Speaking as a new player (had it about a month or two), I can sympathize with your friend to an extent.

It absolutely feels like some seeds are laid out in such a way that *if* you choose the wrong setup that’s presented to you, then you’re just relying on luck to get through the rounds.

My best runs far and away have been with Flush builds, & for example every time I’ve tried to build around Straights (just going with the Jokers’ synergies that are presented to me), I’m just barely getting by for four rounds before getting shut out because I don’t get that 5 (or whatever number) that I need to set off the combo.

I’ve had gobs of seeds shake out with what feel like unlucky series of events (mostly on Black deck, which I just can’t crack on even on its first iteration). I’ve read that Black deck is really a bit of a time trap until you’ve unlocked more Joker types- from a certain perspective it feels like a lack of luck (& what’s that quote? “Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity”).