It’s a nice balance when the GM is limited but empowered to give the players a fair fight while still honoring the fiction. I think a key point there is to hit a place where one position can strongly favor the other, but it’s not a done deal.

(If I may borrow from the fighting game community, being able to present the players with a 4-6 or 3-7 matchup instead of an 8-2 or 10-0 matchup.)