There's been a lot of nasty ICE released recently. ICE with fear-inspiring subroutines and potent on-encounter effects. ICE that is costly to break, even if you have your breakers ready. And these aren't all Sentries. Code gates are going from deadly to deadlier. And now a spiky ball of death threatens our programs. What is a runner of humble means to do?

I've never used this card before, but I think I'm going to start. Run with impunity early game, put pressure on those Corporate bastards, and slowly build up your rig. Sounds like a plan!

Another big barrier. I won't compare to others like Heimdall 2.0, Data Ward, or Wotan as these are all somewhat porous. This ICE, like Curtain Wall and Hadrian's Wall straight up end the run unless you break the subroutines or bypass the ICE entirely. Curtain Wall will typically cost 2 more to get through, so long as it is the outermost piece of ICE but costs 4 more to rez. Bulwark and Hadrain's Wall cost the same to rez but Bulwark will typically cost 2 more to break. So Bulwark seems to be a better deal than either in most circumstances.

But wait! This doesn't even take into consideration the on encounter effect and the fact that this barrier has a bite to it. Gaining 2 each time the runner encounters Bulwark with an AI installed can certainly add up quickly. Of course, in many games, this won't come into play at all, but it certainly is a point in Bulwark's favor.

Now onto the bite. Bulwark's first subroutine: The Runner trashes 1 program. Not counting Orion or Markus 1.0, this is only the second barrier that can trash a program. Galahad is the other, but of course it needs support and the grail suite costs a pretty penny in influence. This is pretty huge. True, the runner picks the program, but losing any program is usually a big hit. Early game, the runner may have their killer installed and nothing else. A facecheck on Bulwark? Goodbye killer. With DNA Tracker and now Bulwark, runners are going to have more trouble early game. They take a risk running without all three Icebreakers or a decent AI installed (or a Self-modifying Code and a ton of credits).

The last little point in Bulwark's favor is the little bonus you'll get when the runner facechecks Bulwark unprepared (maybe a Marcus Batty combo can trigger it again). The Corp gains 2 . End the run. INSTANT 20% REBATE!!!

Now onto the negative. Bulwark joins the cast of only six other Illicit ICE. Most aren't used too often as the ICE isn't good enough to warrant the bad publicity. Bulwark absolutely is in my opinion. Write an Exposé or two if you are worried about the BP.

In closing; I'm surprised that this ICE isn't a Destroyer. If it was, at least Sharpshooter could save the wary runner. But no. At first I thought that it was because the subroutine lets the runner choose the program to trash. But I checked, and Burke Bugs which has a similar subroutine, is labeled a Destroyer. It seems like an oversight to me, but perhaps not.

A powerful ability! It's like having a Sneakdoor Beta built in, only better. But also worse. Worse because the ability is only usable once per turn but whatevs. Better because it can be used on R&D or HQ and you don't have to choose which until the run is successful! So what are some good synergies?

-Props to YourGo for posting the synergy with Find the Truth. It'll eat up a forth of his influence but it may well be worth it. Make your run on Archives and use Find the Truth as soon as successful. Is the top card of R&D a tasty agenda? Go get it! Is it a Snare or stupid operation? If so take your chances at HQ.

-Bhagat is just a really good card. Now even easier to use!!!

-The standard Corp must put up a decent defense on four servers to have a chance of scoring versus Omar. This will spread their ICE thin. This opens a number of opportunities. First, you may have a couple free accesses early game. Maybe you'll grab an agenda or two. Second, events like Quest Completed and Notoriety become more playable. If they have both HQ and R&D ICED you only have to get directly into one of them to get at all three servers. Especially early game you may be able to pull this off. Third: ICE destruction is POTENT. Already spread thin, certain Corps in particular will have a tough time as their ICE is destroyed. Parasites and the cutlery events will be a great addition to Omar's arsenal (the cutlery in particular as his influence is low). My first attempt with him is an Eater deck with some cutlery events, Quest Completed, Notoriety, and a copy each of Medium and Nerve Agent.

-Cards that trigger on successful run can be easier to activate. Use Temüjin Contract while actually making useful runs. Medium and Nerve Agent are an easy and effective includes. Want to access even more cards? Add The Turning Wheel. You will probably want to avoid event based access cards as these can't be combined with your ID ability.

-Obelus is perhaps the go to console of choice. It is easy to get free draws with this equipped. Grimoire is still a great choice though. Especially if you have Medium and Nerve Agent and need the extra MU.

All in all a great ID and a fun one to play around with. The lower influence is definitely warranted with such a powerful ability.

So, I'm a little surprised that this card got printed, at least that it got printed as a Code Gate. A common practice among runners is to get their Killer installed as soon as possible and then to start making runs. Granted, there has always been risk to running without your Decoder installed. You might lose a click to Enigma, a couple credits to Datapike, or take a net damage from Yagura. Inazuma could do a ton of damage, but being positional, you don't see it often. Merlin could lose you the game if you are unlucky, but the Grail suite costs a lot of influence, so you don't see that often either. So while there was risk, I think most thought it an acceptable one, letting you put pressure on the corp as early as possible. DNA Tracker could change that. If you facecheck it unprepared, it is going to hurt, and hurt a lot. Three net damage and up to six !! Wow! Even when it is rezzed and you are ready for it, a six strength, three sub Code Gate is nothing to sneeze at. The eight rez cost is an epic bargain.

