the design crime with Nadu was the fear of shipping a bad card after nerfing the card.
That's an excellent point. Because, put that way, what's so bad about shipping a bad card? People will read it once and never look at it again. Like most cards in a set. So what? On the other hand, making it too strong has grave consequences.
I think the feature creep is caused mostly by greed on both sides; company and players. Company wants to make more money, so needs incentive for players to keep buying. Players want ever stronger cards, and company delivers. Like you can't make the new set weaker than the previous, because of sales.
I mean, both could be brainwashed. Or neither. It's funny, but rationally pretty moot.
Just because many people say the same thing does not mean it's false. And just because you're the only who disagrees does not mean you're right.
Or maybe it's rather a matter of taste and opinion.
Though I don't see many communist paradises where people try to migrate in masses. While many non-communist countries exist which have such a pull. Ah, silly me, that's probably due to all the propaganda only.