I was thinking earlier what cube cards I've had extreme success with that other people just don't seem to run or like. I think having a thread devoted to experiences, stories, and just arguments for some underplayed cards would be a good one. I love to hear about people with very different opinions on some cards people feel are underplayed.
For me, I think Frantic Search is the most criminally excluded card in cube lists of every size. It's free, can produce mana with Wild Growth / Utopia Sprawl (also underplayed, IMO), or lands that produce more than one mana, and it's a great way to filter cards you don't need and get your graveyard decks like Reanimator some options. It's also an all-star in Storm, but not a lot of people support that archetype.
What great cards have you played with that people commonly overlook?
Out of all the cards mentioned (other than Contamination) Frantic Search is the only one that really appeals, and it's something I would be happy including if I thought I needed it.
I never thought much of Craterhoof at all, with a huge lack of synergy when you pay for it with creatures or reanimate/NO it out as a lone target.
Contamination is so awesome, and really strong. I think people don't run it because it can be oppressive. I am considering its reinclusion though.
Master of Waves is really hit-or-miss and I can understand not including it, but it's very cool.
There isn't a particular card that I think HAS to be in cubes that is really underappreciated. I guess I really don't get players who think black aggro is anything less than a stellar archetype. It's got a lot that the other colours can't offer, like discard, and premium aggressive creatures. And recursive ones! It lacks depth in good aggressive two drops, however, which is the only real weakness. Red is great for shoring up that aspect, as red has tons of them but lacks depth in good one drops... which black has in droves. I think it's a fad trope, really, in the same way that people used to think white and then (latterly) green were just awful colours in cube, for those of us who have been cubing long enough to remember. That was never the case either.
I guess if I had to identify ONE really strong card that isn't in every list, it would be Nether Void, which is pretty much a black Armageddon. I expect price has a lot to do with that.
I'm really enjoying Academy Rector. She is an awesome toolbox creature that can grab o-ring, control magic, form of the dragon or any enchantment the board state calls for. With the right support, she can be an interesting addition to cube.
Sunblast Angel - Mentioned it in another thread, this thing has been really awesome for us. Swings games whenever it is cast.
Deep-Sea Kraken - Doesn't have shroud, but leaves all your mana open when it comes into play, so as a blue deck that should be pretty close. There are better options, but we have fun with the little mind games it creates with having to decide if it's worth it to cast that spell or not.
Sunblast Angel - Mentioned it in another thread, this thing has been really awesome for us. Swings games whenever it is cast.
Deep-Sea Kraken - Doesn't have shroud, but leaves all your mana open when it comes into play, so as a blue deck that should be pretty close. There are better options, but we have fun with the little mind games it creates with having to decide if it's worth it to cast that spell or not.
It's a bit more narrow than the other green fatties (you don't want it creatureless show and tell/reanimator decks), but in a green ramp deck it is by FAR the best finisher and it's not even close.
JESUS CHRIST HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN CONTAMINATION wtf.. Card seems absolutely busted in black agro (esepecially in my cube).
These responses are awesome, so glad I made this thread.
I'm going to test out Craterhoof Behemoth and Contamination for sure in my 720. I might test out Nether Void too (we played this in my 540 3 years ago, it was great).
I also agree on Spiketail Drakeling, but I can't find a cut for him in any of my cubes because we support storm heavily. I would play him in a non-storm cube for sure though. He's also probably better in unpowered vs. powered.
I've been playing Academy Rector for some time now, and it is one of the strongest cards in white. Seriously. When Academy Rector is in my deck, I tutor for it like crazy because it's so good at all points of the game. It's a combo player's dream enabler.
My top 5 list of cards that are the most underrated by some members of these forums:
Craterhoof behemoth
Jace architect of thought
Sphinx's revelation
Searing blaze
Fireblast
Honrable mentions, Mizzium mortarss/Devil's play (don't think these card is super powerful or anything, but they are strong enough to deserve a slot and I rarely hear them mentioned)
Think X spells in general are underrated, as there are lot of decks that can generate absurd mana.
