I think this is a pretty good console - 2 mem is great, extra hand size is incidentally useful and you only need to fire twice to break even (barring the click to install).
The real skill test is figuring out when it is right to get those creds, and when it is better to do something else.
The Corp's counterpart to Deuces Wild, and just as good if not even better!
TL;DR - This essentially lets you either compress two different basic actions into one card or take an action for free at the cost of 1. For a less compressed review, let's go over each of the options one line at a time:
Draw 2 cards.
This lets you cycle Red Level Clearance and lets you dig more quickly for options. If you are playing a rush deck, or just need more options here and now to refill HQ, you can't go wrong with this.
Gain 2.
Not nearly as great as the old Green Level Clearance, this refunds the cost of Red Level Clearance for a profit of 1. This is just taking the basic action, but it does synergize with cards like NASX, and you get another action to pair with this.
Install up to 1 non-agenda card.
Important to note that you still have to pay all costs to install and you can't rez until Red Level Clearance has fully resolved (no Jinja City Grid into two cards). This action is overshadowed by the next option (since they are effectively the same if you spent it towards installing) but there are still reasons to pick this option if your ID cares about it in particular (MirrorMorph: Endless Iteration for an install that stacks with the basic install).
Gain .
This just makes all the above options better and why this card is never a bad pick for a deck. As noted much earlier, this lets you do any of the above actions for "free" - efficiency HB would be proud of.
At 2 influence, this isn't the worst import you could make. It's a Transaction, which means Weyland Consortium: Building a Better World gets invited to the party. MirrorMorph: Endless Iteration likes this for more options towards triggering the ID. But honestly, any ID can make good use of it.
(As an aside, for those who follow the color spectrum and Paranoia, this is the lowest level of clearance, aside from Infrared. Even lower than Green, so we still have Orange and Yellow clearances to go! Check out the Green Level Clearance review for more info.)
4/3 is arguably the most powerful type of agenda in the game. The only other of its kind is Improved Protein Source, and just like Vulnerability Audit it comes with a downside. The former gives the runner money, this can't be fast advanced. Having to install advance this seems like a huge liability but... Oh hi there Jeeves, didn't see you there.
If you have a deck with 4/2's and ways to never advance, I think this is a good agenda to consider. If your plan is to iaa, you probably would prefer SSL Endorsement, or an in-faction protective agenda. Especially since this does take up influence. It is a good alternative over Global Food Initiative though since it doesn't take up your unicorn spot.
Shapers have The Maker's Eye, Criminals have Legwork, Anarchs now have both. Sort of.
Climactic Showdown is a potentially powerful resource with a ton of versatility. It stacks with other forms of multi access, like The Turning Wheel, eXer or the aforementioned run events. It works on either central, thus you can pick the optimal server at the time. You also get to choose which server the corp has to trash ice for to dodge the access effect, so if the corp only has a rezzed Tollbooth or a Chiyashi on the remote, this is one of the cheapest ways to trash an expensive piece of ice.
Unfortunately, CS comes with a fair share of downsides as well. First off, the corp has a whole turn to prepare for your shenanigans. This makes it a lot worse than multi access run events, which benefit a lot from the surprise factor. Not only that, the corp has a choice in the matter. If they just installed a mediocre piece of ice on the server of your choice, they can just opt to trash that. And if they'd rather take their chances on your run, that is up to them. Also, this WILL trigger at the start of your turn, as the effect is mandatory. If something came up that makes you not want to use it yet, too bad. You could play Dr. Lovegood to blank this card so you can keep the timing a surprise, but that might be going into jank territory. Last but not least, it removes itself from game, so you have no way to recycle this.
I think this card is good enough to see play, but it won't be an anarch staple.
Tiered Subscription is one of 3 new advertisements in Downfall and at first glance, it looks quite attractive (even outside of Spark) with its strong rez/trash numbers. It’s definitely the strongest of the 0 instant-rez advertisements and that’s quite a big deal as Spark when you can drain credits turn 1 without ever losing initial tempo. Its 3 trash cost isn’t too bad either and is on-par with the other commonly played advertisements/campaigns.
However, in testing I found Tiered Sub alone does not always do enough for you. Tiered Sub’s true use is being an additional supplement to other must-trash assets. Without the latter on the board, the Runner can often ignore runs altogether until they are fully set up, leaving you creditless turn-after-turn while you were wishing you had an installed PAD Campaign instead. In that regard though, Tiered Sub can really find a home in horizontal decks who constantly require the Runner to run and interact with the must-trash assets. At 1 influence, it could be widely splashable anywhere.
What about the alternatives like Paywall Implementation or Sundew? Paywall is in most cases likely to make you more money but is 1 more influence and takes up your current slot while Tiered Sub could combo with ELP or Service Outage. Sundew is a stronger way to force the Runner’s decision-making and is the superior option in RP but is pricier in influence and isn’t in-the-black 99% of the times that Tiered Sub is.
In conclusion, you want to use Tiered Sub to put the Runner into a lose-lose situation. If they run and trash/steal your stuff, Tiered Sub makes you money; if they don’t, you steamroll them with your other tempo assets.
