Good feedback! Top of my list of gameplay improvements for the next major update is to "mellow out" the opponent AI a little bit, to reduce that unfairness and increase how in-control the player feels, so consider that totally noted.
As for Pace Up (the resonance effect on the big card "Clockwork"), I also agree it's a skosh problematic at the moment. It's possible that mechanics which show up in future chapters may help dial-back how off-the-rails it feels, but if not, it may need a rework. I'm thinking of either "localizing" the Pace Up effect for each debate participant such that it functions more like a Haste status in a more traditional JRPG, or perhaps decoupling the debate pace and acceptance rate mechanics somehow, so that only the "activating" player gets the "increased acceptance rate" benefit (at least at first). I'm open to suggestions on this one.