There are creature lands aplenty, which are awesome, resilient threats on their own and can be improved with tools such as Tatyova, Steward of Tides and Sylvan Advocate
Think Like an Investor Even if youre collecting purely for fun, its smart to think about the financial side
This allows them to build sets to balance the game, specifically, instead of introducing too many crazy concepts to casual fans who just want to collect and occasionally try to complete events once in a while
It doesnt do anything for two turns, which is a hefty downside, but since its a 1-drop that shouldnt be too bad
But, while you cant justify running it as removal alone, I dont hate a lifegain enabler or counter distributor that occasionally snipes a Llanowar Elves
What this means in practice is that Emerald decks are full of tricks that can frustrate opponents