For AST, why not both card systems?...

[LukaRoselia]

Its too complex or something. (It really wasn't)

I don't think they'll ever revert it but it needs something because it just feels boring to play now to the point I wish I never played Stormblood so I wouldn't know any better.

[Seraphor]

What about this:

All cards have their current effects, but are 4/8% instead of 3/6%, and no longer give seals.

Minor Arcana transforms the card into a random card, either Lord, Lady or Page.
Each Minor Arcanum gives a different Seal, and acts as either a Heal, a Regen, or a Shield.
So let’s say:
Lord = Shield + Solar Seal
Lady = Heal + Celestial Seal
Page = Regen + Lunar Seal

Or, can keep the current Minor Arcana system of specific cards giving either Lord or Lady, have them be a Shield and a Regen, but then gives a random Seal when used.

Divination is boosted to giving a damage buff of 4/6/8% to the whole party.

The increased buffs are due to you actively sacrificing a card to get a Seal, so you’re basically choosing between regular single target buffs OR an AoE buff.
Which also makes each buff on its own feel more impactful.

[Shurrikhan]

...

Would still vastly prefer old cards.

[Dyvid]

To me AST always felt like FFXIV attempt of the classic Final Fantasy Gambler job, about as close as you can get in an MMO. The first key issue with 3.0/4.0 cards was one card, The Balance, outshined everything else and you had the ability to manipulate the card mechanic to try and get that card. Divination fixed that problem. The second key issue was 3 out of 6 cards where good and the other meh. For the RNG to work you need cards that benefit at least one member in the group every draw plus you need one bust card. I have outlined several times in these boards that if you make the card boost main attributes with Tenacity replacing VIT, this would make the RNG nature feel better. Simply draw and use. In fact the only other you would need is a double down to either increase or decrease potency of the card.

As for Divination, it should just be a simple slot machine mechanic with you get what you get. The current form just moved the annoying card fishing game from one form to another.

From another post

[Mandeville]

What if you could have a 'hand' of 4 cards, on the old system with minor adjustments to effects if need be to reflect changes they made to tank philosophies and such. Have a long CD to shuffle the deck, draw a new hand. When you read (play) a card you draw a new one, and 'read card' goes on CD.

Would allow for more creative effects, with a higher chance to get the ones you want. Shuffle when you've picked out the good ones and have a stale hand.

[Seraphor]

Would still vastly prefer old cards.

Well you're not getting them.
Seriously guys, you have to let go.

[Duskane]

they might as well just draw two cards
and enhance them with Arcana

[Halik]

What about this:

All cards have their current effects, but are 4/8% instead of 3/6%, and no longer give seals.

Minor Arcana transforms the card into a random card, either Lord, Lady or Page.
Each Minor Arcanum gives a different Seal, and acts as either a Heal, a Regen, or a Shield.
So let’s say:
Lord = Shield + Solar Seal
Lady = Heal + Celestial Seal
Page = Regen + Lunar Seal

Or, can keep the current Minor Arcana system of specific cards giving either Lord or Lady, have them be a Shield and a Regen, but then gives a random Seal when used.

Divination is boosted to giving a damage buff of 4/6/8% to the whole party.

The increased buffs are due to you actively sacrificing a card to get a Seal, so you’re basically choosing between regular single target buffs OR an AoE buff.
Which also makes each buff on its own feel more impactful.

I have to agree that I highly doubt they would bring back the old cards.

But, Lord and lady of the previous system were easily the most boring aspect of the old cards, they were literally the throw away effects if you draw a bad card. That being said, I would definitely take this over the current setup. I really just want the act of Drawing cards to be fun, which requires some cards to be better than others. If the shield/heal/regen effects are all pretty much equal, I'll only have a slight bias towards the shield, but not enough to actually care what I drew.

In my mind, they should be more situation specific effects so if I draw a card that happens to be useful for the situation we're in, I'll be excited about it. Whatever it is it can't really deal directly with damage, at least not to much of any degree because a plain damage increase is great in pretty much every scenario. An example of situational stuff would be the Dancers En Avant; it's a great movement tool, but because you're a class that never has to stand still in the first place there isn't any actual use for it because you can just run out of everything fine enough.

Effects like:

Mana Regen: Only useful if the healers have had to ress or burn extra mana from people standing in things.
Mitigation: Only useful if the tanks or dps mess up a mechanic.
Movement Speed: Only useful if you're late to move out of something, else encounters are design around just normal run speed.
Surecast/Arms Length: Only useful when the boss uses a knockback more often their your inherent ability.
Swiftcast: Literally just grants Swiftcast. Only useful for casters that need to move on that GCD moment or to ress someone. (tbh, I don't know BLM, so maybe they have some longer than GCD cast times which would mean this buffs their dps?)

Honestly anything that's nice to have at various moments in a fight, but not directly boosting for your damage. They can leave the damage boosting as the flat amount across all cards as it is.

[Furious]

The entirety of the card system was already bloated to the point of dysfunction, let's not add more. Cards require an absurd amount of binds and time for essentially a 30 second ability.

The best time I had with the old cards was prior to getting royal road and spread. You roll a card, you decide where that card is best used, and you use the card.