I think you're onto something. I played another entry that was also a cardbattler called Inkhedoro (it's so good - would recommend playing if you haven't yet) and one interesting thing about it is how and where you place cards can affect the damage, which really got me thinking about mechanics. This jam I was more focused on how & if it would even be possible for me to create a card battler, but I think making it more unique from Slay the Spire could make it a lot more fun!
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback and for the kind words!