Magdalene Keino-Chemutai: Cryptarchitect

Magdalene Keino-Chemutai: Cryptarchitect

Identity: Cyborg
Deck size: 45 • Influence: 15 • Link: 0

Whenever you discard cards to reach your maximum hand size, you may install 1 program or piece of hardware from among those cards.

Good design is invisible—but I’ll never settle for ‘good’.
Illustrated by Marlon Ruiz
Decklists with this card

Elevation (elev)

#24 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool (show history)
Eternal Card Pool
Printings
Rulings
  • Updated 2025-06-29

    The Runner begins their discard phase with −1 hand size. Can the Runner discard a copy of T400 Memory Diamond and use Magdalene Keino-Chemutai to install it and increase their hand size, thereby avoiding a flatline?

    No. The game checks if the Runner flatlines to negative hand size before the Runner discards cards.

  • Updated 2025-06-29

    The Runner has LilyPAD installed and has not installed any programs yet this turn. In their discard phase, they discard a program and use Magdalene Keino-Chemutai to install it. If they draw a card with LilyPAD's ability, putting them above their maximum hand size, do they need to discard again?

    No. The Runner discards to reach their maximum hand size first, then decides whether to install a card with Magdalene Keino-Chemutai's ability. The discard step only happens once during a turn.

  • Updated 2025-06-29

    The Runner uses Magdalene Keino-Chemutai to install Coalescence when they discard it to hand size. Can they use Coalescence's ability to gain credits before the Corp’s turn begins?

    Yes.

Reviews

Magdalene Keino-Chemutai: Cryptarchitect is probably the most shaper almond the shaper ID, along with Arissana Rocha Nahu: Street Artist.

For most turns, this is functionally like having a 5th click. Over drawing is now something you want to do, giving you more info and more preparation for the next turn.

But it gets better. If you play LilyPAD, the install and draw happens after the discard phase, allowing the player to have 6 cards in hand.

The same effet makes playing Basilar Synthgland 2KVJ much more palatable, since you would end your turn with 4 cards in hand, enough to protect you from the first End of the Line or Measured Response.

Basilar Synthgland 2KVJ is great with Magdalene, because it lower the hand size, making it easier to trigger Magda ability. Even with Deep Dive banned, having a 5th click and a functional 6th click would make Magdalene perhaps the most efficient runner, along with Swift Sable.

When played in person, there is a learning curve to learn to overdraw and keep card above the hand size, which is counter to most player habits.

That clickless and non interactive install makes playing cards like Cataloguer so much better. DZMZ Optimizer compound of this for value. Of course, this is true of most hardware and programs. It also lower the tempo loss of installing cybernetics (such as WAKE Implant v2A-JRJ), since the loss of card from hand that you must draw back is compensated by the clickless installation.

If you want to play a "big rig" shaper, there is no identity that is better than Magdalene Keino-Chemutai: Cryptarchitect.

The quote is no probably the best there is for a shaper, art is colorful and well made. The concept of "cryptarchitect" alone is wonderful. Simply amazing!

(Elevation era)
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