(Well yeah. Since like, say Alex said "Tom can shoot fire." You only know what Alex told you, you have no idea of the range, heat, where its being shot from, or any other limitations. Heck, it could be energy that just has a fiery appearance and Alex thought it was fire. Or you could perfectly prepare for the fire, but Alex didn't know that this character had electricity manip too, etc. There are only so many things that your character can prepare for with such limited knowledge and limited time. Also keep in mind that your failsafes only work for so long, since people are going to get more powers and have increased stats. Not to mention, the real fight is elsewhere, meaning you can't always have the equipment of your lab to prepare for everything that you want to.)