It's no surprise that it has lasted this long, and it will continue to enrich the game for years to come
Basically, when you build your deck, you need to think about the very real scenario that any artifact or creature you play could end up as a 3/3 Elk, and if thats not acceptable, then that card should probably not be played
When Wizards announced the Affinity bannings in March 2005, it completely gutted the deck, taking away not only two of its key win conditions in Disciple of the Vault and Arcbound Ravager but all six of the artifact lands as well
There are myriad creatures in blue and green that can function as effective removal
This is doubly important because, while we can rely on McDuck Manor in theory for a win condition, we cant afford traditional board wipes such as Be Prepared or Sisu Empowered Sibling