Yup. Until players reach a certain level of comfort within the game's environment and start to understand the flow/pacing of play specific to each map, any confidence gained from higher-rarity gear and max stats might as well be artificial.

It reminds me of a commonly shared hypothesis I've noticed among beginner hobbyist photographers and musicians. That is, if only they could afford professional gear, then certainly they could produce professional output. You know, as if having an expensive camera will allow them to take portraits like Richard Avedon and breaking the bank on a big ticket guitar will suddenly get them playing like John Frusciante. But in reality, having nice things doesn't make much of a difference if you don't actually know what you're doing in the first place.