After finding out how deckbuilding in the Star Wars LCG works, something I’ve wondered about this card is whether instead of banning it outright, a more interesting restriction would be to force the runner to also include an equal number of copies of Sūnya and Nfr.
At 3 copies, that’s about 6 additional deck slots devoted to inefficient icebreakers. I believe this makes for an interesting trade-off, where to use the most overpowered console in the game you must use it with underpowered breakers. The console also synergies well with the breakers, and helps make up for some of their inherent weaknesses. (Whereas before, with free reign over what to include with it, it simply made strong breakers even better.)
In effect, the console basically becomes an exclusive buff to these two breakers.
As it is now, none of these cards are used in any capacity, for various reasons. This sort of unconventional deck-building restriction may change that (although this may be a level of complexity too far).
And you wont care about breakers anyway. Parasite Sifr?! Nah, never ever again...
— Two_EGOn second thought, this change probably isn’t enough. It’s too easy to get around, and just ignore the missing deck slots.
— A. DallahamI wonder how balanced this console would have been if you had to choose an amount to reduce the ice strength by, and then your hand size was reduced by that amount.
— A. DallahamI've seen that proposed before and that definitely would have made more sense - something like 1 hand size per 2 Strength or so.
— LynxMegaCorp
Paying 6 slots for Sifr (and then including actual icebreakers in addition) is a price I'd be willing to pay.
— BlackCherries