Pros

  • 3 that can be used for core activites of installing ice, rezzing ice and advancing agendas is extremely valuable
  • it has a net 3 rez cost assuming you rez it when you can immediately spend the recurring credits
    • this plus a 4, means even if the Runner immediately trashes it after one use the Corp is worst case 1 ahead.

Cons

  • It's a medium-long term use asset - how much ice are you willing to divert to defending it?
  • It's hard to avoid sometimes wasting the recurring credits
  • It is unique so you cannot have multiple active at once
  • The credits can't be used for playing Operations or in traces

Notable interactions

  • Using the recurring credits to rez Adonis Campaign or Eve Campaign feels great
  • At 3 influence per copy, taking a couple over to Haas-Bioroid: Engineering the Future can be pretty nice with all its assets
  • Executive Boot Camp makes it much easier to ensure you can spend the credits every turn by using it to rez ice even if the runner won't run
  • Running lots of small ice at 2-4 rez cost and then stacking them on servers works nicely with The Root's 3 per turn, so Grail (eg Galahad ) and NEXT ice (eg NEXT Bronze) work well with it
  • Gagarin Deep Space's extra cost to access cards in remote servers is a nice synergy for this as a high value asset

Final Thoughts

  • Probably best to use it in a deck that is taxing the runner's credits so them trashing it will hurt for them
  • Optimal use is probably to use it for 3-5 turns in a row, then the runner trash it, so don't worry about defending it too heavily
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Re your last **Notable interaction**: It's a little unclear what you mean. Do you mean in addition to using it this way with EBC? Or just in general, you can rez it, use the credits, and then on your next start of turn bounce it back? —
Yeah, I think I was trying to say in Blue Sun with 6 credits on hand, you could rez this, use the 3 credits from this to rez something else, then use the blue sun trick to pull it back and regain the 6 credits. But it's not that great really, I'll remove that point. —
Well, you can rez it end of turn, use credits, use credits start of turn, then bounce. If you leave it down for one more turn, you're making a profit. —

Japanese for Four.Nine; in Japan these are unlucky numbers as they sound like Death.Suffering, which incidentally is the options this card presents to a runner.

Pros

  • can force the runner to take -1 Agenda Point by paying for 1 more net damage than runner's current grip
  • Corp is in total control of how many credits to spend, compared to how much net damage they want to cause
  • works from Archives

Cons

  • Corp must always spend credits to make it do anything
  • does not work from R&D
  • won't ever flatline the runner as they can choose if they take the damage

Notable interactions

  • Philotic Entanglement does another damage for one of these in the runner's score area, so combined with some 1 point agendas, can let Philotic kill a runner even with a full grip of 5 cards
  • can be used by Data Dealer or Frame Job to benefit the runner while they also dispose with the -1 AP
    • however, if you know the runner has Data Dealer or Frame Job, you can choose not to trigger it on access (paying no credits) and they then do not have an option to steal it
  • can be used in Harmony Medtech with 6x 5/3 Agendas to make a deck where the runner must steal 3 agendas - half of them! - to win, while the corp can win by scoring two
  • can be priced to cause seemingly non-lethal damage when actually it will drop the Runner's grip size enough to let Ronin or several Neural EMP(s) flatline them next turn.
  • this is one of the best cards to force the runner to encounter from Kitsune, when your strategy revolves around the runner having -1 AP

Final Thoughts

  • Not comparible to Snare! as it can't flatline and doesn't protect R&D.
  • Shock! is often superior as Archives protection as it costs the Corp nothing to trigger, and stays in Archives after firing
  • When giving the runner the -1 AP or disrupting with some net damage are both acceptable, consider bidding low, eg 2. It is surprising how little damage you need to threaten, they will often take the -1 AP just to get it out of your servers so they don't have to worry about accessing it again.
  • Shi.Kyu is a good choice when you want to force -1 AP on the runner, or as extra HQ/Archives protection
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What if this card is accessed from Archives? Does it trigger then? Does it trigger every time the runner hits archives? —
Yes, it triggers if the Runner accesses it in Archives. Compare it to Snare! which specifically states to "ignore this effect if the runner accesses Snare! from Archives". In terms of Archives protection though, Shi.Kyu is not that great as a runner can choose to remove it by taking the -1 AP. In almost every situation, you probably want Breached Dome for Archives protection. —

