It is highly underestimated how complex one or zero turn MATS really are. Yes, they ARE very, very common. Yes, they are rapidly increasing in total percentage of US tasks!

Less experienced contest pilots (unsurprisingly) seem to struggle with getting their heads around the OLC tasks (one or zero turn HAT). I did. I still cannot stand them becuase they are about more about local knowledge than anything else (see OLC).

Task management of the "free" portion of the OLC task is very difficult. This is especially true if you are not a local pilot and are unfamiliar with the flying area. Errors in managing turnpoint order (and rules) has huge potential influence on the scores and ultimately the final contest results. A pilots "ability" to quickly and constantly program expensive flight computers "on the fly" in order to better understand possible "free" HAT turnpoint combinations that will best use up available minimum time (vs. your competitor) is a critical success factor. This best combination of free turnpoints is, of course, constantly changing as conditions and circumstances change along the task. This experience is fairly similar to the decision making complexity (and luck) of wide (60 mile diameter) area TATs (aka slightly constrained OLC task). But nothing introduces luck like an OLC HAT task!

ASTs or "very long" MATs (actually fairly rare BTW) are far, far easier tasks to manage from a flight computer, strategy and local knowledge standpoint. This is more about flying well and less about wild variances in strategy. Especially for beginners or people without expensive computers on board.. A $50 handheld GPS is all you need! But even with a "long" MAT, As little as 15 minutes of "extra time" for "free" turnpoints at the "end" of the task can dramatically change the result (vs. the end of the assigned portion). The free portion of a MAT can essentially "destroys" the MATs assigned purity by introducing OLC like behaviors (massive swings in strategy, risk, complexity and of course luck).

Study "the guide" but the only way to get good at OLC tasks is local knowledge and a lot of practice (an expensive flight computer helps too). Expect more and more OLC "MATs" in the USA if the current trends continue. I would say 50% of all US task may be OLC (MATs, many of them the very short one or zero TP variety) in 3-5 years. We are on route to becoming OLC nation!