I take umbrage to the suggestion that defenders of this change don't know the first thing about battling. What you seem to be implying is that Smogon's rule set for the previous generations, which did not include this mechanic, is the only competitive rule set out there. It's not.
I understand that you value the skill of predicting your opponent's team's composition. I'm impressed by Earthworm's prediction, too. But the fact is that part of what makes such prediction possible is the very centralized nature of Smogon's standard metagame. Again, I'm not belittling the skill of Earthworm and other players, but in a more varied metagame like doubles, such prediction would be next to impossible.
I like a game with more variety because it promotes different skills; skills that I enjoy putting to use. Knowing what a lot of obscure moves do, for instance. Knowing all the moves that a Pokemon can learn and figuring out why my opponent used a particular combination of Pokemon. Without the pregame mechanic, a metagame with more variety is more likely to come down to 'my team beats your team'. With it, you are much more likely to have enough knowledge to predict and overcome your opponent's plans.
So I guess what I'm saying is, sorry that the game you love has been so radically changed, but having played both games extensively I honestly find I prefer playing with foreknowledge of my opponent's Pokemon. And although I'm far from the best player out there, I think I can safely say that I know the first thing about battling.
I think that's a very reactionary response. I hope that you and the other Smogon higher-ups will extensively test this new change before excluding it entirely from Smogon's competitive play.