I actually took him out for a couple months and had to throw him back in just a few weeks ago to appease my players' demands lol. I think we've come to a point where, at least in smaller lists, we can now choose what archetypes/strategies we want to support without having to worry about power level. Sure I have to drop a couple of cards that can 'fit in any blue deck' in order to include this... but I don't mind trading some flexibility for specific tools that can add that extra umph that some archetypes/strategies need. When the Blue Devotion deck comes together it can hang with the best of them.
I've only just added Stifle recently but it's been a pretty strong role player so far. I looked at it as a counterspell at first and would always evaluate it and say 'I wish I had a real counter instead of this'. But sometimes you just don't get the luxury of drawing your counterspell before your opponent plays that troublemaker and you need something that can be used on stuff that gets through your wall of counters or is already in play. And there's not a lot of more demoralizing experiences than getting your fetch stuffed by a Stifle.
I guess if I had to identify ONE really strong card that isn't in every list, it would be Nether Void, which is pretty much a black Armageddon.
Yeah Nether Void is pretty amazing. Probably makes the list of top 3 black cards I'm currently not running but wish I was.
For me there is only one card that I think is criminally excluded - and anyone who's known me long enough can probably tell you it's Fires of Yavimaya! :). I know 99.9% of all cubers will disagree, but I just love it and the firepower it adds to GR midrange. The kind that can quickly overwhelm an opponent with squirrel tokens followed by an angry hydra, and where a Birds of Paradise is turned sideways not for its mana but for the alpha strike to the head.
I just went through my list and this is what I came up with for cards that I feel, to put it in Rodney Dangerfield terms, "get no respect". I would never claim that any of these cards were 360 staples, but they've all been quite good for us at 550.
Archangel of Thune - Five mana for a 3/4 flying lifelink isn't a bad deal at all. Her +1/+1 counters ability pushes her over the top, though. First of all, she triggers on herself, so one swing and you've got a 4/5 lifelink flyer. I've taken over games with just her and two other creatures on the board. Combine her with something like Ajani Goldmane or any of the other random life gain cards throughout the cube and it just gets nuts.
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner - Kira is fantastic in any blue tempo creature deck. Admittedly, she is a nombo with equipment. Outside of that, however, she is damn near the most annoying creature ever. I've seen her win so many games with my opponent holding two removal spells in hand; either they kill Kira and have to deal with another threat or they kill the threat and still have to worry about Kira and her ability to shield any other threats. There are definitely ways around her, but it's nice to have her in play against an Icy or Maze.
Blood Artist - We've been running this guy for about six months now and, so far, he's been quite solid. The thing about cube is a lot of games are won and lost on the back of creatures and combat. You'd be surprised how much damage this guy can sneak in over the course of the game just by creatures dying in a normal fashion. Throw him into a Stax shell and it can get pretty ridiculous.
Reckless Waif - I see a lot of hate for this little gal. Granted, I do think this is probably the worst red 1-drop that I'm currently running, but by no means is that saying she's bad at all. If played on turn one, we typically don't have any problems getting her to flip. In those instances she can really produce some damage numbers.
*Side Note* We just added in Stoke the Flames, so I'm hoping it turns out to be really good and eventually ends up on one of these underrated cube cards lists.
Mayor of Avabruck - This guy is just a super solid 2-drop all around. There's enough humans in the cube to make his front side more valuable that you'd think. And although he can be harder to flip than a turn one Reckless Waif, when he does flip he's insane. He makes a 3/3 every turn and he randomly buffs your other wolves. (Garruk tokens, anyone?)
