Some stuff is so good that you cannot win unless you also use it. The gengems for example. Most give a constant boost to gems after only 15 turns. Create enough of them, and you could not lose, so the endgame became, who can create the most gemgens the quickest.
(With some variation of skill, but it is hard to beat an opponent who gets 100 more gems than you get each turn).
The same with hammers, and SDR's. They are so good, that there is no point in not using them. Games become very dull if each game is, rush construction. Forge Turtle Win.
It creates the runaway leader problem. (Which strat games tend to have). As long as you lead in gems, gold, etc. You can create more gems/gold quicker just because you are in the lead. Removal of gemgens and hammers makes this less so. (Not so convinced about the SDR).
Jade knives where just broken.
. A blood sac spam with jade knives isn't counterable.
Compare this to research boosters. Good, useful, but not so overpowered that you need them asap.
And you cannot always boost everything to the point of usefulness, some stuff is just overpowered. Or, something that is used always. If you use a hammer for all your forgings, you could just as well remove the hammer, and reduce all the forging costs.
Perhaps SDR removal is going to far. I don't know. Perhaps they should have been made more expensive. (b2, 15 slaves... So they take about 10 turns to get your investment back). My opinion about it is waving back and forth.
Sometimes certain concepts just don't work out in a game. Sucks, but it takes a big designer to take something out. And it is difficult decision. Gemgens, Jade Knives I agree. Hammers I tend to agree. (If you didn't have e2 + foot slot as a mage, you would always put it on your pretender). And SDR's I'm not totally convinced.
Ps: I love how the removal of the SDR changes everything Dom3 is about. You are overreacting a bit. Dom is still choose a nation, and win. But blood is not something every nation can do just as easy. Just as not every nation has Jaguars or high astral, or heavily armored shock troops who shoot explosive ammo, have a fanatical devotion to a dead superhuman on a toilet, and cybernetic implants.