Adding a review as there isn't one at the time of writing.
Malandragem is another bypass card released in the Liberation Cycle, one of many such tools primarily designed for Mercury: Chrome Libertador, such as S-Dobrado, Alarm Clock, Laser Pointer, Curupira, Physarum Entangler or Capybara.
Unfortunately, this is arguably one of the weakest bypass tools in the game at the time of writing, only occasionally seeing play even in Mercury decks, rarely in other Criminal decks, let alone being exported to other factions with its whopping 4 influence cost.
But why, it seems to have a solid bypass effect, and since it's a program, not a run event, it can theoretically combo with other bypasses from cards like Inside Job, S-Dobrado or Alarm Clock.
Well, suppose we ignore the strength effect, the Threat effect and the once-per-turn effect and treat this like a generic bypass card. In that case, the math looks solid, 4 credits, a click to draw and a click to install for 2 bypasses gives us approximately 2 credits and a click per bypass, which is on par if not slightly better than Inside Job with the added nuance that you can choose to bypass on encounter instead of just bypass the outermost piece of ICE. It's also on par if not slightly better than Backstitching with the added nuance that it can be used anywhere rather than just the mark. Also on par if not slightly better then S-Dobrado with the added nuance of choosing to bypass on encounter instead of just the outermost piece of ICE and can be used on remotes.
Sounds good right, well, if the cost isn't the problem that leaves the conditions, and especially the 3 strength condition to throw a wrench into your plans, and boy does it throw a wrench into your plans. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ICE with 3 or less strength, a cursory search will show you there are more than 50 pieces of ICE in the current rotation with 3 or less strength, including several cards that regularly see play, such as Thimblerig, Tatu-Bola, Saisentan, Afshar, Drafter, Border Control, Ping, Anemone, Unsmiling Tsarevna, Ablative Barrier and Jaguarundi, just to name a few.
The problem is that there are also plenty of other, 4+ strength ICE that do see play as well, Winchester, Ansel 1.0, Tollbooth, Archer, Vampyronassa, Tree Line, Boto, M.I.C., Bran, just to name some common examples.
Part of the appeal of bypass is a way around ICE that isn't contingent on strength, a way to slip past even the strongest pieces of ICE for cheap. And by the point Malandragem can do this (Threat 4, which is already probably quite late in the game), S-Dobrado can now enjoy double bypass for just an extra click, as though destined to always be outcompeting Malandragem.
The point is, finite use bypass is inconsistent enough as it is (it's currently a very rare archetype in a meta dominated by Annicam Lat and ICE-destruction Anarchs at the time of writing) without adding in the extra uncertainty of not being able to bypass an unrezzed piece of ICE you're about to encounter because it's 4 or 5 strength.
There's a very legitimate argument to be made that bypass has become too prolific and unrestricted, that other cards such as S-Dobrado and Bachstiching and Physarum Entangler are the ones who are out of line. That blank check bypass degrades the importance of good ICE and undermines a fundamental tenant of Netrunner, that stronger ICE are harder to break. Perhaps more cards should be like Malandragem, more cards should have restrictions on the strength of the ICE they can bypass, creating a kind of tiered bypass system, that still respects the difficulty breaking large pieces of ICE should bring, but that's not the world Malandragem lives in.
It's difficult to say what will happen from here, Liberation is the most recent Cycle and many of these cards will be here to stay for a long time to come, but it will be interesting what will happen with Dawn early next year as Inside Job, a staple of Mercury decks and a classic of Criminal bypass more broadly, rotates. Will a re-print/near print be issued to fill the hole, or will Mercury have to turn to slightly weaker cards such as Malandragem and Laser Pointer to stop gap their access problem?
A somewhat tangential consideration I was theory crafting for a while was using Captain Padma Isbister: Intrepid Explorer and her associated "Charge" cards to continually refill Malandragem while using strength shredding effects like Ice Carver, Leech or Devil Charm to stretch the definition of "3-strength" and create a kind of pseudo-breaker engine. But it never really went anywhere due to influence and consistency problems, especially after the World Tree ban. But maybe someone else can cook up something interesting...
(Disclaimer: I am not Brazilian, nor do I live in Brazil, everything below is based on what I quickly found online, any clarification, corrections, context or additions from those more familiar with Brazilian culture would be much appreciated!)
Thematically, Malandragem is a Portuguese term that refers to the lifestyle of petty crime embraced by "malandros," which roughly translates to English as "bad boys," literally, mal- + -andro. Malandros like to live fast, dress well and shirk responsibilities in favour of easy living, often being synonymous with a rogue, scoundrel or hustler. They've become significant in Brazilian folklore as a kind of archetypal anti-hero who sheds society's expectations and lives as he pleases and has become significant in Brazilian literature, cinema and music, traditionally samba. If I had to extrapolate, I'd say that the Malandragem program outsmarts, outmaneuvers and cheats its way around the "petty challenges" of small ICE, but struggles with the responsibility of dealing with large powerful ICE. Why it gains the ability to bypass anything at Threat 4 is somewhat unclear, in American cinema, it's not uncommon for anti-heroes to avoid responsibility and do their own thing until a true problem comes along, when, at the final hour, they step up to the challenge and sacrifice themselves for a worthy cause, but I'm unsure how well this translates to the Brazilian conceptualisation of an anti-hero/malandro. It also seems Malandragem is related to the Brazilian concept of Jeitinho, which doesn't translate well into English but seems to refer to something akin to street-smarts, creativity or finding unconventional or perhaps even illicit means to achieve one's goals, being pragmatic, opportunistic and even cunning, to find your own way do something, so to speak, instead of just following the rules.
The art shows a Malandro shuffling a deck, though why is open to interpretation, is he engaging in gambling as a vice, is he preparing to pull a con to make a quick buck or is he simply stacking the deck in his favour in a more abstract sense?
As a somewhat contemplative finish to this review, I can't help but wonder about the thematic dissonance between Mercury and the other cards in her set, she's a Liberator, her title says it plainly, a freed Bioroid who pursues the goals of bringing down the whole corrupt system, that much is clear from from cards like The Powers That Be and Jeitinho and yet her faction, and the cards it contains, espouse a much less grand goal. Criminals are scrappy and sly and cunning and they use their tools to get in, get out and get paid, Malandragem suits them perfectly, I can easily imagine a world where this set included a Criminal identity who could be considered a Malandro, someone who gets in by bending the rules to his favour and then takes what he pleases. Mercury honestly seems like she would be more at home in Anarch, as someone disillusioned with the system, someone who wants to bring it all down, and someone who's willing to resort to murder to root out the corruption within the government.
TLDR: a really cool card and I wish it was more viable than it is, but if you're looking to build a breakless crim deck you're probably better off looking at Inside Job, S-Dobrado, Backstitching and even cards like Physarum Entangler and Femme Fatale for niche repeat bypass effects. I hope that changes someday, and if it does I might even come back and edit this but at least for now, this is probably not what you're looking for.
