Hi everyone. I am a new person to the cube variant. The questions I am here to ask today have probably been asked before. However, I believe they have been asked in multiple threads, and sometimes the answers given weren't sufficient. I am using someone else's Ravnica Cube (both ravnica blocks), with a few modifications, and the cards needed are in the mail for me now (as my store rarely holds commons.) It is a pauper cube, and it is my first cube. These are my general questions that I have.
What deck box do you use?
After watching the video by The Professor, I am pretty set on this deck box. However, what do you recommend?
What are the names of all the cubes?
Commons only is pauper, uncommons and commons is peasant, but what about all rares and mythics? Is that maybe called "legendary"?
To sleeve or not to sleeve?
I don't know why, but until I read a video that was a introduction to constructing cubes, I was surprised to hear that people would sleeve a cube. It does make sense in reality, easier to manage and shuffle, and will ensure it doesn't get mixed up with other cards. However, it seems a bit silly to spend 20 some dollars on sleeves for a 30 dollar pauper cube. Do you sleeve your cube? If so, what sleeves do you recommend I purchase for my pauper cube?
On a similar note, I originally had the idea to buy big, loose sleeves in which to place 15 cards in prior to drafting, to simulate that feeling of cracking a pack, and to make drafting a bit quicker and smoother. Are there any loose sleeves out there that would work to serve this purpose? (assuming we are using sleeved cards)
What is the perfect ratio?
I am not speaking of only balancing colors, but also rarity of cards. If one were to make a peasant cube, or a legendary cube, what would be the ratio of uncommons to commons to rares? Even so, what is the typical principal for multicolored balancing? How many multi-colors are typical in 360 card cube, and what's the best way to balance these colors?
How does one find perfect synergy in a cube?
Let's say in the future I wanted to construct a cube from scratch. It seems like an immense work load to plan synergy between 360 cards, as well as balancing the colors AND the different playstyles (aggro, midrange, control.) A potential problem for me would be finding synergy between about 10 cards, but then those 10 cards lack synergy with the rest. What is the best way to handle the actual synergy construction of the cube. (I've asked this before, but only been answered with "just look up cards on gatherer." Not a sufficient answer.)
How does one upgrade a cube?
Let's fast forward. My cube has now been drafted from about 10 some times. I start to notice some cards that don't quite work that well in the cube, or perhaps, I want to jump from pauper to peasant. What is typically the best way to do this? It seems risky to modify a cube and risk it's integrity, especially if it works well as pauper, but you want it to be peasant. What's the best way to handle this?
What is a store cube?
Someone told me that the store cube at my LGS is 720 cards, 35 of each set. I have absolutely no clue what this means, haha.
Thanks!
Thanks for taking the time to read this and potentially give me answers. This newbie-cubie appreciates it!
I have both a custom wood box and a CubeVault, and I recently switched to the Vault and it's been working great.
Quote from robmoore675 »
What are the names of all the cubes?
In general, cubes that include cards of all rarities don't have a specific name, but they're often referred to as "traditional" cubes.
Quote from robmoore675 »
To sleeve or not to sleeve?
Always sleeve, regardless of rarity. It's still cheaper than replacing damaged cards.
Quote from robmoore675 »
What is the perfect ratio?
In a "traditional" cube, rarity is irrelevant. All cards compete against each other on an open market, and there's no limit of inclusion based on rarity. But you could enforce one for your own cube if you wanted to.
And in general, keeping the amount of gold cards to <10% of the overall size of the cube is good practice.
Quote from robmoore675 »
How does one find perfect synergy in a cube?
Playtesting! You have to play the cube, and the more you play with it, the better you'll be able to tinker and fine tune all the archetypes and synergies to function exactly to your taste.
Quote from robmoore675 »
How does one upgrade a cube?
Remove cards you don't like to play with cards you will. Either for flavor reasons or performance reasons. There's no reason to use cards your playgroup doesn't want to have in there.
Quote from robmoore675 »
What is a store cube?
A cube that has been built at your local game store, so the patrons have a cube to draft with for fun.
Quote from robmoore675 »
Thanks!
You're welcome! If you're interested, you can take a look at my Cube Design Philosophy article in my sig and see if any of the information is useful to you and your group.
Thanks for the helpful reply! It tackled all my questions perfectly and with only using a sentence or two. I will gladly read the "cube design philosophy" when I get the chance.
