Vim syntax isn't a "bunch of tricks" though. It's a syntax, with enough consistency that you're able to figure out new commands without looking them up. For example, "d$" cuts from your cursor to the end of the line, and since "y" stands for yank/copy, you can then figure out that "y$" copies from your cursor to the end of the line.
And also, the syntax is shared with other Unix tools like man, less, sed, etc.
I'm not saying Vim is objectively better than Emacs or anything, but the basic commands gg, G, d$, dd, y$, yy, ^, $, and so on really are handy as a tool.
(Also worth noting that the syntax has overlap with Regex, so "^" and "$" are very natural choices for commands that jump to the beginning and end of the current line.)
And also, the syntax is shared with other Unix tools like man, less, sed, etc.
I'm not saying Vim is objectively better than Emacs or anything, but the basic commands gg, G, d$, dd, y$, yy, ^, $, and so on really are handy as a tool.
(Also worth noting that the syntax has overlap with Regex, so "^" and "$" are very natural choices for commands that jump to the beginning and end of the current line.)