If you're working on a Masamune, then yes, until it's finished your SAM is subpar. Is that unreasonable given the break that you took? Not really. Most people who come back from long breaks that introduced new content are subpar geared until they've finished catching up to everyone else. I don't think anyone's going to call you out on it aside from Pchan. But that doesn't make you as a player subpar. At least you're making legitimate progress on it instead of whining like a little bitch about how hard Emps are like some people. That's something to be commended.