Scrounge pairs an immediate Program-recursion (install from heap) with an “eventual” recursion (bottom from heap), under a non-interactive condition (spending an extra [click] is kinda like making a “non-taxing, auto-succeeding run”).

Design

Doesn't force a shuffle (which saves time). You can still trigger a shuffle if you want to draw it sooner (like by Boomerang), or even tutor for it immediately (like with Mutual Favor or Muse).

Doesn't require a run (unlike NSG's Katorga Breakout, versus FFG's Déjà Vu); but it is a Double, cannot recur Events, and so on.

While “undertucking” (IE. Add 1 _ from your heap to the bottom of your stack.) is frequently irrelevant, it is more relevant in Netrunner than most card games. Which (in a Core set like Elevation), can clue in newer players about how your deck-count changes during gameplay: the rate of card flow, the importance/presence of recursion, and so on. That is:

• In Dominion–likes (where you redraw a five-card hand every turn, while drawing from smaller decks too), you will reshuffle your discard-pile into your draw-pile every few turns.
• In Magic: the Gathering–likes (where you draw one card at the start your turn like the Corp, but lack any basic-action to draw more, and won't be playing more than a single card a turn from hand anyways), you almost never “bottom out”, with Ashen Epilogue–style recursion being unplayable outside of a minority of archetypes/formats.

Notes

• Can (quasi-)reverse Stavka’s double-destruction.
• Can mitigate a Saisentan.
• At just 1inf/5, it's very splashable into: Criminal (for not getting locked out, if your singleton icebreaker gets Destroyer's/AP'd); and Shaper (for… all your programs, if necessary).
• BTW, if you install a Muse and tuck a Coalescence, does it let you Muse for that same Coalescence ?

The Plaza is like PAD Campaign with a “tag shield”.

Design

Design-wise, for rashing installed/rezzed assets/upgrades, I like adding intrinsic non-credit costs (like Daniela Jorge Inácio) or non-cost punishment (like Nanoetching Matrix/Calvin B4L3Y). These provide a different texture to horizontal interaction (CF. how against PE, the bottleneck becomes cards-in-grip more than credits-in-pool).

For example, post–Threat 2, if the Runner immediately basic-detags after basic-running and trashing it, then (even if spammed/uniced), they've spent [click], 4[$] (exactly one click more than PAD, modulo the card itself).

Templating-wise, the trashes this (when rezzed) reminder-text is necessary in a core set like Elevation, and would be appreciated in any set. (IIRC, at first, I had to Google whether Marilyn Campaign still got shuffled back if it were installed but not rezzed yet.)

Custom

We could also print assets whose “pseudo-trash-costs” are helping the Corp, rather than hurting the Runner; and which trigger if installed, whether rezzed or unrezzed (IE. When the Runner trashes this asset while installed even unrezzed, …), or that get a bonus For having rezzed it (IE. If this asset was rezzed, instead …). Thus, pseudo-defending themselves while still driving the game forwards. For example (the rez cost being 2[$] and the printed trash cost being 1[$].):

[$2] ASSET [-$1]: Academic [🟥 2/5]

When your turn begins, gain 1[$] or draw 1 card.

When the Runner trashes this asset while installed even unrezzed, you may install 1 card from HQ into the root of another server.

[$2] ASSET [-$2]: Academic [🟩 2/5]

When your turn begins, gain 1[$] or draw 1 card.

When the Runner trashes this asset while installed even unrezzed, you may install 1 piece of ice from HQ, ignoring all costs. If this asset was rezzed, you may rez that ice, paying 2[$] less.

[$2] ASSET [-$1]: Academic [🟨 2/5]

When your turn begins, gain 1[$] or draw 1 card.

When the Runner trashes this asset while installed even unrezzed, you may place a total of 2 advancement counters on installed cards you can advance.

[$2] ASSET [-$0]: Academic [🟪 2/5]

When your turn begins, gain 1[$] or draw 1 card.

When the Runner trashes this asset while installed even unrezzed, you may add 1 non-asset card from Archives to the top of R&D. If this asset was rezzed, you may add that card to HQ instead.

Mitra Aman (😷🧪) is “hard” ice-swapping (the Runner can't jack out since they're already approaching), alongside burst econ (0[$]→3[$]).

Design

Its gain+swap is strictly more flexible than a cost-redux (CF. Install a piece of ice in that position, ignoring all costs. You may rez that ice, paying 3[$] less.). CF. How Clean Getaway can earn “Asset-Trashing credits” (unlike Dirty Laundry), but lets you keep them too (unlike Bahia Bands).

It rewards the Runner for revealing hidden information (and remembering that revelation). For example, despite ‘missing’ on HQ/R&D breaches by seeing an (untrashable) Cloud Eater—or other more realistic AP/Destroyer facechecks (like an Empiricist, Vampyronassa, Boto, etc)—you've at least learned that it's swappable. And if you access(/expose) a splashed Mitra out of Weyland or Haas-Bioroid, you could hedge against a Biawak or even Týr, while running on rezzed Descents and Ablatives.

