Answered Prayers i think this is kinda interesting. 3/3fly for 3 and a more interesting mechanic Ephemerate def going to run it T1 Irregular Cohort this seems pretty strong if you run the +1+1 slivers. Knight of Old Benalia the suspend is really slow. on the other hand gives you time to set up the board. I always like those "onedrops", so maybe T2 Martyr's Soul probably straight staple T1 Recruit the Worthy being instant this is no sprout swarm, but could still be a solid control finisher. Worst case its a onedrop. Reprobation sometimes better pacifism, often probably worse though Settle Beyond Reality another bounce effect with card advantage. like this for my T2 Stirring Address really like the flexibility Faerie Seergoes into t1 as an early blocker and faerie synergies. Pondering Mage maybe t2 Rain of Revelation same Windcaller Aven cycling one is almost too good to pass Azra Smokeshaper for cc2, a 3/3 "haste" is solid. dunno which deck it wants though to make use of the bounce Defile T1 First-Sphere Gargantua another card that plays into the (self) discard theme T2 Gluttonous Slug so much value for a 2 drop. T1 Headless Specter T2 Ninja of the New Moon I keep it in mind for a brutal RB archetype Silumgar Scavenger since it trigger on every death (of your creatures), this might be pretty strong. wished it counts opponents Bogardan Dragonheart opens yourself for 2:1 way too often. Its a great sacrifice enabler though. (the best one) Goblin Champion probably t1 replacing the 2/2s Goblin War Party trying to fit into t2 Igneous Elemental if you find a way to reliably have a land on t4, this is good. Orcish Hellraiser t1 i guess Viashino Sandsprinter i always wanted a ligtning ball in common, but 4 damage doesnt seem enough. rather take the ninja.
Overall pretty exciting in my book and what i expect from "more interesting commons..."
I know it is an obvious statement, but..
All the "if there is a land in your graveyard" work well with Retrace spells, Dredge, Spellshapers, Fault Rider, Edge of Autumn, additional discard to play, etc so a strong enough usage already would make them easier to include
@Viashino Sandsprinter:
Very excited for this. But of course what is the main problem? Can it replace another 3cc Red?
It is likely interchangeable with any other Cubeable 4 power or 3 power evasive. The Cycling is such a sweet addition to design though, really puts this as an always useful card
@Viashino Sandsprinter:
Very excited for this. But of course what is the main problem? Can it replace another 3cc Red?
It is likely interchangeable with any other Cubeable 4 power or 3 power evasive. The Cycling is such a sweet addition to design though, really puts this as an always useful card
with a CC of RR and tougness of one its not very good tbh.
expected changes T1 Ephemerate > Ethereal Armor - the armor is an in and out, I like the blink more Martyr's Soul > Seraph of Dawn - probably crazy cut for some, but white got a lot more lifegain over the years and the power of 2 is just a horrible beater for cc4 and not really splashable Recruit the Worthy > Gideon's Lawkeeper - I see potential in this card, but maybe its just another labrats. And with an upgrade available i can justify the lawkeeper to go as well
That is a little surprising as Ninja of the New Moon rewards early aggressive B/X
it rewards aggressive X/b
RB mainly doesnt want to open with Swamp, Mountain, Swamp, but rather vice versa. So its manabase is more like to have B on Turn4 then on T1. So you can splash blacks higher costed stuff more easily then its 1-drops, let alone BB
on a side note
- i run all new one drops in T1, but Savage Swipe. maybe i underestimate it, but meh
- Battle Screech still a paper uncommon
- although i ran a snowcube for quite some time, the new stuff doesnt convince me to go back into the theme
I am coming in hard with a big update with more ninjas, black is getting a big update and some shifting blue too.
With the Fae Seer, I will evaluate if Spellstutter can make it in. But my Flicket Archetype is more based on Gating/Gravedigging so there are some changes there.
Some bad cards I am evaluating:
Cave of Temptations
Wall of Runes
Undercity Scavengers, to support a Black Gating strategy
Cave of Temptation its not bad, but not worth a slot imo Wall of Runes another onedrop you dont mind bouncing. maybe ill replace thrinving turtle and bring the drake back
Well with the critical mass of Ninjas now, U/B is getting 3 each as a sort of Gating meets Value Tempo type. I think it will be fun. Unique enough to give it a new take, even add Cavern Harpy back in
I'm pretty jazzed because I might soon have a steady enough group to build a stable cube for the first time in forever. Haven't really had to think things all the way through, should be fun..
