Bodyguard allows the card to enter play exerted - rotating it 90 degrees to the side, which opens it up to possible challenges - in order to force the opponent to challenge the bodyguard card if they attack on the next turn
The cost of one mana makes it very easy to play alongside another token generator, which will more than likely put you over the threshold for the Citys Blessing
The Blood Artist effect is typically a payoff, but this card acts as an enabler on its ownyou can repeatedly sacrifice creatures and even draw cards in the process
Overall I dont think this card will be too impactful in Standard just looking at its stats
(2021-11-19) If you cast a spell for its cleave cost, that spell doesn't have any of the text in square brackets while it's on the stack
But the game draws on the rich traditions of the TCG genre, which were established some 30 years ago by games like Magic: The Gathering and the Pokmon Trading Card Game