Lets start with the against the odds plan first: some players are hyped about using Rotpiest as a combo piece, trying to storm off and target it a bunch of times with something like Ground Rift to poison the opponent out of the game
Massive card draw
New and veteran players alike can dive right into the story of The Lord of the Rings to earn promo cards (from WPN event Promo Packs or Bring-a-Friend promos, where available), take a souvenir photo, receive a bonus MTG Arena code (where available) direct to their account, and even take home special The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth themed promotional six-sided dice
There's just one problem when a card like this gets reprinted in a modern day set - Standard isn't a format with Brainstorm, Mox Pearl, Lotus Petal, Force of Will, Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares, Daze, etc
Running Darien presents a political aspect to Commander too, since you can let your opponents attack you instead of blocking
The auto ability to select one Forward and break it is then added to the stack after the cards are discarded