I must say I love the 30% AOE damage reduction the AP tree gives me. I think I haven't been hit above 3.7k by smash since 1.4

Also, while I agree smash can do extreme damage in certain conditions to players with crappy gear, it is also an attack that is fairly easily evaded. It is predictable so you know when to use your defensive abilities to negate it. It also misses a fair amount of times if you are not caught in a charge -> smash -> push -> charge -> choke -> smash sequence (which is usually your own fault for allowing to happen, though sometimes cannot be prevented)