Honed Khopesh & Short Sword:
In the recent few sets Wizard's have been printing equipment with effects that did more than just hone your creature's combat stats. These cards have drawn the short stick and are being replaced by all the new coloured artifacts.

Search Party Captain:
You don't need to look too far to see that Spirited Companion does a better job at cycling itself. The downsize in body size does mean it doesn't attack as well but with the addition of new vehicles and equipment means that will be less of an issue. Spirited Companion is just friendlier to creature-lite decks.

Attended Knight, Gallant Cavalry, Loyal Cathar & Marshaling Cry:
This will be a cathartic release. These cards have been serving as strong value outlets for flicker, tokens, and aristocrat style decks. But now it's time to thank them for their service, as they have been long overdue for a cut.

Scrounging Bandar, Tukatongue Thallid, Elephant Guide & Lead the Stampede:
These four were the cards I scrounged up as the excess fat that green needed trimming. I needed to wind down on the number of cards like Lead the Stampede.

Exhume, First Day of Class, Arc Lightning & Galvanic Relay:
As much as I really enjoyed playing with reanimator in pauper, exhume would often dig out cards for your opponent. It wasn't very often that you would be able to combo out an Ulamog's Crusher on turn 2. Class is out and following suit so is Galvanic Relay. Without the rituals and cheap continual cantrips, galvanic relay often wasn't an explosive card. Much like the other combo cards First day of class was really only impressive in setting up infinite saccing of Putrid Goblin. Arc lightning is the only one here that doesn't make as much sense. It's a matter of removing something in red to allow newer cards have time in the spotlight, and red had a lot of burn spare. I expect it to make a hasty return in a future update.

It of the Horrid Swarm:
Greater Tanuki poses a more formidable threat while costing less, although not always the case when you take into account the emerge discount. In graveyard based decks however, Greater Tanuki ends up better in every aspect of the game as it helps your deck get enough mana to support midrange strategies better, while as mentioned earlier being a hard to block threat. It doesn't trigger on death effects which this card as able to produce through saccing the fodder, but the cube is already teeming with a lot of sac engines that, losing another one shot sac outlet wouldn't hurt the strategy.

Ethereal Armor:
Has been a staple in this cube, mainly due to bias. This card is what helped shape it's spiritual successors such as Sentinel's Eyes. There won't be additional bonuses for being dedicated to enchantment based strategies, but that's not something that boggles me.

Pacifism, Arrest & Nahiri's Binding:
As there are plenty of arrest effects in the cube, this card was bound to be removed from the cube.

Audacious Thief:
As much as I enjoyed this card in the cube, often times you'd find it'd be a risky attack sending this in to net yourself only one card draw. There is still an abundance of card draw in black so this isn't going to be a terrible loss. The 3MV slot is just filled to the brim with powerful sac fodder and sac outlets, that the limelight gets stolen away from this card.

Nantuko Husk & Mardu Skullhunter:
Both of these cards are pet favourites, but had to be removed. Similar effects were either cheaper or didn't require any hoops to jump through.

Saddleback Lagac & Scion Summoner:
Too many token generators, cutting down on them. The other four drops are better, and there are many ways to place +1/+1 counters on other creatures. Still an amazing creature and was a really tough cut.

Eldrazi Skyspawner & Omenspeaker:
There's not enough room in the sky for Skyspawner. With an abundance of flying thopter and spirit token generators in the format, there really isn't anywhere for this creature to fly literally. Omenspeaker is also being cut as there are creatures that are ironically enough better at digging for better draws.

Dissolve, Blink of an Eye, Bind the Monster & Scour All Possibilities:
And in a blink and they're gone! These cards are part of a clean up that blue was in a dire need of. These were meant to occupy the same space as the more powerful iterations but with a different enough twist.

Aether Adept, Pestermite & Library Larcenist:
These three cards are additions in the cube from a time when redundancy meant tighter gameplay. Now that there are more effects being printed at common, we can start to see more archetypes blur and share effects, while also providing for more interesting and varied game play. It's time that these cards bounced out of the cube and into the deckbox of fame.

Innocent Blood, Slum Reaper & Predatory Nightstalker:
Much like the previous three blue cards being removed from the cube, these cards are being removed from no longer needing the consistency that they brought. They are all powerful cards individually but they all fall prey to the same symptom of bringing the same effect that Fleshbag Marauder and Bone Shard already brings to the table.

Goblin Instigator, Raise the Alarm & Dawnfeather Eagle:
Another set of cards being chopped instigated by the change in design philosophy. Suspending Knight of Old Benalia does telegraph your game ending play, but if you've played against token decks, this landing really shouldn't dawn on you as a surprise. As such Raise the Alarm and Dawnfeather Eagle have also been cut.

Ghitu Lavarunner & Flurry of Horns:
For a spell based pay off Ghitu Lavarunner doesn't run away with the game, even with an eruption of burn spells pointed at your opponent's creatures. On the other hand, Flurry of Horns was formerly the strongest finisher red based control decks could want, but with the recent whirl of more powerful creatures at 5 MV printed this card is being gutted.

Frilled Deathspitter & Searing Blaze:
With the removal of a lot of token generators in the cube, Frilled Deathspitter's days are numbered. Searing Blaze hadn't been removed out of bias towards aggro decks. As it is basically fulfilling the role of creature removal, the other burn spells offered unique effects like card filtering that hadn't been offered to red as strongly before.

Cavern Whisperer & Warren Pilferers:
These two must have heard through the grape vine that this cut was coming. Both of these cards just lost out against cards with more power and unique effects. (Except mutate. That's pretty unique)

Dead Weight:
This is by no means a dead card. This card would remain in the cube if it weren't for the fact that black had a tonne of new removal spells added to the format.

Skittering Surveyor:
Didn't look far to cut this one. Filigree Familiar offers more and was a better keep at the 3MV slot.