Amazon Industrial Zone

Amazon Industrial Zone 4[credit]

Upgrade: Region
Trash: 2
Influence: 1

Whenever you install a piece of ice protecting this server, you may immediately rez it, lowering its rez cost by 3.

Limit 1 region per server.

Illustrated by Jon Hrubesch
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#38 • English
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Reviews

I think AIR may have potential as an alternative to Adonis Campaign, Launch Campaign, Private Contracts, The Root, and Worlds Plaza as a recurring-economy engine for Blue Sun.

Let's review the pros and cons compared with the gold standard, Adonis:

CONS

  • It must be rezzed through the runner's entire turn in order to recoup the money you get off it, unlike Adonis Campaign where you only need to pay to rez it right before you pick it up.

  • Its trash cost is one lower than Adonis. (This does matter - the primary reason to play Private Contracts is its high trash cost.)

  • Its returns diminish the more ice you put in front of it (since you'll have to pay the install cost), whereas Adonis will always be three credits for a click.

  • As an Upgrade, can't be retrieved with Executive Boot Camp.

PROS

  • Zero influence. And unlike Pri-Con, gives three credits per click.

  • Setting aside the cost for rezzing it, which can potentially be recouped by picking it up, guarantees the three credits for the click, whereas Adonis only pays out the money if the runner doesn't trash it.

  • Upgrade, so it can be installed anywhere - on top of existing assets, in scoring servers, or even in central servers - where Adonis needs to have its own quiet little space. This also means AIR synergizes much better with The Root, since you don't have to protect two separate remote servers.

  • If you're willing to accept the diminishing returns, can pay out on additional installs in the same turn, where Adonis Campaign will never earn you more money than three credits per turn.

  • Synergizes slightly better with Executive Boot Camp, since its effect doesn't happen at the start of a turn. (If you leave it down on the board for a turn, you can use an EBC to rez it for three credits instead of four and then break even on your first piece of ice installed.)

I don't know which is better, but it's worth testing.

(The Universe of Tomorrow era)
3915
Worth noting that this card kills the surprize factor of your ICE, so the runner knows exactly what to expect and how much it's gonna cost him. —
It's true, that this card kills the surprise effect, but that may not matter, if it enables the Con to build a Server, that the Runner simply can't run. —
It's not about surprise factor (good runners will know approximately what your ice is anyway). It's about paying money up front and losing your reactivity. Like, if you AIZ a tollbooth on your remote, it's that much easier for the runner to connect with maker's eye. —
Right. Though that's a problem with Blue Sun generally - good runners know they have more freedom to stress your credit pool until they find a snapping point. As it stands, I've gone back to Adonis/PriCon for the time being. But there might be a build that can better utilize AIZ; part of the reason for that was that I made my ice base lighter and thus profited less from AIZ. —

I love the idea of this with NEXT ice and The Foundry: Refining the Process.

A big part of the problem with NEXT ice can be getting enough of them rezzed quickly enough to boost the collective power. This allows you to force-rez NEXT ice, and then draw another one to continue the process next turn.

(Chrome City era)
I've been running that deck for about a month. I don't think it's anywhere near competitive. It's a huge tempo hit, even if you can get a couple ice the first turn you use it. I have tons of fun with it and build 5+ ICE servers for peanuts, but I lose doing it. —