Welcome to Reviewing the Little Boot Icon, an unfortunately named series of reviews for Reboot-modified cards. Today's review: Red Herrings, one of the many reasons to use Film Critic.
Changes: Trash cost 1>4 This means that trashing, then running again is not nearly as viable. It also makes it good on centrals.
Pros: Cheap to rez, 5 is a lot, not a region, so stacks well with stuff like Strongbox to make agendas a pain to steal.
Cons: Absolutely worthless if the Runner uses Film Critic.
8/10 Every agenda is NAPD Contract pre-nerf.
(Mind and Mayhem era)
The buffs to it make the card much more sticky. However I think in decks that leverage Red Herrings, the power curve has now flipped. The cost to trash is substantial, meaning it’s always a tax, neutralising smart plays like attacking R&D early to neutralise such threats. Behind a well iced remote, previously a runner had two options. Run the remote twice, once to trash RH, then to run again and steal, or just run, and pay the cost 5C to steal straight up. This added layers. I’d argue that’s gone now, flattening the decision space. Finally, using Predictive Algorithm with RH, a common synergy, make an unprotected agenda 8C to steal - quite a tax. With ice, this becomes very painful. There’s always more than one way to attack a corp, but I’m not sure RH needed this much of a buff. Trash increase to 2-3 perhaps. At 4, your looking at a one credit difference, which seems punishing for the sorts of alternative HQ or R&D runs a smart runner would make otherwise. I think the card is too sticky now, and could do with a nerf.
— Scoogsy