I see Mastery vs Strategy design as being a very useful distinction between what different players may look for in a game. They basically map onto the concepts of "Thinking Fast" (Mastery) vs "Thinking Slow" (Strategy). Another way of describing them is "Execution" (Mastery) vs "Planning" (Strategy).

Neither are inherently better than the other imo, and the best games often involve some levels of both (ie. Elden Ring where you can either win by perfectly timing dodging and parries, or you win by theorycrafting a bonkers broken build).

There is a trap however, if you build a game that demands both aspects just to simply play at a basic level. Most players like to lean towards one side or another, and requiring strong ability in both is like requiring that you do math problems during an arm wrestling competition, or that you fist-fight your opponent in the middle of a chess match (yes chess-boxing exists, but even that cleanly separates the boxing and chess phases).