So... theres been a lot of talk about the Nether update and I noticed that Endermen seem to spawn in the Warped Forest. That could be a more reliable way to get pearls in random seed runs. Thoughts?

Maybe, but it all depends on where you spawn in the nether too.

Very very useful for 1.9+. If there are no major relevant changes before 1.16 is released then it'll probably be faster than 1.7.

What will be the next update soon

Yes, Endermen do spawn a lot more in warped forests, but for a speedrun, it's a lot quicker getting gold and trading it with piglins as there is a lot of gold in the nether now in general and usually on high runs - people will find a dessert temple which usually has gold in it. Hope this helps!