Android: Netrunner - My Journey in a Dystopian Future - Part 18: Mala Tempora

And so we reach the halfway point of the Spin cycle and the Mala Tempora data pack gives us a new Anarch identity. In fact, if you’re an Anarch player and want to try out the new Caissa cards we’ve been seeing, this pack is for you. My highlights for the Runner are all red…..

Reina Roja’s ability may not look like much, but costing the Corp an extra credit each turn should not be underestimated, particularly against poorer Corp’s like Jinteki and NBN.

Knight is our first Caissa icebreaker and it’s AI, so you can’t break anything except Swordsman. It is just 2 credits to put out, is 7 strength and costs you 2 credits to break a subroutine on the Ice it is hosted on. For a click, you can move the program around much like a Knight in chess. 
Once I get around to trying these movable Caissa cards out, I’ll be able to judge them better, but if you can get the setup right, I’m sure some good fun is to be had here.

Deep Red is an Anarch piece of hardware that gives you 3 extra memory for use only with Caissa programs. And on installing a Caissa program, you can trigger its click ability without spending a click. If you’re committed to a Caissa build, Deep Red is a must.

Unorthodox Predictions
A 3 for 1 Jinteki agenda that when scored allows you to name a type of Ice and then the Runner cannot break subroutines on that type until the beginning of your next turn. This is best used when you have another agenda in play and thus protecting it for a turn.

Interns is a 0 cost neutral card that takes two clicks to play. You can then install a card from archives or HQ, ignoring the install cost. While installing doesn't usually cost anything initially anyway, this card is still useful for getting a card you need back out of archives.

Power Shutdown
The problem card of the pack and one that has prompted a lot of discussion. Should the trash X cards here be limited? Will we see a restriction? Check out my blog post here for a run down of how this card can be used with possibly game-breaking potency and also the comments following my article over on Team Covenant for further discussion on the topic.










Next time, we'll be looking at the highlights of True Colours, as the Spin cycle rolls on.