Illumination

Illumination

Illumination (💡) is “Joy Ride for installation”!

  • At best: If you are holding 3 programs/resources/hardware each costing at least 1 credit, then you will get 6 “units-of-value”, while still breaching R&D. In particular, you will compress 4 clicks (3 installs + 1 run) into one.

  • At worst… Mass Install is fun?

For example, you can “illuminate out”:

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Ritual

Ritual

Ritual (☕) is a “quasi-Priority Diesel”, IE.:

Morning Energy Drink
0 EVENT: Priority
Play only as your first .
Draw 3 cards.

It's the same cost/inf/effect, but you can't basic-draw to topdeck it and then triple-draw the same turn, like Diesel can.

I love its “lenticular” design for a core-set, it both:

  • pushes newer players into the correct sequencing heuristic, IE. you should draw before you play/install anything from hand, because you might draw into something better (and you want to draw all three cards, right?); and
  • excites them later with the possibility of gaining extra clicks, like with Hannah (to draw a fourth card).

Thus, Ritual is the complete opposite of VRcation (a “quasi-Terminal Draw”).

However, Diesel’s obvious “Pay 0[$]→Draw 3” is extremely exciting for players coming from card games like Hearthstone/Magic the Gathering (Ancestral Recall!, Yu-Gi-Oh (Pot of Greed), or even from other action-based games like *Dominion (Smithy). I still remember my own "No way!" when I first saw it. See “How Good is Drawing 2 Cards in Every Card Game?” | @SodaTCG (YouTube).

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“Knickknack” O’Brian

“Knickknack” O’Brian

“Knickknack” O’Brian is the “new Aesop’s Pawnshop”.

For example, Knickknack gets Gain 2[$]. Draw 1 card. for sacrificing an empty Coalescence, while Aesop got Gain 3[$].. However:

  • Knickknack “reimburses” you: if you buy for $1, you sell for $1, as well as the 1 card itself (like Geist).
  • Aesop just “swindled” for you: if you buy for $1, you still sell for the full $3, having had a much higher floor than Knickknack.
  • Its The first time each turn a run begins, … is a (slightly) more interactive Whenever your turn begins, …; and can even be (slightly) more frequent, since you can run immediately after installing the resource.
  • Both enable if you trashed your … gates (of Simulchip or Boi-tatá).

Synergies:

  • Multi-Cards: While Netrunner lacks “card tokens”, one Muse–Coalescence provides two, $2-cost sacrificeables (from a single click/card, over the next two turns).

  • Cost-Redux: If more self-cost reductions get printed (like Carmen, which costs $3 to install but reads with a printed install cost of $5) in Shaper, then Knickknack can actually profit off the sacrifice (like Aesop did). As well as cost reductions in general (like DZMZ Optimizer and Simulchip).

  • “Spendables”: With virus counters, like Pelangi (or Cordyceps?). And a few with power counters, IE. those without When this _ is empty, trash it., like Coalescence (or the new Devadatta Drone?); as well as the disposable breakers like Revolver (wasting only one “bullet”, to gain two credits and a card), or even Propeller.

  • “Front-loaded’s” cards: With high-value When-Installed triggers (like 5inf The Class Act?).

  • Compression: If you can compress installs (like the new Illumination, which also cheapens those installs), then Knickknack’s econ can “fully-reimburse” the sacrificed installations (credit, card, and click). Likewise within an Ari or Magdalene deck.

Thus Pawnshop, with its the higher floor and its non-interactivity, seems more powerful, but the design of O’Brian feels more exciting (IMO): you have to care about printed install costs, you get a “card flow” (like Geist), you have to make a run, and so on.

PS. My hope is a Shaper card with large self-cost-reductions, like:

  • a gated [$5]; This resource costs 3[$] less to install if you've trashed one of your cards this turn., which works with the Pawnshop archetype (and Simulchip in any archetype).
  • or even a scaling [$6]; This program costs 1[$] less to install for each power counter among active Runner cards., which is unbounded.

NB. While it can sac a 4[$] Principia that only cost you 2[$] to install (for Gain 4[$]. Draw 1 card.), you don't want to be sac'ing Fracters. Like how Aesop sac'd a just-used/off-matchup Paricia (for Gain 3[$].).

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Biawak

Biawak

Biawak (🦎) is the “new Archer”!