Trading Post - Fantastic in the reanimator deck, the Stax deck, the artifact deck, or just random midrange decks for value. The best deck I ever ran this in was a heavy black midrandge deck with a light green splash for things like Sylvan Library and Life From the Loam. I had both Recurring Nightmare and Necropotence. It was a ton of fun and so synergistic. I'd discard to gain four life and then draw four with Necro. Or I'd discard to be able to keep an extra card with Sylvan Library. And my discards were relevant because I had spells like Recurring Nightmare and Life From the Loam. Plus you can make Goats for Stax fodder. It just does so much. I love it.
Scuttling Doom Engine / Soul of New Phyrexia - I'm lumping these two together due to them both being new and from the same set. I still see Triskelion in so many lists and, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why that guy wasn't cut for at least one of these two monsters. Trike is cute and it has its uses, but I can honestly say that both of these guys have seen a lot more play in their short cube lives than Trike had seen in months. Against an aggro deck Scuttling Doom Engine is nigh unblockable. I've also seen him hit for 12 damage in the same turn with a sac outlet. That's so much damage! Soul of New Phyrexia can be very hard to beat if you're allowed to untap with him. Just the threat of indestructibility can be enough. Plus he's a 6/6 trampler for six mana. That alone is not a bad deal. I think both of these guys are fantastic and I like them way more than Triskelion in that six drop artifact creature slot. I like them both more than Precursor Golem as well.
Sphinx's Revelation - In UW control, this is the gold card you want. Cards like D Sphere, Geist and Supreme Verdict are better gold cards for the cube as a whole because they can go in more than just UW control. Sphinx's Rev is the epitome of what UW control is trying to do. Your deck has made it to turn seven or eight, you've used a few counters and played a couple of mana rocks, maybe a wrath effect. You're pushing ten life or so, give or take a few. EOT tap seven or eight to Sphinx's Rev for four or five and suddenly the game is out of reach. Your life total is back up to a more comfortable range and you've refilled your hand with gas. I was super skeptical of this card at first and it took me a while to even come around to including it in a six card UW section. It has proven itself time and time again, though, and I don't regret that decision at all.
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner - Kira is fantastic in any blue tempo creature deck. Admittedly, she is a nombo with equipment. Outside of that, however, she is damn near the most annoying creature ever. I've seen her win so many games with my opponent holding two removal spells in hand; either they kill Kira and have to deal with another threat or they kill the threat and still have to worry about Kira and her ability to shield any other threats. There are definitely ways around her, but it's nice to have her in play against an Icy or Maze.
There was a time when I was unsure of her ability for tempo... getting in the way of equipment as you mentioned. But she really was a strong role player with that annoying ability of hers :). If she had flying or some sort of evasion, or if she wasn't 3 frackin' mana (like a 2/1 for UU instead) I'd say she was a top tier addition for tempo. The problem with tempo is that you end up having to cut half the 3 drops you drafted because there's just so many good options in that slot.
There was a time when I was unsure of her ability for tempo... getting in the way of equipment as you mentioned. But she really was a strong role player with that annoying ability of hers :). If she had flying or some sort of evasion, or if she wasn't 3 frackin' mana (like a 2/1 for UU instead) I'd say she was a top tier addition for tempo. The problem with tempo is that you end up having to cut half the 3 drops you drafted because there's just so many good options in that slot.
She has flying. I've been playing Kira for quite a while and I've been happy with her too. Dimir tempo has been a popular deck type since my cube's inception, so she's nowhere near the chopping block for me.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Drakeling helps with 2 devotion (for the Master of Waves) also. But if my focus is on multicolor, I'd probably omit it.
I would recommend Nimbus Naid if it wasn't in people's lists. It has been very good so far. I dunno how long's an average game in an average cube takes but bestowing this on T5 seems strong to me. Jumping a Brimaz or Hero of Bladehold, or any premium 4 drop can be back breaking.
I also find alot of focus is put on the aggressive cards (1cmc 2/1) nowadays and the art of blocking is pretty lost. Blue needs a little help, so Coral Barrier or Calcite Snapper can stymie some of the beats.
