I think the idea has a lot of promise. By removing the RNG factor, the system would be easier to tweak for balance. And splitting off utility so that the player doesn't have to choose between DPS+ and nonDPS cards, there'd be no harm (or resentment) by using the utilities as needed or to optimize group performance.

And before anyone suggests that lore requires random card draws, keep in mind that Squeenix threw lore out the window when they changed all the cards to have the same effect. (I'd imagine a new player leveling up AST would be confused as hell by the storyline.)