[3] [4] In most cases, this is an extreme measure to completely remove the effect that would or could put the card on the Forbidden list, so that the card can be used again, albeit with the new effect
When this monster is sent from the field to the graveyard, you can add a Red-Eyes card from your deck to your hand which also makes this card valuable for setting up future plays
Those mana sinks are both useful and powerful, and attacking with a modified creature isnt much of a hoop to jump through
Despite those sets having white borders, the release of reprints significantly depressed prices for the original printings on secondary markets
I've run commander decks successfully with as low as 32 lands before, so going down to 34 in this deck doesn't seem too awful
LotR is a traditional high fantasy story no, the traditional high fantasy story, and for all intents and purposes, the precursor to much of the media we have today