Covering the major players, or ones worth noting. Slivers, Snow, and Changelings go into appropriate cubes
WHITE Answered Prayers - Borderline - 3cc is a sweet spot. Turning into a Sorcery-proof 3/3 Flyer, awesome. Gaining incrimental life always, cool. But a 3/3 that cannot block means this is an aggro-favored card. But it only is a sometimes attacker, and does not really effect the board unless you have a more swarm-heavy design. Still a card that will usually find a home. WW slows the enthusiasm
Ephemerate - Cubeable - Mono Momentary Blink, or close enough. While not as opportune as flashback, rebound gets a second use for no extra mana. Any deck with 3+ EtB creatures starts to see this gain value. If Blink Archtype is in your cube, this will be an auto-include
Knight of Old Benalia - Borderline - Ampryn Tactician but with a 'Mail Order' option. If you like Swarm, this is better. But there are a host of bodies like this with their own quirks. Either you like EtB anthem bodies, or you don't; this is just a difference in timing.
Martyr's Soul - Cubeable - Swarm, and Aggro really like this body. It also works with mana rocks. Not likely to be a Turn 3 5/4, but poses a threat at that size before the late game.
Recruit the Worthy - Borderline - Obviously it raises in desireablity if a Swarm style deck that just needs to always have bodies arriving. But it is not Sprout Swarm, this cannot self-perpetuate. 3w for a flash 1/1 is fine if you have nothing better to do; but then you have other problems. As for control, a slow stream of blockers is not moving the game forward and these tokens without pump are outclassed very fast.
Rhox Veteran - Staple - Combining Swarm needs with Aggro needs. Usually its tap ability is good on 3cc, but the body on 4cc is not enough. Here, the group pump combined with nullifying a blocker means damage in increasingly sinking in. And as a 2/4, it will take 2 larger bodies to kill in combat (1 will be tapped).
Settle Beyond Reality - Borderline - Almost always useful. And the ability to 2-for-1 make this solid. Sorcery drops the trick factor. But this is in the top Blink-style cards.
Stirring Address - Borderline - Compare to Borrowed Grace, and this helps more as a single pump that can anthem, as opposed to being used mostly for anthem.
Black Azra Smokeshaper - Borderline - Unlike other ninjas, this is a once and done ability. Great combat ability, but this has a few hoops to make it a 2-for-1, and even then it is just a 3/3 afterwards.
Defile - Cubeable - 1cc Removal that gets better the longer the game goes on. Unless you play heavy nonbasics, this will be better than Disfigure.
First-Sphere Gargantua- Staple - This is the true Pauper Phyrexian Gargantua. Having built-in value via Unearth means this fits decks that may have a self-discard theme, or just needing an extra push on a given post-death turn.
Gluttonous Slug - Cubeable - Early curve, evasive, and can potentially hit 3+ power. This is dangerous in arguably all but the slower decks.
Headless Specter - Cubeable - Pauper Hypnotic Specter. The ability is limited to being an aggressive candidate. But B/x aggro just got even more toys recently. Support for that, means this is an auto-include. Otherwise it is just a harder to cast Wind Drake
Ninja of the New Moon - Cubeable - While it is a vanilla Lava Axe ninja, it is a Lava Axe Ninja with only a single black in the Ninjitsu. Whether a curve-topper, or another step in a midrange stompy plan, this will hit hard once, reuse a smaller body, and then likely kill a blocker next turn. Ignoring a 6/3 is not a winning strategy. And the "haste" option really gives this a nice punch above what we'd expect for 3B mid-combat.
Rank Officer - Borderline - Good for aggro decks what need a late game outlet/finisher for their smaller bodies. The EtB is deceptive. But getting 5 power on the board for 3b is decent. Shame this things rear is so fragile it cannot block successfully.
Silumgar Scavenger - Cubeable - Likely going to be the largest black flying body to exist. Eating an outclassed body to get haste and soar over is much less expected in non-Red decks. This fits in non-Sacrifice decks too as it rewards alpha strike attacks by giving a threat that must be dealt with. Only the fastest, or most creature-lite, black decks do not want this.
