If I recall correctly there wasn't much opposition to implementing, but it is a fair amount of work with regard to interaction with the various other feats/class abilities such as the example provided that must be considered. My personal opinion (which is all I can provide) is that we should be focusing efforts on the various things listed in the 2 year planning document Maecius posted a couple months back and things like this should be considered backlog to be worked when time allows if it is deemed a good change to implement.
In which case, we should endeavour to prove that it's a good change to implement, and also attend to the DEX/INT vs. STR comparison concern. We need to show that A) it's not going to backfire if implemented, B) that it's going to help the server, and C) that it's worth at least putting on the backlog due to A and B.
One last aside: I think the Master of Combat in its current iteration needs tweaking, because it might be a touch too powerful at present. A reduction in HD, or keeping it at only one good save, is a good start.
With that in mind, I will go forward.
WHY IT WILL HELP THE SERVER
Personally, when I sat down trying to create a DEX-based warrior type recently, I wound up stopping after regarding the choices available to me for some time. The routes available to me were A) sneak attack, B) sneak attack + HIPS, C) Swash/Insight with light weapons, probably TWF, or D) try to cheese into existence a Hinzerker. D remains subpar compared to normal fighters as always, especially with Northlander Hewing; A is a poor decision without Epic Precision, B can be solid... but C is the only one that actually works well and doesn't operate off sneak attack.
Given that, a few things became clear to me: first, that there was a distinct lack of solid DEX options for fighter types, and second that a lot of the new feats REALLY put strength in a good place.
Moreover, a lot of players still haven't experimented with the new custom server feats. Athkatlan Triparite, Backstab, the Shield Bash lineup, One Weapon, Sembian Fencing, Turmish Flourish... Some of these are very interesting, but don't get to see much use. There needs to be a way to encourage their use; as people see that new feats are being added, they will garner more interest, and potentially this will help maintain the population of the server at present.
Master of Combat, as designed, is very good at this. Sure, I see some flaws with it; but it would let players toy with trying out things like Backstab, Athkatlan Triparte, and Turmish Flourish while also pushing them to experiment with the Combat Focus line of feats. Full BAB with a dash of sneak attack makes this class tantalizing to rogue-types (see: Epic Precision builds), and the Combat Insight available at level 10 - meaning potentially pre-epic replacement of STR with INT for damage - would definitely get some people interested in trying out the class.
And then, of course, you'd have people who would be able to try out using finesse with weapons they never might have considered before. Finesse quarterstaves? Finesse spears? Finesse falchions, longswords, and katanas? I think it would be more popular than you might expect (especially among, say, the longsword/katana aficionados who practice with those weapons IRL). Don't we have several Kara Turan characters who use katanas? Surely someone among them would rather use DEX and INT than STR, to better match the idea of the graceful warrior. And wouldn't a Turmish glory-seeker using a dex-based falchion be really interesting? And Drow warriors could expand their last of options for dex-based combat as well.
WHY IT WON'T BACKFIRE
Let me put it this way: in the last few weeks, playing on three separate characters, leveling my thrower from 1-18, my paladin from 1-12, and my commoner from 1-3, I have seen plenty of strength-based builds. Paladins, fighters, barbarians, frenzied berserkers, weapon masters, battle clerics... There's been quite a few. I have also seen some DEX-based rogue types with TWF shanking guys in the flanks while those strength builds tank. I suppose I've seen a couple DEX monks as well - at least in that they use TWF.
I have seen absolutely zero DEX-based tanks, duelists, and invisible blades. I think I might know one dex-based melee bard; if so, she's a gnome. The vast majority of DEX builds are sneak attackers or ranged. Now, this might just be how the dice rolled, or the people I hang out with, but this suggests to me that DEX builds are not overrunning the server compared to Strength builds.
The reason is simple: you don't have DEX-to-damage. So, don't add DEX-to-damage! That will save a lot of headache. Because DEX requires INT or STR to be functional, you'll always have trouble keeping up with a pure STR character in terms of damage output, and D&D is often a game of rocket tag, so more damage = king.
Also consider that at present you CAN still get Combat Insight in the game. You CAN still two-hand finesse weapons with 2.5xINT to damage if you play a small character - such as strongheart halflings wielding short swords and handaxes in two hands - yet they aren't dominating the meta. Why is that?
The build I made at the start needed to use the Tiefling race to get anywhere at all - and TWF. Due to the nature of the class, needing base STR 13 (Power Attack), WIS 13 (Combat Focus), INT 13 (Combat Expertise), and Weapon Finesse means you have to work to get this. Swash finesse reads...
At 3rd level, a swashbuckler becomes able to place her finesse attacks where they deal greater damage. She applies her Intelligence bonus to damage rolls (in addition to any Strength bonus she may have) with any light weapon, as well as any other weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse, such as a rapier.
Depending on how it's coded, that means it's either limited to a certain list of weapons, or it affects any weapon you can finesse. For this scenario, I will assume that a two-handed weapon will qualify for weapon finesse.
