Model Sheets of the characters will give you the shapes, but not necessarily the full performance
While control decks typically leave a lot of mana on the board outside their own turn, this will raise alarm bells for your opponent, who may look to counter if possible
I like Nyxathid since its good against decks that dump their hands naturally, where a 5/5 to 7/7 Nyxathid will be common without much work on your part
Not to be outdone, Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep is an 8/8 Legendary Leviathan that will return all creatures except Merfolk, Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents to their owners' hands
Killing Golgari Thug to put Narco to the top to trigger it in the next Dredge or to avoid losing to decking also can happen from time to time
The ante rule was effectively in the way of WotC being able to run the tournaments that many of us have come to enjoy over the years, so it had to be removed