Red Bogardan Dragonheart - Borderline - Definition of a Roleplayer. Some decks will love this aggro combo with a sac outlet. However, you generally are sacrificing a body to gain the flying BEFORE blockers, so this does open you up more than the "Rootwalla" abilities. Its best turn, no surprise is the turn it comes down and the Haste matters
Fists of Flame - Borderline - Somewhat unique in red cards, it draws a replacement, and can be boosted by other cards further. Most at home in R/U Spells-matter, but just fine in other midrange or aggro decks. Never dead is good in a combat trick.
Goblin Champion - Borderline - It fits the Aggro Red design, it is never really dead for the first few turns. However, once you look at swarm and decks that want multiple attackers, this loses some potency; as all aggressive 1cc do.
Goblin War Party - Borderline - Both options cost more than what already exist. And at 7cc Entwined, 3x 2/2 's will seldom swing the battle over an X-Spell.
Orcish Hellraiser - Borderline - Red's 3/2s are much more plentiful. Viashino Pyromancer with more reach, and more needs. It costing the next turns red source makes it a hard card to "curve out" with unless you have multiple 1-2cc cards ready.
Quakefoot Cyclops - Borderline - Lots of competition in Red for what a 5+ cost body should do. This is modal, and therefore never dead. But paying 5 for a 4/4 that doesn't attack now feels out of place for what we've come to expect. This is a fine curve-topper for X/r midrange-aggro as it does offer a hole.
Viashino Sandsprinter - Borderline - Never dead is an awesome trait. But in aggro red, the RR in the cost, you usually commit to a higher body count and expect your 3cc bodies to keep punching. Compare to Goblin Heelcutter.
GREEN Excavating Annurid - Cubeable - 5cc Green has a lot of solid options. This is closely compared to Tajuru Pathwarden meets Rhox Oracle. The abilites will trigger often enough, and the card draw and extra toughness may offset the loss of trample.
Mother Bear - Borderline - All the "exile from graveyard to make tokens" bodies are 'fine'. This gives more bodies. However, this only shines in Swarm and Sacrifice decks. And they seem to be excluding Green more and more.
Springbloom Druid - Borderline - Fixing and Ramp on a body is powerful. Being only a single green makes this useful in about any green deck. This has uses outside of just Ramp-style decks as it gives a body to block and recur while thinning/fixing.
Treefolk Umbra - Borderline - Only desirable if you want more Umbras. But aggressive decks want Moldervine Cloak and the Elephant Guide(if you allow), while Midrange probably needs more bodies or removal. It is really for Hexproof decks
Treetop Ambusher - Borderline - Green Dash. This is an aggressive modal body. It can be played on curve for its body, or as a topdeck to fiddle with combat math.
Trumpeting Herd - Borderline - Great value, but a pair of Hill Giants will only really swing games in Swarm decks, and there a GG mana cost may hinder its appeal.
Twin-Silk Spider - Borderline - Swarm usage. Not enough otherwise, it works for the Swarm Mirror Match, or Anti-Aggro. Sacrifice decks are ok with this, but it seems overcosted there.
Winding Way - Borderline - Better than Mulch or most other "reveal X, get all creatures". Directly competing with Grisly Salvage by upping raw power but slowing to Sorcery. Roleplayer in Graveyard cubes, and still good in any cube that likes Green Impulse effects.
BLUE Faerie Seer - Borderline - 1cc Flying and a pseudo-Cantrip (Scry 2 = Draw 1). It has many decks that would be ok playing it, but it does not define any if it is added.
Moonblade Shinobi - Borderline - The ability is cool. Repeating it takes some doing, but if you can get the extra value it will prove troublesome. Works better with auras or equipment to push it through. The ability cost, and the body size do not yield enough initially to make it an auto-include. Works great for recurring EtB bodies though.
Pondering Mage - Borderline - Lots of stiff competition at 5cc in Blue, and most of its competitors have flying. It is a fine card to use, but only if all the other Flying Draw/Scry have been exhausted. It is better in pure control as it holds the ground better.
Windcaller Aven - Borderline - Competes with Shimmerscale Drake and Shoreline Ranger All have their places. This is the strongest body, and has a cheaper cycling cost. But you will only have 0-2 of these high cost bodies in your 360 on average
LAND + ARTIFACT Cave of Temptation - Borderline - Replaces any Shimmering Grotto and has upsides in the later stages. Valid in higher land-count decks that likely play 3+ colors. Better in Sealed than Draft.
