Threat Level Alpha is not a good card.

What it does for the corp is to trace-tag a runner on demand. Unfortunately, the steep play cost (2, 3) for a measly 1-strength trace makes it of dubious value. The obvious comparison here would be SEA Source, which offers a better trace for less clicks and credits.

The advantages TLA brings to the table is adding lots of tags for a runner already floating several, and being able to be played without restrictions on performed runs. Let's take a look at both.

The tag-doubling isn't a very strong ability. You can divide runners roughly in two groups: Those who try to remain untagged when their turn ends, and those that don't care if they're tagged during the corp's turn. Against the former, you're unlikely to benefit from tag doubling- it'll be a rare event that they're floating two tags or more during your turn for you to capitalize on, since that puts them in BOOM! range. Against a tagstorm runner, on the other hand, you'll probably be allowed to double their tags, but doing so can set up an opportunity for dangerous combos involving Obelus, Mars for Martians and Counter Surveillance. You'll also need some specialized support cards like Psychographics to take proper advantage of the myriad tags they're now floating.

Tracing on demand without restrictions, on the other hand, is undeniably handy. Runners who fear Hard-Hitting News will try to reserve enough credits to contest the trace or clear tags in a single turn, but may think themselves safe- and hence spend their credit reserve on installs- as long as they're not running. With a considerable credit lead, the corp can force the trace through and follow up with The All-Seeing I or Exchange of Information, for example.

Bottom line, the high play cost combined the weak trace strength makes the inclusion of Threat Level Alpha hard to justify. To be worthwhile, it demands good combo cards and preferably a runner who has already been bled poor.

MCA Austerity Policy (MCAAP) is a new, oppressive addition to HB's fast advance arsenal.

On the face of it, MCAAP gives a strong fast advance ability that has to be powered up. After rezzing and using its first ability twice (over two turns), the corp is left with the possibility to score a 4/x from hand on the third turn or a 5/x on the fourth. This in effect puts the runner on a timer from the moment the ability is first used, having two turns of 3 each to respond to the threat of a big agenda being scored from hand. For just 1, that's amazingly good value for the corp.

As the astute observer might note, this means MCAAP benefits from being installed behind some taxing ice- most sane runners will be all too happy to pay the 3 investment it takes to collapse austerity if it's installed naked. Moreover, even if the austerity policy is well protected, the corp still has to consider that plopping this card on the board is a big advertisement for the runner to hit your HQ hard in search of that juicy agenda you're itching to score.

The key to getting the most out of MCAAP is to use it to force the runner into lose-lose scenarios. When installed in a taxing server, it provides the runner with a dilemma- either hitting the server now, trashing MCAAP but potentially spending all their in the process, or let the corp power it up and score agendas from hand- in this case either option will open up a scoring window. Any time the runner spends resources on hitting protected servers to trash assets is a tempo swing in favour of the corp, and this is exactly the thematic beauty of MCAAP. It demands a response much like a rezzed SanSan City Grid or Mumbad Construction Co. does, but with a far more favourable rez-to-trash ratio for the corp. If there's one comparison to make, it's probably with the latter card- think of MCAAP as a cheaper version of MCC that eats instead of .

Finally, some synergies:

• Rushing MCAAP behind a Fairchild 3.0 is really potent when the runner hasn't found their decoder yet, because they won't be able to click through its subroutines after losing a to MCAAP.

• If you can stick the trace for Hard-Hitting News, the runner will be stuck with four tags and three with which to clear them. This can open a window for resource trashing or tag-combo cards, and offers a great way to keep the runner busy and poor while you charge your policy up.

• Enhanced Login Protocol punishes the runner for making the runs they need to counter MCAAP, taxing already sparse clicks. If you're looking for jank, you can use Victoria Jenkins and Load Testing to rob even more and punish them further with Ryon Knight.

• Fast Track will let you retrieve the agenda you need when you're ready to fire MCAAP's ability. Combo with Whampoa Reclamation if the agenda happens to be lying in your archives.

• With Jeeves Model Bioroids on the table, you can score a 5/3 on the third turn rather than fourth (or something crazy like a Vanity Project on turn four). Other FA tools will combo for the same effect, but Jeeves is the most efficient since it takes advantage of your having plentiful to power its ability.

Bloodletter is a taxing piece of ICE with a punishing but porous subroutine. As a strength 4 sentry that can be rezzed for a mere 3, it offers excellent value for the corp- most killers cost 4-6 to break it on their own, and it's out of an unboosted Mimic's reach. That's an incredible tax for its rez cost. Furthermore, unlike certain other program trashing sentries, this one will hit the runner even when facechecked early on without breakers- because it offers the runner a choice between trashing from the rig or the stack, they must trash from stack if there are no installed programs to sacrifice.

This choice-based subroutine, however, is also the card's main weakness. What typically makes program trashing ICE good is the threat of sniping key icebreakers during a run- sometimes with the help of Marcus Batty. Bloodletter doesn't work for this purpose. Since all choice is left to the runner when resolving the sub, anyone with a stack to trash from or spare programs to sacrifice can get past Bloodletter while keeping the key parts of their rig intact- hence it can't reliably protect a scoring remote or centrals full of agendas. This flexibility for the runner, measured against Bloodletter's high cost to break, means you're likely to see its sub being fired far more often than most other sentries.

Bottom line, this ICE does reasonable deterrence but can't keep a determined runner out.

Bloodletter has some extra sting in Skorpios, where its sub allows the corp to permanently remove key cards from the game. It also complements the 'thousand cuts' approach of Jinteki IDs like Potential Unleashed and Personal Evolution if they can spare the influence.

Now that R&D Interface, Medium and Keyhole are rotating, this suddenly looks a lot more appealing as a pseudo-multiaccess replacement for the aforementioned.

Equivocation gives you the option of sending the top card of RnD into the corp's hand and try your luck on the second instead. The benefit of this is twofold, both upping the chance of finding something you want to steal or trash and mitigating the risk of running into traps like Snare!, News Team or Breached Dome. The downside is that if the top card is an agenda or something you can't let into the corp's hand, you don't get any second access. Further, the effect can be very nice for the corp- a free certified non-agenda draw is great under most circumstances.