Armitage Codebusting

Armitage Codebusting 1[credit]

Resource: Job
Influence: 0

Place 12[credit] from the bank on Armitage Codebusting when it is installed. When there are no credits left on Armitage Codebusting, trash it.

[click]: Take 2[credit] from Armitage Codebusting.

Drudge work, but it pays the bills.
Illustrated by Mauricio Herrera
Decklists with this card

Core Set (core)

#53 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Rulings

No rulings yet for this card.

Reviews

Armitage might require a re-examination in the post-Revised Core/Boggsian MWL world. Decks that benefit from Magnum Opus, but need a different Restricted card for its strategy will likely resort to the old Core 1.0 standby for their econ.

The fact that runners in general have become a lot poorer post-rotation certainly helps increase AC's esteem.

(Crimson Dust era)
1313

One of the earliest ways that money was generated for the runner, Armitage has fallen a bit out of use. With the likes of Daily Casts providing a similar amount for no spent click, and other economic options flowing into the game, it is just another option. However, consider the fact that it can generate credits much to the same ratio as Magnum Opus, without the hefty install cost or the MU. (For a limited time of course)

Armitage can allow an almost broke runner to be back in range for Sure Gamble the next turn, or enough to break into a lightly defended server. While it doesn’t stick around like Magnum, its well known that the ability to ‘Take eight’ that Magnum provides can be vicious. That is a solid amount of burst, even at the cost of a full turn, and Armitage can provide that without the drawbacks that Magnum can, if for a much shorter burst. If the runner is taged and can't shake them, playing armitage and clicking it 3 times, while vastly uneffecient in terms of a full turn, can still net five credits, which might be just what is needed to shake the tags next turn or make one more glory run. It deserves to be looked at again for economy options where the runner doesn’t want to put a lot of event economy into their deck, or would like something a bit more flexible but not as difficult to install as Magnum

(Written during the meta of Breaker Bay, part of the SanSan Cycle. For more reviews like it, visit wyldside.blogspot.com)

(Breaker Bay era)
417
People consistently give Armitage a bad rap, simply due to more modern options. The thing is - this is one of those cards I always consider for a runner deck, when running Opus. The difference is in card slots, of course - but in a deck where Opus would be good econ, Armitage may be better. How often do you use Opus? Did losing the four creds difference in price mess up your setup? Is 2MU a significant cost? Consider that three Armitage are never dead draws in a deck (like three Opus), and that tutoring an opus requires card slots, and this card still has a great deal of life in it, for the right decks. —
Remember too that MOpus only breaks even with this after EIGHT clicks, and beats it after nine. This is because it costs 4 more creds. Plus depending on how much MU is worth to you...yeah, if you're not in it for the long haul Armitage is generally going to be superior. —
I forgot I ever used this card. It's so unnotable. —

Armitage Codebusting is the faithful like Sure Gamble. What it does, is increase the efficiency of clicking for credits. Instead of clicking for 1, you click for 2. If you are not an Anarch, you should think of slotting Armitage. If you are Anarch, Liberated Account is better.

Let's compare it to other creds stable. Sure Gamble is burst econ, giving you 4 creds now. Daily Cast is clickless drip, giving 5 creds over 4 turns. Armitage Codebusting will give you 11 creds, after using 6 clicks.

Each have their place. If you look for efficiency, Daily Cast is better. The calculation goes like this. We assume 1 click = 1 credit. To make things normal, we'll assume you have the card in hand, discounting how you got it there and we'll discount the click to install, because all three would be the same.

Daily Cast will cost 1 click and give you a net of 5 creds after 4 turns. Sure Gamble will give you 4 creds. Armitage will give you a net of 5 creds after 6 clicks (11 creds minus 6 click).

The choice then is about what can you do with the creds. If you need to install only one thing or to make a small run (2 ices deep), Sure Gamble got you covered. If you need to build up with relatively cheap stuff (install with cards that cost 0 or 1), Daily Cast got you covered. But if you want to do some serious setup, you can spend your turn to empty Armitage, and 3 click the next turn, to have a big pile of credits to setup expensive cards.

Also, with Shaper, just putting it there allow you to not use Professional Contacts all the time and "click for 2 creds" when you need the extra for installs or runs.

Very useful. Since it's neutral, you will see it everwhere outside of Anarch. It is old, it is reliable, it serves well. Also, that cat is a beauty.

(Uprising era)
3836

Especially with Magnum Opus rotated by NISEI, this will go back in my Shaper credit hungry decks. Although Daily Casts is more efficient, some turns require you to get 2-3 credit clicks to cash up after a big spend (or corp shenanigan).

In Shaper I think it's good to consider the Aesops impact to these cards aswell as it's very commonly played.

With Aesops, you essentially can click it 5 times for 10c and then sell it next turn for 3, gaining an extra credit and a click. Therefore it's actually 12c for 5 clicks overall which is slightly better than clicking for 2c with something like Magnum Opus. If you happen to use both Aesops and Armitage in Az McCaffrey: Mechanical Prodigy, Armitage installs for free which increases its value to 13c for 5 clicks (with Aesops). You also get the added bonus of using Aesops on the Daily Casts, refunding the install cost essentially netting 6c over 3 turns for a single click.