Unfortunatley, many people are priced out of competitive play without proxy cards
Scion of the Ur-Dragon might be a bit hard on the mana, but he opens up all colors and is another contender for the top spots
By reading the situation, not drawing attention to yourself, creating confusion in the game state and waiting for favorable conditions, you can use your resources and savvy to outmaneuver your opponents defeating them in spite of (or even because of) the help you gave them up to that point
It goes without saying that not all draft formats are equally liked, and the product's price is indeed a concern but I'd hazard a guess that drafters would be happy to have the option of a new set to draft every six or seven weeks
Sometimes you die with a hand full of cards and a ton of resources still in play
I count 9 Spellslinger payoff cards and 22 instants/sorceries to trigger them