Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach

Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach

Identity: Division
Deck size: 45 • Influence: 15

The first time each turn you rez an advertisement, the Runner loses 1[credit].

We're ready to start the fire.
Illustrated by Emilio Rodríguez
Decklists with this card

Data and Destiny (dad)

#3 • English
Startup Card Pool
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Reviews

This ID explores some interesting new space in the meta. There are several IDs that give the player 1c per turn, ETF, Kate, Ken, two of which are extremely popular, and the third is waiting for its time. Gaining 1c per turn is a huge boost as anyone who has swapped ETF for any other HB ID can tell you. Many of these decks will design their play around firing their ability once every turn for that credit, which will often add up to ~8-12c by the end of the game.

Spark goes the other way. This ID takes money away from your opponent each time you rez a particular subtype that applies to economy assets, ICE, and an upgrade. All of these cards provide an economic advantage to the corp, while hurting the runner economy.

The corp typically chooses to rez assets during the runner's turn after the 4th click. This is the standard window to rez some econ assets such as Adonis Campaign or PAD Campaign , but these can also be rezzed between clicks. This gives the corp an opportunity to rob a credit from the runner before they can play a card, but at the cost of some hidden information. Interrupting the runner from playing Sure Gamble after they clicked for a 5th credit will be the standard example, but breaking up a Test Run install or other predicted action will also be possible. This will force the runner to slow down their tempo to hold an extra credit to anticipate when the taxman will hit them.

The 1c tax during a run can also make a difference. Saving an asset from being trashed before the runner accesses is helpful, but using the rez to block an NAPD Contract steal is a game-changer. Making Pop-up Window, a long-time nuisance into a 2c tax when rezzed for free while turning on a corp income source will make many a runner scowl in disapproval.

The obvious combo with this ID is Rebranding Team, which now makes any asset rez into a 1c tax on the runner. More targets to trigger the ability can push this ability's power into top-tier territory, and opens the potential (however unlikely) for a corp-headlock on an unfortunate runner. Some other combinations to consider are Reversed Accounts to keep the runner poor, Ad Blitz to recur your trashed/expired tax/econ elements (or potentially any asset when paired with Rebranding Team, it looks clear for now, but we may need a ruling here). Finally, I personally like Midway Station Grid in this ID with multi-subbed ICE to tax the runner a little more on every run, further pressuring their economy, and on occasion even shutting down a run.

In conclusion, I think this is a pretty strong ID, possibly good enough for some players to build it into tier 1 decks. I don't think it is strong for Fast Advance, it's ability doesn't do anything to accelerate cards through the corp's hand or advance cards any more efficiently. I think this ID will find itself a home in a heavily-taxing corp glacier. The asset-protection upgrade, Red Herrings works surprisingly well in a deck that focuses on depleting runner credits.

(Data and Destiny era)
Concerning Test Runs: This applies even more so to SMCs when you rezz an ice, since there is no immediate reation for the runner between rezzing the ice and the (asset/upgrade) advertisement. However I think Rebranding Team does not really fit in. While it is strongest inside Spark there are really not that many assets aside from Jackson Howard that Spark wants to play that are not already assets. —

Versatility is the golden egg among the gaggle of IDs, and credits are at the forefront. Money talks, and the economy race is paramount in Netrunner, so we have an ID that supports the corp by setting back their opponent. At the start of the Flashpoint cycle we're starting to see a shift towards NBN trace-centric punishment in forms of Hard-Hitting News and Hatchet Job; threats towards Economy, Resources, Programs, Agendas and Life are all viable if you cannot out-money the corp and a tag is landed. I've found this identity to be one of the most interesting and versatile identities in NBN's pool, outside of the ever classic NEH.

Aside from the aforementioned constant credit drop to set back the Runner's Sure Gambles, look at how the identity can leverage a credit swing on your behalf. Product Placement is one of my favourite NBN cards, and can act as a fantastic bluff upgrade to a potential naked Astro, so long as the Runner is willing to further push money into your pockets for the risk. In a bid to ensure a Midseason Replacements landed I installed an Explode-a-palooza behind a Special Offer with a Product Placement, which was rezed on my turn. The Runner runs it, steals the agendas, and hits all ICE and Upgrades on the way - ending with a -1 and -2 on their part to take 2 points and give me +11. The Midseasons lands comfortably and now it's race between Psychographics / Project Beale or Scorched Earth / BOOM!.

Consulting Visit plays a great role to get the necessary operations into play when the time is right. Fairchild 1.0 applies a nice tax on face-checking Runners, with the constant threat of the necessity to spend credits that are being depleted. Poor Runners will also have a hard time getting through Tollbooth and Little Engine if they cannot climb the hill to begin with. Slow score behind high-strength ICE while draining the Runner's credit pool, Leverage the economic race to your advantage to go full on tag storm, leading up to a flatline or a 1-Beale victory, this ID gives you those options.

(Blood Money era)
1602
Spark only triggers on the first ad you rez each turn...so if you rez Offer AND Product Placement in the same turn, they should only lose 1 cred. —
Correct, but I said that the Product Placement was Rezed on my turn, and naturally the Offer would be Rezed on theirs. Probably my awkward way of wording it. —

Last review date from 7 years. This need some new review.

The best quote from a fellow player that explain this identity goes as follow (from the runner perspective) : "credit, credit, Sure Gamble, ****you!"

Early, you will be able to slow down the runner by taking away their ability to use their credit pool to gain more credits. By mid game, you will have much less effect, but you still take out some credits from the runner with no interaction on their part. In an average game of 16 turns, you should be able to take at least 10 from the runner.

The most obvious and most used strategy with this identity is to do credit denial and then use Hard-Hitting News when the runner tries to interact with the corp. After, you can use a kill card like BOOM! or become a prison with cards like Market Forces and Self-Growth Program.

Because you need to put a lot of asset on the board to trigger the identity, Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach tend to be of the "asset spam" type. Which makes it weak to runner that use Maw, Aeneas Informant, Security Testing, Miss Bones and Apocalypse. Because of this, AR-Enhanced Security is often used as part of the agenda suite, to punish the runner when trashing assets.

This identity can be bothersome for the runner, and it is a solid tier 2 corp (it is tough when you compete against the like of Azmari EdTech: Shaping the Future or NBN: Reality Plus). But it is so much fun (at least for the corp player).

As of Q2 2023, here are the advertisement cards available to trigger Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach.

Notable also are Rebranding Team to make EVERY assets as advertisement (seldom useful) and Ad Blitz to bring back A LOT of advertisements on the board (at a huge cost, to trigger the ID only once).

The art display a corp that should be infuriating, along with a quote that pushes the concept along. Despite this, I think the art could have been more evocative of provocative advertisement, maybe the designer played it safe here. Still good, even with the missed opportunity. Nice!

(Parhelion era)
4239