Yea, I know About Griffin Guide too. I've it in my cube. But one's blue and the other's white. One can always be cast on an empty board, the other is creature dependent. The differences are pretty clear.
I've long been a fan of Aven Mimeomancer, I think that's a great way for tempo decks to upsize their early drops without losing their other abilities, and it can also turn opponents big threats into a more manageable size. The fact that the creatures remain 3/1 fliers when the 'mancer leaves the battlefield is also very nice.
I was a little dubious at first, but Crypt Ghast has really proven its worth, too. Both the extort and the extra mana are very relevant, and make up for its smallish size for a 4-drop.
I'll echo the love for Mayor of Avabruck, who is still as popular now in my cube as it was when I added it after the Innistrad prerelease.
I actually am not sure how popular Spirit Bonds is, but we've been enjoying it so far.
I also re-added Rout since I opened one from Conspiracy, and I've really liked the instant speed wrath effect, more than I thought I did when it was originally in my cube.
A few cards for consideration, with their % inclusion rate on a set of 1308 cubetutor cubes updated since KTK release:
*Draining Whelk (< 5%)
*Guul Draz Assassin (10%)
*Ghastlord of Fugue (< 5%)
*Silent Arbiter (5%)
*Spidersilk Armor (< 5%) -- this is probably best left to pauper cubes, but it has performed well for me there
Of the cards mentioned previously, I'm certainly a fan of Kira (22%), Blood Artist (30%), and Griffin Guide (9%). I like Spiketail Drakeling (< 5%) very much for pauper, but find the competition at its mana cost too stiff for general cube. BTW, to give you some calibration for percent inclusion rates mentioned here, Lightning Bolt tops the inclusion rates at 73%, shock lands come in at ~53%, and the swords hit the mid-to-high 30's.
I will also toss out a *mechanic* that I believe is underutilized: protection from creatures. In a larger cube with a wide power level spread, I've featured Commander Eesha (< 5%), Unquestioned Authority (< 5%), and Iridescent Angel (< 5%). Iridescent Angel in particular has been a fine finisher, although in more up-tempo cubes it may be less impressive (it's a 7-drop). Commander Eesha has not been overpowering but is generally relevant when on board. Unquestioned Authority generally ends up in people's sideboards and is probably not relevant for people designing smaller, more focused cubes. People looking to find an outlet for the mechanic in a shorter list should probably turn to Spirit Mantle (5%), which at 1W should be easier to slot into well-curved lists than any of the cards I've deployed.
I have to add that Unearth is just busted. That card is so insane because even the first time I tried to use it, I put the creature into my hand. My opponent was reading it and reminded me that it goes TO THE BATTLEFIELD. I got a Courser of Kruphix right back when I needed him to block and gain some more life. And the worse case is that I can't get anything and I just cycle it. Absolutely a must-have in modern-day cubes.
Another one of my favorites that I don't see a lot in lists is Nameless Inversion. It's often a black Lightning Strike, but in a pinch can be used as a pump spell on a demon or dragon for a surprise win. I haven't seen the benefit from removing the creature type being relevant, but I suppose it's possible 1 in a million. Plus it's got a sweet full-art promo :3
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The GameCube, a 500 cube with a medium power level and a focus on fun and fringe playables rather than immediately shutting your opponent down with the best cards ever printed.
Modem Masters, a 500 cube that tries to capture the essence of a Modern Masters set draft. 3 of each common, 2 of each uncommon, 1 of each rare, few mythics. Includes minor changes for balance reasons to give certain archetypes the tools they need to succeed.
