It took a few hands to understand what was happening, but I get it. It's just hard to follow. Animations would absolutely help with the clarity, and it's a really interesting take on the lockpick system.
Having a card be locked in place was tough too; though maybe that could be solved by me understanding the game better from the outset. As it is, it's hard to play without the clarity that polish would afford, but I'm fascinated by it.