I'm glad you liked the ideas, even if you weren't confident enough to take it to the table (which is on me, as the designer). I definitely wanted to make something different from the roll-to-hit systems that are already all over the place, so I borrowed some inspiration from other types of games I've played. Everyone choosing their cards before the actions play out is something I borrowed from Sakura, while the timeline itself is actually from a video game I played at the last PAX East called Phantom Brigade, where you can see what your opponents will do a few seconds into the future and you have to try to respond.
I hope that I'm able to make it cohesive and comprehensible enough for people to take it for a spin. Making a simple player aid with all the most commonly needed info is a great idea. Thank for checking it out!