Hi,
I like Ness' articles. They get to the point :). First turn wins are rare here but I can see what you mean. Ways you could weak Haymaker is with PLuspower make it read throw a coin on heads plus power will give you 10 more damage or maybe throw 2 coins if both are tails you can't use this. Or something. I used to run a Haymaker using Chan, buzz & friends. It always won it was not fun winning. RSA is a broken card yes, they could make it you discard one card from your hand in order to use this card.
 
Another way is making Oak weaker, draw 5 cards rather than 7, 7 is too many, banning it all together is stupid but 5 gives the opponent a chance it will not always be first Oak wins. I doubt my raindance would last in the first round, I send Lapras or squritle, Buzz shockes gets heads then punch game over. To prevent my card drawing RSA all cpu's bills, Oaks GOW  to save me for a turn. 
 
I was reading quite a while back, you know what the main threat was, Mr. Mime. Now people consider Mr. Mime as a "stupid littile midget" (quote Vulpix). He can prevent first turn ko's but if you use 4 you only have a 4/60 chance of drawing one, perhaps 12/60 if you use Search, Trader perhaps even Pokeball. And even then GGA can beat him up for good.
 
Perhaps the only answer to  first turn Ko's is use 14+ basics. This is the only way to prevent first turn ko's as you will nearly always draw at least 2 basics. Yes this wastes valuable deck space I know it. Then use Dark Vileplume or something if you can get out. I know that's heaps of space already but in the ECSTS it won't matter as much as you have to use something to fill up those stupid spaces in those 25 trainer+ decks. Those 10 spaces could use 3 Oddish (Jungle give me more basics) 3 Dark Gloom 2 Dark vileplume. If you haven't picked it up Im a HUGE Dark vile fan. Because I played this guy who had a 35 trainer deck no that wasn't 25 trainer that was 35.
 
Yes Dark Vileplume as said in the article I wrote recently is difficult to get out, but I just like it anyway normally. 
 
Perhaps the most greatest thing you could do is disable first turn ko's and those trainers. Make it go, if they only have one Pokemon you can only damage it so that it has 10 hp left,  even if you don't use Pluspower.
 
It works too, I played this kid who used Pikachu (base) vs my Chan and i jabbed and I told him that Pikachu could only have 10 left because im against first turn koes. We play on, although he wasn't able to get another basic (bad deck if you ask me) that's not the point it gives both players a decent chance at playing cards, and if the decks are good it will go on for a long game. I don't know what you could do for 2nd turn KO's matter, the number of players who I koed in one turn was funny. Even with Raindance I was able to bubble 3 pluspower and ko Pikachu.
Had he gone first i doubt it but he would be able to gnaw 2 pluspower and win. People I play are weak. Making Pluspower illegal on 1st turn is not good I think my way is better. Anyway can you out there think of any ideas.
 
Adam (Somebody)
jala@one.net.au
 
P.S There is another Adam out there, Adam (somebody) is the Dark Vileplume freak and Aussie. The other Adam will tell you all who is and stuff in the next article  he does.