Imagine a world where FFG buffed the C&C IDs
So, I want to talk about the Identities from Creation and Control. C&C was the first deluxe box and therefore had some of the earliest designed IDs in it. Right away the IDs were mostly underwhelming to many players, and over time all six IDs have proven below the power curve, rarely being played in or winning tournaments.
If we look at only IDs from deluxe boxes they are behind - Anarch, Weyland and NBN all got particularly powerful IDs by comparison (Honor and Profit IDs have turned out pretty weak too actually). Also, for both the C&C factions - Shaper and HB - the core set ID is overwhelmingly used - assuredly partly due to their simple and powerful ability - but maybe also partly because these defining deluxe box IDs are too weak in comparison?
Now there have been other IDs that haven't quite worked out (eg HB Stronger Together or Weyland Because We Built It), but mostly they will rotate out, whereas these deluxe box IDs don't rotate out so we're stuck with them forever.
So, what if we errataed these IDs to give them a power boost? Unlike an errata nerf, a power-up errata is always a nice surprise for people to find out. If FFG did this, they could release updated card images as a download, which would be easy to print and play with since IDs are not included in decks.
So I looked at each ID, considered how strong it is and how I would change it if I could:
Rielle Kit Peddler
Easily the strongest runner ID of the three, with a powerful and interesting ability. The -5 inf nerf has held her back a lot, and this hurts more than ever with the MWL.
Proposed change: Increase her inf to the full 15.
Exile
An ability that is hard to trigger, requiring single use cards to trigger his ability, then the ability is not that strong anyway.
Proposed change: Give him 17 influence like Ken Tenma, and add text so his ability is '…then draw a card or gain 2 credits.', to give him a bit more flexibility.
The Professor
The Professor's ability has proven the most difficult to use. I think his ability has two issues - it only applies to deckbuilding and doesn't provide any direct benefit in game, and secondly it is a double-edged ability both giving him a unique advantage but also preventing him from using many cards. He has received a small boost in that he is basically immune to the MWL, but even so he is still very weak.
Proposed change: Give him text 'Before your first turn, search your deck for a card and add it to your grip'. I'm sure that would be a pretty strong in-game ability, and seems fitting to his flavour - he can bring one thing from his University days.
Cerebral Imaging
This has probably been the strongest Corp ID in the box, with various combo decks being built around its ability.
Proposed change: None, It's a cool ability and with the right new cards released I'm sure it could be popular again.
Next Design
The ability seems comparable to Andromeda's, it lets the Corp start the game strong with ice out and more cards in HQ right at the start of the game, so it should be great right? Turns out no, it's never really panned out. Maybe there have been some rush decks that have had some success with this ID, but they've usually been better with the extra credits from EtF. The MWL is probably good for this ID as it has attacked Parasite and Clone Chip, which hurt the NEXT ice and other small ice this ID usually likes to use, however the MWL also has the excellent Architect on it, making that a tough include with this deck's small inf.
Proposed change: Bump the inf all the way up to 17, to change that part of the ID from a handicap to a bonus.
Custom Biotics
Another ID that has a purely deckbuilding ability, and is both a strength and a weakness. The known total lack of Jinteki cards does give the runner a lot of information and mitigate a lot of risk (no Snare!). This ID has always meant almost exactly one thing: Tag'n'Bag HB, using all the inf on Scorched Earth from Weyland and Midseasons from NBN.
Proposed change: Like the Professor, I think this needs an ingame ability as well. I had a couple of ideas riffing on the flavour: 'The rez cost of unique cards is reduced by 2 credits', or 'A second copy of a unique card may be rezzed without trashing another rezzed copy.'
Overall I know this is an exercise in wishful thinking. But then, for all the reasons outlined above FFG actually could plausibly do this without it causing that much of a mess or being a problem for existing players.
If you were rebalancing these IDs, how would you?
Posted Jan 14, 2016, 6:12 AM UTC
Kit at 15 inf would have a very large impact on breaker design space that would be bad for the rest of the game. 12 would be fine.
Exile with 17 inf feels good, but a card or two creds seems like it's pushing things a bit; maybe a card or 1 cred? I actually regard Geist as the fixed Exile.
Professor with hand selection seems crazy to me. Rebirth is an obvious problem. I'd try 0 inf but the first copy of one non-program is also not counted. That would lose double Datasucker, but open up lots of weird stuff. Heck, maybe keep the 1 inf.
Cerebral Imaging is just fine, but HB has an EtF problem I'll get into next.
NEXT Design would be great at 15 inf, but you still wouldn't take it over EtF. It sets up a great rush by grabbing you 2-6 clicks of work out of the gate (oh if only it were in Weyland); unfortunately, EtF nets you roughly 1 click a turn (0.7 might be closer) so you just should take it every time. 17 inf might tip the balance but in the end we should just nerf EtF and save HB the trouble. (Shaper has the same problem with Kate.)
Custom Biotics is just a bad idea until the game's more fleshed out and this ID stops signalling its strategy so hard. That also makes it - and The Professor - big losers in the rotation game as these two were very much "wait and see" cards. If I were to add text in your direction, I'd put a recurring credit for rezzing stuff (maybe a non-ice restriction?), or a few non-recurring creds if we nerf EtF.
For NEXT Design an additional ability could be viable: "+3 ice cards, ignoring agenda density"
it would be more elegant if NEXT required "one less agenda point" than the rules state otherwise.
I like this one a lot. Part of what I didn't like about 17 inf is that it addresses the least of the four problems the ID has (Parasite, not being EtF, ice density vs deck size, wanting access to better and varied ice). The last maybe shouldn't be listed, though, as it's something every deck wants. It's like looking at Near Earth Hub's text box and wanting to make sure it has access to good assets without losing out on other goodies; NEXT's ability should be able to offset that change in priorities. I realize there are differences: Making News is not EtF and NEH gives drip economy to NEXT's one time burst. But I like how reducing the agenda density shores up a weakness unique to the ID. Of course, it might not fit in the text box...
There is one card coming up that CB might like - Localized Product Line is a huge influence hog, but CB could have it fine, in multiples even.
Initially the thought is "so what, just another scorch (setup) tool", but there's quite a lot it might be useful for - especially if you use Cybernetics Court and possibly Reclamation Order. . Also a very good card for The Twins.