[deluge]

I hate when people make unfounded and demonstrably false statements such as "Pokemon is about skill not luck". WRONG. Chess is a game of almost pure skill while Pokemon combines aspects of skill with luck. The game is riddled with traps that can shatter plans whether they be critical hits, move innacuracies, secondary effect activation (freeze, flinch, para, burn, buffs, debufs) etc. The element of chance is an essential aspect of Pokemon as it is in many card games (which are nonetheless played competitively and for money). In fact, I'm pretty sure I could make a clear analogy between Pokemon and a 6 handed card game with dice for the RNG. The element of chance in Pokemon battles is the "act of God" that NEITHER player can directly control but they have to play to mitigate or benefit from its effect and manage the risks.

There are less burdensome strategic options against Sand Veil activation than there are against critical hits, misses by imperfectly accurate moves, and secondary effect activation. So, in light of the pervasiveness of luck in Pokemon, the decision to target Sand Veil (which is possessed by relatively few Pokemon and which may activate only in a specific field condition) is particularly puzzling. Decisions to ban shoudn't be made to eliminate luck. Such a campaign is futile unless the aim is to invent a game other than Pokemon. They should be made because a strategy or Pokemon is deemed overpowered (ie matches between opponents of similar level end disproportionately often ["large" ratio] with a win for the side employing the overpowered strategy).

The simplest resolution if Garchomp is deemed overpowered is to ban it. However, if there is an interest in banning as little as possible (an interest NOT served by banning Sand Veil) then a "complex ban" seems reasonable. The Swift Swim + Drizzle ban is a useful precedent. A team strategy is banned without engineering the game and manufacturing unintended moveset/ability illegalities for the Pokemon themselves. In fact, I'd rather call it a strategy ban than a complex ban. The Smashpass ban in lower tiers is similar. You're simply banning a strategy in the same way you'd ban a Pokemon. I'd be very willing to argue that Sandstorm + Sand Veil Garchomp does not in any way approach the potency of any of the aforementioned banned strategies. However, if the decision-makers staunchly disagree I'd prefer a "complex" but conservative and necessary ban over a simple but expansive and unecessary one.