What does everyone think about those AST buffs?

[Lastelli]

Congrats to being a true healer now instead of making the other whm or sch carry your weight. Truly that is good for your healing. But your cards are still garbage for potency. They could last for a min a piece and still be garbage. It's like having a longer butter knife to cut a steak, it's not solving the issue of getting the job done.

Well, a little too harsh, but you're right. Unfortunately if AST cards system remains as it is, WHM/SCH will always be a better option mainly because of DPS. Devs can either:
1) Tweak AST dps skills so that they can be halfway between SCH and WHM dps in practical use; or
2) Give AST more control over their cards, since with bad luck you can REALLY wipe to enrage because you didn't draw a balance when you needed it.
I'd like them to go with the second option. Fix shuffle so that it can't give the same card, make it so that you won't draw the same card in your spread and the same card you've just burned for Royal Road. This way there will still be a lot of rng, but you can effectively control it to some extent. Then analyze the data and, if needed, further increase cards buffs (like adjust balance/arrow to 15% increased damage/speed). This would justify AST weak dps capabilities and cards rng. Right now they're still too unreliable and even with perfect luck (meaning keep drawing spire-balance for expanded damage up) a SCH dps will still be higher than the increase in raid dps thanks to balances.

That's good to hear. Did you push A3 with the comp at all?

I believe AST will be very useful in A3S (assuming you have very good dps), I mean CU is just perfect to counter cascade and such a small arena allows you to safely cast expanded buffs without having to worry too much if they'll get to all your party members. Also synastry should work like a charm for double hand phase. I can see SCH/AST being the best combo there, though I can be wrong since I have no direct experience in that fight. Sorry for intruding into your conversation :P