Should I stop playing AST because I suck at cards?

I know the title does sound funny but I as of earlier this week, I fell in love with AST healing again. Even though I am not a fan of some of the changes, it just feels like I am "doing something" as a healer but not just heals.

Then there is the "but" part; for the life of me, I suck at recalling what cards for what class type. Which is weird because I had no issues back in SB when I decided to try it out. So most of the time, I just KNOW the buff I give to the party members most likely isn't the "right one" and only a 3% gain. The rest of the system, I am very comfortable and good at keeping the party/raid alive. But if I am not using ALL the skill optimally, then I might as well play SGE then? Or am I just looking at it wrong?

if youre familiar with the stormblood card system, this could help remember it
the "damage" cards (arrow, spear, balance) go to melee/tanks
the "support" cards (bole, ewer, spire) go to ranged/healers

theres also a little border around the arcana gauge, blue for melee and purple for ranged

You know, I feel dumb for not noticing that closer. Thank you! That should help a bit. But the color part, not so much though. For me, purple and blue in the game look too close to the same color. Hate when devs don't think about people that have slight color blindness. But the other symbols should do the trick. I can tell those. :D

Of course, it maybe me and just not as fast in seeing the card drawn, knowing the group and what class type then smashing the 2 together in time like I used to be.

But I will be giving it another go with the this new knowledge and hopefully can be better with my AST! Thanks again!

it also helps that melee are before ranged in the party list, so you dont have to see much of it when in a standard 2 melee 2 ranged comp theres gonna be melees in the 5-6 slot and ranged in the 7-8 slot

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Originally Posted by QooEr

if youre familiar with the stormblood card system, this could help remember it
the "damage" cards (arrow, spear, balance) go to melee/tanks
the "support" cards (bole, ewer, spire) go to ranged/healers

theres also a little border around the arcana gauge, blue for melee and purple for ranged

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That's the nicer way of putting it. I always thought of them as the "crap" cards and the "damage cards". Ranged gets crap, melee gets the good ones. ;)

If you can notice the difference in colour in the border, then great because that's all you technically need. But if you have that slight colour blindness, or it takes a moment to click in your mind, then there's the mantra of "practice makes perfect" and just memorising which card goes where. It's not going to be the end of the world if you give the wrong card to the wrong person because it's still a boost. But with enough repetition, things become second nature.

An alternative suggestion whilst you're getting the hang of it, you could do something like a macro, such as:

/micon "Draw"
/ac "Draw"
/echo Melee: Balance, Spear, Arrow
/echo Ranged: Bole, Spire, Ewer

So you've got it for reference if you forget. And then swap it back for Draw when you're no longer looking at it. "Echo" will only print something to your log, so nobody else will see it.

Basically, whatever ends up working for you.

Have proper hot keys set up.

And eventually muscle memory will remember for you ^^

I remember in Shadowbringers when I picked up AST, for some reason it stuck in my head that the Spire was a melee card. I think I went about 2-3 months throwing Spires at melee and complaining about triple melee card openers until our BLM finally pointed out I was making them sad by giving their cards away.

Still hit an orange log in Savage doing that. So don't let a few card mistakes worry you, it'll become muscle memory and it's not the end of the world if you miss one or two.

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Originally Posted by VisitingTraveler

I know the title does sound funny but I as of earlier this week, I fell in love with AST healing again. Even though I am not a fan of some of the changes, it just feels like I am "doing something" as a healer but not just heals.

The 6 cards even if people only wanted dumb balance had nice use imo cept spire when to was gone. you had 3 ways to use em. You either double the potency of them. increase the duration of them or weaken potency to make them aoe, god 5% balance or crit was so nice. Ast power was not dps then but making sure your 7 other members is dishing out all the dps. You almost had no time to malefic only keep up combust 1 and 2 as ast fic use to be 2.5 cast.
Then there is the "but" part; for the life of me, I suck at recalling what cards for what class type. Which is weird because I had no issues back in SB when I decided to try it out. So most of the time, I just KNOW the buff I give to the party members most likely isn't the "right one" and only a 3% gain. The rest of the system, I am very comfortable and good at keeping the party/raid alive. But if I am not using ALL the skill optimally, then I might as well play SGE then? Or am I just looking at it wrong?

