Just a small number of the best players in the world where you get to play really tough matches every round against really great players
Victimize costs three, sacrifices one to return two tapped, so it's mana efficient and therefore beloved
There are 113 decks on EDHREC that include this card, with the majority adding it to Treva, the Renewer
The versatility of counterspells gives blue players reassurance they wont get blown out in the long game, and the ability to steal an opponents best card is the ultimate haymaker during back-and-forth midrange battles
Throughout its time in Standard, this guy was relatively unpopular, and I dont think I saw a single financial or casual columnist tout this guy as a possible investment or cool deck option
As time has marched on, however, Wizards of the Coast has repeatedly experimented, creating myriad new variants