Concept: The solution to Channeling

Currently a problem related to Channeling skills is that there's one skill that, if Channeling were buffed as a whole, would gain much more of a buff than the rest of them. This skill, obviously is Cyclone.

The simple solution to this problem is to create two separate tags for stationary Channeling skills and moving Channeling skills. Once this tag is added, it creates a design space that allows both skills to benefit.

Stationary Channeling skills (which I will call Focus skills for the time being) need a whole lot more defensive bonuses to be properly viable in current Path of Exile. Infused Channeling, if it were turned into a Focus-specific gem, could have its defensive bonus buffed significantly, for instance. Such a buff could not happen now, obviously, as it would give Cyclone too much additional power.

Moving Channeling skills (which I will call Flow skills for the time being) are in short supply. Currently there is only Cyclone, a melee attack skill, and I think a separate design space for Flow skills opens up many possibilities for new skills.

Charged Dash also exists but is often forgotten. Poor Charged Dash.

Stationary channeling skills also have some advantages over Cyclone anyway. They don't have to just sit in the middle of everything taking damage to do damage for one thing. They can port away quickly when needed, often debuffing or damaging enemies as they go. Or they can keep everything at a distance with Frost Wall or Decoy, and deal damage from afar. They can make full use of Arctic Armour and Infusion (and even Frost Shield) together. And so on.

Stationary channel skills can kinda suck because they tend to be busy to use without getting steamrolled by mobs, and standing in place trying to facetank is usually not a great idea. But as much as people don't like using more than one or two buttons in their build, it's often a necessary and intended evil for most of those skills.

I don't see them ever giving anything significantly stronger for channel skills to just sit still with a one button path to success. They have all kinds of defensive and offensive tactics available to them.