Same Old Thing

Same Old Thing 0[credit]

Resource
Influence: 0

[click], [click], [trash]: Play an event from your heap (paying its play cost).

Just me, a cup of YucaBean, and last night's Hong Kong Trunk sniffed packets. I call that a good morning.
Illustrated by Diana Martinez
Decklists with this card

Creation and Control (cac)

#54 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Rulings
  • Updated 2017-04-09

    The Runner cannot use Same Old Thing to play priority events. [Official FAQ]

Reviews

Same Old Thing is a staple card, used in many strong decks, but it definitely doesn't suit every deck.

The first thing you'll want to have in your deck to consider SoT (Same Old Thing) is - not surprisingly - a decent number of events.

However, SoT effectively adds 2 clicks to the cost of playing an event, so any event that simply provides efficient conversion of clicks into credits or cards loses effectiveness if used with SoT. (For example, Sure Gamble provides net 4 for a single normally, but with SoT took three , making it barely more effective than the standard ': Gain a credit' action.)

The type of events you want in your deck to make SoT worthwhile are powerful events that give unique abilities. Especially events that you ideally would include more than 3 copies of in your deck, or cost a lot of influence to import. Here are some such cards:

  • Multi-access cards - The Maker's Eye, Legwork, and Indexing - are often imported at influence cost, can provide immense value by multiplying the benefit gained for the cost of breaking into a server, and repeated use of them often wins games.

  • Account Siphon - this signature card is something Corps must always be worried about, and many Criminal and Anarch decks like to play it as many times as possible in one game.

  • Server access trick events - like Tinkering, Inside Job - provide capabilities that are great to be able to threaten the Corp with (or even surprise the Corp with by installing SoT then using it immediately when the Corp seems to be trying to score in a remote.)

  • Runner's get a significant edge in the current battle with SoT. If the Runner is trying to oppress the Corp with Hacktivist Meeting, Traffic Jam, or Itinerant Protesters, then ability to turn it right back on if they manage to score is really helpful. Or, if the Corp is trying to oppress the Runner with Enhanced Login Protocol or Housekeeping, being able to turn it off by simply recurring a Net Celebrity can be invaluable.

  • The Cutlery set - Knifed, Forked and Spooned - can become a pretty effective ice destruction suite when you're able to re-use them extra times.

  • Emergency Shutdown, Escher and Special Order provide a miscellany of powerful cards effects that can be worthwhile to repeat in certain game states.

  • Levy AR Lab Access - Many decks that need this card typically include only a single copy which they will have to keep in grip all game until their stack is sufficiently drawn down. All too easily, a stray net damage can throw this master of recursion into the heap. A SoT installed on the table is a great plan B to ensure Levy is reliably able to be used.

As we can see, there is no shortage of good targets for Same Old Thing. And like all recursion or tutor tools, the utility value in being able to get exactly the right tool for a given moment can't be measured in clicks or credits but is very strong. However, recursion tools do have one important limitation - they're no use until there are good targets in the heap (discard pile). So sometimes they are best included in moderation - a full set of 3 copies may result in 'dead draws' of multiple copies before you are ready to use them.

Overall, any deck that includes at least a couple of the events discussed will probably be able to make good use of 1-2 copies of SoT.

(Breaker Bay era)
2645
I wish SOT had never been printed. Like, the whole point is to abuse it as copies 4-6 of something else, that something else typically being Blackmail. —

Same Old Thing is a staple in many decks. It's biggest advantage, in my opinion, is to allow decks to spread their resources thinner and have only 1 or 2 copies of a given event, rather than three copies.

(The Source era)
44

It's extremely versatile with a cost to match. 1 click to play (make sure you're not tagged; it IS a resource), and then it essentially turns any event in your heap into a "double" type. Basically 3 clicks and the event cost to recur. It's steep, but it allows you to select whichever event in your heap would be most appropriate to the current game state. Even that part comes with a catch; if the most appropriate card would be Maker's Eye, but they're all still in my stack or grip, I'm s.o.l. It's popular for obvious reasons in Blackmail and Siphon recursion decks, but man... that cost is steep.

(Breaker Bay era)