We could look at how group comp used to be so much more intricate, or how different sets had their own identities and things like that, how CP used to allow for endless experimenting
or why people play MMO'?. Not everyone is about being the best at combat, some of us like the puzzle of trying to counter a META, not just copying it, and I had other friends (now mostly gone) who weren't good, but because classes were so unique they could find a role like a melee healer who could handle it up front vs a ranged healer.. they used to be different..

but to make a point-
Lets just look at this

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At one point I had 8 different VIABLE Mag DK's for PvP at the same time.... now I don't see a reason to play any of them.

1. I had a CC TANK. This was an important build back when group comp mattered. They could hold a breech, they could stop a charging ball group, they were viable in the role of like a Battlefield Controller. This was back when the only CC immunity came from potions. Now CC's like Talons are worthless. A group will run right passed you and players can go minutes without being stunned or even immobilized. -- BUILD DEAD. CC's DON'T WORK

2. I had an AOE DAMAGE BUILD This build could hold down an area by stacking things like Cinder Storm, Wall of Elements, on top of your Standard, with maybe Grothdarr, sets like BSW or Silks of the Sun, Succession.. or some other similar sets. If done well you could radiate 6,7k dmg per tic for anyone standing near you even if you had no single target burst. Now most DOTS's are so weak they come out to maybe 500dmg a tic if you can throw together high enough Pen and Crit.... but regardless the average player has 30k+ health and doing .500dmg a tic is worthless (and even sets that only do one thing are meaningless. What good is +300 fire damage when your base damage is 6k? it's meaningless....)
BUILD DEAD-- DAMAGE NERFED SETS AND DOTS

3. I had a SINGLE TARGET DOT BUILD. If you could 3 or 4 Dots on someone like, (I liked Ice Furnace) so Frost Reach, Structured Entropy, Soul Assault had a dot, Oblivion Set, Burning Embers.. and a Lightning Staff but if you could stack a few single target Dots on someone this was great for a run away troll type player. But now most Dots are worthless.. doing 15k damage over 10 secs comes out to about 400dmg a tic vs a guy with 35K health, lol. What is even the purpose?
BUILD DEAD-- DOT DAMAGE NERFED TO WORTHLESSNESS

4. I had a WHIP SPAM OFF BALANCE BUILD. This cool build had to rely on a Charged Lightning Staff at the time to get the Power Lash. However, this was back when you stun someone. Lightning Staff had a Stun on "reach" and Stonefist or Fossilize also had Stuns... this was cool because you could be ultra aggressive and just keep pushing getting the heal from Stonefist until you got the stun. Once the guy was stunned you could land 3 or so Whips and hopefully get a kill. Though they brought back the ability to spam whips, you can't stun anyone.. the skill has always been slow, so they can heal through or run away.
BUILD DEAD- STUNS REMOVED FROM SKILLS. TOO HIGH OF HEALTH

5. I had a MAG DK LIGHT ATTACK WEREWOLF. Before you laugh, I have some videos and he had a heck of a heal. This was back when Werewolf Groups were the rage. With the light attack sets, I could pretty much just throw light attacks at sometimes 7,8,9k dmg each. There was way more effective Werewolf builds for sure, and this may have been a bit lazy. Nonetheless it was viable
BUILD DEAD- Werewolf Mechanics Changed. NOTE: I have no problem with this, it was kind of silly.

6. I had a SORC HUNTER. Sorcs have always been good, but DK's with their wings used to be the counter. Just like Templars have always done well against DK's. By Combining wings with things like Talons, or my stuns from Fossilize, Stonefist etc.. you could often immobilize a Sorc long enough for someone else to finish them. and btw. More than once I killed myself with L.Overload or something fighting a DK. Now wings don't reflect, CC's don't work, there are no stuns and Sorcs can always get away.
BUILD DEAD- WINGS GONE, CC'S INEFFECTIVE.

7. I had a DRAGON LEAP VD EXECUTION BUILD.. I guess you could still run this, but healths are so much higher now. We have added about 10k to health so best of luck

8. I had a HEAVY ATTACK STAFF BUILD. This was a long time favorite. A heavy Attack from a DK was slow, clunky, it took time to crank it up, and it would miss.. but if you hit it could do some great damage, especially with an Inferno. I would go with Inferno on one side and lightning on the other. Elegant with it's +20% was the early set, then Knight Slayers was good, at one point Sheild Breaker was cool, Maelstrom Staff (I farmed hours for btw) Spider Cult, even Torugs, Hearland Conquerer and recently Thunder Caller as well as Saergents, Undaunted Infiltrator/Unweaver...etc. I was never good at cancellation and quick combo's so this would be my answer..--- Now all those sets are stupid and Molten Armaments has no value. I don't want Recovery, I don't want to hit a guy with 19 light attacks and get an extra 200dmg or some other nonsense that never works in PvP...
BUILD DEAD-- MOLTEN ARMAMENTS GONE.ALL SETS WORTHLESS NOW

AGAIN, ALL THESE EXISTED AT THE SAME TIME

So now where are we?
With the exception of Corrosive Armor, the only thing DK's are good for is running around in mobs, doing 4k dmg a skill and not dying as easily. All played close to the same way. -- I'll play a Sorc for Damage now, the only reason I'd been hanging onto a DK was Molten Armaments... and now I'm just looking at 68 pieces of Worthless Gold Gear.

Everyone thinks they want perfect balance.. until its too late and you just end up with boring mediocrity. Read thru my old posts over the past 5 years, I was right.