by Jay Earle
As this is a game about economy, I think the three strongest cards will need to deal with said economy, though in very different ways.
Magnum Opus
First we’ll put the most obvious economy of the three: for the mere cost of two ram and five bits Magnum Opus doubles the efficiency of the click for creds action for the runner. Not really much more to say about this: in a game all about efficiency having one card double your efficiency is golden. Getting Magnum Opus early and keeping it on the board can make your economy for the whole game.
Honorable mention: Melange Mining corp. While it has better efficiency, the fact that you can’t split it out but have to spend your whole turn to use it, and that the runner can so easily get rid of it (and will be gunning for it), leaves it out of the top spot.
Account Siphon
The other side of economy is going on the offensive. Account Siphon allows a runner to knock out the corp’s credit reserve with a well placed run. Even better, he gets to keep whatever he finds! Early game, against a lightly defended HQ, an Account Siphon can leave all of the other servers vulnerable. It’s especially fun to tag team with a Forged Activation Order now that you know they can’t afford the other piece of ICE.
Honorable Mentions: Vamp. In some ways better (you can completely cash out the corp, lower influence cost means it’s much easier to import) Siphon edges out Vamp simply
because it gives you the creds whereas Vamp will cost.
Closed Accounts: In the mention category as it requires a tag to work, it’s still a powerful effect to completely wipe the runner’s accounts. Most runners are so afraid of tags that it often can’t hit. Then again, this is one of the reasons that runners are so allergic to tags.
Sansan City Grid
Where the other two deal with the economy of credits, Sansan helps the corp with the economy of clicks. Importantly, a well done Sansan can allow the corp to score agenda without the runner ever getting a chance at them. In HQ agenda are naturally protected by the other cards in your hand, and R&D is always a mystery box. Thus it’s in the runner’s best interest to hit Agenda that are installed before you can score them. Sansan lets you remove that option making it that much harder for the runner.
Honorable Mention: Biotic Labor. While this gives a similar ability to fast advance, it’s one time use means you can’t use it for every agenda. With Sansan potentially letting you drop every agenda in one turn, the biotic set just can’t keep up.
What about Wyldside? I feel like that is also an economy of clicks, giving you two cards for one action every turn. Such a powerful effect.
it’s my top 3, not my top ten or wyldside would have made it. You’re right that it should have been honorable mention under sansan, but I stick on leaving it out of the top seat since it’s a force not a choice and often if you’re not against Jinteki you quickly stop needing the extra cards. getting specific cards (special order) is more what you’re after. and yes, I have decked myself as runner before.