This card is reminiscent of cards that punish noncreature spells like Scab-Clan Berserker or Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
3 Star Athlete He'll Get A Scholarship If He Survives A 3/2 with menace for three mana is already pretty good, but then Star Athlete offers its signature move of hating on non-land permanents
There's also nothing wrong with a good Lightning Helix between friends that then forces the opponent to finish him off
This allowed them to have extra colored mana in the mana costs without making it harder to cast the spell in a two-color deck
I didn't think it could happen in that context so I wasn't even open to the idea
Some of my favorite hits have been the following: Exploration, Chulane, Teller of Tales, Cultivate, Rhystic Study, and Esper Sentinel