How similar the cards in a cycle are to one another vary from cycle to cycle: Some cycles have obvious and strict patterns among them (such as the battlemages from Planeshift set
So when you see a card that is strictly superior to a card that used to see play (say, anything better than Shatter), that might give you an edge (or at least a clue) in new-card evaluation
The large mana curve works against it somewhat, but Pearl Medallion and Smothering Tithe help to get more mana
It is almost an auto include in any deck with miracles as it makes you much less susceptible to mulligans
This is different to some other double-faced cards, such as Siege battles and Sagas, that exile themselves before coming in transformed
When this happens, the next turn player automatically becomes the commander (unless a different player killed them with combat damage, in which case the monarch moves the same way it normally would)