Even though it costs seven mana, there are no color restrictions allowing you to easily ramp into it early on in the game
Because of its limited print, crossover design, and deep production history, its a preceding artifact of when Pokmon was about to become a global sensation
Focus Fire is really good
The Illustrator, the Trophy Pikachu cards, the Snap promos, and the Topsun Charizard all trace back to Japanese contests, tournaments, and promotions, which makes Japan the source market for the hobbys most important cards
The tone of public opinion about a format always has to be taken with a grain of salt, but its a pretty dramatic shift from Gravecrawler to Thragtusk as public enemy number one
Still, a 3-mana artifact that taps to loot is going to be useful in some decks, particularly one thats trying to descend