Cyberdex Trial

Cyberdex Trial 0[credit]

Operation
Influence: 0

Purge virus counters.

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Illustrated by J. Zhang
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Opening Moves (om)

#19 • English
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Reviews

Sometimes the Trial Version is all you need

Ever install a limited trial program to do one thing which you only ever needed to do once anyway negating the need to buy the full version? As an operation Cyberdex Trial is kind of like that, only it differs from it's full-version brother Cyberdex Virus Suite in significant ways not all of which make it the lesser of the two.

Combos

When facing a virus-heavy the corp would benefit greatly to be able to play Cyberdex Trial when needed and more often if any of the following are also in the deck this may be possible (albeit often with some significant strings attached): Archived Memories, Reclamation Order, Jackson Howard Lily Lockwell Aggressive Negotiation, The Future is Now, Jinteki Biotech: Life Imagined, Project Vitruvius Allele Repression

Install agenda, purge viruses & score an agenda in the same turn! If the runner has some tags the following combo is possible: to Purge virus counters with Cyberdex Trial (particularly useful to trash Clot), to install agenda then to run Psychographics, score said agenda, finally check expression on runners face. (Note: Other fast-advance variations are possible here too besides relying on tags & Psychographics)

Trial Vs Virus Suite

Trial is better: As an operation Cyberdex Trial gives the corp more control over when to purge, whereas with Cyberdex Virus Suite the runner can access and trash it when it's not needed.
Also Like any good trial version Cyberdex Trial costs 0 whereas Cyberdex Virus Suite costs 3

Virus Suite is better: Cyberdex Virus Suite doesn't even have to be installed or rez-ed to fire as it can fire when accessed in archives, HQ or R&D too. Additionally when Cyberdex Virus Suite is installed on a server the corp can surprise the runner by rezzing Cyberdex Virus Suite just as a runner is accessing a nasty piece of ice (even if on another server), but only now with no virus counters the runner was depending on, the s are more likely to stick.

(Did I miss something obvious, I'd appreciate suggestions in the comments below, I may add it to this review)

Pros

Cyberdex Trial provides 2 savings compared with standard corp action of to Purge virus tokens leaving those 's for other priorities

With a possibility of 3 copies of Cyberdex Trial potentially being tutored or recurred with combos, a virus-based runner's virus synergy could be thrown off losing so much tempo that winning would take a miracle.

At no influence point, Cyberdex Trial can be splashed into any deck to give hard-counter to virus-based runner decks only for the cost of a deck slot.

Cons

Completely worthless against against runners not using viruses

Summary

Another Meta question: How likely am I going to face virus-based runners? Perhaps someday a combo giving an additional benefit to the corp when virus counters are purged could help get the dust off of this card. Until then unless the answer to the question is "Very, very likely" then Cyberdex Trial will probably not see much use.

--It just saddens me when I see cards with no reviews. If you appreciated this review, please give a heart and I'll be encouraged to write more.

(Data and Destiny era)
Psychographics and Cyberdex is played differently against Clot. You need to purge as late as possible, cause otherwise Clot might be tutored or recurred to foil your plans and it doesn't prevent you from installing or advancing stuff, so you can just install, Psycho, Cyberdex, score. This way runner doesn't get a paid ability window to recur or tutor. —
I agree, you don't want to give the runner time to recur clot. My focus with the combo was to point out how an agenda can be scored out of hand in a single turn despite having a clot on the table demonstrating it's potential, not necessarily the most probable scenario mind you. Still, if you are facing a tag me-runner however, my semi-far-fetched combo becomes very viable so I thought it worth while to word it in the way I did. —