It's another Snowflake! What was that comment about uniqueness being overrated?
These are in fact very similar pieces of ICE, so what are the differences?
Clairvoyant Monitor costs 3 more to rez.
Clairvoyant Monitor is a Code Gate, instead of a Barrier.
Clairvoyant Monitor advances a card as well as ending the run.
Snowflake isn't a card that's seen much play - it's nice as a cheap barrier, except it's inconsistent at keeping the runner out and needs further funds to do anything. It's best used on a central in Nisei Division: The Next Generation, since you could at least turn it into a partial Pop-up Window, training the runner that you'll always bid 0, with the added bonus of suddenly being able to end the run when it matters.
So here we have a Code Gate variant, with a slightly improved effect and a less-effective rez cost.
With the likely resurgence of Yog.0 thanks to Net-Ready Eyes in this same pack, strength 3 code-gates are notably less appealing than they have been since Lotus Field came out. And with that card reference, we hit the real problem - Snowflake isn't the real comparison, Lotus Field is. Just when is the 1 credit discount and a potential free advancement worth the loss of one strength and one of the most powerful ICE abilities in the game?
It's not all bad - this card is bringing me one step closer to trying out a Nisei Division filled with all the Code Gates, plus Encrypted Portals and Unorthodox Predictions - but outside that sort of silliness, stick to Lotus Field.