#beyond maybe making all of my rp posts green in the future. but i already have a system... ah well

[piningpercussionist]

(ooc)

okay... LITERALLY been working on it all day, but I finally reworked the theme!

No music player anymore, possibly temporarily?

I was gonna see if the code for it worked with this version but I accidentally hit save,,, L. I just don't wanna deal with that rn,, I have stuff to respond to--

[soybeeftacos]

A Long Rant and Mediocre Analysis of the Future of My Beloved Jinteki Faction, by scd.

I have been thinking about Jinteki and the impending rotation of a lot of Jinteki cards...

As many have, I eagerly anticipate the upcoming System Update and System Gateway releases from NISEI. I’ve not been the hugest fan of Ashes, to put it mildly, especially their ID design. As someone on the Green Level Clearance Discord said the other day (I forget who, sorry), it’s almost as if they made every Runner a different kind of Shaper. And the Corps are, by and large, uncompetitive and overly fiddly for my tastes — oh, how I wish Hyoubu Institute was any good! I’m dipping my toes back into Standard after a few years away, and have lately been trying to get my head around what’s coming around the corner, especially since beyond Engram Flush and LaCosta Grid, I don’t see a ton to be excited about in recent Jinteki cards.

Then it dawned on me, with the upcoming replacement of SC2019, Honor & Profit, and the SanSan Cycle, we are actually losing a lot of Jinteki cards. This hit me most the most at the level of identities. On the potential chopping block are: Jinteki: Personal Evolution, Jinteki: Replication Perfection, Harmony Medtech, Nisei Division, Tennin Institute, Jinteki Biotech, and Chronos Protocol. Add in that Mti Mwekundu and Jinteki: Potential Unleashed are currently banned, this leaves the competitive pool as of System Gateway/System Update: one of the above identities (if the rumors that System Update will have only one Corp ID per faction are true), the new Jinteki ID in System Gateway, then Pālanā Foods, AgInfusion, and Saraswati. No other legal Jinteki IDs. I understand that the first two are solid glacier choices, and I actually quite like Saraswati, but I want more and more variety.

So it’s a bit of a bummer for my favorite faction, which has had goofy FA Tennin decks, Punitive Medtech techs, Complete Image Chronos Protocol kill decks, lots and lots of different PE decks. Will we see the death of the Jinteki I loved? Or will it rise again from the proverbial coffin of rotation? (Yes, this was all an elaborate justification for using the old GIF above that I think Eric Caoili made many years ago).

I’m basically just sick of Jinteki glacier. It’s never been fun for me, nor does it feel like what the faction should be primarily “about.” Jinteki’s current state as a glacier faction primarily has as much to do with what’s been banned as much as what’s been printed (LaCosta, for instance). If there are enough net damage cards in the pool, someone will make yet another new version of the caustic “Potatoes” deck and then NISEI will ban a bunch of the most troublesome cards again. Ignoring currents, there are five Jinteki cards on the current banlist, which is tied with Weyland for the most — followed by four NBN cards, two HB cards, and four neutrals.

If System Update has only one Corp ID per faction, as the recent rumor has stated, then I’ll be bummed out. If it’s true, I fully expect that Personal Evolution will be the one to stick around. It’s always been at least marginally playable, it does something different (a net damage tax), and it’s intelligible for new players. But what other cards stick around? What else should stick around? I thought I’d look and see what cards are actually going to rotate and which ones I was most upset about. What I found was actually a little surprising to me — while I claim I love this faction, I’m, uh, not going to miss many of these! I’ve gone through below and identified from SC2019, Honor & Profit, and the SanSan Cycle all of the cards that I suspect just can’t go and/or I’d be real sad if they did.

From the pool of SC2019 Cards, here’s what I’d hold onto:

Jinteki: Personal Evolution Nisei Mk II Fetal AI Philotic Entanglement Project Junebug Ronin Snare! Neural EMP

All of these are such key cards to me, I just can’t see Jinteki without nearly all of them. Fetal AI, Philotic and Ronin are possibly marginal, but I think NISEI really made the right call bringing Fetal back (t’s a beautiful card on a number of levels); Philotic being limited to 1-per-deck has always made it a fun surprise and/or a welcome 3/2 in the faction; and without Ronin or a suitable combo-kill replacement, I don’t see the faction moving beyond just glacier decks. Can you imagine Netrunner without Snare!? Or NISEI getting rid of Nisei Mk II? Personal Evolution, Neural EMP, Junebug — these have always been faction-defining cards to me, and I don’t see NISEI being foolish enough to mess with that.

So, what would I lose from SC2019?

