The Rule of Four and Infinite Loops

[TelTura]

So I was poking around one of the Star Trek CCG websites while gathering information for my card maker, and stumbled across a comprehensive rules listing.  I noted a lot of similarities to LotR-TCG, which is natural, being as both games were run by Decipher, but I noted their version of the Rule of Four:

1. RULE OF FOUR
No more than 4 copies of any card may be included
in a deck. The game text on any card can not be
used more than 4 times during a single turn.

And I thought, that's a rather ingenious way to shut down infinite loops and heavily-abused cards (coughcoughcough birthday present coughcoughcough).  Was there ever a reason or a counter-example as to why it was not adopted in the LotR-TCG?  It seems like an elegant solution to a number of problems.

[Yrael]

Because removing tokens for cards such as noble leaders and heirs of gondor counts as well. It would shut down some freeps boosting methods pretty badly IMO.

[TelTura]

That's +8 from one card and +4/damage +4 from the other.  Mayhaps I just don't know much about reinforcement, but that still seems like reasonable influence from a single card.

Perhaps the LotR version would state "The game text on any card can not be
used more than 4 times during a single phase."?

[Not a Zombie]

Probably cause it is a pain in the butt to keep track of. It wouldn't be hard with a program like gemp, but IRL it would be awful.

[Ringbearer]

I use my rank and file response more than 4 times a pahse usually.