You want to hit your land drops anyway, so a cheap blocker that generates effectively free value is very welcome in a strategy that needs to churn through 60 cards rather than 20 life points
However, it may only be cast this way if it has a foretell cost in exile
Boros Energy (15.1% of the Winner's Metagame) 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 4 Guide of Souls 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 4 Galvanic Discharge 4 Arid Mesa 4 Flooded Strand 3 Goblin Bombardment 3 Arena of Glory 3 Sacred Foundry 3 Seasoned Pyromancer 3 Marsh Flats 3 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 2 Elegant Parlor 2 Plains 2 Static Prison 2 Thraben Charm 1 Mountain 1 Windswept Heath 4 Molten Rain 2 Orim's Chant 2 Deafening Silence 1 Wear // Tear 1 Showdown of the Skalds 1 Celestial Purge 1 March of Otherworldly Light 1 Wrath of the Skies 1 Blood Moon 1 Stony Silence In the early days of the post-ban Modern format, Boros Energy has established itself as the deck to beat
What does removing these counters do, you ask
Even after multiple reprints, youre still looking at $15 for this banger on the low end, or $35 if you want this fancy Source Material version
Death is a Reanimate for one more mana, but we know how good reanimate has been in tournaments, and of course, Life // Death followed that dynamic in due course after it was printed in Apocalypse