The facecheck is similar (though not identical): 4[$], 6 strength → Trash 1 installed program. Trash 1 installed resource. End the run.. Thus, the Corp can still destroy two installations, even including two “icemelters” in general (like Bankhar and a Botulus), but not two icebreakers in particular (like the Fracter and Decoder that were breaking ↳ End the run.’s elsewhere).

Its rez-cost is either 4[$], forfeit 1 agenda (like Archer (with a Data Dealer-ish exchange-rate), or 14[$] (post–Government Subsidy?). As with Valentão, you (almost always) want to forfeit the agenda or take the badpub; but you can (sometimes) just pay the extra credits or remove the tag. I like including “secondary” costs alongside “primary” alt-costs.

Its first two subroutines (↳ Trash 1 installed _ or end the run.) are choices (like Ballista), but encountering Biawak can both EtR and trash programs/resources (like Tithonium). Thus, even if the Runner had no (relevant) non-hardware installed, the Corp can still tax with three “must-break” EtR-subs: un-Boomerang-able/un-Botulus-able (if they want to “just pass through”).

Flavor-wise, the art is a Komodo dragon (the largest lizard), and "biawak" means "monitor lizard" in Malay/Indonesian.

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Like ppl ever facecheck anything in this game anymore. Nobody runs without either full rig or some stupid broken PRO RUNNER cards. So sure even a Rototurret facechecked can hurt you. But if we all still pretend that the magical fantasy land called Netrunner still exists in this game then your absolutely right. But we arent living in this wonderful place anymore brother David. So pls stop comments like this like this ICE is good or dangerous when in the real world at the table your situation never happens.

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I think it might be time to politely go ask your mommy for some chicken tendies, you seem a bit hangry. It's ok hun, bad takes can happen before actually playing a card.

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Biawak

Biawak

Yeah nice card... except it isnt. That fact that you lose 1 agenda and then your ICE against this bullshit Devil Charm combo makes it even more clear that NSG has zero knowledge about Netrunner. You "design" and "playetest" cards like this and think they are good, yet in the background your ANTI CORP Agenda proofes us otherwise. I am done with your hidden political message bullshit. Players are not allowed to like Megacorps and Corp Cards in this game are not allowed to be strong or playable. The outlaws of society aka Runners are the good guys in the world not just Netrunner.

This card is trash. I really hope someone stops you from ruin this game any further

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clown take. get off this site and back onto your joke of a custom format

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also you should think about the fact that I've had an NRDB account for 11 years and this is the first take I've felt compelled to leave a comment on because of how assblastingly bad it was

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There is no shot this person got 2nd at a Districts and never saw an Archer rez in 20q5

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*2025

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HAHDHAHSGGAHAH HOLY SHIT DUDE

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@Meathir saw plenty of archers rezzed in my life and rezzed plenty of them myself. But only since NSG trash cards are poisening this game its underwhelming and bad.

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@Jai yeah seems like you`ve become a NSG trash player then. My format removes all this NSG BS from the game so that skill matters more then stupid OP Runner cards. Its not for everyone to handle i get it. So pls stay with your NSG cards that trivialize the game for you seems like you need it

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Have you thought about going outside. Taking up a hobby like hiking or swimming perhaps? I can recommend skateboarding wholeheartedly, it's done wonders for my mental health and fitness.

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WOKERunner??? (Best copypasta since #TaoGate.)

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Gotdang woke komodo dragons

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'You "design" and "playetest" cards like this and think they are good, yet in the background your ANTI CORP Agenda proofes us otherwise' has got to go down as one of the all-time greats, right? what an incredible sentence

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See you at LAN

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Well sounds like a threat. Normaly something like you should get removed from events for that but since this site is maintained by NSG i guess rules are bent for some people. Just another proof why this joke of a "company" doesnt deserve to ruin this game any further

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imagine being so poisoned by weirdo ideologies that you think game balance is a political statement 😂

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FFG would neeeeeeever print a two-card combo that let you trash Archers (especially not with a single card that could be used repeatedly). Because FFG was a Cum-Pah-Nee, unlike NSG which is a "company".

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joker here thinks "see you at an event" sounds like a threat but in their very first comment does some stochastic "I hope someone stops you" bullshit. absolutely transparent projection. get outta here.