Fountain of Ichor - Bad - Seldom in pauper is there a "true" control deck with a need of a finisher. 3cc, and only giving back colorless should give more options than a mana sink 3/3. It can find a home, but Pristine Talisman would fit all those builds better first.
I honestly think every black section needs 3x 6cmc+ bodies: FS Gargantuan, Twisted Abomination, Gurmag Angler.
The Fae didn't rate higher because a 1cmc that just Scrys on entry is fine, but cuttable in many decks, and didn't feel like a universal need. I am going off the scales we agreed upon for where it fits, and many decks can cut this without impacting their 40
As for Rhox Veteran, imagine this: if you have 1-2 other bodies, and they only have 1-2, this new team enhancer is going to clear the way and add more damage. Lightning Bolt-compliant, splashable, and any deck running white has a use for it. Swarm, Aggro, Midrange. Because it has 2 abilities that work well together and a body that survives burn and most 3cmc non-green creatures, it does its job repeatedly.
Faerie Seer is weird because NH is right that it falls well short of the strict definition of "staple" but its also true that the Seer is probably going to be in almost every Cube.
@Humphrey - What Faeries synergy is in your cube? I see you run Spellstutter - is she reliably flexible? Would you run any of the new changelings to boost the strategy/synergy?
Since I run a lot of cmc1 spells, the Spellstutter usually always hits something. Being able to hit 2 drops will be amazing.
Thats it about Faerie synergies and I dont think any changeling is good enough on its own for powered cubes.
You can selfbounce the Stutter for some extra fun.
Fae Seer is definitely a great fit in aggro, tempo and if you want to run -1 land, +1 body. Just being clear, Ilike it, I am finding a spot, but it is not a Staple. Wingcrafter is the closest blue has had for a 1cmc body
EDIT: Going through past ratings, the Fae Seer may be able to go up to Cubeable.
Am I wrong on Answered Prayers, is it more towards Cubeable?
Can Winding Way be Cubeable? (To me it is a Staple, but I love Green Impulses)
Personally I'm not completely sure about the following ones: Ephemerate: I'm not too high on this. Apart from Custodi Squire there is pretty much no good etb effect in white itself and apart from Mulldrifter and Dinrova Horror there is no etb effect worth spending a card on and having one of these 2 + Ephemerate comes very close to magical christmas land. The best realistic case is to use this on on the of black 3 drops like Phyrexian Rager to get a 1 mana Sign in Blood, which is good, but requires some set up and a specific color combination. Even though WOTC tries to push us into UW flicker it's not really an archetype in pauper IMO. The only color combination, that can really support this as an archetype would be UB, IMO. Rhox Veteran: I really really like this card, but white 4s are stacked as hell and the reason, that this is good with a swarm theme doesn't make it a staple in the vacuum. First-Sphere Gargantua: Another card I really like, but staple might be too much. As humphrey pointed out, this is busted if you can discard it, but it's still not quite Phyrexian Gargantua. Silumgar Scavenger: I can't really imagine this being interesting for cubes without a dedicated sacrifice theme (I think I'm the only one around here, who supports this). Like Rhox Veteran it's simply not good enough in a vacuum. Borderline might be more fitting. Treetop Ambusher: On offense this is pretty much Terrain Elemental with the double upside of being able to dash it and being able to pump a different creature instead of itself. The trade off is, that this is worse at blocking. I think cubeable would fit better. Trumpeting Herd: Maybe I'm overrating this, but I think this might be the strongest common in the set. 6 power and 6 toughness for 4 mana is pretty sick. Faerie Seer: Scry 2 after all isn't exactly equal to drawing a card. At times it's better, sometimes it's worse. I think everyone would run Faerie Miscreant that draws for itself, but since Scry can only generate virtual CA it always feels a lot worse. I'm fine with Borderline, I can also see it being cubeable.
Ephemerate def going to run it T1
Irregular Cohort this seems pretty strong if you run the +1+1 slivers.
Knight of Old Benalia the suspend is really slow. on the other hand gives you time to set up the board. I always like those "onedrops", so maybe T2
Martyr's Soul probably straight staple T1
Recruit the Worthy being instant this is no sprout swarm, but could still be a solid control finisher. Worst case its a onedrop.
