Quote Originally Posted by Nominous View Post
That, and I feel that the Sen/Iaijutsu rotation is the core design of the Job, while Kenki is more like filler. And Hagakure distracts from that core design and rotation. As a DRG I wouldn't want to sacrifice Eyes (LoTD) for more jumps. As a MNK, I wouldn't want to sacrifice GL stacks for more Chakra. As a SMN I wouldn't want to sacrifice Bahamut for more Aetherflow. So on, so forth.
I guess that's where the heart of the conflict comes from. I don't find Kenki any less meaningful than Iajutsu. They're both damage. Kenki damage comes from positioning, Ability-Weaponskill sync, and avoiding overcapping. Iajutsu damage comes from... avoiding Sen overcapping. To me, therefore, Midare is more like the maximum leniency timer attached to everything else, like a "use it or waste it" CD, rather than a pursueable objective.

And I guess you could say I liked Hagakure as much as I did because it interacted with both Ability-based damage and Weaponskills. If Iajutsu were the hard core of the rotation -- like a stone to which all else was anchored -- Hagakure, Meikyo Shisui, Trick Attack- and Jump-sync, and (where made viable by downtime and enough Skill Speed and alignment) Yaten-Enpi could be considered the actual game of a Samurai.

I can, see, though, why it would feel detracting in other senses. We can consider its possible balance as being somewhere between obligatory -- via a free weaponskill or average combo ppGCD -- and utility -- whereby it generates no actual potency beyond Midare, but instead only allows for syncing Higan, Goken, Meikyo, Trick Attack, and jumps. I'd take no issue with Hagakure being less something to pursue in itself and more of merely a means by which to pursue other mechanical aspects of Samurai's macrorotational priorities. I just don't want to lose my means of manipulation.