Johnnies tend to shy away from obvious cards because they are trying to do something uniquely their own
Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast says it's launching a MTG booster pack recycling programme across North American local game stores, promising that all Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores that got WPN status before March 7, 2022 will soon be sent a special box for recycling booster pack wrappers
Not to mention its ultimate returns everything that ended up in your graveyard from the +1 ability
1 2 "Origins Award Winners (1998)"
What changed in year two: Collector awareness was higher: more people were actively hunting these, which means more complete sets exist but also more demand The secondary market caught on : sellers started listing complete 9-card sets at a premium over the individual card prices combined, and buyers were paying it Display culture grew: more collectors started sharing framed panoramas on social media, which drove even more interest This is the cycle that proved connected art wasnt a one-time experiment
You could do things differently and make this deck more aggressive if your commander were Saruman, the White Hand, but that's not the case so out it goes