The subscription does not go on sale. It’s the same 15 shekels a month it always has been.
Races are entirely cosmetic. Classes are balanced enough that the content can be cleared using any combination of appropriate roles, although some obviously stand above others. Certain DPS classes are balanced around their raid impact (dancer, ninja), so their personal numbers are less impressive.
Controller use is 100% viable and designed for. The game is playable on consoles, so they made controller usability a priority. Macros can be used with a controller, but I personally never saw a need for them. You’ll want a keyboard of some sort to type the macro script, and after that it gives you a button to map like any of your skill buttons.
Definitely not on copyright grounds, since almost all state flags (except Georgia, Mississippi, and soon to be Utah) are old enough to have entered the public domain.