After a long list of fixed strength breakers (including Cleaver, Buzzsaw and Mimic in the current rotation), we now get a fixed strength breaker. This alone makes Umbrella an exceptional program. So let's look at what we've got here ...
Typically, fixed strength breakers need a way to meet the strength requirements of big ICE by either getting strength support (the way) or reducing the ICE strength (the way).
So what ICE exactly do we need to deal with? Let's start an NRDB search for Code Gates with more strength than Umbrealla ... Oh, what a suprisingly short list! Let's filter it for rotation ... And we found Valentão. That's it. Only one (in numbers: 1) Code Gate in the game that's out of strength reach and it's arguably a rather niche ICE that won't be found in most Corp decks, unlike the rotated Macrophage or DNA Tracker. And we don't even have "growing" Code Gates like we have with some Barriers that can get more and more strength over the course of the game.
So, basically, we have a fixed strength breaker with simply enough strength. Not 3 strength and you cover the rest, but just enough strength.
Now we can go and break any Code Gate for just 2, right?
Well, there's another catch. With strength out of the way as a requirement we have a breaker that can break any Code Gate that hosts a Trojan, no matter what.
This means, instead of a breaker that needs support for high strength ICE we have a brekaer that needs support in the form of 1 Trojan per Code Gate.
That's potentially a lot of you might need if the Corp is running a lot of Code Gates.
When we check the list of all Trojans in the current rotation we find 14 programs, half of them in faction with Umbrella. Quite a list.
We have Hush for Tollbooth, obviously.
We have newcomers like Pichação that are designed with a whole Trojan based runner archetype in mind ("Hello, Arissana, nice to meet you.").
We finally get to see the sleeper card Kyuban back from 5 years ago shine.
And I'm pretty convinced that the second half of the Liberation cycle will only bring us more Trojans.
So, yes, really an exceptional new Icebreaker we got here. One that really feels different.
So after a run on HQ, when you make a run on any server and "trash" LC, the corp cannot end the run in any way, even if there is 2 Border Control, one Bio Vault and one counter on Nisei MK II. Is my understanding correct? If it is correct, this would save me a lot of grief when trying to steal the win from the corp on that last turn.
— Diogene