Sure, it required more mana, but now there is a card advantage element as well
(A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.) The triggered ability and the copy it creates will resolve before the spell that caused it to trigger
In matchups where removal is heavy or an attrition war will occur, Fanatic should be sided out in favor of card advantage engines like Chandra, Pyromaster and Erebos, God of the Dead
And as a Naya commander, the access to red cards is a great thing for synergies with impulse draw and artifact shenanigans
This is a decent defensive creature, and it's activated ability is pretty nice in the late game
For example, if a single-faced card is a copy of The Legend of Roku, the chapter III ability will cause it to be exiled and then remain in exile