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
Shadow of the Enemy 1
Conditional card advantage at six mana sorcery? On your bike sonny. This isn't even viable in EDH really as it is just one target not each opponent. I guess you can set this up with mill, even on yourself, but still. Really not worth the effort. I hear there is an Ancestral Recall on offer for those with 20 cards in the bin, or library, or something. Visions of Beyond is a lot better than this however you do it!
Eomer, Marshal of Rohan 3
Decent floor and impressive ceiling. Sadly the floor is all you are really ever going to see with this card and as such there are plenty of better alternatives. Even in a legendary deck I fear you are not getting many extra attacks with Eomer.
Rising of the Day 3
Fervor with a little bit of extra spice. Not negligible spice either, nearly a quarter of the dorks in cube are legends. Much as I like this card I think it is build around only. Effects that give haste without being impactful otherwise are just really hard to get working consistently in cube.
Eowyn, Fearless Knight 7
Sometimes the best of Glorybringer, sometimes a poor Brazen Scourge. I feel like I am happy waiting a bit for my opponent to make a 4+ power dork such that my Eowyn can shine most of the time. And it isn't like my card is dead when I can't exile something. Power wise this is comfortably cube worthy but I am a little concerned it will have some overly polar and unpleasant play patterns.
Prince Imrahil the Fair 7
Comparable to Clarion Spirit and Improbable Alliance. Being blue makes this a lot easier to fuel but you are forced into being blue. Clarion Spirit was too hard to trigger in cube when only white. Blue white little dorks and lots of spells wasn't really a thing however and hence teh failing of Clarion Spirit back then. That is very much changing now with lots of juicy convoke stuff. I can see both this and Clarion making a return soon.
Shelob's Ambush 4
Much as I do not anticipate anyone ever playing this in cube it is worth noting that it is an unusual black card and quite a lot of card at that. There is a good chance this turns a combat you lose into one you win plus a food. One mana is a great price for all that.
Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin 1
Three toughness at six mana and needs to survive to attack. No chance. This would be iffy even if it had the sac trigger on EtB as well.
Bombadil's Song 1
By contrast to Shelob's Ambush this being two mana means it has almost no chance. You want your spells that target your dorks for whatever reason to be as cheap as possible. Blossoming Defence and the like are just always going to be more effective than this, possibly even in a "tempt" deck with food synergies...
Generous Ent 5
Another one being fully carried by the impressive land cycling. I do like that these dorks, while poor by the standards of cube top end, are at least some use. This will do a lot to stabilize a game. Good consistency early, some yard synergy, and some reasonable stabilizing and power potential for the late game. I am somewhat selling myself on this! It might well outperform the likes of Traverse the Ulvenwald in cube!
Many Partings 4
Love this but outside of decks with specific need for food this isn't going to compete with the likes of Bushwhack, Traverse the Ulvenwald, or perhaps even the new proliferate one Thirsting Roots. Just a Gilded Goose is likely not enough to push this, the deck will need rather more payoff for the food. Even so, efficient, flavoursome, and useful little card. I do love a Lay of the Land and it is one of those effects that is sufficiently fair that you can add quite interesting perks to it.
Peregrin Took 3
No Academy Manufacturer but certainly something I would look at in a deck built around food. The card draw side isn't powerful as such but it does help you dig into your food payoffs when you just have this guy and food production on the go.
Wose Pathfinder 0
A 1/1 mana producer at two mana is a bit of a joke. All the best ones are 1/3s or have some kind of hexproof going on. Many of those give far better upside beyond tapping for mana than this too.
Cast into the Fire 4
Sidegrade on Abrade. Not being able to do 2 damage to 1 creature very likely kills this. Yes, when you kill two things this card is obscene but other better cards like Fire, Forked Bolt, Seismic Wave, Arc Trail, Chainwhirler etc etc all exist. As such you are playing quite the downgrade on a spell for the artifact disruption aspect and while that modality is very nice, it is not worth that much. Not when you have cards like Abrade and You Find Some Prisoners, and Cratermaker all on offer instead. Not to mention more expensive cards!
Goblin Fireleaper 2
Cute but not there on power level. I am just going to play one of the many many one drop red 1/1s that can ping, at will, on death, or in some similar capacity.
Grisknakh, Brash Instigator 4
A 1/1, a 2/2 (or +2/+2) and a Threaten on a small dork is a fair whack of card at three mana. This is too situational for cube but it is a bit Arc Trail like in that when it is appropriate it is going to be pretty brutal. Even if you don't have a cute way to sac off the thing you Threaten you are clearing the way for attackers and getting an extra smack in. That is all very swingy and gross. Exactly the sort of play red loves to get people within burn range. Good though this is it lacks power, which would be fine if it were a little more rounded but then it lacks the consistency on that front.
Fires of Mount Doom 5
Kill a dork and an equipment with this and it is probably game over levels of devastating. A bit polar for my liking but perhaps something we will have to put up with here. Three mana for a sorcery speed creature only Shock is weak. The activated ability however is powerful. Mostly because of the land side of things. Paying three for something you then have to play is really only super late game or viable in decks with the lowest of curves. Having reasonable odds on slapping for two however greatly ups the threat of this card, not to mention potential synergies. I fear this is simply too slow and going to be outperformed by things like Outpost Siege but this does have some game. It is removal, disruption, value, and reach. That is a lot of card even if it is a bit wonky and rather tame on those various fronts.
Frodo, Determined Hero 7
Both of these abilities are pretty decent in cube. While I would normally claim that an equip ability is a little on the narrow side for cube in white that is a little bit different. Not only does white have some strong equipment in colour, it is also a colour that most wants to use things like equipment or team buffs. Add to that the massive power of Stoneforge Mystic and you find that more often than not white decks wanting dorks has equipment, often with a reasonable chance of having it in play too. Most of the equipment on offer is also 2 or 3 mana. So free equips is quite nice but not close to exciting on its own. What is however is preventing all damage! This can attack with impunity. It cannot be Shocked in response to getting equipped. Frodo is just a tough little attacker that will be great with any buffs and strong with battles and against planeswalkers. He has some Adanto Vanguard about him. Far from a bomb in cube but interesting and on theme and packing a good amount of punch.
Gandalf, White Rider 2
Bit of a Hill Giant really. Given that you can just have a passive Anthem on a four drop with upside I think this is a non-starter. This doesn't pump toughness and it needs you to have mana and spells to pump at all. Make this on curve and it is embarrassing. So what if you can get it back in 5 turns when they kill it, the card is pretty shit and I don't want it back.
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