Yeah, I liked the name Verdant Nexus. For a couple reasons. First, because it's upkeep effect is sort of like Verdant Force, but instead of getting 1/1 creatures, you get 1/1 counters that you can throw around to other creatures.
The other reason I like Verdant Nexus is because it fits the story line for the set best. The forest is the owner of the Mirari and it has created this beast which is the forest incarnate.
On the other hand, Forgotten Ancient makes it sound like this creature has been around forever and no one remembered him. How does that really fit the story line?