When I first read this card, I thought it was one of the best cards in the game, but as I play more and more I cant help but feel disappointed by it

After some play I found it was often lackluster, nice to have but not very significant so I did some basic math on it

The basic concept of the card is that upto 6x you can spend an action to gain 2 gold

So lets break it down

You need to spend 6 actions to generate 12 gold, which means without it you would gain 6 gold - so its a +6 gold advantage across 6 actions

However it costs 1 gold to play it, it costs an action itself to play it, Finally you will need to spend an action to draw a new card after playing it

So lets compare

Just generating gold - I could generate 8 gold, while using Armitage would put me at 11 gold, so +3 gold advantage after 8 Actions (1.37 gold per action spent)

Compared to Sure Gamble!

Costs 5 gold to gain 9 gold

In addition you need to spend 2 actions to play it and redraw

This puts us at +2 gold advantage after 2 actions (2 gold per action spent)

I figured for completion sake I would also include Easy Mark

Costs 0 gold to gain 3 gold

In addition you need to spend 2 actions to play it and redraw

This puts us at a +1 gold advantage after 2 actions (1.5 gold per action spent)

In addition to this, Sure Gamble and Easy Mark are instant effects! If you choose to sacrifice redrawing their output per action literally doubles, but the same cannot be said about Armitage Codebusting, even if you forfeit redrawing the gold advantage per action is only (1.57)

I am disappointed by this card because the concept is amazing, but putting the cap on it at 12 gold stifles it!

I dont believe you can salvage Armitage Codebusting but it is a good lesson for future cards

Suggested effects

(costs 1 gold) 3 gold per action, max 12 = 11 gold after 6 actions, (+1.8 gold per action)

Armitage Codebusting is a great card and a must for most runners to have a strong economy. Criminals tend to have lots of money anyway so can potentially avoid it.

Toqtamish said:

I believe its a terrible card, but its a must because of the lack of alternatives to have a strong economy

… however…

as you said Criminals have a strong economy without it

Shapers get Magnum Opus which is this without limits

Finally, Anarchs get Cyber Feeder

The scenario I like is having AC on the table and loaded with at least 6+ credits. It's a hedge against economic drains like Closed Accounts. Imagine getting wiped out, but having a quick source of funds ready to go. Sure Gamble requires 5 credits to play, which means you're out of luck if you get wiped out.

Additionally, a lot of players will not truly notice the credits sitting there, and underestimate the potential damage you could be doing.

just a thought.

Well I must say I thought I was the only one who called Credits ….gold…

Also this card will be replaced with a stronger Encon card when the runner get an option.

rottencat

i calculated to ..

2 clicks to draw and play it .. 6 ticks to empty it .. 1 credit cost

so i got instead of 8 credits .. 11 credits.. in the same time … is that rly worth the card slot??

i have to say .. if u alrdy play easy mark … and still have money problems and cant fit a magnus opum (because of influence and memory)

its a most.. still but it always has this feeling of …. doesnt worth it … but in the enviroment credits are the most important ressource.

you need every single Credit u can get .. so it's a must.

hate it but it's fact u need the credits..

I feel like all this math only gets at half of the matter. Cards like Armitage Codebusting aren't just about getting you an extra credit or two, they are about being able to accelerate your economy when you need it, so that the corp gets fewer turns inbetween your actions when it matters.

I did manage to learn of a combo using Aesop and Armitage Codebusting

The idea is to spend a click to play (+1 gold) and redraw, and then 5 actions to get 10 gold

This puts it at 9 gold for 7 actions, then trash it using Aesop putting you at 12 gold for 7 actions

Obviously you need to discount the play cost of Aesop, but you can use Aesop for multiple cards, so its fine if you dont immediately discount it from this ones effeciency

Saturnine said:

accelerating the economy is important but the acceleration appears after the the 5 action with this card

armitage compared to just taking 1 credit

1st click draw it -1 credit

2nd play it cost 1 -3 credit

3rd get 2 cr -2cr

4th get 2 cr -1cr

5th get 2 cr even

till the fifth action i am behind and slos down my economy and than boosts it for 3 actions

Yes, but my point was that looking at the economy math for a card like Armitage Codebusting is not the whole story. Of course this is hard to evaluate, but generally, you'll install AC for example if you have some downtime, not when you have a run that you need to make right now (e.g. corp just locked up its central servers at the end of early game, and I'm about to build my rig) - AC might even just sit there for a couple of turns while I'm drawing and installing cards. So I'm investing short-term efficiency to be able to accelerate my economy later when I can pressure the corp again. Now, determining whether that is worth it probably depends on your deck and playstyle, I think, but the math can certainly help in the evaluation.