Welfares are just good thing, there will be more players in arena. If you can't obtain even slightly competitive gear through honor/emblems/whatever, you can't expect to see new players (or alts) to step into arena. I'm still sitting with my full deadlys, furious offpieces, and slightly outgearing them. What are you afraid of, your lack of skill or something?
In the other hand, VoA pisses me off. Stupides thing ever. Why can't it just drop some honor, maybe some arenapoints and random marks? That'd be it. But free t8 and top pvp-set? That's just stupid. Line goes somewhere, but "welfare" epics aren't the line.