So the new vfx aren't a total disappointment. Except for Ice Armor, which I reported as not showing up on large sized toons during the test phase. Its still broken. All you get is a little white ice-mist effect, but no visual plates/ spikes anything. Edit: It shows up about half the time after extensive testing (15m)
Same issue with Winter Ward, you get the sparkles and not the "whirling winds". All in all, after playing around for a few hours, the effects are still quite bland compared to fire. And Shatter Restraints is exactly the same as Cold Snap (nothing but a rage pose and swirls).