the guy in question, the DM/fighter. Hates the ToB with a unwavering passion. Bans it in all his games, and refuses to touch it.
As a player he loathes optimization. I see his point which is, "No matter what power level you are at the DM will make the challenge appropriate. The problem with high OP is that there is a chance the DM might accidentally make the encounter too powerful and squish you. If you do 1,000 damage out of 10,000 is it not the same as 100 out of a 1,000?"