Reprobation sometimes better pacifism, often probably worse though
Settle Beyond Reality another bounce effect with card advantage. like this for my T2
Stirring Address really like the flexibility
Faerie Seergoes into t1 as an early blocker and faerie synergies.
Pondering Mage maybe t2
Rain of Revelation same
Windcaller Aven cycling one is almost too good to pass
Azra Smokeshaper for cc2, a 3/3 "haste" is solid. dunno which deck it wants though to make use of the bounce
Defile T1
First-Sphere Gargantua another card that plays into the (self) discard theme T2
Gluttonous Slug so much value for a 2 drop. T1
Headless Specter T2
Ninja of the New Moon I keep it in mind for a brutal RB archetype
Silumgar Scavenger since it trigger on every death (of your creatures), this might be pretty strong. wished it counts opponents
Bogardan Dragonheart opens yourself for 2:1 way too often. Its a great sacrifice enabler though. (the best one)
Goblin Champion probably t1 replacing the 2/2s
Goblin War Party trying to fit into t2
Igneous Elemental if you find a way to reliably have a land on t4, this is good.
Orcish Hellraiser t1 i guess
Viashino Sandsprinter i always wanted a ligtning ball in common, but 4 damage doesnt seem enough. rather take the ninja.
Overall pretty exciting in my book and what i expect from "more interesting commons..."
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
All the "if there is a land in your graveyard" work well with Retrace spells, Dredge, Spellshapers, Fault Rider, Edge of Autumn, additional discard to play, etc so a strong enough usage already would make them easier to include
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
And later on, 2 dmg doesnt do a lot.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Very excited for this. But of course what is the main problem? Can it replace another 3cc Red?
It is likely interchangeable with any other Cubeable 4 power or 3 power evasive. The Cycling is such a sweet addition to design though, really puts this as an always useful card
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
with a CC of RR and tougness of one its not very good tbh.
Definitely worse than Minotaur Skullcleaver
and probably even worse than Inner-Flame Acolyte
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
Ephemerate > Ethereal Armor - the armor is an in and out, I like the blink more
Martyr's Soul > Seraph of Dawn - probably crazy cut for some, but white got a lot more lifegain over the years and the power of 2 is just a horrible beater for cc4 and not really splashable
Recruit the Worthy > Gideon's Lawkeeper - I see potential in this card, but maybe its just another labrats. And with an upgrade available i can justify the lawkeeper to go as well
Faerie Seer > Serum Visions - well, i run enough spells i guess. It also makes 3 of my 2-drops better. Dream Stalker, Ninja of the Deep Hours, Spellstutter Sprite
heck, it might even be reasonable enough to bring back Silver Drake
Gluttonous Slug > Dauthi Slayer - hurtful cut since slayer is a petcard ever since, with blacks onedrops already gone, im close to zero early black aggression, let alone heavy B
Defile > Dead Weight
Ninja of the New Moon > Sultai Scavenger - I really like the blowout potential of the ninja and want to give aggro another tool instead.
Goblin Champion > Mardu Scout- more onedrops never hurt.
Orcish Hellraiser > Borderland Marauder - raiser feels better on average since its guaranteed burn. The archetype becomes quite rdw.
no idea bout T2 yet
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
it rewards aggressive X/b
RB mainly doesnt want to open with Swamp, Mountain, Swamp, but rather vice versa. So its manabase is more like to have B on Turn4 then on T1. So you can splash blacks higher costed stuff more easily then its 1-drops, let alone BB
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Cloudshift < Settle Beyond Reality I mainly want to blink in the later turns
Foresee < Rain of Revelation instant>sorcery
Oona's Grace < Windcaller Aven has more synergies being a flood/screw protection
Death's-Head Buzzard < First-Sphere Gargantua kills too much of my own stuff
Keldon Raider < Goblin War Party the effect is on vandal
Azra Bladeseeker < Bogardan Dragonheart you guys should be more crazy about it..
Martyr of Ashes < Magmatic Sinkhole better control card
Centaur Courser < Mother Bear i can never keep those boring 3/3s for long
Moment's Peace < Trumpeting Herd the herd is pretty good.