I have an Aginfusion deck that uses Port Anson Grid, Shi kyu, breached dome, and shock to repeatedly dump a runner into a incresingly deadly archives. Takes a second to set up, one once you do, they usually are forced to trash a program each run rather than take a minus one point and possibly die from a bunch of net and meat damage.

Commonly referred to as 'SMC'.

Pros

  • can tutor for any program, including non-icebreakers
  • can be used midrun to tutor a program needed to break a just-rezzed piece of ice

Cons

  • can be difficult to have available in mid-late game
  • Can be expensive to pay full install cost of an expensive breaker + 2

Notable interactions

  • Leprechaun is the perfect place to install this, as the MU cost of programs is irrelevant to Leprechaun
  • can also be installed on Djinn, and then used to install a breaker (installing the breaker elsewhere, not on Djinn)
  • Clone Chip can be used to install this, then immediately use this to get the program you need - effectively turning Clone Chips into extra SMCs - this can even be done mid-run
  • with an installed and sufficiently loaded Datasucker, SMC can be used to fetch a Parasite and destroy an ice on facechecking it, before its subroutines fire - this technique is known as 'Parasite bombing'
  • including single copies of efficient one-use breakers like Deus X and Sharpshooter is powerful with SMC able to fetch them exactly when needed
  • As a 0 program, it can waste Kate "Mac" McCaffrey's program install discount
    • However, it can be used during the Corp turn to get Kate's discount a bonus time (since the discount is once per each player turn)

Final Thoughts

  • a faction-defining card for Shaper, it fits into many, many different Shaper decks
  • Clone Chip very frequently pairs with it, to get the same instant-install effect from the heap
  • it is an interesting contrast with Test Run
    • SMC shines as a way to safely facecheck ice, but can require a large amount of credits on hand to pay ability cost, install cost of breaker, cost to boost breaker, and cost to break subroutines.
    • Test Run on the other hand shines as a way to affordably break a rezzed ice this turn, as it lets you to temporarily install any breaker without paying its install cost - perfect with Femme Fatale
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One other thing that can be done is fetching Atman and tuning it to break the ICE you're currently encountering. This can be cost prohibitive (credit-wise, this costs 2 for SMC, 3 for Atman install, the strength of the ICE to tune Atman, plus 1 per subroutine) but similar to Femme Fatale it solves the problem of that specific ICE permanently. The case to use this over Femme is that it's actually cheaper against ICE with strength 5 or less, there's no influence cost, and Atman can use the efficient break it provides on multiple different pieces of ICE; Femme is a better option against ICE with strength 6 or more or if the corp has a number of low power Sentries. Of course, if the influence for D4v1d can be afforded it covers the holes Atman leaves at the higher end of the spectrum quite neatly. —

Pronounced: Ko-ma i-nu

Pros

  • can deliver crippling net damage if facechecked
  • combos with many different cards to flatline the runner regardless of how many cards in grip
  • can be taxing to run with full grip
  • can become even more taxing if runner increases their grip size

Cons

  • 5 for 1 str is a prime target for Parasite
  • won't ever flatline the runner alone
  • does nothing to a runner with an empty grip
  • brain damage slightly anti-combos with this as brain damage makes this no more dangerous, and less taxing

Notable interactions

  • In Jinteki: Personal Evolution, the runner can never continue past this ice with zero cards left as accessing any Agenda will then flatline them
  • If runner cannot break this and you have a House of Knives scored, you can spend a HoK token to do a net damage during the ice encounter to flatline the runner
  • Fetal AI can be safely scored behind this if the runner can't break it
  • If bypassed - eg from being targeted by Femme Fatale - runner can now pass this ice for free as it never gains any subroutines. Although, Chum in front of this will fire if this is bypassed, even with no subroutines.

