German Netrunner site Wyldside.de has got an exclusive spoiler !

I have to say, I rather like it.

The first routine is kind of a win/win situation in the credit war. Either they break it (costs credits), They beat the trace (costs credits) or they don't beat it (you gain credits). Either way, it's a net gain for you.

The second routine is only trace 2 which makes me a bit sad but an "end run" effect on a 3 for 3 sentry is still good, even if it IS conditional.

Toloran said:

Not to mention, you could use the 3 credits you just earned from the first routine (if they don't break it, that is), to power up the trace of the second.

Seems to me a very good ICE for early phases of the game, where it's definitely hard for the runner to guess which Icebreaker start using, and where a Corp could gain a real advantage with those extra credits.

Seems solid early game. Later probably not as much once they got their sentry breaker online. Also, great artwork!

I love that the trace mechanic is getting some love, though. The core set doesn't provide much in terms of interesting trace effects (tag, tag, tag), but with more cards like this, tracing becomes a lot more interesting.

I agree it's very interesting, although it's not what I'd hoped Weyland would be getting (they could use a decent upgrade and another transaction operation). It seems that Weyland is going to be fairly committed to gaining credits through it's ICE, which is a very interesting application, and unique to that faction. They also seem to be focused mostly on sentries at this point, with no code gates and only two barriers (one at either end of the expense spectrum). All in all, it's a very flavorful addition.

Right now, this card is likely to replace Rototurret in my deck. Although Rototurret is a solid card, it's expensive, and does not shine quite as brightly in Weyland as in other decks (thanks to Archer). I'm probably better off accelerating out a Hadrians Wall, or the like. Of course, my deck may need a complete overhaul, depending on what else is released at the same time.

Unfortunately, it's currently too easy to make tracing irrelevant - Shapers can easily hit a link strength of six without trying too hard. Unless the corp gets some kind of asset or upgrade (or agenda) which increases trace strength, trace heavy decks are never likely to dominate the metagame.

Silent Requiem said:

So true, and that's also why I love Shapers.

In a recent game I had a link strenght of 5 and it was already enough to force the Corp into spending credits for every Trace attempt… which may lead to bypassing some ICEs altogether if they are flat out broke.

Silent Requiem said:

My GF pulled a link of 8 on me the other day. It was rather rude considering I had a hand full of trace related cards