But if you can update something once, you can update it more than once with the same reliability.

So my point stands. There's no difference in reliability.

The trial state isn't like a cassette tape that degrades in quality each time you record over it!

Reliability not it terms of getting it recorded and read back. This is obviously a non-issue. Reliability in terms of enforcing its trial restrictions. The more the program touches its trial state, the easier it is to crack.