For my XC riding I never needed the big ring but because I used my hardtail for commuting, I was always on the big ring.

I'm building a dedicated XC bike right now and decided against the big ring for the above reason. I also know that I will gain higher ground clearance by removing the big ring and replacing it with a bashguard. I'll likely go with one of the plastic ones as they apparently slide over obstacles better than the AL ones do.