The key to the original Malcolm's success is the fact that any damage from Pirates triggers the ability, not just combat damage
A card being functionally identical to another means it has the same card type, subtypes, abilities, mana cost, power, and toughness
You can follow it up with a spell cast from exile to give your entire board a +1/+1 counter, slowly growing Zuko and increasing your mana output from that firebending ability
The cheapness of Lizard Blades is quite startling as well
You can also use Neyiths combat trigger to force your opponent to block, which can also help with removal and ensure that youre able to draw a card during combat
While some do seem to enjoy how well it captures the character, theyre in the minority so far