Quote Originally Posted by Ardan View Post
Ifrit just can't pull the weight that Garuda can. In order for Ifrit to be viable it has to be able to match the damage that Garuda and Contagion'd DoTs provides. Changes to his current abilities would be necessary as well.
It actually does more dmg than Garuda+Contagion [even more with drg and/or mnk in pt], but it also takes a lot more damage, meaning you need to heal it (more often). Also the SMN itself needs to reapply dots more often, so higher mp consumption.

Bolded part is the biggest issue imo.