Matrix combat styles, I know e-Kung Fu Options

[The_Vanguard]

The Emergence campaign I'm running at the moment has once again cemented my belief that cybercombat is much too bland and unimaginative. It takes place in an environment where actions are mostly limited by your imagination, and hackers specialize in finding creative and surprising ways to screw with expectations.

Therefore, I'm toying with the idea to introduce cybercombat styles akin to the martial arts styles from Arsenal. However, these are not formalized schools of combat but rather the natural result of individual M.O.s and fields of expertise. This is what I've come up with until now:

Brute Force
The most direct way is usually not very subtle, but certainly effective none the less. Matrix vandals, Info-Anarchists and hackers on a thigh schedule therefore like to go for strategies that destroy a system's defense instead of circumventing it. In combat situations they also like to hit the opposition fast and hard before they have time for a counterattack.
Advantages: +1 DV with Attack programs, +1 DV with feedback programs (Blackout and Black Hammer), +1 to Analyze Weak Point-Maneuvers, +1 to Multitasking Attacks (before splitting the dice pool).

Cerberus
System security experts, Spiders and data maintenance responsibles are notoriously concerned about system integrity and take great pains to always apply the latest patches to their firewalls, keep backups up-to-date and know many work-arounds to common bugs. Their enemies are frequently baffled when their attacks fail against these meticulous defenses.
Advantages: +1 to resistance against icon damage, +1 to resistance against feedback damage (Blackout, Black Hammer, dumpshock), +1 to Full Defense, +1 to Reroute Attack-Maneuvers.

Black Tide
Neuronal biofeedback programs like Blackout and Black Hammer are pretty infamous and many users have mixed feelings when employing them. This is why few people create a whole combat strategy on their basis, but BTL-Designers, dissonant Technomancers and e-serial killers often have a trick or two with these programs up their virtual sleeves.
Advantages: +1 DV with feedback programs (Blackout, Black Hammer), +1 resistance to feedback damage (Blackout, Black Hammer, dumpshock), +1 to Black Dread-Maneuvers, +1 to the opposed test when a target tries to log off after having been hit by a feedback attack.

Metalink
In the Matrix, no piece of information is an island. Linking data together is the very purpose of its existence, but few metahumans can truly understand the scope and ramifications of this. Those that do are usually system architects, data search professionals or self-taught persons who cobbled their whole education together with what they could find online. In combat, they often surprise their enemies by finding unexpected ways around their defense protocols.
Advantages: +1 to attacks with Attack programs, +1 to Crash Program actions, +1 to Leech File-Maneuvers, +1 to Trojan Attacks

Radiowave Surfer
The wireless Matrix is an endless ocean of tangled currents that draw people in with inaudible siren voices. Some people really obsess about this, dedicating their lives to exploring the online world in all its vastness. They are always busy hopping from node to node, searching for the next big thing before it becomes mainstream, savoring the most daring and alien VR architecture or just enjoying the thrill of a really fast connection. In combat situations these masters of RF streams usually try to trump the opposition by selecting the fastest connection options and hogging system resources for themselves.
Advantages: +1 to Initiative, +1 to Freeze-Maneuvers, +1 to Interference-Maneuvers, +1 to Multitasking Attacks (before splitting the dice pool).

Scrambler
In an environment that is pure information, going unnoticed is no small task. You may not just count on people not noticing you at this very moment, because the Matrix itself sees all and forgets nothing. Therefore being stealthy requires tricks like creating false echos, distorted signatures and labyrinthine data trails. If forced to fight, people with this approach tend to employ tactics that allow them to get away quickly instead of pounding the opposition into the ground.
Advantages: +1 to Freeze-Maneuvers, +1 to Crash Program actions, +1 to Vanish-Maneuvers, +1 to Full Defense.

VR Ace
Among the latest generation of hackers are many that grew up with Virtual Reality games and only became interested in this line of work because they were looking for even more suspense and thrill. They tend to see breaking into a secure node as yet another game and approach it with the same mindset as they would when playing Red Samurai Run IX or the like. “Serious” hackers may scoff at the crazy amounts of bandwidth they waste with pimped-up icons and flashy attack animations, but the fluidity and intuitive grace with which these kids operate the VR interfaces is a sight to behold. Just don't mention to the old guard that they frequently don't know what their commands actually do on the machine language level...
Advantages: +1 Initiative, +1 to attacks with Attack programs, +1 to Multitasking Attacks (before splitting the dice pool), +1 to Quickload maneuvers.