I'm shocked to say this, but I actually really like the support changes

Albeit, this heavily supports mage supports like Xerath and Annie. (I'm having a blast with Xerath) I'd say the support changes are a moderate success, because for the first time, I'm having quite a bit of fun in the bot lane...

UNTIL SOMEONE BRINGS PYKE, SENNA, OR APHELIOS. (I always ban Pyke because screw Pyke)

As for the design philosphy, the items themselves don't require a gold investment aside from the initial buy. They upgrade over time. How fast they upgrade is up to how you play. I generally get my support item to max level very fast because I'm Xerath, and constantly poking from across the map.

My only wish is for the mage items to get some mana regen, since I am really noticing its absence, even with Xerath's passive involved.

Conclusion: Support is much better than last season. But there's going to be a large influx of Mage Supports because of these new items.