Shibboleth is an early-game higher-base-strength-than-install-cost decoder.

Note that Shibboleth is the only “unthreat” in The Automata Initiative (ie. the only card with a negative ability under a Threat _ → … flag), being better earlier and worse later. These two expanded templatings would be equivalent:

• base [3s] and If either player has 4, 5, and/or 6 agenda points, this program gets −2 strength.
• base [1s] and If both players have 3, 2, 1, and/or 0 agenda points, this program gets +2 strength.

Flavor: A shibboleth (like a Passport) tells your state/megacorp where you're from, and thus a fake accent (like a fake ID) can let you flee to safety. The flavor text is a quote from Mercury (where the "accent" would be an unfree Nico's body language, speech patterns, cerebral imaging, or something like that).

en.wikipedia.org

Laser Pointer (🫣🔦) can bypass one encounter that would damage your grip, trash your rig, or tag you.

Compare:

• Backstitching, also a one-off two-drop on-board constrained bypasser in criminal.
• Deus X is anti-AP, Sharpshooter is anti-Destroyer, and Gingerbread is anti-Tracer (most tracers, like most observers, being taggers, such as Phoneutria, Starlit Knight, and Virtual Service Agent in The Automata Initiative).

Note that as a weapon, it's tutorable by Asmund Pudlat.

Flavor: in the Hong Kong protests, protestors shone laser pointers at the police's helmets.

en.wikipedia.org

Curupira (🐾😈) can bypass every three times it breaks.

Compare: Demara crossed with Mass-Driver?

For example, it can fully-break 1s–1↳ barrier’s (like Ablative Barrier, Tatu-Bola, and Ping) for $0+$1 (thus can charge up for just $3), to bypass any ≥5s–≥3↳ big boys (like Pharos and Brân 1.0) or “when encounters” mad lads (like Data Loop).

Design: I think the fully break condition has better gameplay against barriers (because most will End the run anyways) than against code gates or sentries (cf. Bukhgalter).

Flavor: In Tupi–Guarani folklore, the curupira has a fiery head, backwards feet, and preys on hunters who take more than they need.

en.wikipedia.org

Chrysopoeian Skimming (🪙🧪) reveals some hidden information either about HQ (1 agenda) or R&D (top 3); although, whichever is a less informative revelation for you.

For example, you can play this, then play an S-Dobrado to breach the server where you saw an agenda (and if you steal it, you can even trigger an installed Hermes).

Note that because it's the Corp's choice, they will just show you one of the two-ish agendas that the Runner already always guesses are in a full HQ (or they can leak info about their better-protected server, or they may even be able to bluff/bait you). Still if it WERE the Runner's choice:

• paying a single credit (ie. losing no clicks and no cards) to learn how many agenda points HQ has, at minimum (if the Corp didn't have a choice, and you could somehow verify the absence of agendas, for example), may be worth it.
• paying a credit+click+card to learn where and how many agendas are on top of R&D, what the Corp's next three draws will be, and so on, might be worth more than just running R&D once.

Note also that HQ access is random, and R&D access is ordered: So even if you know that least 1 in 5 cards in their hand is an agenda, or that the 2nd or 3rd card down in their deck is an agenda, without multiaccess (or sabotage, or milling, or so on), you'll still need to luck out, pay trash costs, and so on.

Compare: Insight or Executive Wiretaps.

Flavor: In alchemy, chrysopoeia («χρυσοποιία», "khrusopoiia") means "gold-making" and is the transmutation of lead into gold, which the ouroborus bracelet references too. (n the next Liberation Cycle set, maybe there'll be an "Argyropoeian Dripping" card, which means silver-making, that forces the Corp to choose between a ice exposure for free or an archives breach.)

en.wikipedia.org

Hermes is Mercury: Chrome Libertador's console: it synergizes both because the identity is multiaccess (more agendas to steal), and because the console can bounce ice (easier no-break breaches).

Compare: Leela Patel: Trained Pragmatist, which has the same text, but an identity is (obviously) qualitatively different to build around than a card is; they don't cost any clicks or credits, they can't really be permanently destroyed, and they don't need to be drawn or tutored for.