We've already discussed the flashback cards, but Six provides all nonland cards with retrace, while Ramunap Excavator , Perennial Behemoth , Ancient Greenwarden , and Crucible of Worlds all let you play lands directly from your graveyard
Vampires arent the only tribe or theme I thought about
And in the early days I traded a Fungusaur for a Mox Emerald and I believed I was the nice guy to be willing to make the trade (I didn't have a Mox Emerald, or any Mox, at the time, and I had two Fungusaurs)
It's a pretty simple gameplan, but Elminster pulls it off really well
The first ability is a ramp ability, which gives you the necessary resources to play creatures from your hand and gain you life in the process