While the toughness increase on this spell won't always be enough to save your attacker from combat damage, the power increase will at least ensure a trade in nearly all scenarios
During the beginning of the combat phase, he can move a counter from one of his creatures onto another
Rare cards are not much different from commons
To a Magic player, casualty is a cost of casting some spells
The History of the Reserved List As usual with anything related to Magic, the reserved list has a history of controversy and complaints before WotC finally struck a compromise with its player base
Ive seen complaints that this risk is too big in a game when it only takes three points to win (unlike the physical version of the game where you need six points), but when the card is extra strong and you have the option of switching it out it seems justified, plus you still have that golden window of playing it when your opponent already has two points, at which point the extra risk is nullified