantly, depend on "when this run is successful events".

As already mentioned by AdorablePython, Apex doesn't like destroyers - and you don't want to facecheck one with a fast Endless Hunger installed. Just pack your Faeries and go around until a Destroyer pops up. Depending on the situation (and whether you have Prey in your grip) you will free up some memory for your Endless Hunger. Then just go bananas on all servers.

Always be Running is an interesting card here and might save your neck from many things, also you can always just throw it out.

Apex fears one more thing though - traces. Not being tagged - the only Resource he cares more about is Hunting Grounds, and you can always trash them first for the effect. It is the "Trace x - if successful ETR" that can ruin your day. With the given cards Apex wants to access a lot and soak the negative effects with his facedown cards, but if found, he whimpers back to a corner of the web. Amusingly enough, you can solve that problem with a card that might have never been used - Gingerbread. Another way is sheer link. Which reminds me...

Rabbit hole. Use it, abuse it. Rabbit hole is a match made in heaven - 3 link to fight off those nasty traces, and 3 cards for a click on the board to spend if needed. Just make sure you have the money, that might be the biggest trouble here. Luckily, there is a non-unique card that rewards running every turn - Grifter. Throw in some e3 Feedbacks, too. Chop Bot is an idea for card draw, if you are searching for something(but consider larger deck and tutors), and take a hint from Adam and try Independent thinking - great for card draw when needed. Also, Mass Install is a great friend of Apex.

If you go full hardware mode, add in Replicator and Data Folding. This is the mode that gives you memory and link (solves money problems), but might slow you down a bit.

Your other option is to skip Endless Hunger and go Heartbeat only (if you skip both, just go for another Runner), but you will still want to break all ETRs and avoid destroyers which sounds the same as above.

For economy, besides Data Folding, Grifter and Wasteland, throw in some events. You may also try more dangerous shenanigans like Lamprey + Ixodidae + Scheherezade. Magnum Opus goes with your hardware build (if there is any influence left). Inside Man is also nice in those.

And of course, at least for me, 3 influence is reserved for Levy. Personal Evolution will make you hate life if you miss it.

All in all, Apex provides many interesting ideas for deckbuilding and will certainly make you reconsider some long forgotten cards. This by itself is amazing, too.

You missed Hunting Grounds, the card that gives Apex the build-up you are searching for.

Good catch. It was late, and I forgot about it. Corrected.

Rabbit Hole is a good pick for Apex, I like that.

Data Folding, I just don't see unless you aren't using Endless Hunger...and even then I don't like that card. It isn't efficient. 

Replicator could be a good tool to keep your hand stocked, in theory, but I don't think there's enough cheap hardware that's actually useful to Apex to make it viable.

Personally, I wouldn't play Apex without Endless Hunger; if I wanted to run a traditional rig I'd go with a traditional runner. I think that to make these new one-off runners legit choices requires using the majority of their cards, particularly their core concept cards which Endless Hunger qualifies as for me.

Grifter is too risky for me. Apex is already going to be trashing cards left and right; he needs the cards that he actually installs to stick around and do their job; if any trashing is to be done it will be to fuel Apex's custom effects. Self-trashing cards are therefore somewhat anti-synergistic for him.

Inside Man is not virtual.

Levy is always a good safety net, but if you bring in Levy it's usually a good idea to also bring in Same Old Thing to protect against Levy getting plucked...which is not virtual and therefore not available to Apex. Trope might be good instead, but it has several marks against it for Apex; 3 inf x 3 is a lot of inf for a narrow effect; it takes MU, which will be tight for Apex; it removes itself from the game preventing Apex from eating it.

Considering the side effect of Hunting Grounds dumping cards, I think Deja Vu is a better recursion choice for Apex; the only way you can be sure you'll get back the card you need is to bring it to hand. Maybe 1 Levy and 3 Deja Vu; that's 9 inf with more flex and impact than 9 inf for 3 Trope.

Good analyses.

I don't think anyone has pointed out that face down cards are a bonus for Apex, apparently because they cannot be trashed by the Corp, and because it gets a free install each turn, but it doesn't need face down cards to function -- all of these trash effects are simply for installed cards.

That may mean that something like Mass Install could get enough of an edge to matter, especially if using zero-cost cards. Cost of install is the overriding factor, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Q-Coherence chips and LLDS Energy Regulators in Apex decks . . . look for empty Off Campus Apartments and Fan Sites no one cares about . . . lots of cards where the text doesn't matter, but the install and influence costs do.

Keep in mind that Pawns and Bugs offer a lot of inherent protection against Power Shutdown, to which Apex has considerable vulnerability, and they're "free" sacrifices to Endless Hunger. Apex likes junk.

Money is less important here than card spam. There may be some useful synergy with Faust, or maybe that's over the top.

Off-Campus Apartment is not a virtual resource. Like you said, money is less important. It has to be less important, because most economy cards are resources. Non-virtual resources, to be precise. Only Data Folding is virtual, but that's out of the question with Endless Hunger costing 4 MU. So, wasteland is your only sustained economy card.

I think Leprechaun + Magnum Opus + Endless Hunger will be my initial program package out of the gate for Apex. Harbingers as ride alongs. 

I like the Pawn idea also. 0 install 0 MU is perfect for Apex, and if the Pawn card text ever happens to trigger so much the better.

The tricky part will be reliable ways to get Leprechaun on the board early without blowing all my influence.

Cache can do some work here too. Net a couple of bucks, trash it for an Apex effect. If Cache and Pawn are in, Scheherazade might have a place as well. And that brings us around to Mass Install.

Off-Campus Apartment is not a virtual resource. Like you said, money is less important. It has to be less important, because most economy cards are resources. Non-virtual resources, to be precise. Only Data Folding is virtual, but that's out of the question with Endless Hunger costing 4 MU. So, wasteland is your only sustained economy card.

Good catch - virtual resources only. I'll run with more hardware and programs then.

Scheherazade seems an obvious choice: zero-install; zero-MU; stack face-up programs on it (like Pawn); sacrifice the spares; make a little money along the way.

Progenitor might be a good zero-zero (cost and MU) to leverage some cheap viruses onto (like Cache or Gorman Drip). Downside is 2 Influence cost there.

Dyson Mem Chip actually doesn't seem too clunky here: extra mem and extra link for zero influence and card slot savings.

Is there any ruling about the facedown cards - do you say what type it is, does it use any MU....etc?

Is there any ruling about the facedown cards - do you say what type it is, does it use any MU....etc?

I'm pretty sure it's only speculation at this point.  Even though a limited number of boxes were released at GenCon, the main release hasn't happened, and Lukas is pretty adamant about not ruling on cards that haven't been released yet.  That being said, the consensus is that they are essentially blank pieces of paperboard.  They have no type, no install cost (though, at this point, can only be installed by Apex's ability at the beginning of a turn), and no active text.  The only thing they are is installed...which, incidentally, is all Apex cares about.