Watchtower

Watchtower 4[credit]

Ice: Code Gate
Strength: 3
Influence: 3

[subroutine] Search R&D for a card and add it to HQ. Shuffle R&D.

416d20472046204720416d
Illustrated by BalanceSheet
Decklists with this card

Station One (so)

#38 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Printings
Rulings

No rulings yet for this card.

Reviews

"Sir Weyland, the runner is nearly at the gates; the men are growing restless. What is your command?"

"Fear not Sir Lancelot, this operation was nothing more than a Honeyfarm all along! Fetch me my Snare and our strongest catapult, we'll send them clear back to Space Camp!"

(Earth's Scion era)

Really, nobody care for this one ?

Well, that's true the numbers are not great. 4 cost for a strength of 3, only one sub. But hey, a hell of a sub !

At last, a code gate that the runner will really fear to facecheck — what Mausolus failed to be. The kind of card that is not a true gearcheck, but acts as one since the Runners will hate to trigger this thing, much like Architect. Ok, it doesn't install the card you'll search, but Midseason Replacements can't be installed.

Now, let's be clear, it's not the piece of ice to run 3 copies in a 4 code gate deck. Keep some Quandaries or Enigmas, for they are cheaper and true gearcheck. Keep some Mausoluses, they remain a higher tax on the long run and don't become waste if Yog.0 hits the table. It's not even a piece of ice that every deck should play. But still, it may become the default face check threat in many, especially the kill flavor ones.

(Station One era)
It's great when you want it to fire, but it is missing the word "may" from the sub. The runner could exploit this to force you to keep drawing, and keep shuffling R&D for fresh accesses. —
If you like the ability to fire again (since the runner will usually avoid firing it) a Wormhole to it is a nice option. Also props to FFG for a little puzzle in the flavor text. —
The flavor text is hexadecimal for the guitar chords: Am G F G Am. These chords are repeated for Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." —
ICE tutoring with this comboes well with Bloom (Jinteki), Minelayer or Architect (both HB). Worth splashing? —
(addendum) ...and grabbing some Grail ICE too. —
I don't know where the idea that Mausolus is a code gate you are not afraid to facecheck comes from. Smashing face-first into it is hella annoying. —
Too expensive to splash, but a great card in Weyland. Best in IDs that need a particular card to work properly, like Titan or Jemison. It is too slow for Blue sun. —