This leads to another question. At my LGS, sometimes people go to buy cards, and just sit there with their mats out to signify they are open for any duels. I have never done this, because my LGS is 20 minutes away, so it's inconvenient to go there when bored. However, do you think it is good practice to go there with a cube when you lack a person or two? What do you say to people when you want them to do your cube with you? (or, when you are looking for a match in general).
I just have a few things to add to wtwlf's rock solid advice:
What deck box do you use?
There are a lot of options, check out the Sleeves and Storage Thread for the massive variety of boxes and cases people around here use. Since it sounds like you're going to be starting out with a cheaper cube, maybe even a Pauper cube you probably don't want to spend more on the cube than your cards are worth so the Stack and Store case you linked to or even a Fat Pack or long box will probably be fine. Whatever you choose, though, you want to make sure that the cards in your cube fit in it snugly. This will help your cards maintain their shape, especially if you have any foils in your cube.
To sleeve or not to sleeve?
Sleeve! And you want your sleeves to be opaque so you can run gold bordered and double faced cards, distinctive so it will be harder for them to accidentally go missing, and durable so you don't have to keep replacing them constantly. KMC Hypermats and Dragon Shields hold up nicely.
How does one find perfect synergy in a cube?
There's probably no such thing as perfect synergy, but a cube is a constant work in process. In general you want the cards in your cube to be as efficient and versatile as possible so that they naturally become cross-theater and cross-archetype all stars. As you pick the cards for your cube, it's also a good idea to keep the archetypes you want to support in mind. For some great ideas about archetypes to support and the cards that go into them, check out this thread.
However, do you think it is good practice to go there with a cube when you lack a person or two? What do you say to people when you want them to do your cube with you? (or, when you are looking for a match in general).
If you don't know anyone who plays cube, but you have an LGS near you with a store cube that sounds like a good place to start meeting people to cube with. Otherwise, you might try chatting up people at FNM or other events. Just showing up with a cube and some friends can't hurt either, I've had success with that before sometimes.
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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.
What deck box do you use? - 800 count white cardboard box. I could get fancier but being invisible and under the radar is important for me. What are the names of all the cubes? - No idea. To sleeve or not to sleeve? - There is not question about this one. Sleeve. Sleeves are a good investment for a lot of reasons. What is the perfect ratio? - No idea. How does one find perfect synergy in a cube? - Repetition and listening to the feedback from your regulars. How does one upgrade a cube? - Always be upgrading. As soon as you start playing begin acquiring cards you might want for a Peasant Cube. It's mostly cheap stuff too, so why not? What is a store cube? - Not sure.
....and I read the other replies, so my "not sure" answers can be upgraded to "what that guy said."
Hi everyone. I am a new person to the cube variant. The questions I am here to ask today have probably been asked before. However, I believe they have been asked in multiple threads, and sometimes the answers given weren't sufficient. I am using someone else's Ravnica Cube (both ravnica blocks), with a few modifications, and the cards needed are in the mail for me now (as my store rarely holds commons.) It is a pauper cube, and it is my first cube. These are my general questions that I have.
What deck box do you use?
After watching the video by The Professor, I am pretty set on this deck box. However, what do you recommend?
What are the names of all the cubes?
Commons only is pauper, uncommons and commons is peasant, but what about all rares and mythics? Is that maybe called "legendary"?
To sleeve or not to sleeve?
I don't know why, but until I read a video that was a introduction to constructing cubes, I was surprised to hear that people would sleeve a cube. It does make sense in reality, easier to manage and shuffle, and will ensure it doesn't get mixed up with other cards. However, it seems a bit silly to spend 20 some dollars on sleeves for a 30 dollar pauper cube. Do you sleeve your cube? If so, what sleeves do you recommend I purchase for my pauper cube?
On a similar note, I originally had the idea to buy big, loose sleeves in which to place 15 cards in prior to drafting, to simulate that feeling of cracking a pack, and to make drafting a bit quicker and smoother. Are there any loose sleeves out there that would work to serve this purpose? (assuming we are using sleeved cards)
What is the perfect ratio?
I am not speaking of only balancing colors, but also rarity of cards. If one were to make a peasant cube, or a legendary cube, what would be the ratio of uncommons to commons to rares? Even so, what is the typical principal for multicolored balancing? How many multi-colors are typical in 360 card cube, and what's the best way to balance these colors?
How does one find perfect synergy in a cube?
