Some VERY successful decks were designed around making a suicidal dash for max honor or enlightenment while paying just enough attention to the opponent's attacks to not be completely wiped out before winning
Norin the Wary If you want a total scaredy-cat in the commander zone, look no further than Norin the Wary
Blue artifact token generators like Sai, Master Thopterist, Efficient Construction, and Skystrike Officer make multiple artifact tokens to sacrifice them in one blow for extra value
It gives your other characters the Challenger +3 keyword, plus an ability in the form of actual text
Belle and Sapphire Coil show the demand for steady engines and reliable early turns
Wizards must have believed the warping effect of Dredge in the format was pretty significant, as they end up with some egg on their face having unbanned Grave-Troll a few years earlier