Final Thoughts

  • possibly the most vicious ice to punish early game face checking, there is a reason it costs 4 influence
  • great in Jinteki decks that are looking to tax the runner, and/or flatline the runner
  • be sure to include combo cards in your deck, then you'll often be able to flatline runners who don't respect Komainu
  • when choosing the rest of your ice, watch out for vulnerability to Parasite
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What makes this card amazing is that it forces the runner to play in a direction that is counter-productive. When you run against Jinteki you want to have a big hand. Komainu makes you pay for it. It looks like it gets useless if you run with an empty hand. But indeed, it is the most dangerous thing you can do against Jinteki. —
Point of interest, both Komainu and Femme Fatale's abilities trigger on encounter. Komainu would still get subroutines equal to the runners grip and the runner would have wasted Femme's ability. —
Also Chum into Komainu is a good call. No more breaking all but one or two of the subroutines to save some credits. Though Chum won't fire if there are no subroutines to break. —
Ignore both of those, upon reading the FAQs for a different clarification I came across my mistake, sorry. —
Beginners Question: Is Komainus treat a subroutine, or not? Just lost a game as Con because we handeld it like a subroutine. But this would totally negate the card, right? —
@Bentman, "When the runner encounters..." is not a subroutine. It's just card text, so it can't be broken. However, it can result in Komainu having subroutines, which can be broken. —
I'll just add that GS Shrike M2 is a pretty solid counter to this guy. —
Does Hunting grounds work against this? —
It totally does, and makes the Corp very sad. —
the pronunciation is closer to ko - my - nu —
You know, for the longest time I though this was a two-headed dog rather than two separate dogs... —

Pros

  • allows setting up a 3-advanced bluff, which is incredibly high stakes for the runner to run or not run
    • a 3-advanced ambush such as Cerebral Overwriter can be crippling for the runner to access
    • but a 3-advanced Agenda could be a 5/3 agenda that is easily scored next turn
  • amazing raw economic value, doing 4 and 3 worth of activity for a play cost of only 2 and 0
  • can be used to install and advance even non-advancable assets and upgrades, allowing for new varieties of bluffing

Cons

  • must be used to install a card in a new server, so it is difficult to install with more than 1 ice or upgrade protecting it
  • prevents the card from being rezzed on the runner's next turn, so it cannot be used for tricks like midrun rez-and-trash of cards like Thomas Haas, or with Will-o'-the-Wisp. Ambushes work because they trigger on access, even if unrezzed.

Notable interactions

Final Thoughts

  • extremely powerful effect for the right deck, but won't work unless the Corp player is willing to take some risks
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Would The Future Perfect, not be a bad call since its ability doesn't trigger if it is installed? —
I feel this card to be too powerful. It forces a potentially game ending choice to the runner. That alone is fine, that's what this game is about many times. But this card can do it on turn one, for free. And now that Back Channels and Vanity Project are out this card is even better. Score a Vanity Project on your second turn? Games probably over. Runner hits a Junebug or Overwriter? Games probably over. Of course if the runner steals your Vanity Project, then the game is now hugely in favor of the runner. So again, it just seems too big a gamble to force on the runner for free, on turn one. But it's here to stay. I've packed a Exploratory Romp into a couple decks to deal with this card. But never ran into it when I had the card :( The only other good one is Singularity, but it's super expensive. —

I kind of feel like the best use of MuShin No Shin (besides baiting a brutal trap) is early game when the runner doesn't have their full rig assembled. Drop a 5/3 into a remote server and use your last click to instal a piece of "end the run" ice that the runner doesn't have the breaker for visible. Yes, its risky if the runner has a inside job in hand or a special order, but this is a game about risks, and Jinteki is the house of nasty unexpected suprises, so the fear of running a trap is real for the runner. If Mushin buys you that turn that the runner can't get in, you effectively spent two turns to score a 5/3, installed a piece of ice on a new server, and have an extra click to spare.