“How are you feeling now?” asks Jericho.
“What am I feeling right now?” I’m stalling, not sure how to answer. There’s sweat beading on my neck, and my mouth feels dry no matter how much I try to wet it. The old cushion under me is lumpy and tattered. The cable between my fingers radiates heat.
“Like I’m about to jump out a damn hopper a thousand feet up with no chute,” I smirk nervously towards the holo hovering before me. Jericho’s face smiles up at the console on my desk like a proud parent. “You sure this is safe?”
“Running? Hell no,” he cackles back. “But there’s a whole ‘nother world on the other side of that cable. Full of magic, and wonder, and myster—”
“And money,” I cut in, raising the jack to my neck.
“And money,” he assures me.
I jack in.
System Gateway is Null Signal’s foundational set. It is designed as an out-of-the-box learning experience and provides everything you need to start playing Netrunner. The cards in the set are straightforward, yet powerful, and will form the cornerstone of any player’s collection.
One copy of System Gateway – Remastered Edition is all two people need to learn Netrunner.
Watch our introductory how to play video below, then click the button beneath it to read our online Learn To Play Guide!
Fast Facts
- Release date: March 28, 2021 (original), July 3, 2023 (remastered edition)
- Size: Full playsets of 77 new cards (73 original Standard-legal cards, 2 reprints of Standard-legal cards, 2 tutorial-only identity cards), plus player aids
- Total cards: 205 playable cards, plus player aids
- Set symbol: Portal
- NetrunnerDB set abbreviation:
sg(Rulings)
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Get System Gateway – Remastered Edition
System Gateway – Remastered Edition now comes as a single product, containing both the tutorial Starter Decks and the Deckbuilding Pack. Learn to play with the Starter Decks, then craft your own Runner and Corp decks using the cards contained in the deckbuilding pack! A copy of System Gateway – Remastered Edition contains a full playset of every card in the set.
Rotation
Upon release in March 2021, System Gateway immediately became legal in the Standard and Eternal formats, as well as Null Signal’s new Startup format, with a two-week grace period before becoming legal at Competitive-level events. System Gateway’s release also triggered a rotation for the Standard format: Honor and Profit, the SanSan Cycle, System Core 2019, and Salvaged Memories were no longer legal in Standard.
System Gateway Frequently Asked Questions
All you need to buy to start playing Netrunner is System Gateway – Remastered Edition. It includes two ready-to-play teaching decks, a deckbuilding pack which contains additional cards not included in the teaching decks, player aides, and links to the learn-to-play guide.
You will need to supply some small pocket change or other objects to use as trackers.
No. The changes in the Remastered Editions of our sets are mostly cosmetic. The original editions of System Gateway, System Update 2021, and the Ashes Cycle packs Downfall and Uprising remain valid and legal for all Organized Play formats that the sets are a part of. Although the old card back can be distinguished from the new one if not using fully-opaque sleeves, choosing a suitable good quality opaque sleeve makes it a non-issue, even in competitive play. See here for a guide to selecting the right sleeves.
While in some cases the rules text of the card has been updated or subtypes added, this does not invalidate the original cards. The definitive source for current rules text is always considered to be the Card Text Updates document rather than the physical card, so your original cards continue to be valid.
A full changelog for all remastered sets will be compiled soon, but the most important changes are that the new card backs no longer have the word “NISEI” on them, the “Trojan” subtype has been added to programs hosted on ice, the term “brain damage” has been replaced with “core damage” on rules, inserts, and player aids, some minor flaws in the templates and art layout have been corrected, and minor corrections have been made to rules and flavour text.
No, although it does include card-based trackers for clicks and tags. You will need to supply a handful of pocket change, mini poker chips, or other small objects to serve as tokens and credits.
(Note: The following answer applies only to the original editions of System Gateway, as the Remastered Edition is only sold as a complete bundle containing all cards.)
If you want a full collection, we recommend buying the full System Gateway set—both the Starter Pack and the Deckbuilding Pack. You can get these together as the System Gateway Complete Bundle and save a few bucks.
The Deckbuilding Pack alone does not contain full playsets of every card.
