I'm in the process of putting together my first cube of any kind, and to avoid spending too much, it is an all commons cube. I normally don't play magic while I'm at university, but this is an attempt to remedy that. With a cube, I will (hopefully) be able to get some of my friends who don't really play magic to play. They have all either played at one point so they know the basic rules or would be willing to learn. A cube seems like a good way to entice them to play since they don't have any cards of their own, plus cubing is just sweet in general. A pauper cube, incidentally, seems like it would work out especially well for this, because the effects are mostly simple, and it would be a relatively forgiving introduction to drafting, since all the cards are good, you are much less likely to end up with a bad deck.
Anyway, I haven't gotten all the cards for it yet, but I have it all planned out and I have most of it already. Here is my current planned list:
Size: 450
Breakdown: 65 each color, 35 land, 35 artifacts, 55 multicolor (5 for each combo, 1 for each shard)
This cube is completely unplayed as of yet, considering that it isn't even fully assembled, but any preliminary input from you seasoned cubers would be welcome. Thanks!
Honestly, I think that if draws were simply worth 0 points instead of 1, they would almost never happen.
There would just end up being more collusion since any time a match went to time, someone would end up conceding to the other person in exchange for something.
Different formats of play are referred to as various types, as well as a certain name.
Type 2 is Standard, where the last two blocks and the last core set are legal.
Type 1.x is Extended, where blocks from the last 4 years are legal.
Type 1.5 is Legacy, where every set is legal with a banned list.
Type 1 is Vintage, where every set is legal with a banned/restricted list.
Tiers typically refer to the relative popularity of a deck within a format, where a Tier 1 deck is one of the most prominent decks. For example, in Type 2 right now, the Tier 1 decks could be considered Jund, Mythic, and UW. Tier 1.5 typically refers to the slightly less popular decks, where Tier 2 is essentially the very fringe decks.
I don't remember exactly where I heard this, it may have even been on a thread on this site, but I've heard of people legally doing a so-called "gentleman's mulligan" where if both players mulligan to six, they agree to both draw seven cards instead by basically intentionally drawing that particular game. Is this a legal action? Are you allowed to just agree to draw a particular game? If so, is there anything about the fact that you are drawing in order to both draw seven that makes it any less legal? Just curious. Thanks.
I play so that you can, I think it makes for more interesting play, although I typically count the number of cards people play, especially if I know that they sometimes play more than they say. When you get it past people it feels like such a blowout, I think it makes it more fun.
Discard decks would still probably lose to UW, since UW can just play out a jace or a mind spring as the last card in their hand or just topdeck one, and then undo everything the discard deck has been doing the entire game with one card.
When I read the thread title, I thought this would be a deck about playing a dragonmaster outcast and then time warping to guarantee a dragon and be able to have mana open to protect the outcast. That seemed like an awesome idea. This... seems rather more convoluted.
I think if you listed what it kills in arguably the best deck: Jund, that it would be a fairer comparison. I mean unless you meta isn't full of Jund, then yes, Doomblade is better. But getting rid of Putrid Leech is important, and providing a mana cost advantage can be relevant. Although you may not do this, it can also kill Sprouting Thrinax. Also can take out the regular half of Broodmate Dragon (Doomblade can take out the token, so it's even up there).
That's true, but you don't board in deathmark in the mirror because killing dudes is not what you want to be doing.
I think it's reasonable to include some number of doom blades to replace some number of deathmarks (mostly just for red decks that might be gaining popularity after the GP), but the one mana is relevant in more situations than killing one drops or having comes into play tapped lands. It's a little thing called tempo, since it's a lot easier to play deathmark and another spell in the same turn than to do the same with doom blade.
Shouldn't be in most cases. They play pulse (-1 for them). You lose your two Journeys (+2 for them). They get back the two creatures removed by the two Journeys (+2 for them assuming the creature removed wasn't a token). They lose 1 card, you lose 2 cards, they gain two cards. This is a net of 3 for them in terms of CA (-1+2+2=3).
According to this logic, simply playing a journey to nowhere is card advantage (+1 journey in play -1 creature for them). This is obviously fallacious. Just because you get a card in play doesn't mean that the permanent itself is actually worth a card when you are calculating card advantage. Journeying a guy is a 1 for 1, therefore pulsing two journeys is just a 2 for 1, or +1 card advantage.
A swamp brings Bloodghast/s back, without the cost of life, and the landfall ability works once a turn, so there's no need for fetch to draw an additional land.
Try again.
So you always have a swamp in your hand, every turn?
