Compare: Indexing!

For example, if you immediately use both charges on either mode in order, it can act like:

[$2] Event: Double - Run

As an additional cost to play this event, spend [click].

Run R&D. If successful, instead of breaching R&D, look at the top 4 cards of R&D and arrange them in any order. Then you may breach R&D.

Compare: Archives Interface × Fester

You can eat an operation from Archives (like Audacity) before it's recurred, an ambush that's “poisoning” Archives (like Mavirus) before it's accessed, and so on.

Flavor: heliamphora are carnivorous pitcher-plants in the Amazon rainforest (thus, this catches the Corp's flies). See wikipedia/Heliamphora.

Compare: Hostage × Calling in Favors

Design-wise, Criminal can tutor for different, specific subtypes of some cardtype; like how Special Order (Mutual Favor) got icebreaker programs, or Planned Assault got run events, and Hostage got connection resources.

Note that the companions (which are like “non-human connections”) are all virtuals (see below for some examples of MoM-tutorables). Also note that if you already have two (or three) other “on-type” resources in hand, its credit cost is mostly (or fully) reimbursed.

Criminal connections:

• “Baklan” Bochkin
• Miss Bones
• Aeneas Informant
• Juli Moreira Lee
• Debbie "Downtown" Moreira

Criminal virtuals:

• Backstitching
• Slipstream
• Caldera
• Amelia Earhart

Compare with the following, efficient but restricted, if we specialize it:

Use this program only if you trashed any of your installed cards this turn.

Interface → [$1]: Break up to 2 sentry subroutines.

[$2]: +3 strength.

The “Green Cache”.

Without synergies, it's worse than Easy Mark (you break even: gaining four credits while losing two credits, a click, and a card in hand; and you can't play it when bankrupt); but with synergies, it can be ‘blinked’, recurred, charged, ‘sacked’, ad infinitum. (Note that it's power counter–based (not virus counter–based like Cache); it can be used only during your turn (not whenever); and, obviously, it's in Shaper (not Criminal).)

In general, Programs that are “limited-usage” (and which are proactively useable and generically useful) act like Events that (by sticking around) synergize with:

1. Recursion: There's always more Clone Chip–effects than Same Old Thing–effects.
2. Sacrifice: Coalescence, because it is proactive and generic, and because it's permanent, can be fully spent for its full value, then sacrificed for extra value. (cf. Plascrete Carapace, which is reactive and situational, and has When it is empty, trash it., as does AirbladeX (JSRF Ed.).)
3. “Programs-matter” (& “Installation-matters”): That is, the many cards that reference programs (like a program, a program or piece of hardware, etc) explicitly, or implicitly (like You may install 1 card from your grip., Spend hosted credits to install cards., etc; because Events are played not installed).
4. “Counters-matter”: In particular, Coalescence can be charge’d (although, for less value than many other Hosted power counter: … or … for each hosted power counter.; and, unfortunately, there's no “mass-charging”, like Cookbook’s “mass-infesting” for viruses).

Coalescence + Sacrificers:

• Aesop’s Pawnshop: a five(!)-credit profit (cf. Lucky Find, or 2 ice–Bravado).
• Spec Work: [C][C],[$2]→[$7]+2 cards; cf. Blue Level Clearance.

Coalescence + Recursion:

• Simulchip: “flicker” it thru the heap (installing it for free, after paying for the Chip), earning three net credits.
• Rejig: “flicker” it thru the grip (installing it for free), earning four credits.

Coalescence + “Power-Counters-matter” (Charging):

• Rigging Up: [$0]→[$6] (because “rigging it out” both decreases its cost (by all two credits) and increases its effect (by another two credits)). It's also chargeable by Into the Depths, etc.

Coalescence + “Programs-matter”:

• Gachapon: “discover” it thru the stack (installing it for free); cf. Sure Gamble’s [+$4] (but Events aren't “Gachapon-able”).
• DZMZ Optimizer: save 1 extra credit (or two extra credits, if you have two DZMZ’s), as well as using the extra memory-unit(s).
• LilyPAD: draw 1 extra card.
• Environmental Testing: “cash out” 25% faster/sooner.

Other interactions/observation:

• Maven: grants +1 strength indefinitely, as well as funding one Break 1 subroutine. activation (because Maven counts each installed program, unlike Echelon, which counts each installed icebreaker only).
• Khusyuk: dig one card deeper (by tracking your [$2]-drop “flush”).
• Paladin Poemu: Coalescence is burst-econ that's as “Poemu-able” as drip-econ (not “Maemi-able" only). It's also installable by Prognostic Q-Loop, etc.
• Arissana: you can flash it in and use it all up mid-run (thus, neutralizing the “temporary unless trojan” downsides, while still benefiting from the upsides of clicklessness & even ambushability). It's also fetchable by Kabonesa Wu: Netspace Thrillseeker, Test Run, etc.

P.S. You can also read the old Cache reviews, or @YsengrinSC’s Arissana – Coalescence deck.