A vicious early game ICE, it is extremely flexible but needs tech like Vovô to keep paying for it economical. Sentry subroutine is extremely useful against every killer except Afterimage. Synergises well with Working Prototype and Thunderbolt, especially against Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga, and against Slap Vandal by itself. NEXT Activation Command can make it a strong mid game ICE, and even a viable end game ICE against poorly set-up Arissanas. Mostly useful as a surprise (and nothing else) outside HB, but the current Shaper meta and the loss of Formicary mean that those Thunderbolt rez-derez decks, or any other HB deck using those effects, containing Stegodon and this ICE were basically killed in their cradle.

A much maligned card, and with good reason, since there were very few things that could be done with it 'back in the day'. But, since the release of the Borealis' Thule Subsea: Safety Below, Ontological Dependence, and Mr. Hendrik, inflicting core damage has become a much more enticing prospect. Coupling it with the (surprisingly still) legal Riot Suppression and MCA Austerity Policy makes Tempus' trace value a means of keeping the runner's credit balance in check, if not outright helping you score Ontologicals along the way. I've had games where a lone Tempus guarded an Ikawah, because the runner knew stealing it would mean dealing with the tag and bag I had in store for him sooner than he wants. All in all, a useful card in core damage-oriented decks, the ones that hurt the most.