Let's try summing things up.
One question I have, is why something stickerless would need to be banned, it takes approx. (within .001 seconds) the same amount of time to misalign the layers to check the back as it does to tilt the cube slightly to see the back side. In addition, it takes longer to realign the layers and then start an alg than to simply start the algorithm. Tilting the cube is a simple thing to do, and the algorithm can be started from the tilted position, whereas the misalignment of layers is (or at least seems to be) slightly clunky and hindering for the start of new turns. If it is because of misalignment during inspection time, turning of the layers is illegal during such time anyway.
Well, they they haven't really been explicitly banned; they've just never been allowed. We need a good reason to change the policy to start allowing them, and the reasons have never been "good enough". In order to keep it practical for Delegates and competitors to judge what is legal, we have usually stayed conservative if there anything controversial about some feature (i.e. advantage) of a puzzle.
Aligning/misaligning layers or tiling the cube does take time, but that is not the only concern. The WRC/Board aren't a single entity with an overbearing opinion, but
concerns might include:
- It is definitely possible to see "back" colors on the last layer more easily from holding the puzzle from some angles.
- It is possible to see the back colors of F2L edges while turning the top.
- The larger amount of color on each side (and no interior "plastic") color make it simpler to see the colors.
Any of these may be used to your advantage intentionally or unintentionally. Since the this could be unconscious, and cannot be blind-tested, it would be very hard to prove/disprove whether it makes a difference in your solving.
In addition, I have to keep bringing up
the fallacy that if something doesn't save the competitor a lot of time then it should be allowed. (To pick an example off the wall: allowing a competitor to bring a list of ZBLL algs to the table also probably wouldn't save them time, but I think most people would agree that this should not be allowed.)
Competitors use cubes because they like them, which you can think of has having their favorite "advantages" over, say, a stock Rubik's brand. Some of these, like a better mechanism and lubing, have always been okay.
Perhaps people just like "stickerless" cubes because they literally prefer not to have stickers. Maybe a better version of the new Rubik's speedcubes would satisfy them.
Or maybe they actually prefer seeing colors more easily. (This may not be a conscious thing; it may be that the cube "feels" faster and easier to use. My stickerless cube definitely felt that way when I first tried it.) In that case,
these cubes *do* give them an advantage over regular cubes. For all we know, some competitors would benefit from this advantage, and we haven't explicitly decided that this is okay.
It's already hard enough to judge whether the advantages of current stickerless cubes are fair -- partially because we don't have definitions (e.g. fair compared to what?).
If we make a reckless change to allow them, we might find ourselves having to decide this all over again. Even if we want to have an "anything goes" policy, the Regulations might get more complicated -- or their interpretations could.
(What if someone makes a cube with cubies that are so rounded that you can almost always see the back side?)
So, to answer your "question" more directly:
Because they have always been "banned". They can provide some advantages, and the Board/WRC have not conclusively decided that it is fair to allow competitors to have those potential advantages. Part of this is the motivation to keep the Regulations as simple as possible, so that they are easier to interpret (especially for Delegates).
That is a great question. One that cannot be answered, because the "no stickerless" rule is dumb.
It *can* be answered. There are reasons on both sides.
I could also call your statement dumb, and that wouldn't get us anywhere.
Things can change, but we need to have productive discussions. Those belong in other threads right now.
I'm trying to get WRC stuff going so that stickerless cubes (and/or general puzzle changes) will be put to a
Delegate vote this year.
I really don't think many would be pro underwater OH BLD
