The starting life totals feels like someone went, Forty is too much and twenty is too little, eh make it thirty. It turns out that thirty starting life actually feels right
Opt you cast at your leisure and at the low cost of one mana it should barely ever be detrimental or even noticeable on your curve which is much more so the case with the slightly more potent sorcery alternatives that get in the way of things more
Recommended Formats: Casual Commander Standard (If it's ever reprinted) 10
Very likely playable in a spell-slinger deck (especially as you likely include the Adventure dragons in that deck), but otherwise a flat out 7/7 isn't worth it to jump through hoops for
There are SO MANY cards better than this one
Dark Confidant has also been a long time Plan B for combo decks, whether in the sideboard or the maindeck, such as Paulo Vitor Dama Da Rosas Dark Depths deck from Pro Tour Austin: Creatures (11) Lands (24) Spells (25) Dark Confidant is great for finding combo pieces and great when you dont assemble the combo