TheMaskedNitpicker
Triple Threat
One of the arguments I'm seeing against testing OHKOs is the fact that they allow your opponent to take out one of your vital Pokémon. This argument is also used by those who want to ban Wobbuffet. "It allows you to take out any one of your opponent's Pokémon, potentially ruining their strategy."
Let's take a step back and look at our metagame. Because we let powerhouses like Garchomp and Metagross run around, the number of viable Pokémon in our metagame is fairly limited. Because these Pokémon are so powerful, we are forced to dedicate many of our team slots to dealing with or 'countering' these Pokémon. As a result, we have a very switch-heavy game with a fairly small number of viable Pokémon. This is not the only way to play competitive Pokémon. It's what most of Smogon is used to, but it's not the only play style. It's just a play style that's more-or-less enforced by our current tier.
I believe that one of the reasons we as a community are so against allowing Wobbuffet is not because it's universally powerful, but because it shits all over this particular style of play. "I can't switch? That's what the metagame is all about! Blarg!". If we had a ruleset that created a highly weather-based metagame where 90% of teams needed sun, rain, or hail in order to be effective, I bet we'd see a significant number of arguments for banning Golduck. "It cancels all weather? That's what the metagame is all about! Blarg!"
OHKOs provoke a similar response. The only way that you can switch in safely is by having a Sturdy Pokémon. So although they don't prevent switching like Wobbuffet does, they penalize a high-switch play style. On top of that, our metagame encourages teams that rely on having all six Pokémon alive (stall teams) and teams that rely on one specific Pokémon to do a cleanup sweep. OHKO moves can spoil both of these team styles.
This may mean that OHKO moves are 'broken' in that they could break our current metagame, but another game would be created in its place. Whether this game would be better or worse is a matter of preference and remains to be seen. I'm all for testing OHKO moves and seeing what kind of game results.
As far as OHKO moves reducing skill, I don't buy that. Like Light says, it's a high-risk, high reward strategy (and I couldn't have made the argument better than he did). A smart player will use OHKO moves under three conditions:
1. To take out a wall
2. When any other course of action would almost certainly result in a loss (when your back is against the wall)
3. When you predict a switch and you don't know much about the opponent's team yet (although other moves like Stealth Rock could easily be used under these circumstances for more reliable benefits)
Those who mindlessly spam OHKO moves are not going to win reliably. I agree 100% with X-Act and Carl's assessments. They should not be allowed in elimination tournaments, but they should at least be tested in ladder and casual play.
Let's take a step back and look at our metagame. Because we let powerhouses like Garchomp and Metagross run around, the number of viable Pokémon in our metagame is fairly limited. Because these Pokémon are so powerful, we are forced to dedicate many of our team slots to dealing with or 'countering' these Pokémon. As a result, we have a very switch-heavy game with a fairly small number of viable Pokémon. This is not the only way to play competitive Pokémon. It's what most of Smogon is used to, but it's not the only play style. It's just a play style that's more-or-less enforced by our current tier.
I believe that one of the reasons we as a community are so against allowing Wobbuffet is not because it's universally powerful, but because it shits all over this particular style of play. "I can't switch? That's what the metagame is all about! Blarg!". If we had a ruleset that created a highly weather-based metagame where 90% of teams needed sun, rain, or hail in order to be effective, I bet we'd see a significant number of arguments for banning Golduck. "It cancels all weather? That's what the metagame is all about! Blarg!"
OHKOs provoke a similar response. The only way that you can switch in safely is by having a Sturdy Pokémon. So although they don't prevent switching like Wobbuffet does, they penalize a high-switch play style. On top of that, our metagame encourages teams that rely on having all six Pokémon alive (stall teams) and teams that rely on one specific Pokémon to do a cleanup sweep. OHKO moves can spoil both of these team styles.
This may mean that OHKO moves are 'broken' in that they could break our current metagame, but another game would be created in its place. Whether this game would be better or worse is a matter of preference and remains to be seen. I'm all for testing OHKO moves and seeing what kind of game results.
As far as OHKO moves reducing skill, I don't buy that. Like Light says, it's a high-risk, high reward strategy (and I couldn't have made the argument better than he did). A smart player will use OHKO moves under three conditions:
1. To take out a wall
2. When any other course of action would almost certainly result in a loss (when your back is against the wall)
3. When you predict a switch and you don't know much about the opponent's team yet (although other moves like Stealth Rock could easily be used under these circumstances for more reliable benefits)
Those who mindlessly spam OHKO moves are not going to win reliably. I agree 100% with X-Act and Carl's assessments. They should not be allowed in elimination tournaments, but they should at least be tested in ladder and casual play.