By itself it hits for 1 damage, then 6, and then 8 over three turns, not to mention how stupid a second copy makes it
By providing a chance to either ramp or draw a card an additional time each turn cycle, players can get to their big plays quicker, or just ensure they arent getting stuck without resources
White is sometimes included for token support, and green appears in graveyard-heavy builds like Sidisi-based strategies
While it may feel good to win off of Epic Struggle or Helix Pinnacle, the alternative win conditions lack in breadth over what the Selesnya deck wants to do
If that damage destroys all creatures blocking Assembled Alphas, Assembled Alphas doesnt become unblocked
GURU-style alterations are popular to this day, and most people have seen the GURU art, even if theyve never actually seen a GURU land