That's massive ramping, but it costs seven, but in a color that ramps lands not mana rocks, that could be a lot of value and seems doable
Web worked well, because it cost one Green Mana, gave target creature +0/+2 and the ability to block creatures with flying
Official prerelease events will use seeded pairings, so its luck of the draw which opponents you get to play against
Ramunap Excavator isn't the only card that can do this, but it is by far the cheapest
Cards like Field Trip, Cultivate, Letter of Acceptance, and similar cards from non- Strixhaven sets do a good job at providing extra mana if you need it
Maybe Jeff had a high paying job for a few years before getting downsized and was able to use the money from his collection to help keep his family afloat