GCD AST Cards, why not?

[Sebazy]

One of my old suggestions was to have draw function as is whilst you have charges, but change it to a GCD when you are out of charges.

Not the easiest thing to balance, but personally I'd take it over what we have right now.

[Shurrikhan]

One of my old suggestions was to have draw function as is whilst you have charges, but change it to a GCD when you are out of charges.

Not the easiest thing to balance, but personally I'd take it over what we have right now.

This would leave it to, ~80+% of the time, a total value lower than that of Malefic. Sure, that'd be free damage while still oGCD, but it likely wouldn't be even as (un)impactful as it is now.

Else, you'd have to reduce AST's own DPS in compensation, with its rDPS being that much more dependent on having an ideal party of recipients, so that you open with triple-no-cost-Draws-with-Malefic, GCD Draw, Maleficx5, maybe one more GCD Draw for a 30s-miniburst (though that's basically just MCH unless GNB is worth buffing) or also on sustained-DPS every 6th GCD thereafter, another oGCD on your NIN before the 60s mark, then repeat.

Maybe worth, but those GCDs won't likely see use ever in solo content (which is fine, I guess?) and you'd at least need Cards to provide more personal-AST-power in compensation if you want them not be avoided even in most light party comps, just due to the sheer potency-in-window difference between full bursts, mini-bursts, and lulls for most jobs.

...I don't hate the idea, to be clear; it just would have some obvious balancing constraints that, even if met, might not have the most enjoyable implications.