Are Ultimates a major contributor to Job Design issues?

[Red-thunder]

but a lot of people who treat this game like a spreadsheet didn't like that and complained, so now AST is a boring shitjob where you draw the same cards over and over again.

HW/SB AST was more fun for people who actually enjoyed optimization and not grind their way to a 99 by crit farming.

Because of the random nature of cards you had to make a lot of snap decisions. Expanded Balance wasn't the only right choice and it had pretty hidden depth. Using an Extended Arrow on a monk (in a coordinated group that goads) outside of burst windows can sometimes be a smart choice and is mathematically superior depending on the situation.