Your change, once again breaks how the game currently works. If you add your ‘cancel’ it would change how traits and spells work.
So, once again you can’t just add a cancel because it changes ganeplay.
This isn’t 100% true. The arcane trait triggers as soon as you push cast, before you choose a target. So the change would require the order of resolution to be changed so that choosing a target moves to before traits like arcane resolve.
I’m pretty sure this is what the “opposition” is trying to say, they just aren’t saying it well. I’m not a programmer, but I would assume this particular instance of how the code is set up is the deal breaker for adding cancel because if everything else in the code is based on certain traits triggering before a target is chosen, then the devs would need to rework all the instances of this before changing the resolution order otherwise they may cause unexpected consequences (read as “break” other parts of the code)
Fyi, I think it would be spiffy if the cancel existed. I just don’t think it’s quite as straight forward a change as you all think, otherwise it wouldn’t get pushback from the devs every time it comes up. 
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It would be a big nerf for frostmage, 25% chance to freeze an enemy when ally casts spell. Because I’m probably not going to zap what just froze.
Then the bug reports when your spell kills a troop and the freeze fails because it is targeting a dead troop. Which is how the game works.
Aha, OK!
That would be some coding effort, but at least we can say if that change were made nothing would have to be rebalanced. And I guess UKResistance is bringing up a situation where the trait has impact on the battlefield before target selection and thus affects the target you might choose. I’d argue that kind of behavior was a bad idea but it’s already there so it’s not really worth diving into that topic.
I guess I ask myself if those are meta strats everyone depends on or if being able to back out of a bad cast brings so much good it’s worth the change. Over the years I’ve gotten better about not pushing “Cast” until I REALLY mean it, but I do think for most players this’d be a boon.
Can you explain, what exactly will be broken? Because I cannot see anything now.
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Ah, I see with your “Frostmage” reply. Yes, you are right here. Well, in my opinion, it’s wrong in current state, but at least I see your point. Well… It’s up for developers then.
Hrm. I checked all troops for “When ally cast a spell” trait. And there are this troops really affected by this “preliminary activation” (and so will change it’s logic in case of “cancel” implementation):
- Queen of Sin (Enemies lose 4 random stats)
- Viper (3 damage to a random enemy)
Classes:
Frostmage (25% chance to freeze)
That’s the full list.
So 2 marginally useful traits, and one 25%-chance Hero trait will work slightly different. And you says about “big nerf” and “breaks how game works”.
I think, you are slightly exaggerrating here.