Any AP Jinteki deck is going to like this, but it's definitely leveraged for a more vertical look. It can make a deep server full of relatively cheap taxing ICE quite formidable.

It's also another nice bit of protection for Chairman Hiro, since you're already protecting him with Self-Destruct: 2 pieces of cheap ICE up top (2 to defend against an Inside Job), and you have a formula for a Trace-4, 3 net damage self-destruct, while the Runner has lost 3 or 4 total hand size by turn end. (Just go ahead and rez another Hiro).

Sure, there's always Neural EMP FTW, but even without, the Corp is slowing the Runner down . . . a lot and repeatedly. There's pieces for a Jinteki glacier here.

There are ways around it, but that's a fortress for Hiro (let's call it "Hiro's Fortress," actually), and the Runner is stuck with diminished hand-size for the game. Throw a few more Valley Grids on your centrals, and the going gets tough -- it'll squeeze the Runner.

It's not flashy. It's not fast. It's not fun for the Runner.

The real star of this show will be The Brewery. Runners will have to tiptoe.

Silverware and Parasites to solve it.

Very interesting card, making the reduce-the-runners-handsize strategy that has thus far been a non-starter possibly viable. I'm looking forward to seeing what people do with this card.

Does this ability stack? i.e. with 3 pieces of ICE does the runner get -3 hand size after breaking all their subroutines? How can you use this to be sure the runner has minus x cards and get your chance to, say, flip to the brewery?

Yes, 3 pieces of ICE with all subroutines broken is -3 hand size.

Does this ability stack? i.e. with 3 pieces of ICE does the runner get -3 hand size after breaking all their subroutines? How can you use this to be sure the runner has minus x cards and get your chance to, say, flip to the brewery?

My understanding of the card is that yes, each ice broken == a cumulative -1 hand size. The "whenever" wording suggests that this is the intent, as opposed to a more limited "the first time during a run..." wording template.

yes, it stacks.

putting this on a server with Caprice and/or Ash 2X3ZB9CY to force multiple runs is good.

use binary ICE (Quandary / Ice Wall) or something like Komainu would be good.

things to ignore: subroutines that can be paid for with credits, like Pup or Pop-up Window (the subroutine still triggers, even if they pay the 1 credit)

multi-sub ICE that just tax the runner like Datapike

tracing ICE.  the Runner can just pass by paying the traces instead of breaking the subs

Enigma / Datapike, etc. aren't going to be as good, since the Runner can lose a click (or run last click) or lose 2 credits instead of taking the hit to hand size.

Komainu is great because the runner could decide to break all but one, but they still take a net damage.  if they bypass it with Femme, it gains 0 subroutines, and thus, the runner is considered to have broken all of the subroutines.  and speaking of bypass, Guard is a good outer layer to counter Inside Job

other 0 sub ICE will work too, like Troll, Iress without any bad pub, etc.

Troll is interesting, since it's a trace that still forces a lower hand size.  the Runner can lose a click or pay the trace, but they still take the hand size hit.  this is probably the only exception to tracing ICE not being good for this card.  for other 0-sub ICE, you're likely better off just using single-sub binary ICE so you can keep them out and score if they don't get in.

Troll is interesting, since it's a trace that still forces a lower hand size.  the Runner can lose a click or pay the trace, but they still take the hand size hit.  this is probably the only exception to tracing ICE not being good for this card.  for other 0-sub ICE, you're likely better off just using single-sub binary ICE so you can keep them out and score if they don't get in.

Troll has no native subroutines, so it won't trigger Valley Grid unless it is given a subroutine by another card.

I stand corrected below! (Thanks, Commissar).

Troll has no native subroutines, so it won't trigger Valley Grid unless it is given a subroutine by another card.

Incorrect. As per the FAQ, unless you bypass, you are considered to have broken all zero subroutines ("all" includes zero).

 

 if they bypass it with Femme, it gains 0 subroutines, and thus, the runner is considered to have broken all of the subroutines.  and speaking of bypass, Guard is a good outer layer to counter Inside Job

Wait, as far as Femme is concerned...I thought that bypassing an ICE doesn t mean you consider the subroutines broken. You can check the FAQs, page 2 on 'Bypassing''.

If there are 2 ICE: first a Chum and then a 2nd ICE, and you choose with Femme to bypass the 2nd ICE, you still suffer the net damage, since you don t break the subroutines of the 2nd ICE. Hope that s correct (I ve played it this way several times)

That is correct, dimithrone. Femme does not break subroutines. It bypasses an ICE that you encounter. Therefore Chum hurts the runner.

If the runner's maximum hand size is reduced to zero, do they flatline at end of turn?

The runner is flatlined if he takes more damage than cards in his hand, or his maximum hand size is - at any time - less than zero.