This was previous response for reference.
Totally agree on this and it explains the apparent P1 advantage. Now that I think about it again, I feel that base HP being 20 is a big factor in strong early aggression. MTG gives P2 a card advantage in attempt for P1-P2 balance and Codex gives P2 a gold/tech advantage. I think card advantage weighs more and is prolly the reason for heavier P1 advantage in Codex. Base HP again I think is tied to this equation.
That being said, I absolutely feel the same way with @Bryce_The_Rice about defense being much harder than offense especially the patrol choices as P2. And for this very reason, I think there is still much room to improve on P2 turns as a community and I believe we can close the gap in P1-P2 disparity.