Why people says AST is bad?

[chumsy]

AST are bad because:
Cant heal as good as WHM/SCH
buffs too weak/situational/short
Have MP issues
AST/AST combo seems not viable because Card buffs don't stack
lack of emergency heal skills

In before everyone realizes when Alexander raid (hard mode) comes out

[Krixus]

AST are bad because:
Cant heal as good as WHM/SCH
buffs too weak/situational/short
Have MP issues
AST/AST combo seems not viable because Card buffs don't stack
lack of emergency heal skills

In before everyone realizes when Alexander raid (hard mode) comes out

AST are good because:
Heal almost on par with WHM/SCH
Buffs that no other healer has access to, can push through dps checks holding a strong card + buff
No mp issues because can shorten lumin. (refresh), and use ewer on yourself if needed.
AST/AST combo is even viable, because while you cannot stack buffs, you can have both astro's use a buffed single target card on their strongest dps.
Has a 40 second emergency heal that has higher potency than lustrate when used on a target with low hp, then follow with an instant aspected benefic.

[TheWaywardWind]

AST are good because:
Heal almost on par with WHM/SCH
Buffs that no other healer has access to, can push through dps checks holding a strong card + buff
No mp issues because can shorten lumin. (refresh), and use ewer on yourself if needed.
AST/AST combo is even viable, because while you cannot stack buffs, you can have both astro's use a buffed single target card on their strongest dps.
Has a 40 second emergency heal that has higher potency than lustrate when used on a target with low hp, then follow with an instant aspected benefic.

1. No, no no no. White Mage has Divine Seal, Scholar has a fairy and Indomitability to increase their potency. Astro has absolutely nothing.

2. "Buffs no other healer has access to." Well, this is wrong, because Scholar's can bring a haste buff, but besides that, Scholar brings plenty to the table that Astrologian doesn't. I'll take Selene's haste buff over an Astro struggling to find the right cards for one any day of the week.

3. So your goal to fixing the MP issues is to...waste the cards on yourself? I thought the whole point of Astro was that you were supposed to be buffing OTHER people? When you use the cards on yourself, you're wasting very valuable potential in damage increase buffs because you need to aid your gimped class with buffs meant for OTHERS. For ever Ewer you waste on yourself trying to get your MP up, an Arrow or Balance could be used elsewhere to improve damage. It all tumbles down so quickly that it isn't worth it.

4. AST/AST is not viable in the slightest, LOL. WHM does Diurnal better, SCH does Nocturnal better. There is literally no reason to bring two ASTs to the table EVER.

5. Woooow, awesome! Hey, you know who else gets an emergency button? Scholar AND White Mage. And guess which one is better, Scholar's emergency button they can use three times in one minute (six if we include dissipation) + White Mage's two emergency buttons (one heals everything instantly! and the other is amazingly strong) or ASTs crappy Essential Dignity that you actually have to wait UNTIL the tank is near dead to be used effectively?

Yeah, nah. AST falls short of the mark. You are not going to see any top tier raid team with an AST. Sorry.