Thanks for the detailed response! We’ve actually been discussing ways to make the selectable decks a bigger part of the game, possibly reworking them into themed characters or classes that you unlock by beating certain difficulties, or keeping it simple by unlocking the next one after a successful run. So it’s really great to hear that!
I’d never seriously considered meta progression for the game before, mainly because I’m not too keen on systems that just make things easier over time. That said, I really like the idea of an unlockable item slot. It would definitely need some balance tweaks but it wouldn’t change the core of the game too much and would open up more options for varied runs.
Thanks again, there are so many great suggestions here!