Most challenging and wanted DPS class?

[AmaSagahl]

... SAM can be hard to play optimally but the difference between a good and bad SAM isn't that large...

I disagree. I actually started a thread on this, because no matter which SAM you speak to, everyone seems to be like 'ahyeah, it's not that hard'. Of course, some know that once you go into depth with this job, it is becoming much harder - and there are a few out there who right out say so.
I have been maining SAM for a while and once you get onto Savage and high end raiding - where numbers actually matter - you need to step your game up. I can easily pull 4.8k on a SSS O1S dummy, but getting those high numbers in actual raid content is far more challenging. I feel like I just really started playing this job when I got onto this content.

Despite what people say, managing your Kenki and GCDs right is hard. It is punishing if you screw up your rotation, because every lost Kenki is lost dps. It is punishing to let your buffs fall off or use Hagakure a few seconds too late. Dps loss again. Clip your abilities and dps loss again. All that while paying attention to mechanics, and you are always right on the boss having to hit your main positionals to generate the most Kenki.
The best Samurais out there, one of them currently teaching me, is doing 5.3k in O3S. That is an insane number and required dozens of runs and hours on training your rotation in high end content, as well as knowing exactly how to exploit uptime.

It is easy to be an average Samurai. It is very hard to be a good one. You can often recognize the average ones spamming Midare instead of using hagakure.

The damage ranges from 3.5k in Savage content until almost 6. That is the difference between someone who still needs to learn the job and the fights and someone who has mastered it. Don't think every Samurai pulls 4.6+, it is just not true.