Why do I dislike donks:
1. Donk games do not give me chance to exert my hand at deckbuilding or playing to beat my opponent. A t1 or t2 loss allows no demonstration of my skills. It feels horrible to drive hours to a tournament, and in a close CC or states competition with lots of players, and going 4-2 with a donk loss and missing the cut. Or missing the T4 of a cities for the same reason, going 3-2 with a donk loss.
As true as that may be, a loss is a loss. Decks are built to consistently get that T1/T2 card, not "donk" it. If you want to exert your hand, build your deck to not allow it to happen.
2. Donk games don't help the ratings much. I know right now they don't hurt, but they impact. Even donk wins in swiss hurt other players from participating in later rounds to reclaim points vs people with more points (who made it to top cut). They actually allow no skill to be involved. If Player A is contributing 20 points to a 32k match and his opponent only 10 because their ratings and "measures skills" are different, with A needing to contribute more- this entire process is just made unfair and arbitrary once a t1 or t2 donk is introduced. Why should I commit more points for winning more if my skill is not even made a factor lol. Getting T1d before you EVEN have a chance to draw a card is just DISGUSTING. Sableye donking, machamp donking, I personally like Kingdra lol, and stuff like that doesn't help what we're trying to do as competitive players- find the best through ratings.
Once again, a game is a game. The skill involved in making a GOOD T1/T2 deck doesn't allow much of a donk. A deck can easily consistently 75%+ get a T1 champ or kingdra, and if you want a good game against, play more basics. Play calls, play G's, play whatever you want to counter it, but allowing a Sablete start to beat you is no more their donk as it is your fault, or unluckiness. If you risk not playing that many basics, you risk the T1 Champ, or T1 sableye, or anything else.
3. It disrupts theory and testing. Getting donked doesn't help me playtest or play against a deck. It's great to know the numbers of donks, but besides your own odds- you'll never figure out your opponents. You can only hope to build the most consistent and fast list considered. If I get donked by Kingdra t1 in playtesting, I just wasted two minutes. If it happens that I just draw/pass vs it for 3 turns and lose, still wasted time. Donks greatly influence statistics, and can really hurt and make people mismanage, especially when they don't apply pure math and go on "gut instincts" about what they luckily draw into or set up. Donking doesn't help people get better.
Theory and testing is all about seeing often you can get that T1/T2. If you tested it, you'd see how often you can get it. That should help you change your deck(s) to allow not to have it happen to you as often. Donking doesn't effect it at all. Bad hands/starts do, and all you have to do for that is scoop and move on, no more then a minute wasted.
4. I think donk decks change HOW the deck is played more than what is played. Anyone SHOULD try to make a list that sets up as early as possible, regardless of threats from a T1 kingdra- you need to set up to win, period. It's when playing against a donk deck that your strategy must change. The only thing to hinder getting donked are playing more basics (sacrificing consistency for slightly boosted odds of starting with multiple pokemon), but the trainers should already be consistent enough to get pokemon out asap. The only changes people make are where they attach energy early, who and when they lay, etc. People don't really alter their decks that much to counter donk decks or the donk factor. I think consistency has always been a fundamental, regardless of T1 factor.
Of course they do. But Dusknoir and Gengar effected people putting G's in the deck. Abomasnow effected people filling their bench, and stopping the spread, or playing cards to stop the spread. For machamp, people put more basic's or G's in. When new cards come out, people have to change their decks to help counter other decks. These decks are no different. You'd rather play the same deck when every single new card comes out? Please man, you'd be done in months.
5. Donks are fast and exciting? I haven't played Kingdra or Machamp at a tournament this season, so I never got that rush of donking someone. I got donked, not the other way around. I never felt anticipation and excitement. Just dread at another lesser skilled opponent beating me before I got any chance whatsoever of outplaying or outlisting them. When I T1 or T2 someone, it feels good to get it out of the way, but I feel bad because I beat someone on dumb luck and not any sort of skill.
There's no rush about it really, it's about being able to T1 AND still win late game. It's about being setup T1 and being able to disrupt your opponent's start. There is no rush really in a T1 win, other then saying they weren't ready for it.
6. I don't consider Rampardos or Kingdra to be that donkey of decks. They are just stage 2s with 1 energy attacks- OH GOD! This is nothing different than Queendom (4/3/4 stage 2 with DRE) or Speedrill or other quick decks that use 1-2 energy on a stage 2 that's easy to set up. 80 for 1, it'll likely do -40 too, and it evolves from a fossil, and has damage cap written all over it- problematic late game when Rampardos can never give OHKOs.
And that's where the true player shows their skill. They're still able to win late game and not just Turn 1. Just because it can T1 people and do NOTHING else much doesn't mean you only get lucky to win. A true good player can still win late game. Machamp can have a huge 2nd attack, along with leveling up and doing a lot of damage. To say they can't win late is wrong.
Also, I think you need to look at "donk" decks differently. To "donk" someone is to beat them in an unfair way. When a deck is built to T1 someone, it's not donking them, it's when a player donks and instantly in there hand has it. When they Uxie 2 times, Unown R a couple times, and Bebe's into a Machamp, there's no donking about it. Any deck can donk with an opening hand, saying these decks do more then others is an unfair comparison imo.
(Edit: This is a reply to ryanvergel, but i suck at quoting =P )
