Pros

• Guaranteed trashing is a strong ability
• Good against upgrades, as it will trash all in the server root for free, in addition to the cards accessed from in the server

Cons

• 2 and a cardslot for this is too steep a cost to trash a single random card
• so needs to be combo-ed with centrals multi-access cards to hit multiple cards
• or else need to be able to run R&D twice, once to check the card first, then again with this to trash it (generally not a great plan)

Notable Interactions

• Medium and Nerve Agent are powerful in-faction centrals multi-access programs which can be really powered up with this.
• Can also work with HQ Interface and R&D Interface
• a good technique with Demolition Run is to make a run with it when you know you will be able to run again immediately, to see a whole fresh set of cards after the trashing cards from the first run
• overshadowed by Wanton Destruction, which is much easier to use as it has the destruction and multi-access built in
  • however, Wanton destruction does not work on R&D
  • using Demolition Run you access the cards first, which lets you steal agendas, while Wanton Destruction must be followed up by an Archives access in order to steal any agendas
  • the accesses with Demo Run can also trigger ambushes though

Final Thoughts

• amazing, potentially game-winning effect when you pull it off with decent amount of multi-access
• but quite difficult to successfully arrange effective use of it

Pros

• utility value of unrestricted recursion is enormous, being able to get whatever card you need at a key moment can win games
• nice value when used to recur two viruses

Cons

• 2, the to play, plus a cardslot in the deck is a high price to pay to recur one card, so its unlikely to be used for economic efficiency
• useless in early game before cards are in the heap

Notable Interactions

• MaxX's ability gets cards into the heap fast, turning this into a kind of tutor
• excellent with limited-use viruses that are expended or trashed after achieving their effect, such as Parasite, Imp and Cache
  • Aesop's Pawnshop or Chop Bot 3000 work nicely with this to get expended viruses, like an Imp with no tokens, into the heap ready to be recurred - and giving the runner a bonus benefit too
• very worthwhile using to recur any card that can exploit a temporarily undefended central server, such as Account Siphon, Indexing, Keyhole, Sneakdoor Beta, Legwork, The Maker's Eye

Final Thoughts

• a powerful staple of the Anarch faction, many anarch decks will run 1-2 copies, hoping to see them in the mid to late game, once many of their powerful tricks are in their heap.
• rarely seen outside Anarch, as the 2 influence is expensive for a utility card, and the 2-viruses benefit is unlikely to get used out of faction
  • the more limited recursion offered by Clone Chip and Same Old Thing is often a suitable alternative in other factions
• but a third copy can result in seeing too many copies too soon, clogging up your grip and eventually having to be discarded
• except as must-have card (3 copies) for MaxX decks, as they become unrestricted tutor and recursion for her very early in the game

Pros

• A very hard counter to viruses
• The most versatile of ambushes, it triggers from everywhere
  • can be triggered from runner access in R&D or HQ
  • triggers from Archives, so virus decks can never run Archives once one of these is in there
  • As an upgrade, can be installed in the root of HQ or R&D after being drawn to ensure a run on that server will trigger it
  • can be installed in naked remotes to have a curious runner trigger it
  • can be installed in a defended remote to masquerade as a non-advanced agenda
  • can sit alongside other high-trash-cost upgrades/assets to potentially defend them from Imp (depends on order runner chooses to access)
  • can co-exist in a server with an Agenda to force the runner to suffer the loss of virus counters as a cost for stealing the agenda
• For 3, the Corp can trigger this (by rezzing then trashing) during the runners turn, during a run, right on encounter with an ice

Cons

• A silver bullet card, it is almost completely a dead draw against runners that have no viruses (some small bluffing value remains as an upgrade)

Notable Interactions

• The best counter to Clot for Fast Advance decks. Use your SCG or Biotic Labor, fully advance your agenda, then in the final action window of your turn, do the following 3 without ceding priority: rez this card, use its trash ability, score the agenda. The runner cannot interrupt this to use a Clone Chip to the Clot back.
• Strong counter to decks that rely on Datasucker with fixed breakers - Mimic, Yog.0, Atman - or with Parasite to destroy an ice on encounter.
  