Jinteki: Replicating Perfection Sundew Hokusai Grid Celebrity Gift Trick of Light Himitsu-Bako Wall of Thorns Lotus Field Yagura Neural Katana Swordsman Tsurugi

A lot of great cards here, but push come to shove, I could lose any of them. I’ll miss all of these if they all go, and I won’t be sad if any are kept (other than maybe RP, as I think there are better options, if NISEI has more than one core Jinteki ID in System Update; see below).

Onward and on to the Honor & Profit Cards:

Psychic Field Mushin No Shin Komainu

This genuinely surprised me! I had expected that there would be many, many more Honor & Profit cards I’d want to keep. As a Jinteki lover, I’ve played with all of the cards in this box (with the possible exception of NeoTokyo Grid), but only Psychic Field, Mushin, and Komainu seemed obvious keepers to me. Now, now, I’m sure there’s some group of people out there who think Mushin is "bad” and I understand that, but without Mushin there needs to be something I want there to be something that has a similar effect — Saraswati is kinda it, but it’s also the ID itself and Mushin as an ID is not the same. I think Mushin needs to be kept to help facilitate the shell game Jinteki that has been a staple since Hinkes’ Cambridge PE. In the online play world of Jinteki.net, many people would love to see mind games and traps leave the game entirely, but I don’t think NISEI does (given that they kept Cerebral Overwriter in Uprising). Psychic Field, I’d keep, partially to facilitate this but also as a necessary, hard 419 counter — a counter on a mechanical vector that is not just about money and math. Komainu is a beautiful piece of ice, and one I’d love to see stay in the game.

So, what are we losing if I ruled NISEI?

Harmony Medtech Nisei Division Tennin Institute House of Knives Medical Breakthrough The Future Perfect Chairman Hiro Mental Health Clinic Shi.Kyū Tenma Line Cerebral Cast Medical Research Fundraiser Inazuma Pup Shiro Susanoo-no-Mikoto NeoTokyo Grid Tori Hanzō

Ouch. There are a lot of almost-keepers here. House of Knives, TFP, Tennin, Pup, and Susanoo, are all cards I’d love to see stick around but frankly, I don’t think they really need to. TFP is a great defensive agenda but we already have some fantastic defensive agendas in the faction (and I’d love to see what NISEI cooks up for other defensive Jinteki 5/3s). House of Knives is a great card and maybe it should stick around, I dunno, but perhaps there’s more interesting space to explore in net-damaging 3/1s (plus, we just got Sting! somewhat recently). These remaining ice don’t get a lot of play, even if they once did (like Pup); I’d be happy to see any of them stick around, but I’d also like to see new ideas. So, they can all go.

What about the SanSan Cycle? I’d keep:

Jinteki Biotech: Life Imagined Crick Cortex Lock Marcus Batty An Offer You Can’t Refuse

Okay, whoa, there’s actually an ID in here! Yeah, I love Biotech, even if I haven’t played it in a long time. I feel like Biotech needed just another couple of cards to make the other non-Brewery flip sides workable. I’d love to see NISEI attempt to fix an ID rather than just rotate it. Crick and Cortex Lock seem like such solid, interesting ice that I wouldn’t want to lose either — Cortex Lock is of course a wonderful facechecking ice, good early game ice that was only really ever a problem during the Mti meta. I’ve always loved the positional ice of that cycle, and Crick is lovely. Batty is too fun to ignore and is versatile for multiple decks, and is not stifling like other defensive upgrades. And An Offer You Can’t Refuse — clearly the weirdest, least-played card of this entire post — I just want to keep it around, for the novelty of forcing a run on the Corp’s turn and its related rules confusions. And for the memes.

What would we lose?

Genetic Resequencing Ancestral Imager Allele Repression Genetics Pavilion Lockdown It’s a Trap! Clairvoyant Monitor Chronos Protocol: Selective Mind-Mapping Recruiting Trip Valley Grid

Not a lot here that I really care about, I guess? Genetics Pavilion is probably the one I’d miss the most, not that it’s had much play since Wyldside rotated. And Chronos Protocol — I’m glad it got a brief moment to shine in the sun of Complete Image, but I’m not going to miss it otherwise. Maybe Allele Repression, but frankly, Genotyping, Preemptive Action, etc. have shown that Operation-based card recycling is the best way to go post-Jackson. The rest of these cards were, I think, pretty mediocre design; I’m surprised at how little wheat to chaff there was in SanSan for Jinteki, as my memory is quite different!

