Cogito Ergo Run - Data Raven

Data Raven is a staple of NBN and a favorite splash for Weyland tag and bag decks. This article highlights many of the ways Data Raven interacts with other cards, and how it scales during different stages in the game.

Early Game

In case there’s any question, the first thing that happens when you hit Data Raven is you decide whether you want to take a tag or end the run. If you end the run this way, the subroutine does not go off. So it’s okay to facecheck a Data Raven.

The Runner generally does not want to keep going if he can’t break the subroutine. The hosted power counter on Data Raven is very powerful, and can land you in lots of trouble if the corp gets the right ops. So most of the time the runner will be jacking out. Early game Data Raven is like an expensive Wall of Ice, except it scales better into mid game.

Unless... You have a very strong reason for paying the trace! Once you match the strength 3 trace, you are trading 1-for-1 with the corp (-2, if vs. NBN). Most corps do not want to trade 1-for-1 with you (hint, this is what Vamp (Trace Amount) does!), so as long as you can beat them, they won't throw all their money away getting you to waste yours. No icebreaker needs to be installed this way, and Data Raven takes 3-5 to break most of the time anyway. So one disadvantage of Data Raven is that it does not strongly require a sentry breaker to dissuade the runner.

Mid Game

This is where Data Raven really shines. The worst case scenario for Data Raven is where they have tons of link strength and a crash space to remove the tag. Nonetheless, Data Raven still costs them a whole action. More likely, they’ll have to actually pay to remove the tag, which is equivalent to 3-4 creds.

From experience, runners tend to avoid Data Ravens, especially on centrals. It makes for a very efficient defense of R&D. Another possibility is to put 2 Data Ravens on HQ versus criminals, such that they cannot possibly clear all their tags if they decide to Account Siphon (Core) you.

A surprise Data Raven on a remote can make the runner really sad. They spent their first 3 actions charging up for the steal, and now they have a tag, and in a few seconds, they’ll have a bag. 2 points notwithstanding…

Late Game

Man, you’re having a good game. You're really dominating your opponent 5-2, and you have the last Astroscript in your hand! You're going to win on the next turn, right?

Well, your opponent got desperate, and decided he didn’t care about tags. He’s playing the same criminal deck everyone plays, so he hits you with a double Account Siphon on HQ and starts spamming R&D runs (possibly with Medium (Core)). Now he has 6+ tags, and you want to play Scorched Earth (Core) or Psychographics (Core), but won’t have the money for a few turns… and he has tons of money! What you wouldn’t you give to trade those Ravens for Tollbooths?

Endgame can be very dangerous if the runner decides he doesn't care about tags. Data Ravens go from doing tons-of-damage, to doing basically nothing. My advice is to make sure you have something non-tag oriented protecting R&D and HQ by the time late game rolls around.

Card Synergies

As mentioned before, Data Raven synergizes with… other Data Ravens! Chum (Core) is also incredible. When facechecking a new server, a runner might reason: “Oh yeah, I can probably break all the subs on the next piece of ice”, and they're right. They can. But they weren't planning on breaking a strength 6 sentry and then clearing a tag.
In the unlikely event that you get a power counter, or that they remain with a tag at the end of their turn, it’s a good idea to have something really nasty you can do to them. A scored Private Security Force (Core) is pretty lackluster by itself. PSF spam works best when you can give the runner a continuous stream of tags ala Restructured Data Pool or Big Brother. Closed Accounts (Core) and Scorched Earth are two devastating low-maintenance ops that punish the runner for having even a single tag. Freelancer (Trace Amount) is similar, but I find that the odds of having a freelancer in hand when they take the tags, and the odds that they have a resource I actually want to trash, are low.

Conclusion

Data Raven has absolutely awesome scaling and is a very efficient way for corps to invest their money. It should give you a large advantage in the mid game once the runner decides to actually break into things. Just be careful if the runner decides they don't care about your tags. Games get out of control as the runner goes for a quick win, and sometimes they get lucky pulling agendas out of centrals. Just make sure you're packing something that actually punishes the runner for taking tags. Otherwise, if they figure out your tags are a bluff, well, buckle up.