I think most nerfs and things people have bitched about were in reality just something that they could have adapted to in game. I wish the dev's didn't listen to the most prolific whiners over the years. They bitched about things that they could have adapted to in game, but were too stubborn, ignorant or dumb to do.
I do think it's kind of fucked up to introduce new game mechanics and then go afk for a few months. I'd rather not have new game mechanics being introduced (like roll, nudge, new kick area of effect) if nobody is going to be around to tweak it.
I also don't like when some items get nerfed, then it causes something else to become too powerful, so instead of reverting the nerf (or trying to retweak) they go ahead and nerf the new thing that's "OP". I've seen some pretty shitty daisy chaining of nerfs upon nerfs to fix other nerfs.
Most players have the ability to overcome obstacles they face in game on their own. Using logic, common sense, teamwork, and adapting to conditions on the battlefield. A lot of the problems in the game could have been resolved with more logical and soft approaches than going directly to "nerf 'x' class, or nerf 'y' item"
Overall I thought this game was pretty well balanced 2.5 years ago, and I thought it has been pretty well balanced throughout all the nerfs up until this point and is still pretty balanced today.