In the early years, packs were often larger, while some later sets contained fewer cards
I'm a big fan of leads joining Vision Design, as it helps them understand the vision of the set and allows them to question ideas early to make sure we're handing off the best version of the set for completion
Prankster's also a decent combatant, something that most cards like this can't claim
As if this wasn't excellent in its own right, Allosaurus Shepard can protect its controller from pesky blue players by preventing all green spells cast by its controller from being countered
There are plenty of spell and trap cards that can negate attacks, destroy monsters who try to attack, or otherwise save life points
One or two mana for a creature that should cost seven or eight is a massive tempo swing