yup, it's inherent in the design that once you unlock higher level items and dont ugprade your item limit accordingly, you will get stuck with some higher level (but not highest level) items and cant spawn new lower levle items to keep scade merging.
at least that is true as long as you havent unlocked the second tab, where you can now dismantle stuff. then you can fix such hickups for the mot part by smartly removing certain items.or just in the worst case keep merging 2 lowest tier thigns and then delete the result or such to very slowly grind money and when haivng enough buy the needed ugprades to get out of the fake softlock.butwithout dismantlign ability?
total softlock. yeah.
I think one shpudl have the dismantle ability from the start but add the "get money from eahc dismantled items" as a buyable upgrade.