ICE: Code Gate - Psi - Deflector • Rez: 0 • Strength: 4 • Influence: 3

subroutine You and the Runner secretly spend 0credit, 1credit, or 2credit. Reveal spent credits. If you and the Runner spent a different number of credits, choose another server. The Runner is now running on that server instead of passing Mind Game. For the remainder of the run, the Runner must add 1 installed card to the bottom of his or her stack as an additional cost to jack out.

Jinteki • Bon Bernardo • Martial Law 92
All sets:
Links: Decklists | ANCUR
Mind Game
MWL Entries

No MWL Entries for this card.

  • UFAQ [Michael Boggs]

    If there is ice protecting the server chosen for Mind Game, can the Runner jack out before encountering the outermost piece of ice on that server, or must they encounter it first?

    The Runner can jack out before encountering ice on the new server, as long as they add 1 installed card to the bottom of the stack. The choice to jack out from a run is during the approach to a piece of ice, and the restriction from jacking out on a run only applies to the first piece of ice approached during a run, not the outermost ice of any server.

    What happens if the subroutine on Wormhole resolves the one on Mind Game?

    The psi-game occurs, but if you spent a different number of credits the Runner will continue their run passing Wormhole and the Runner will incur the additional cost to jack out for the remainder of the run. The Runner’s position does not otherwise change because Mind Game’s position-changing effect replaces “passing Mind Game”.


This card is kind of nuts.

It costs 0 to rez. It has 4 strength. And unless it's the outermost piece of ice, the runner basically HAS to spend money breaking it, if they want to see whatever it's guarding.

And that's assuming you just bounce them to a harmless Archives or something,

If you have a trap on the board somewhere (or even just an archive full of Shock!s) then it's far worse than a simple ETR - now if it fires, the runner has to actually choose between taking damage, or jacking out and paying the uninstall-to-bottom-of-deck cost. And of course you can always bounce them into more ice to break, as long as you have ice that does annoying things when hit.

If you ever looked at Bullfrog with longing, and fantasized about silly combos with Whirlpool, then this card is all of your dreams come true.

For, I want to stress again, zero rez cost.

To be fair, there might be situations where the runner WANTS to uninstall things to the bottom of their deck. (To reset Cerberus "Lady" H1 or D4v1d counters, for example.) And it does require you to have enough money as the corp to pay for the psi games. But those are minor downsides, on what is otherwise an amazing piece of ice.

This might actually be the first psi ice that I'd consider using outside of Nisei Division: The Next Generation. It's that good.

(Martial Law era)
I agree, it's what Bullfrog should have been a long time ago. —
I went to write this exact review. It's a _very_ good piece of Psi ICE, mostly because of the 0/4 rez/strength numbers. I'd play this in almost any Jinteki deck. —
seems like it'd be pretty easy to bounce the runner into an ICE they don't want to have to deal with, like DNA or something. So they have to either bury a card or pay the cost of the ice. Gross. —
Magical Christmas Land: Mind Game as outermost on two different servers with Runner at 0 credits and either Hyoubu Research Project or Nisei Division... —
Such an exciting piece of ice! I just wish this card was called Bullfrog 2.0 :( —