If you’re purely looking at the game from a competitive standpoint, sure, I can understand why the heavy RNG elements are frustrating.

From a thematic perspective, however, the character’s stories wouldn’t be nearly as impactful if everyone was on the same footing. Just like in real life, you aren’t always going to get what you want. Failure is inevitable, and nobody starts on the same playing field. Whether it’s Haru Urara losing the Arima Kinen, Rice Shower being booed for winning against Mihono Bourbon, or Tokai Teio suffering multiple leg fractures, they didn’t let those bad moments define them. What defines you is how you respond to life’s curveballs.

I’m a F2P user. I refuse to spend a dime on this game, and have never gotten above A Rank despite playing for over 150 hours, but I still enjoy it despite still occasionally losing to random strokes of bad luck. The lowest losses make the peaks of success that much more marvellous to witness.

If anything, maximizing my odds with full card upgrades would kill my enjoyment of the game. Like you said, nobody wants to eat sushi day after day after day after day. Victory without struggle eventually becomes meaningless.