For the next several years, Wizards maintained a steady pace of roughly 600 to 800 new cards annually
Since we're in the midst of prerelease season for Guilds of Ravnica, I've been doing the same things that you probably are: inhaling preview cards on the Intarwebs, reading through set descriptions and reviews, and trying to figure out which guild you're going to play or which card you really want to open (note: it's Assassin's Trophy...that card is gas, kids)
But I also know that for many of you, me included, a huge part of Magic is about playing in-person, whether it's showing off your hard-to-find Phyrexian Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite promo, or just talking by voice with whomever you're playing
not only can it remove problematic blockers, but it also adds a lot of hasty power to the board very quickly
Notably, attempts to make "fixed" versions of the Power Nine, such as Treasure Cruise in the Khans of Tarkir set, can still become overpowered, and thus Treasure Cruise is banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage, just like the Ancestral Recall it sought to emulate.
In terms of flavor, Seifer goading your enemy's creatures feels very in flavor
