User blog comment:Jkphantom9/RWBY clip on Lazer Team Livestream/@comment-10317392-20140622171955/@comment-11188061-20140623023716

Sigh. Guess I'll type again.

One, we don't know if Semblances are allowed to be used in this particular training match.

Two. Pyrrha is forced to use her Semblance first. Granted, since she's four times champion maybe Mercury has already known about it a long time ago, but that she has to reveal it not as an offense or a hidden card but as a reactionary defense, to an opponent whose Semblance she literally knew nothing about, is a huge disadvantage.

If she can use her Semblance, then her best chance after recalling the spear is to end the fight as quickly as possible with her best skill before the opponent can react in time. This is of course very risky. The first alternative is to maintain the status quo, but the problem is that once Mercury flips on his Semblance he will make very sure that this time Pyrrha won't be able to react. The second alternative is to go passive, weather the onslaught, and go for a one-shot-kill with her Semblance. This is the hardest to do, and her chances aren't really that great since one-shot-kill is basically hit or miss. Even then she may have a second escape up her sleeves, but really, do you want to reveal that much to so many audiences, just to win a training match?

Just like if Beacon's attacked their reputation is going to be questioned, Pyrrha is going to lose this even if she somehow comeback and won, since the cost will be too high.