The Basalt Spire

The Basalt Spire 5/3

Agenda

When the Runner steals this agenda, you may add 1 card from Archives to HQ.

When you score this agenda, place 2 agenda counters on it.

Hosted agenda counter, trash the top card of R&D: Add 1 card from Archives to HQ. Use this ability only once per turn.

High above, Braganza schemes,
Of force, fire, and basalt dreams.
Illustrated by Emilio Rodríguez
Decklists with this card

Rebellion Without Rehearsal (rwr)

#123 • English
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  • Updated 2024-05-27

    If the Corp triggers The Basalt Spire’s paid ability, can they choose the card trashed from R&D as part of paying its cost as the card to add from Archives to HQ?

    Yes.

Reviews

Sometimes we write flavour text for a card before we know if there will be space for it or not. This is one such card, but in this case we shortened it instead. The full piece is particularly special to me, as it was the product of a collaboration session between most of the Narrative team.

High above where morals mire

Braganza schemes for her desire

A brutal plot of force and fire

Forged inside the Basalt Spire

(Rebellion Without Rehearsal era)
390

Oh, beautiful!

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Clicked enter too quickly, sorry. Does CEO Braganza actually appear anywhere? I originally thought she might be the executive depicted on Business as Usual, but I've now been told she isn't.

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She does! She is the suited woman on the Nuvem ID art.

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A very interesting 3/5. I'm always a big fan of the agendas that give you something when scored or stolen, cause you always get at least part of your ability even when losing. Basalt Spire is all about recursion, giving you the ability to recur two cards on two separate turns, at the cost of trashing a card from RnD. It's tailor made for Nuvem SA: Law of the Land, for they might know the top card of RnD from their ability and if they can trash it, and the trashing an RnD card triggers their ID ability for 2 creds. For everyone else, that's mostly an added cost, and a risky one because if you knock an agenda into archives, you're not gonna be able to recur it with Basalt til the next turn due to the once per turn restriction. I think in Nuvem it's a very solid agenda that combines with your ID ability intentionally, for others there might be better choices, though there's not a ton of agenda recursion out there, so it may still be worth it. It also gives me a proper evil villain lair from which to plot my schemes, which I think is very important in any deck.

(Rebellion Without Rehearsal era)
33

The way I read the text is that the card you trash is a candidate for recursion instantly, so if you accidentally trash an agenda, you can merely shuffle it back into the deck. Also next turn, doesn't mean your own turn, you can use it again on the runners turn too.

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I think that is how it works, and I suppose you're right, but still a bit disappointing usually to have to add the agenda instead of what you wanted. And the concern was more if you use it on the runner turn, but that's probably going to only happen if you're already protecting an agenda with it I suppose. Or trying to fill HQ. Should have been more specific though.

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