Let's say in the future I wanted to construct a cube from scratch. It seems like an immense work load to plan synergy between 360 cards, as well as balancing the colors AND the different playstyles (aggro, midrange, control.) A potential problem for me would be finding synergy between about 10 cards, but then those 10 cards lack synergy with the rest. What is the best way to handle the actual synergy construction of the cube. (I've asked this before, but only been answered with "just look up cards on gatherer." Not a sufficient answer.)
How does one upgrade a cube?
Let's fast forward. My cube has now been drafted from about 10 some times. I start to notice some cards that don't quite work that well in the cube, or perhaps, I want to jump from pauper to peasant. What is typically the best way to do this? It seems risky to modify a cube and risk it's integrity, especially if it works well as pauper, but you want it to be peasant. What's the best way to handle this?
What is a store cube?
Someone told me that the store cube at my LGS is 720 cards, 35 of each set. I have absolutely no clue what this means, haha.
Thanks!
Thanks for taking the time to read this and potentially give me answers. This newbie-cubie appreciates it!
I have both a custom wood box and a CubeVault, and I recently switched to the Vault and it's been working great.
In general, cubes that include cards of all rarities don't have a specific name, but they're often referred to as "traditional" cubes.
Always sleeve, regardless of rarity. It's still cheaper than replacing damaged cards.
In a "traditional" cube, rarity is irrelevant. All cards compete against each other on an open market, and there's no limit of inclusion based on rarity. But you could enforce one for your own cube if you wanted to.
And in general, keeping the amount of gold cards to <10% of the overall size of the cube is good practice.
Playtesting! You have to play the cube, and the more you play with it, the better you'll be able to tinker and fine tune all the archetypes and synergies to function exactly to your taste.
Remove cards you don't like to play with cards you will. Either for flavor reasons or performance reasons. There's no reason to use cards your playgroup doesn't want to have in there.
A cube that has been built at your local game store, so the patrons have a cube to draft with for fun.
You're welcome! If you're interested, you can take a look at my Cube Design Philosophy article in my sig and see if any of the information is useful to you and your group.
Cheers, and happy cubing!
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
This leads to another question. At my LGS, sometimes people go to buy cards, and just sit there with their mats out to signify they are open for any duels. I have never done this, because my LGS is 20 minutes away, so it's inconvenient to go there when bored. However, do you think it is good practice to go there with a cube when you lack a person or two? What do you say to people when you want them to do your cube with you? (or, when you are looking for a match in general).
There are a lot of options, check out the Sleeves and Storage Thread for the massive variety of boxes and cases people around here use. Since it sounds like you're going to be starting out with a cheaper cube, maybe even a Pauper cube you probably don't want to spend more on the cube than your cards are worth so the Stack and Store case you linked to or even a Fat Pack or long box will probably be fine. Whatever you choose, though, you want to make sure that the cards in your cube fit in it snugly. This will help your cards maintain their shape, especially if you have any foils in your cube.
Sleeve! And you want your sleeves to be opaque so you can run gold bordered and double faced cards, distinctive so it will be harder for them to accidentally go missing, and durable so you don't have to keep replacing them constantly. KMC Hypermats and Dragon Shields hold up nicely.
There's probably no such thing as perfect synergy, but a cube is a constant work in process. In general you want the cards in your cube to be as efficient and versatile as possible so that they naturally become cross-theater and cross-archetype all stars. As you pick the cards for your cube, it's also a good idea to keep the archetypes you want to support in mind. For some great ideas about archetypes to support and the cards that go into them, check out this thread.
If you don't know anyone who plays cube, but you have an LGS near you with a store cube that sounds like a good place to start meeting people to cube with. Otherwise, you might try chatting up people at FNM or other events. Just showing up with a cube and some friends can't hurt either, I've had success with that before sometimes.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
What are the names of all the cubes? - No idea.
To sleeve or not to sleeve? - There is not question about this one. Sleeve. Sleeves are a good investment for a lot of reasons.
What is the perfect ratio? - No idea.
How does one find perfect synergy in a cube? - Repetition and listening to the feedback from your regulars.
How does one upgrade a cube? - Always be upgrading. As soon as you start playing begin acquiring cards you might want for a Peasant Cube. It's mostly cheap stuff too, so why not?
What is a store cube? - Not sure.
....and I read the other replies, so my "not sure" answers can be upgraded to "what that guy said."
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.