Silent Departure a solid inclusion for tempo decks, especially good late game as opponents will forget about the flashback. Ludevic’s Testsubject a solid blocker early, and since you can put counters on at instant speed it allows you to spread the cost across multiple turns, also allowing you to keep open mana for counter magic and pump it up EOT. A 13/13 trample is no joke. Guul Draz Assassin another work horse. This little fella can make the mid-game a real mess. Functions a bit like Disk or the Seals, sitting on the board discouraging the opponent from further committing resources. Jokulhaups This has been in and out of my cube for years, now back in. A bit between Upheaval and Wildfire, but the key is to not mistake it as a "poorman's" version of those cards. It presents its own unique window; only planeswalkers and Mirari's Wake survive it so its at its best alongside those (really nasty ramping into it with Garruk Wildspeaker). Tinder Wall Not just for Storm-support. Turn one double red one drops, turn two four drops, straight outta Ernham and Burn Em' circa 95. Love it in RG ramp decks. Helm of Possession real tough for opponents to play around, cool in decks that couldn't normally steal creatures. Good in black decks that can mitigate the sac cost with Gravecrawler and friends, and/or token decks.
I've had an eye on Helm of Possession for a while, especially with such an influx of sacrificial black cards recently. It's one I'd definitely be interested in trying out. Jokulhaups also seems like a fun card, but I don't know that my group would really get on board with it. Upheaval and Wildfire both are cards that my regulars (for some reason) seem to steer clear of. Guul Draz Assassin is a card that I'd also like to try out, but with so many new two power one drops in black recently, there's very little room to spare in that slot.
I was thinking earlier what cube cards I've had extreme success with that other people just don't seem to run or like. I think having a thread devoted to experiences, stories, and just arguments for some underplayed cards would be a good one. I love to hear about people with very different opinions on some cards people feel are underplayed.
For me, I think Frantic Search is the most criminally excluded card in cube lists of every size. It's free, can produce mana with Wild Growth / Utopia Sprawl (also underplayed, IMO), or lands that produce more than one mana, and it's a great way to filter cards you don't need and get your graveyard decks like Reanimator some options. It's also an all-star in Storm, but not a lot of people support that archetype.
What great cards have you played with that people commonly overlook?
CUBE TOP 10 - Help us vote for the best cards in cube
Followed up by Contamination (particularly if people run the pox/recursive black guys package).
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Out of all the cards mentioned (other than Contamination) Frantic Search is the only one that really appeals, and it's something I would be happy including if I thought I needed it.
I never thought much of Craterhoof at all, with a huge lack of synergy when you pay for it with creatures or reanimate/NO it out as a lone target.
Contamination is so awesome, and really strong. I think people don't run it because it can be oppressive. I am considering its reinclusion though.
Master of Waves is really hit-or-miss and I can understand not including it, but it's very cool.
There isn't a particular card that I think HAS to be in cubes that is really underappreciated. I guess I really don't get players who think black aggro is anything less than a stellar archetype. It's got a lot that the other colours can't offer, like discard, and premium aggressive creatures. And recursive ones! It lacks depth in good aggressive two drops, however, which is the only real weakness. Red is great for shoring up that aspect, as red has tons of them but lacks depth in good one drops... which black has in droves. I think it's a fad trope, really, in the same way that people used to think white and then (latterly) green were just awful colours in cube, for those of us who have been cubing long enough to remember. That was never the case either.
I guess if I had to identify ONE really strong card that isn't in every list, it would be Nether Void, which is pretty much a black Armageddon. I expect price has a lot to do with that.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Draft my counters themed cube!
Deep-Sea Kraken - Doesn't have shroud, but leaves all your mana open when it comes into play, so as a blue deck that should be pretty close. There are better options, but we have fun with the little mind games it creates with having to decide if it's worth it to cast that spell or not.
Spiketail Drakeling - No clue why this isn't played more.
Spiketail Drakeling is actually very good. Obviously it's no Vendilion Clique or True Name Nemesis, but I can see it being worth it.
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It's a bit more narrow than the other green fatties (you don't want it creatureless show and tell/reanimator decks), but in a green ramp deck it is by FAR the best finisher and it's not even close.