Wirewood Guardian < Excavating Anurid meh, the guardian will find his way back i guess
Bloodfire Dwarf < Borderland Marauder
Oketra's Avenger < Seraph of Dawn
Squire's Devotion < Ethereal Armor
Jhessian Thief < Sultai Scavenger
on a side note
- i run all new one drops in T1, but Savage Swipe. maybe i underestimate it, but meh
- Battle Screech still a paper uncommon
- although i ran a snowcube for quite some time, the new stuff doesnt convince me to go back into the theme
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
With the Fae Seer, I will evaluate if Spellstutter can make it in. But my Flicket Archetype is more based on Gating/Gravedigging so there are some changes there.
Some bad cards I am evaluating:
Cave of Temptations
Wall of Runes
Undercity Scavengers, to support a Black Gating strategy
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
Wall of Runes another onedrop you dont mind bouncing. maybe ill replace thrinving turtle and bring the drake back
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
You doing anything special with your cube?
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
I'm going to figure out the things everyone likes first and then try to sprinkle in some surprises for them as well.
WHITE
Answered Prayers - Borderline - 3cc is a sweet spot. Turning into a Sorcery-proof 3/3 Flyer, awesome. Gaining incrimental life always, cool. But a 3/3 that cannot block means this is an aggro-favored card. But it only is a sometimes attacker, and does not really effect the board unless you have a more swarm-heavy design. Still a card that will usually find a home. WW slows the enthusiasm
Ephemerate - Cubeable - Mono Momentary Blink, or close enough. While not as opportune as flashback, rebound gets a second use for no extra mana. Any deck with 3+ EtB creatures starts to see this gain value. If Blink Archtype is in your cube, this will be an auto-include
Knight of Old Benalia - Borderline - Ampryn Tactician but with a 'Mail Order' option. If you like Swarm, this is better. But there are a host of bodies like this with their own quirks. Either you like EtB anthem bodies, or you don't; this is just a difference in timing.
Martyr's Soul - Cubeable - Swarm, and Aggro really like this body. It also works with mana rocks. Not likely to be a Turn 3 5/4, but poses a threat at that size before the late game.
Recruit the Worthy - Borderline - Obviously it raises in desireablity if a Swarm style deck that just needs to always have bodies arriving. But it is not Sprout Swarm, this cannot self-perpetuate. 3w for a flash 1/1 is fine if you have nothing better to do; but then you have other problems. As for control, a slow stream of blockers is not moving the game forward and these tokens without pump are outclassed very fast.
Rhox Veteran - Staple - Combining Swarm needs with Aggro needs. Usually its tap ability is good on 3cc, but the body on 4cc is not enough. Here, the group pump combined with nullifying a blocker means damage in increasingly sinking in. And as a 2/4, it will take 2 larger bodies to kill in combat (1 will be tapped).
Settle Beyond Reality - Borderline - Almost always useful. And the ability to 2-for-1 make this solid. Sorcery drops the trick factor. But this is in the top Blink-style cards.
Stirring Address - Borderline - Compare to Borrowed Grace, and this helps more as a single pump that can anthem, as opposed to being used mostly for anthem.
Black
Azra Smokeshaper - Borderline - Unlike other ninjas, this is a once and done ability. Great combat ability, but this has a few hoops to make it a 2-for-1, and even then it is just a 3/3 afterwards.
Defile - Cubeable - 1cc Removal that gets better the longer the game goes on. Unless you play heavy nonbasics, this will be better than Disfigure.
First-Sphere Gargantua- Staple - This is the true Pauper Phyrexian Gargantua. Having built-in value via Unearth means this fits decks that may have a self-discard theme, or just needing an extra push on a given post-death turn.
Gluttonous Slug - Cubeable - Early curve, evasive, and can potentially hit 3+ power. This is dangerous in arguably all but the slower decks.
Headless Specter - Cubeable - Pauper Hypnotic Specter. The ability is limited to being an aggressive candidate. But B/x aggro just got even more toys recently. Support for that, means this is an auto-include. Otherwise it is just a harder to cast Wind Drake
Ninja of the New Moon - Cubeable - While it is a vanilla Lava Axe ninja, it is a Lava Axe Ninja with only a single black in the Ninjitsu. Whether a curve-topper, or another step in a midrange stompy plan, this will hit hard once, reuse a smaller body, and then likely kill a blocker next turn. Ignoring a 6/3 is not a winning strategy. And the "haste" option really gives this a nice punch above what we'd expect for 3B mid-combat.
