In Historic, Grist could make its presence felt in Yawgmoth, Thran Physician shells or Jund midrange
As such, this should be a deck you should try if you find yourself constantly wanting more mana to cast more spells
Finding whatever piece is missing of a Devoted Druid/Vizier of Remedies combo, tutoring up the Glen Elendra Archmage that will lock your opponent out of the game, or just turning a Kitchen Finks into a more valuable situational replacement these are scenarios that seem much more Modern plausible than surviving to the point where your Breaching Hippocamp finally gets to do something meaningful
If you have an engine in play already, then hitting creatures at all is good it doesnt matter what they are if youre going to sacrifice them for effects
Its a pretty simple mechanic, in that if you pay more, you get the corresponding effect, but it makes spells more useful throughout the game
Two powerful abilities for 2 Mana makes Growth Spiral a powerhouse