The cool cost reducing mechanic shows up on Bartz and Boko to care about birds (which includes chocobos), Travel the Overworld for towns, and Valkyrie Aerial Unit for artifacts
Another interesting thing is that dumping +1/+1 counters onto Animar turns it into a good beatstick
Build in some ways to increase your mana pool, remove early threats, and play some early creature cards to force your opponent to use up their removal spells
It is easier to cast, generally has a more potent removal effect, can scale up in power, and has that valuable lifegain option
It is undeniable that this powerhouses capability to accelerate your mana plan in three turns is incredibly broken
You're signing up for a bit of an investment if you plan on getting into Vintage without proxying