White

Omniczech: We’ve had access to Oblivion ring at common for ages, now we get the version with “fixed” text. I can’t wait to hear out opinions on this one.

Solset: I think I am ok moving the curve up a bit fit for flexibility.  With us having three 2 mana options that hit artifacts and creatures, this could slot into the Realmbreaker's Grasp slot, and I’d be happy.

Neveron: Something probably worth noting when it comes to Oblivion Ring’s “broken” text is that we don’t really have the enchantment flicker required to abuse the separate ETB and LTB triggers. Banishing Light, then, is mostly just a second copy of it – and is that something we want over our abundance of two-mana removal?

Usman:  I’ve generally been meh on 3-mana removal, but it’s a classic and tends to do decently well, although I don’t think that’ll be the case for too long (maybe another year?)  Hard to say.  It’s aight.

Phizzled: I’m apparently don’t have as many strong feelings on the functional-equivalent issue these days, but, at least potentially, this is stronger than at least one currently included aura because it potentially turns off static abilities.  I think this may be obviated by some pacifism variants, when we get down to sorting through the MH3+ update.

Solset: Our white two drops are becoming super tight, but this one seems a strong inclusion.  Cathar Commando has been a big hit with drafters, and this trades flash for a defensive ability.  While our cube doesn’t an abundance of free ways to target it, between equipment, tappers, or combat triggers like Combat Professor I imagine the ability will be relevant.

Neveron: Cathar Commando is still better, but this is probably my favorite iteration on white’s conditionally–a-3/3-for-two thing. (Compare, say, Armory Mice.)

Omniczech: I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this as a side-grade to the cathar. I look at this and can see that this is sometimes gonna be mostly a 3/3 for 2, but also plenty of times is gonna be A Blade of the Sixth Pride, which I’m less stoked on.

Usman:  Definitely worse than Cathar Commando (flash is just so good) but I think even with so few ways to target it, a dollar store version’s not too bad.  We could always adjust our expectations if we get more good cheap equipment but… I don’t see that happening, unfortunately. 🙁

Phizzled: When this was spoiled I absolutely read this as having flash for multiple days.  THe buff may be difficult to trigger, but losing surprise is the real downside.  It’s not the easiest two-card combo to assemble, but there are more things that can target it than you’d expect.  If we have another aggro creature to replace, this is a fine upgrade.

Solset: The white side of Selesnya Guildmage is a super strong card if you are supporting go wide.   The mere threat of activation will both help force through early damage and create lopsided blocks. Later, it is a win condition.

Usman:  It can be virtually a time walk to use 4 mana to pump the team, and usually I’ve been meh on team pump but usually its presence is enough to make people think twice about their blocks.  Base mode of being a 2/2 for 1W is not the worst too.  Not bad.

Phizzled: I still have fond memories of Leonin Sun Standard.  This team pump is much more expensive, but it pumps itself.  I have generally been open to a number of bears, and this is a decent one.  Potentially playing flagbearer to premium removal in the late game is not necessarily a mark against it.

Blue

Solset:  This Duo is likely pretty great at holding down the ground or winning combat when you decide to attack, but is this something our Blue decks have been asking for?  I think I’d still rather have Jhessian Thief in this slot which comes down a turn early for defense and feeds the prowess deck’s hand as it strangles control

Neveron: It’s a neat card, but it’s at a high enough mana value that I’d prefer something with either evasion (e.g. Lotus Path Djinn) or more value (e.g. most of our current selection of blue four-drops).

Omniczech: I think this one looks similar to Pondering mage and that winds up confusing some ideas, the etb is just fine, the body, fine with prowess, I’m not sold on this one.

Usman:  Relatively eh on this one, although it’s at least a good chunk of value for 4.  I just think blue decks can do better for a main phase 4-mana blue card in our world.

Phizzled: I wish this had evasian, so, so badly.  It’s big and able to get bigger, but I can’t imagine ever wanting to draft this with an early pick on it.  I don’t know what scenario in draft would make me excited to take this, and I think we have better glue cards that are colorless.

Black

Solset:  I don’t have a strong attachment to black’s “draw two” types.  I might even like Sign in Blood over our existing 3 mana options.  Still, if we want a more exciting option, Rowan's Grim Search being an instant is a close call to the guaranteed surveil.  Forced to pick though, I think the new one has a bit more archetype support, and that wins in my book.

Neveron: We’ve only really got Rowan’s Grim Search left as far as our black three-mana divinations go, and I’m not convinced that this one’s better given how many tokens Aristocrats generates.

Omniczech: If we still had Read the Bones in then I’d have a different opinion, but Grim Search just seems better/more interesting than this.

