This console change the game. If you are a 40 cards deck, take 3 of those, install it early (56% chance of getting it in your starting hand), and make the corp lose tempo for free. At 2, it is really cheap for that effect. Because, let's face it, corp clicks are more valuable than runners click. Using 2 (an possibly 2, if it is the second ice) to install an ice is really bothersome.

Worse yet, if the corp score while their hand it full (and on their last click), it bounce back a card in hand, forcing the corp to trash something from hand because they are over the limit. Making this kind of like a Sabotage 1.

But it get better. If you are not a glacier and only single iced your servers (centrals or others), scoring an agenda or getting an agenda stolen on a first click means a server is now unprotected! Against shell games corps (looking at you, Mitosis), you bounce back a card that has advancements, making the board less threatening.

This combo well with Capybara, which let you derez a bypassed ice, which can then be bounced back in the hand of the corp. Fun skateboard flip.

3 influences is cheap for such a powerful effect. Back when Leela Patel: Trained Pragmatist was a playable identity, it was considered one of the most powerful ability in the game. Of course, this takes up your console slot. And contrary to a great console like Paragon or Pennyshaver, it does not pay for itself. But at 2, it is cheap enough that you should not feel it much.

The real downside is this, you want this console installed as early as possible. While other console can be slotted as 1x, Hermes should always be slotted as 3x. Getting this at the late game is quite useless. So, not only does this take your console slot, but it takes more card slots also.

This is a powerhouse of a card, it cannot be overstated how good this is. I expect this to become the prefered console for regular criminals. And it will be splashed (for a whopping total of 9 influences) outside of criminals sometime, for great effects.

The art and quote are good and fitting for a console that is aimed at Mercury: Chrome Libertador. The name of the greek god of travelers is somewhat fitting with the theme of Mercury: Chrome Libertador (which has the roman name of nearly the same god of travelers). In a metaphorical manner, it can be seen as fitting for what the console does (make cards travel back). It fit neatly together, well done!

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With the Automata Initiative cards, a lot more cards have a "when encountered" effect. AirbladeX (JSRF Ed.) will help solve this in a beautiful manner.

This card can be compared to the old Hunting Grounds, which is now rotated (in Q3 2023), along with most of the Apex: Invasive Predator card pool. But it is better, since is can be recharged (go Captain Padma Isbister: Intrepid Explorer!), can be used multiple times in one turn, is cheaper and hard to trash (not a ressource). At one influence, it is a great card to have for any runner.

If that was the only ability, it would be a good card.

But it gets better. It protect you when you run! This solve the problem a runner has against Jinteki : encountering Snare!, Urtica Cipher, Fujii Asset Retrieval, Anemone or Sting!, all of which could be lethal. So good!

Finally, this combo perfectly with a great card : Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga. For 1 and one influence, you can foil 3 subroutines. Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga was already a powerful card, be with this, it becomes absurd and allow a runner to pass the first rezzed ice of a server at little cost, WITHOUT breaking any subs. And who love to NOT break any subs : Mercury: Chrome Libertador!

I rate this card has slightly better than Hush. Because it does not take MU, solved multiple problems, all for the same cost and influence. Load of runner deck will be made more resilient with this. If you combo it with Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga, it actively help you winning the game, which you cannot say for Hush.

All in all, a great hardware!

The art depict levitating "rollerblade". Skating by levitating is a fun concept that is very futuristic, regardless of the fact that frictionless skating (you cannot push with the side of the skate) means that you need almost no muscle strength to go forward, but you'll need plenty of muscle to stay standing with propulsors on your feet (have you ever heard of momentum). While the art is fun and colorful, it is actually failing at describing the effect of the card. How are skates helping you avoid NET damage? If it was meat damage, it would make sense. Unless those are virtual skates for the virtual avatar that is encountering the ices? In which case, it kind of make sense. A quote would have helped here. This get a passing grade, only because I want to believe those are virtual (even if it contradict the fact that it is a vehicle hardware), which give makes sense for the concept of avoiding damage and dangerous ices.

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Worth noting that while this card is surprisingly good, there are some ice which it doesn't work on, such as Virtual Service Agent and notably Anansi

Here comes the way to reliably Neurospike a runner. Score this, and use Neurospike for a total of 5 net damages. In Jinteki: Personal Evolution, that is 6 net damages, usually enough flatline 95% of the runners, even if their hand is full.