System Gateway – Remastered Edition is sold as a single pack that contains a full playset of every card in the set.
If you bought the original edition of System Gateway, you had the option of buying the Starter Pack and the Deckbuilding Pack separately, or to buy a Complete Bundle that included both. If you bought both packs, or the Complete Bundle, you have a complete playset of every card in the set. You do NOT need to buy the Deckbuilding Pack if you already own the Complete Bundle.
Previous Netrunner core sets included cards at different quantities, which supported the pick-up-and-play experience but frustrated players aiming to start a collection. System Gateway bucks this trend by making it simple to get a full playset of every card.
Our print-on-demand distribution model makes it difficult to ship actual physical rulebooks, but System Gateway was released alongside the Learn to Play guide. The printed product also contains rules reference cards and other player aids.
System Gateway cards are marked on their bottom edge in order to help you easily reassemble the Starter Decks.
A System Gateway card with 1-3 closed circles (•) is used in the Starter Decks. The number of circles indicates the number of copies in the Starter Pack. The remaining copies are included in the Deckbuilding Pack.
A System Gateway card with 1-3 crosses (+) is part of the 10-card advanced “booster” contained within the Starter Pack. The number of crosses indicates the number of copies in the Starter Pack advanced “booster”. The remaining copies are included in the Deckbuilding Pack.
A System Gateway card with neither circles nor crosses on the bottom edge is not part of the Starter Decks at all, and all its copies are in the Deckbuilding Pack.
When you open System Gateway – Remastered Edition, there is nothing you need to do to assemble the Starter Decks—they’re already ready to go!
If you’ve disassembled the Starter Decks in order to use the cards contained in them to build your own decks, and want to reset the Starter Decks to teach a new friend the game, look for the symbols at the bottom edge of the card. As mentioned above, dots (•) mean that many copies of the card are in the Starter Decks, and crosses (+) mean that many copies are in the Starter Decks advanced expansion.
Unlike with System Core 2019, Null Signal’s previous core set, we don’t recommend trying to deckbuild with System Gateway by shuffling all neutral cards and all cards from one faction together.
System Gateway – Remastered Edition is designed so you can fully customize one Runner and one Corp deck. However, you will find it challenging to build multiple Runner or Corp decks simultaneously with only System Gateway—you will likely have to take a deck apart before building another.
The System Gateway Starter Decks contain a neutral Runner identity card, The Catalyst, and a neutral Corp identity card, The Syndicate.
These identities have a 30-card minimum deck size, have no abilities, and do not use influence. They are only used for teaching games—they are not intended for regular play.
Each identity contained in System Gateway – Remastered Edition comes as a single copy.
Yes. All seven of the Standard-legal identities in System Gateway – Remastered Edition follow the same 40/15 structure. Playtesting showed that the smaller minimum deck size allowed for greater consistency, which we found particularly important when playing with only System Gateway – Remastered Edition.
The teaching identities contained in the Starter Decks, The Catalyst and The Syndicate, have a minimum deck size of 30 cards and ignore influence limits. They are not legal outside of tutorial play.
Null Signal Games continues to maintain and update the rules of the game, with an eye toward clarity and consistency. The rules changes for System Gateway – Remastered Edition introduced new terms for familiar parts of the game.
You can learn more on our Major Changes page, or by reading the Rules team’s explanatory article.
System Gateway was playtested and released alongside System Update 2021, a companion set consisting of reprints of classic Netrunner cards. System Update 2021 expands and complements some of the themes contained within System Gateway. Why not check it out?
Due to some variations in our card backs between System Gateway – Remastered Edition and both preceding and following products, it is recommended to use opaque sleeves with these cards, even in casual play. Fully opaque sleeves are mandatory in organized play.
Card-Specific Questions
Questions about specific System Gateway cards have been answered on the NRDB Rulings page for this set.
