It was definitely an underdog release in Japan. Word of mouth on Japanese playgrounds helped Pokmon surge in popularity, especially because Game Boys were much more affordable than they had been in their heyday
The company is owned by Collectors Universe, which was recently overtaken by a group of investors led by Nat Turner with a valuation of $700,000,000
On the same day, Pokmon Legends: Arceus was announced, a prequel to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Plenty of sacrifice payoffs draw cards or damage your opponents, but few of them interact with your opponents like this
Alternatively, Court of Vantress lets you create tokens of an artifact or enchantment to copy again and again
Key Enablers This should go without saying, but if you're drafting a dedicated mill-yourself deck, you're going to need a lot of ways to put cards into your own graveyard