Astrologian: what is your understanding about it?

[Kissune]

Because Balance doesn't have to be a flat % increase anymore? That's what Divination is for? Why are you so fixated on getting SB cards back with 0 changes? Why are you under the assumption that Arrow, Spire and Spear also can't have worthy damage buffs along side Balance for 4 different kinds of damage while Bole and Ewer have a more defensive purpose? Differing effects does not mean that all cards have to be dead.

The reason I don't want mixed util/damage cards is because drawing not damage will always feel worse especially with how bloated our healing kits are already. Why do I want more utility when what I have is more than sufficient for any situation anyways? 90% of my lady of crowns are thrown away even in ultimates. It's the single highest overheal ability I have, and it rarely ever is worth replacing anything bc I plan for every raidwide as if I drew 100% lords, which I have done. I pulled TOP over 1000 times, and I never lost a pull to not drawing lady, and I never saved a pull by drawing one. Which would mean that adding a mitigation and mp regen (which is the most useless card in the game like omfg it matters for exactly no one except being a dps gain on exactly dark knight and that's it).

Unless they trim our healing/mit toolkit to adjust for having a mit card or heal card in the mix, or balance fights around it means that AST has a chance to just kill the party through bad luck. And I'm sorry, but that isn't fun to me or anyone I'd be playing with.

The only way I'd be ok with util cards is if there was some kind of deck stacking method. Like, you draw one of 6 cards but if you play it, it's taken away from the pool until all 6 cards are drawn and played. I'd 100% be down with Stormblood cards wholesale if I had a way to manipulate the deck and card order to have the cards I want at the right time, both utility and damage. The DPS output would be consistent bc you could force a balance at every 2min (they'd need to make draw charges 20s each), but you'd also be able to make sure your mitigation is where it needs to be. You'd be manipulating cards on the fly, taking them in and out of your sleeve, and possibly even choosing one to burn to buff others royal road style. Bc the thing I hate most about mixed cards is drawing something I can't use bc stormblood cards are just EW minor arcana with a coat of paint. But if you had control over the RNG but it required effort and thought, I'd be ok with it.

Otherwise, I'd like perhaps two seperate decks. One could be crit/dh/flat% up with melee and ranged pairs, and the other could be a rework to minor arcana that pulls from a set of utility cards, which would make the decision making on who to put them on easier esp if one class uses crit/dh better or not. Bc if I get free utility that doesn't feel bad to not use or get over dps options, I'd be happier with it. If lady and lord (or some extra set) were purely bonuses and utility from mana regen to mit to a ms boost I'd like them much more, and I didn't have to rely on them but could use them freely without the bitterness of losing DPS over it. Bc ultimately utility cards can't be something you need to rely on, whether its for healing/mit/mp management bc if you draw bad you just get fucked and that's not fun. And if you *don't* get fucked then they feel useless. There's never been an in-between.
Because having different damage buffs alongside utility buffs mean the exact same thing. You either draw the damage, or you don't. Damage is always useful, utility cards aren't. I'd rather not draw a card I can't use, and if you add in RNG mitigation/healing I can't even use them for anything but just something else to throw on the pile of the already decided mit plan. They don't do anything, even when they're useful.

"Accessing where everyone is and who would benefit" really falls flat to be because its just damage and always has been. Does it matter if it gets placed on the right person at the right time? Not really. Does it feel good to do it? Because it barely feels like anything has been done, no. I don't feel helpful; I don't feel like I got anything out of it. That's the entire reason why I hate Shb/EW AST and don't want strictly damage buff cards - needless work for little gain and 0 fun.

The damage does matter, and it always matter. If you put the card on the wrong person at the wrong time, you lose DPS. It feels good and satisfying to get everything where it needs to me, and I'm sorry that we differ. Does it matter if you get the bole card right before the raidwide if you already had enough mit to survive it and you're gonna use the same buttons heal it up every time? If the bole is the difference between dying and not dying, then your group has a skill issue and you shouldn't have to get lucky to fix that. If it isn't the difference between dying and not dying, then what's the point of it?