Neuroscape TCG Faction Guide
Six factions, six playstyles: here's how to pick your side in Neuroscape
Angel City runs on six warring factions: elite hackers chasing mainframe kills, cybernetic enforcers hopped up on chrome, mega-corps buying their way to victory, desert raiders striking fast and hard, rock & roll punks who never stop moving, and mystics bending fate itself with tarot cards. Most cards in Neuroscape belong to one of these factions, shown by a faction icon in the bottom right corner, and building enough synergy in a faction is what unlocks your mainframe's biggest bonuses. Here's a breakdown of all six, along with real Character, Program, and Gear examples from each so you can see exactly what a faction plays like at the table.
Hacker
Theme: "Mainframe Meltdown" (Mainframe Control, Programs, Trojans)
Hacker rushes straight at your opponent's mainframe. Spring traps with trojans, then deploy hackers and programs to deal direct damage and melt through your rival's mainframe health before they know what hit them. True to that identity, Hacker leans hardest on Programs and Trojans rather than physical Gear, so the two cards below show off exactly that side of the faction.
Hackathon is a Program that reboots the abilities of every Hacker character you control, letting your whole board fire off its tricks twice in a turn. Phishing is a Program that forces a rival to reveal their hand so you can strip out the card that scares you most, exactly the kind of surgical disruption this faction is built on.
Cybernetic
Theme: "Circuit Surge" (Bioframe Aggro, Big Characters, Cyberware)
Cybernetic goes big. Deploy punishing characters and power them up with cyberware and drugs to crush your opponent's bioframe health and their will to live. This faction rewards players who want to commit hard to a handful of huge threats and juice them up with Gear rather than spreading their resources thin.
Iron Maiden, a Character and former Gokudo enforcer turned undercover agent, swings for extra damage and can splash it onto a second target when her attack connects. Boonyen, Wardriver is a Character with OVERRUN, meaning even a well-timed block won't fully save an opponent from the damage that spills over. Drive Saw is Gear that explicitly reads "+2/+0 for each Cybernetic you control," making it a build-around piece that rewards you for going all in on the faction.
Corpo
Theme: "Blood Money" (Bioframe Ramp, Econ, War Machines)
Corpo plays the long game. Snowball your econ with early-game ramp cards, then use your riches to deploy devastating military weaponry that turns economic might into military supremacy. This is the faction for players who like setting up a resource engine before closing the game out with overwhelming force.
Terry, the Accountant is a Character immune to PSYCHOSIS who can swipe himself across the arena to grab any gear on the board. Genocide is a Program that names a faction and wipes out every character of that type, at a steep cost to your own health, backed by one of the bleakest flavor lines in the set: "Words can't express the atrocities that have been committed in the name of profit..." Sneakerhead is Gear that shields its wearer from damage the turn it's played, the kind of status-symbol flex a well-funded Corpo crew can easily afford.
Dustrunner
Theme: "Static Storm" (Mainframe Aggro, RAM Destruction)
Dustrunner strikes first and hits hard. Seasoned desert raiders knock out your opponent's RAM and overload their mainframe, leaving them scrambling before they can even get their engine running. This faction rewards players who want to disrupt an opponent's resources as much as they damage their health totals.
Sand Scorpion is a Character that punishes any character caught running, dealing mainframe damage straight to it. EMP Grenade is a Program that does exactly what the faction promises: destroy target RAM, on demand, as a swift action. Dust Devil Glaive is Gear that grants a flat bonus to any character, with an extra kicker if that character is specifically a Dust Devil.
Thrasher
Theme: "Sonic Slaughter" (Bioframe Aggro, Rush Attack)
Thrasher rushes the stage. Smash your enemies in the face with the power of rock 'n' roll, destroying your opponent's characters and clearing the way to crush their bioframe under the boots of your iconic headliners. This is the faction for players who want to be attacking from turn one and never let up.
Roxy Riot is a Character who gains a rage counter every turn, dealing more damage with every attack the longer she sticks around, and even lands one last furious hit for each counter if she's ever destroyed. Mosh Pit is a Program with a brutally simple effect: damage can't be prevented. Battle Axe is Gear that punishes anyone who dares block its wielder, backed by the flavor text every Thrasher deck deserves: "This machine kills corpo scum."
Mystic
Theme: "Digital Divination" (Mainframe Control, Counterplay, Tarots)
Mystic looks into the future and foretells your opponent's demise. Control the board with tarot cards as you channel your energy to unleash powerful mystic characters and hex their mainframe. Tarots can be played upright or reversed for completely different effects, and true to that identity, Mystic's card pool leans on Characters and tarot Programs more than physical Gear.
Lilith, the Dark Moon is a Character who lets you play tarots reversed and turns every tarot in your recycle bin into mainframe damage. The High Priestess is a tarot Program that counters a rival character when played reversed, a swing that can undo an opponent's entire turn. Amethyst Datashard is a Protocol Program that prevents bioframe damage and slowly builds toward purging itself, protective crystal magic backed by real quantum-field flavor text.
Factions at a Glance
| Faction | Starter Deck | Playstyle |
|---|---|---|
| Hacker | Mainframe Meltdown | Mainframe control, programs, trojans |
| Cybernetic | Circuit Surge | Bioframe aggro, big characters, cyberware |
| Corpo | Blood Money | Bioframe ramp, econ, war machines |
| Dustrunner | Static Storm | Mainframe aggro, RAM destruction |
| Thrasher | Sonic Slaughter | Bioframe aggro, rush attack |
| Mystic | Digital Divination | Mainframe control, counterplay, tarots |
What Does This Mean for Deckbuilders?
If you're brand new, one of the three Genesis 2-Player Starter Kits pairs two factions together (Hacker/Cybernetic, Corpo/Dustrunner, or Thrasher/Mystic), so picking a kit is really picking a pair of playstyles to try out at once. Play a few games with each side before you commit to a faction for constructed play.
If you're chasing aggression, Thrasher and Dustrunner both want to end the game fast, just through different health pools. Thrasher leans on bioframe damage from rush attacks, while Dustrunner goes after the mainframe while also stripping away your opponent's RAM along the way.
If you're drawn to control and disruption, Hacker and Mystic both win through denial rather than raw stats: Hacker by trojans and program-based direct damage, Mystic by countering your opponent's plays and controlling the tempo of the whole game with tarots.
And if you're building for the long game, Corpo and Cybernetic reward patience: Corpo through econ ramp that snowballs into overwhelming force, and Cybernetic through big characters powered up with cyberware and drugs until they're simply too much to answer.
Browse our full Neuroscape singles collection at RAMChannel.com to start building your faction of choice.