Prepaid VoicePAD

Prepaid VoicePAD 2[credit]

Hardware: Gear
Influence: 0

1[recurring credit] (When you install this card and before your turn begins, refill to 1 hosted credit.)

You can spend hosted credits to play events.

A VoicePAD is a personal access device with most of its functions ripped out. Just about all it's good for is making voice-calls and managing your contacts. The only reason to even have one is for its anonymity, which for a certain kind of person is all the reason one needs.
Illustrated by Mike Nesbitt
Decklists with this card

Second Thoughts (st)

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

No rulings yet for this card.

Reviews

The pros of this card should be obvious. For every credit you're not spending out of your own bank for playing cards, the more credits you have to spend on other things. The slightly less obvious pro of this card, is that it seriously ramps up the gain from burst economy cards.

3 of these turns Sure Gamble into a 7 card, A Dirty Laundry into a 5 card, a Lucky Find into a 9 card (over two clicks of course).

The reason it sees so much play out of Kate "Mac" McCaffrey: Digital Tinker is that the first PPVP you install each turn is only a single credit, making the savings even better.

Most events sit in the 1-3 range, too. So why not play a The Maker's Eye, Legwork, Quality Time, Test Run, or a Special Order for free?

It's often said that Netrunner is a game about tempo, and having the ability to play events out of hand, regardless of finance, helps maintain that tempo, and it's the reason the Prepaid Kate deck archetype is so powerful right now. But as a neutral card with zero influence, these can fit in any event heavy deck. Ken "Express" Tenma: Disappeared Clone is also a good fit, as you can end up making cash from some of the more expensive run events like Legwork.

The only hate card that immediately comes to mind for this is Student Loans which can slow the PPVP economy right up if it's not dealt with quickly.

(Chrome City era)
Ken might also run Public Terminal; it doesn't help Sure Gamble or Lucky Find, but it is one credit cheaper. Generally, you don't want to run both, though; it's difficult to play enough events for them to pay out. —

With Prepaid VoicePAD coming back, there is a nice neutral hardware to be used. It can work in tandem with Mystic Maemi, which is strickly better. But if you have an event heavy deck (20+), it will give a sensible boost to your economy.

This is even better with Az McCaffrey: Mechanical Prodigy, because you can install it for 1 cred, thus getting the value back in the first use, instead of the second use.

If you are criminal, you already have Public Terminal for run events, so you have to check which type of events you want to use the most.

In a Shaper deck, installing it with The Artist will give you a good value and make your event more rewarding.

Among the best art, superb quote with lots of flavor. Very cyberpunk, very netrunner.

(Salvaged Memories era)
3836