Rank Officer - Borderline - Good for aggro decks what need a late game outlet/finisher for their smaller bodies. The EtB is deceptive. But getting 5 power on the board for 3b is decent. Shame this things rear is so fragile it cannot block successfully.
Silumgar Scavenger - Cubeable - Likely going to be the largest black flying body to exist. Eating an outclassed body to get haste and soar over is much less expected in non-Red decks. This fits in non-Sacrifice decks too as it rewards alpha strike attacks by giving a threat that must be dealt with. Only the fastest, or most creature-lite, black decks do not want this.
Red
Bogardan Dragonheart - Borderline - Definition of a Roleplayer. Some decks will love this aggro combo with a sac outlet. However, you generally are sacrificing a body to gain the flying BEFORE blockers, so this does open you up more than the "Rootwalla" abilities. Its best turn, no surprise is the turn it comes down and the Haste matters
Fists of Flame - Borderline - Somewhat unique in red cards, it draws a replacement, and can be boosted by other cards further. Most at home in R/U Spells-matter, but just fine in other midrange or aggro decks. Never dead is good in a combat trick.
Goblin Champion - Borderline - It fits the Aggro Red design, it is never really dead for the first few turns. However, once you look at swarm and decks that want multiple attackers, this loses some potency; as all aggressive 1cc do.
Goblin War Party - Borderline - Both options cost more than what already exist. And at 7cc Entwined, 3x 2/2 's will seldom swing the battle over an X-Spell.
Orcish Hellraiser - Borderline - Red's 3/2s are much more plentiful. Viashino Pyromancer with more reach, and more needs. It costing the next turns red source makes it a hard card to "curve out" with unless you have multiple 1-2cc cards ready.
Quakefoot Cyclops - Borderline - Lots of competition in Red for what a 5+ cost body should do. This is modal, and therefore never dead. But paying 5 for a 4/4 that doesn't attack now feels out of place for what we've come to expect. This is a fine curve-topper for X/r midrange-aggro as it does offer a hole.
Viashino Sandsprinter - Borderline - Never dead is an awesome trait. But in aggro red, the RR in the cost, you usually commit to a higher body count and expect your 3cc bodies to keep punching. Compare to Goblin Heelcutter.
GREEN
Excavating Annurid - Cubeable - 5cc Green has a lot of solid options. This is closely compared to Tajuru Pathwarden meets Rhox Oracle. The abilites will trigger often enough, and the card draw and extra toughness may offset the loss of trample.
Mother Bear - Borderline - All the "exile from graveyard to make tokens" bodies are 'fine'. This gives more bodies. However, this only shines in Swarm and Sacrifice decks. And they seem to be excluding Green more and more.
Springbloom Druid - Borderline - Fixing and Ramp on a body is powerful. Being only a single green makes this useful in about any green deck. This has uses outside of just Ramp-style decks as it gives a body to block and recur while thinning/fixing.
Treefolk Umbra - Borderline - Only desirable if you want more Umbras. But aggressive decks want Moldervine Cloak and the Elephant Guide(if you allow), while Midrange probably needs more bodies or removal. It is really for Hexproof decks
Treetop Ambusher - Borderline - Green Dash. This is an aggressive modal body. It can be played on curve for its body, or as a topdeck to fiddle with combat math.
Trumpeting Herd - Borderline - Great value, but a pair of Hill Giants will only really swing games in Swarm decks, and there a GG mana cost may hinder its appeal.
Twin-Silk Spider - Borderline - Swarm usage. Not enough otherwise, it works for the Swarm Mirror Match, or Anti-Aggro. Sacrifice decks are ok with this, but it seems overcosted there.
Winding Way - Borderline - Better than Mulch or most other "reveal X, get all creatures". Directly competing with Grisly Salvage by upping raw power but slowing to Sorcery. Roleplayer in Graveyard cubes, and still good in any cube that likes Green Impulse effects.
BLUE
Faerie Seer - Borderline - 1cc Flying and a pseudo-Cantrip (Scry 2 = Draw 1). It has many decks that would be ok playing it, but it does not define any if it is added.
Moonblade Shinobi - Borderline - The ability is cool. Repeating it takes some doing, but if you can get the extra value it will prove troublesome. Works better with auras or equipment to push it through. The ability cost, and the body size do not yield enough initially to make it an auto-include. Works great for recurring EtB bodies though.
