They used to be a pretty trivial archetype that had some cool fusion monsters, but were ultimately pretty useless
Putting +1/+1 counters on a creature, gaining life, drawing a card, reanimating a creature from the graveyardall are just solid ways to engage in a game of Magic, and are even better because you can use it to your own or to another players benefit, depending on the situation
Taking two energy cards from the discard pile is quite good, but since you'll also have to discard one of your own cards in exchange, you should make sure to make the right decision
Not only is this a creature spell and a body on our board, it allows tokens to be mana producers
Are Japanese Pokemon cards worth more than English cards
Though not always easy to set up, this can be a powerful and unexpected play