Syailendra (🏛️🏔️) is the “new Mausolus”: a $4/5s/3↳ AP–CodeGate, that’s advanceable (“Seven Wonders ICE”).

Design

Like Mestnichestvo, this has an On-Encounter ability that's gated by advancement, and that “resolves” the ice's first subroutine.

I think Advanceable ICE with On-Encounters, or with “Anti-Breakage” abilities (like Akhet and even Hortum), are more fun than ice which (like Colossus) boost strength and/or make subroutines harsher; since the former “guarantee” some partial returns on your investment.

I also like “advancement”-subroutines, because it:

• is contextual/situational: Being blank unless something advanceable is installed; and never a generic “+1[$], +[click]”. It's also more valuable on Agendas/Assets than on ICE: a Tree Line’s +1 strength is worth less than a Charlotte Caçador’s econ (Gain 4[$]. Draw 1 card.), an Off the Books’s selection/compression (Search R&D for 1 card. Add it to HQ or install it, ignoring all costs.), a Clearinghouse’s kill (Do +1 meat damage.), or so on.

• can have interesting decisions: If you're advancing an agenda that can be stolen (revealing some information, modulo faceup/expose), or an asset that can be trashed (wasting your advancement, modulo fast [trash], Hosted advancement counter: … costs), you're taking a risk. If you're advancing an ice, then you're hedging; no risk, but much less value.

However, double-advancing a single card (saving 2[$], [click][click]), or even requiring a rooted card to be advanced (like Jinteki) as well as a piece of ice, could lean more into this “higher risk, higher reward” gameplay. While granting the advanced card a “self-protective” Public-esque ability could “hedge” for more safety (like City Works Project’s When the Runner accesses this agenda while installed, … for each advancement counter on it.).

[EDIT] (as @Baa_Ram_Wu pointed out) If Syailendra—like Mausolus—ended the run once triple-advanced, then—despite being ‘porous’ and with ‘light’ subs—it could ‘harden’ itself for the third encounter, after being facechecked twice (since the 1st sub resolving would level-up the 3rd sub before it resolves, during that same encounter).

CF. Doomscroll, which ‘doubles’ its own effect for the second encounter, after being facechecked once (without detagging).

Notes

IMO, the tax of Syailendra’s subs (Do 1 net damage. The Runner loses 2[$]. Place 1 advancement counter.) is softer than Mausolus’s (Do 1 net damage. Give the Runner 1 tag. Gain 1[$].).

However, by both pinging and credit-zapping (like Vampyronassa), Syailendra does enable Measured Response (FWIW): both its Do 4 meat damage … and its … unless the Runner pays 8[$]..

Synergies

Advancement that's repeated/incidental (whether subroutines like Syailendra’s/Akhet’s, or triggers like Wall to Wall) obviously synergizes with anything advanceable. Especially infinitely-advanceable ones, like:

• Logjam
• Tree Line

• Mestnichestvo

• Clearinghouse

• Charlotte Caçador
• Vladisibirsk City Grid

As well as with “Advancement-Moving”, like:

• Hearts and Minds

See x:"can advance" t:asset|upgrade|ice z:standard b:active

PS. read @DarkoM’s/@Kram’s review/comment (most of my review was written during spoilers over on Reddit).

Flavor

Syailendra means “King of the Mountain”. The art shows Borobudur, a Buddhist temple (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Java, built by the Syailendra Dynasty.

• Shailendra dynasty (Wikipedia)
• Borobudur (Wikipedia)
• UNESCO

This review was written with 2025's "Core" set (Elevation + System Gateway) in mind.

Long story short: I really like this card because it smooths out playing mostly big ice in Weyland in a very subtle way. It's taxing to run through for its cost, and damn is the cost affordable for the effect.

I've been playing a The Zwicky Group: Invisible Hands deck, with a very simple game plan:

1. Tons of operations to make money in a very un-interactive way since I only play big ice.
2. Wall up R&D with this beautiful thing, and spin agendas back into the deck using Spin Doctor, Key Performance Indicators, Sprint.

At this point our opponent is in a pretty rough spot. My playgroup has a lot of Buzzsaws running around, and even with GAMEDRAGON™ Pro you still need to boost to break it. Without it, they're losing either 7 or 8 credits depending on if they care about taking one net damage. Sang Kancil and Unity typically still need to boost twice to get over it without a boost, and it still has 3 subs. And that's before it has 3 counters on it, at which point they're giving you an advance no matter what.

But, really, why even bother with a breaker? For the low, low cost of 2c, a card from hand, and an advancement token (or two), they don't even need a breaker at all! After all, what does an advance REALLY even do for the corp as long as the runner keeps all the agendas off the board?

Enter Pharos. Suddenly giving you counters pretty much sets up a ruthless scoring server for you. And once that's done, you can slam tokens on your agendas. Alongside some new friends helping you defend the server after you've fed them, giving you counters is a game-losing tempo loss. Then just close out with Clearinghouse or scoring out.

I haven't played this game in ~7 years, so I can't comment on the viability in the more established formats. But this card feels like some very strong support for any deck that can funnel the extra counters anywhere useful consistently. Highly recommended.