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If you delete the last few words of "I will beat you at this game LOL", it sounds like "I will beat you", which is a physical threat. And for saying I'm "bad at game"? My lawyers will be contacting you all for libel and slander.

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Came here to laugh at @Force9. Seriously, did you even play this game in FFG days? Or read any of the cards? Seems like u mad about the pronouns on the new frames, babe.

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"

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>skill matters more then stupid OP Runner cards.

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Sorry for the spam. I'm apparently bad at NDB comments.

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skillgapped lol

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anyways, i think its fine to have an issue with charm crew (considering the standard balance team seems to have an eye on it already) but like c'mon man, it's not like that because of le wokisme or whatever you're on about

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sir this is a <strike>wendys</strike> archer

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don't care + didn't ask + cry about it + stay mad + get real + L + mald seethe cope harder + hoes mad + basic + skill issue + ratio + you fell off + the audacity + triggered + any askers + redpilled + get a life + ok and? + cringe + touch grass + not based + not funny didn't laugh + you're* + grammar issue + go outside + get good + reported + GG! + ask deez + ez clap + straight cash + ratio again + final ratio + stay mad + stay pressed + cancelled + done for + mad free + freer than air + rip bozo + slight_smile + cringe again + mad cuz bad + lol + irrelevant + cope + jealous + go ahead whine about it + your problem + don't care even more + not okay + glhf + problematic + you fell off + ratio + who asked + no u + deez nuts + radio + don't care + didn't ask+ caught in 4K + cope + seethe + GG + in 1947, the world's first general purpose computer, the 30-ton ENIAC was created + grow the fuck up + L + L (part 2) + retweet + ligma + Taco Bell Gordida Crunch + think outside the bun + ur benched + silver elite + tryhard + L (part 3) just dropped + yb better + ur sus + quote tweet + you're cringe + u bought monkey NFT + you're a clown + my dad is the CEO of netrunner + they didn't think it could possibly happen, but they're releasing L (part 5) in HD this summer and it's in 3D

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You had me at "Crewcharm is bullshit", you lost me with every single other word in this "review"

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If players aren't allowed to like corp cards then how come every entrant in a tournament for the past 7 years has registered with a corp deck? checkmate, athiests.

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netrunner player who thinks the corp are supposed to be good guys

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@oormatevlad IKR. in my review (or some comment on Reddit) I had even said "I think it could have had a untrashability or unshrinkability clause". But I guess NSG nearprinting a beloved FFG card was too much a piece of "anti corporate, pro outlaw" propaganda. somehow

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like c'mon. https://www.reddit.com/r/Netrunner/comments/1k27vh3/comment/mnsmnyh/

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Honestly, "pro-outlaw" does sound really fucking cool. Maybe Officer HotTakes has a point, and this game IS secretly about people ripping off corporations.

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@FArce9: Check Agendas that can be forfeited for this. Note that the new Greenmail Agenda is only 2 clicks to adv to score, is only one point removed from the game (NOT stolen by the runner...) on forfeit and on forfeit actually gives you 2cr on score +4cr on forfeit = 6cr. Obviously made to synergize with this. Next time, "do your own research" before spouting BS. https://netrunnerdb.com/find/?q=t%3AAgenda+f%3Aweyland-consortium%7Cneutral-corp+b%3Astandard-ban-list-25-04+z%3Arotation-2025

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Archer recouped 2cr to the Corp (so final cost was still 4cr), could actually trash TWO critical Breakers instead of one and one resource (and now we have cards that allow reinstalling Resources from the bin like washing shirts). So yeah, I do understand how this is worse than Archer, but Archer was perhaps TOO powerful, as seen in the Facet OB decks.

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@FArce9: Also, you DO realize that, if and when the Corp wishes, this is turned from a rigshooter into a 3xETR 6str sentry, right?

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Wanna hop on here to read and laugh alongside the peeps (I need my daily intake of people being shitty for no reason and the community coming together to just stomp on the person. Lemme get my boots real quick)God Force9 is another level of salty/cry baby/throwing tantrum at parents for not getting candy. No seriously dude, get a life. If you're gonna be salty for being shit at the game and then PROCEED to make it people's problems, you need help. Coming from someone who's shit at netrunner but i handle my emotions by screaming into a pillow like a responsible human being. Not shitting on a card with ZERO valueble takes.

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