And, of course, with the release of System Update, we’ll presumably get some other old cards resurfacing that we haven’t seen in a while. I certainly hope NISEI gets aggressive and interesting with these choices, as I think they did a pretty good job with SC2019 (even if I found Core Experience to be a slog of a format). I’m excited at the options of what from the original core, Genesis, Spin, and Lunar might resurface. If it were up to me, here are the four cards that I would bring back:

Hostile Infrastructure Shock! Edge of World Industrial Genomics

Okay, okay, Hostile Infrastructure won’t be popular, but I love it. It’s expensive to rez and with SanSan gone there won’t be the old Breaker Bay Grid cheese to get it rezzed for free. It’s been back in the meta with Salvaged Memories for a bit now and doesn’t appear to be the scourge of the meta, so why not just keep it? More importantly, I’d love to see Shock! come back — it felt infinitely more fair than Breached Dome with a similar (albeit costlier to trash) effect. Edge of World was a jank-enabler that I would love to see again (perhaps because I’m currently playing Retrunner with these old cards again), and then there’s ... Industrial Genomics.

Okay, okay, okay, I hear you, “IG bad.” It’s a mean, mean, Bad People Play It™ identity that made you cry real bad that one time. It did the same to me once, too! I get that perspective, but if we are going to choose a Jinteki ID that is very functionally different than Personal Evolution to complement it in System Update, I’d like one that facilitates the kinds of play IG does. Biotech fits that bill, but frankly, Biotech unless it gets the card support will just be another Brewery kill ID, and I’m not sure NISEI are thinking that’s worth keeping. I’m being hopelessly optimistic that we’ll be getting three Jinteki IDs when System Gateway and Update drop rather than just two, and if I had to choose between Biotech and IG, I’m going IG every time.

Now, with Kakurenbo in the cardpool, a return of IG just can’t happen; so... ban Kakurenbo! It is a ridiculous card that was, seemingly, mainly designed for IG to play in Eternal. I can’t see any other good use for it, at least. Bring back the old IG from before Bio-Ethics prison. Bring back Shock! Hell, even go ahead and ban Bio-Ethics — gasp, I can’t believe I’m typing such blashemy — and give us something that can open up new kinds of play with this interesting, classic, and overly-maligned ID. Industrial Genomics was a weird thing of beauty, and it deserves another run. Laugh at me all you want, you know I’m right.

One more thing — what about Caprice Nisei? Shouldn’t she be discussed? Nah, she gets no love from me, simply because of the playstyle she empowers. Caprice is of course a great and meta-defining card — for glacier! But haven’t we had enough of glacier by now? Like, two years of mainly glacier Jinteki? And I’m the lord of my own barely-read blog fiefdom; I decree that if you really want a psi game to protect your agenda, you should just go play Hyoubu Precog Manifold.

Anyway, just some thoughts by someone who doesn’t play any Standard but wants to do more. I started writing this thinking it was about the dire state of Jinteki, but I’m now left thinking there’s actually a much smaller set of must-keep Jinteki cards than I initially thought. Granted, most of them are non-ice cards, and that’s a problem here — only a handful of ice here seem really necessary to keep. And maybe that’s what this is about; encouraging more deckbuilding that has little to do with building remotes.

I’m most concerned about IDs. Keeping PE and either Biotech or IG would make me personally happy, and Tennin would be an acceptable “sure, why not.” There’s a lot of potential for Jinteki to move into more forms of play that aren’t so glacier-heavy, and I’m hopeful about that. I do think what they do in System Gateway and System Update will need to address the loss of Jinteki cards, but perhaps not as seriously as I had feared when I started writing this.

Anyway, I’d love to hear any reactions to this. Long Live Chairman Hiro!

[alinkbetweenportraits]

11 Mun Questions

tagged by: @picorihero (Thanks for being so patient dude. I’ve been wanting to answer this for a while...)

tagging: @askraviostuff @bonkakira-and-friends @luciombre  @askthegreenguys @askthefwrp @ashadowbetweenworlds @kitterahsdollhouse  @scaevitxs @ancient-wishes  and anyone else who wants to give it a shot! Just say I tagged you lololol.

RULES

Answer the 11 questions posted for you

Create 11 new ones (optional, you can use the previous)

Tag 11 people (optional as well)

MY 11 ANSWERS

1. How are you doing today?

(Can’t complain! Hoping to get back on the blog and work on some RP stuff now that I’ve cleared a ton of work this week. How about you? Are things going okay? Your Link is adorable btw!)

2. This is the most important question, a dear friend of mine would say: What is your favorite color?

(Green. I love green so much.)

