[douglas]

Min-Maxing is ubiquitous in competitive games on PBW. A few games use a balance mod, I think it's PVK's, that changes the limits and costs so there aren't any no-brainers any more.

Opinion is divided on whether Ancient Race is actually worth the cost. Very few games have any special rulings concerning it.

Deeply Religious is quite frequently banned because of the Talisman. I would consider paying 1500 points in some games for Nature Shrines alone. Add the Talisman, and the balanced cost of the trait shoots up to 4000 or 5000 imo.

Intelligence is sometimes banned because it's usually just a waste of effort, and when it is effective it's usually just another advantage for the guy that's already winning.

Technology trading is sometimes banned because it unbalances the game, especially with trading colonization techs.