A fetch can bring the bloodghast back twice while only requiring one land, as long as you didn't need to crack it in between ghast-deaths.
They serve a few purposes. They get black bloodghasts multiple times (so long as you don't need the mana immediately). They reset the top card off nocturnus. And for the builds that run grim discovery, they allow to use it to hit land drops, protect against blightning, and just generally get card advantage. They also marginally thin (which is a tertiary benefit, but it still exists to some extent).
I'd like to talk a bit about the manabase. I'm playing 26 land because of explore, and 3 raging ravine as my only non-savage/m10 tap lands. Obviously you probably wouldn't play 26 lands without explore, but I think you can afford to because of the manlands and the benefit you get from running more with explore.
Basically, what do you think is the right mix of lands as far as:
Anyway, I haven't gotten all the cards for it yet, but I have it all planned out and I have most of it already. Here is my current planned list:
Breakdown: 65 each color, 35 land, 35 artifacts, 55 multicolor (5 for each combo, 1 for each shard)
1 Akrasan Squire
1 Benevolent bodyguard
1 Gideon's lawkeeper
1 Goldmeadow harrier
1 Icatian Javelineers
1 Shade of Trokair
1 Steppe Lynx
//2cc
1 Benalish cavalry
1 Blade of the Sixth Pride
1 Kami of Ancient law
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Leonin Skyhunter
1 Lone Missionary
1 Order of Leitbur
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Raise the Alarm
1 Ronom Unicorn
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Squall Drifter
1 Stormfront Pegasus
1 Whitemane Lion
1 Amrou Seekers
1 Apex Hawks
1 Aven Riftwatcher
1 Ballynock Cohort
1 Daru Lancer
1 Kabuto Moth
1 Kemba's Skyguard
1 Kitsune Blademaster
1 Kor Hookmaster
1 Village Bell-ringer
//4cc
1 Coalition Honor Guard
1 Ballynock Trapper
1 Cenn's Enlistment
1 Guardian of the Guildpact
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Razor Golem
1 Spirit en-Kor
1 Sensor Splicer
1 Totem-Guide Hartebeest
//6cc
1 Noble Templar
1 Mana Tithe
1 Stave Off
1 Sunlance
//2cc
1 Bonds of faith
1 Cho-manno's Blessing
1 Disenchant
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Pacifism
1 Shelter
1 Spare from Evil
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Arrest
1 AWOL
1 Blinding Beam
1 Cage of Hands
1 Embolden
1 Guardian's Pledge
1 Hobble
1 Kor chant
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Prismatic Strands
1 Recumbent Bliss
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Marshalling Cry
1 Phantasmal Bear
//2cc
1 Augury Owl
1 Carnivorous Death-parrot
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Plated Seastrider
1 Spined Thopter
1 Waterfront Bouncer
//3cc
1 Aether adept
1 Calcite Snapper
1 Fathom seer
1 Man-o'-war
1 Pestermite
1 Scroll thief
1 Sea gate oracle
1 Shaper Parasite
1 Skywinder Drake
1 Stitched Drake
1 Aven Fleetwing
1 Halimar Wavewatch
1 Makeshift Mauler
1 Ninja of the Deep hours
1 Sentinels of Glen Elendra
1 Shimmering Glasskite
1 Spire Golem
//5cc
1 Spire Monitor
1 Chasm Drake
1 Double Header
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Mulldrifter
1 Sky-eel School
1 Aethersnipe
1 Shoreline Ranger
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Preordain
//2cc
1 Boomerang
1 Counterspell
1 Daze
1 Essence scatter
1 Impulse
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Miscalculation
1 Narcolepsy
1 Prohibit
1 Think Twice
1 Withdraw
1 Claustrophobia
1 Compulsive Research
1 Exclude
1 Frost breath
1 Repulse
1 Rushing River
1 Undo
//4cc
1 Ray of Command
1 Deep Analysis
1 Foresee
1 Into the Roil
1 Brilliant Plan
1 Mysteries of the Deep
//6cc
1 Capsize
//X spells
1 Condescend
1 Repeal
1 Carnophage
1 Fume Spitter
1 Vampire lacerator
1 Vault Skirge
//2cc
1 Augur of Skulls
1 Blind Creeper
1 Child of Night
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Fledgling Djinn
1 Nezumi Cutthroat
1 Pit Keeper
1 Surrakar marauder
1 Undertaker
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Blind Zealot
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Chittering rats
1 Crypt Rats
1 Dauthi Marauder
1 Dross Golem
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Moriok replica
1 Phyrexian Rager
1 Skinthinner
1 Zombie Cutthroat
1 Faceless butcher
1 Gravedigger
1 Mortis Dogs
1 Okiba-gang shinobi
1 Pith Driller
1 Viscera Dragger
//5cc
1 Warren Pilferers
