Originally a high monster-count aggro Deck, the release of Storm of Ragnarok shifted it into a combo Deck, with "Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En" acting as a strong endboard piece (especially for the time), and various searchers ("Shien's Smoke Signal", "Reinforcement of the Army", and "Gateway of the Six") enabling higher consistency
Decks like Dragapult ex, Ns Zoroark ex, Festival Lead, and Hide n Sneak are optimized to facilitate attacks that cost one or two Energy, so Ancient Bulwark could cause the opponent to miss a turn of attack or discourage them from spending their Energy attachment for the turn on a support Pokmon like Munkidori
Theres so much more to the graveyard than total dedication, and most decks can reap some benefit from including it in their plans
the secret sauce
Each card is mechanically unique, and themed according to the characters they represent, including Xenk, Paladin Unbroken, Simon, Wild Magic Sorcerer, Forge, Neverwinter Charlatan, Holga, Relentless Rager, Doric, Natures Warden // Doric, Owlbear Avenger
Fetchlands and shocklands can also notably damage your life total to grow your Death's Shadow