On turn one you usually ink a card and play a one-cost character, then pass
Fighting results in a nonland permanent going back to its owners hand, whereas finding a crossing grants a creature +1/+0 until end of turn and stops them being blocked, too
Even if your opponent can successfully take over the ground using bigger creatures, if his or her life total is low enough, it's frighteningly easy for you to simply draw a Herald of Torment (to create a flying creature) or Mogis's Marauder (to get through damage via intimidate) and close out the game
As such, I would rather err on the side of playing too many lands than too few
Reflecting this, when the flip card transforms into its dragon form, it unlocks the ability Burning Chains, which means you win the game when your chosen rival loses it
Ashnods Altar