//6cc
1 Twisted Abomination
1 Dead weight
1 Disfigure
1 Duress
1 Innocent Blood
1 Tortured Existence
1 Unearth
1 Vendetta
1 Wring Flesh
//2cc
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Doom blade
1 Grasp of darkness
1 Grim Harvest
1 Last gasp
1 Nameless inversion
1 Sign in Blood
1 Terror
1 Victim of Night
1 Crippling fatigue
1 Expunge
1 Eyeblight's Ending
1 Hideous end
1 Ichor Slick
1 Morbid Plunder
1 Rend Flesh
//4cc
1 Evincar's Justice
1 Instill Infection
1 Pestilence
1 Snuff out
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Disturbed Burial
//X Spells
1 Death Denied
1 Goblin Patrol
1 Goblin Fireslinger
1 Keldon Halberdier
1 Mogg Fanatic
//2cc
1 Bloodcrazed Neonate
1 Fireslinger
1 Goblin Shortcutter
1 Hearth kami
1 Keldon marauders
1 Mogg War marshal
1 Plated Geopede
1 Sparksmith
1 Blisterstick Shaman
1 Blood Ogre
1 Gathan raiders
1 Ghitu slinger
1 Hissing Iguanar
1 Inner-flame Acolyte
1 Manic Vandal
1 Ronin Houndmaster
1 Skirk Marauder
1 Skirk Shaman
1 Suq'ata Lancer
1 Vithian Stinger
1 Vulshok Replica
1 Bladetusk Boar
1 Gorehorn Minotaurs
1 Oxidda Golem
1 Slash Panther
//5cc
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Kuldotha Ringleader
1 Pitchburn Devils
1 Skitter of Lizards
1 Torch Slinger
//6cc
1 Chartooth Cougar
1 Flameborn Hellion
1 Brute Force
1 Burst Lightning
1 Chain Lightning
1 Dead//gone
1 Firebolt
1 Flame Slash
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Rift Bolt
//2cc
1 Incinerate
1 Lash out
1 Nightbird's Clutches
1 Searing Blaze
1 Volcanic Hammer
1 Act of treason
1 Arc Lightning
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Molten Rain
1 Ruthless Invasion
1 Staggershock
1 Stone Rain
//4cc
1 Aftershock
1 Chandra's Outrage
1 Magma Burst
1 Pyrotechnics
//6cc
1 Fireblast
//x Spells
1 Disintegrate
1 Fireball
1 Kaervek's Torch
1 Rolling thunder
1 Arbor Elf
1 Basking Rootwalla
1 Durkwood Baloth
1 Jungle Lion
1 Llanowar Elf
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Wild Dogs
//2cc
1 Ambush Viper
1 Darkthicket Wolf
1 Garruk's Companion
1 Mire Boa
1 Nest Invader
1 River Boa
1 Sakura-tribe Elder
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Thornweald archer
1 Viridian Emissary
1 Wall of Roots
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Borderland Ranger
1 Civic Wayfinder
1 Jolrael's Centaur
1 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Nessian Courser
1 Simian Grunts
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Yavimaya elder
//4cc
1 Blastoderm
1 Elephant Ambush
1 Festerhide boar
1 Kozilek's Predator
1 Penumbra Spider
1 Tangle Golem
1 Thundering Tanadon
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Wild Leotau
1 Wildheart Invoker
1 Aerie Ouphes
1 Kavu Climber
1 Stampeding Rhino
//6cc
1 Citanul Woodreaders
1 Mold Shambler
//7cc
1 Havenwood Wurm
1 Jungle Weaver
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Maul Splicer
//8cc
1 Kavu Primarch
1 Giant Growth
1 Groundswell
1 Prey Upon
1 Rancor
1 Search for Tomorrow
//2cc
1 Edge of Autumn
1 Evolution Charm
1 Explore
1 Farseek
1 Land Aid '04
1 Rampant Growth
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Arachnus Web
1 Cultivate
1 Harrow
1 Kodama's reach
1 Wildsize
//5cc
1 Sprout Swarm
1 Curse of Chains
1 Deft Duelist
1 Esper cormorants
1 Momentary blink
1 Silkbind Faerie
//Orzhov
1 Blind Hunter
1 Castigate
1 Pillory of the Sleepless
1 Shrieking Grotesque
1 Unmake
//Boros
1 Cerodon yearling
1 Fire at Will
1 Goblin Legionnaire
1 Orim's Thunder
1 Skyknight Legionnaire
//Selesnya
1 Armadillo Cloak
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Safehold elite
1 Sigiled Behemoth
1 Steward of Valeron
1 Agony Warp
1 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Mystical teachings
1 Probe
1 Recoil
//Izzet
1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Jilt
1 Noggle Bandit
1 Ogre Savant
1 Steamcore weird
//Simic
1 Assault Zepplid
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Gaea's Skyfolk
1 Snakeform
1 Temporal Spring
//Rakdos
1 Blightning
1 Goblin Deathraiders
1 Strangling soot
1 Terminate
1 Wrecking Ball
1 Consume strength
1 Golgari Rotwurm
1 Putrid Leech
1 Rendclaw trow
1 Shambling shell
//Gruul
1 Branching Bolt
1 Kird ape
1 Rhox Brute
1 Scuzzback Marauder
1 Tin-street Hooligan
//Shards
1 Crystallization
1 Resounding Thunder
1 Shadow guildmage
1 Stormscape apprentice
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Golgari Signet
