Why is the healer class basically a one spell dps class?

[Eclesis]

Yeah it doesn't have to be DPS, the point is agency - something you do proactively on your own rather than reactively when someone loses HP, whether that was SCH's dot management or AST's cards back in SB; WHM needed more in this department, not less. Unlike the current cards SB cards allowed you to choose how to play on your own initiative, rather than having the system insist you do certain things like buff that guy who stood in the fire and died 3 times because they're the only ranged (with a buff which, TBH, is completely unnoticeable and irrelevant unless you're running a parser, outside of racing DPS checks in Savage). Having some degree of agency in how and when you do things, and being able to see the results, makes cleaning up after goofs tolerable. Merely being a passive healbot DPS accessory should not be the sole focus of the job.

[NYCLouisGamer]

...Unlike the current cards SB cards allowed you to choose how to play on your own initiative, rather than having the system insist you do certain things like buff that guy who stood in the fire and died 3 times because they're the only ranged (with a buff which, TBH, is completely unnoticeable and irrelevant unless you're running a parser, outside of racing DPS checks in Savage). Having some degree of agency in how and when you do things, and being able to see the results, makes cleaning up after goofs tolerable.

The invisible nature of AST cards. We don't talk about this nearly enough. I would love some sort of persistent visual effect when a person has a card played on them, along with a noticeable game effect. It can be utility or some sort of buff other than direct damage. Cool new strategies open up if you can look at the battlefield and see who has a card on them and the nature of the card, just by looking at their character. Maybe a hasted character glows green or defense-up character glows blue? Imagine a gauge that pops up on the screen when an Astrologian alters time & space by playing a card on you.

If a banned parser is needed to appreciate receiving AST cards, something is very wrong.