I think this year has quite a few interesting problems that need to be discussed, identified, and solved. But to say this year has nothing that stands out is nuts - Pier is absolutely one of the best houses the event has EVER seen and easily towers above Seeds and Scarecrow, both of which I felt were hyped quite a bit beyond their actual worth by the fan community. The scare zones were also excellent, but not to the incredible extent of Pier.
Pier was an incredibly themed house with some absolutely stunning set design, but was severely lacking in the scares department. I would put Wicked Growth well above Pier in the overall category because it had a lot of innovation (bridge) and some excellent scares.
Pier is another Carnival Graveyard IMHO.