Astrologian Cards Can't Be a Coin Flip: A petition

[Rowde]

Want to know my favourite thing about the new AST cards?

Watch the Job Actions Trailer again: https://youtu.be/jaGxC7wnBDo?t=208

*Draws Arrow* "The Bole" (Provides the Spire seal)
*Draws Bole* "The Spear" (Provides the Balance seal)
*Draws Spear* "The Arrow" (Provides the Ewer seal)

I think that could be an indication of just how much attention SE made to AST cards for 5.0...

The names are definitely jank in that... but the seals going up are a separate mechanic from the card effects. The seals are Lunar (not Spire), Solar (not Balance) and Celestial (not Ewer). The seals that went up in the vid were the ones that are supposed to be associated with the card image that was drawn each time though.

https://youtu.be/yAS-pGutt4o

[kidalutz]

Yeap, as an Ast main this looks really bad. I enjoy toying around with my cards, it was a fun way to add to group dps, rather than just spamming our 3 dps moves. And I really liked having bole for squishy tanks, ewers for healers and mages that die, etc. If its all gone now, that really sucks.

If I had to guess they did it so things werent as much of a crapshoot I mean I cant be the only AST that's needed a specific card only to have something utterly useless pull up not once but twice on a sleeve draw then dump the cards and redo it only to get another set of useless cards for the situation. More damage will be needed always. Will I miss the old effects absolutely especially when I was in Noct and people kept eating so much damage my sheild spells were making my MP look like my bank account every first of the month. and an ewer would pop up so i could regen mp even quicker with that and lucid dreaming popped. But will I survive yeah absolutely.

[PyurBlue]

If I had to guess they did it so things werent as much of a crapshoot I mean I cant be the only AST that's needed a specific card only to have something utterly useless pull up not once but twice on a sleeve draw then dump the cards and redo it only to get another set of useless cards for the situation. More damage will be needed always. Will I miss the old effects absolutely especially when I was in Noct and people kept eating so much damage my sheild spells were making my MP look like my bank account every first of the month. and an ewer would pop up so i could regen mp even quicker with that and lucid dreaming popped. But will I survive yeah absolutely.

This is sort of how I feel too. Replacing the random nature of cards with a structured build up is infinitely better. The only problem I have is that the new system might be a little too shallow. Great concept, not sure on the execution.

[Callinon]

Honestly this was probably a necessary change. AST had, legitimately, too much utility. It was overpowered. This change brings it more in line with the other two healers without taking away EVERYTHING that made it cool.

Yeah I'll miss playing neat little tricks with Ewer or giving a MNK an enhanced Spear for super chakra fighting action. But you know what I won't miss? I won't miss going an entire fight drawing nothing but Spires. I won't miss sitting there fishing for a dps card, ANY dps card. I won't miss using sleeve draw and picking up the three most useless things I could possibly imagine (who WOULDN'T Spread a Ewer after all, right?).

There are a couple different sides to look at here.

[ForteNightshade]

[QUOTE=Callinon;4999395]Honestly this was probably a necessary change. AST had, legitimately, too much utility. It was overpowered. This change brings it more in line with the other two healers without taking away EVERYTHING that made it cool./QUOTE]

They could achieve this by nerfing the cards without making them brain dead simple. Alternatively, they could have given WHM raid utility instead of insisting on even more healing.

[Selova]

Honestly this was probably a necessary change. AST had, legitimately, too much utility. It was overpowered. This change brings it more in line with the other two healers without taking away EVERYTHING that made it cool.

Yeah I'll miss playing neat little tricks with Ewer or giving a MNK an enhanced Spear for super chakra fighting action. But you know what I won't miss? I won't miss going an entire fight drawing nothing but Spires. I won't miss sitting there fishing for a dps card, ANY dps card. I won't miss using sleeve draw and picking up the three most useless things I could possibly imagine (who WOULDN'T Spread a Ewer after all, right?).

There are a couple different sides to look at here.

Honestly, the cards are in no way a nerf. If anything Astro gained utility. Being able to buff your groups damage every single time you draw a card is a pretty massive gain over drawing cards and dumping them because you had no use for them. I think people are focusing too much on the fact that they all do the same thing instead of realizing how much more utility AST now brings. Their synergy with dancer is going to be absolutely bonkers.

[xbahax92]

I really liked planning my next step, wether Im going draw/redraw, keep or go royal road/minor arcana.
I agree, fishing balance, spear or even arrow is a bit annoying - but with all those different "paths" you chould chose... thats the fun part about AST.
Wether I go spread it, or fully enhance its effectivity. Do I turn it into Lady or Lord of Crowns instead?

Now its just pull any card and use your seals to gain some more % dps.

[Kalise]

If I had to guess they did it so things werent as much of a crapshoot I mean I cant be the only AST that's needed a specific card only to have something utterly useless pull up not once but twice on a sleeve draw then dump the cards and redo it only to get another set of useless cards for the situation. More damage will be needed always. Will I miss the old effects absolutely especially when I was in Noct and people kept eating so much damage my sheild spells were making my MP look like my bank account every first of the month. and an ewer would pop up so i could regen mp even quicker with that and lucid dreaming popped. But will I survive yeah absolutely.

Yeah... Though, they could have alleviated that in a way that didn't just turn all cards into the same thing...

For example, they could have simply given us 3 card slots and 3 draws that grab one of a pair.

Such as:

Utility pair - Ewer and Bole for MP regen/mitigation
Damage pair - Balance and Spear for Damage/Crit
Speed pair - Arrow and Spire for SkS/SpS

With the Minor Arcana pair: Lord and Lady for a damage spell that heals nearby allies and a heal skill that damages nearby enemies.

They could have made it so that Draw got a reduced CD if we had to Undraw/Undraw Spread so we could more easily fish for specific cards.

I dunno... It just feels kind of lame that they all just... Give the same thing which is basically just Balance. Even more so if you think back to the Job Quests where you open all the gates and learn about them all...

[Xelanar]

Honestly this was probably a necessary change. AST had, legitimately, too much utility. It was overpowered. This change brings it more in line with the other two healers without taking away EVERYTHING that made it cool.

[...]

There are a couple different sides to look at here.

I agree how cards could be overpowered in one run, and then be completely underwhelming in another. I am wondering though - WHAT exactly does astrologian have left that makes it feel cool? For me those cards and time-related aspects were all that made it nice and stand out from the other two healers. Both will be removed in 5.0, and since buffing damage is nothing of interest(for me?) since those buffs are already be taken into consideration by damage formulas and such... what is actually left from astrologian's unique identity?

[LaylaTsarra]

Sounds to me Astro's aren't happy because they were top of the list and don't like the nerf to balance them. I'm personally pretty happy with the WHM changes but need to play it first to see.