Unfortunately, we're also seeing plenty of Gut Shot in Modern
The Thing The Thing is one of only a few 4-color commanders that's explicitly designed to win through combat damage, specifically commander damage
Your deck can function without one or both, and some decks prefer not to run them for various reasons
Ral Zarek is solid for your decks, and I played him in my Standard deck that did some damage at FNMs at the time, as people would really respect Ral in that era, especially with the Double Lightning Bolt available for four mana at -2
Thankfully, during a time where digital Magic is the go-to and accessibility is the prominent topic of discussion in the community at large, a new format has entered the Arena
Odds are youre playing this with a white Commander, and that effect is just dead