Id already read a few books by Stephen R
By converting your life gain into +1/+1 counters, he ensures that each Food you eat also provides +3/+3 in stats, making them more than worth the two mana investment required to do so
Whether its turning your attacking creatures into an overwhelming force or breaking its brutal combo with Heartless Hidetsugu, this damage-doubling angel will likely finish the game shortly after being cast for a hefty 7 mana
Cards like Sanctum Weaver, for example, can tap for a lot of mana, and even if the Creatures themselves die, you can still activate their abilities, just as Enchantments
NIM DEATHMANTLE Emerging from the high-powered Scars of Mirrodin block, Nim Deathmantle plays with one of the most underutilized kinds of reanimation: the defensive Reanimator card