Thoughts on Pirate Combat Mechanic

I recently took my pirate game design off the back burner and revamped the combat mechanic and would like some feedback.

In the game, each player controls a pirate ship and crew sailing the seas seeking plunder.

In the old system, players had a hand of wind cards for movement and when combat was initiated (vs player or npc) they would draw cannon and maneuver cards from central decks equal to their ship's ratings and resolve the combat. I've come to believe this is too random and too time-consuming/fiddly having to draw so many cards each battle, then analyse and then play them.

In the new system, each player has their own deck of cards consisting of sail, cannon and maneuver cards mixed together. Each card type has its main function and a weaker alternative function. For example, a Broadside card (cannon type) is powerful in battle but could be used to sail one space. A "strong wind" sail card allows your ship to move far but used during battle it provides 1 maneuver. This way all cards have a use in battle or non-battle situations. More powerful cards are acquired over the course of the game (replacing weaker ones) through purchase with gold or by experience.

When combat is initiated, players first optionally play sail cards to gain the "wind" advantage. The player with the wind advantage get to roll a bonus combat die which may add to their cannon or maneuver total. Next, each player has 2 card plays to gain the highest cannon and maneuver totals. Some combos of cards may allow more card draws or additional card plays, or bonus to totals. Cannon icons are compared to maneuver icons(adding any icons from gaining the wind advantage) to determine the number of hits. A "damage" card is added to the hit player's deck. Whoever scored more hits in the exchange wins.

For battling a basic NPC, the NPC ship has target values that must be beat. Some NPCs have special keywords that give them bonus die rolls or require extra hits to defeat or other special powers.

Players also have crew and upgrade cards that can be used to enhance combat. These are not part of the deck.

Any feedback is appreciated. Would a deck building combat mechanic like this be strategically and dynamically satisfying enough without being overly complex and time consuming?

My other big concern with this system is its use of zero sum deck building. Each ship type specifies the composition of the deck by card type. So a fast,agile ship like a sloop has more sail and maneuver cards and less cannon cards while a large galleon has many cannon cards but fewer maneuver cards. If I allow culling like most deck builders, the ship type and flavor becomes meaningless and tiny decks of power cards would break the combat system. Instead, when a player purchases an upgraded card they must remove a card of the same type from their hand (searching the whole deck is too fiddly). Most players have preconceived notions of what deck building should be and enjoy slimming their decks to well oiled machines. Zero sum deck-building may not be palatable for many. This game has a larger scope and is only using deck-building as mechanic in a broader game; not sure if that makes this system acceptable.