Dyson Fractal Generator

Dyson Fractal Generator 1[credit]

Hardware: Chip - Stealth
Influence: 3

1[recurring credit]

Use this credit to pay for using fracters.

The Dyson Fractal Generator is a useless lump of silicon; all it does is produce truly random results. What kind of madman slaps that in his rig? What's the use of a totally random number? -John Masanori
Illustrated by Gong Studios
Decklists with this card

Double Time (dt)

#103 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Printings
Double Time
Rulings

No rulings yet for this card.

Reviews

Just Random Numbers!

Alongside their flagship product Dyson Mem Chip, Dyson also produced a lesser-known Fractal Generator which can still be commonly found at many pawnshops servicing the hacker trade. Though famously panned by John Masanori, Dyson Fractal Generator can be a key piece of hardware for hackers who focus more on stealth to overcome barriers rather than brute-force.

Combos

for Fracters: The most obvious combo with Dyson Fractal Generator is the Fracter BlacKat which gets the biggest performance boost when sourcing from stealth cards such as Dyson Fractal Generator. Obviously any of the 10 out of the 11 other Fracter programs get more economical to use each turn as well with used in combo with Dyson Fractal Generator. (Spike is the 1 Fracter than cannot combo with Dyson Fractal Generator). (Sage maybe the most notable here of the other Fracters because it can do double duty being able to tackle Code-Gate ice as well)

More Stealth : Like Silencer for killers (which can interact with Sentry ice) and Lockpick for decoders (which can interact with Code-Gate ice) 3 copies of Dyson Fractal Generator can provide up to 3 stealth, if the entire rig is stealth based, perhaps more flexible sources of stealth credit from Cloak or Ghost Runner could be helpful as well.

Artist's Touch: Got your Fracter out, and on Dyson Fractal Generator but rezzed ice doesn't say Barrier on it? Paintbrush might be worth using a on to change the color to your liking. Tinkering is another viable alternative here.

(Did I miss an obvious combo, I'd appreciate any comments that can help improve this review)

Pros

Economy: 1 on Dyson Fractal Generator can make a significant difference turn after turn.

Stealth: While stealth-dependent ice-breakers tend to be efficient & powerful, the limited number of stealth sources make each available source an important line to consider tapping into, Dyson Fractal Generator is one of only 5 possible sources each with their own unique bent.

Cheap: At only 1 to install Dyson Fractal Generator pays for itself after being used only once. In other-wise cash-strapped Anarch decks this is certainly meaningful.

Hardware: Unlike Cloak (a program) or Ghost Runner (a resource), as hardware, Dyson Fractal Generator is much safer from being trashed and doesn't use any

Cons

Limited: Like Silencer and Lockpick, Dyson Fractal Generator can only be used in combination with a smaller subset of ice-breakers

Costly Influence: at 3 influence cost this chip can be very difficult to splash outside of Anarch, particularly if also combined with BlacKat.

Summary

Similar to Dyson Mem Chip, backed up by the Dyson name, Dyson Fractal Generator is dependable, it gets the job done most importantly by further adding to a stealth-based economy. Sadly influence cost for stealth-based decks means compromises must be made in other areas to compensate, ultimately giving a touch of truth to John Masanori's attempted misdirect.

--It just saddens me when I see cards with no reviews. If you appreciated this review, please give a heart and I'll be encouraged to write more.

(Data and Destiny era)
A quick note: It's probably obvious to most, but you do not NEED to use a stealth breaker to use any of the stealth credits. This (and the other stealth options for their respective types) can be used on any fractor. —
Thanks Sabin76, is there somewhere in this review that gives the opposite impression? I thought the Credit for Fracters section kind of already established that pretty clearly, but I'm willing to clarify further as needed. —
Nice review, I hope to see more :) I think the biggest problem with this card is that the only stealth fracter, Blackat, is just not good compared to the in-faction Corroder. —
I agree, still Dyson Fractal Generator can be used for Corroder as well! —