Pikachu has been around since the beginning, and although it was never intended to be the original mascot of the fan-favorite franchise (that honor goes to Clefairy), the electric furry friend nestled its way into millions of fans hearts
(My brain says yes but my heart says no.) A little theme for today is that cards are more often part of a bigger picture than you realize
Damage doesn't reduce a creature's toughness, so that won't work, but a -X/-X effect or an accumulation of -1/-1 counters do the trick
On top of that, it reads: At the beginning of your next main phase, add an amount of colourless mana equal to that spells mana value." Basically, not only do you get to say no to something, you also get to cast something bigger on your next turn
You can even attack in a turn and cast it to defend in the next one, killing a few aggressors and gaining life