Its ability to manipulate power can make it easier to knock out enemy characters
The answer is probably relatively simple: once the allure of Mega Hyper Rare cards wore off, collectors simply preferred the arguably superior artwork of an SIR
Shinryu has high attack and flying, making eliminating a player with commander damage a serious possibility
Not terribly strong as you bat commander but excellent in your 99, you really only need to empty one opponent's hand (find the aggressive player) and you'll be ready to return the Temple of the Dead flip land to the card drawing, token generating, life draining bat, and rule the table
Cards known as the flip cards from the Kamigawa set were so hard to understand in a first glance, that they would never be used again
But an Obzedat's Aid recursion would work once, and then a Bojuka Bog once, and such, you want this to be recursion