This is a pretty decent starter that lets you discard a card to Special Summon itself
However, what makes it a great card is the fact that it has a lot of good negation properties that make it totally awesome (pun intended)
As I already said, they aren't like your normal monsters as they're also a Spell, but only at a very specific time, that being when they are placed in your Pendulum Zones
Swift Scarecrow and Battle Fader (which both activate from the hand) also are great options that come to mind, although they don't destroy
While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: During your Main Phase, you can select 1 monster your opponent controls with an A-Counter(s), and take control of it while this card is on the field
The game has really come into its own with the addition of Location cards in third set Into the Inklands, and even solo and co-op options with the Ursulas Return set