I do not understand this so much, the Pirc is sound I do not why it is so much pressurised, it might be me biased but the Pirc is my main Black opening for 1. e4.
The Austrian is dangerous for both White and Black. If Black makes a mistake in some of the sharp positions, she can lose badly. But also if White mishandles the position, Black can destroy the centre and White can end up in a clearly worse or ,lost position as well. It works both ways. It is not like the Austraian guarantees a win for White.
I found that the Argentinian 4. Le3 variations with f3 and g4 are kind of trying to mimik the Jugoslaw in the Dragon. But I play 4...c6 and delay ...Lg7, usually the main line with ....Sbd7/...b5. There is some analyses in the bog of Moskalenko and I think Vigus here. Personally I prefer to play Black here. You can even play ...Tg8 or allow the exchange if White wants to force h5 you go ...Sg7 and allow the hxg6 hxg6 and just go on with ...b4 and stuff.
As a 4. Le3 c6 player, the 4. Le3 with h3, bluffing to guess Black if she tries g4 is a bit more challenging. I did quite a lot of analysis here and read some of the bogs of Vigus (Chess Developments) and Moskalenko bog. I am looking at my file for this line, and what I often do is to seek counterplay with ...b4, and press the ...c5 lever. Keep the tension like this unless White defines it. Otherwise keep developing. I often have the double fianchetto going in this line. If I had to play White (I would not
), I would probably choose this as the most challening like to try for some advantage (although I would work to neutralise it as Black
Austrian Delayed is kind of similar, where you play f4 if Black does something else. I would play the same setup here.
Any 150 stuff I am just not scared of. It is played a lot though, Black has a few setups, if you want the delay the fianchetto and do ...Sbd7/...b5. If you want ...Lg7 you can, but you kind of give White her goal. I prefer the delayed fianchetto by forcing ...b5 or at least if you fianchetto go ...e5 to fix the pawn structure. Positionally I like playing Black here.
The Classical I go 6. 0-0 c6. I just see no White advantage here. It is just a game where a better player wins. I lost a game last time in the tournament I played this line as Black. But okay, the opponent was a GM. Just going like a KID where White has no useful c4 in the pawn phalanx makes it more comfortable for Black than in the KID to me.
Accelerated Classical I just aim to setup ...c6 and ...e5 and let it fix the pawn structure and try to use the tempo White spent on h3 to set the desired pawn structure as quick as possible.
Everything else to me is not critical. Theoretically critical, that will say. The other lines are just to get a game and play. Whoever plays better middlegame and endgame after the opening phase in lines like 4. g3 or stuff like the Classical should win.
Summary: White has a lot of options, yes, but Black does too. It is a flexible defence, as far as I know the aim is to react based on how White does with all sorts of attacking options. For all reactions is there an equal and opposite reaction.
Views from an avid Pirc player