Icon of Ancestry isnt just harder to remove it lets you convert excess mana into more gas
But people play it a lot, and its well-liked by everyone who does
Of course, the other benefits that the mechanic grants can make other cards like Urzas Ruinous Blast and Scout for Survivors decent additions
Assuming you already have six lands in play you can drop [[Nissa, Vastwood Seer], search for a land, play the land and flip her immediately, which is pretty sweet
And if youre intimidated by Magic s difficulty, dont be
There are plenty of lifegain creatures that continuously grow turn after turn when paired with some other consistent lifegain source like Soul Warden, creating a creature base of attackers that goes both wide and tall