For AST changes, just potency buff malefic and combust...

[Verlyn]

Since we cannot expect a proper, design-oriented rework of this kit for some time, these are the band-aids I would do:

-Malefic potency buff
-Slight MP cost reductions for Nocturnal Aspect skills.
-Card Damage % and Divinity Damage % are no longer variant. Draw and Play are now level 1.
-Earthly Star is now a level 60 skill.
-Playing any card on any target restores 500 MP to user. Undraw restores 1000 MP. Choose whatever numbers would be balanced.
-Lightspeed reduces MP cost to 25%.

Reasoning:
-Malefic feels like a waste of time to use. It needs to be stronger.
-Small Nocturnal Aspect MP cost reductions would help AST in higher stress situations. The shields themselves aren't bad, but they aren't 1000 MP good either.
-The seal system is not fun or rewarding to engage with, and until the card system can be remade into something less stupid, I'd rather get the buffs I ask for when I ask for them. Also, AST should have its primary defining mechanic in lowbie dungeons. Really, they should. SCH gets the fairy. WHM gets...uh, Stone. Why in the world does AST not get cards? It's not like the Sastasha Experience isn't compromised as it is.
-Earthly Star is one of AST's most fun skills and the less time AST is without it the better.
-Cards are currently a minigame and do not interact with us or our kit. Making them a personal source of MP would at least make me feel a little engaged with them, because they are now of personal benefit, rather than something I am simply obligated to throw out on cooldown.
-This Lightspeed change might be unnecessary given the above changes, and given how ridiculously strong Lightspeed already is, but throwing it out there.