Spark of Inspiration

Spark of Inspiration 3[credit]

Event: Mod
Influence: 3

Set aside cards from the top of your stack faceup until you set aside a program. You may install that program, paying 10[credit] less. Shuffle the set-aside cards into your stack.

"The best ideas float to the top, if you give them time."
—Ar<h1m3d3s JAR
Illustrated by Oliver Morit
Decklists with this card

Parhelion (ph)

#84 • English
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Parhelion
Rulings
  • Updated 2023-03-25

    What happens if the Runner chooses not to install the program set aside by Spark of Inspiration?

    If the Runner chooses not to install the program, it is shuffled back into the stack with the other set-aside cards.

Reviews

At first blush, this card looks like it is designed for jank. Figure out some way to see (or pick) what's on top of your deck, and then install it cheaply.

The problem though, is that most of the ways to control what's on top of your deck (i. e. Test Run) cost enough to make the discount somewhat questionable. (Test Run + Rejig is probably a better combo. Although Rejig did just rotate out of startup...) I guess you could check the Prognostic Q-Loop every turn to see if something expensive is on top, but that feels kind of clunky. (And it just rotated out of startup.)

After playing around with this card though, I think I was evaluating it wrong. It's not a jank piece. It's just a really efficient installation tool and deck thinner.

For 3, it gets you a program draw and a free install.

The downside is that you don't get to choose what gets installed. But the upside is that you pay 3 for it, whatever it is. So if all the programs in your deck cost at least 3, it will always be worth it.

The other downside of course, is that you might get something redundant. If you have more than one copy of each breaker, you might get the same breaker twice. So it might be worth pairing this with cards that let you sacrifice unneeded programs for profit. (Spec Work or Aesop's Pawnshop, for example.) Or just only including one copy of each breaker, if you have decent recursion. (Which you probably do if you're playing shaper!)

And I want to make it clear - even if you install something useless or redundant, that's still useful, even if you just end up selling it to Aesop. Because you're thinning out your deck and removing the cards that you don't need, so you won't draw them later. (I mean, don't get me wrong, you'd still RATHER hit things that directly advance your board state. Just saying that it's not all bad.)

Two final thoughts:

(Parhelion era)
742

I'm guessing they're limiting the discount to 10<span class="icon icon-credit"></span> to future-proof a potential program that would cost 15<span class="icon icon-credit"></span> or more, which isn't a bad thing imo.

Of note, if you plan to have cheap programs like Paricia or Pelangi in the deck, Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach should not be used then, as it would make those programs more expensive than they are, and fetching them is not exactly good.

If you plan to have ANY programs in your deck, you shouldn't include Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach in your deck- Spark of Inspiration, though, could be used to get out an Orca even with a Pelangi in deck, using Test Run jankiness (though counting the clicks to draw and play the combo, it saves you only 2 credits of value). The 10cr limitation is maybe a callback to Eureka?

May i just say, I love the elegance that you only have to shuffle if you had to set aside cards. That is super well worded and indicative of the amount of thought put into these cards. As far as playability? It's a solid fine.

(Midnight Sun era)
204