Exclusion Mage and Callous Dismissal are both cards Ive played in the deck before and have never been excited about, but the difference a mana or two makes here, plus the difference being an instant makes as well, is huge
Named after Birthing Pod (which is also a staple of the strategy), your Pod deck wants to consist of creatures of every mana value that act as a toolbox to pull out to answer any specific situation
This can be true in rare cases but usually, it's just the visuals
Part of the beauty of cycling, like evoke, is the simplicity of the mechanism which would make it an excellent candidate to have as a more fundamental magic mechanism like flying that appears in every Magic set.
Note that surveil was introduced in 2018 and wasn't adopted as a deciduous mechanic until 2022, so a lot of cards that existed prior to those years don't have the word surveil printed on them