by johncraven
Account Siphon is a love it or hate it card: some think it creates a powerful swing of credits, while others think the drawbacks are too great.I mainly play Criminal, and I find it hard to get an opportunity to use the card effectively. Corp usually defends their HQ very well, so it's hard to get a successful run in without Sneakdoor. Plus, the corp usually has some way of spending money, such as traces or rezzing ice, leaving little behind for the runner to take.
I was wondering whether or not the correct way to play the card is simply as a way to force the corp to waste money. Essentially, the runner should not look to gain credits from the siphon, but to make the corp spend credits. If s/he does, the runner can jack out and avoid the 2 tags. Essentially it makes it a lose-lose proposition to the corp who must lose money no matter if the runner is stopped or not. The real question is whether this approach yields a real benefit with just straight-up running into the HQ to force some ice to be rezzed, thereby wasting money. Also, does it make subsequent account siphons weaker when the some ice has already been rezzed in front of HQ?
Also, do you think the two tags penalty affect your choice of cards, namely wildsyde and decoy? Does it make Diesel better?
Finally, is the card better suited for other factions, which do not have the HQ as an obvious target?