Fling effects are something that many players love, and the idea of yeeting one of your big beefers into your opponents face is very appealing to a certain type of person
Not only does it remove threats for the moment, it taxes the owner when the creature returns by drawing you a card (assuming you are not the owner, in which case, hey, free card)
It blankets wide areas in snow by whipping upblizzards
The Fossil Raichu is not the most famous version of the card -- that honor probably goes to the Base Set print -- but it still benefits from the Pikachu halo effect in a big way
The ESRB may have been concerned due to the fact that Magic has a larger following among kids and teens than most games that are released with a T-rating.
The mote residing within that person continues to burn, forever filling them with a restlessness that consumes them day and night