I think Inventions was what changed the game significantly, not incarnates. That and AT nukes being crashless lead to more blasters taking their nukes and using them. Perma Dom, Max Recharge, Capped Resistance, Capped Defense meant that teams were steam rolling long before incarnates came about.
EDIT: The old style (IMO) was waiting for someone to "herd" or "take the alpha strike" / "tank" and then the rest of the team went to work.