Usman:  Another card that I’m pretty *shrug* about since we have a lot of other cards that do similar things and I’m unsure if black midrange decks really need another card like this nowadays.  I think the black card advantage tools in generic midrange/control might be weak enough for this to be worth it, but I’m still just really iffy.

Phizzled: I agree with the most of the committee.  We have an instant “draw two” that potentially digs as deep.  I like the guaranteed surveil, but I wouldn’t make the change, unless this is an addition.

Green

Neveron: There are currently six one-mana fight spells available to us by my reckoning (some via discounts), and this one’s probably the most interesting one. Green generally doesn’t care too much about opponents getting tapped 1/1 tokens, and the counter being permanent is very relevant to us. But, of course, it’s a fight and we generally prefer a bite like Horrific Assault.

Solset: I am not sure this is good enough, but I do think if we want to see GW function under the banner of “counters” we need to find some room for cards like this that are perhaps side grades but enable some free counter interactions.

Usman:  It may just be our best fight spell, since being able to go one-up and win combat is great, especially since our format tends to have pretty compacted combat stats, and giving a fish isn’t a big deal.  I’m honestly unsure if it’s better than a bite that just deals power, since it can just go over the top and survive anyway.

Phizzled: Potentially permanently buffing your ramped out threat and killing something at the same time is decent.  I’d prefer instant speed or bite, but you’re only going to use the alternate mode when your creature is going to survive anyway. This is flexible enough to be powerful, and doggone it, people like it.

Neveron: There’s probably a lot of shenanigans to be had with a green Kor Skyfisher, even if it largely needs to rely on other colors for the big payoffs. It being a “may” is nice, as well… but in exchange for all that, the base body is a boring 3/3 reach for 3.

Solset: The failsafe for this is just fine, so the question becomes if we want a bit of incident ETB support outside UW.  Green has some fantastic bodies with an enter trigger, and in our montly drafts, Bant has been a common inclusion for the flicker deck.

Usman:  Green does have some value things, and may just be a way to help green grindy decks with expensive ETB creatures.  Might also be in the right color to do something like GWu for blue things that like to be flickered.  I think I like it, the more that I say.

Phizzled: This seems honestly pretty decent.  Some of our ramp creatures are not especially well protected, and I can’t imagine turning down Eternal Witness in pauper.  The body being an acceptable rate makes me just like it more.

Gold (Hybrid)

Omniczech: Oh man, I really like this thing, it’s a bit above rate for the vanilla test most of the time and being able to sink mana into some pseudo evasion is nice here.

Solset:  I care about symmetry and cycles more than most.  As a gold card, this doesn’t support our Rakdos theme, so I’m not happy putting it there.  If we open some new spot, like a hybrid one, this card would be fantastic there.  A day may come when we embrace the chaos and not care about spots, but it is not this day.

Neveron: This is a shoe-in for a hypothetical hybrid slot, but for a gold slot we have to raise the evergreen question of “what do we cut?”. Assuming that we keep the creatures that fit the sacrifice theme, it’s between Terminate and Blightning, both cards I’d be sad to see go. In any case, though, the Cindering Cutthroat is a fantastic little card and will probably kill a lot of people.

Usman:  Certainly in the right color.  In my own cube, I’ve been putting hybrid and multicolor separate (since hybrid isn’t a drawback, like multicolor) as this may just be more of a red card than a black one.  Not really better than anything in BR, though, but I think it’s aggressive enough that I’d want to play it in aggressive decks.

Phizzled: The body is fine and the potential for menace is not too shabby, either.  I like the splashability, even, except, as noted above: where does it belong if we put it in the list?

Solset: This one is so on theme, I could easily see us putting this in Gold if we don’t create a dedicated hybrid slot.

Neveron: Back when we ran Quandrix Pledgemage, I seem to remember people wishing that there’d be a Izzet version. Well, three years later…

Usman:  Pretty much the same as above, where I like it and think it’s likely “good enough” but not better than anything in Izzet’s multicolor cards.

Phizzled:  I enjoy grow creatures, and otters are pretty cute.  I’m interested in this card, but struggle, as above, with where to put them if we added this to the list.

Lands

Solset:  If we want a couple of these in our cube, I think replacing Crystal Grotto is likely the right call since surveil is almost strictly better than scry for our environment.   As we continue to adjust our lands though, I’m not sure this survives long even if it gets a shot next to Conduit Pylons.

Neveron: Our utility land slots are few enough that I’d prefer avoiding duplicates if possible. That said, this is basically just a straight upgrade over Crystal Grotto.

Omniczech: Boring upgrades are still upgrades.

Usman:  Indeed, it’s an upgrade.  Might be better for decks overall than Skyscanner?

Phizzled: Simple, clear, effective.