Awesome agenda! Its only draw back is that it it actually require an out of faction card (End of the Line) to be truly effective. The combo does a total 5 damages, which can flatline most runner. If somehow you there is another click left, you could also use either Mindscaping for a total of 6 damages or Neurospike for 7 damages total. This makes See How They Run a combo kill piece, just like Fujii Asset Retrieval.

Also, it is possible to do a core damage, which then make the runner more susceptible to traps.

In Jinteki: Personal Evolution, coupled with End of the Line, this agenda does a total of 6 damages, without any other combo piece.

Along with Fujii Asset Retrieval and Sting!, Jinteki has a lot of agendas that can help the corp flatline the runner. Which combine with other in faction cards like Ronin and Reaper Function.

To top it off the art is beautiful, with a rare showing of psi ability, helped by a quote that shows the power of the agenda, with the very name of the card completing circle. A masterpiece!

4247

The direct competitor to Helheim Servers and Isaac Liberdade. Considering that putting advancement on an ice is seldom useful for Haas-Bioroid deck (unless the deck is playing advanceable ices, we can focus on the difference it has with Helheim Servers.

Unlike Helheim Servers, Brasília Government Grid does not cost anything to rez and does not trash any cards from hand. Those are worthwhile advantages. However, you cannot increase the ice strenght above +3. This means that Brasília Government Grid is meant more as a tax on the runner, with the added bonus of increasing the chance of triggering subroutines from an ice.

Some ices are even better with Brasília Government Grid :

  • Gatekeeper, because a 9 strength code gate that can draw 3 cards and save 3 agendas is just amazing. Better if you can derez it to use it again.
  • Ablative Barrier, giving you a strength 4 barrier for 2. At mid game, can tutor any asset or upgrade to help protect the remote (like Manegarm Skunkworks).
  • Anemone, let you do 2 net damage, with a possible 3rd damage from the now 5 strength sentry and derezzing it allow you to use it again! This is the reason Brasília Government Grid could be imported by Jinteki.
  • Ping, to give a tag and get a strength 4 barrier for 2. Better yet, it becomes 0 if you are NBN: Reality Plus. Considering that you can also derez the card, it is a valid reason to import it in NBN.

Also, some cards will combo really well with Brasília Government Grid :

Good, but not the best :

  • Echo, to get more counters on it.
  • Wave, to tutor another ice.
  • Pulse, to allow you to take away a click (again) from the runner. Clicks grinding is a type of prison deck that can work fairly well.

With all this, I think it is a valid defensive agenda, especially good for glacier decks. The big downside of Brasília Government Grid is that it cannot combined with Tranquility Home Grid, because it is a region.

Still, this can comes as a nasty surprise against runners. Even Weyland could import this. Imagine Ob Superheavy Logistics: Extract. Export. Excel. using it with Stavka to suddently rez a 10 strength sentry that will trash 2 programs. Even good killers (Orca, Carmen) would have to pay 8 to pass this ice. Another possibility could be an 8 strength Anansi or 9 strength Hydra, too many possibilities to count, as every big ice with nasty effect will benefit.

The main drawback of this upgrade is that you need to setup first. Contrary to Manegarm Skunkworks, it does nothing with at least least 2 ices in front of it. This makes it more of a mid to late game tactical card. As such, having 3 copies of it in a deck would probably be too much. But one copie can turn the tide of the game.

Art does remind me of Brasilia (I've been there in my travels) and is quite nice. The quote encompasses well the effect of the card. Everything combine together seamlessly. Great work!

4247

What a great card. For 2, you gain 2, draw 2 cards AND get a card from archive, thus giving you 3 cards in hand. As the previous review stated, Your Digital Life is a good target for this.

Even better if you used Sudden Commandment to play it, draw even more card and then play Your Digital Life for even more credits gained.

Other good card to get with this : Seamless Launch, Hedge Fund, Greasing the Palm or even an hidden agenda in archive.

At only 2 influence, this can actually compete with Spin Doctor, if you want more control on your archives. An identity like Jinteki: Restoring Humanity could do a lot with such a card.

Art is ok, but I find it a bit cartoonish. It does fit the name and quote of the card, along with its effect. Good.

4247

The competitor to Greasing the Palm. Depending on timing, this card can makes the runner quite miserable. For a zero cost card, installing a card AND taking a click from the runner is quite potent.

At the end game, when your scoring remote will probably have a Manegarm Skunkworks, this will force the runner pay the Manegarm Skunkworks tax to breach the remote, on top of breaking ices. Giving a tough choice for most runner.

But this is even better when used in Thule Subsea: Safety Below, where are used to score EVERY agendas (except the last). Making the next turn more risky.

All in all, a very potent card. Depending on the archetype, it might be better than Greasing the Palm. However, at 3 influences, I see no reason to ever use this out of faction. The player would be better off using MCA Austerity Policy for the same effect (and more), at the same influence cost.

Art is nice and pairs well with the effect and name of the card. Congratulation to the designers.

4247

Of course, this ice is really made for Thunderbolt Armaments: Peace Through Power. But even out of that identity, it is still a fairly good ice. It compares to Unsmiling Tsarevna : 3 subs, 4, 2 strength. Those are good numbers. Most runner would not like to let any of the subs fire... ever. Making this ice a 3 cost of passing this ice, usually (few runner can play Orca). This let you grind the runner's credit pool.

Again, just like with Lycian Multi-Munition, there are many good ices in the HB card pool. This ice would be a good choice for identity such as Thunderbolt Armaments: Peace Through Power and Asa Group: Security Through Vigilance, who can profit the most from it. Protecting an asset like Working Prototype behing this ice is enough deterence most of the time. Otherwise, a corp will probably get more mileage from Drafter.

Of note, this ice pairs well with ZATO City Grid, by allowing the corp to rig shoot the most important card from the runner. Especially in Ob Superheavy Logistics: Extract. Export. Excel.. 4 to trash something important (a breaker, a console or an important connection), while getting a 3 other card (like Sandstone), it is a good bargain, even at 3 influences.

Art is nice and goes well with the name of the card. The quote seems nice and appropriate. Good job.

4247