Taken as a package Barricade does a hell of a lot for its low mana cost, in enough matchups to see Standard sideboard play at the very least
While early Magic lacked many of the incredibly powerful creatures you see today, there were still a good number of targets back in the day like: Shivan Dragon Treskelion Sengir Vampire Given the strength of these cards, it's easy to see why Animate Dead is still highly valued and highly played
These can be seen through the lens of whites small creatures seeking unity with blues knowledge making them stronger
You can play this on curve to slow down aggro decks, sweep the board clear and then flicker Halo to reset the name to the first threat they draw
One of the nice things about Piledriver is that even when you can't force him through he will at least force through and pseudo protect all your other valuable utility goblins as they will simply be forced into blocking Piledriver to not die
Later in the game, you can cast it as a 4/4 flier that gives you a small burst of life to stabilize
