Please return AST card gameplay.

[Kuwago]

I have mixed feelings on the new system.

To start, with the cards themselves, I definitely liked the old effects more, barring Ewer and Spire. The new cards are just very boring.

What I do like about the new system:

• Draw CD not being held hostage.
• Being able to hold cards indefinitely.
• Redraw charges.
• The thematic appeal of Divination
• The death of Royal Road

This might sound odd but I actually feel the previous AST having three different ways of converting cards was very redundant, and symptomatic of a problem. If you were coming into FFXIV blind, Royal Road would look like a cool and interesting way of manipulating cards, but it was rarely an actual interesting decision. When Ewer and Spire could actually be useful it felt great but in most circumstances they were seen as a ticket to Expanded Royal Road and little else. Aside from that it was often used in situations like not being able to get value from Bole because you didn't have anyone tanking (common in alliance raids), or because a large stretch of time was impending and you simply wanted to do something with that card, of which the latter problem is not relevant anymore.

In the ideal world, every card you could ever draw would be useful and you would not need to convert it to anything, though realistically that often runs counter to more interesting design. 1-2 buttons to get value out of a Draw you didn't like is already a lot. To that end, one button to try to get a new card and another button to do something with it if you really just can't get anything with it is good and more than enough.

All that aside, I feel like it would have been more desirable to revise the old cards to be more competitive than ditch the system entirely. The cards did not have to be numerically equal, but merely feel like they could do anything at all. Not all attacks need to be crits, just like not all cards need to be Balance.

I somewhat agree with you when it comes to having multiple ways to "manipulate" the cards with RR and MA but now using MA to a card feels nothing as it just increases potency. It doesn't even feel like an upgrade considering how it measly increases the potency by one 2%. I personally think that RR and MA could've been combined now that they replaced all cards with DPS buffs and MA brings back the old effects or something.

I'd rather have MA begone and RR stay because I can feel as though I can do something else with my cards than just increasing the DPS buff I give to my party.

[Its_Elodie]

Leveling AST, I really miss the old card system. I could always find a use for a card, and now it’s just me internally cringing every time I pull a melee/tank card and thinking “welp, i’m giving these only to the tank this dungeon, since I only have ranged dps.” It feels like such a waste compared to the potencies and abilities I used to have to be able to manipulate cards a bit with royal road, celestial opposition, and time dilation (and these abilities also created opportunities for some nice regens) before Shadowbringers hit.

Now, the cards just feel like fodder for divination. Which is more work than it’s worth imo. I’m also really missing being able to ewer myself when lucid dreaming is on cool down. Not having another backup resource for mp regen like whm has with thin air and sch has with aetherflow also stinks.

Granted, I’m only at 72, SB AST was so multifaceted and fun to play. I’m not a fan of this new iteration. I’d gladly take the SB one back in a heartbeat. Same for SCH.

[Esmoire]

I somewhat agree with you when it comes to having multiple ways to "manipulate" the cards with RR and MA but now using MA to a card feels nothing as it just increases potency. It doesn't even feel like an upgrade considering how it measly increases the potency by one 2%. I personally think that RR and MA could've been combined now that they replaced all cards with DPS buffs and MA brings back the old effects or something.

I'd rather have MA begone and RR stay because I can feel as though I can do something else with my cards than just increasing the DPS buff I give to my party.

That is true. Honestly that's kind of just the rub with the cards as a whole. MA exists mostly to not mess up our seals between Divinations which feels shallow. Before when playing cards you could immediately feel the impact of, say, 25% DR, or a BLM with faster casts. Now these buffs I feel like you need to be looking at charts and graphs to appreciate which is just boring and not sexy. Being able to unlock the old card effects would be amazing.