Let’s get straight into the second half of this pack. The Runner cards are discussed in my last post, but here we are just taking a look at the new Corp cards in Fear and Loathing.

Blue Level Clearance

Let’s talk money. We all know you can spend 1 click for 1cr. When people discuss econ cards in Netrunner, the action of playing the card costs 1cr, because you could have been clicking for that credit instead. Many like to add the draw of the card as 1cr as well, but that doesn’t make too much sense in a Corp deck, since they get free draws at the beginning of their turn. So, using that logic, let’s break down what this card is giving you, and how much you are actually earning. Blue Level Clearance costs 2cr and 2 clicks. You are gaining 5cr and 2 cards. the two cards are cancelling out the click cost, and you are netting 3cr after regarding the play cost. A net of 3 is more than a Beanstalk, Green Level Clearance and sometimes Sweeps Week. So, is this a good money card? Well, yes. You net nice money and you have two new cards in your hand. Should you run this? Only if you are in HB (saving influence) or the Building a Better World (ALL THE TRANSACTIONS). It works. It isn’t amazing, but it is a solid money card that will see just as much play as Green Level Clearance, in my opinion. 3/5

Strongbox

Haas-Bioroid couldn’t have gotten a more synergetic card. Strongbox fits in classic HB very nicely. Bioroid 2.0s are already draining clicks, and this is just going to make those a hell of a lot more annoying. Its trash cost is miserable, painful even, but if you are running a lot of Bioroids and not playing a fast advance deck, this is a pretty obvious include in your deck. It doesn’t really work outside of HB, other than (maybe) Replicating Perfection, and its splash cost is only 2 pips, which isn’t very demanding at all. This card does exactly what it should do, and where it should do it. 4/5

Toshiyuki Sakai

It is hard to be too excited over a new Jinteki trap when we just got a bunch of Honour and Profit spoilers, but Toshiyuki Sakai isn’t as worthless as you may have read elsewhere. Jinteki is generally played by those who want to cripple you from the inside, and this does that exceptionally. Nothing is quite as frightening as a well advanced Jinteki card. And if it fails, seasoned Jinteki players know that it can be easily rectified with Trick of Light. With that said, Toshiyuki is not nearly as faction-defining as cards like Snare and Shock, so I’ll score it accordingly. 3/5

Yagura

This is a good card. This is a really, really good card. Early game ICE requires the runner to fetch their breakers, speeding up the game’s pacing. However, Yagura places no rush on the runner, allowing you to sit back and protect R&D efficiently for only 1cr. Pop a few of these consecutively and you have 2cr per card once they do have that Decoder in the rig. Some are complaining that it is in Yog’s range, but truthfully, if this cheap and effective piece of ICE costed the runner 5 credits and a tutor, that is really not a downside at all. Once they have that Yog, go ahead and prep your later-game Code Gates. Not to mention that this thing does Net damage on top of protecting R&D. All for 1 cr. 4/5

Restoring Face

This is a silly card. I don’t really understand its purpose. Sure, it can clear some bad pubs, but can’t we already do that? Can’t Jinteki specifically do that decently already? I just can’t imagine this is worth its deck slot when there are assets and agendas that do this so much more efficiently.Do you really want to build a Jinteki deck with a laundry list of requirements to get rid of some bad pubs when you can just do it via agendas? No. You don’t. 1/5

Market Research

Market Research is a card that made me double-take. It has the potential to be a 4-3 agenda, yet every time it is stolen, it is worth a measly 2 points. That alone should justify this card’s slots in NBN tag decks. If your deck tags efficiently, then Market Research is more than you have ever asked for. If your deck doesn’t, then don’t run it. It is so good at what it does, there is just no other way to put it. 5/5

Wraparound

More amazing early game Ice in Fear and Loathing. This time it is a Barrier. Wraparound is a cheap early game barrier that slows down AI focused decks drastically. It is really a shame that it couldn’t boost to 8, out of Knight’s range, but it is such a good denial card for so, so cheap. Decks running this and swordsman are Atman and Crypsis’ worst nightmare. I love it, and like most amazing NBN cards, its such a good splash. 5/5

GRNDL: Power Unleashed

10cr before the first click of the game can have an astronomical effect on the game. This is coming from someone who has been hit by a Sweeps Week or two on turn 1 while playing Andromeda. It is just so important that you have that early money for razzing. The one bad pub is vicious, but Weyland Consortium is no stranger to bad publicity, so I think this identity has a real shot at a viable competitive tourney deck. However, that 10 influence is just too low. And the deck is probably losing money between the loss of influence and the loss of the transaction ability. So maybe it will balance out. I haven’t tried this one yet, so I am going to give it a very uncertain mid-score. I wouldn’t be too surprised if this thing kicks ass though. 3/5

Vulcan Coverup

Weyland has enough 3-1 agendas that are working quite nice in their tag n bag decks, but Vulcan Coverup is a healthy addition. I’ve heard people refer to it as Weyland’s Ronin; saving the “score” for later, when it will be more devastating. It doesn’t take a click to score this thing once the advancement tokens are there, so a double scorched will make this card a pretty big deal. I like it. I don’t like the bad pub though. 3/5

GRNDL Refinery

So much money. Just….so much money. Forget the math and the runner’s incentive to run this for just a moment. Imagine having one nice server. Install, advance, advance. Advance, Advance, trash. 16 credits. At once. It is a beautiful thing. Of course you won’t net that much, but who cares. It is just so much money.

What is more likely is that you will instal and advance it once. And the next turn you will advance twice and trash it. But the flexibility is there, all it needs is one good server. Can you do that in Weyland? Yes. How about in HB? Yes. Even behind some Tollbooths in NBN. This card is great, and that splash cost makes it oh-so-splashable. 4/5

EDIT: I can’t math at 5am in the morning. In that initial scenario, 16 credits is what you earn, not 20. Still a huge burst of economy, and still something that can be advanced over multiple turns slowly if that doesn’t do it for you.

Subliminal Messaging

I truthfully can’t tell you if this card is going to work the way it should. Subliminal Messaging is weird, and if you draw this turn 01, it has the potential to be an untrashable PAD Campaign. However, later in the game it won’t nearly be as effective. More importantly, drawing any more than one is a painfully dead draw. Do you run one of these and hope it shows up early? Or do you just run better drip-econ cards like PAD Campaign? Additionally, do you really want to be pressuring the runner into running more? 1/5

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There you have it. Fear and Loathing has finally been leaked. Now that you have read what I think, I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to argue in the comments.