You also need to make sure you hit your land drops, either with draw effects (Qiqirn Merchant and Adventurers Airship provide usable bodies as well as draw smoothing) or cards that directly give you lands or mana (World Map, landcyclers, Blitzball)
Overall, Verhey says, "this card is extremely comparable to Plating on power level." In the article, the designer takes pains to emphasize that pre-banning cards is not the new normal - for Pauper or any other MTG format
That coupled with Ward make Webby an indispensable card, and being able to shift for such a low cost can be helpful in certain situations, too.
Casting a spell for its cleave cost doesn't change the spell's mana value
The other Precon Im using is Disa, the Restless, and its unedited out of the box
Not to mention, the card's own recursion is practically built in thanks to its use of the escape mechanic also seen on Underworld Breach