Phoenix is “Red Mercury” (or a “new MERChant”).

She synergizes with:

• Subroutine-“Rewriting”: like Bankhar.
• Subroutine-“Melting”: like Banner and Shred.
• other Subroutine-Resolution rewards: like Raindrops Cut Stone.

Design-wise, his quasi-Sabotage is a pseudo-multi-access, like Mercury’s (true) multi-access, but where you must resolve subroutines, not just bypass or derez over them. (And his a successful run targets any server, like Hoshiko’s access, not just centrals.)

IMHO, “Resolved-Subroutines-matter” is much healthier than “Unbroken-Subroutines-matter”. Letting the Corp resolve their (non-EtR) subroutines is more interactive than “just don't break ice” or “just touch a card”.

PS. This is my favorite spoiled Runner ID (before playing with any).

For example, Bankhar in Phoenix is extremely synergistic:

• sets up the a subroutine resolved check.
• helps with a run becomes successful check.
• lets you flexibly attack any server with an outermost, single-sub, rezzed ice (if available).

Banner can “melt” past most Barriers, like Kessleroid’s two ↳ End the run’s. (Will we sleeve up a Banner alongside two Rising Tide? I WANT TO BELIEVE.)

A Shred can “melt past” a singular gearcheck (Tatu-Bola, Ablative, Ping, Descent, Flyswatter) unless the Corp suffers “1 HQ damage”, while still triggering Phoenix (since the ↳ End the run was not broken and yet the Barrier was still passed), thus forcing the Corp to either suffer “1 HQ sabotage”. CF. a The Corp trashes (1 card at random or) 1 card of their choice from HQ. fork.

And Raindrops in Phoenix feels like Bravado in Baz.

Baz is giving “Nero × Los × Az”.

For example, you can reactively install a Boomerang or Flip Switch when facechecking, to break 2 or jack out (or a Lucky Charm, if they print one without an HQ-Succeeded-gate, like Devil Charm). But you can also clicklessly install any hardware/resource, like Hermes or The Class Act, just to get value (even if irrelevant to the current encounter). CF. Masterwork (v37) (Whenever a run begins, you may install 1 piece of hardware from your grip …).

While the flavor (artwork/subtype/etc) is Gabe (a confident, handsome gentlemen), the gameplay should be more Ari (“Blue Shaper”) or Az (“Green Crim”): Runs must be initiated (modulo your Forged Activation Orders if reprinted, or their Tucanas), but need not be successful.

Design-wise, there's a balance:

• Whenever the Corp rezzes a piece of ice, … means you need to interact, but (unlike Zahya) you don't need to succeed. So he supports “On-End” (vs. “On-Success”/“On-Breach”) run-events, like Bravado; or even clickless-runs, like Alarm Clock.

• Install 1 hardware or resource { during a run } is a large class, which includes both interaction and non-interaction. CF. how Ari’s Install 1 program can slap down either a Botulus or a Coalescence.

His condition synergizes with Crim’s derez effects, triggering off Window of Opportunity, and triggering with Saci. This may compensate for Baz’s trigger-ceiling (the Corp only has so much ICE in deck, and will only install/rez so many). Or this may be unnecessary (most Corps will sleeve up enough ICE, and if they aren't rezzing, then you'll be breaching their servers).

NB. His trigger is a Whenener …(!), not a The first time each turn …. However, your hand size is only so large, and your decks' non-program/non-event count is only so high. So you need card-flow to refill the grip.

And he punishes ice-rezzing by helping the Runner (like Los), rather than hurting the Corp (like Reina).

PS. This is my second-favorite spoiled Runner ID (before playing with any).

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.

GAMEDRAGON™ Pro is a “mobile +1 strength counter”, like a beginning-of-turn Net-Ready Eyes (crossed with a run-length Gebrselassie).

For example, it gives Buzzsaw base 4 strength for Vampyronassa (and lets its $3:+1 last like Gordian Blade, FWIW).

While it's the “new Takobi” (rotated) or “new K2CP Turbine” (banned), its design is more interactive and interesting, IMO (choices and constraints). That is:

• You have to choose which breaker is being boosted, before running. If there's a rezzed ice that's mild, and an unrezzed ice that may be harsh (where the Corp has enough credits), then you have to try and make the right call, or hedge against the facecheck (like by hosting onto a Sentry).
• You can boost only a single breaker (not multiple/all breakers simultaneously), being unique.
• You boost by only a single point of strength (no +2 from Turbine or +3 from Takobi), again being unique.
• You can't tutor for it as soon as you want, let alone fetch it mid-run, being hardware (not "software" for Self-modifying Code).

While the “Gordian effect” is less relevant than the strength-boost (AFAICT, it was included to save credits against, say, quadruple-iced servers without saving any credits against a single-iced servers), it's a fun rider. It distorts ice-positioning (which is fun for the Corp) and, FWIW, it does synergize with Shaper's in-faction “ice-manipulation” (which is fun for the Runner). For example (given the GAMEDRAGON’d icebreaker being a Decoder):

• “painting”: a second ice protecting the server to Code Gate. EG. Pelangi (or the new Chromatophores?).
• swapping: a second Code Gate in (and the Sentry / Barrier / unrezzed ICE, that was behind their Code Gate, out).

In the Standard Ban List 25.04, the SBT say:

GAMEDRAGONTM Pro was designed specifically to be most effective against hyper glacier strategies relying on large, vertical servers. Where Turbine provides a flat economic boost continually from install, to save credits with GAMEDRAGON you need to call your shot and commit to the right icebreaker each turn—especially if you are running into unrezzed ice. GAMEDRAGON also gives Corps the ability to mitigate its impact via ice positioning. However, even with these nuances and counterplay built into the card, at 2 influence, GAMEDRAGON is a worthwhile consideration in Anarch or Criminal.

TDS pairs multi-install with (multi-)draw.

The problem with exclusive multi-install effects is that you need enough installables in hand. For example, [[Shipment from MirrorMorph]] has an implicit Play only if there are at least 2 to 3 assets, upgrades, and/or agendas in HQ. gate. And if you do, you still need to refill your emptied hand.

Other “Clearance” effects that draw multiple cards (like Red Level Clearance) can still only install a single card. Fast Break is an exception, but with an implicit Play only if there are at least 2 agendas in the Runner's score area. gate.

However, TDS lets us multi-install from smaller hands (with sub-optimal installables, even with only a single installable pre-draw). And it refills our hand as it empties.

For example:

• Asset-Spam: Install two assets, while drawing one-or-two more. Like “DIY NEH”.

• Fast-Advance: Install a multi-clicker/multi-advancer/clickless-advancer (like Bass CH1R180G4, The Holo Man, or any “new Calibration Testing”), alongside a 3/2.

NB. This compresses "install clicks", but only breaks even on "units of value"): 2[$], [click], CARD → 2×Draw, 2×Install. (As @Krams says below.)

Flavor:

• Name: is a pun. Corporate headquarters plans out simultaneous construction projects ahead of time, which then join up; and building the space elevator from orbit downwards is literally the most "top-down" construction possible around Earth (any farther, there's no "up" or "down").

• Art: shows creepy–cute “bioctoroids”. Being in outer space, they feel like aliens (despite us knowing they're terrestrials and built by Haas-Bioroid). Likewise, Sacrifice felt like an alien monolith (despite us knowing that Weyland built it). While exploited as much as Turtlebacks, maybe they have more labor rights than other Bioroids (because of how hard to reach they are).