As it currently stands, counterpicks are not broken. I've certainly won plenty of sets on the opponent's counterstages, and lost them on mine. Stages are a huge part of Melee. You say players have to play the stage, that's right. Positioning is supremely important in the game. However, the amount of planning is still comparable to the amount of position planning in SF on a flat stage, and good players have to devote a very minor portion of their attention to the stage.
I see about a 5-10% chance that Japanese players play Smash at Evo, and that's only because there are the other fighting games.
Remember for OC2, Ken helped with flight costs, customized the stage set, and had a pot which probably exceeded what Evo is offering, and still only got 5 players to come. Japanese smashers just don't travel like players do for other games.
If there's evidence that they are willing to travel, then maybe we should consider deviating from US standards. But as of now there's really no reason to change things for the Japanese players.
I see about a 5-10% chance that Japanese players play Smash at Evo, and that's only because there are the other fighting games.
Remember for OC2, Ken helped with flight costs, customized the stage set, and had a pot which probably exceeded what Evo is offering, and still only got 5 players to come. Japanese smashers just don't travel like players do for other games.
If there's evidence that they are willing to travel, then maybe we should consider deviating from US standards. But as of now there's really no reason to change things for the Japanese players.