Nice write-up Alex, as ever. A few comments / discussion points:
Copycat: I don’t think this is a 3. Firstly, most people’s ICE portfolio is diversifying in response to Atman. Secondly, it not only requires the Corp to have duplicate ICE, but they must also have them both in play, rezzed and in useful positions for this card to have any impact. Not to mention that if you play the Copycat early the Corp will never place his ICE as you would wish so you must retain it until you want to use it, which makes it vulnerable to damage etc. That’s just too situational unless you’re manipulating the ICE, but now we’re talking combos and, to be honest, if you’re pulling off a successful Escher you don’t need Copycat. For me this is probably a 1.
Maybe it has a place in certain Exile or Professor decks, where you’re using it as income with FCC and installing it from the trash when it becomes relevant.
Leviathan: I’m certainly not going to defend this card as it is terrible at the moment, but I’m going to play Devil’s advocate. Supposing NEXT ICE all key off one another? Adding subroutines and strength to each other and such like. Your solutions to big ICE are entirely valid in the current environment, but they are limited in the sense that Femme only gets you around one piece and Atman/FSBs + Datasucker work only if you can accrue enough sucker counters. If the Corp has access to numerous, cheap ICE that collectively become powerhouses it could be a game-changer.
Eureka & Record Reconstructor: I think these are just the beginning of something bigger.
Hard at Work: I’m almost certain that this is going to be a part of a new archetype in the future. FFG are not unknown for making bad cards deliberately, but it strikes me as a bit strange that they would make one this bad and use it as one of the pre-release spoilers if it wasn’t going to cause a stir in the future. Maybe not in this set, but perhaps in the Anarch deluxe box. I would anticipate seeing something that triggers off losing clicks (or something to prevent the loss) as well as some tech to get resources into play more cheaply. If this doesn’t become the new Anarch USP then it’s difficult to see where they go next - Their IDs are really struggling at the moment, yet their cards are the most popular splash.
I would pretty much agree with your overall assessments for the current environment though, with the exception of Copycat.