Blade Splicer isn't as tricky, but it is powerful as a 1/1 that makes a 3/3 whenever it enters the battlefield, while also giving all of the 3/3s first strike
It essentially puts a gun against your opponent's head and makes them decide between taking damage equal to the mana cost of three cards you mill, or letting you just draw those three instead
Anyone who has played against the premier Selesyna utility Land, Gavony Township, knows how quickly "random mana dorks" can become, "Why am I dying to a Bird of Paradise?" Leyline of Abundance plays in essentially this same space, except sometimes it starts on the battlefield before the game even begins
We do not need a large storm count for this card to be valuable
(If this creature isnt monstrous, put three +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.) The cyclops had learned to never eat a shepherd