In evaluating Boat, it's important to know the value of one counter. How much effective credit value do you get for a successful run, or for charging Boat, and when should you use Boat instead of a breaker, given the choice?
Long story short, a Boat counter ranges in value from 1c to about 2.5c -- most often, it's worth in the range of 1.5 to 2. This value depends in part on what breakers you use alongside Boat. Let's look at a couple examples:
F2P: You could spend 2c, or you could spend 2 counters. It's printed on the card. 1 counter = 2c Magnet: You could break with Unity/Gordian/Inverse for 2c, or with Engolo for 3c. 1 counter = 1-1.5c Anansi: Buk breaks for 5/7, Carmen breaks for 5, Echelon breaks for 6, and Boat spends 4. 1 counter = 1.5c Bulwark: Clippy breaks for 7, and Boat spends 4. 1 counter = 1.75c FC3: Engolo/Unity breaks for 5, Borchestra breaks for 9, Amina breaks for 4, while Boat spends 4. 1 counter = 1-2.25c
(These numbers indicate why Padma is a weaker shaper ID)
In light of these numbers, I think it's helpful to compare Boat to the crim consoles that give credits for running: Paragon and Pennyshaver. Both are considered solid, strong options for criminals. Let's take the more conservative estimate and say a Boat counter is worth 1.5c. In that case, Boat may cost 8c to install, but the tempo hit to your breaking power is more like 3.5c, which is comparable to Paragon and Pennyshaver. It will slow you down a bit to install, but if you turn those Boat counters around on runs in the next turn or two (likely) the tempo hit is far less than the 8c price tag would suggest. As far as rebates, Boat returns more than Paragon (but without filtered draw), and more than Pennyshaver if you run only once per turn (or even twice, if you want to somehow factor the click cost of clearing Pennyshaver). Boat has other benefits: it's a perfect AI that doesn't get hit by any of the AI-tech out there, and it provides 2 MU, compared to the 1 of Pennyshaver and Paragon.
Boat pairs well with flexible breakers that let it fall back on credits when necessary, but that might have less efficient breaking matchups that Boat counters can shore up.
This is going to be the de jure tech card for years to come. It efficiently solves multiple problems, whether that's checking for agendas in tall remotes, trashing defensive upgrades, or eliminating early econ assets. It's also especially good for Apoc/DD decks to get rid of Crisium. I think every runner deck can run 1-2 of these and feel happy about the decision.
Honestly a bit surprised it's only 1 influence.
— boskyJust like Political Operative: 1 cost 1 inf Criminal card that deals with assets or upgrades.
— Chris_YangA really, really bad card. Consider that, in many cases, this is essentially a blank card with a trash cost of 3: the runner just pays those 3 credits into a trace rather than for a printed trash cost. A 0/3 upgrade with no ability is unplayable. The only two cases in which this card would seem to do anything are as follows: 1) The runner has fewer than 3 credits when they access it -- possible, but unlikely. In this case they can spend 2 clicks or take a brain damage, which is like a mediocre encounter with a piece of Bioroid ice. 2) The corp has enough money to make the trace component relevant. Ok, then you have paid some number of credits to, once again, force the runner to spend clicks or take brain damage. The only thing that might look mildly appealing about this card is the words "brain damage" -- but if this simply said "the runner discards a random card," it would be even easier to take the tinted lenses off and realize that this card is no good.
About the only mildly exciting thing you can do with this card is put it in a remote server with Warroid Tracker and tempt the runner into spending more credits to trash it -- in which case, you've just built the world's worst Manegarm Skunkworks.
There should be a review that mentions this: because of a rules change that makes the runner access any cards installed in a server mid-breach, Ganked! can form an infinite combo with Ansel 1.0, Drafter, or any other ice that can install from Archives on a subroutine, if the runner is unable to break the Ganked! encounter with the ice. Although there are janky ways to turn this into a kill, the main thing to note is that Ganked! + Ansel 1.0 by itself allows the corp to trash every installed runner card, and then leave a fresh Ganked! parked behind the Ansel.
And expanding on this for the jank fans out there: the simplest instant kill with this involves Ravana 1.0 rezzed in front of the Ganked!, with Ansel 1.0 rezzed anywhere, plus an ambush that works while installed and unadvanced in HQ or Archives – you can reinstall Ganked! and the ambush every time the Runner hits Ravana (and if the Runner accesses Ganked! first, overinstall the ambush using Ravana's subroutines and try again – you have infinitely many attempts so eventually the Runner will guess wrong and hit the ambush infinitely many times). Good options for the ambush include Urtica Cipher and a second copy of Ganked!.
— callforjudgementSomething I realized in a game is that since the encounter occurs after it's been successful, you could use credits from Fencer Fueno to pay for the encounter with the ice.
— TelosJust posting to note that the rules were changed again recently specifically to stop the Ansel 1.0/Ganked! combo from working – although this review was correct at the time it was written, it is now out of date.
— callforjudgement
there is way more going on than the simple credit cost of a counter. it's a single card, you just need to find one copy of it and click to play it once. it's Hardware, which is difficult to remove. It doesn't care about the ICE type.
— zakglee