I did.



The first thing people need to understand is that a stage ban has never been about "balance". As a nuclear option, sure -- you may play a character that just can't win on stage X but is totally fine for everyone else. Before that stage's legality is cemented, you ban it.



But average usage? It's preference. At most it's to just allow you to pick your poison. If you were banning stages specifically to create an "even" matchup on the stage then why would you not strike again? Why stage strike for an even stage for the first round and then abandon that for a completely different process for the second and third games of the set?



The reason we don't strike for game 2 and 3 is because they aren't supposed to be "even". Your counterpick is meant to show your character at the peak of their ability. Your opponent is given an opportunity to showcase their character variety and mitigate your counterpick's strength through personal skill and adaptability.





Riddle me this: If you're going to allow 2 bans, why would you not allow 3? Why not 4?



The reason you don't allow 2 bans when you have 1 ban available is because it reduces character viability, stagnates stage options, and reduces player choice.



Let's look at EVO's stages:



Battlefield, Final Destination, Smashville, Lylat Cruise, Town & City, Castle Siege, Delfino Plaza, Duck Hunt, Halberd



Now let's cut them into different groups based on, say, ceiling height. I'll be using low % kill options here and using Halberd as a base.



Can kill early off the top:

Halberd (30-40%%)

Town & City (21% - 51%)

Delfino Plaza (40%-56%)

Duck Hunt (13%-54%)



Can't kill early off the top:

Battlefield (39%-59%)

Final Destination (54%)

Smashville (42%-54%)

Lylat Cruise (42%-57%)

Castle Siege (39%-60%)





That looks pretty varied, but anyone who has played Smash 4 knows that those numbers don't really tell the whole story.

The numbers are set from lowest possible kill % to the highest possible kill % -- in other words, the highest space in the stage (like the Duck Hunt tree) versus the lowest point in the stage (the base, where you spend most of your time).



With an average of ~54%, the only two stages that could be considered to have "low ceilings" at the base are Halberd and Town & City, and Town & City only by 3%. That's one single jab.



If you are playing a character who wants a low ceiling, you don't consider Town & City as your "low ceiling counterpick". Same with Duck Hunt. You think of Halberd and Delfino.



Halberd because it's constantly small. It's legitimately a low-ceiling stage, like Pokemon Stadium 1 in Melee.



Delfino because it provides ample opportunities to get low % KOs due to its dynamic nature. You don't catch people often in the treetops on Duck Hunt, but people end up on the platforms on Delfino all the time after a transformation. If they have really poor positioning you can kill them at % similar to Halberd.



Granting two bans completely and totally removes the ability to counterpick a stage with a low ceiling.



Your options are, what? Castle Siege, which is closer to the top blastzone during one of three transformations? You're counter-picking yourself here.



Having a single ban means your opponent gets the ability to pick their poison -- Delfino or Halberd.



Having two bans means your opponent says "You can't counterpick, but I can".



What if your opponent is counterpicking you and he wants a longer, flat stage with plenty of room to move around? What would you ban?



Stages without much room to move around:

Halberd (30-40%%) (he banned it)

Duck Hunt (13%-54%)

Battlefield (39%-59%)



Stages with a lot of room to move around:

Delfino Plaza (40%-56%) (he banned it)

Town & City (21% - 51%)

Final Destination (54%)

Smashville (42%-54%)

Lylat Cruise (42%-57%)

Castle Siege (39%-60%)





Well, sucks for you. You can ban FD and Smashville, but he still gets T&C. Ban T&C, he still has Smashville and FD. If he's feeling quirky he has Lylat and Castle Siege.





Allowing multiple bans results in a stagelist that favors those who do well on the stages that are left -- the most common ones. If your character doesn't see the difference between FD, SV, and T&C then congratulations! Two bans doesn't affect you in any way whatsoever until you're in a 3 out of 5.



Two bans is a knee jerk reaction from people who feel that they deserve the right to never be at a disadvantage. Just because your best stage is a common format doesn't mean it's the standard.