Playing certain cards on the table evoke emotion for the Corp. Lamprey; agitation. Medium; concern. Record Reconstructor; confusion. Whenever someone plays an Incubator, I feel an omen. A death knell practically sounds when this hits the mat.

Combo incarnate, Incubator is a pricey Virus supplement that creepily whispers "Things are gonna get nasty for somebody, and it ain't me." Paired with Medium, Nerve Agent, or the all-mighty Hivemind, this card defines the term 'explosive turn.' Otherwise, it's a 3 credit sink that sits on it's ass and does nothing.

Take any Hivemind combo, and Incubator multiples its power. Bringing your Darwin and multi-access Viruses to huge in one click is immense, and can immediately end the game. Search up a deck made with these two cards and you'll be deckbuilding with an evil cackle all day.

Protecting against Incubator is tricky. You can play it safe and purge every time it reaches 3-5 counters, but even that may be too little too late if the game is halfway over. Naturally, Cyberdex Virus Suite stiff-arms Incubator. Not only do they waste the click, but you nullify their entire plan.

Expect big turns from Incubator. ICE can't protect you from a 10 strength Darwin, but Upgrades certainly can. Look to Caprice Nisei and Ash 2X3ZB9CY on your R&D. There are other creative ways to stop giant Medium digs before they happen, and I'll leave that to you to find.

This card is great, and I love it's mechanic. It creates pressure in a unique way and it's one of my favorites.