Terminal7 40: Their Building Has a Haircut

[Nelsormensch]

Terminal7 40:

 

 

Their Building Has a Haircut

Leigh Alexander joins Quintin Smith as Terminal7 returns to discuss the NBN half of Data & Destiny!

 

New Angeles' best news agency, the hottest marketing agency and the worldwide global information network- NBN's new divisions have introduced a whole heap of new playstyles. With new agendas, more currents, more adverts, a wicked new sysop and one very weird piece of ICE, there's a lot to love in the "data" half of Data & Destiny.

 

What new decks will arise and how will these new offerings make their way into our favourite old NBN lists? Join us at 11!

 

Games Discussed: Android: Netrunner

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[tberton]

Great cast folks! Data and Destiny is so awesome - feels like the best of the big boxes in terms of offering tons of interesting and powerful cards for both Runners and Corps.

 

I do think that Quinns is vastly underestimating both Archangel and Assassin. Both pieces of ice are monstrously good. Archangel's strength is mostly about it's effects when it's installed; the fact that it triggers on access is icing. Consider this: it's 4 cost for 6 strength. Straight up, that's a good ratio. It's a trace, yes, but a trace 6, so unless they're linked up, the Runner's paying more for the trace than they would to break it. The effect is very powerful, too. Leigh is right that you can already trash Resources, but Archangel can get rid of Programs too. And other Ice trashes Programs, but Archangel can also get rid of Hardware. And other Ice can get rid of Hardware, but Archangel can get rid of Resources. It's the fact that it can do any of these that makes it so powerful. Rare is the runner who runs consistently without resources, programs or hardware. And yes, you're not trashing it outright, but in some cases that's a boon - it means the card can't be Clone Chipped or Scavenged or Test Run. Even if they reinstall, what's important is the effect during a run. You bounce their Corroder so they can't break Wraparound, or their Datasucker so they don't get tokens, or their R&D interface so they can't multiaccess. The card is incredibly versatile. Furthermore, it's typing is fantastic. It's not a Sentry, so Faerie does nothing; it's not a Destroyer, so Sharpshooter does nothing; it's not AP, so Deus X does nothing. There is no easy answer for Archangel, other than "don't have installed cards you care about" and the Corp is usually happy with that.

 

Conversely, there are a ton of answers for Assassin, but they are all costly for the Runner. A use of Faerie, Sharpshooter or Deus X; two D4V1D tokens; numerous credits with Femme, Ninja, Garrote or Shrike; two tokens and two credits with Mimic; a big Parasite; four cards with Faust; two expensive traces. The Runner has options to deal with Assassin, but the Runner always has options to deal with any Ice. The value of Assassin is that the Runner always has to deal with it. At two credits more than Ichi and Komainu (which the Runner can ignore in many circumstances) and essentially the same cost as Tsurugi (if you want the net damage to fire) and zero influence, Assassin fills two roles for cheaper than the price of one. I think it's by far the best piece of neutral ice printed since Quandary.

[Nelsormensch]

Great cast folks! Data and Destiny is so awesome - feels like the best of the big boxes in terms of offering tons of interesting and powerful cards for both Runners and Corps.

 

I do think that Quinns is vastly underestimating both Archangel and Assassin. Both pieces of ice are monstrously good. Archangel's strength is mostly about it's effects when it's installed; the fact that it triggers on access is icing. Consider this: it's 4 cost for 6 strength. Straight up, that's a good ratio. It's a trace, yes, but a trace 6, so unless they're linked up, the Runner's paying more for the trace than they would to break it. The effect is very powerful, too. Leigh is right that you can already trash Resources, but Archangel can get rid of Programs too. And other Ice trashes Programs, but Archangel can also get rid of Hardware. And other Ice can get rid of Hardware, but Archangel can get rid of Resources. It's the fact that it can do any of these that makes it so powerful. Rare is the runner who runs consistently without resources, programs or hardware. And yes, you're not trashing it outright, but in some cases that's a boon - it means the card can't be Clone Chipped or Scavenged or Test Run. Even if they reinstall, what's important is the effect during a run. You bounce their Corroder so they can't break Wraparound, or their Datasucker so they don't get tokens, or their R&D interface so they can't multiaccess. The card is incredibly versatile. Furthermore, it's typing is fantastic. It's not a Sentry, so Faerie does nothing; it's not a Destroyer, so Sharpshooter does nothing; it's not AP, so Deus X does nothing. There is no easy answer for Archangel, other than "don't have installed cards you care about" and the Corp is usually happy with that.

 

Conversely, there are a ton of answers for Assassin, but they are all costly for the Runner. A use of Faerie, Sharpshooter or Deus X; two D4V1D tokens; numerous credits with Femme, Ninja, Garrote or Shrike; two tokens and two credits with Mimic; a big Parasite; four cards with Faust; two expensive traces. The Runner has options to deal with Assassin, but the Runner always has options to deal with any Ice. The value of Assassin is that the Runner always has to deal with it. At two credits more than Ichi and Komainu (which the Runner can ignore in many circumstances) and essentially the same cost as Tsurugi (if you want the net damage to fire) and zero influence, Assassin fills two roles for cheaper than the price of one. I think it's by far the best piece of neutral ice printed since Quandary.

 

After getting wrecked (or at least quite flummoxed) by both Archangel and Assassin at Worlds, I definitely agree!