3. What is your favorite genre of books/tv series/movies/etc.?

(I enjoy a weird mix of horror and comedy. I love to laugh and have fun while I can, but anyone who knows me know I’m into some really creepy shit haha. I’ve dragged my friends into horror spots because I want to witness scary things for myself.)

4. Does that genre cross over into what you like to write?

(Oh definitely. I lean more towards the comedy side because let’s face it, the two games Albie is featured in are lighthearted for the most part. Plus I see so much edge I just need a damn break. But when I have a little extra creative freedom to write about scary stuff in Hyrule that goes on in the shadows I have fun with it. There was a horror themed holiday I wanted to make in Hyrule much like Ribbon day, but ehhhh I need more work.)

5. Do you have any pets?? Tell me about them! If you have none, tell me about your dream pet.

(You know I used to have dogs but they passed away! They got old so it’s bound to happen. I really want a pet as soon as I live on my own though. Maybe a rabbit or rats or a black cat... If I could, I would totally get a crow, but that’s illegal. Damn.)

6. Has anyone left a really good impression on you in the rp community? Here’s a chance to spread the love and brag about how cool your friends are!

(A ton of people. Too many to tag. That or they just don’t RP on this site. You guys know who you are. And even if we haven’t RPed chances are I already read what you write. You guys have just been beyond awesome and I’m always thankful for everything you guys send my way, whether it be asks, replies, ideas, even one like. I know it’s not much, but I think the community has helped me shape Albie quite a bit and I’m really happy to have so much support.)

7. What’s one of your favorite threads you remember writing?

(I have a lot but the ones that stick out...)

- The day Link thought a bowl of chocolate pudding was poop because he’s never eaten rich people food like that. He threw it at Ravio’s face for lols.

- The time Link threw pocket sand in Yuga’s eyes and beat him across the face with his own staff

- The one with Ravio and Albie finding out more about a spider’s curse that I SHOULD REALLY REPLY TO GDI

- Ribbon day where Zelda and Albie get together. It was cute and fluffy so sue me.

- Bowyetta and Albie meeting because holy shit it’s a fucking robot

- THAT FUCKING DETHL FIGHT

- Albie running into Mr. Repairman in the sanctuary and dropping an industrial wrench on his own head.

- Link meeting the ghosts of other heroes before him. His first reaction was to throw salt in their face to exorcise his house.

8. Besides rp, do you do anything else for fun? (draw, hike, viddya games, etc.)

(I LOVE COOKING like holy shit I wish I had more time for it lately but ask any of my friends. I loooooove food. I love talking about food I love cooking with food I love just LOOKING at food. I went to a really tough culinary school way back when and have a burning passion for all things food related. Ask me anything about food and ye shall receive an honest answer. I also play video games, but again, not as much as I’d like. Breath of the Wild has kind of taken over LOL. Sometimes I try to get creative by drawing with my bff or crafting in general, but I’m not the best at it. I still have fun though.)

9. Why did you choose your muse? (Brag about how cool your muse is!)

(He’s not cool though. He’s a complete chungus and that’s exactly why I love him. I started RPing as him with my bff for funsies years ago. It wasn’t until last year I decided to actually you know... make an account. Not only that, but Albie doesn’t get much love on his own. Everyone always sees him as “ALttP Link 2.0 Turbo edition”. I kinda feel like he had more character than that and he was really just a goofball the entire game. Not only that but I love that he and Zelda both gave their wishes up to save Lorule. It really says a lot about what kind of people they are in the end.)

10. Who is a character you’d LOVE to write or rp with? Your dream-partner, basically.

(Give me more villains pls. Scary villains. Particularly Yuga. But I need some fight scenes I’m getting rusty. Other than that though it’s whatever lol I’m game for anything fun I guess.)

11. You want to adopt a rabbit? Beatrix Bun kicked me and I’m still upset about it.

(Can I cook it?)

(YES GIMMIE THE BUN I’LL LOVE IT FOREVER AND GIVE IT SMOOCHES)

MY 11 QUESTIONS

1.) Hello! How are you today?

2.)  What’s your favorite food?

3.) How do you like your steaks done? 

4.) Do you ever get drunk and think about sharks?

5.) Is there anything you really want to RP in the future? It can be on the current blog or another blog you have.

6.) Do you have any pet peeves on your character that make you want to shout to the high heavens?

7.) Is there something you love in your fandom that everyone else seems to absolutely hate or vice versa?

8.) Can you share an embarrassing story about yourself? Something silly or funny will work too.

9.) Post a selfie? Show the world how awesome you all look! 

10.) Describe your character in 3-5 tropes

11.) Now describe your muse in a reaction gif