Pondering Mage - Borderline - Lots of stiff competition at 5cc in Blue, and most of its competitors have flying. It is a fine card to use, but only if all the other Flying Draw/Scry have been exhausted. It is better in pure control as it holds the ground better.
Rain of Revelation - Cubeable - Invalidates Sift, and Enhanced Awareness. Opens up trickiness and deep digging for any deck splashing blue.
Scour All Possibilities - Bad - Deep Analysis and Think Twice exist. Sorcery speed and a drastic cost on the flashback nullify the advantage of double use.
Windcaller Aven - Borderline - Competes with Shimmerscale Drake and Shoreline Ranger All have their places. This is the strongest body, and has a cheaper cycling cost. But you will only have 0-2 of these high cost bodies in your 360 on average
LAND + ARTIFACT
Cave of Temptation - Borderline - Replaces any Shimmering Grotto and has upsides in the later stages. Valid in higher land-count decks that likely play 3+ colors. Better in Sealed than Draft.
Fountain of Ichor - Bad - Seldom in pauper is there a "true" control deck with a need of a finisher. 3cc, and only giving back colorless should give more options than a mana sink 3/3. It can find a home, but Pristine Talisman would fit all those builds better first.
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
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First-Sphere Gargantua, definitely strong, but i dont see it working in any cube. I think its best home in selfdiscard capable decks.
Rhox Veteran I wonder if the upgrade is really big enough, considering nobody ever played Loxodon Partisan and the ability to tap often feels winmore.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
The Fae didn't rate higher because a 1cmc that just Scrys on entry is fine, but cuttable in many decks, and didn't feel like a universal need. I am going off the scales we agreed upon for where it fits, and many decks can cut this without impacting their 40
As for Rhox Veteran, imagine this: if you have 1-2 other bodies, and they only have 1-2, this new team enhancer is going to clear the way and add more damage. Lightning Bolt-compliant, splashable, and any deck running white has a use for it. Swarm, Aggro, Midrange. Because it has 2 abilities that work well together and a body that survives burn and most 3cmc non-green creatures, it does its job repeatedly.
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
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GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
Thats it about Faerie synergies and I dont think any changeling is good enough on its own for powered cubes.
You can selfbounce the Stutter for some extra fun.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
EDIT: Going through past ratings, the Fae Seer may be able to go up to Cubeable.
Am I wrong on Answered Prayers, is it more towards Cubeable?
Can Winding Way be Cubeable? (To me it is a Staple, but I love Green Impulses)
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Personally I'm not completely sure about the following ones:
Ephemerate: I'm not too high on this. Apart from Custodi Squire there is pretty much no good etb effect in white itself and apart from Mulldrifter and Dinrova Horror there is no etb effect worth spending a card on and having one of these 2 + Ephemerate comes very close to magical christmas land. The best realistic case is to use this on on the of black 3 drops like Phyrexian Rager to get a 1 mana Sign in Blood, which is good, but requires some set up and a specific color combination. Even though WOTC tries to push us into UW flicker it's not really an archetype in pauper IMO. The only color combination, that can really support this as an archetype would be UB, IMO.
Rhox Veteran: I really really like this card, but white 4s are stacked as hell and the reason, that this is good with a swarm theme doesn't make it a staple in the vacuum.
First-Sphere Gargantua: Another card I really like, but staple might be too much. As humphrey pointed out, this is busted if you can discard it, but it's still not quite Phyrexian Gargantua.
Silumgar Scavenger: I can't really imagine this being interesting for cubes without a dedicated sacrifice theme (I think I'm the only one around here, who supports this). Like Rhox Veteran it's simply not good enough in a vacuum. Borderline might be more fitting.
Treetop Ambusher: On offense this is pretty much Terrain Elemental with the double upside of being able to dash it and being able to pump a different creature instead of itself. The trade off is, that this is worse at blocking. I think cubeable would fit better.
Trumpeting Herd: Maybe I'm overrating this, but I think this might be the strongest common in the set. 6 power and 6 toughness for 4 mana is pretty sick.
Faerie Seer: Scry 2 after all isn't exactly equal to drawing a card. At times it's better, sometimes it's worse. I think everyone would run Faerie Miscreant that draws for itself, but since Scry can only generate virtual CA it always feels a lot worse. I'm fine with Borderline, I can also see it being cubeable.
I think Warteye Witch and Magmatic Sinkhole are also mentionable borderline cards.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)