>>54721461In theory, splitting special has allowed for more variation in monster designs; in practice, it's rare for a strong special attacker to be usable and have a poor special defense (though it does happen, and is basically the entirety of Deoxys' schtick). The reverse scenario, where a monster needs high special defense and poor special attack, can be handled almost as well by simply not giving that monster special attacks on a high special stat. It's a positive development, but not an earthshaking one.
Finally, the stat calculation system used in Generation I was significantly different from the effort value and base stat system used in Generation III and forward. Simply put, there were 16 different 'gene values' for each of the five stats, and you could potentially max out every stat every single monster had, but it was a slow system, well-hidden from the player, but had the benefit that there was no such thing as 'bad' stat experience; you couldn't ever train against the 'wrong' kind of monster and ruin your work.
B. Generation 2
Critical hits were divorced from level and speed in this generation, making them swingy and potentially decisive from a low level, but almost entirely a product of RNG rather than something that could be meaningfully built for; critical-hit focused builds have almost never featured seriously in either storyline play or competitive play until the most recent generations.
Generation 2 began the process of splitting the special stat into two different stats -- as of Gen 2 they were separate in every way but genetics, a move with mixed results; it was one of the many countermeasures inserted to bring down the Psychic type in Generation 2, a move that was arguably too successful.
The incredibly high Special stat typical of Psychic types, along with high speed, a lack of resistances against it, and a lack of useful attacks super-effective against it, all contributed to its blistering powering in Generation 1.
