The Alpha printings used a 2mm radius for the corners instead of the 1mm radius used later, making Alpha cards easy to identify despite being visually identical to Beta in every other way
(And, of course, the sweet spot is when you have very strong tribal rewards and very strong individual creatures!) Sometimes you might have to play a couple creatures that are just below the bar of normal playability, but you certainly don't want to fill your deck up with those
If you like beating down, Amarant Coral does just that
I not only play Storage MatrixStorage Matrix, but I do it in the worst way possible: in my "hey, don't worry, it's a fun Rule Zero deck" featuring Alexander Clamilton
Oversold Cemetery's Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales reprint has some of the best art in the entire set
Modern Special Illustration Rares and Alternate Art cards from Sword and Shield onward regularly sell for hundreds of dollars, proving that recently printed cards can compete with vintage ones in terms of price.