Rainbow

Rainbow

As much as I would like to love Rainbow, it remains disappointing.

Theoretically, it's a 3 credits taxer against many popular breakers. It has a hard "end-the-run" subroutine so, contrary to Eli 1.0, you cannot be siphoned (or legworked, or whatever) through it without a breaker. That said, any breaker will do the job, including the ultra cheap Faerie. So, that's not a decisive advantage.

Rainbow has many annoying weaknesses:

  • Due to its numerous subtypes, you cannot really try to score an agenda behind it.
  • Yogsucker breaks it for 0 credit (and 1 token).
  • Cyber-Cypher breaks it for 1 credit.
  • Gordian Blade breaks it for 1 credit if a big code gate is protecting the same server.
  • Atman @ 4 breaks it for 1 credit.

With all these weaknesses, in many cases, Rainbow is just an inferior Eli.

Nevertheless, it's still good protecting a remote server with an asset where it has a chance to tax the Runner for 3 credits.

Lately, Rainbow has appeared as a possible protection against Forked, Spooned, and Knifed.

523
While you make great points i must point out that eli is not the standard of ice. Everyone who is serious about this game knows that eli is far above median, probably THE best ice in the game so comparing to that this card will look inferior, but so does a lot of other ICE still good enough to be played. —
Totally right about not being able to score an agenda behind Rainbow. This is taxing ice that belongs on a central. 4tman is definitely a problem. Yogsucker breaks even on V counters if Rainbow is on a central. Cyber-Cypher might show up in an R&D lock deck, but C-C is pretty rare. I think Rainbow is pretty viable as cheap, taxing ice. —
Liberated Account

Liberated Account

Interesting card to play with The Supplier. You can host it on The Supplier at any time. When you're ready, you install it and gain +12 credits in a whole turn.

It might be a better use of 2 influences than Lucky Find.

523
I've Had Worse

I've Had Worse

The funny thing with this card is that, according to the rules, the second effect cannot work because the card is inactive when in the grip and when in the heap. And always according to the rules “An inactive card’s abilities [sic] do not affect the game and cannot be triggered.”

Also, the Golden Rule can hardly apply because an inactive card cannot contradict the rules, obviously.

This little problem aside, this is a great card for the Anarch. It can work as a subsitute for Plascrete Carapace but also works against net damage. It can unexpectedly save your butt, which is even worse for the Corp if a SEA Source and a Scorched Earth have been used with no tangible effect.

What isn't clear is: what happens if the amount of damage is superior to the number of cards in the grip? Is the Runner dead or does Steelskin trigger and save him?

And if the Corp does not mean to harm you, the card is still useful to draw cards, even more with a Prepaid VoicePAD.

