thank you so much for such a well-worded and thoughtful comment! i can't respond to it all but i can respond to some. but i definitely read all of it and will be taking it all into consideration when making the next balance patch!
on cantrips: totally agreed, both the amount of 0 cost cards in the game and their power level warps the rest of the game around them in an unhealthy way. they also don't really provide any meaningful decision making in the shop or expedition, which is pretty much the core point of the game. i will be reworking their abilities completely, while still keeping that core of the build (spamming action cards in droves) but hopefully making it a niche instead of a dominant strategy
on prospect: yes, this has been a hugely difficult balancing problem while making the game as you can imagine. i have some plans for how to lightly address this in the next update and i will be adjusting it as development continues. eventually i hope to add different starting decks so that will also help. i still think it takes quite a skilled and experienced player to actually carry out this strategy regardless
on sword: i am adjusting this card in the next update!