I think you can build it around forcing runs in the scoring remote. install and advance and force a run on the server. It costs a ton of money or uses up their clicks, then use matra to score out a 3/2.
A bit jank, but considering that Ash isn’t reliable anymore, i think it might have legs.
I was really excited about Manta Grid and tried building a deck around it, but after testing it agree that it is generally an unreliable scoring plan. There are more conditions than just baiting a run: They need to run on that server; it needs to actually be successful (so if they jack out or hit an ETR sub they can’t afford to break, they can’t get in but you don’t get the extra click); you need to have a 3/2 agenda in hand; and you need to be able to protect HQ that same turn so they don’t steal the 3/2.
If you treat Manta Grid strictly as a credit tax that occasionally gives you an extra click, it’s decent but not amazing.
I agree that Manta Grid is a nice fit for Jeeves decks. If you pack Biotic too, in the perfect scenario, you can FA a 5/3 from hand: extra clicks from Manta Grid, Jeeves and Biotic could let you install a GFI and advance 5 times. Or, more realistically, you have a lot of different ways to flexibly score a 3/2 or maybe even the occasional 4/2 from hand.
i tried 6 games with it and it didn’t fire even once, the runner can simply trash it
Fast track is probably pretty good in a Manta deck with Biotics as it could let you search and score in one turn if you do get it to fire. You just need to have the credits ready 
Is there any way to install an upgrade at instant speed that I’m forgetting? The only one I can think of is Advanced Assembly Lines, but I think you can’t use that during a run and I can’t remember if you can install an upgrade.
If there was, you could use it to install Manta Grid before access when you know they can’t trash it. But I don’t think there is such a card.
Architect 
isn’t that a decent trade-off though? 1 to rez and 5 to trash?
i suppose Whizzard continues to screw up the math on trashable assets though 
mumbad virtual tour has a 0 rez, 5 ‘must’ trash ratio, so I don’t really think this an argument for mantas inclusion: whatsmore, its taking up a region slot and I would say it needs to be doing a bit more whilst rezzed than this. it is competing with sansan, breakerbay, crisium etc; even heinlein and surat which see little play appear to offer a bit more value to me. I liked the idea and immediately wanted to try it but it really needed a red herrings style “applies even if trashed during the run” clause to be effective imo
it wasn’t an argument for Manta Grid: i was just commenting on the secondary effect as a way to make a lame joke about how Whizzard screwing up the math on trashable cards
but an actual comment on it: just looking at the card for its face value and compare to SanSan City Grid, which has a 5 more rez cost but similar effect (1 extra click) that pretty much always applies when you actually rez it.
if Manta Grid had an ‘applies even if trashed during this run’ (ie: always applies at least once when you rez it), it likely would have had a much higher rez cost that would be appropriate for its more powerful effect, but i think that Damon is justifiably worried about adding more powerful fast advance tools like SanSan City Grid
i’m not saying Manta Grid is a good card or anything (i haven’t tested it out yet), but to say that a card’s secondary effect is worse than another card’s primary (and only) effect isn’t really a fair comparison for why one might be useful.
i can’t really comment on your own personal feelings about cards offering more or less value for you, but i will say that all of those are out of faction for HB (except BBG, but i don’t think they compete for the same server anyway). it probably isn’t going to fire that often, but i think there’s an intentional reason for that (for whatever good or bad it does for the card)
EDIT: just to clear up, i agree with the original assessment by @rwknoll that it’s not a reliable component of a deck’s scoring plan but one component of many that adds a tax when it doesn’t work primarily to help that plan and then of course actually helps that plan when it does work
I just want to see the damn thing work once or twice
I threw one into my Media Blitz/Mandatory Upgrades ETF deck. Managed to fire it once mid game when I already had four clicks thanks to the current. Works as a supplement to FA strategy already in place, I think. Probably won’t add a second though.
Story of my life.
Quorum’s status just changed over to Shipping Now.
Quorum runner spoilers: https://www.reddit.com/r/Netrunner/comments/5lp2ka/quorum_spoilers_runner/
Really like Aaron as a Breaking News counter/Gabe card. Although that’s partially dependent on being able to draw if you have no tags.
The virus is also neat drip econ. It’s a kind of card I’ve wanted for crim for a while, although at this rate I don’t know if it’s good enough.
well i guess here’s our criminal pack (finally)
Aaron, Reconnaissance Drone and the virus look pretty awesome tbh
not sure how i feel about tracker. 2c to ignore a subroutine is pretty awesome, but it’s 2MU. great early pressure when you don’t have any breakers though (and immune to AI hate)
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also, is SIFR the card for Null that’s super OP? i think so. it seems pretty powerful. i am interested to see how it plays
also Sunya really needs the least outside support of this set of breakers in terms of strength since sentries generally have low starting strength. but 2c per sub for a subtype notorious for multiple subs? no thanks. these seem like they were designed for Null/SIFR, but Parasite is probably the main breaker here, and these should probably used as backups (if you use them at all)
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Fawkes will be cool once Switchblade rotates out, but i think i’d rather stay with Dagger or Switchblade for now. that’s an awesome ability for Baba Yaga though (but i don’t think stealth is good with it anyway)
i do like that it gives some interesting decisions though. if there’s some unrezzed ICE or you just missplay and don’t increase enough to break all rezzed sentries on a server, you’ll have to increase again, costing more stealth credits. or maybe you aren’t sure if you have enough to get into the server completely, and you only increase to break this sentry now and see if the corp rezzes what’s behind it before investing too much into the run
I think an interesting thing about Fawkes is it allows for a one-stealth-breaker rig with Smoke and no other support, especially considering that killers have been the Shaper weak point.
And yeah, SIFR seems like a good candidate for the notorious OP card. It’s kinda like a Security Nexus that enable Parasite.
Does setting to a specific number count as lowering? I.E. does SIFR work against Lotus Field?
I would guess it counts as lowering, as it sets it to a number lower than it previously was. I really hope I’m right.
SIFR seems to be hilariously tailor-made for my janky Darwin deck. It even has the +2MU I wanted.
Of course, by that same token, anything that actually makes my Darwin deck viable is stupid OP and should be banned IMO. I don’t even think Rumor Mill should be banned, but this is just absurd.
I thought the consensus was that D4V1D was a mistake? I mean, it’s on the MWL. We really needed more of this?
Wait… looks closely at card… WHY IS IT ONE PIP. GOOD GLORY WHY.
The French seems like it says “reduced to 0” not “has strength 0”, so I’d guess Lotus Field is immune.
But yeah, SIFR seems like a huge mistake. It’s like a permanent David that combos with Parasite that’s 1 inf. Plus 2 MU. With all the big Code Gates getting released, I don’t see how this doesn’t get played, even if you aren’t using Parasite. It saves like 3-4 credits per turn at least.
And the only downside to it can only be exploited by kill decks, which NBN is still by far and away the best at.
i can see it both ways, so i think that’s one we might need an official wording on, but i also wouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves: it might not be a perfect translation[quote=“TheBytemaster, post:1926, topic:7403”]
I thought the consensus was that D4V1D was a mistake? I mean, it’s on the MWL. We really needed more of this?
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this to me is the big part of it. they keep pushing the meta into a place where cheap, taxing ICE is going to be stronger than giant, unwieldy-to-break glacier ICE, and it’s part of the reason why Weyland and Criminal are on the decline as it were. it’s going in the wrong direction imo.