I would normally agree with you, but the fact that there are 58 of them actually makes this a more meaty article.

I never liked that guideline, partially because it's mis-stated. In "10 Ways To Do X" there is no gratuitous adjective.

I actually like the number being there- it helps prepare me for what's in the article. It also kind of helps my bs detector. I do prefer, however, that the gratuitous adjective be dropped.

They are probably there to prevent link-bait since people jump on these kind of articles since they are very easy to digest.