Only when you have absolutely no idea how he works. As soon as you learn his pattern, he becomes one of the easiest super bosses in the FF series.
Death-protection and the Defend command are the only preperations you really need. Some speed and attack doesn't hurt though, as the battle can drag on for a while without that. Everything else is of little importance. Well, you have to choose between either having 9999 max hp, or simply using the GF command ( preferable ) too. But that's about it.
Even if you go solo-Squall, FFVIII is one of the easiest FF games. Last time I played, I didn't use any junctioning other than command junctioning. And it was still pretty easy.
To add something more to the topic; yes, Tripple Triad is the best minigame ever.![]()