Basically a brain damage version of Komainu. While intrepid and/or desperate runners would just take the hit from Komainu (or mitigate it with Sports Hopper, Deus X, I've Had Worse, etc.) brain damage is harder to avoid and leaves a much more punishing mark. A careless run can now easily ruin the game for a runner.

Players running Anarch staples won't really feel the burn as much. Brain damage or not, Brainstorm is effectively an HB version of Komainu. It still cracks to Mimic, and can be Parasite'd pretty easily. Worst comes to worst, you can just feed your entire hand to Faust. If none of those tools are on the board, I don't know what to tell you because you decided to run without a rig while the corp had 9 credits.

All said and done, while Brainstorm is quite expensive to rez, it is a piece of ice that can leave the runner for dead. And even if the runner has all the answers, it is still an annoying tax that must be dealt with.

Pros:

• Cripples careless runners looking to facecheck
• Even with Mimic down, this ice can be expensive to pass
• Like Komainu, punishes runners for having more cards in their grip, which runs counter to most runner tactics.

Cons:

• At 9 , unlikely to be rezzed early game when facechecking is most likely to be punished
• Relatively straightforward Parasite or Femme Fatale target
• HB lacks many of Jinteki's fun tech to punish runners with few (or no) cards in their grip

Fun Interactions:

• Like Komainu, if the runner encounters Brainstorm again during a run (such as via The Twins or Cell Portal), Brainstorm gains extra subroutines depending on the number of cards in the runner's grip; the original subroutines are still there. This kills the runner.
• Remember, a runner with a hand size of -1 or less (from either brain damage or otherwise) loses the game at the end of their turn.