Some thoughts on the current balance I have a few cards that i need to test more like drill to have a proper opinion on but have tested a lot
The geode cards are kinda a joke because you spend so long to upgrade and them for them to turn into a helmet / ingot I think that something needs to change maybe something like using a geode buffs it by 1 at the same time? Could also nerf ingot and helmet but im not sure thats needed but honestly i think people would take them if they did 5 instead of 10 but that would still leave them better then most geodes.
Meteorites are in a weird spot for me I think they have some potential to brick you but the 0 cost can make upgrading them feel a lot easier then normal resources
Quartz (thats the retain one right) eating into your draw really hurts its viability especially because when you get a good deck with a lot of draw it effectively makes them just worse then regular resources because the upgrades are getting half effect if you have good cycle and if you want to get rid of them without wasting your whole turn you need a tool so it seams like its just a early game trap.
Cave cat seams almost unplayably bad i haven't tested it directly but looking at numbers its quite bad.
Jerboa targeting random might be possible to make work with very careful deck manipulation but it seams like it would never be worth the effort compared to screwdriver and thats already kinda bad compared to lenses i would suggest nerfing it to +2 but make it hit 2 targets instead.
this isnt directly a balance thing but theres a tactic that i do quite often thats quite strong but feels really stupid, When you have the option to draw for no reason a lot of the time thats going to be a good idea because you play all your good cards first so they end up in your discard pile that often means you get like 3 resources at the end of your deck so very likely to brick on your next draw so to help avoid that its optimal to check if you have draw in your draw pile and if you dont waste a bit of energy to not brick.
I think the Geode cards are balanced by low ore cost in the shop.
I consider Scorium Geode generally a higher buy than Helmet for this reason.
I've had poor results with Quartz due to the blocked draws.
I've won (on Adventure) with pumping Scorium Quartz as my main strategy but it felt more like I was winning despite the Quartz than because of it.
I've tried Cave Cat and never won with it. I think generally anything that costs 2+ has to be pretty bonkers to be viable. Cat can get large but if you're pumping your deck full of random junk to make it happen then you draw the Cat less often.
I think Lens & Prospect pretty much cover upgrades & I don't buy any of the other upgraders unless I have some unusual build that really needs them.