Scar lowers the strength of another character temporarily, Robin Hood draws a card and can make a character Evasive, and Aurora gives things Ward, meaning they can't be targeted except to challenge
No doubt that's partly because people aren't playing Alchemy to win tournaments, they're playing it for fun, so more of the player base is experimenting instead of net decking - but I don't really see that as a downside
According to WotCs Matt Tabak, some corrupted abilities affect what a spell costs or what it can target. The rules check if the corrupted status is on when youre casting the spell or targeting, so you can pay less for the spell or choose different targets
And, if you were concerned at all by the Cid representation in this game, worry no longer, all 15 Cids are here
Just make sure you have at least two or three creatures that share a creature type on the battlefield