OK, so the next season of Battle Spot will be including past gen Pokemon, so I probably won't be using it to practice VGC, unless the rules come out for next season and they're the same as Battle Spot. I don't think anything included with the non-pentagon ruleset will be game-breaking per se, but my real issue with it is that currently the ruleset for Fall regionals and Battle Spot aren't the same.

It'd be different if they made one little change, like banning Dark Void and Minimize altogether and I could just ignore any Dark Void cheese I come across while practicing, but now we have new threats that aren't consistent with the current format, like a better Landorus-I and Defiant Thundurus-I, (no, you shouldn't be scared of Tornadus as long as gems aren't around). I don't have a solid opinion on Eruptran and Seismic Toss Kangaskhan, but outside of that, it'll be a slightly different metagame, and in turn will reinforce bad meta calls and habits.

Will I still hop on for a little general practice? Sure. Will I use it as extensively as I have been? Nah. I can always just find people to practice against and duke it out on Showdown, after all. But I think the real issue here is how easy it is for TPCi to just... not have an official ladder for their official rules (which is ridiculous, by the way). Actually obtaining the past gen Pokemon is one thing (and is another discussion), but does anyone remember last format when we had a gap in time without a VGC Battle Spot ladder? Before a major tournament season, no less? If we go down that route, it'll be another story of Pokemon, and perhaps Nintendo as a whole, taking a step forward and then turning around and stepping back.

But at least Magmar will be usable, right guys?