On of the topics that Nisei is covering (as fantasy flight did before) is doing retakes of key existing cards (always with a twist) so they can rotate at some point.

You had Account Siphon that were converted into Diversion of Funds. You have Cloak that became Mantle, Clone Chip that now you can say that's a Simulchip. (But Jackson Howard will live always in our hearts)

In this case the card that you this cards compares to it's a jinteki special one, Mushin No Shin. That card was ensuring that if you play that, you're using another game that's not you're tipycal glacier. And it went over of that jinteki those days could be very poor.

Nowadays there are several things that make our old friend Mushin No Shin. Mainly one of those cards that gived also much appeal to buff assets in servers: NGO Front. One of the reasonable drawbacks of Mushin No Shin it's that it prevented fast advance. You were not allowed to score that agenda for 0 credits without allowing the runner to go for that (with 0 or 1 ice in front) but you could not also rez if it's an NGO.

This card takes a different approach, so let's take the differences:

  • It puts 2 counters instead of 3
  • You hide all your archives.
  • You can trash your cards that spice your archives right up (with Breached Dome or News Team for example).
  • You can install from archives (or from your hand via trashing first).
  • You pay for those counters.
  • You can rez or score if you want to. (so it's NGO Front-friendly)
  • You can install in a existing remote with ICE

An the (important similarities)

In overall I think it's a good card with enough difference to live with Mushin no shin.

I like this ice because it's an illicit ice that hurts and stays in play pretty well. Having a 6 strength is something not trivial to pass through and the trace 6 is also something that you can't just avoid even with powertaps and nexus.

Nowadays there are ways to get off that badpub easily such us Roughneck Repair Squad or Increased Drop Rates so it's not a hard downside and also The Outfit: Family Owned and Operated can profit from it.

I guess that it doesn't see much competitive play right now because it's expensive and people, want faster cards than melange mining co v 2.0 to get cash, but it could work.

(I'm filling reviews in the cards that doesn't have one so if you want to support me put a heart in the review or a comment)

I really like how flavorful this card is, too! The trace ability lets the Runner access to get info (or hit an ambush) but they can't do anything about what they access. Also it doesn't stop successful run effects like Diversion of Funds, Stargate, or Apocalypse, which is thematic for a trebuchet that is defenseless at close range. Maybe that's why it isn't played as much. —

Pelangi is the poor man's Laamb or Engolo (now one banned in the MWL and the other restricted).

It allows the runner to facecheck ice easily and go through in a pinch. That's the job (ideally) for an AI, but there is AI hate ice (like IP Block, Swordsman or Chiyashi. The fact that those icebreakers are banned or restricted is that they are inmune to this kind of ice.

So the idea es that you have, your lonely Corroder, a Bukhgalter or a pumped Study Guide and a handful of creds and you can run wherever you want because you can make the corp rez expensive ice and don't be harmed by a DNA Tracker, or a Fairchild 3.0 or even Mythic ice or traps because you can break it with money and a counter from Pelangi.

The basic card of this idea is Tinkering but Tinkering cost you a clic in the same turn that you want to run so it's usually slower than pelangi that can be used twice (even if it's once per turn). Even if you spend a memory slot it's worth it becaause if you're running only one icebreakers at that moment you have space in your rig! Also yes, you may be telegraphing the corp "I can go through your ice" but it's like being a criminal that can play Inside Job.

Even if it's shaper it can be exported to a anarch deck because Freedom Khumalo: Crypto-Anarchist wants virus countes and Knobkierie can provide them. It has been used even in the world's champion deck of this year 2019.

Other combo cards are Rejig that can refill the counters or use the money to install something else, Aesop's Pawnshop to sell it when it's used, Spec Work to sell it for creds and cards, Clone Chip to reinstall it from the heap whenever you need it, Scavenge also can refill the counters (for this one I prefer Rejig because it's more flexible).

If you don't want to use an AI such us Squirtle-Blastoise, Atman or Eater this card can help you.

Also there are a couple of virus hate cards from the corp pool such us Cyberdex Virus Suite, Macrophage or Reverse Infection that if virus get too prominent they can keep the runner in check. Including this card.

This little guys sinergyzes with Az McCaffrey: Mechanical Prodigy and his console Masterwork (v37) but also shines in Thrash decks such us Armand "Geist" Walker: Tech Lord or Hayley Kaplan: Universal Scholar with Tech Trader.

And even with that it allows you to run with impunity of allmost any encounter (except from Anansi) or remove a tag in pinch (such a 4th clic Snare! or 4th clic Agenda theft from Argus Security: Protection Guaranteed)

The cons is that it's a hardware that has to be installed so if you don't have sinergyies about installing stuff (such as the mentioned or Technical Writer or... The Supplier ) it doesn't see much play.

It's still a fun card for criminals that missed Nero Severn: Information Broker

(I'm trying to fill reviews in cards that doesn't have one so you can have opinions and information in all the netrunnerdb)

Solid summary. Wanted to add some additional clarifications to your review: Flip Switch can be used on Anansi if it's used on the approach. Additionally, Flip Switch's synergy with The Supplier isn't worth it as you won't get the full 2c discount as you would with something more expensive. —

Just install this and laugh when you encounter a Data Raven, Data Ward or an IP Block when you have turtle installed (Pachinko also wouldn´t make problems). I think that it could help to solve Endless Hunger´s problems with "End the run if the Runner is tagged" subroutines that aren´t "End the run", so they can´t be broken with Endless Hunger. Bye bye, Keegan Lane!

I usually slot one of these in my Jinteki decks because I found it very versatile and useful in several ocassions. For glacier or horizontal jintekis. By these days I use it for the following

  • Put a used Snare! in my hand. Install the same snare and an agenda.

  • Make the same trick with an agenda as Fetal AI or Obokata Protocol if I haven't avanced them yet. Or if I have just drawn the Mushin No Shin to play them next turn.

  • Put the Snare in your hand and make your hand more scary. Install ice in other places.

  • Avoid Femme Fatale tokens. Install the same ice or another one.

  • Remove a Mwanza City Grid that has been already useful.

  • Just install scary ice in a remote server with already lots of ice without paying anything.

I haven't tried to export it to other factions yet, but the Jinteki mind games are more difficult to import and with a 3 influence is harder to justify.