[SIZE=5][B]Steel Beam has been restricted to 2 users per team maximum (inclusive)![/B][/SIZE]
:sv/Klefki: :sv/Gholdengo: :sv/Arceus: :sv/Zamazenta: :sv/Pawniard: :sv/Tinkatink: :sv/Nosepass: :sv/Sandshrew-Alola:

Steel Beam has frankly been a problem since its debut generation, Gen 8. At least before Sandshrew-A was banned in Gen 8, [URL='https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/the-losers-game.3657270/page-4#post-8786983']you could pilot a team of 6 Steel Beam users to the uppermost echelons of the ladder[/URL] and win roomtours with it. Unbanned and unrestricted Steel Beam enforces a 12-turn clock that your opponent must answer, and with careful positioning then and now, you could often KO fewer than 6 opposing Pokemon with 6 Steel Beam users. Gen 9's metagame pressures may encourage Steel Beam users to be displaced by hazard removers, Chloroblast users, and (Tera) Ghost Curse users, but this doesn't prevent Steel Beam-spearheaded Self-2HKO Spam from performing well in roomtours - see [URL='https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9thelosersgame-1913503469']this roomtour finals[/URL] as an example of how easy the playstyle is to pick up and do well with.

While there are many checks to Steel Beam users, they often perform significantly worse against some Steel Beam-abusing teams than others (take these post-HOME [URL='https://pokepast.es/391590a9784a8353']Fast Self-2HKO Spam[/URL] and [URL='https://pokepast.es/9432e3e90f4a929c']Weak Self-2HKO Spam[/URL] teams as examples of different team builds of Steel Beam abuse):
[LIST]
[*]Imprison-Steel Beam: Performs better against Fast Self-2HKO Spam and worse against Weak Self-2HKO Spam, thanks to Weak Self-2HKO Spam not only being able to disrupt the Imprisoner with Taunt/Encore/phazing/Knock Off/etc. but also having weak Struggles, meaning that if the Imprison-Steel Beam user did not use Steel Beam, it would often [I]lose[/I] the 1-vs.-1 and KO itself second - also note that some weak Steel Beam users get OHKOed by some fast Steel Beam users' Steel Beams (e.g. Diglett-A is OHKOed nearly 100% of the time after Black Sludge by Klefki Steel Beam)
[*]Taunt + Multiple Steel Beam Fodder: Performs better against Weak Self-2HKO Spam and worse against Fast Self-2HKO Spam, which is fortunate enough to run Steel Beam users that can dodge Taunt more easily (thanks to being fast, having abilities that make them go first or be immune to Taunt, etc.)
[*]Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off: Performs better against Fast Self-2HKO Spam and worse against Weak Self-2HKO Spam thanks to Weak Self-2HKO Spam being able to spam Steel Beam more easily and KO fewer opposing Pokemon in the process, even with a Steel Beam user that purposefully absorbed any of these item-manipulating moves - note that Fast Self-2HKO Spam can defend itself easily against Trick and Switcheroo with timely Gholdengo switch-ins
[*]Taunt/Imprison-Heal Pulse/Pain Split: Performs better against Weak Self-2HKO Spam and worse against Fast Self-2HKO Spam thanks to Fast Self-2HKO Spam being able to use Substitute before opposing Taunt/Imprison more easily...or just switch Gholdengo into Taunt/Heal Pulse/Pain Split yet again
[*]Magic Guard-Skill Swap: Performs better against Weak Self-2HKO Spam and worse against Fast Self-2HKO Spam thanks to Fast Self-2HKO Spam packing more Taunt users who are fast enough to prevent opposing Skill Swap from working along with Steel Beam users immune to Skill Swap such as Gholdengo, Arceus, and Iron Treads - the current fastest user of Magic Guard-Skill Swap being the base 60 Speed Clefable doesn't help
[*]Encore: This notably only works if the opponent doesn't use Steel Beam first - it therefore performs worse against Weak Self-2HKO Spam, which can afford to use double Steel Beam more often
[/LIST]
Compound this with nearly all of the best hazard removers of the Gen 9 The Loser's Game meta having poor match-ups with weak Steel Beam users (e.g. Talonflame, Noivern, Mold Breaker Hawlucha - Copycat Maushold has a passable match-up against Weak Self-2HKO Spam but gets significantly fewer windows to Copycat Steel Beam against Fast Self-2HKO Spam, and being slower than Cinderace doesn't help), and building a team with even decent match-ups against all of Fast Self-2HKO Spam, Weak Self-2HKO Spam, and Court Change is pretty difficult. My personal closest attempts to pulling this off have tended to lose to everything else (e.g. Trick Room, "Fair" teams with Calyrex-S and Gholdengo).

It's no wonder that Steel Beam has been on the watchlist since Gen 8 and restricting Steel Beam has been on the table since back then.

We in the council have discussed Steel Beam at length and only managed to set Steel Beam at Restrict 2 instead of banning it, though. Steel Beam is still one of the most splashable ways to prevent opposing Trick/Switcheroo from completely having its way with a team - note that patient enough Trick/Switcheroo users can let Gholdengo and Sticky Hold users KO themselves in front of them and then try to cripple a different victim. Restricting Steel Beam to 2 users per team max. at least prevents the Fast Self-2HKO Spam team above from emerging completely intact (note that it has 3 Steel Beam users) and should cripple Weak Self-2HKO Spam further due to them no longer being able to clog most of the team with (weak) Steel Beam users.

Tagging [USER=241023]Kris[/USER] to implement.

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In other news, [B]Electrode-H has been put on the watchlist![/B] Electrode-H is an absolute speed demon at base 150 Speed, speed tying with Calyrex-S. It is armed with the Steel Beam near-clone Chloroblast along with Taunt to remove most of its counterplay. However, it still hits about as hard as Klefki (OHKOing Iron Bundle, Impidimp, Swinub, and more), its Chloroblast fails to rip out any of its HP if it hits a Sap Sipper user, and it gets outsped by the Taunt and Encore user Tera Grass Ogerpon. Maybe these might be enough to save it from the banhammer even if it goes Tera Dark?