pokemon card birthday pikachu - Holo - Black Star WOTC Promo - 2000 These cards are freshly removed from packs Custom Pikachu Birthday Card -

You might not have the speed to get quick kills, but you reliably get the mana you need on later turns

This is mostly to avoid the look of impropriety, as being able to see the back of the card means theres the possibility of marking (i.e., putting marks on certain cards so you can tell when they pop up in your deck without drawing/scrying them)

3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben An extremely efficient creature, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is a two-mana 2/1 that comes down early and blocks all your opponent's early plays

These spells have seen a spike in popularity thanks to cards like Yargle and Multani, but they do well even when youre not starting out with a high-powered creature