Pointed Discussion

Excellent artifact, pumps your red creatures and provides a mana flare effect...
Also, this card inspired Mirari's Wake.

Indeed.
On top of that, it did not only inspire Mirari's Wake.
Take a look at Gauntlet of Power, that's even more obvious...

My Alpha/Beta mono red deck would have been nothing without this wonderful card.

This is a killer (obviously) in a red deck. Best if it is mono-red. It also fits the theme of red very nicely, as it also causes your opponent to get the bonus too, which would be inducing chaos. Makes getting that lethal damage with disintegrate or fireball much easier, not to mention huge mana acceleration. You could have 10 red mana on turn 5! I think the cost vs effect is very balanced, especially for Alpha days.

4.5/5

Much better than Gauntlet of Power (if you're playing mostly red), in that it costs 1 less, and you get extra mana from non-basic lands with the Mountain type.