LilyPAD

♦ LilyPAD 4[credit]

Hardware: Console
Influence: 3

+2[memory unit]

The first time each turn you install a program, you may draw 1 card.

Limit 1 console per player.

Leaps and bounds better than the competition!
Illustrated by Martin de Diego Sádaba
Decklists with this card

The Automata Initiative (tai)

#23 • English
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Rulings
  • Updated 2023-10-01

    If the runner has LilyPAD installed and installs Begemot, what order do those abilities resolve in?

    Both abilities meet their trigger condition at the same time, so the Runner chooses the order they resolve in.

Reviews

This card provides a huge amount of draw for big rig shaper lists, on top of a much-needed 2 MU for their lategame. If your deck has 15+ programs in it or has a way to repeatedly install the same program every turn, this is often worth considering. It is, however, a larger than normal tempo hit to install with its 4 credit upfront cost.

LilyPAD works very well with Arissana Rocha Nahu: Street Artist and Urban Art Vernissage to create an engine, as Ari can install a Trojan clicklessly while making cheap value runs (e.g. Dirty Laundry an open server) to draw a card, then pick it up next turn for 2 credits on UAV. This has the solid advantage of always having a program available to install, provided the Corp does not trash the ice hosting this Trojan on their turn. Ika is commonly included in these decks to have a program that Ari can install every turn without risking an ice trash, though a second killer is often played to avoid having to rely on the vulnerable and clunky Ika as a primary breaker.

Another strong aspect of LilyPAD is that it can be triggered on the Corp's turn. The best ways to do this are through Shaper staples Simulchip and Self-modifying Code, as well as out-of-faction options Gachapon and Prognostic Q-Loop. This can also allow you to have an extra card in hand before the corp can act on their turn, as a small measure of flatline protection.

LilyPAD has clear synergy with DZMZ Optimizer, as both provide benefits for one program install per turn, including the Corp's turn. However, be cautious of designing your deck in such a way that its costs are too front-loaded to keep pace with a Corp who does not intend to let you play a long game. Going past 6 MU may also be unnecessary, though there are certainly many good ways to use MU in a doom rig, and having some free for transient installs like Muse for recursion and Coalescence for additional econ, even after getting your main rig online, is useful for long games.

Speaking of Coalescence, LilyPAD also incentives you to include tempo-generating, cheap, transient programs. Similar cards include Fermenter and Pelangi. You could also consider using multiple copies of Propeller or Revolver, as these are easy to install when drawn and cheap to use, allowing you to interact on low credit totals, which can help offset LilyPAD's upfront cost.

If you are interested in a faster, leaner option, Pantograph will generate click savings less frequently, but with less up-front investment and fewer demands during deckbuilding. Aniccam is another great console option in Shaper, suitable for decks with 15+ events, and also helps protect you against flatlining or tempo loss from stray net damage. I do not currently see any use for this console out of faction, as the only decks that install enough programs to even consider a card like this are virus-heavy Anarchs, who as of this point in time still have the very strong Knobkierie and Maw in faction.

(Rebellion Without Rehearsal era)