Great suggestions and feedback! Some specific responses:
> You adding "better matchmaking" means that the difficulty is way different now.
I think this was actually a little messed up, it should be a bit better now at matching similar teams.
> It would be a huge buff for any of these decks if there were more ways to guarantee you ended up with specific units.
I'm considering increasing the chances of getting a minion in the store that you already have, which would help with finding combines. I just don't want to go too far with this since the clan selection also gives you a strong way to steer toward a seeing a certain unit. Maybe this won't be needed though with relics adding new opportunities for rerolls.
> I think you could fix this by adding more stop-gap variants to the mix. Like if you examine every combo creature in this game, and then you add 1 or 2 extra combo pieces, in the form of an item or creature that could work with them.
The relics should help with this as I begin to add more, too. The idea behind a lot of them is that it should help boost certain combo themes as well.
> This could manifest as gaining 10 coins now, and losing 10 coins next round. For some teams, it's debatable if there will be a next round. But it would help.
This is a great idea for a relic! It could give you X coins now but -1 coin per round.
> -Give us access to all 5 slots for party members and 3 slots for items from the beginning. If it was completely open from the start, people would have access to more choices and chances to spawn something that fits their build.
I think the way it is now is needed, just because with so few options early on, giving more slots would mean you can always pick what you want and every game would start exactly the same (which would be boring).
> -A loyalty mechanic could also be nice. Perhaps every 3 rounds a pet has been with you, they gain one experience point. It massively buffs anyone who decides to keep the same units around. This would greatly benefit you if you keep the baby units from the start around. It adds an extra level of strategy to consider replacing a unit or letting it grow.
I think permanent upgrades accomplish this somewhat, as you always have to weigh selling that minion that's been soaking up bonuses to swap for a fresh one. Relics will also be giving new opportunities for stat bonuses too.
> -Lastly, a knowledge base that lets someone view all the monsters and at what rounds they spawn would also be helpful. It evens the playing field and cuts any new player's learning curves. If the info is easy to look up, including a list of the items that spawn, possibly even with the % chances they have to appear, then people can do much better planning.
I will definitely be adding this at some point!