All three of these cards have been banned in at least one format, and it seems like Wizards of the Coast is playing it extra safe
You attach energy cards to critters so they can pull off moves, and you can drag more powerful beasties onto cards to evolve them mid-battle
I tried out different numbers and amounts of life loss, but the Sleeper Agent problem was quite real here: it was hard to get this at a rate where it was fun while encouraging you to keep it or give it away in different games

Magic: The Gathering The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Important dates and products Magic: The Gathering The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Important dates and products MagicCon: Minneapolis: May 5-7 The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Debut and Previews Begin: May 30 Card Previews: May 30-June 9 Commander Previews and Decklists: June 8 Complete Card Image Galleries: June 9 In-Store Prerelease Events: June 16-22 MTG Arena Digital Release: June 20 Global Tabletop Release: June 23 Launch Party Events: June 23-25 Bundle: Gift Edition Release: July 7 The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth In-Store Celebration Events: July 7-9 Commander Parties: July 21-23 MagicCon: Barcelona featuring The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth : July 28-30 Store Championships: August 5-13 Holiday Release: November 3 The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth

You can mutate onto your commander Otrimi, the Ever-Playful is a dedicated mutate commander which has the mutate keyword
It is quickly summoned to be quickly tossed away, but that act allows the player to banish any opposing villain character