"only XL-2"

Random selection is just a waste of time spent on leveling up, adding an extra 2 hours to the game, and moreover, it creates imbalance – starting with a top-tier castle and hero simply ruins the point of a particular game.
In my opinion, in SoD games, random selection should be removed. Choose a hero and showcase your skills – there's no reason to complain about bad luck.

I see random selection as an opportunity to play with a weaker castle, without initially putting myself in a losing position, and also to play with more diverse combinations of castle matchups. For example, it's unlikely that Tower-Swamp will be chosen often, but it's quite possible to play if Swamp gets, for example, Mirlanda as a starting hero.
I assume that players who are seriously aiming for victory will not choose random selection. And I myself, when leaving a group, would prefer to choose a specific castle rather than random. But in a group, I want to play with random selection.