i wonder how much of this is because blizz keeps nerfing deathbringer and sanlayn forcing everyone into riders which is beyond sad to play.
if you play sanlayn or deathbringer, mechanically they are amazing but the damage payoff isn’t there, this is because balancewise they are double nerfed, first to force every DK into riders, and then DKs are balanced around being mid tier so hunter mains don’t cry at night.
if the game was designed properly, riders would be bottom dps because it has no setup or skill to use, just press abomb and you are done. DB and sanlayn both have setup requirements and their payoff needs buffing, both to justify the setup, but also to entice people to actually get better rather than play 1 button riders.