What was so wrong with stormblood healers that required they be changed?

[Semirhage]

There are things SB did that were healthy and effective directions to move into from HW. Largely, it was the removal of old Cleric Stance that was the right move. It was too much of an ultimatum, and I don't agree that it created the engagement some players thought it did. Beyond that, though, AST was the only job that felt like it really grew. SCH's DPS tools were hit a little too hard, although they were still largely fine, and WHM felt stagnant.

In short, it was a mixed bag, but it ended up feeling good to play in the end for the most part.

I think the biggest problem with the removal of Cleric Stance wasn't that the ability itself was well-designed. It had problems. It was sticky, it essentially locked you out of non-flat healing for two GCDs, we all know why it wasn't great. The problem with Square removing old CS was that they took something jank that added a little risk-reward and engagement, and instead of improving upon or replacing it, they just entirely deleted what little engagement was gleaned from it. I consider CS removal part of the downward spiral for the role because it was in the first "wave" of "don't improve engagement, just delete it!" horrible design philosophy that the role has eaten over and over ever since.