This is my take on the "state of pokemon" issue.
First of all I think the current environment is bad, but much better then it used to be. Before neo discovery was what i call the slowking era which REALLY REALLY SUCKED. Games were decided on who got out slowking first who had the best cards in the head and who got the most heads with sneasel. turn one was and still is extremely important and many people get screwed on the first turn. Games are often decided on what happens on the first and second turn. What fun is a game when theres nothing you can do but attack? Sometimes you cant even attack against trap decks and your active pokemon becomes a vegetable.
Now im OK with these decks but only one of the types. There are two. They both Are used to screw the opponents trainers, pokemon, etc. Only one isn't fair - Slowking. Slowking makes your game unfun and unhappy. The other kind also hurts your trainers and gives fair chance which is lacking in the game. This is the Dark Vileplume deck. basically everything else is fair. People say Rocket's Zapdos isn't but hello any thing that does damage to itself isnt perfect. Your probably thinking "how sad he hasn't been introduced to gold berry yet" wrong. Gold Berry heals the damage but guess what - you have one less Gold Berry. People Say wiggly isnt fair too. Two words - SproutTower.
I think that people around this time should be glad there not exposed to this environment. The happy go lucky kids at my pokemon league make fun of me for not playing more then 1 evolution in any of my decks while there's are chockful with stage 2 pokes. I would love do have seen their faces at the sts.T he first time i realized the environment sucked was when i was cut off of all fun by Slowking. The strategy at this time was 0. You had to be harsh to win and play with cheap cards. The first turn is crucial and whoever wins the coin flip almost guarantees a win. When someone wins they don't think "Yeah! i like my strategy" they think thank god i won the flip.
So now the only real cheap unfun card is that damned Slowking. Now to the current period which i call the igglybuff period which gives you wide playing opportunities and cures all the problems these DM's write about. Igglybuff totally annihilates slowking and tose cheap dominant decks. Its a must in every tourney deck like oak and cleffa. It destroys the cheap decks and brings back the cool ones. Igglybuff is my savior. People say that you must win the flip and do something like lass/eeeeeeek on the first turn. Not anymore the environment is great now for the bad news. The new rules. If these follow up in America ill be sick. 30 deck size. Play a single oak And your screwed. hand + prize + oak = less then 10 cards in your deck. Speed is insane and its not fun again because there's few turns.
Also evolving basic and stage one pokemon are eliminated never to be seen again. I have seen the VS set. No counter part basics. Raichu but no pika. beedrill but no weedle or kakuna. Strategy is now gone. You may be thinking YES! 80 hp basics. Wrong. Most of them were 60. Remember 90 HP hypno? it has 60. Pokemon previously with 100+ HP are dropped to 70 and no more. I don't know what the Japanese were drinking when they thought of this but were the only ones, the players that can stop this hell that will hit the game ten times as worse as slowking - with no igglybuffs in sight. Lets hope we never get this "worldwide common edition" there so excited about. And if we do - be in for a bumpy ride.