Rime

Rime 0[credit]

Ice: Mythic
Strength: 0
Influence: 0

During runs against this server, you can rez this ice any time you could rez non-ice cards.

Each piece of ice protecting this server gets +1 strength.

[subroutine] The Runner loses 1[credit].

Illustrated by N. Hopkins
Decklists with this card

Downfall (df)

#65 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Printings
Downfall
Rulings
  • Updated 2019-04-27

    NISEI Downfall Release Notes [NISEI Rules Team]

    When can Rime be rezzed?

    Rime’s ability means that it can be rezzed in paid ability windows that allow the Corp to rez assets and upgrades, not just the special paid ability window while it is being approached. It cannot be rezzed during paid ability windows that don’t allow rezzing non-ice cards, most notably the paid ability window during an encounter.

    Can the Corp rez Rime with the ability on Architects of Tomorrow?

    No. Rime is not a bioroid.

    Can the Corp rez Rime when they could rez Tyr’s Hand or Zaibatsu Loyalty?

    No. Rime can be rezzed during paid abilities where ice cannot normally be rezzed. It does not apply to special rez abilities from other cards.

Reviews

Rime is almost a staple in every one of my corp decks now because of how painful it can be. The only times I can't use it are when I get DDoS'd. First, it's a tax: unless an AI is on the field (like my favorite turtle) or a transhumanist, the Runner is always losing money on a Rime server run. Not just from Rime, mind you. All of a sudden, any ice in that server becomes far more dangerous. Archer goes to a strength 7, Fairchild is expensive as all hell to break, Hydra gains an additional head (so to speak), and even Kakugo becomes that much more painful. Furthermore, ice with abilities relying on other ice (like Seidr Adaptive Barrier and Surveyor) benefit from the +1 strength.

One last detail to mention... RIME IS NOT UNIQUE. You can have all three out at once and rezzed, making each of your servers a bit harder to get through, or stack three on top of a particularly painful piece of ice to make it even more spectacularly painful. Did I mention it costs absolutely no influence? Why are you not running Rime? The only reason I can think you wouldn't run it is because you're playing Runner at the moment.

(Uprising era)
72

Well, the only problem it's that it's a porous Ice and you may want to keep pace, so maybe for that a vanilla could be better. Or maybe you don't rely on towers of ice.

—

Small and innocent looking but honestly quite a beastly card. You install this in a huge scoring remote and make the ice in it stronger. Combos extremely well with Jinja City Grid,Surveyor and Mti Mwekundu. You can also rez this during any paid ability window. So no worries if you have this as your last ice with 3 others in front of it, just flip it right away. And as icing on the cake it is a mini Pop-up Window. Has potential to make glacier an even bigger powerhouse. It does die instantly to Chisel though.

(System Core 2019 era)
1948
It doesn't die instantly to chisel. It'll be str 1.it gets boosted by its own ability. —
I think the real problem with this card is the install cost, which to be fair, you already mentioned using Jinja City Grid to offset this. Without Jinja though, even at a rez cost of 0, you almost have to think that you've actually paid X whereas X is the number of ICE on the server that is not Rime (since Rime increases the install cost of subsequent ICE by 1 for each ICE). Then, you have to ask yourself, is +1 Strength for each ICE valuable? Eh... probably. Although in some circumstances, it won't matter, such as when a runner's breaker would need to be boosted anyway, but there is leftover Strength. I suppose the reverse situation (+1 Str requiring a second boost) is true as well though. —

By itself, this ice has a $1 impact on the runner. It is arguably the weakest ice in a solo role. If you spend a deck slot(s) on this, you're fully committed to glacier, you may even have Jinja City to make the install costs more reasonable.

Problem: Rime doesn't actually contribute much to that server to warrant its deck spot. Most ice don't benefit much from +1 strength. Assuming the runner is on the most popular breakers (Paperclip, Black Orchestra, and MKUltra), the only top-tier ice that significantly benefit from +1 strength are Anansi, Turnpike, Drafter, and Gatekeeper-on-rez*. Most major code gates and sentries get nothing from +1 strength.

  • Against Paperclip, most barriers cost +$1 more to break if they get +1 strength. Exceptions: +1 strength doesn't help Vanilla, Border Control, Ping, or usually IP Block.
  • Against Black Orchestra, code gates that are 4 or 6 strength will benefit from +1 strength. Hortum, Mind Game, Gatekeeper-on-rez, Lotus Field, DNA Tracker, and Archangel. It's a short list. (Not much benefit for Funhouse, they can just pay $4 to avoid the tag).
  • Against MKUltra, sentries that are 3 or 5 strength will benefit from an additional strength. Drafter, Turnpike, Anansi, and F2P-while-tagged. Very short list.
(System Update 2021 era)
393

I think this ICE is actually worth running in glacier AgInfusion in particular. The deck wants A) lots of ICE, some cheap and B) to run and rex both Anansi and DNA Tracker -- and the altered breakpoints for BlOrch and MK are painful for conspiracy-breaker anarchs. Especially since you can rez Rime after the runner passes it.

—

Wentagon, that's an interesting interaction with AgInfusion, but AgInfusion is unusually interested in ice positioning (it can only force runners into an outer-most ice), and getting a rezzed DNA Tracker or Anansi with a Rime behind it seems hard to deliver.

—

@Wentagon: is AgInfusion Rime the time for Divert Power to make its move? Rime is a card ideal for unrezzing, seeing as it can be rezzed for 0 anytime. And this allows you to install Anansi/DNA Tracker and get it rezzed cheaply when you need.

—

@superheronation it's by no means the best card in the deck, but I do think it's good enough to be the 48th and 49th cards in the deck.

—