However, Mitra Aman has some limitations and does some telegraphing. (Transcribing some analysis during spoilers from “Elevation and Rotation - In Person Netrunner discussion ft Sokka, The King, and Peter H.” | @Kitchen Meta - With Bridgeman :)

• Given an unrezzed rooted card, you can now approach a rezzed Tatu-Bola and encounter a facedown Saisentan and flatline. Which (Against Jitneki in particular, when running into UNrezzed ice, you already need to prepare for an AP* anyways, like a Killer being pre-installed/available.) But **Mitra implicitly pseudo–derezzes the safe/known ice (which will cost credits to re-rez); unless you're only swapping out heavily-On-Rez ice, like Anemone.

• While recursion gives you “ice-advantage”, swapping only gives you “ice-selection”. You can get back your best ice that got Crew–Charm’d, but your deck/servers are still “down one piece of ice”.

• Telegraphed on centrals: Besides a few upgrades that can defend centrals or relocate themselves (like Mavirus and Adrian Seis), installing a card in the root of iced HQ/R&D is very suspicious.

Also, Mitra’s +3[$] econ is like Bola’s +2[$] (not NGO Front), IE. their credits can't get “cashed out” until their server gets run.

PS. ICE-Swapping is catnip [non-derogatory] for more casual players like myself. So let me know how it feels to play against, and how good it seems to be when playing with it!

Cards

IDs:

• triggers A Teia off-turn: like Tatu-Bola does.
• fuels LEO Construction (2 inf-per-copy): swapping previously-sacrificed Bioroids in and non-Bioroids out. For example, “(rezzed) Ablative → (sacked) Bumi”.
• enabled in Restoring Humanity: when you want the spiky ice (being swapped in) to be available later against a not-yet-known server, and you don't care about the gearcheck (being swapped out) ending up in Archives rather than HQ. (And AU Co. milling itself? In decks with enough ice.)

On-Rez/“Blinkable” ICE:

• Anemone
• Ablative Barrier
• Flyswatter

• Ping

• Sandstone

• etc

Flavor

mitra means “friend/colleague” and aman means “safe/secure”. This “spring-loaded mind” is ready to be hot-swapped in against even the most mindful Runners.

Custom

I like that Mitra is “Midori, but good” (no jack out, credit-gain, Archives-swap too).

Here's a variant that's repeatable (like Midori) but more constrained (than Mitra): to can trigger it every run (with a cost-reduction and direct-rez), but it's limited by the ice you're swapping out (to give the Runner more deduction hooks, and let them do more risk management):

• Once per turn → Whenever the Runner approaches a piece of ice protecting this server, you may draw 1 card and swap that ice with a noncopy piece of ice from Archives or HQ that shares a subtype. You may rez it, paying 3[$] less.

Which makes you swap Barriers with Barriers (“primary ice-types”), unless you swap AP with AP (“secondary ice-types”), but not Anemones with Anemones.

Rules

The Elevation box includes this “refcard”:

Mitra Aman allows the Corp to swap an installed piece of ice with a piece of ice from HQ or Archives. This effect uninstalls the previously-installed ice, trashing any hosted cards or counters, and installs the other ice in the same position. The Runner will still be approaching that position.

A player installing a card through a swap effect does not pay an install cost and does not have the opportunity to trash other cards as part of that installation. A Corp card that becomes installed by being swapped enters the play area unrezzed, just as if that card had been installed normally.

Rules-wise (IIUC!!), the Corp may choose to rez Mitra (at Step 6.9.2.e), after the Runner has chosen to not jackout (at Step 6.9.2.c), and before the Runner will approach/encounter whatever ice is at that current position (at Step 6.9.2.f). See Phase 6.9.2. (Movement):

c. The Runner may choose to jack out, proceeding to step 6.9.6, Run Ends Phase. If the Runner does not, continue to (d).

d. The Runner's position moves to the next position inward, if any.

e. A paid ability window occurs, in which players may use paid abilities and the Corp may rez non-ice cards. (P) (R)

f. If the Runner moved to a new position, return to step 6.9.2, Approach Ice Phase, approaching the piece of ice in their new position.

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 card is, verbatim, 30yo:

1. WotC (1996): TRAP!
2. FFG (2012): Snare!
3. NSG (2025): Byte!

[$0] Node [-$0]: Ambush
(Corporation uncommon)

If you pay [4] when Runner accesses TRAP!, it does 3 Net damage and gives Runner a tag, even if TRAP! is not installed. Ignore this effect if Runner accesses it from the Archives. If TRAP! is accessed from R&D;, Runner must show it to you.

≡

[$0] Asset [-$0]: Ambush
(Jinteki 2/5)

If Snare! is accessed from R&D, the Runner must reveal it.

If you pay 4[$] when the Runner accesses Snare!, do 3 net damage and give the Runner 1 tag. Ignore this effect if the Runner accesses Snare! from Archives.

≡

[$0] Asset [-$0]: Ambush
(Jinteki 2/5)

While the Runner is accessing this asset in R&D, they must reveal it.

When the Runner accesses this asset anywhere except in Archives, you may pay 4[$]. If you do, give the Runner 1 tag and do 3 net damage.