Sidestep is easy to play and easy to overvalue. Its printed cost is zero, but the reward belongs to your next turn. If you need one more Energy to block or finish an enemy right now, Sidestep does not provide it.
From Scare to Sidestep
The v0.110 notes replaced Scare's Weak-and-Exhaust effect with an Uncommon Skill named Sidestep. Its cost is 0, and its effect grants 1 Energy next turn, or 2 after upgrading. The inspected v0.111 notes leave that rework unchanged.
This is a different role from the former card. Do not count Sidestep as a Weak source when planning how to survive an enemy attack.
Start with the turn you have
Play through the current hand on paper before assigning value to tomorrow. Can you block enough? Is there a kill available? Does playing another card have an unwanted consequence in this encounter?
A zero-Energy card can still occupy a draw that might otherwise have been damage or defense. That matters in small hands and in decks that already struggle to find answers. The reward may be strong without making every additional copy desirable.
Then inspect the next hand's likely needs
Sidestep is attractive when the deck regularly finds useful cards it cannot afford. It is less attractive when you end turns with Energy left and an empty hand.
For example, assume a future turn would normally have three Energy and no other changes. One unupgraded Sidestep makes that four; the upgrade makes it five. A five-Energy turn can pay the printed beta costs of Haze and Outbreak together. That is budget arithmetic, not a promise that both cards will be drawn.
Look through the draw pile and consider how much of the hand is predictable. Without a dependable way to find or retain a payoff, delayed Energy is only part of the setup.
When to upgrade
The upgrade doubles Sidestep's stated Energy grant from one to two, but it does not double the value of every resulting turn. If one extra Energy already pays for all the useful cards in hand, the second may do nothing.
Upgrade when you can name a recurring turn that needs the larger budget. A costly setup followed by defense is a better reason than a vague plan to play more cards later.
If draw is the limiting resource, compare an upgrade that improves access instead. The draw-and-Energy guide explains why those two resources need to develop together.
Review the wasted grants
After a run, ask how often the extra Energy went unused. Was the fight already over? Did the next hand contain only cheap cards? Did you fail to draw the payoff?
Those are different problems. Short fights may not need Sidestep at all. Cheap hands may not need the upgrade. Unreliable payoff access may call for a different draft. Keep the version that solves your recurring turn rather than building around the largest possible Energy number.