Kingmaking (👑) is a “DIY 4/3” if you're holding onto (or draw into) an X/1, as well as drawing up to 3 cards itself.


“Low-Worth” agendas include:

See v<2 t:Agenda f:NBN|neutral z:standard .

Design:

  • Like Regenesis, it “free-scores” an agenda when you score it (which I love). This encourages its own specific agenda-suites: Regenesis wants 5/3’s, esp. which have Archives-relevant (like when stolen) text; and Kingmaking wants 3/1’s, esp. which have (non-when you score & non-hosted agenda counter-based) abilities.

  • Even if you didn't care about the extra agenda point or any abilities (like False Lead), it still “removes” one agenda in your hand from the game, which is a (petit) anti-flood effect on its multi-draw.

Note:

  • While it won't trigger Superconducting Hub’s conditional (on-score) ability, it does still enable its static (in-score-area) ability. For example, in @koga’s “Teeth Azmari, a (44-card) deck which sleeved up 4 X/1’s for 3 Kingmaking’s.
  • IMO, the text would read a little better as worth 1 agenda point or less / worth 1 or fewer agenda points.

A kingmaker scenario in a game of three or more players is an endgame situation where a player who is unable to win has the capacity to determine which player among others will win.

en.wikipedia.org

Descent (🌀) can protect agendas both:

  • with its ↳ End the run. subroutine, and
  • with its Shuffle up to 2 agendas in HQ and/or Archives … expendability.

And (because it draws 1 but shuffles 2), you can still tuck away an agenda already in HQ even if you also draw another one. For example, tucking two The Basalt Spire’s or SDS Drone Deployment’s can be brutal; unlike the in-faction Drudge Work, it won't earn you six credits, but also won't take up a deck slot, and isn't rotating.


Like Tatu-Bola, it's a $2/1s/1↳ EtR (at 2/5-inf) that can reposition itself (& shrug off trojans) and/or gain “unbreakable” (non-subroutine) value. AFAICT, it's the last in NSG's cycle of “gearchecks with late-game” (tho the only Code Gate):

  • Ping (sg): has an On-Rez.
  • Ablative Barrier (tai): has a (Threat’d) On-Rez.
  • Tatu-Bola (tai): bounces to swap, for econ, and repositioning.
  • Descent (rwr): bounces to expend or reposition.

PS. @Sokka’s spoiled champ card Key Performance Indicators seems to be a “Weyland Level Clearance” that can tuck an HQ-agenda (while advancing / installing ice / earning credits), which could cannibalize Descent by also being a (more powerful) anti-flooding effect that's “multiple cards in a single slot”. Or maybe together, they'll provide enough in-faction (& incidental) flood-protection to save influence (& slots) on some Spin Doctor copies (as some 44-card decks, like BTL & PD, have done). Or maybe not, since—while Descent can tuck Archives-agendas too—they're both “action-speed”, not “window-speed” (lol) like Spin Doctor. IDK.

Environmental Testing’s “install four programs/hardware” mini-game is kinda/sorta halfway between time-based econ (like Daily Casts) and clicked-based econ (like Telework Contract):

  • While you need clicks to install programs, you don't need to waste a click on just taking credits (same as good run-based econ).

  • While you only have about four clicks per turn, you can easily "cash out" quickly (like triple-clicking a Liberated Account).


Design:

  • It's econ that's non-generic (& non-neutral): You don't just “wait for credits” or “click for credits”, you build your deck around the two card-types it cares about, and you play your games to speedrun it or not. (Even if it were neutral/0inf, IDs can't just drag-n-drop it in for some extra econ.)

  • It counts up (not down) to be charge-able.


Synergies:

For example, with DZMZ+ET+Lily, installing a program a turn will save you $1, get you “$1.5” closer, and draw you 1 card (see “The Metric Octopus - 11th at Worlds 2023” ).

You can accelerate it easily, ET–I–I’ing one turn then I–I’ing the very next turn (as long as you already had them in grip, or could draw into them, or have been re-installing cards, or so on); though you will be spending credits (on installations) after having sunk three (into installing it itself). You can “compress” it too: install a SMC or Simulchip the same turn (as ET), but crack it on the Corp's turn (double-triggering a LilyPAD; then, on your next turn, install Muse–for–Coalescence*, popping ET (while setting up your rig at the same time).


PS. An ID like Hayley Kaplan, which triggers on either turns (Runner and Corp alike), could have popped ET by manually installing only a single program (on R-turn) and then cracking SMC (on C-turn).

As @dnddmdb says in their review, "one click for six credits is simply very strong".

Nanuq (🐻‍❄️) is kinda like a “Current AI”.

Unlike other temporary icebreakers (Mayfly, Revolver, Propeller, etc) it's not recurrable/rechargeable, because it RFGs (not trashes) itself.

And unlike Runner currents (Rumor Mill) or single-turn icebreakers (Chameleon), it only helps you steal agendas during a single run.

Compare: Engolo × Curupira

  • Like Engolo or Mass-Driver, Lobisomem is a [2mu] Decoder that can also break/‘melt’ Barriers.
  • Like Curupira or Nfr, Lobisomem charges up by fully break-ing (which makes further breaking of Barriers easier/cheaper).
  • Like Penrose, Lobisomem is a Decoder that can immediately break a Barrier.

Synergies:

  • Orca: both complements it (by breaking Sentries) and charges it up (to break Barriers); also, you can Spark of Inspiration out either (as @CallForJudgement mentions in their review).

  • Rigging Up: you ramp it out for [$5] and 2 power counters (it's immediately ‘chargeable’ because it reads When you install this program and …, place 1 power counter on this program.).


Flavor: “lobisomem” is pronounced [lobizˈõmẽj] in Brazilian-Portuguese (like “lo-bee-zO-meng” in English), and means “werewolf” (from Latin “lupus” (“wolf”) +‎ “hominem” (“man”)).