Pokemon has always had large amounts of non-viable cards, that isn't just because of EXs, it's how PCL works.
There have been several VERY interesting Stage 2s...Delphox XY, Greninja XY, Aegislash XY, Dusknoir FLF, Shiftry FLF, Poliwrath/Politoed FUF, Victreebel FUF, Blaziken FUF, Chandelure...