AST Card Fix (Idea)

[Hatstand]

Had nothing to do with Savage. It was actually every encounter outside of Savage that kind of exemplified the problems the RNG had.
Your typical boss encounter is 2 - 3 minutes depending on DPS. It was entirely possible to draw nothing but Spires, Ewers and Boles for an entire boss encounter. Since AST is balanced around the assumption that will be providing DPS boosts and having low personal damage, in those common situations (remember, it was a 50% chance to draw a non DPS card and then a 50% chance to turn that into a non healing card) you just had a Healer fully engaged with its job mechanic for up to 3 minutes straight for exactly zero party benefit.

The system we have now isn't perfect, But at the very least I can run a boss fight and fully utilize my entire job mechanic to boost my party to the max every time.

You suggest to just put in more mechanisms to deal with unwanted cards, But that literally puts you right where we are right now. No waste, every draw is a DPS boost for someone.

This is fair, and why I agree that there should be some mechanism in place to ensure that you can significantly impact the fight no matter what you draw. However, I did find uses for the other cards when I played. A bole on a paper tank in a roulette could give me space to breathe/save me a Rez. When you’re pugging with someone with awful mana management (there are plenty) being able to top them up and keep them in the fight seems better than putting a balance on them an enhancing the damage they’re not doing. I’d like to keep the best of the new system (every card can contribute decent dps) while also maintaining the best of the old (variety which allowed you to suit your play style to the group you were with, and enough difference in the cards to facilitate more involved decision making).

[Seraphor]

A bole on a paper tank in a roulette could give me space to breathe/save me a Rez.

A reliable mitigation cooldown would be better. Like Celestial Intersection.

When you’re pugging with someone with awful mana management (there are plenty) being able to top them up and keep them in the fight seems better than putting a balance on them an enhancing the damage they’re not doing.

This seems to be the sort of utility everyone has lost, (mana shift, refresh, etc.) making it personal responsibility.
But as far as an ASTs personal MP management goes, again, a reliable cooldown skill is a better option. Now that Lucid is better and Lightspeed has a better cooldown, it might be better.
If not, I think Collective Unconscious should bestow you with a Refresh effect while you hold it up. Seeing as how they don't want that to be too OP in terms of healing.