Now for a somewhat lengthy comparison to Tollbooth. Since the beginning, Tollbooth has been one of the best ways to keep the runner out of a server. Under most circumstances, it is very taxing to get through. DNA Tracker gives it a run for its money though. Here is a breakdown of the cost to break both pieces of ICE with both the common breakers and the new ones just released. These costs assume that there is nothing modifying the strength of the ICE or breaker unless otherwise stated. (I tried to do a table but it didn't format correctly for some reason. Sorry!)

Black Orchestra: 9 for each.

Cerberus "Rex" H2: 7 , 1 counter for Tollbooth and 5 , 2 counters for DNA Tracker

Crowbar: 3 and 4 other breakers installed for Tollbooth and 0 and 5 other breakers installed for DNA Tracker.

Cyber-Cypher/Torch: 5 for each

Gordian Blade: 7 for each

GS Striker M1: 9 for Tollbooth and 6 for DNA Tracker.

Houdini: 6 for Tollbooth and 5 for DNA Tracker (in each case, 1 has to come from a stealth card).

Passport: 8 for Tollbooth and 7 for DNA Tracker.

Peregrine: 7 for Tollbooth and 9 for DNA Tracker.

Refractor: 4 and 1 stealth for Tollbooth and 3 and 2 stealth for DNA Tracker.

Sage: 5 for Tollbooth with 5 unused MU and 6 for DNA Tracker with 6 unused MU.

Study Guide: 4 with a 10 setup cost for Tollbooth. 3 and 12 set up cost for DNA Tracker.

Yog.0: 3 and 2 Datasucker counters for Tollbooth. 0 and 3 Datasucker for DNA Tracker.

ZU.13 Key Master: 8 for each.

Eater: 7 for each.

Faust: 3 and 3 cards for Tollbooth. 5 cards for DNA Tracker.

Knight: 5 for Tollbooth and 6 for DNA Tracker.

Femme Fatale (bypass): 1 for Tollbooth and 3 for DNA Tracker.

As you can see, in most cases Tollbooth is either equal to or more taxing than DNA Tracker. (Note that Faust or Rex users may prefer to hit Tollbooth despite the cost in order to save on counters/cards) There are a couple things to note about Tollbooth though. Hunting Grounds is a easy splash in any deck and it neutralizes Tollbooths 3 tax, making it so much cheaper to get through. If you run into Tollbooth with only 2 the run is ended sure, but you don't lose anything. If you have 3 or 4 and a breaker installed, you can pump the breaker until you have 2 again avoiding the tax and saving a or two. If you run into DNA Tracker unprepared you are going to feel it. It doesn't matter if you have 6 or 1, you are going to lose all of them (not to mention the net damage).

There are a couple downsides to DNA Tracker too though. It is an AP ICE, so Deus X can break it for free. I expect to see it in a lot of decks for awhile. And while certainly not ideal, the runner can run through this if need be. They just need three cards (or one if it is I've Had Worse), no credits required. So you may not be able to hide your game winning agenda behind it thinking you've got it made, the way you might if it was behind a Tollbooth.

All in all though, this card is amazing. Just the early game pressure it puts on the runner to either get their Decoder up and running or risk nasty punishment is kind of a game changer. It costs three influence, which is one more than Tollbooth. That's good, though I personally plan to try and squeeze a copy into every deck for the foreseeable future. From the runner perspective, I'd of liked to see one more pip on the card. The reasoning may have something to do with Yog.0. They put it onto the MWL but it is still played often. It is one of the cards I most hate to see hit the table across from me, rendering all my Enigmas and the like worthless. DNA Tracker will give it a hard time though.

By way of end-note: Ye' old Leviathan breaks this for 6 , one better than Gordian Blade. Is it time to dust it off and slot it in a criminal deck? No, no it is not.

I won't go deeply into the many merits of this card as tiedyevortex brought them out nicely. But as he mentioned, I too wish this card cost more influence. It is an unbelievably good card. In my mind, every criminal deck from now on will auto include three of these unless they plan on floating tags. This means when you are facing a criminal, you basically need to ICE archives and right away. And not with a Vanilla; something that costs at least two to get through probably. This can be a burden early game as you are setting up. But if you don't you may find the runner with 30 plus credits in the first few turns. I faced an Andy the other day, and she got up to over 50 credits in the first five or so turns, and she didn't even have her Desperado out yet. The game did not go well for me. Horizontal decks are going to have a very tough time, as their PAD Campaigns are turned into easy money for the runner and then trashed. Indeed, since this card was released, I have faced almost no asset spam decks. I've seen a few NBN: Controlling the Message and one or two Industrial Genomics: Growing Solutions. But CtM is new and exciting so you expect to see it played, and IG is pretty broken since the political assets and Dedication Ceremony were released. But that's it, no Near-Earth Hub: Broadcast Centers or Gagarin Deep Space: Expanding the Horizon, not one; for me at least.

That's fine I guess, maybe criminals needed a new, solid economy card. The problem is, I am seeing it everywhere. It is being imported by everyone. I put two into my new Golden Library shaper deck and they are paying off big time. That is why I wish it cost three or maybe even four influence. People have paid two influence to include cards like Lucky Find, or Bank Job, or even Liberated Account. This card is way better than any of those. Maybe it'll be on the MWL eventually.

There may be a bit of silver lining for the corporations. After installing and running three times the first turn, I've found many runners to be eager to run for those last eight credits right away, even though you've ICED it and they may not be prepared. I've been playing around with Brainstorm lately and have caught many a runner with their pants down.