Below 4, even an S/R-rated combo gets downgraded to Bracket 3 because the deck lacks the support to deploy it consistently
Biotransference and Encroaching Mycosynth both make our creature spells trigger Alela and let us cast them off the top of the deck with Mystic Forge
He acts as a board wipe and a win condition, and is up there with the best colorless cards MTG players should pick up if they plan on running a colorless-centric deck
You'd probably have to explain why spending nearly 30 grand on a single, unusable card was a good financial decision, though
WotC is gradually adjusting audience expectations around promo availability, such as by having extended-art versions of every rare
Collectors have responded with sustained, aggressive demand that has kept the card's value at a premium level well above what a typical Secret Rare from the same era commands