Familiars don't make or break the conjie char. Sure, some are less useful, but all are alright. Even genies, who can recall your butt for example.
My beef is with the toning down of the devils and demons, where it's more likely you'll die to your pets than to a random enemy. Specifically, flee/word with a devil in tow is a death sentence.
My secondary beef is with mobs dirting archons bringing them into the fight and preventing further healing. That IMHO makes goodie explorer conjie unviable.
PS: Angel conjie is still sick as hell, just that not many bothered to make a concerted effort at it. They're far more scary than Drissa, for example. She can only kill you if you stay in the fight for a while.