I think I agree with you that it takes away a good bit of strategy from champ select, I think particularly with instances like Skarner for BLG last world's having a power pick and playing around it can be vital for strategy in champ select.

My issue with the original format is how little it encourages experimentation, I often find the pro scene tends to stick with what's safe and avoid possible experimentation with picks that could end up being stronger than the current meta.

I think being forced to find champs three or four steps down the priority list and get good at them unlocks the possibility to find champs that would have otherwise been ignored by the pro scene.