Put it into your hand, then discard a card at random
Putrid Imp is one of the best for that in Black, but if you need Imp #2, Cabal Initiate is almost as good and works just fine
However, Protection Magic could still see play as a versatile option in a White-based deck looking to protect important creatures from removal spells and combat damage
After some time in the format, Agent eventually got banned, leaving Standard free of its thievery
With the archetypes reliance on just two Main Deck monsters that will be turned into Link monsters to keep your Main Monster Zones clear, the condition that requires you control no monsters in your Main Zones is nearly irrelevant, making this a powerful combo-starter that improves the decks consistency even in its Limited state
This is often the only infect card in a Commander deck just like Triumph of the Hordes