From:	Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:	Re: some ramblings on challenges
Date:	Sat, 6 Sep 1997 06:46:48 -0700

> Some basic thoughts about challenges after a couple of weeks of playing.

> best:
> guardian dracoform- virtually unsleazable, except for sleep or suicide run
> 12/10(a3) can wipe out most teams early on- a big bruiser with a drawback

And if I had one, I'd drool over it too :)

> elite security mage- has a built-in green appple quicksteps and increase in
> armor with pumping, it is sleazable, but stealth is a little harder to come
> by in a mage deck.

Pumpable.. and expensive to do so. I prefer the lighterweight Mage
Strike Team, myself - you keep the armor-pumping, which is absolutely
key. I'd suppose the Green Apple function of the Elite Mage is only
usable when it isn't sleazed..

> booby trap- one challenge for one runner can be very good against big monster
> decks

Too easy a sleaze. Not everyone has demo, admittedly.

> maglocks- the new key may change this, but if don't have technical, this can
> shut down an objective

Graet lock-out card. Works great with Harlequin. :)

> security camera- makes recon useless and is reusable

Only good if you can keep drawing cards quickly. It's also got a bad
"out-of-campaign" effect: once it's revealed, it goes back into your
hand - where your 'pone may be able to keep track of it, and so he knows
beforehand what Challenge he's facing. Like Booby Trap, an easy sleaze;
in most cases, I'd prefer to lay the actual Challenge down instead.

> worst:
> electric fence- 2 easy to sleaze, not pumpable, and is an electric challenge
> thus vulnerable to deckers- only advantage is targetable damage

Targetable damage is a good thing, though. For a common, I'd take it;
naturally the rare Challenges are eviller - wish it wasn't that way,
but, sigh...

> what does everyone else think?

> I've tried virtually all of the challenges, thus far and these are the ones i
> consistently put in my deck or consistently wish i had put into my deck.

> does anyone else think the uzi is just undeniably the best gun, burst fire
> for one cash is spectacular.

I'm partial to the FN HAR myself - gotta love indirect fire. I don't
find the burst fire too useful; too quickly, you pass the amount of yen
you'd've paid for a heavier gun.

Ricochet's a good card to have, both offensively and defensively; I'd
only use on in a deck I had burst-fire guns in, though.

> nick kost