Of course that does nothing to invalidate the comparison. It may just be that the Pup ends up as an interesting game mechanic that may not be too competitive but which could be fun to play around with from time to time. Or are we now saying that everything FFG puts out need to be useful in a highly competitive environment?

The mechanic is wonderful, fluffy and fun. If the costing can also be brought to the competitive level, it takes nothing away from how fun the mechanic is in casual play, but does add a nice wrinkle to both competitive and casual.

So no, not everything needs to be highly competitive, but it helps.