It provides card draw, +1/+1 counters, and life, and gets cheaper the bigger your creatures
If the target of Fall of the First Civilization's first chapter ability is an illegal target as the ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen
A three-mana 3/4 that can remove artifacts and enchantments has all the playability in the world and is a phenomenal rate, and if I were to add it to the actual list, it would get a high spot
But for a variety of reasons (bannings, metagame shifts, etc.), those factors are no longer as pressing today
Baleful Strix is one of the most-played cards of all-time
The drawback is severe, but the payoff is worth it against the decks that are forcing your hand