  • Note that some of these combinations are common in Anarch, Shaper and Criminal decks scenario is common.
  • To use it against these, install it in server protected by ice they will need to use Datasucker to reduce strength of - eg Archer - then after they commit to encountering the ice (by opting not to jack out during the approach), at paid ability window on run step 2.3, rez and trash this. Now they will faceplant into the ice, as at step 3.1 of the run they will have no datasucker tokens left to reduce the strength of ice into range of their fixed breakers or to strength 0 for Parasite.
• Works in a similar fashion against Crypsis or Darwin. (They will be able to use Crypsis against the current ice even without virus tokens, but then will have to trash it.)
• Moderately good against Medium. Weak as an access from in R&D, as the current access will continue to the full number of cards even if this is accessed and clears the Medium of virus counters. However, can be strong as an installed Ambush, as you can trigger it after they commit to accessing, but before access begins and they will then access 1 card only.

Final Thoughts

• Definitely a meta-call card. If your meta is heavy on viruses, especially Datasucker, or your deck is weak to them, then consider including a few of these in your deck. It will do solid work for you against virus decks, shutting down the runner's plans, wrecking their rig with surprise ice subroutines firing, or opening scoring windows by making ice impassable for a turn or more.

Pros

• 1 install cost for a 2 strength, 1 per subroutine Decoder is awesome by itself
• 1 stealth credit for 3 strength boost is also fantastic

Cons

• cannot defeat code gates of 3+ strength without the help of cards that provide stealth credits

Notable interactions

• most importantly, needs a source of stealth credits that can be spent on a decoder, which right now means Lockpick, Cloak and/or Ghost Runner
• A very strong breaker for Rielle "Kit" Peddler, since the first ice she encounters each turn gains the code gate subtype, so this can then break it
• At 2 base strength, without boosting, this can already defeat Enigma, Quandary, NEXT Bronze (for a while at least), and Yagura
• With a single stealth credit boost up to 5 strength, can now defeat some popular heavy-hitting ice like Tollbooth, Inazuma, Lotus Field, and Viktor 2.0

Final Thoughts

• Probably the best stealth breaker at the moment due to its low install cost, and ability to defeat some early game ice before finding any stealth credits
• The synergy with Kit is so strong that there is a reasonably successful deck archetype built with her, the sources of stealth credits, then usually also Dagger, and some form of heavy R&D attack.

Commonly referred to as: ProCo

Pros

• This provides click compression (multiple benefits from a one click) of cards and credits
  • and more card draw is an especially valuable thing to get in click compression as each new card can help you improve your board position
• Long-term income source

Cons

• As a high-cost Resource, makes you very vulnerable to being tagged
• The high install cost can be a tempo hit
• Needs to be installed early in game for best effect, so you really need 3 copies or tutors for it if you want to play it

Notable interactions

• As a connection, can be tutored by Hostage
• Breaking News can be scored from installed but unadvanced, or with SanSan City Grid, to leave you tagged for the single click required to trash this
• Anti-synergy with the excellent Diesel, since that draws cards without ProCo gaining any credits
• great with fast-tempo econ cards like Modded, Sure Gamble and Daily Casts that cost only zero or one click to provide their economic gain
• Anti-synergy with Magnum Opus, since they are both expensive cards that demand a lot of clicks used on them to recoup playing them.
• Can work nicely with Kati Jones as she only uses one per turn, and this provides trickle credit income while she provides a counter-balance burst income

Final Thoughts

• a powerful supplemental economic engine for decks that want to draw a lot of cards
  • but make sure you have plenty of other economy because each credit you get from this comes with another card you probably want to play - so if they cost more than 1 you can run out of credits or grip really fast.