As a rollerskating enthusiast, i am so hyped for this card :D Two very useful defensive uses, sounds like it could be a useful staple for any Shaper player, or even other factions considering it is only one influence. And of course it is lore-accurately very fitting for Arissana's aggressive playstyle ! You could easily slot this cool new vehicle in any Runner deck, especially if it already has some support for power counters, but will still be useful if you don't ! Enjoy and have fun :) Always be skating !

With the Automata Initiative cards, a lot more cards have a "when encountered" effect. AirbladeX (JSRF Ed.) will help solve this in a beautiful manner.

This card can be compared to the old Hunting Grounds, which is now rotated (in Q3 2023), along with most of the Apex: Invasive Predator card pool. But it is better, since is can be recharged (go Captain Padma Isbister: Intrepid Explorer!), can be used multiple times in one turn, is cheaper and hard to trash (not a ressource). At one influence, it is a great card to have for any runner.

If that was the only ability, it would be a good card.

But it gets better. It protect you when you run! This solve the problem a runner has against Jinteki : encountering Snare!, Urtica Cipher, Fujii Asset Retrieval, Anemone or Sting!, all of which could be lethal. So good!

Finally, this combo perfectly with a great card : Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga. For 1 and one influence, you can foil 3 subroutines. Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga was already a powerful card, be with this, it becomes absurd and allow a runner to pass the first rezzed ice of a server at little cost, WITHOUT breaking any subs. And who love to NOT break any subs : Mercury: Chrome Libertador!

I rate this card has slightly better than Hush. Because it does not take MU, solved multiple problems, all for the same cost and influence. Load of runner deck will be made more resilient with this. If you combo it with Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga, it actively help you winning the game, which you cannot say for Hush.

All in all, a great hardware!

The art depict levitating "rollerblade". Skating by levitating is a fun concept that is very futuristic, regardless of the fact that frictionless skating (you cannot push with the side of the skate) means that you need almost no muscle strength to go forward, but you'll need plenty of muscle to stay standing with propulsors on your feet (have you ever heard of momentum). While the art is fun and colorful, it is actually failing at describing the effect of the card. How are skates helping you avoid NET damage? If it was meat damage, it would make sense. Unless those are virtual skates for the virtual avatar that is encountering the ices? In which case, it kind of make sense. A quote would have helped here. This get a passing grade, only because I want to believe those are virtual (even if it contradict the fact that it is a vehicle hardware), which give makes sense for the concept of avoiding damage and dangerous ices.

AirbladeX (JSRF Ed.) prevents three “when encountered” triggers and/or points of net damage, and is charge-able.

Compare: Hunting Grounds crossed with a Feedback Filter.

Flavor: Padma's vehicle was a big boat, Arissana's vehicle is a pair of rollerblades. Also, Asmund Pudlat being a blue “weapons-matter” card, I'm hoping for a green “vehicles-matter” card (once enough bikes, hover-bikes, cyber-bikes, and space-bikes have been printed).

PS. I wish Arissana could flash this in against a rezzed AP though, like she can flash in a splashed Laser Pointer.

Disclaimer: If you want a short version of this review, read the end of Diogene's review. This is all about that question: How do rollerblades help you hack better?

On a metaphoric level the effects make a lot of sense. While rollerblading you don't want to hit things (triggering when encountered abilities) or get hurt (net damage). Now the rollerblades of today don't do that on their own, you have helmets and wrist-guards for that, but these futuristic ones very well could.

The thing is, even if that is true, I don't see how that helps you in netspace. In fact, how do you even use these as a vehicle during a run? Don't you need to be at your console for a run? I thought that is why vehicles tended to be consoles, at least recently.

I do think that the vehicle subtype is relevant. Specialized hardware is standard in this game, but it would be an odd sight if you just plugged rollerblades into your rig. You don't actually throw Boomerang (I hope), but isn't a weapon either.

There is a possibility that even if it these are physical rollerblades there is some digital component to it. Like the thing that makes the JSRF Ed. of the AirbladeX special is it comes with a digital pack-in for your netspace avatar. It does leave the lingering question of why the hardware itself is involved.

My crazy theory is thus: The AirbladeX is actually just an extra input mechanism. You use your ankles to translate your real life rollerblading skills into netspace navigation, getting you "around" the ICE during a run. Arissana can definitely take advantage of this, and she can also take LilyPAD with her when she goes skating in meatspace.

In conclusion, I not even sure if there is an explanation for how this works, beyond metaphor. And I don't take issue with using metaphor on occasion; it is a nice way to fold more parts of the runner and corp story into the game.

Then there is the "how much anti-gravity is there in this setting" question but that can wait for another day.