Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper 3[credit]

Ice: Code Gate
Strength: 0
Influence: 2

Gatekeeper has +6 strength if you rezzed it this turn.

[subroutine] Draw up to 3 cards. Reveal up to 3 agendas in HQ and/or Archives, then shuffle those agendas into R&D.

[subroutine] End the run.

Banana who?
Illustrated by Liiga Smilshkalne
Decklists with this card

Reign and Reverie (rar)

#29 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Printings
Reign and Reverie
Rulings
  • Updated 2023-09-01

    Can the Runner force the corp to shuffle R&D by letting the first Gatekeeper sub fire, even if the Corp does not draw or reveal any agendas?

    Yes.

Reviews

Got frustrated not understanding the fluff reference so down the Internet rabbit hole I went.

After some searching the most likely reference seems to be Banana Nababa, a freeware video game: the game consists of six boss battles, fifth boss/level being named "Gatekeeper".

(Uprising Booster Pack era)
386
Huh. And here I thought it was just a simple knock-knock joke. Nice find! —
Oh, I found this joke in the wikipedia: —
I am quite sure that Gatekeeper is a reference to Ghostbuster and Zuul, the Gatekeeper of Gozer. Especially with that hellhound-like look. —
Is that why the flavor being "Banana who" a sort of response to those who say it's from Banana Nababa? —
Knock knock // who's there? // banana // banana who? // knock knock // who's there? // banana // banana who? // knock knock // who's there? // banana // banana who? // knock knock // who's there? // banana // banana who? // knock knock // who's there? // orange // orange who? // orange you glad I didn't say banana? —
^^ —

Gatekeeper is strongest when it was rezzed this turn, so it would combo with cards that allow you to derez your own. Cards that help you get more activations from the rez strength ability are needed to help combo.

Blue Sun: Powering the Future to replace this where needed, with another strength boost. (Thanks blackcherries)

The Foundry: Refining the Process can fire and get you more of these, with the help of other cards below.

Divert Power makes something cheaper while you get to trigger this rez strength again.

Test Ground allows you to fire the trash ability, derez Gatekeeper, and then re-rez Gatekeeper with unexpected strength.

Other combos, provided you were using them already

Isabel McGuire

Replanting

Plus, Gatekeeper is cheap and might give you some recursion of used cards if you can catch the runner flat.

Is it for every deck? No. But it might have a place in some.

(Edited to remove bioroid research reference and added blue sun)

(Downfall era)
10
Great first review. You've highlighted —
some good combos. Just note that Bioroid Efficiency does not work as Gatekeeper is not a bioroid ICE. In addition, Blue Sun is also worth a mention! —