Card Lists
Starter Cards
Identity: The Catalyst
- 2× Tread Lightly
- 2× Creative Commission
- 2× VRcation
- 2× Overclock
- 3× Jailbreak
- 3× Sure Gamble
- 1× Docklands Pass
- 1× Pennyshaver
- 2× Cleaver
- 2× Carmen
- 2× Unity
- 2× Mayfly
- 1× Red Team
- 2× Telework Contract
- 2× Smartware Distributor
- 1× Verbal Plasticity
These cards are marked with circles on their bottom edges:
Booster Pack
- 2× Wildcat Strike
- 2× Mutual Favor
- 2× DZMZ Optimizer
- 2× Leech
- 2× Conduit
These cards are marked with crosses on their bottom edges:
Starter Cards
Identity: The Syndicate
- 3× Offworld Office
- 2× Send a Message
- 2× Superconducting Hub
- 2× Nico Campaign
- 2× Urtica Cipher
- 2× Regolith Mining License
- 2× Brân 1.0
- 2× Diviner
- 2× Karunā
- 3× Palisade
- 2× Tithe
- 2× Whitespace
- 2× Seamless Launch
- 2× Government Subsidy
- 3× Hedge Fund
- 1× Manegarm Skunkworks
These cards are marked with circles on their bottom edges:
Booster Pack
- 2× Orbital Superiority
- 2× Funhouse
- 2× Public Trail
- 2× Predictive Planogram
- 1× Retribution
- 1× AMAZE Amusements
These cards are marked with crosses on their bottom edges:
The following Runner cards, at the given quantities, are included in System Gateway – Remastered Edition outside of the Starter Decks.
Please note that come copies of the cards below are used in the Starter Decks. You will need to disassemble the Starter Decks to have a full playset of every card.
Anarch
- 1× René “Loup” Arcemont: Party Animal
- 1× Wildcat Strike
- 3× Carnivore
- 3× Botulus
- 3× Buzzsaw
- 1× Cleaver
- 3× Fermenter
- 1× Leech
- 3× Cookbook
Criminal
- 1× Zahya Sadeghi: Versatile Smuggler
- 1× Mutual Favor
- 1× Tread Lightly
- 2× Docklands Pass
- 2× Pennyshaver
- 1× Carmen
- 3× Marjanah
- 3× Tranquilizer
- 2× Red Team
Shaper
- 1× Tāo Salonga: Telepresence Magician
- 1× Creative Commission
- 1× VRcation
- 1× DZMZ Optimizer
- 3× Pantograph
- 1× Conduit
- 3× Echelon
- 1× Unity
- 1× Telework Contract
Runner Neutral
- 1× Overclock
- 3× T400 Memory Diamond
- 1× Mayfly
- 1× Smartware Distributor
- 2× Verbal Plasticity
The following Corp cards, at the given quantities, are included in System Gateway – Remastered Edition outside of the Starter Decks.
Please note that come copies of the cards below are used in the Starter Decks. You will need to disassemble the Starter Decks to have a full playset of every card.
Haas-Bioroid
- 1× Haas-Bioroid: Precision Design
- 1× Luminal Transubstantiation
- 1× Nico Campaign
- 3× Ansel 1.0
- 1× Brân 1.0
- 1× Seamless Launch
- 3× Sprint
- 2× Manegarm Skunkworks
Jinteki
- 1× Jinteki: Restoring Humanity
- 1× Longevity Serum
- 1× Urtica Cipher
- 1× Diviner
- 1× Karunā
- 3× Hansei Review
- 3× Neurospike
- 3× Anoetic Void
NBN
- 1× NBN: Reality Plus
- 1× Tomorrow’s Headline
- 3× Spin Doctor
- 1× Funhouse
- 3× Ping
- 1× Predictive Planogram
- 1× Public Trail
- 2× AMAZE Amusements
Weyland Consortium
- 1× Weyland Consortium: Built to Last
- 1× Above the Law
- 3× Clearinghouse
- 3× Ballista
- 3× Pharos
- 1× Government Subsidy
- 2× Retribution
- 3× Malapert Data Vault
Corp Neutral
- 1× Orbital Superiority
- 1× Send a Message
- 1× Superconducting Hub
- 1× Regolith Mining License
- 1× Tithe
- 1× Whitespace