this is exactly right, and thank you for spending six runs on it. you found the real bug: the torch peaked so late that a shade died at the moment it touched you, so the only play was stand still and eat hearts, and the kite had no window.
shipped a v2 an hour ago: torch damage 2.15 to 2.5, tough shades 1.9 to 1.6 hp and 35 to 20 percent. reran it with a bot and by hand: skilled spacing clears almost every time, pure outrunning clears about half, standing still dies. a second read would genuinely help if you have a run in you.