But that is not all. With it, in the early game, you can poison archive. Even better if there is a Sting! alongside it. Normally, one of each would cause a total of 3 net damages, which is painful enough to make it possible to win with Punitive Counterstrike after. In Jinteki: Personal Evolution, that would be 5 net damages! Really, Fujii Asset Retrieval will be the Jinteki: Personal Evolution agenda of choice.

If you are looking for a vegan Jinteki, this is not the agenda for you. For every other Jinteki deck (most are aimed at flatlining the runner), this agenda is phenomenal. Much more proactive than Obokata Protocol (which is banned, in Q3 2023). This is "replacement" is better and encourage more meaningful choices. Multiaccess is good. But with this agenda, which often has Snare! in the deck with it, means you could face 5 net damages (and a tag) if you access 2 cards or more with multiaccess. Before, if you encountered Snare! first, it meant that you could not steal Obokata Protocol. But now, it means you could simply be flatlined, even with 4 cards in hand.

Of course, this agenda is much more fair since it does nothing in the late game if you steal it, because you win from having 7 points before you lose from being flatlined. That is a great design!

While the art is well made, it is a bit baffling to me, flavor wise, because Jinteki is usually not depicted with an industrial prison (or facility) that look more at home with Weyland. I do appreciated however the tree put on the left side of the picture, giving a nice wink to the logo of Jinteki. The quote of exactly what it should be and encapsulated perfectly the meaning of the name and effect of the card, tying them together perfectly. Good job!

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While Sunny was never the most popular identity (or the strongest), she was well loved and we will all be sad to see her go with the next rotation.

The card pool of Sunny is pretty good, but she was slowed by the fact of being a 50 cards deck. That additional 5 cards (or 10 cards, if compared to Tāo Salonga: Telepresence Magician) makes it difficult to reliably get her main piece of tech early.

The main attraction of Sunny was to get Security Nexus in faction. When Endurance was banned, it became again a possible console, since runners were now used to pay 8 for a console. But now that runners were used to pay 5 influences for Endurance, then Security Nexus became not so bad, at 3 influences.

The suite of breakers of Sunny are interesting, because they do not take any MU for Sunny. And White Hat is a very unique card in its ability to show the hand of the corp and shuffle back 2 cards from it.

With 25 influences (like all mini factions), you can do have nearly archetype. The difficulty is the 50 cards, which will impose that you have more draw power or ability to filter your own deck.

For draw, without spending influence, you have Earthrise Hotel, Verbal Plasticity (seldom played), Jailbreak (kinda) and DreamNet. This later card is really good with Sunny, since you have the condition required to get 1 and drawing one card per turn, instead of just drawing one card, which is great value, especially when combined with Jak Sinclair for a "free run".

Gachapon and Asmund Pudlat are great ways to find cards and reduce the deck size.

Speaking of Jak Sinclair, this can allow Sunny Lebeau: Security Specialist to be able to use Deep Dive to see 2 cards, making it a great way to dig for agendas.

Finally, 2, that usually quickly get to 3 with Security Nexus, is amazing against tracer ices. You can let an ice like IP Block fire at no risk. It also complement with well Black Hat, Office Supplies, White Hat, Security Chip and especially Security Nexus, which all rely on link strength. Traces are getting phased out, so it feels natural for Sunny Lebeau: Security Specialist and her card pool to be phased out also.

A wonderful identity, a wonderful art, a wonderful quote, a wonderful amount of lore behind this identity. Wonderful job.

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Earth Best Mom

The second most often imported directive, after Find the Truth. Providing clickless draw and the "price" to pay is just to reduce your hand size a bit, for which you can build your deck around.

For Adam players, this goes hand in hand with Brain Chip, allowing you to get draw from a hand that is getting bigger as the game progresses.

Outside of Adam, this pairs well if you intend to use Marrow, T400 Memory Diamond, Hippocampic Mechanocytes or Supercorridor, all of which increase you hand size.

It fit nicely with Nathaniel "Gnat" Hall: One-of-a-Kind, which want to have a low number of cards in hand. Even if makes it more likely to be flatlined by damage.

However, it does not go well with any Core Damage. So, using Basilar Synthgland 2KVJ, Ghosttongue, Zenit Chip JZ-2MJ, Light the Fire! or Begemot is not recommanded with Safety First, since you can flatline yourself from a negative handsize.

The art is one of the best in the Adam card pool, really evoking the feeling of safety first. Same goes for the quote. And the effect of the card is perfectly matched with the name, art and quote. This is how it should be. Astounding design.

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