So shes a steal at less than $1
Levels 2 and 3 are all just upside on this class enchantment
Commander is the most popular format of Magic , but the rules are slightly different from standard play, and matches can often include more than one opponent
Permanents entering don't cause abilities of permanents your opponents control to trigger
Decks that want to play counters are almost always control decks, and control decks would much prefer to gain life rather than cause opponents to lose life, so all things being equal they would have preferred to play with Absorb but there were other considerations that forced most of them down the black road instead
It can be used alongside equipment, sure, but also in decks that care about activating abilities to put counters on things, for example