Pokemon cards first launched in the US in late 1998, when Wizards of the Coast (the company behind Magic: The Gathering) began rolling out an English-language demo product to teach people how the game works
While your logic looks good it overlooks the relevance of choices within packs
Sometimes this is your commander, like Depala, Pilot Exemplar or Rashmi, Eternities Crafter, but it's also Verdurous Gearhulk or a timely Stunt Double to copy your opponent's biggest monster
It probably warranted an 8-8.5
While you can always collect other strong cards, starting off right can be enough to survive the Grand Line
They sit sideways across the top of an existing Pokmon (similar to evolution) and give that Pokmon access to an additional attack or ability, more HP, and a distinctive gold-coloured CGI art style framed by a square holofoil pattern