523
I see what you're saying, Pyjam, but there are exceptions to every rule. :) In this case, the rule is that an inactive card cannot affect the game. However, its 2nd effect states that it can, will and must affect things. I don't think FFG would create a card with an effect that can't be triggered, even if it is from hand. I plan to make heavy use of this card in my Quetzal deck when O&C comes out. The game is ever-changing, and this set along with the SanSan cycle will continue with that paradigm. This will make it much easier for players to float tags if they're usually worried about damage. It won't make Plascrete Carapace obselete, but it will present another way to strategize. The double effect is also really cool...basically an Anarch Diesel at the cost of 1 measly credit. To your question about timing and flatlining from hand...technically, net and meat damage are supposed to be dealt all at once, BUT...the corp cannot take more than one card at a time per damage. In other words, you get Scorched...but legally, the Corp player can only take one card at a time from your hand and trash it. Say you have 3 cards. You get Scorched. One damage, another damage, he hits the Steelskin...NOW you draw your cards. You now have 4 in hand. Two damage left. You'll be left with 2 cards after the damage is dealt. This will depend, of course, on how many Steelskin you're holding onto. Edit - @JAK - The question then becomes "What's the point of Steelskin then if it can't save the runner from certain death?" It only makes sense that you gotta take damage one by one, especially now after O&C with the cards. Like I said, if not, then they may as well just take the words of the 2nd part of it out completely. :) —
@estutter Actually, as stated in the rules, the game ends if the runner takes more damage than they have cards in hand. Hence, the argument goes, they don't actually have to discard as a result of taking damage, and so Steelskin doesn't get a chance to fire, because the game has ended. This is a significant question: we're waiting for O&C to come out so we can see if this wording is correct, and then, if it is, ask Lukas. This is really not a review, but it's important to say. —
I think its pretty safe to say that flatline damage would ignore Steelskin. This card is clearly a soft counter to Argus Security, considering its damage fires multiple times throughout the game (generally). While its nice that we're so passionate about the game and new cards, the answers are already there (rulebook) and therefore the discussion is mostly wasted. :( I'm 100% sure this card would have stated something along the lines of 'prevent flatline' like that new card does. (The one that makes you trash everything and remove tags, etc.) —
@esutter. Actually, damage is dealt all at once and if it is greater than the runner's hand size, the runner flatlines before discarding. Lukas recently ruled on this. It's always how I suspected it to work as well. You kind of have to survive the damage before claiming you've had worse =p This card is going to be great, I hate carrying plascretes around and this gives anarchs much needed draw power. I foresee many people swapping out plascretes for this card unless they're low on influence. —
I think that logically you have to accept the Golden Rule on this card, but you do have to accept the existence of transitioning space and transferal of information. Reading the card, we have to accept that because of the card type, it can only be trashed in a few ways. First, it can be trashed after being played (draw 3, ignore the "when trashed" effect). Second, it can be trashed by brain damage (trash the card, no effect triggers). Third and fourth, it can be trashed by net and meat damage... Now, since the card is never installed, the "whenever" effect can only happen if there were SOME state that could see it, and perhaps this is a bit tautological, the card implies this state. It goes from "In grip (inactive)" to "Being trashed (active)" to "In heap (inactive). For most cards, this "Being trashed (active)" doesn't matter. There are two exceptions besides I've Had Worse and one example showing they know the correct wording. First, the correct wording example is Tallie Perrault and that card reads "Whenever a gray ops or black ops operation is trashed after resolving, you may give the Corp 1 bad publicity and take 1 tag." The important text here is "after resolving", which is similar to "by taking net or meat damage" which shows that FFG recognize the difference between a card just being trashed versus being trashed for a reason, in this example, from being played and resolved. The exceptions are Harbinger and Rolodex. For Harbinger, if we accept the "Being trashed (active)" state, then any time it's trashed, even from hand or while face down, it gets reinstalled, and can only be in the heap because it was discarded during the discard phase or was removed from game because of a "remove from game instead of adding it to the heap" replacement effect, since Harbinger isn't preventing the trash, only replacing the effect of adding it to the heap or when it's being told to be added to the heap directly without trashing. Treating Harbinger like I've Had Worse makes it ABSURD. For Rolodex, we have a similar problem. Corp deals net damage to the runner, and trashes rolodex from the grip. Accepting the "Being trashed (active)" state, now the runner also trashes the top three cards of the heap. Sounds much worse than it did before. So what do we do? Well, we could errata I've Had Worse to add "This effect is active while in the runner's grip" or to that effect. Or we accept Harbinger and Rolodex as also being exceptions. Or we errata Harbinger and Rolodex with "when trashed while installed faceup". —
Hades Fragment

Hades Fragment

I wonder which is the strongest 5/3 agenda: Hades or Utopia Fragment.

Utopia directly helps for the most important task of the Corp: scoring agendas.

OTOH Hades is so versatile. It acts like a constant Jackson Howard which is arguably one of the strongest cards in the game. Hades can save agenda in the Archives. Hades recurs econ cards like Peak Efficiency which becomes stronger and stronger.

There's also a combo with Executive Boot Camp if you have at least two copies of it in your deck. If the Runner runs to trash it, do it yourself and tutor the other copy, then recycle. When you're at match point, you can force the Runner to constantly runs on the remote if he fears that the unrezzed card is the final agenda.

523
Earthrise Hotel

Earthrise Hotel

Earthrise Hotel gives 6 cards for 1 card + 1 click + 4 credits. So, it simply converts 4 credits to 4 cards.

I think it's pretty bad unless you also play The Supplier. With it, you get 4 cards for 2 credits. The Supplier is always a good card. Not only you get a discount for every resource and hardware but you may also store unplayable cards until you get the money to install them.

Also, Earthrise Hotel is in competition with John Masanori. John is likely to give more cards for an investment of 2 credits (0 with The Supplier) and is tutorable with Hostage, so you do not need to play 3 copies of him.

523
@Pyjam: Quality Time is also card-neutral, just like Earthside Hotel. But unlike Quality Time, Earthside Hotel doesn't overfill your hand to the point of discard and, more importantly, it's 0 influence. —