Doesn't have to be Arch, as long as I can do the commands by hand instead of trusting whoever built the installer. I used Gentoo many years ago as well for the same reasons.
Distros like Arch simply make doing that very accessible when you are so intimately familiar with the process that an installer feels more like an obstacle than doing it yourself does.
Nothing against those that lack the experience, the familiarity, or simply find doing it that way takes too much of their energy.
Don't worry you'll figure out introspection eventually. ๐