JESUS CHRIST HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN CONTAMINATION wtf.. Card seems absolutely busted in black agro (esepecially in my cube).
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I'm going to test out Craterhoof Behemoth and Contamination for sure in my 720. I might test out Nether Void too (we played this in my 540 3 years ago, it was great).
I also agree on Spiketail Drakeling, but I can't find a cut for him in any of my cubes because we support storm heavily. I would play him in a non-storm cube for sure though. He's also probably better in unpowered vs. powered.
I've been playing Academy Rector for some time now, and it is one of the strongest cards in white. Seriously. When Academy Rector is in my deck, I tutor for it like crazy because it's so good at all points of the game. It's a combo player's dream enabler.
CUBE TOP 10 - Help us vote for the best cards in cube
Craterhoof behemoth
Jace architect of thought
Sphinx's revelation
Searing blaze
Fireblast
Honrable mentions, Mizzium mortarss/Devil's play (don't think these card is super powerful or anything, but they are strong enough to deserve a slot and I rarely hear them mentioned)
Think X spells in general are underrated, as there are lot of decks that can generate absurd mana.
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I actually took him out for a couple months and had to throw him back in just a few weeks ago to appease my players' demands lol. I think we've come to a point where, at least in smaller lists, we can now choose what archetypes/strategies we want to support without having to worry about power level. Sure I have to drop a couple of cards that can 'fit in any blue deck' in order to include this... but I don't mind trading some flexibility for specific tools that can add that extra umph that some archetypes/strategies need. When the Blue Devotion deck comes together it can hang with the best of them.
I've only just added Stifle recently but it's been a pretty strong role player so far. I looked at it as a counterspell at first and would always evaluate it and say 'I wish I had a real counter instead of this'. But sometimes you just don't get the luxury of drawing your counterspell before your opponent plays that troublemaker and you need something that can be used on stuff that gets through your wall of counters or is already in play. And there's not a lot of more demoralizing experiences than getting your fetch stuffed by a Stifle.
Yeah Nether Void is pretty amazing. Probably makes the list of top 3 black cards I'm currently not running but wish I was.
For me there is only one card that I think is criminally excluded - and anyone who's known me long enough can probably tell you it's Fires of Yavimaya! :). I know 99.9% of all cubers will disagree, but I just love it and the firepower it adds to GR midrange. The kind that can quickly overwhelm an opponent with squirrel tokens followed by an angry hydra, and where a Birds of Paradise is turned sideways not for its mana but for the alpha strike to the head.
Archangel of Thune - Five mana for a 3/4 flying lifelink isn't a bad deal at all. Her +1/+1 counters ability pushes her over the top, though. First of all, she triggers on herself, so one swing and you've got a 4/5 lifelink flyer. I've taken over games with just her and two other creatures on the board. Combine her with something like Ajani Goldmane or any of the other random life gain cards throughout the cube and it just gets nuts.
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner - Kira is fantastic in any blue tempo creature deck. Admittedly, she is a nombo with equipment. Outside of that, however, she is damn near the most annoying creature ever. I've seen her win so many games with my opponent holding two removal spells in hand; either they kill Kira and have to deal with another threat or they kill the threat and still have to worry about Kira and her ability to shield any other threats. There are definitely ways around her, but it's nice to have her in play against an Icy or Maze.
Blood Artist - We've been running this guy for about six months now and, so far, he's been quite solid. The thing about cube is a lot of games are won and lost on the back of creatures and combat. You'd be surprised how much damage this guy can sneak in over the course of the game just by creatures dying in a normal fashion. Throw him into a Stax shell and it can get pretty ridiculous.
Reckless Waif - I see a lot of hate for this little gal. Granted, I do think this is probably the worst red 1-drop that I'm currently running, but by no means is that saying she's bad at all. If played on turn one, we typically don't have any problems getting her to flip. In those instances she can really produce some damage numbers.
