Measured Response is the “new Punitive Counterstrike”.

Design:

• The Play only if the threat level is 4 or greater check is implicitly satisfied by the Runner stealing a 5/3 last turn (after having stolen a second agenda earlier in the game), but also by the Corp scoring out a pair of 4/2’s. However, unlike Punitive, you cannot randomly flatline them in the early-game. (Like by a single Punitive after two 5/3's got stolen from Archives, or two Punitives drawn by a single Bacterial Programming.)

• The fixed … unless the Runner pays 8[$]. “pseudo-trace-attempt” simplifies Punitive's Trace⁵. The Runner asks themselves "Will I have eight credits left?", EG. after a Sure Gamble (not "Will I have a few more credits than the Corp?). CF. how NSG “modernized” SEA Source into Public Trail. *Note: Trace-Attempts can be interacted with by econ-denying the Corp (zapping credits via the “new Diversion of Funds”, forcing the Corp to rez ice, etc); but any expensive operation (like **MR which costs 5[$]) has this interaction.

• The symmetric threat level is 4 or greater (unlike the asymmetric sum of the printed agenda points on all agendas the Runner stole during their last turn, or a hypothetical “the Runner's threat level`” tempalting) incentivizes the Corp to score out agendas, including smaller ones (and not just wait for the Runner to steal a big agenda).

• The operation having a trash-cost (MR’s is -3[$]) means you can breach HQ to trash it directly.

See the official Measured Response: A Tale from Elevation Development for its earlier versions, playtest iterations, and the final intent:

As the threat level increases, both players start planning and anticipating when the threshold will be passed. Then, when the threat level hits 4, the dynamic of the game changes. The Runner is forced to reevaluate their resources each time they interact with the Corp’s board. And the Corp’s resources also take on new importance—securing a kill with Measured Response can be expensive both because of the hefty play cost and the need to defend the card while it waits in HQ for the runner to overstep.

This combination of play conditions entirely avoid the issues of dying early game to an inopportune access off of a central server. It can turn on very quickly with a couple of ‘lucky’ accesses, but if that happens before the Runner has invested time into their own gameplan… That sounds like a perfect representation of overstepping to me.

Requiring both the threat level to be at 4 and a successful run changes how Measured Response wants to be used in comparison to Punitive Counterstrike. Instead of sitting back and feeding agendas, Measured Response works best when the Corp is accelerating the pace of the game. If the Runner is up 4 agenda points to the Corp’s 0, they have control over when they put themselves at risk. But when the Corp is at 4 points, they’re in the driver’s seat, forcing interaction by threatening to score out.