Grind harder weaklings!

Yes, you cannot curbstomp 2 npcs on day one of playing cards.

Get over yourselves and come back to these guys when you have 60 cards. Landenel only needs to be beaten once to count towards your Squall card (you can also opt to skip him entirely) and both cards he drops are obtainable through other means. Rowena does have an exclusive card, but is still farmable with even a 2-star deck.

Are the rules broken? Yes, to create a measure of difficulty and give you incentive to work towards 60 cards. Neither of these NPCs hold you back from either the Squall card achievement nor the 60 card unlock on your 3-star cards.

Shut up and play cards.