You pay 1 life, but the payoff is flexibilityyou can either stack a +1/+1 counter on it to grow taller, or create a spirit token with endure
Whether you get nailed by it in Limited, or you run into it in Constructed, or even just get smacked down around the Commander table, this card will get you at some point
Beatings (If you attacked with two creatures this turn, when you cast CARDNAME from your hand, put a copy on the stack
Theres no telling how much a card like this can fetch on the secondary market
You determine the size of the bonus as the melee ability resolves
Three is a lot of mana to pay to counter something in the cube, five is incredibly painful