Grading costs the same for Japanese and English cards ($19-25/card through PSA), so higher base quality means better odds of hitting PSA 10
It's probably not a coincidence that this Reddit post singing the praises of the Scepter/Flubs synergy was posted right before the spike
With the Slowpokes and Drowzee being weak to psychic they take double damage if they lose the coin flip resulting in KO'ing the base set Slowpoke and taking Drowzee and fossil Slowpoke to 10 HP
$0.49 Cat Token // Beast Token (0026 // 0025) Bloomburrow Commander Decks $0.35 Dog Token // Goblin Token (0003 // 0012) Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Decks $2.29 Cat Soldier Token Born of the Gods $2.49 Feline Sovereign Core Set 2021 $0.99 Dog Token Murders at Karlov Manor $1.29 Cat Token Zendikar Rising $0.99 Cat Beast Token (0028) Foundations $1.29 King of the Pride Modern Horizons $0.39 Helpful Hunter Foundations $7.99 Leonin Warleader Core Set 2019 $1.29 Cat Warrior Token Modern Horizons 3 $0.79 Regal Caracal Foundations 0 results found
Healing Salve's 3 life isn't up to snuff against Lightning Bolt's (or even Giant Growth's) 3 damage, because gaining life, by itself, does not help you win the game
Grading these cards not only protects them but also adds a sense of accomplishment to your collection