Being able to cheaply gain control of the board is very important in current metagame as it paves the way for you to establish your planeswalkers while at the same time makes their walkers a lot less effective
To the Slaughter is interesting because it can deal with both Dragonlord Ojutai and Jace, Vryns Prodigy (sometimes at the same time), but it seems too bad to play maindeck in significant numbers if token decks are at all popular
I think we can all agree that Masters 25 wasnt great, but it did cause Azusa, Lost but Seeking to drop by $25, Chalice of the Void to drop by about $20, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben by $10, Blood Moon by $5, etc
And even more surprising, all of them seem to point toward a slower, more methodical style of play that white has not always supported in Standard
Final Parting I love Commander as much as the next person, and I love the Commander precons as well