172. Cache
This is a card that most of the time is a touch better than silver for Big Money strategies, which isn't really hot for $5. But it beats gold in lots of slogs, so that's something. And it has good synergies with all your copper-loving cards. On top of this, it works well with Trader and is a cheaper gold if you have watchtower in-hand.
171. Band of Misfits
Another one that's hard to evaluate. But the best 4-or-cheaper on the board, even when you get to pick the situation, often loses out to another 5-cost. That it can't be any really key cheap cards for long really really hurts this. But it has so much versatility that it can't be *that* bad. Probably it's best where there's lots of mediocre 3s-4s and at least some cantrip, or where you can use at as *either* smithy or village for an engine.
170. Mandarin
Just the on-play effect here would have this way way down the list. But it's actually a pretty key card for giving longevity to Big Money decks because of the on-gain, and it's not the worst thing ever in those decks once you have gained it. Also has some combos with HoP and counterfeit.
169. Counting House
You probably think I am mad here. Well, it's generally not worth it, but when it is, in can be VERY strong. The two best cases by far are against mountebank and with Beggar, in either of which it can be a real bomb. It's a solid-ish pickup in a deck with lots of filtering but no great money-producers. It's MUCH better in colony games. And then there's lots of convoluted combos for it, with coppersmith, Inn, Chancellor, Haven. The biggest problems are inconsistency, terminalness, and lack of +buy to take advantage of the huge effect it can give you.
168. Fortune Teller
Just a solid card, give them a four card hand. Well, actually you want it to skip their good cards, too, if you can. And it cycles them, which is a mixed bag. Not stackable, but a single copy is solid, if not great, in lots of places.
167. Herbalist
Another terminal copper. Its most common use is as a cheap source of +buy, a poor-man's woodcutter. But it has lots of nice interactions. Even in BM, it can often be better than woodcutter proper, as just shifting a good treasure for extra uses is not bad. But okay, BM-herbalist isn't really a thing. The real uses for this card are with specialty treasures, and there's several cases here. Potion is the big one, as this lets you get more potion cards faster than anything (often including a second potion). But it also is great with P-Stone and Hoard, and works out with talisman quarry, counterfeit in a pinch. And even if it 'misses', shuttling a silver isn't the worst thing ever.
166. Cellar
The worse but cheaper warehouse, which is nevertheless sometimes better than warehouse. A mediocre sifter.
165. Saboteur
So this card gets a really bad rap. I mean, okay, it isn't very good - you are anti-remodelling them, and it takes a spot from your hand rather than theirs. And it costs 5 rather than 4. The thing is, this is only a good card when you can hit a reasonable percentage of their important cards with it. Often that means playing it a lot, a la with King's Court. But sometimes it just means getting it really early - if they only have silver and smithy, poaching one can be really big. And sometimes it just means having some way to set it up - a spy effect. And in these situations, it can be potentially devastating. Well, I guess nobody likes a card that's usually bad but also frustrating to play against. Of note, you reasonably often need to *not* play it late - they can just turn some action or other only semi-useful card into points, or three-pile end on you.
164. Coppersmith
This one is a bit interesting. Well, basically all it does is produce more money for you, but it does it more than any other card in the game generally, so while it is normally bad, it can be used as a big-time finisher after constructing a big no-trash engine. Also just has some combos.
163. Storeroom
Another card I don't feel like I have a great feel for. Cellar, then Secret Chamber? Well, you also get a buy, that is nice. This guarantees you $4, but that's not better than SC, and it can often get you $5, well okay, but... not great. However, it can be a source of money as well as buy for an engine which is overdrawing, so it at least has some niches.
162. Talisman
The big problems with Talisman: Can't get Green, 4 is no 5, when you have 5 or more, you often want that one key card more than multiples of the cheaper one. Nevertheless, there's a good number of cheap cards which are nice to mass, and it has some pretty nice interactions with cost-reducers and things which are looking for lots of cheap cards (gardens, feodum).
161. Alchemist
An engine all in one go. There are three problems. One, you need to do something with it, just like any engine. Two, its cost is pretty prohibitive - opening for it is pretty dangerous. Three, building a more conventional engine is often just faster, and although this tends to be a little more consistent, the speed is often more important.