0 - unplayable in 40 card singleton
1 - effectively unplayable
2 - has low tier constructed decks it might go in
3 - has mid tier constructed decks it does go in
4 - pretty powerful stuff with several potential homes, able to perform well in lower powered cubes
5 - powerful stuff that is either just too narrow or has too many superior alternatives
6 - fringe cube worthy
7 - cube worthy
8 - cube staple
9 - unpowered cube bomb
10 - powered cube bomb
Sheoldred 8
Another praetor pretty comfortably good enough at the front end alone. A 4/5 menace plus edict? Lovely. Can hit walkers, can't hit tokens. Should be reasonable most of the time. You don't need to hit their best thing for this to represent a good deal on both main metrics. There are no silly hoops or anything. So many black removal dorks miss things or hurt you and require extra costs and things. This is just a good dork that kills a something. Great. The True Scriptures is again, very winning over the course of the saga. More removal, value, disruption and big powerful board dominating effects. You pretty much need to top deck a mass removal spell immediately after this hits stage III to survive it. A five drop that is pretty good to play anytime and that can go a fairly long way to winning the game with a five mana investment made on it all sounds pretty terrifying.
Dusk Legion Duellist 4
Really good card draw if you have things that put counters on. While there are many such things it isn't quite enough unless your cube is specifically pushing that synergy. I want this to be enough as we all love drawing cards in white, and it very nearly is enough making it all the more sad.
Surge of Salvation 7
While this looks a bit like a colour hoser I think it is probably just good enough. This is a counterspell against most forms of removal, including non-black/red stuff. It counters hand disruption and that kind of unpleasantness too. Lazotep Plating was pretty impressive in cube and had a high ceiling but blue didn't need the effect when it had access to more rounded counter magic. It is also a lot harder keeping two mana open for protection effects than it is one mana. Surge is already close to Rebuff the Wicked and Blossoming Calm in one card before we even get to the bits that affect black and red stuff. Much as I am loving all these white tools I do worry a bit that it is pulling a bit too far ahead as the strongest colour in cube. It just has it all now. It has card advantage and disruption on top of the best removal.
Zimone and Dina 4
Good card but no Leovold. This can just be a 3/4 and only really shines when you have support for it. Very much not the sort of card that gets into cube when gold, especially not three colour gold.
Change the Equation 4
This is surprisingly on point as it is the big red and green spells most in need of countering as a blue mage. Even so, I think I generally would just rather Prohibit in my deck and Prohibit is just a little too embarrassing on the draw a little too often for my liking.
Sunfall 7
They are getting closer and closer on Wraths that cost more than four mana. This exiles and it makes a potentially large token too. I have been finding I want Wraths in my midrange decks more these days. Perhaps I just need more dorks in my control decks but either way, this is the sort of Wrath I am more into if I am a midrange deck. It isn't one sided but it should leave me ahead. Massacre Girl is the card I feel like this is probably closest to presently in my cube. That is a good place to be as well. Suited to the meta and in reasonable demand.
Invasion of Belenon 1
Much as I love an Anthem this is not how I want to go about getting one. A grey Orge token is a shocker of a starting point and then the five damage needed to flip? No thanks. This not only feels like it should be more like 3 to flip, it feels like it should be Anthem front end and token on the back (still with Anthem). Hard pass on this thanks. This might be one of those stealth worse than a blank cards. The temptation to attack this for the flip and then going on to lose because you couldn't get those last few points of damage through...
Zephy Singer 5
I like this a lot and will test it along with a significant blue convoke package. Sadly I suspect that a 4 mana 3/4 flier just isn't enough card for your card. Giving some flying is nice, convoke is great, but this is just a bit of a dork. Not bad but not good or exciting. It is even better in blue than anywhere else and still looks a little short.
Bloated Processor 4
Nearly great but the inability to sacrifice non-phyrexians ruins the utility. If you just got the token this would probably be good enough but the 2 mana cost to incubate keeps this enough worse than the likes of Flesh Carver.
Invasion of Ulgrotha 2
A very poor Lightning Helix! Just not enough impact for the cost. You are rarely getting the back end out either which makes the overall value a bit of a shocker too.
Abomnable Sleep 4
I guess I will try this with the Convoke package but it is too much of a do nothing really. Send to Sleep always performed really well and then didn't see enough play. This is narrower and so will be getting even less play I suspect! Just a classic non-threat, non-removal card that is going to wind up with almost no play time.
Invasion of Kylem 2
Ornithopter x 2 and this is so close to the instant flip! Even then we can't be getting too excited about what is on offer. Invoke the Ancients doesn't excite and it is a whole lot better than this! This card is the epitome of a win more card.
Nahiri's Witchcraft 7
Super interesting card. Kill a big thing or kill a small thing and get a bit of value. Deal three damage and get a Mishra's Research Desk activation is a good deal for three mana. A key difference that may be a translation issue is that Witchcraft needs you to play the spell this turn, while being a sorcery speed effect itself. This means you need to hit cheap stuff, use it very late, or just find land. One might be able to find niggles with the card as removal or as a source of value. I also always say you want your removal direct and pure. This however is looking like an exception, this is too versatile, with too high of a floor, and too much raw power to not cut it in cube. Five damage for 3 is fine. Killing something and getting cards is great. This can be value and tempo at once, the holy grail of cube cards. You can even just blow it on some 1/1 token to get a bit of an Impulse if you are digging for something specific. Cool card with cool design. Very impressed to see a removal spell with value that doesn't seem broken and yet does still seem playable.
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