It's been a while since I visited this thread, and many things have been said. I'll pick out a few points I really agree or disagree with.
...there are still teams not able to properly play every ship build and composition because we lack training. T.pr is currently the most obvious in their picks. Not everyone is that good in ... play(ing) completely any combination.
SCS should be a competitive, yet "anyone can join" weekly tournament. I find this to be one of the strongest arguments against formal picking rules.
You can still perfect one build/style, which the Thralls did show and the Predators are now doing too.
And being able to fly different styles and ships increases the pilot skill as it also shows him how to better fight against it.
Playing one style well, and/or having many styles at your disposal are both viable ways to approach the game. It is a display of skill when a team manages to break the "meta", and also when the "meta" beats a build that supposedly counters them.
Do you really not see this as a problem? Goio should not be a rock-paper-scissors type game. If there is a hard counter to ANYTHING then Muse has failed.
Sorry nhbearit, but I had to pick this out because I really disagree after reading your argument with D. Any game that emphasizes strategic choices based on available information will have a "rock-paper-scissors" effect. A lot of it, then, is dependent on many other factors. Perhaps "rock" is stronger on this map, or has a certain trait that can deal with a "paper" in the right situations. Or maybe, the enemy is bad at "scissors" style, so we can fly "paper" and put them in a tougher spot. Thus, there is really no 100%, 'hard' counter to anything; which I think GOIO has been reasonably successful at.
...if you think the Ryders want this or any other change for their benefit then I have a bridge I want to sell you. Regardless of if you think the effect is one way or another their collective motivation here is not to provide themselves with an advantage in the SCS or any other tournament.
Like some have said, if the Rydrs REALLY wanted to win SCS, they will have a good chance at it regardless of anything. The reason why many place them as the top team in GOIO is not only because of their passion for the game, but also because they are extremely
disciplined and well trained.
As the one who initially suggested two-stage blind pick, I find reasonable arguments from both sides. There are obviously SCS teams that dislike the system, and others that find it a fair or interesting solution to lobby wars. My personal experience (with no picking rules) has been very unpleasant; both sides keeps switching their ships, and I (a Gent...) was accused of last second switch several times.
@Lueosi & SCS committee: Has the format of "default two-stage blind pick, but pre-lobby, one team can force default rules" been tested? I think this will cater to lobbies in which both sides want picking rules, and to the teams that don't.