Basilar Synthgland 2KVJ

♦ Basilar Synthgland 2KVJ 1[credit]

Hardware: Cybernetic
Influence: 3

When you install this hardware, suffer 2 core damage.

You get +1 allotted [click] for each of your turns.

It isnʼt as enjoyable as coffee, but the effects are magnitudes stronger.
Illustrated by Martin de Diego Sádaba
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Parhelion (ph)

#86 • English
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  • Updated 2023-03-25

    Does the effect of Basilar Synthgland 2KVJ give the Runner an extra on the turn it is installed?

    No, the additional is only gained when the Runner receives their allotted s at the beginning of their turn.

Reviews

Probably not worth it if you take the 2 brain damage. At that point, you're spending 3 draws and an install and $1 on this card to gain 1 click/turn for the rest of the game and a penalty on hand size which makes things much harder against Jinteki, HB, and many Weylands. If you plan on using Hippocampic Mechanocytes to restore your hand-size, it's five draws and two installs and $1 to gain 1 click/turn. Ouch.

Basilar looks alright if you can prevent the brain damage. Having a 5th click increases the expected # of agendas stolen on a Deep Dive by around 50%. On average the 5th click adds something like .75 - 1 additional agenda point per Deep Dive depending on the agenda suite. If your gameplan hinges on 2-3 super Deep Dive turns, spending $9 on Caldera could be worth it to make the Deep Dives more effective. If you plan on turns running every central server, a fifth click could also be useful for Exploit or Encore.

Outside of Deep Dive Shaper, this might see niche usage in Apex and Nova, using Heartbeat or Assimilator to avoid the damage. Apex is extremely short on influence, but Assimilator might be able to produce enough value from an extra click to consider it.

(Parhelion era)

Great analysis. But even outside of Deep Dive shapers, this can do a lot, since it is an additional click, which allow you to setup faster for something like Counter Surveillance or other shenanigagns. I think Esâ Afontov: Eco-Insurrectionist could use this to great effect also, even at the cost of one more Core damage than usual.

See this is why you need to prevent the core damage

This is the most impactful cyberware, but at a great cost! 2 Core Damages is tough, on top of the tempo loss of losing 2 cards. But making your deck 25% more effective is tremendous.

If you plan to ue Deep Dive and your are a shaper, you should have this cybernetic, period. For any other shaper, this is a good card.

But having your hand size reduced by 2 is difficult. You should probably take Hippocampic Mechanocytes to compensate.

What will hold back this card would be the prevalence of Blood in the Water and Ontological Dependence, because they becomes 3-2 and 2-2 agendas, respectively.

Also, you should have No Free Lunch as an auto inclusion if you use this cybernetic, to protect yourself from End of the Line.

In my opinion, this is as impactful as Endurance, but maybe better balanced.

I like the use of reflection to see Captain Padma Isbister: Intrepid Explorer from the front and the back. The quote encapsulate completely the effect of the card. Simply an amazing card!

(Parhelion era)
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