vanguard cards mtg Skyknight (Core Set 2020) put a +1/+1 counter on each colorless creature you control Leonin Vanguard - Foundations -

In competitive play, permanents become keystones for high-level players to craft tactics

If the damage Wicked Guardian deals is prevented (perhaps because you chose for it to deal 2 damage to a creature with protection from black), you still draw a card

And while were on the topic of paying the one

Yes, there were players who splashed a second colour for utility and sideboard cards but before Sling-Gang Lieutenant goblins stuck to the consistency that a mono-coloured deck offered

But the print runs became larger, so youre more likely to stumble across a sealed Beta or Unlimited booster pack than an Alpha one

Grand Abolisher was already a modest contender, but making it cost instead of is a massive difference