Cards like Kura, The Boundless Sky from Kamigawa Neon Dynasty or Needlethorn Drake from Strixhaven: School of Mages make for reliable ways to keep yourself safe from larger creatures
While needing cards in the graveyard for escape is a limiting factor, it's hard to imagine that, even discounting its power as a ramp spell on Turn 3, Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath isn't better than Elite Guardmage as a creature thanks to bigger stats and a more repeatable trigger
What sets this card apart from other zombie lords is its ability to give all zombies Menace until the end of the turn
But remember that just because a certain type of illustration won in the past, it doesnt mean that you have to follow that specific style
This elegant Leafeon is an incredible card, but it will struggle to break through the ceiling and continue to climb this list
One of the things I like to do when tweaking a returning mechanic is to find some variable we haven't messed with yet