I dislike the way Kaoklai interacts with people, but he's got a better model of game mechanics than most players in this game. A lot of what you're seeing here comes from having an incorrect understanding of how the game work. The only way to figure out what 'correct' is involves making predictions and testing them. This is something he does more than just about any NA (who aren't on the balance team) player. I don't play enough EU to make a judgement there.
We had a long period in which to experience the form of gameplay that the OP reportedly wants. It wasn't terrible. It's better for high-ping balance and introducing newer blood into the game, but it does not make for a more challenging game 'akin to Native'.
I like Native well enough to play every other month or so, but it is far from balanced. I suspect people like Native more because the lack of variety in stats makes it more predictable (note how much easier it is to chamber in Native) and, to be honest, the average (not comparing competitive clans/duelists) player in Native is easier to beat. Have you SEEN the Native greatsword stab?
I'm not saying the mod is perfect, just that it is better than Native from an individual balance perspective. I do believe that cRPG leaves much to be desired on the tactical front, but I place a lot of the blame for that on the game's current dominant culture: 'lol wai u try so hard'. It's not that tactics don't work- the few times people try to actually work together, they seem to roll the other team. Then people on the other team leave. I do not doubt that the old hammer-and-anvil would work just as well now as it did in 2011. It's just that you no longer have a couple dozen people willing to try it and coordinate anything of the sort.
Admittedly, buffing support (ranged + cav) would serve to encourage play like that, but it's still a cultural problem at it's core.
Also, mothertruckers, spam is a god damn trick your mind plays on you. It's an easy excuse for your mistakes. The beauty of this game (in melee engagements, at least) is that so much of whether you win or lose comes down to player control. Blaming your losses on spam is a rationalization from someone who doesn't think it's possible to get better than they are. Just like the trend (not as common now) of claiming every other decent player had autoblock.
Now, if there was a limit on blocking or some sort of stamina mechanic, well, you'd have a point. There isn't.