The Powers That Be

♦ The Powers That Be 1[credit]

Asset: Ritzy
Trash: 3
Influence: 1

Whenever you score an agenda, you may install 1 card from HQ or Archives, ignoring all costs.

“I followed every lead, and found the rot ran deep from Epiphany, worming into every branch of gov'. I saw my imperative, clear as day: these three had to die. And I had to find a way to do it.”
—Mercury
Illustrated by Zefanya Maega
Decklists with this card

Rebellion Without Rehearsal (rwr)

#130 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
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Reviews

As much a near-print as near-prints can be, in this case of Team Sponsorship. It is now neutral and one universal influence so that everyone, including HB, can join in on the asset spam fun, but for a price. It has the same (albeit reworded) text and rez cost but costs 1 fewer credit to trash, which all runners will appreciate. Not much else to say about it. If you have a horizontal deck and you can spare the influence, you will probably want to play this. If you play a different archetype, this likely isn't for you.

(Rebellion Without Rehearsal era)
1965

I do think its uniqueness should be pointed out: there's no possibility of suddenly refreshing 3 Nico Campaigns after you've already earned 27 credits and 3 card draws from them. Even if you have 3 in your deck, you'll have to choose which one of the various cards in HQ or Archives you want to install.

This gives tempo to the corp. While it is not a "trash on sight" card, it has an ability that can really change the course of the game : install something from archive directly, anywhere, at no cost (but no rez).

This is not to be underestimated, as that can give the corp powerful asset/upgrade (like Rashida Jaheem, Wage Workers and The Holo Man), trashed ices (like Border Control) or even an agenda (that can be put inside the protected server, waiting to be scored next turn).

What might have been an exchange of installing The Powers That Be in an earlier turn, to install a card later (a click spent now to save a click later), can become a powerful tempo boost. And this synergize even more with Asa Group: Security Through Vigilance and A Teia: IP Recovery, since those corp gain additional benefit from a free install. Possibly, Near-Earth Hub: Broadcast Center could get a boost also.

The 1 influence for EVERY corp is a fair price for this asset. Much cheaper than using Restore in influences. At a trash cost of 3, it is costly enough to give pause to the runner.

Here is a fun shenanigans that can be done in the Jinteki faction. If you score Hybrid Release using Kakurenbo, you get to put any installable card from archive AND install something from archive or HQ, thus getting 2 installed cards for an agenda point and 2.

The art is amazing and could easily be on a playmat. The quote goes with the art to indirectly refers to Jeitinho, where the runner wins the game by "knifing" 3 times. So much dimensions to this. Amazing!

(Rebellion Without Rehearsal era)
4464