Ahem...okay, putting this up front: You guys are going to hate this idea.
[Just watch, now everyone will like this idea just to spite me somehow... <_< ]
AHEM:
What if for 7.0 for AST, they did this:
Readed Sects/stances.
Diurnal Sect: Same as SB dAST.
Nocturnal Sect: Same as SB nAST.
Neutral Sect: MOSTLY same as EW AST.
Why?
Because people loved dAST and nAST, even when they weren't entirely viable, and SB (if I'm understanding correctly) was the era people most liked it.
So why NeAST? (Maybe we should call this Dawn Sect or...Dusk Sect...damnit, what's a daytime name that doesn't start with a D or N?!
Ooooh. Google Says: Crepuscular! That...sounds like a terrible name, but let's go with it for now; cAST.)
For people that enjoy the more slimmed down current AST. Note I say MOSTLY the same. Some changes would probably include things like dumping Astrodyne and the Seal system entirely, and possibly something like making Cards GCDs (with some mechanic to refund foregone Malific damage to make them damage neutral) to help with AST's ridiculous burst APM. cAST would basically be current AST with the rough spots smoothed out.
.
This way, they could make a "simple" reworked AST (which, let's face it, we all suspect they're about to do anyway), but also keep/restore the more original AST forms that people enjoyed about the class before the ShB culling.
And the best part is, there wouldn't need to be any crazy new mechanics or Job or anything. All the data and assets for this exist in the game. Only thing they'd need to add is the buff icon and animation for Crepuscular Sect (people would SO misspell this all the time...), the GCD Card thing (if they even did that), and...I guess put Astrodyne's effect into something (probably Minor Arcana's draw ability).
.
Bad idea?
Yeah...bad idea.
Even I'm not too sure about this one.
So spite away, good fellows!