Mwanza City Grid

Mwanza City Grid 0[credit]

Upgrade: Region
Trash: 5
Influence: 1

Root of HQ or R&D only.

Whenever the Runner breaches this server, they access 3 additional cards. When the breach ends, gain 2[credit] for each time the Runner accessed a card during that breach.

Limit 1 region per server.

Illustrated by Yog Joshi
Decklists with this card

Whispers in Nalubaale (win)

#96 • English
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  • Updated 2024-03-22

    ANCUR UFAQ 23 [Michael Boggs]

    If the Runner trashes any of the accessed cards, does the Corp still gain 2 for each of the trashed cards?

    Yes. The trashed cards were still accessed, even though they are no longer in the server.

    Can Mwanza City Grid count as one of the additional cards I need to access from R&D because of its ability?

    No. Upgrades are installed in the root of a central server, not in the central server itself.

    Does the Corp gain 2 for each upgrade installed in the root of R&D or HQ as well as for each of the cards accessed from the central server itself?

    Yes. While the first part of Mwanza City Grid's ability gives additional access from the server itself, the second part counts all cards accessed during that access phase, including Mwanza City Grid itself and other upgrades in the server's root.

    How many times does NASX meet its trigger condition from the credit gain of Mwanza City Grid's ability?

    Once. Mwanza City Grid counts the accesses, then gives the Corp the appropriate number of credits all at once, after the access phase is completed.

    What happens if Mwanza City Grid becomes installed in the root of Archives, for example by using Metamorph?

    The Runner already accesses all cards from Archives, so the ability granting additional accesses does not change anything. However, the Corp will gain 2 for each card in Archives and the root of Archives that the Runner accessed.

    So what happens if Mwanza City Grid becomes installed in a remote server?

    Like with Archives, the Runner already accesses all cards installed in a remote server. No additional accesses are made, but the Corp gains 2 for each cards accessed from the server.

    Okay, but what if the Corp is playing Gagarin Deep Space: Expanding the Horizon?

    Gagarin does not change anything about the functionality of Mwanza. The Runner must pay 1 for each card in the remote server that they wish to access. After accessing is over, the Corp gains 2 for each card the Runner paid to access.

Reviews

I'm a Jinteki man, and this is my favorite card in the deck. Mwanza City Grid can be a powerful force of economy, defense, and damage, potentially all at once. A runner taking 4 accesses plus the grid itself produces 10c from a 0c card, and it either survives to do it again or the runner trashes it for 5c of their own. A 15c swing is powerful. Account Siphon powerful. Of course, power like that has never come without a drawback.

Jinteki's game plan doesn't always involve keeping the runner out. It might be making accessing too risky or too painful to do. They're the faction of Komainu, Neural Katana/EMP, Snare!, all that fun stuff. Porous, but dangerous. Mwanza City Grid is a natural fit. Multiaccess against jinteki has always been a risky proposition, and the corp actively offering more accesses should come across as more suspicious than a nun with a boner. A runner may simply choose not to run a server you've placed this on. I always run 3, even though you can only have 2 installed, because seeing it early is always a boon, and one usually gets trashed by the time the third one is drawn.

As for running it in other factions, Mwanza technically only costs 1 influence. I say technically because it begs to be run with ambushes, and I'm not afraid to say that Jinteki keeps the best of those as well. Bringing in a pack of snares will set you back another 6 influence. I don't actually play many decks outside Jinteki, but Haarpsichord Studios has some amusing synergy. Since the runner can't steal more than one agenda a turn, feel free to show them as many as you'd like, and maybe profit off that too.

Yes, I am absolutely enamored with this card. I cannot sing its praises enough. But, the obvious downside: More accesses means more agendas stolen and more assets trashed. You can turn those into punishment too! Weyland in particular has some wonderful options. However, when the runner is sitting pretty on a full grip and game point, you may regret having these grids rezzed. So, advice: You usually want to install on HQ first, since you can curate what's in your hand much more easily than what's on top of your deck. Leaving a mwanza server completely unchecked can result in ruin pretty quickly.

(Reign and Reverie era)
22
It also has some incredibly useful synergies out of faction if specced right, with IDs from every faction (Argus, Haarpsichord and Sportsmetal) having abilities which can potentially take further advantage of it. —