If you cast an adventurer card as an Adventure, use only its alternative characteristics to determine whether it's legal to cast that spell
This card portrays that moment perfectly and is a pretty solid little removal spell to boot
Decks that want to play counters are almost always control decks, and control decks would much prefer to gain life rather than cause opponents to lose life, so all things being equal they would have preferred to play with Absorb but there were other considerations that forced most of them down the black road instead
The card quote is about enemies teaching you more than friends
Y'shtola Rhul Rarity: Mythic Rare TYPE: Legendary Creature SUBTYPE: Cat Druid CMC: 6 Mana cost: USD: $4.89 EUR: 4.42 TIX: 0.02 EDHREC RANK: 2733 (3/5) At the beginning of your end step, exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control
Its not only red as the White Mages Rod shows a non-sword type weapon at 1W, giving equipped creature +1/+1, cleric, and whenever the creature attacks, you gain 1 life