I understand what you're saying; I mean, I get it. Lawman said nearly the same thing in an earlier post about how we as Pokemon TCG players should be able to adapt to whatever is set before us. We've already proven that we can do such a thing,...
So what's the problem now? Why were you able to prove you were adaptable in the past but not now?
...Because of the lack of that one card I didn't even play competitively that season (I didn't win a single tournament at all).
That sounds like you were unsuccessful at adapting while others were successful, or that you were even refusing to adapt (and it sound slike the latter). Don't take this the wrong way, but so what that you didn't win a single tournament. A lot of people don't. I realize you're an excellent player and are known for it too, and I have been priviledged to have a game against you in the past, but whether or not you are able to win a tournament does not define whether or not the tournament format is good. This sounds like you were cutting off your nose to spite your face if you stayed out of competitive play because of the absence of a single card. The game has seen instances where hand distruption did not exist or wasn't played; it should not be expected that we will always have it or that it will be in a preferable form.
My argument though is simple: why should the game be this way? That's not how Japan plays it, so what we get is essentially a watered-down version of a brilliant game.
Okay, a serious topic. I think this goes back into marketing. At the store where I run league, they refuse to have regular supply of any set before Diamond and Pearl. I go to target: they do not have a regular stock of Holon Phantoms, Crystal Guardians, Dragon Frontiers. The thing about retail is that they dont like carrying legacy product - it just doesn't sell. At the store where I run league, there is a supply of Dragon Frontiers and Power Keepers (but not regularily stocked) and it simply does not sell. And those sets are in the Modified format. That leads into...
Pokemon has always been friendly to new players to come into the game without having to worry about getting ambushed by old cards. One reason for a yearly rotating modified format is so that newer players are able to come into this game without having to worry about cards from 2 years ago. If our format matched Japan's, not only would players have to worry about cards from 2 years ago but they'd also won't be able to buy them because no retail place in their right mind wants to regularily stock them because the product just doesn't move very well (and new players are not likely to buy from the internet). Maybe that's not true in Japan, but selling patterns are different. What may be a success in Japan can completely flop outside of it, and vice versa.
Aside from marketting, another reason for a yearly rotating modified format is to cycle out old ideas so players can come up with new ideas from new cards. Personally, I'm glad that Blastoise ex, Steelix ex, Mew Ex, Dark Dragonite, Ludicolo, Dark Tyrannitar are out of the format, and I know others will agree with me. I know people who'd still be playing Dragtrode and Mewtrick - I'd even still be playing Exeggutor. It isn't friendly on new players to have to face decks from two years ago. One of my leaguers in this thread said she didn't know what RAMBO is. I recall someone, I think Mike Liesik, saying that the POP staff was happy to see the dismemberment of the Holon engine from the Modified. Soon, saying "holon engine" will get followed by questions of "what's that?" So, the yearly rotating modified format works. You're tired of seeing Gardevoir/Gallade? Well those cards are the Blaziken ex, Gardevoir ex, Steelix ex, of our time.
An alternative to your idea: it does not sound like you want to campain for a FRLG-On format, especially since a lot of your examples are in the form of poor hand disruption mechanics, but rather that POP opt to reprint cards in the POP series. Just because you want to see Rocket's Admin back doesn't mean allowing TRR back in the Modified is the way to do it.
then a delay in Garchomp Lv.X, and now a delay in even more cards (cards which, in my opinion, would have really changed the format). I'm getting a bit impatient now, and I'm getting agitated that it's affecting the deck choices and playstyles of many good players (I even had to resort to playing Mario to win a couple of Battle Roads -- it wasn't fun).
This sounds like an instance of playing with cards that have not been released. If you stopped counting your chickens before they hatch and instead focus on what you do have, you could have come up with other ideas besides Mario. Like I said above, you have a reputation for being good and therefore have the ability to mold what the people around you play. Use that influence to be more inventive. And, similar to what I said above, what
you think you are forced to play does not define whether or not the modified is good.
Gardy/Gallade and Mario are not the big tyrants this thread is making it out to be. We are still no where near when the format was just Blaziken ex and Gardy ex.
I mean people say that what is happening in Japan is totally not relevant to what's going on here, but maybe we should look again. Pokemon is STILL big there after 10+ years of ongoing popularity, while Pokemon actually died for a time here in America. Are they doing something different somehow? I wonder....
completely not connected. Pokemon died in America because WotC tried to kill it. Set contents at that time were next to the same as in Japan (Japan's 6 sets were merged to make 3 sets outside of Japan).