Why blizzard changed RoF

I'd be willing to bet it's because of DF->RoF. Two insta cast spells that essentially poly a target for longer than a regular poly can. Yeah it takes two longish cooldowns, but it's usable on the run. With Cold Snap so you can not only lay down the amazing insta cast CC but the amazing insta cast hurt right after, this was a deadly combo.

I'm not sure a cast time was really the best way to go about removing this functionality. Maybe some messing around with DR's (add DF+RoF, remove poly) would be better instead; or maybe that would be too OP somehow?
Deleted by Melange
FoF's and freezes are a dime a dozen unless you are squandering them; getting that DF up isn't an issue. Once the DF is up, you have a GCD to click RoF and lay it properly over the DF; not hard. Unless the CC'ed does something meaningful, they will be hit with an AoE poly right as DF ends.

Whatever awesome things blizzard thought we would find/do with RoF, I don't think it turning into a reliable, strategy defining CC ability was ever one of those. RoF's intended purpose was to prevent people from going to/from a certain area, not an insta cast 3 minute polymorph.

FoF's and freezes are a dime a dozen unless you are squandering them; getting that DF up isn't an issue. Once the DF is up, you have a GCD to click RoF and lay it properly over the DF; not hard. Unless the CC'ed does something meaningful, they will be hit with an AoE poly right as DF ends.

Whatever awesome things blizzard thought we would find/do with RoF, I don't think it turning into a reliable, strategy defining CC ability was ever one of those. RoF's intended purpose was to prevent people from going to/from a certain area, not an insta cast 3 minute polymorph.

Unfortunately, as it always is. Human ingenuity has prevailed again and people have found ways to use something that it wasn't intended for.
Personally, I just wish RoF had a snare component but that's just me.