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

[IceBlueNinja]

Partly. The other major issue with the cards is some of them were effectively useless.

EWER redraw EWER redraw BOLE

only useless card to me was spire when tp was gone and id just royal it for aoe of next card

arrow= give this to a whm/sch/blm would help with their casting time and blm could save ley lines up for easier crucial needs.

Bole = A 20% migi is nice for contributing dps and I dont need to kill mp on noct field asp spam or can throw it once with bole plenty up time.

ewer= the best and most prefer card that I will say I can be selfish with and loved for myself. if you use luci and died and pull this card and use old light speed 50% less mp.cost spell reduction, was a juicy way to recharge mp especially with old co. Dieing felt not so bad.

Balance = course dont have to explain this one as this one always seem to be the only one people pick where I find all but spire useful.

spear= am sure a bard or monk will love that nice 10% crit increase or if aoed 5% entire party. Crit means bigger damage and heals.

spire = spire was only useful when tp exist and ninja I heard had a use for it.

lady = was okish could be better heal.

lord = was meh weak damage but could be used with old combust 1 and 2 for dps contribution.

[Absurdity]

Partly. The other major issue with the cards is some of them were effectively useless.

EWER redraw EWER redraw BOLE

Not really useless, just incredibly niche. Like I said, I'd take an enhanced bole over a balance any day when I got a tank that wouldn't use mitigation if you replaced every other skill with it.
In savage you don't get those people and even in dungeons they're not all that common, so unfortunately you didn't get a lot of use out of those niche cards.

[Eclesis]

They were only "useless" if all you did was Savage where you expect a perfect party. The cards that had the most effect from the healer's POV were, in fact, Ewer and Bole.

[Shurrikhan]

They were only "useless" if all you did was Savage where you expect a perfect party. The cards that had the most effect from the healer's POV were, in fact, Ewer and Bole.

That's just blatantly off, as Savage is the only point at which Ewer and Bole could see competitive value in even typical circumstances.

Outside of Savage, there's no point at which Bole (which provides a 20% eHP increase but, due to multiplicatively diminishing returns with each layer of mitigation, far less actual savings in healing required) would provide a larger healing benefit than Arrow. And even in the very worst of situations, unless Bole just happened to come up in alignment with a tankbuster to which the tank would otherwise die because you've had to heal others from severe avoidable damage taken before soon-incoming unavoidable raid damage, and still have more healing yet to be done and thus cannot otherwise save them... Bole is going to be useless because it lacks the eHP increase in Expand to save anyone from their mistakes and the larger part of damage taken isn't predictable.

Similarly, outside of Savage, one becomes increasingly unlikely to be forced into MP starvation except by such absolute sh*tshows as are probably best, at that point, not to resurrect more than once each. There, too, you'd have been better off with that bit more Haste by which to get someone to sufficient eHP before what would otherwise finish them off, saving you the 3000 MP.

[IceBlueNinja]

They were only "useless" if all you did was Savage where you expect a perfect party. The cards that had the most effect from the healer's POV were, in fact, Ewer and Bole.

Those were my 2 favs the most out of the cards, I was a very greedy one with ewer especially and usually hog it unless its a party of friends xD. Bole rock so Idk what people is talking about bole useless, that is saying collective is pointless and sacred soil that does the same 10% migitation block and bole is giving 20% lol. I just feel players who saw faults with the cards in stormblood even if they are situation dont like ast, cause situation or not stormblood card will ever be superior in every which way to shadow bringers.

[Kabooa]

Oh yeah, all those people lining up the block for the empowered Ewers.

[IceBlueNinja]

That's just blatantly off, as Savage is the only point at which Ewer and Bole could see competitive value in even typical circumstances.

Outside of Savage, there's no point at which Bole (which provides a 20% eHP increase but, due to multiplicatively diminishing returns with each layer of mitigation, far less actual savings in healing required) would provide a larger healing benefit than Arrow. And even in the very worst of situations, unless Bole just happened to come up in alignment with a tankbuster to which the tank would otherwise die because you've had to heal others from severe avoidable damage taken before soon-incoming unavoidable raid damage, and still have more healing yet to be done and thus cannot otherwise save them... Bole is going to be useless because it lacks the eHP increase in Expand to save anyone from their mistakes and the larger part of damage taken isn't predictable.

Similarly, outside of Savage, one becomes increasingly unlikely to be forced into MP starvation except by such absolute sh*tshows as are probably best, at that point, not to resurrect more than once each. There, too, you'd have been better off with that bit more Haste by which to get someone to sufficient eHP before what would otherwise finish them off, saving you the 3000 MP.

Even so the dry 5% or 8% lil damage increase of shadow bringers cards atm is still pointless, I much rather a claimed 20% bole which situational and may not be used alot far more viable than a worthless 5% buff and only single party target vs even a aoe bole that will be cut to 10% migi for entire party, remember there is succor or aspected helios(noct) could stack with bole for better migitation so a dirunal ast using bole with a sch succor or another ast in noct field works wonders. its pretty much now atm co opp is the new and improved bole. Ewer again well it is very viable if you get a party or raid that everyone is clueless and dropping like flies over and over, that is how this mp issue happen on ast when we got this rubbish card system rework before they finally after how much request decide to make draw give back mp and sleeve draw.

[Shurrikhan]

Oh yeah, all those people lining up the block for the empowered Ewers.

Bole, at least, could see significantly more use by just...

1. actually having content tuned to need significantly more than merely oGCD healing, and
2. being able to charge up to one's next Draw while the current Draw is available for casting (i.e., a 30-second leniency period in which for a useful situation to occur).

But Ewer/Spire... Kinda dependent on MP/TP having been an actual/meaningful mechanic, rather than just a "Basically a soft charge-bank on Resurrection spells and a way to reduce unnecessary Holy/Medica II spam" and "Skill Speed wasn't terrible enough despite not contributing to abilities and lacking the quadratic scaling of Critical Hit, so here", respectively.

[Shurrikhan]

Even so the dry 5% or 8% lil damage increase of shadow bringers cards atm is still pointless, I much rather a claimed 20% bole which situational and may not be used alot far more viable than a worthless 5%... <snip>.

As would I, but that's ignoring something else that's rather important: the devs didn't just want to scrap AST's Cards; they wanted to reduce party utility altogether.

Although some durations were extended in compensation, the average party utility buff's potency was nearly halved.

You wouldn't get a 20% Bole or the like today, situational or not. You'd probably get an equally worthless 8 or 10%, almost always insufficient to hit any eHP threshold.

[Imora]

So how the hell do you play AST now? The cards all do the same thing now?