Its almost never dead a card, as theres often a value creature to bring back or an opposing creature to kill or shrink
But once you get to a level of investment in shiny cardboard that it becomes financially impactful (Im also poor), its important to take statistical probability into account
Prices Track card and set value
Youve got cards like Virtue of Strength and Roxanne, Starfall Savant that can help you generate extra mana, with cards including Aftermath Analyst, Shigeki, Jukai Visionary and Spelunking to mess around with your graveyard
Shalai and Hallar For our secondary commander we have Shalai and Hallar, a commander that costs 1RGW for a 3/3 body with flying and vigilance
Some of my favorites are Crackle with Power, Jaya's Immolating Inferno, and Comet Storm