Even better is that Elesas Sparkle gets the Fusion Strike Energy cards straight from the players deck, making it a highly effective Energy acceleration and deck thinning card
It holds this status not just for being part of the original 151, but thanks to its appearance in the anime, where a Meowth served as an invaluable member of Team Rocket and side-kick to Pokmon's best villain characters Jesse and James (fight me)
That gives your opponents ample time to answer it whereas an Emberwilde Captain offers immediate value on ETB
Why are Ultra Rare Pokemon cards so valuable
No, ward will not cut off a targeting trigger
Sacrificing creatures or artifacts makes it easy to find fodder, hitting any target is a big deal, and dealing two plus the cards mana value means you can just cast something expensive and deal a ton of damage to your opponent immediately