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I would not say it cause you suck its just the cards since shadow bringers and ew does suck and ultra boring with 3% yawn buff, it makes sense you had lesser issue in stormblood because all cards did something different and encouraged remembering each with many different situations. I will not touch ast with a 10 foot pole until its back to what it was with versatility and stances. why bother do extra work for mere 3% card buffs pssh. nothing more than a more cheaper mobile okish better barely buffer whm.

Stormblood ast was god send the 6 cards did something different and you had 3 choices increase card duration, increase its potency or make it an aoe along with using combust 1 and 2, you ever rarely have time to throw a malefic since it use to be 2.5 cast. Gour oiwer was to make sure your team is doing as much damage as possible while keeping up your hots dots or migi base on stances and co healer. now here we are nothing now but boring cheaper 1 dps whm. Hence I will not touch ast until sb one back wont happen.

Dear SE will you rewritte ast story to not confuse the poor sprouts asking about old cards stances and skills that we no longer have access too?

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Originally Posted by VisitingTraveler

I know the title does sound funny but I as of earlier this week, I fell in love with AST healing again. Even though I am not a fan of some of the changes, it just feels like I am "doing something" as a healer but not just heals.

Then there is the "but" part; for the life of me, I suck at recalling what cards for what class type. Which is weird because I had no issues back in SB when I decided to try it out. So most of the time, I just KNOW the buff I give to the party members most likely isn't the "right one" and only a 3% gain. The rest of the system, I am very comfortable and good at keeping the party/raid alive. But if I am not using ALL the skill optimally, then I might as well play SGE then? Or am I just looking at it wrong?

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Just read your tooltips.
It's already easy mode compared to before.

It's in two groups of cards, the good buffs give 6% to the good type of jobs, the others 3%.

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Originally Posted by Naoki34

Just read your tooltips.
It's already easy mode compared to before.

It's in two groups of cards, the good buffs give 6% to the good type of jobs, the others 3%.

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ye e.e ultra boring compared to stormblood caed mechs that was fun and super tactical.

Don't quit. You can do it. Even if you hand out the wrong card or miss a card...it's not the end of the world.

Melee and ranged cards also have a different symbols around them. So you don't need to rely exclusively on color.

Nah dude don’t worry about it if you can’t remember just play them on a dps.
What matters more than these optimizations is what job you like more.
I suck at ast and honestly I don’t even look at the cards half the time, just play them on whoever is doing the most damage, or whichever dps seems to play more competently

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Originally Posted by DanielNegreanu_Adamantoise

Nah dude don’t worry about it if you can’t remember just play them on a dps.
What matters more than these optimizations is what job you like more.
I suck at ast and honestly I don’t even look at the cards half the time, just play them on whoever is doing the most damage, or whichever dps seems to play more competently

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I do not think its you or op fault really I mean come on the 6 cards do the same boring 6% or 3% if played on the wrong job but its still damage. They may as well just get rid if ast cards lol. I say this 1 million times StormBlood ast is best ast forever!!!

Ast become so dull and boring and is nothing but a slight better cheaper whm clone with crummy boring card buffs. I hate to bash my use to be fav job but its the truth.

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Originally Posted by IceBlueNinja

I do not think its you or op fault really I mean come on the 6 cards do the same boring 6% or 3% if played on the wrong job but its still damage. They may as well just get rid if ast cards lol. I say this 1 million times StormBlood ast is best ast forever!!!

Ast become so dull and boring and is nothing but a slight better cheaper whm clone with crummy boring card buffs. I hate to bash my use to be fav job but its the truth.

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I feel you on this. I love AST still. But yes, at times, cannot help but think about how great the card system was. I have been playing my SGE as well. Honestly, I love them both. But I want to stick to one to really be good at one healer as I get distracted too much into choices. lol