Mirkwood Bats is a bit costly in mana, but once it hits the battlefield you can win the game off of its effect
There were no player points to earn, age groups werent yet called Juniors, Seniors or Masters yet, no States, Regionals or Nationals preliminary events all you needed to do was just go to the tour events nearest your location, play in one of six five-round single-elimination events (three a day over two days), and as long as you manage to win the third round congrats
Illustrated by Kim Sokol Standard Not Legal Alchemy Not Legal Pioneer Not Legal Historic Not Legal Modern Legal Brawl Not Legal Legacy Legal Comp
Paying four mana to draw one card seems like a terrible rate, and by all means, it is, but there are two crucial things to consider before you dismiss this card: the mana cost is entirely generic, and it can snowball fast
If you can't get them, craft them
But let's not get carried away