SCH or AST?

[Lagomorph]

You are better off going with SCH. AST will be a pain to level due to weak potencies, weak dps, and butchered buffs. If you want to actually participate in EX Trials or Savage Raids but do not want to be WHM then SCH is the only option at current. As AST is unwanted due to being a deficit.

This is an extreme exaggeration. Not once have I seen or heard of any group that declined entry to an ast solely on the grounds that they're playing ast. It's much more the case that players don't want to play ast, not that groups don't want an ast.