I didn't say they weren't effective, I said they are not COST-effective. And comparing apples to oranges is just fine if they are the same price, and they are both fruit (ranged). Just notice that the apple (javs), is half the size of the orange (xbow), with half the flavor. But still the same price. I'm honestly not sure where the influx of throwing is coming from, I've been a thrower for a while, and I'm rather disappointed with the changes. I've gained some accuracy while standing still (if I spend 100+prof points), but while moving, it's still same ol' same ol'. The shot speed was nerfed, and the range was reduced (they now fly like rocks with 0 PT used to). Add that to the extra upkeep if you bring more than one puny stack, and you'll see that it could use some fine tuning.