This heuristic correctly identifies that Humans should play four copies of all its one-drops and Mono-Green Tron decks should play four copies of every land searcher it has access to, even though these cards lose value later in the game
And that, my friends, has made all the difference
If Sarulf doesn't have any +1/+1 counters on it as your upkeep begins, its last ability won't trigger at all
Its appreciation curve mirrors the box itself but at a slightly steeper slope, reflecting both the OOP scarcity and the broader 2026 Pikachu collector momentum tied to the 30th anniversary
This enables Red to do powerful things quickly and easily, though they carry the risk that, if the opponent recovers, Red's resources will "burn out." Examples: Fiery Gambit, Final Fortune, Seething Song, Desperate Ritual, Chaos Warp