spoilers:end of spoilers
It does have strong Empirikul vibe to it. I'm giving it a pass because I loathed the Aaron run (except for the art), and I'm finding the tone of this mini-series to be quite entertaining. I don't mind the set up with new villains or the fact that other major magical villains have fled to Earth. Considering the outcome of the Last Annihilation and the currently unfolding Darkhold event, creating a major new foe is suitable for this story. Having the villainous magical 'warlords' flee to Earth just reinforces how these beings regard Doctor Strange, because I'm sure they're assuming that Strange will intentionally or inadvertently protect them as part of protecting the Earth dimension. Gathering heroes together and then knocking them down like bowling pins is standard Marvel fare for an event story, so that all just made me laugh. As for nerfing Strange, I think the whole point of this series is to show exactly how powerful and critical Sorcerer Supreme Strange actually is. Best way to do that is to knock him off his feet at the start of the story so that he can rise again. I'll be truly surprised if Strange is not fully restored by the end of this story, with everyone reminded of just how important he actually is to the MU.