Giving up a Food is more appealing, but youre still attacking with a 1/3, and theres a pretty good chance that even when you tap down an opposing creature with this, your opponent can easily take it down in combat, especially after the early stages of the game
This leads to another matchup where your opponent might as well be phased out the whole time
Removal-heavy decks are scarce in Modern these days, and being able to race thanks to Aether Vials ability to empty your hand quickly is more valuable
As a result, Edgar Markov is now worth over $100, which is pretty staggering for what is ultimately a Commander-only card
They even let him hit Tyvar if were lucky
And if that target is a player, that player cant gain life