At first it seemed inefficient to me. But then I realized that only one power counter is removed. That means, you may stack it up to 4, so you can install a 4 cost and a 3 cost program for free one after the other.

Worthless draw in the mid-to-late game for most runners. Producing maybe 10-ish credits at the cost of 4-5 clicks, It seems similar to Armitage Codebusting to me, but is far less flexible. No synergy with decks that prefer to install programs from the heap or during a run. Potentially a powerful sustained source of income if you're repeatably installing trashable programs from the hand that cost 2 credits or more, but what decks are those?

I suppose you could explore a design space with very expensive programs. For example, if you load it up to 5 counters, then cycle between installing 5-cost programs and adding a counter, your marginal click value is 5 credits per click, which is fantastic -- but you've already sunk five clicks for no return at all, and most decks will run out of memory and installable programs before they ever recover the investment of those spent clicks.

I think Shaper likes it.  If you install turn 1, add 3 counters, then add 4 counters Turn 2, you're next 7 programs will be discounted a total of 28 credits worth.  That's a benefit of 3.5 credits per click if you can maximize the benefit (8 clicks spent in the first 2 turns).  What other cards give you 3+ credits per click multiple times?

Depending on your card draw, it might be tricky to get good value out of it, but the potential is huge.

So, I don't plan on revisiting Nasir, but this actually would have been a good card to have had at the time. 

Mathematically it is actually ok if you are playing a slower big rig deck and get it onto the board early. Front loading it with clicks does offer a pretty good return on investment if you install enough programs to drain it. However if you can't spend the time in a spin lock loading up power counters it is a really poor draw. 

Overall subpar due to risk, but I think it does have some application for decks that can fully leverage it. Each additional click gets progressively more valuable, assuming its potential value is ever realized. Thus it should be possible to burst it up and then juggle installation and re-pumping to install programs very cheaply (in click equivalents). 

The from your grip constraint is the real limiting factor here; without that limitation this would be a Shaper combo extravaganza.

I think Shaper likes it.  If you install turn 1, add 3 counters, then add 4 counters Turn 2, you're next 7 programs will be discounted a total of 28 credits worth.  That's a benefit of 3.5 credits per click if you can maximize the benefit (8 clicks spent in the first 2 turns).  What other cards give you 3+ credits per click multiple times?

 

Depending on your card draw, it might be tricky to get good value out of it, but the potential is huge.

You should also include the click to draw, the click to install and the ~click equivalent for the install cost. 

Also, unless the install cost of programs "box" entirely within the available discount you'll also need some additional credits to cover overruns, which is only $4 if you install on first click of the game and then invest all subsequent clicks into charging this card and then installing programs. As your grip size is 5, and this card must have been in your opening hand, leaving potentially 4 programs in hand (Andy excepted), you would have to do some drawing in there even if you had a "perfect" opening hand of this card and 4 expensive programs. Of course, the installation of programs can be stretched over the course of the game, but the deeper into the game an install occurs the less impactful (in general) the effect of this card on that installation. 

So, while your model is useful in the abstract, it isn't concretely applicable to actual gameplay.

But, it is useful to understand the potential of the card. As the saying goes, all models are flawed, but some are also useful.

Legions of software engineers have been manufactured within its halls. 

We're not manufactured, we're grown in vats. 

I'd be willing to try this in a Noise deck to burst mill with some "free" virus installs. My guess is that it would be a pain to set up 3-2-1 cost chains and wouldn't be that efficient . . . Maybe you're running some big breakers too, or you want to load Yog.0, Keyhole, etc. -- but it's inherently combo-oriented and you're going to jam that Grip for a while . . . maybe if you're milling with your light-install viruses, it won't matter, but this looks like it changes the whole way you play just to get a few "virtual" credits. Too complex. Compare "Day Job."

At least it gives you a shadow economy if you're facing lots of Closed Accounts (scratch that -- the tag will blow this up instead) or Reversed Accounts, but that's a pretty weak justification.

One could pull off a janky rig setup with hyperdrivers & heavy draw with this. Going to try it someday.