*Side Note* We just added in Stoke the Flames, so I'm hoping it turns out to be really good and eventually ends up on one of these underrated cube cards lists.
Mayor of Avabruck - This guy is just a super solid 2-drop all around. There's enough humans in the cube to make his front side more valuable that you'd think. And although he can be harder to flip than a turn one Reckless Waif, when he does flip he's insane. He makes a 3/3 every turn and he randomly buffs your other wolves. (Garruk tokens, anyone?)
Trading Post - Fantastic in the reanimator deck, the Stax deck, the artifact deck, or just random midrange decks for value. The best deck I ever ran this in was a heavy black midrandge deck with a light green splash for things like Sylvan Library and Life From the Loam. I had both Recurring Nightmare and Necropotence. It was a ton of fun and so synergistic. I'd discard to gain four life and then draw four with Necro. Or I'd discard to be able to keep an extra card with Sylvan Library. And my discards were relevant because I had spells like Recurring Nightmare and Life From the Loam. Plus you can make Goats for Stax fodder. It just does so much. I love it.
Scuttling Doom Engine / Soul of New Phyrexia - I'm lumping these two together due to them both being new and from the same set. I still see Triskelion in so many lists and, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why that guy wasn't cut for at least one of these two monsters. Trike is cute and it has its uses, but I can honestly say that both of these guys have seen a lot more play in their short cube lives than Trike had seen in months. Against an aggro deck Scuttling Doom Engine is nigh unblockable. I've also seen him hit for 12 damage in the same turn with a sac outlet. That's so much damage! Soul of New Phyrexia can be very hard to beat if you're allowed to untap with him. Just the threat of indestructibility can be enough. Plus he's a 6/6 trampler for six mana. That alone is not a bad deal. I think both of these guys are fantastic and I like them way more than Triskelion in that six drop artifact creature slot. I like them both more than Precursor Golem as well.
Sphinx's Revelation - In UW control, this is the gold card you want. Cards like D Sphere, Geist and Supreme Verdict are better gold cards for the cube as a whole because they can go in more than just UW control. Sphinx's Rev is the epitome of what UW control is trying to do. Your deck has made it to turn seven or eight, you've used a few counters and played a couple of mana rocks, maybe a wrath effect. You're pushing ten life or so, give or take a few. EOT tap seven or eight to Sphinx's Rev for four or five and suddenly the game is out of reach. Your life total is back up to a more comfortable range and you've refilled your hand with gas. I was super skeptical of this card at first and it took me a while to even come around to including it in a six card UW section. It has proven itself time and time again, though, and I don't regret that decision at all.
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There was a time when I was unsure of her ability for tempo... getting in the way of equipment as you mentioned. But she really was a strong role player with that annoying ability of hers :). If she had flying or some sort of evasion, or if she wasn't 3 frackin' mana (like a 2/1 for UU instead) I'd say she was a top tier addition for tempo. The problem with tempo is that you end up having to cut half the 3 drops you drafted because there's just so many good options in that slot.
She has flying. I've been playing Kira for quite a while and I've been happy with her too. Dimir tempo has been a popular deck type since my cube's inception, so she's nowhere near the chopping block for me.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I would recommend Nimbus Naid if it wasn't in people's lists. It has been very good so far. I dunno how long's an average game in an average cube takes but bestowing this on T5 seems strong to me. Jumping a Brimaz or Hero of Bladehold, or any premium 4 drop can be back breaking.
Reckless Abandon is another awesome card that's unseen in regular cubes. 1cmc 4 damage is so so good. Better still if you have an Act of Treason or Zealous Conscripts.
I also find alot of focus is put on the aggressive cards (1cmc 2/1) nowadays and the art of blocking is pretty lost. Blue needs a little help, so Coral Barrier or Calcite Snapper can stymie some of the beats.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
A Comprehensive list of Cube Archetypes
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
I was a little dubious at first, but Crypt Ghast has really proven its worth, too. Both the extort and the extra mana are very relevant, and make up for its smallish size for a 4-drop.