With that said, let's compare 2.5xINT vs. STR, worst case scenario.
DEX/INT
Tiefling Swashbuckler 5, Fig 8, Master of Combat 10, WM 7 - 2.5xINT to damage, two-hands a scythe with a 16-20 x5 crit. Yikes. Starting stats are 13/18/10/18/13/6. Solid stuff.
Every stat increase will go into DEX. This character's got 18 INT and 28 DEX at level 30 if they spend 3 feats on Epic Dexterity, or 22 INT and 32 DEX with items. That's a +11 bonus to attack, and with 2.5x INT to damage, you're dealing +15 damage per attack with your two-handed weapon. They have the option of power attacking with it, using Combat Expertise, or other abilities - Power Attack could add +6 damage, and sneak attack could add +3d6. That's a fairly
okay wallop. The various tricks from within the Master of Combat class have to be used to make up for their somewhat low baseline damage.
STR
NOTE: The following is NOT designed by a powerbuilder. Someone better at building could probably make a more extreme character.
This character just needs one stat, so let's pick Earth Genasi as that's also an ECL +1 race. This character will go for Steadfast Determination, dumping both WIS and CHA.
Earth Genasi Fig 10, Barb 3, WM 7, Frenzied Berserker 10 - a full on SMASH setup that can still wear good armor, and because Barbarian Rage no longer reduces AC or produces fatigue this character is in a good place. Frenzy does not stack with enhancement bonuses to STR, but Rage does, so this character will NOT be using Frenzy generally. Stats are 20/13/16/13/6/6 at level 1.
This character can squeeze in Steadfast Determination, Weapon Spec, Epic Weapon Focus, and Northlander Hewing into their build, difficult though it may be. They also have improved power attack, which when wielding their scythe adds +24 damage from that alone (at the cost of 6 attack). They get less attacks and -2 AC/AB from Northlander Hewing, but that increases their damage from STR to x2.5.
This character, through the use of a single Great Strength feat, can easily get 28 STR by level 30. 28 STR increases to 32 with items, and 36 during rage (this characters gets extra/extend rage for free from an amulet). Their Strength bonus during rage gives them a +13 attack bonus and +19 damage. They also have a 16-20 x5 crit scythe (Imp. Crit and Weapon Master stuff).
With Northlander Hewing and Imp. Power Attack up, this character deals 2.5xSTR mod (32) + 24 = +56 damage before any other modifiers or any dice rolls. Even wielding a non-magical scythe, since their damage is maxed they deal +8 more damage on every strike at least for a total of +64 before magical properties or feats like Weapon Spec.
It's possible these numbers can go even higher if this character has a paladin buddy. If a paladin can Brew Potion or Scribe Scroll the spells from their spell list, it's entirely possible that another +4 STR could be added. That would mean +15 attack from strength alone during rage and +22 damage, putting their damage with Northlander Hewing and Imp. Power Attack at +61, or +69 if you factor in a non-magical scythe.
INT/DEX builds will NOT overpower Strength builds in terms of raw damage, so that concern can be dismissed. Again, I am not a powerbuilder. I am certain the difference could be starker.
IN CONCLUSION
There is very little risk posed by the addition of finesse 1-handed and 2-handed weaponry in the game. Indeed, there is reason to believe that while expanding finesse options would take additional time and effort, it could lend to the longevity of the server. If supplemented by more feat options (Agile Maneuvers to apply DEX instead of STR to Knockdown/Disarm/Pommel Strike, for instance), the expanded martial toolset could open new concepts to the playerbase and allow for more inventive playstyles. Furthermore, the Master of Combat would allow players to experiment with the new feats the BGTSCC team has been working diligently to produce.
I do not think the creation of this class should be a priority by any means. However, I believe it would be a good idea to have on the backburner, something to implement when the current list of to-dos is finished.
I'll repeat the observation I made before, is that the build as you have it doesn't REALLY facilitate BASH-BASH-BASH. It has a Power Attack requirement, sure, but look at the actual feats in the progression: SA dice and WIS-based stuff. If my "DEX for Feint" feat became a thing (and I know for certain there's very much interest in that) then the SA would favor DEXers.
So as I suggested before: Either drop the PA requirement or replace the Bonus Feats with BASH-based stuff directly in the progression.
It may not facilitate bash-bash-bash, but it establishes that the character has familiarity with wielding their weapons with overwhelming force. This is the Master of Combat: someone that has experimented with a variety of different fighting styles and discovers more as they progressive. They know how to fight defensively, how to fight with extreme aggression, and how and when to act on instinct.
The more I think of the name "Master of Combat," the more fitting I believe Power Attack is. How can you be a master of combat with 8 strength? Swordsmanship requires both strength and agility, as represented by the requirements of Power Attack and Weapon Finesse, and the other two requirements (Combat Expertise / Combat Focus) help show how this warrior has gone above and beyond to obtain mastery of weaponry.