5.3 changes

[Risvertasashi]

But having 1270 MP/ min more than before even when not casting a single GCD heal is pretty big and makes MP management next to non-existent unless you stubbornly refuse to even draw cards.

This is less an AST issue, and more a kind of "the concept of MP and resource management" issue. AST now won't care about piety, like the others healers.

MP management is tricky. I think I'm going to trend towards a rather radical stance: MP should probably be removed like TP, eventually. The real resource in FFXIV is time/GCDs. Any time MP stops someone from casting they are going to complain, because no one wants to be standing around doing nothing.

[Rilifane]

like the others healers.

And this right there is my problem.
I don't see anything wrong with some healers needing to closely watch their MP while others don't. Not to the extend that it's pretty much impossible to take a raise or recover from a death unless you're running extremely high Piety, that's overdoing it. But having at least one healer with the added layer of keeping a close eye on their MP and MP tools isn't inherently wrong.
Healers having different strengths and weaknesses isn't a bad thing.

[Risvertasashi]

And this right there is my problem.
I don't see anything wrong with some healers needing to closely watch their MP while others don't. Not to the extend that it's pretty much impossible to take a raise or recover from a death unless you're running extremely high Piety, that's overdoing it. But having at least one healer with the added layer of keeping a close eye on their MP and MP tools isn't inherently wrong.
Healers having different strengths and weaknesses isn't a bad thing.

Well, to be fair - We all do have to watch MP like this. Regardless of what healer you (theoretical 'you') might play, you have to pop lucid on CD, and your other MP button (Aetherflow/Thin Air/Draw). If you stop paying attention to that, you will run out in any decent length boss fight where healing isn't completely nonexistent.

The real problem is that it's hard to add dimensions to it beyond "use this tool whenever you can".

Also, on the DPS side, casters are the same way. Well, BLM and PLD use it differently - they have "build and spend" mechanics. But RDM and SMN just don't care about MP, unless rezzes start happening. Pop lucid, and forget about MP is their modus operandi too.

[Recon1o6]

This is less an AST issue, and more a kind of "the concept of MP and resource management" issue. AST now won't care about piety, like the others healers.

MP management is tricky. I think I'm going to trend towards a rather radical stance: MP should probably be removed like TP, eventually. The real resource in FFXIV is time/GCDs. Any time MP stops someone from casting they are going to complain, because no one wants to be standing around doing nothing.

Well you say that, but then we've had excellent mp systems in the past before Sb and Shb that became another differentiating and fun part of the jobs. In some case it was a resource to manage, in others a fun differential part of the playstyle

Whm had naturally higher mp regen and self buffs designed to negate its mp costs so it was a slow burner, plus shroud of saints
Astro had luminerferous aether and ewer to regen mp
Sch had aetherflow and energy drain and had its entire gameplay loop based around juggling damage/healing bursts with aetherflow for mp and energy drain to regain stacks

Blm still has its ice/fire rotation and flare which removes all mp and plants the blm in fire stance with no mp regen, yet that still had a place
Smn also had the aetherflow rotation
Rdm doesn't, but that's its entire schtick. Rdm's don't have mp regen. Whereas whm's borrowed their mp from nature which explains their focus on efficiency, rdm's just use their own and so have no mp cost reduction or restoration. But they do use their accelerators in order to make small costs into more powerful spells

Drk also used to have mp rotation back in Hw. Using dark arts and mp attacks sparingly, then taking the time to regain mp from syphon strike, blood price, blood weapon etc.
Pld's have one too. Its just riot blade followed by their spell combo. But its something

[Maltothoris]

Whm had naturally higher mp regen and self buffs designed to negate its mp costs so it was a slow burner, plus shroud of saints

I'm not sure about the higher mp regen given how whm had the worst mp economy back in heavensward. Also the proc changes for their mp costs were too low for it really make a difference. They were 15% for both free cure and overcure and then 20 percent for esuna and medica (the medica one being really low cause helios naturally would be more mp efficient than it when it was mapped out).

However the changes to mp for astro, I wonder if they'll make any changes to piety in the future to try to make it useful outside of prog but given how things are, it will most likely go the war of tenacity.