A character with Rush has the element of surprise, allowing you to challenge before your opponent can prepare
While in the right decks, cards like Deathbloom Ritualist and Accomplished Alchemist have the potential to generate significantly more mana than Llanowar Elves you really want your four and five mana cards to be threats in their own right, rather than just a means of generating resources
If a card with cycling is in your hand, you can pay that card's cycling cost and discard it to draw a card
Adding Ward to a card like this really matters too, because the big downside with this kind of creature is that your opponent might be able to kill it for very little mana
Staryu is quick to set up, letting you apply early pressure, and Starmie EX keeps up consistent hits as you build energy for Articuno EX
Energybending sees competitive metagame play in 1 format(s): Commander.