Ordeal of Thassa

Two mana for an Aura that eventually hands you two cards is a fine rate, but the elegance of this design is that it never pays up front. The counter accrues one swing at a time, and the payoff only fires on the third attack, which means the cheapest path to the card draw is also the most exposed: you have to commit a creature to combat three turns running, in the red zone where removal and blocks are cheapest, before the engine cashes out. The reward is real (a permanent +3/+3 in counters plus two cards), but it sits behind a window any opponent can see coming and disrupt. Across the Ordeal cycle, each color turns that cumulative buildup toward a different end, and Thassa's converts sustained aggression into refuel, keeping a fast deck stocked rather than running dry. The fine print rewards a player who reads the trigger carefully: the cards come only when you sacrifice the Aura, so the counter threshold matters more than the body it is attached to. Feed counters onto the creature from another source, trip the three-counter line early, and the Ordeal sacrifices itself ahead of schedule to deal you the cards. Left undisturbed, it is a patient design that asks you to keep attacking with a creature you have already invested in, trusting that the board you are building is reason enough to keep swinging.