Shulk has too many positive options to make him hate-able to use, but obviously most Shulk players I've seen just love to use his counter and not the Monado Arts all that much which is quite disappointing.
Shulk brought quite a new playstyle that the franchise has never seen before. Just before you say he's just another swordsman on the likes of Link and Marth, he definitely got plenty of new tricks in his sleeves, especially when he's used by a pro. Even if you don't use one of his Monado Arts, he can be a pretty good character to use even in the competitive scene despite being among the slower characters in the game.