We continue Rebellion without Rehearsal previews with an update from the Standard Balance Team (SBT). I’m Dee, a new member of the SBT and Null Signal’s resident Hymenopteran Fan. As such, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the latest update to the Standard ban list. This update will be effective for Competitive-tier Standard events starting from March 30th, the same date that Rebellion without Rehearsal becomes legal for Competitive-tier Standard events. Casual events using Rebellion Without Rehearsal should also use the new banlist
Summary of Standard Ban List 24.03 Changes
Formicary Banned
Click here to jump to the full ban list.
Explanation of changes
As we saw with Stegodon MK IV in The Automata Initiative, a major theme of HB this cycle is powerful effects which require derezzing ice as a cost. Historically, Corp cards that derez cards have rarely been competitively viable, but in playtesting, we’ve found that newer versions of these effects can be a potent tool in the right context. This is primarily because of the proliferation of ice with on-rez abilities, such as giving the runner a tag, dealing damage, or recurring a card. When used in combination with these cards, derezzing isn’t always a cost. Instead it can serve as a form of pseudo-recursion, allowing a Corp player to re-use their powerful on-rez effects. And with the new HB identity Thunderbolt Armaments: Peace Through Power, ice reused in this way may come back stronger than ever!
The benefits of a derez-based strategy, however, are offset by the fact that to derez ice you first need to rez it. A savvy Runner can try to minimize the Corp’s ability to rez ice by choosing the targets of their runs carefully. With the right tools, the Runner can close out a game with just a few impactful runs, significantly reducing the potential for the Corp to get back into the game by generating value with derez effects.
Formicary has been on the Development team’s radar for some time now, as it has added significant complexity to balancing a number of new cards through the playtesting process. Formicary challenges the Runner’s ability to interact with a derez based strategy on two counts. Firstly, with its ability to be rezzed during a run on any server, Formicary is always a readily available derez target. Secondly, Formicary’s interaction with on-approach abilities like Manegarm Skunkworks, allowing those abilities to trigger multiple times, heavily disrupts those crucial game-ender runs or even completely locking the Runner out of a key server.
It is with this in mind that, in conjunction with the Development and Design teams, we have decided to remove Formicary from Standard ahead of the rotation planned for the release of Dawn. This allows us to create a stronger, more dynamic set of tools for the derez strategy, including the latest grid in the Haas-Bioroid corporate empire:
Brasília Government Grid
HB Upgrade: Region
Rez cost: 0 – Trash cost: 3 – Influence cost: 3
Whenever you rez a piece of ice during a run against this server, you may derez another installed piece of ice. If you do, the rezzed ice gets +3 strength for the remainder of that run. Use this ability only once per turn.
Limit 1 region per server.
Thunderbolt naturally offered city hardening solutions.
Illustrated by Kira L. Nguyen
I look forward to running with you through the streets of Brasília!
Standard Ban List 24.03
Effective date: 30 March 2024
Changes from Standard Ban List 23.09 appear in bold.
| Runner | Corp |
| All cards with the “current” subtype | All cards with the “current” subtype |
| Bloo Moose | Archived Memories |
| Bukhgalter | Breached Dome |
| Clan Vengeance | Cayambe Grid |
| Crowdfunding | Cyberdex Sandbox |
| DreamNet | Dr. Vientiane Keeling |
| Endurance | Drago Ivanov |
| Kabonesa Wu: Netspace Thrillseeker | Engram Flush |
| Liza Talking Thunder: Prominent Legislator | Formicary |
| Mars for Martians | Game Changer |
| PAD Tap | Gold Farmer |
| Rezeki | High-profile Target |
| Salvaged Vanadis Armory | Hired Help |
| Watch the World Burn | Kakugo |
| Mass Commercialization | |
| Mti Mwekundu: Life Improved | |
| Nanisivik Grid | |
| Obokata Protocol | |
| Project Vacheron | |
| Shipment from Tennin | |
| Slot Machine | |
| SSL Endorsement | |
| Tithonium | |
| Whampoa Reclamation |
Rebellion Without Rehearsal will be released on March 18, 2024. It will be available on the Null Signal Games online store, through our print-on-demand partners, selected game stores and authorized resellers, and as free print-and-play PDFs from its product page. It will also be playable on Jinteki.net within a few days of release.
Excited about future sets? Apply to be a playtester for “Dawn”, the set after Rebellion Without Rehearsal. All experience levels welcome, especially newer players! Click here for details!
