Scatter Field is a 4s/2↳-for-$3 when singly-protecting a server.

(CF. “Non-Porous Eli 1.0”, or an “EtR-ified Drafter”.)

Notes

Especially when you're protecting an early asset (like Humanoid Resources / Regolith), building your secondary remote (alongside Mahkota Langit Grid), or rushing an agenda. Even if you'll double-ice that server next turn anyways, an SF can act like a Gatekeeper (CF. This ice gets +4 strength if you rezzed it this turn.).

To fully-break a four-strength three-sub ice with turn-one decoders, it should cost the Runner four-to-five credits (IE. more than its rez-cost). For example:

• Buzzsaw costs 3[$] + 1[$] (but just 1[$] with a Leech).
• Unity costs 3[$] + 2[$] (or 4[$] with a second icebreaker).
• Euler only costs 2[$] + 0[$] (if they facechecked-then-installed, 4[$] if they didn't).
• Shibboleth costs 2[$] + 2[$] (even at threat level ≤ 3).
• Cat's Cradle costs 3[$] + 2[$] (wouldn't tax you +1[$] to rez, unless they pre-installed it for some reason?).
• The new Sang Kancil only costs 1[$] + 2[$] (if they Bravado or Clean Getaway into your SF; 5[$] if they basic-run).

Of course, besides breakers:

• Boomerang costs 2[$], [trash].
• Physarum Entangler costs 2[$] to bypass.
• Botulus can fully-break it after a second turn (or can pass it the same turn it's installed, but only by firing off “½ Drafter”).
• Overclock) costs 1[$] (with the decoder).
• Bankhar just costs Suffer 2 net damage (but needs a whole turn to set up).
• Arruaceiras Crew can't destroy it by itself. (EG. would need 4[$], Take 2 tags, [trash] and needs a second copy).

Thoughts

Design-wise, I love ice with some “incidental positionality” (like Turing, which is both “pro-Remotes” and “anti-AI”).

It's fun to “expose-by-deducing” (“Why didn't they just install this card into their empty remote with an already-rezzed barrier, and pay the one credit to install this in front of there?”).

Compare its ability (While this ice is the only piece of ice protecting this server, …) to other “Vertically-Positional” abilities.

• a “Flexible Curtain Wall”: EG. If this is the outermost or innermost piece of ice protecting a server, it gets +4 strength.
• an “Inverted Seidr Adaptive Barrier/Surveyor”: EG. This ice gets −1 strength for each other piece of ice protecting this server.

PS. Given Asa Group rotating, can this “Singly-Icing-matters” effect (along with the non-(◆) Mahkota Langit Grid the new “Installer IDs”) incentivize some more secondary/tertiary remotes? For Fully Operational and to “expose-by-deducing” (or try to!), like “Why didn't they just install that card into their empty remote with an already-rezzed barrier, and pay the one-credit to install that ice in front of there?”

There are a bunch of times when I want to put an asset behind an ICE but one that's not, like, important. Protecting a Vera Ivanovna Shuyskaya or whatever with a whole-ass Tollbooth never really feels good, especially if I have to actually rez the damn thing. Scatter Field is an ICe designed for protecting non-scoring remotes (or maybe Archives) - taxing runners who actually do care about trashing your assets without breaking the bank. Designed for Poétrï Luxury Brands: All the Rage for sure, but I could see it in wide Synapse Global: Faster than Thought decks to protect Idiosyncresis or Public Access Plaza before threat 2, but maybe the 2 influence is a bit of a stretch.