With this version, if you target an artic squid:
unupped: cost 6 for 15 gain. Total gain = 9.
upped: Cost 2 for 9 gain. Total gain = 7.
Correct. Following that, your claim is...?
That targeting the squid, you win more quanta with the unupped one.
That's only if you have 6+ Water quanta. But if you have 6+ water quanta, that mean the difference is between 15+ water quanta and 13+ water quanta. In other words, there isn't really a difference in quanta generation.
Couple with it that you can barely
ever play the unupgraded version, and it is impossible to fit it into viable decks with its insane cost and little gain. I don't see how you can think that the upgraded version, which can easily be played on the very first turn, is weaker than the unupgraded version because of you "only" gain 77.8% of the quanta you would in the unupgraded.
As a point, I think the ability to target permanents should be taken away. That leaves it open to some serious abuse imo.
And an example of the aforementioned "serious abuse" would be...?