No, the individuals responsible for the changes ARE in fact imbeciles. I don't think I've ever met a single person with even moderate gaming experience who would think any of the treasure/faction changes are anything short of egregiously stupid. My five year old nephew who probably doesn't know what Dungeons and Dragons even IS (could be wrong about this, little guy's a lot more canny and aware than you'd expect) would write more intelligible, better balanced, and more enabling rules.
...but no longer as of today. Because the individuals responsible for the season 8 rule changes are imbeciles.
My FLGS, like many others, elected to drop AL entirely in favor of a loose-knit pair of "open D&D gaming nights" as a result of the Season 8 morass. There will doubtless be problems with character portability, but nothing insurmountable.I’m sure you’ll be sorely missed.