I was surprised by it being number 1.
But, not surprised by it being in the top 10. It's only second level, so a lot of folks have access to it.
We play very different games but, I think Weapon Shield gets a lot of flack because it's not as bonkers useful as it was in 1.3.
It's really good against repeating encounters of weapon strike monsters, which isn't terribly uncommon. These fights in tend to be about putting the monsters down faster than letting them get their swings off. So, generally if they get to you they've only got a chance for a single move, usually the strike.
It's a really great combo with intercept.
It's super great behind very large shields, since the generally accepted counter is disarm the shield, pop damage into it.
As an earth caster, I think it's a good flex cast choice as well. Because situationally it super rules. So, it's probably worth a 5 pt healing hit gamble.