You're jumping in at the right time. The XL update changed his play a bit, and it has taken practice to unlearn some of his old crutches.
The change has been for the better, I think, at least for Gunslinger. He now has a solid poke, and the tick throws he lost could be blown up by decent players anyway. I still find myself throwing a command grab I know won't connect, but it is getting better.
My biggest problem now is I've been playing with Leatherface-Killer, another stance character but with an entirely different style. I find it hard to switch back and forth between characters, but both are crazy fun. Enjoy!