[IronicDeadBird]

Originally Posted by EricH

There wasn't. 50 points sure changed the outcome, though. And before tech fouls was the dreaded "disable-DQ" one-two punch, which DID change the mechanics of the match as a 3v3 became a 2v3.

Here's a penalty recap of some of the real game-killers:
2005's "Kiss of Death": in a low-scoring game, 30 points could wipe an average alliance's score off the board. Elite alliances could take that and survive, barely.
2008's line crossing "reverse-direction" penalties weren't remarkable for their size, but for their frequency.
2014's 50-point tech foul swayed more than one match.

By the way, other than the slight change to game mechanics (+1 strength to the tower, meaning one more boulder to score before a tower can be captured for +1 ranking point or +25 points), this rule works very similar to 2012's lane violations.

It is an interesting mechanic, the GDC basically is saying we want it to be more then a tech foul but less then a card which is to say it is encouraged but encouraged in a cautious way. I dunno how to describe it well, it is definitely intentional, and on paper what it looks like is stealing a base in baseball where it should be done carefully and in a calculated manner. I dunno this game is weird.