Call me crazy, but I'm enjoying the plants.
I've only played 3 games so far since I got off work, one as Kha'Zix, and two as Rengar, two victories and one loss. From what I can tell, they're actually pretty neat.
The Blast Cone has been all around helpful, and it saved my ass on one occasion, spiriting me over a wall where I otherwise would have died. In another game, one of my teammates did the same, escaping a Jayce and TF in our jungle, and it turned the skirmish around for us, giving us time to collapse on the invaders and kill them.
The Scryer's Bloom has been wonderful for scouting the river and revealing wards so I can avoid them or destroy them. Using the one in the enemy's jungle (I was blue side, and I used the one by the Baron pit) lit up 4 enemies, and I promptly remembered I had business elsewhere.. If I turned that corner, I would have been dead.
The only one I haven't touched at all is the Honeyfruit. It would be useful during my first clear, but it spawns much later so I don't use it, and after my first back, jungle sustain isn't a problem anymore and I'm mostly clearing, ganking/warding, and backing in that order. No need for the health it provides. It might be helping laners some perhaps, but it hasn't been that impactful for me.
I'm not missing the Smite buffs because, well, I've only played the Assassins so far. New Duskblade is the old Raptor buff, so I don't miss that one. The only one I actually noticed missing, and missed, was the one for smiting the Murk Wolves.
So far, it's going well. Maybe I'll hate them in a few more games, but for now, I'm enjoying it.
when I jungle and those changes were honestly a huge setback for me.