In the past two previews we’ve seen for Creation and Control, the upcoming deluxe expansion for Android: Netrunner, we’ve gotten to see both how the new bioroids were helping Haas-Bioroid build profits, and came face-to-face with three new Shapers who are working to change the game. In the latest preview, we finally get to take a look at some of the cards that can help the other factions. Haas-Bioroid and Shapers are great, but I think it’s time to spread the love around to some of the others involved in the giant cyberstruggle for power.
One of the first cards previewed just happened to be a Haas-Bioroid card, but it’s an important one. As the Corp player, you want to make each and every run the Runner makes come to an unsuccessful end. When it does, Successful Demonstration is waiting for you. This card can only be played if the Runner made an unsuccessful run during his or her last turn, and when you do play it you gain 7 credits. It’s a pay-2-to-get-5 sort of thing, almost like Hedge Fund, and since it’s a transaction Weyland will surely benefit from it.
Next is Professional Contacts. It, again, is a card from another well-shown faction – Shapers. As a resource, this card allows the Runner to make their card draws more useful, as you can spend a click to gain 1 credit and draw a card instead of having to choose between the two. It is a little slower than Magnum Opus, but the card draw can be more advantageous than it would initially seem.
Next up is another Shaper card, and I’m beginning to think Fantasy Flight is leading us along with the promise of seeing other faction cards. Feedback Filter is a card that’s primary use is for defense, as it’s used for both brain and net damage. With cards like Stimhack in your deck, it would be a most-efficient card to keep in your stack as a situational backup.
The first non-HB or Shaper card in the preview was Same Old Thing. And what’s funny here is that it’s neutral, so it doesn’t belong to a certain faction. Another resource, Same Old Thing lets the Runner spend two clicks and trash the card to play an event from their heap without paying the cost. This will really come in handy for those spent Sure Gambles, or Diesels.
On the Corp side we get Datapike, a neutral piece of ice. It somewhat resembles Tollbooth, though it’s rez cost is lower. It forces the Runner to spend credits, or end the run, and if they make it past this first subroutine the run will end either way, unless they’ve an icebreaker to stop it.
To end the preview, we took a look at The Source. This is somewhat of a tricky card, as it both helps and hinders the Runner. It’s another neutral resource, and costs 2 credits to play. While in play, all agendas have their advancement requirement increased by 1, and the Runner must pay an additional 3 credits to steal an agenda. Once you steal an agenda, or if it’s scored, you immediately trash The Source. I can see where this card will slow down the fast-advance decks that use Biotic Labor, though it will make the Runner’s game more heavy on economics.
Throughout the preview there were a few extra cards littered, such as Gila Hands Arcology – a neutral agenda that allows the Corp to spend two clicks to gain 3 credits, and Thomas Haas – a Haas-Bioroid asset that gains credits for advancement tokens that are put on him. Even with these, I still feel like Fantasy Flight made a bit of a stretch when they mentioned that we’d see more cards that helped other factions in this one. Of course the preview was written by a guest writer, so it could have been on this person to select the cards. Either way I am looking forward to seeing more from Creation and Control, and I hope to see more factions getting some limelight.