Returning player questions

Hello!

The last time I played Hearthstone was in early Boomsday Project. I have a decent amount of packs from that set. I also have a pretty decent collection from the rest of the sets since launch.

I haven’t played at all in Rastakhan’s Rumble; I have 0 packs from there.

I’m considering returning for the new year but if someone could kindly answer my questions, it would help me get back into the fold.

  1. What is the current state of the game in both ranked and arena? Is the meta fun or boring?
  2. Have I missed something interesting with Rastakhan’s Rumble? (Cool/uncool decks, broken cards/plays, etc.)
  3. Are there things I should absolutely do before next expansion comes out? (I understand crafting golden Baku and Genn are a must; anything else I should do?)
  4. Should I buy a couple of Rastakhan packs to prepare for next expansion, or is it not really worth it?
  5. Were there any important nerfs?
  6. Anything else I should know?

Feel free to point me to links that might answer some of my questions and thanks in advance for your help.