Thing is, even MC-centred cubes should probably not overdo gold cards. Instead, they should just have more focus on better fixing and perhaps single-colour cards that benefit from extra colours like Wandering Champion. The reason is simply how that adds to the decision-making in Draft and enables more ambitious combinations instead of pigeonholing the process by demanding either devotion to colour identities established early in the draft or too much focus on fixing.
According to Calibretto's 2018 Average Peasant Cube, Orzhov Advokist is included in 12-14 lists out of 27. It received a generally favourable reception when it was released but it seems many have dropped it, I still include the card but have been tempted to cut it because even though the card is not symmetrical, it can leave the opponent ahead.
I cannot say what the score for Sailor of Memes should be but having watched videos of its performance in its native environment, I am fairly impressed and added it recently. A few roadblocks for more controlling decks in each colour are welcome and those same control decks most certainly appreciate being able to drop a finisher a turn early (or having extra mana available to react). Plus, blink/self-bounce decks tend to be colour-hungry, and the Sailor provides some fixing which can be accrued if you happen to have a way to recycle it.
A 1/4 for 2 is just an easy zero (Dune Beetle, the Devoid guy in red) so I don't particularly want to pay one more up front to get a mana refund later.
Or to put it another way, if I'm aggro I think my opponent having a Sailor in their deck slightly improves my chances of winning.. and if I'm control I'm REALLY glad that that's one of my opponent's 40 cards.
I see your point but there is certainly a misconception at play if the treasure is only considered a refund. Again, it is a form of ramp: a key play may be played a turn in advance. If the Sailor was merely a 1/4 for sorta 2 mana, he would be worthless. When he is a 1/4 which paves the way for a finisher to be dropped a turn early, he has definite value (even in the control mirror). Obviously, though, his function remains to also clog up the ground somewhat. A cheapish 1/4 against aggro still has quite a bit of value and the mere 1/4's are unplayable because they provide no other benefit, making them pure sideboard filler.
In other words, the Sailor is intended as a maindeckable control card vs. aggro and it gets the pass over similar alternatives because its effect has universal (match-up independent) value for the control deck.
I cannot say what the score for Sailor of Memes should be but having watched videos of its performance in its native environment, I am fairly impressed and added it recently. A few roadblocks for more controlling decks in each colour are welcome and those same control decks most certainly appreciate being able to drop a finisher a turn early (or having extra mana available to react). Plus, blink/self-bounce decks tend to be colour-hungry, and the Sailor provides some fixing which can be accrued if you happen to have a way to recycle it.
Plus, while this deck might not be that great, it showcases another one of Palace Jailer's big benefits: it can be bounced without the creatures it has exiled returning, which means that if you have a repeatable way to trigger its ETB, you can keep controlling to board to retain your status as the monarch indefinitely.
Yeah, I get what you are saying. The probability of the effect coming up in play is diminished. In this sense, the cards can be harder to justify in the cube. However, I have drafted a powered 720 cube with conspiracies and they remain worthwhile picks even in that environment. The thing is, I suppose, that in a draft environment, you have a higher chance of building a real juggernaut of a monster card by just adding a tactically selected conspiracy to an already strong card. For example, Muzzio's Preparations on something like Skyship Plunderer is crazy (to give a non-persist example). So, in a sense, you are increasing the quality of your draws without having to add any new cards in your deck because one or more of your cards become major bombs.
Aren't all the "name a card"-conspiracies kinda bad in singleton?
No. Some of them are really sick power-ups with minimal opportunity costs. The most obvious one is Unexpected Potential to splash anything but something like Double Stroke on Lingering Souls is madness (BCS, I know, but it basically doubles the efficiency of any burn spell or token producer).
I would also see Skysnare Spider as a 2. Lack of inherent value plays and self-protection is just a big problem at that mana cost.
Feral Incarnation is probably a 0 but Joraga Invocation I could see as a 1. On a stalled board, it should almost act like a Plague Wind though this is not guaranteed. If you are ahead or the opponent has been laying aggressively, it may finish games.
I could see myself testing it out but it does feel overpriced by maybe one mana in terms of the baseline and obviously, being forced to exile things in your graveyard to play a Gravedigger variant presents a bit of a dilemma. Still, a potentially very underpriced 3/6 with an ETB effect for value is nothing to sneer at.
While a few of the unplayable a seem judged too harshly but are weak enough for me to not particularly care (Doomfall and Razaketh's Rite, mostly), as someone who runs Oasis Ritualist, I question its placement. Sure, there are ways to gain two mana off creatures but those do not fix and the auras that do are not creatures which is relevant since Oasis Ritualist also has a nice, defensive body. I would argue that this is very relevant since you do want roadblocks as a ramp deck which means that Oasis Ritualist pulls double duty quite admirably.
Kozilek's Channeler and Skyreach Manta are both workable, even if the latter is quite niche. Still, even a 4/4 flier for 5 is more than decent, and Peasant does have many lands able to produce off-colour mana.
Golem Artisan at least used to see play. Probably a 0 by now, though.
Clockwork Vorrac is still a 0, but it is not strictly worse than Clockwork Hydra. Trample and only losing the counter after combat are important details.
Ummm, so, to my understanding Gatstaf Arsonists is considered the second best red 5-drop in Pauper (though I might be wrong). Its front as a 5/4 is bearable but if you get it to flip, a 6/5 Menace can be fairly backbreaking. Especially given how shallow red 5's are, it still seems worth a 1 even if it is not the most exciting thing ever.
The problem, I suppose, is just how deep Selesnya is. However, despite being fairly niche, the effect of Sigil Captain is scary powerful on paper. I would definitely back up a 1. and I think I will actually make a casual deck with it now that Ulka brought up Lingering Souls. Battle Screech should also be interesting.
I see your point but there is certainly a misconception at play if the treasure is only considered a refund. Again, it is a form of ramp: a key play may be played a turn in advance. If the Sailor was merely a 1/4 for sorta 2 mana, he would be worthless. When he is a 1/4 which paves the way for a finisher to be dropped a turn early, he has definite value (even in the control mirror). Obviously, though, his function remains to also clog up the ground somewhat. A cheapish 1/4 against aggro still has quite a bit of value and the mere 1/4's are unplayable because they provide no other benefit, making them pure sideboard filler.
In other words, the Sailor is intended as a maindeckable control card vs. aggro and it gets the pass over similar alternatives because its effect has universal (match-up independent) value for the control deck.
Edit: Also, colour-fixing.
No. Some of them are really sick power-ups with minimal opportunity costs. The most obvious one is Unexpected Potential to splash anything but something like Double Stroke on Lingering Souls is madness (BCS, I know, but it basically doubles the efficiency of any burn spell or token producer).
Feral Incarnation is probably a 0 but Joraga Invocation I could see as a 1. On a stalled board, it should almost act like a Plague Wind though this is not guaranteed. If you are ahead or the opponent has been laying aggressively, it may finish games.
There is Dross Golem, as Leelue mentioned.
Kozilek's Channeler and Skyreach Manta are both workable, even if the latter is quite niche. Still, even a 4/4 flier for 5 is more than decent, and Peasant does have many lands able to produce off-colour mana.
Golem Artisan at least used to see play. Probably a 0 by now, though.
Clockwork Vorrac is still a 0, but it is not strictly worse than Clockwork Hydra. Trample and only losing the counter after combat are important details.