1 Gruul Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Mind Stone
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Pristine Talisman
1 Prophetic prism
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Adventuring Gear
1 Bonesplitter
1 Copper Carapace
1 Flayer husk
1 Leonin bola
1 Leonin Scimitar
1 Opaline Bracers
1 Strider harness
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Viridian longbow
1 Vulshok Morningstar
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Moonglove Extract
1 Serrated arrows
1 Tumble Magnet
//Creatures
1 Perilous Myr
1 Skyreach Manta
1 Ulamog's Crusher
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Boros Garrison
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Firewild Borderpost
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Gruul Turf
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Mistvein Borderpost
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Veinfire Borderpost
1 Wildfield Borderpost
1 Barren Moor
1 Drifting Meadow
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Polluted Mire
1 Remote Isle
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Slippery Karst
1 Smoldering Crater
1 Tranquil Thicket
//5 Color fixing
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Rupture Spire
1 Shimmering grotto
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Desert
1 Halimar Depths
1 Khalni Garden
1 Quicksand
1 Smoldering Spires
1 Teetering Peaks
This cube is completely unplayed as of yet, considering that it isn't even fully assembled, but any preliminary input from you seasoned cubers would be welcome. Thanks!
There would just end up being more collusion since any time a match went to time, someone would end up conceding to the other person in exchange for something.
Type 2 is Standard, where the last two blocks and the last core set are legal.
Type 1.x is Extended, where blocks from the last 4 years are legal.
Type 1.5 is Legacy, where every set is legal with a banned list.
Type 1 is Vintage, where every set is legal with a banned/restricted list.
Tiers typically refer to the relative popularity of a deck within a format, where a Tier 1 deck is one of the most prominent decks. For example, in Type 2 right now, the Tier 1 decks could be considered Jund, Mythic, and UW. Tier 1.5 typically refers to the slightly less popular decks, where Tier 2 is essentially the very fringe decks.
Think about how absurd this card would've been at uncommon in limited.
That's true, but you don't board in deathmark in the mirror because killing dudes is not what you want to be doing.
I think it's reasonable to include some number of doom blades to replace some number of deathmarks (mostly just for red decks that might be gaining popularity after the GP), but the one mana is relevant in more situations than killing one drops or having comes into play tapped lands. It's a little thing called tempo, since it's a lot easier to play deathmark and another spell in the same turn than to do the same with doom blade.
According to this logic, simply playing a journey to nowhere is card advantage (+1 journey in play -1 creature for them). This is obviously fallacious. Just because you get a card in play doesn't mean that the permanent itself is actually worth a card when you are calculating card advantage. Journeying a guy is a 1 for 1, therefore pulsing two journeys is just a 2 for 1, or +1 card advantage.
So you always have a swamp in your hand, every turn?
A fetch can bring the bloodghast back twice while only requiring one land, as long as you didn't need to crack it in between ghast-deaths.
3 Rootbound Crag
4 Savage Lands
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Raging Ravine
3 Swamp
3 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Siege-gang Commander
3 Broodmate Dragon
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
2 Terminate
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Blightning
3 Bituminous Blast
I'd like to talk a bit about the manabase. I'm playing 26 land because of explore, and 3 raging ravine as my only non-savage/m10 tap lands. Obviously you probably wouldn't play 26 lands without explore, but I think you can afford to because of the manlands and the benefit you get from running more with explore.
Basically, what do you think is the right mix of lands as far as:
And also what you think the right number of lands total would be if you are running explore.