I'll echo the love for Mayor of Avabruck, who is still as popular now in my cube as it was when I added it after the Innistrad prerelease.
I actually am not sure how popular Spirit Bonds is, but we've been enjoying it so far.
I also re-added Rout since I opened one from Conspiracy, and I've really liked the instant speed wrath effect, more than I thought I did when it was originally in my cube.
Also, grain of salt, my cube is 630 cards.
-rexx
Draft my 540 card powered cube here: http://www.cubetutor.com/draft/36935
*Draining Whelk (< 5%)
*Guul Draz Assassin (10%)
*Ghastlord of Fugue (< 5%)
*Silent Arbiter (5%)
*Spidersilk Armor (< 5%) -- this is probably best left to pauper cubes, but it has performed well for me there
Of the cards mentioned previously, I'm certainly a fan of Kira (22%), Blood Artist (30%), and Griffin Guide (9%). I like Spiketail Drakeling (< 5%) very much for pauper, but find the competition at its mana cost too stiff for general cube. BTW, to give you some calibration for percent inclusion rates mentioned here, Lightning Bolt tops the inclusion rates at 73%, shock lands come in at ~53%, and the swords hit the mid-to-high 30's.
I will also toss out a *mechanic* that I believe is underutilized: protection from creatures. In a larger cube with a wide power level spread, I've featured Commander Eesha (< 5%), Unquestioned Authority (< 5%), and Iridescent Angel (< 5%). Iridescent Angel in particular has been a fine finisher, although in more up-tempo cubes it may be less impressive (it's a 7-drop). Commander Eesha has not been overpowering but is generally relevant when on board. Unquestioned Authority generally ends up in people's sideboards and is probably not relevant for people designing smaller, more focused cubes. People looking to find an outlet for the mechanic in a shorter list should probably turn to Spirit Mantle (5%), which at 1W should be easier to slot into well-curved lists than any of the cards I've deployed.
Peter G.
I'm not sold on it, but it certainly is worth testing. Has been getting some extreme support recently so I could see it getting some spotlight.
Modern: Jund Legacy: RUG Delver EDH: Captain Sisay
Another one of my favorites that I don't see a lot in lists is Nameless Inversion. It's often a black Lightning Strike, but in a pinch can be used as a pump spell on a demon or dragon for a surprise win. I haven't seen the benefit from removing the creature type being relevant, but I suppose it's possible 1 in a million. Plus it's got a sweet full-art promo :3
Modem Masters, a 500 cube that tries to capture the essence of a Modern Masters set draft. 3 of each common, 2 of each uncommon, 1 of each rare, few mythics. Includes minor changes for balance reasons to give certain archetypes the tools they need to succeed.
Ludevic’s Testsubject a solid blocker early, and since you can put counters on at instant speed it allows you to spread the cost across multiple turns, also allowing you to keep open mana for counter magic and pump it up EOT. A 13/13 trample is no joke.
Guul Draz Assassin another work horse. This little fella can make the mid-game a real mess. Functions a bit like Disk or the Seals, sitting on the board discouraging the opponent from further committing resources.
Jokulhaups This has been in and out of my cube for years, now back in. A bit between Upheaval and Wildfire, but the key is to not mistake it as a "poorman's" version of those cards. It presents its own unique window; only planeswalkers and Mirari's Wake survive it so its at its best alongside those (really nasty ramping into it with Garruk Wildspeaker).
Tinder Wall Not just for Storm-support. Turn one double red one drops, turn two four drops, straight outta Ernham and Burn Em' circa 95. Love it in RG ramp decks.
Helm of Possession real tough for opponents to play around, cool in decks that couldn't normally steal creatures. Good in black decks that can mitigate the sac cost with Gravecrawler and friends, and/or token decks.
Etali, Primal Storm EDH
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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