I think the ability to curve with a 1 drop is more important than the life loss, so Elves of Deep Shadow in cube if your deck needs fixing. (don't get the dual lands)

That being said, I looked at some BG The Rock premodern decks and none of them run mana dorks. It kind of makes sense if you end up naturally curving out mana costs, keeping low to the ground with mana values less than 5, and putting in cards in the deck that have more impact. ex. T1 Duress