Value in terms of tempo is already done by others, I come with another perspective of the role of the card.


Ubiquitous Vig as punisher / advantage pushing.


Having NO limits in advancing allows constant snowballing once the runner makes a misplay / overcommits and unable to challenge the remote as a result. This is currently the only card that can grow in advantage over time, albeit requiring La Costa Grid or commitments in clicks. In conjunction with Sandburg, it can punish runners trying to go for a efficient breaking rig with K2CP Turbine by growing too big for them.

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TL;DR: A draw card for setup decks. Especially potent with setup.


Credit > Draw. Therefore all following analysis assumes that only draw option is chosen:

  1. With a normal 4 click turn, there is 3 clicks to install things. Which equates to 3 cards, Diesel gives 3 cards upfront and does not need any further combination.
  2. Hyperdriver turn, 6 clicks to install things. 6 cards, quite good.
  3. Simulchip, Self-modifying Code, Street Peddler, Gachapon can all trigger this for an explosive turn.

In conclusion, it's good for setup decks where they install a lot. It's almost a good as a 4th Diesel there, and can be more. Also, just like other draw events like Diesel, this card is at odds with the Professional Contacts engine.

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Paule's Café also triggers this!

You wrote "Credit > Draw", but you talk about it like Draw is better. (And I think it usually is.) Did you mean to write "Credit < Draw"?

TL;DR: A card for the combo decks.

For its effect, you paid 1 credit and the opportunity cost of 1 card. This is not good if your goal is just to shuffle agendas back into the deck. For that you have Attitude Adjustment or Drudge Work which both is at least not a net negative.

Decks that want this card specifically wants:

  1. To assemble combo pieces that are 2x or 3x in the deck, but only really needs one of them. The other copies in hand, in addition with agendas and other unused cards can be shuffled in exchange for a new draw.
  2. To ditch situational cards that does not fit the situation for more draw (where it would be discarded otherwise). (additional Subliminal Messaging, tag punishments)

Works well with cards that give handsize bursts. Rashida Jaheem, Subliminal Messaging, Lily Lockwell

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It would go well with most combo deck, like fast advance decks (Reconstruction Contract, Biotic Labor, Audacity) and kill decks (Punitive Counterstrike, BOOM!) or tag punishment decks, to name a few. It is like a better version of Moshing.

Or Jinja, since you can get your ICE back into RnD where you can draw them and install for free and at the same time trigger maybe 3-5 extra draws.

By now, Ankusa now has support in terms of:

  1. Money-fight: Data Folding, Rezeki, Dedicated Processor.
  2. Pelangi as a Paintbrush that doesn't need facechecking.
  3. Derez-support that further strains the corp: Hernando Cortez, Xanadu, DJ Fenris (Reina Roja: Freedom Fighter), Network Exchange.

Which means that Ankusa will start a money-fight that the runner will eventually win 99% of the time.

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The runner will most of the times win the long game. Ankusa's main problem is the tempo hit that let's the corp win before you're getting there. Comboing it with Dedicated Processor and Pelangi doesn't exactly make it faster. But yes, in the long run, this is the ultimate denying tool that completely devalues ICE as a card type. In the very, very long run.

A green Embolus-ish card at first sight. However they are much different in their uses. Reduced Service:

  1. Starts at full strength, enabling reactive lockdown of a server that you predict the runner would run. (E.g. Create a scoring window on the remote, protecting a naked Bio-Ethics Association after the first run in Jinteki: Replicating Perfection, protecting Ronald Five on the last click, etc.)
  2. Counters cannot be regenerated once exhausted, barring derez shenanigans with Divert Power or Test Ground in Standard
  3. Is more like a Tollbooth in server tax calculation compared to Border Control for Embolus
  4. Is more usable in asset-spammy decks (Centrals only) compared to Embolus
  5. Not payable by Bad Publicity
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This asset incentize the runner to go against centrals. In a glacier, this card could shine very bright.