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).

KPI is a “Viridian Level Clearance”.

As (the first of) @Sokka234’s World Champ card(s), he says this about the design intent (paraphrased, see “My champ card coming in Dawn”): “It does a lot of different things for the Corp, and at different times in the game; so you can never be sure when the best time to play it is.”

For example:

• Advance++ICE: You can push a 5/3 or 4/2 agenda while still protecting it with extra ice (IAA’/IA’ing it), to quickly exploit a scoring-opportunity.

• Earn++Advance: You can triple-advance from just $1, to score out a never-advanced 3/2 (like Above the Law) or twice-advanced 5/3 (like The Basalt Spire). As if your ID were Built to Last.

Modes:

• Draw–Tuck mode: Shuffle back one agenda (including the one just topdecked). It's a smaller half–Sprint/Spin Doctor), but in-faction. Compare with Descent.

• Free ICE mode: Late-game, you can deepen an already-deep server (the longer you wait on this generic card, which you can always play for some value even early-game, the more credits that specific mode will save you).

• Advancement mode: Playing this operation costs as much as taking basic-action to advance, but also gives you an extra effect.

• Earning mode: Can always reimburse itself (like RLC).

Design:

• Multiply-Interactable: the Runner can interact with this card by running different servers (thus, in more ways than with most assets).

  1. run Archives: By flipping the discard-pile faceup, you turn off CGP’s Turn 1 facedown card in Archives faceup to … cost (except for a few fun fast-discard/-mill). Thus, there's an implicit Unless the Runner breached Archives last turn, … gate.
  2. run the agenda: Because it never-advances (being a BoT trigger like La Costa Grid), you can steal the telegraphed agenda beforehand (if you can breach the scoring remote, if you guessed right and they didn't bait you with Charlotte Caçador, or so on).
  3. run the asset (duh): Just pay its fair, 2[$] trash-cost.

• Both Payoff and (Self-)Enabler:

  • By itself, you can trash cards facedown (1st turn) and use that card archived-facedown (2nd turn), including the one it trashed itself.
  • Or (using just mode #2) you can install an agenda, a CGP, and play Hansei Review, then score out a never-advanced 4/2 next turn (flipping the Hansei’d card after rezzing CGP).
  • Or (using just mode #1) you can trash an installable, then IAA Hybrid Release (installing the trashed card).

• Both Econ and Threat: it can clicklessly earn two credits every turn while “rummaging” too, until it starts never-advancing agendas.

  • Most econ assets (like Regolith Mining License and Nico Campaign) are “cooked” in the scoring remote until you have a scoring window, and you've already exhausted them, or you'll over-install them anyways (tho a few can even rescue themselves, like Wall to Wall and Janaína “JK” Dumont Kindelán). To never-advance with CGP, however, this should be in a secondary, protected remote.

Notes:

• It almost breaks even on-rez ("+$2, draw 1" minus "card to draw, click to install, $1 to rez, trash 1 to use"), but doesn't (which is healthy for drip-econ or other value-over-time assets, IMO).

• This (as @Diogene said in their review) shines under identities:

  • with multiple protected remotes (like A Teia and Asa Group: since it's, of course, not an upgrade (like Tranquility Home Grid or La Costa Grid). Jukebox Asa (8th @ Worlds 2024) splashed two.
  • that care about facedown Archives (Restoring Humanity) or can protect Archives... or are Jinteki. LouDeeRer (2nd @ Worlds 2024) sleeved up the full playset.

• Like Zer0, you can filter cards and earn credits each turn. But the in-faction synergies of Runner-Red are “Trigger-when-Discarded” and “Heap-matters”, while that of Corpo-Red is “Archived-Facedown-matters”.

• Being non-unique, a second copy can (IIUC) flip the card just trashed by the first copy (but then you need three defensible remotes). (FWIW, I've never done that or seen it done, but I'm not a competitive player.) Also, being self-mill, you might need to reshuffle Archives (like with in-faction Longevity Serum, which can “heal” you for +3HP) if you've used the first mode too many times. (FWIW, I've never felt like I had to do that either.)

@tzeentchling:

I’m extremely fond of Cohort Guidance Program because it increases my draw speed and provides minor filtering from my hand of less useful cards, and if the runner doesn't bother to check Archives it's quite easy to get multiple advancements on a NA agenda.

(PS. I wish NSG released more earlier versions of cards! Even without extensive commentary like they did for Stegodon, which of course takes a lot of work to write on top of all the work that already went into it. There's a lot of knobs on this card that were all tuned well, both from the design and development perspective, yet the final version reads so cleanly while still being very deep.)

Idea: Other “CGP-like” assets that are, implicitly, temporarily-disablable (by breaching R&D, HQ, specific remotes) would be interesting too.

• R&D: Look at the top of R&D with 1st mode, and maybe rearrange (or draw then peek) for value; Guess the top of R&D (or just flip it and check for an “interactable" card-type, IE. an agenda/asset/upgrade, being stealable/trashable) with 2nd mode, to place an advancement. The Runner can disable it by breaching R&D. (cf. Federal Fundraising.)

• HQ: Reveal a stealable/trashable (agenda, asset, or upgrade) from HQ, to place an advancement. The Runner could disable it by breaching HQ and hitting enough stealables/trashables (maybe).

• Remotes: Derez another/noncopy rezzed asset (that wasn't rezzed this turn, or an asset/upgrade in another server) at BoT. The Runner could disable it by touching enough remotes? (cf. Warm Reception.)

• Detagging: Take 1 bad publicity to give 1 tag at EoT; Remove 1 tag to install & place 1 advancements at BoT. The Runner could disable it by detagging, as well as by trashing it (with the 1[$] “subsidy” for running/trashing from badpub). (cf. City Surveillance LOL.) (BTW, Repeated tagging or repeated derezzing can be toxic, and repeated deck-rearrangement can drag on every beginning-of-turn. These are all just zeroth drafts.)

Kingmaking (👑) is a “DIY 4/3” if you're holding onto (or draw into) an X/1, as well as drawing up to 3 cards itself.

“Low-Worth” agendas include:

• Post-Truth Dividend
• License Acquisition
• Oracle Thinktank
• Superconducting Hub

See v<2 t:Agenda f:NBN|neutral z:standard .

Design:

• Like Regenesis, it “free-scores” an agenda when you score it (which I love). This encourages its own specific agenda-suites: Regenesis wants 5/3’s, esp. which have Archives-relevant (like when stolen) text; and Kingmaking wants 3/1’s, esp. which have (non-when you score & non-hosted agenda counter-based) abilities.

• Even if you didn't care about the extra agenda point or any abilities (like False Lead), it still “removes” one agenda in your hand from the game, which is a (petit) anti-flood effect on its multi-draw.

Note:

• While it won't trigger Superconducting Hub’s conditional (on-score) ability, it does still enable its static (in-score-area) ability. For example, in @koga’s “Teeth Azmari”, a (44-card) deck which sleeved up 4 X/1’s for 3 Kingmaking’s.
• IMO, the text would read a little better as worth 1 agenda point or less / worth 1 or fewer agenda points.

A kingmaker scenario in a game of three or more players is an endgame situation where a player who is unable to win has the capacity to determine which player among others will win.

en.wikipedia.org