Jailbreak

Jailbreak 0[credit]

Event: Run
Influence: 0

Run HQ or R&D. If successful, draw 1 card and when you breach the attacked server, access 1 additional card.

“Weʼll take the access codes from their own prisec—privilege escalation through local application of force.”
–The Catalyst
Illustrated by David Lei
Decklists with this card

System Gateway (sg)

#28 • English
Startup Card Pool
Standard Card Pool
Standard Ban List (show history)
Rulings
  • Updated 2021-10-10

    When does the Runner draw 1 card with Jailbreak?

    When the run is declared successful at step 5a.

  • Updated 2021-10-10

    If the Runner uses Jailbreak to run a server with a rezzed Crisium Grid, will they access an additional card?

    No. Jailbreak’s ability that gives an additional access is a delayed conditional ability created by its “If successful” ability. Since Crisium Grid stops the run from being declared successful, that ability is never resolved.

  • Updated 2022-04-24

    If the Runner plays Jailbreak or another run event to make a successful run on HQ, can they choose that event as one of the cards for Steve Cambridge’s ability?

    No. An event that initiates a run is not fully resolved until that run is complete, and thus is in the play area, not the heap, at the time Steve Cambridge’s ability resolves.

Reviews

TL;DR: This card is pretty good.

I'll admit, at first glance, it did not impress me. Sure, it's neutral and zero influence, but +1 card access? Basically everyone has some kind of in-faction multiaccess that is better than this. So why would anyone bother with a neutral event that only gives +1 card?

Because it is both cheap and flexible.

First, the flexible bit - Most of the other multiaccess is either aimed at a specific server (Shaper and Criminal are almost entirely focused on HQ or R&D, respectively) or has some kind of extra condition or requirement. (Stargate requires an archives run later, Climactic Showdown has the whole corp choice thing, Counter Surveillance requires tags, etc.)

Jailbreak, on the other hand, requires nothing. You just pick a central server you'd like to see an extra card from, and off you go, seeing twice as many cards as normal.

But now let's talk about the cost aspect. Jailbreak costs 0, and draws you a card. (Assuming you get in, but that's something runners are usually good at.)

Cards that cost 0 and replace themselves in your hand are really interesting. Especially if they also replace an action that you might want to do, like run on a server.

Because they replace themselves with the card-draw, a 45 card deck with x3 Jailbreaks is actually pretty close to a 42 card deck, in terms of how fast you cycle through it and find things. (Assuming that you can get into a central to trigger the jailbreaks.) That's pretty cool.

Jailbreak isn't overwhelmingly powerful in any one single area, but it's flexible, has a useful effect, and it's basically free to play, and include.

I think this is a solid card. I expect to start seeing it around.

(System Update 2021 era)
755

What’s with the theme? First I thought no way is someone escaping from jail but I guess the name jailbreak refers to jail breaking a tech device. Or maybe it’s a metaphor for the runner being onsite at the Corp (considering the art) and therefore getting better benefits for a successful run (physically breaking in to the crop servers). So my conclusion is it’s a mixed metaphor/wordplay type thing. Physical access to Corp site while ‘jailbreaking’ their server and reaping the rewards.

They probably got in bth physically and virtually and used the local access to see more things