How do you define (meaningful) choice?

[ForsakenRoe]

I think that tactic would get messy very quickly and also would make the card system's burden of knowledge higher than it's ever been. I also don't think the cards are going to stay single target because the constant single target swapping is one of the jobs' biggest pain points for many players who try the job.

The APM is an issue because we swap targets constantly in a 15s burst window. If the CD/charge limit were rescaled on the cards so that we're not incentivized/'forced' to hoard three cards, which have to be manually drawn, for that window (instead playing one per 30s, or 2 per 60s but they auto-draw, for example), the APM wouldn't be as bad a problem. We had similar APM overall back in SB, with Draw/Play/Redraw/RoyalRoad, but because we messed with the cards each 30s, instead of all at once in the 2min, it was less strain on the wrists. Would be nice if SE could create a new targeting system for allies, though. Like, holding the keybind for the button brings up a radial menu, and each of the 8 cardinal/inter directions is mapped to a certain party member. So you'd press, hold, drag mouse down (or some gamepad equivalent), let go of keybind to complete. I'm thinking a bit like Monster Hunter's quick-bind items, but IDK how possible that'd be in this game

I'd argue the burden of knowledge would remain roughly equal, maybe a little less. As it is, we have to learn what each card's Seal and Melee/Ranged typing is, two attributes per card. Previously, it was two still, it's 'effect' and it's 'Royal Road boost'. The suggestion would have two: the way the damage is applied (basically, which role is it best on) and it's unique effect if it has one (eg the Bole having Mit). But, having one card attached to each role (with Balance as the 'wildcard') would, I'd hope, create a 'mnemonic effect' of sorts that allows players to remember the role-card pairings easier. Bole protects, it goes on tank. Arrow used with a bow, it goes on Ranged. Spire struck by lightning, it goes on Caster, etc.

That assumes the utility cards and damage cards share the same resource. In any attempt I've ever brought up of adjusting Astrologian where I've separated the cards that way, I made it a point to clarify that those separate Draws do not share a cooldown and are played independently so that utility isn't fighting against damage.

Yes, that's a potential solution. But if the Utility of Movespeed and Mit is a separate CD from the Balance's flat damage and the Spear's Crit, you're not going to care for the utility in most content because it's surplus to requirements. And if you attach a seal to it so you've got to play a Utility card, even in lower content like EX roulette for the sake of boosting Divination's power or some such, then you're where I'm at: ignoring what the utility effect does, and only using it 'because the damage is gated behind it'. Same 'problem' (of the player being able to choose to deal less damage to make run-saving play), different situation by which it arises. If there's a way you know of that would incentivize someone who's competent at healing to use one of those 'utility draws' on the regular, in a low content like EX roulette, that isn't damage related, I'm all ears