In a blog, Mark Rosewater, lead designer on the game, said that it is counter-intuitive to have the Ring bring in-game positive effects, but it was the only way to get players to actually interact with it
Card Set(s) -EMPERORS IN THE NEW WORLD- [OP-09] CARD VIEW OP09-034 | R | CHARACTER Perona Attribute Special Block icon 3 Type Muggy Kingdom/Thriller Bark Pirates Effect [On Play] Look at 5 cards from the top of your deck
Green has been good for so long, I wouldnt be surprised if most of todays players didnt realize that green was famously considered the weakest color by a large margin in the early days of competitive Magic, a reputation that persisted for many years
Its preferred targets are ones with strong ETBs or death triggers, like Protean Hulk and Worldspine Wurm
To turn it into a win condition, just add Blood Artist or Vein Rippereach sacrifice drains your opponents, letting you control the board while chipping away at your opponents life totals