I have my own budget cube, wanted to start a thread based on what people do to build their own budget options? I'd like to write this up into an article for the Salvation Article submissions as a guide.
For myself:
1. Built off of the Conspiracy set.
2. Limited to themes that were cheap and accessible based on available printed product
-Commander 2015 had white and red=artifact possibilities
-Modern Masters for building a Modern cube
3. Enchantment cube built from scraps out of Urza Block and Theros Block
4. Modified and expanded themes, cut themes as necessary within and regard to new sets and reprints
I see something of that nature as someone who has already built a Cube, but instead opts to use existing materials and new product to construe something for relative cost preservation.
For newer players I was thinking that the tendency was towards:
1. Participate in drafts
-Commons/Uncommons Cube
-Pure set cube for draft simulator
2. The "friends" ticket, people that give you a cube by playing and heavily trading. Asking for specific copies of inexpensive cards with already available materials.
3. Network with more advanced players who extra materials from scraps. Be polite after a draft.
I'm trying to sort through different ideas, but wanted to ask the board based on their own experiences with their own Cube beginnings. I've been cubing for roughly two years now, but everyone has a different experience and figured placing those experiences into an easy to look at format for advice would be advantageous for gathering product and options to specific sets.
For example, taking Urza+Theros block commons to build an enchantment themed cube and then expanding after a while.
Thoughts?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Life is a beautiful engineer, yet a brutal scientist.
1) Build your initial cube with whatever you have on hand. I built mine entirely out of draft leftovers from RTR and Theros block drafts, and it was a blast to play even though Hundred-Handed One was probably the most broken rare in the whole. No matter what you start with, it will be fun to draft and of a higher power level than retail draft.
2) Buy the cheap stuff first. Refer to the list of budget cube cards I maintain that DSF linked to for suggestions. Twenty quality cards that cost $0.50 will have more impact on your draft environment than one card that costs $10.
3) Always be trading. It's always better to trade off cards you don't want to build your cube than pay cash. Any time you go to a Magic event or your LGS, have your binder and make trades whenever you can. I've also been having quite a bit of success with getting cube foils on Puca Trade lately. It takes patience, but it pays off.
4) Prioritize your mana base. When you're ready to spend serious money/trade stock on magical cardboard for your cube, improving the dual lands and 5-color lands will have the highest impact on the draft experience and are very unlikely to become obsolete with future expansions. There's a broad consensus on this board that ABU duals, fetch lands, shock lands, and manlands are the Cadillac of fixing. Pain lands and check lands are decent as budget placeholders and for cubes that need more than 4 cycles of duals.
5) Don't be afraid to proxy. All the above advice assumes that you'd rather be playing with authentic cards instead of proxying, but there's no reason to let price tags get in the way of trying some of the best cards with a proxy here and there. I'd never be able to run ABU duals in my cube otherwise, and they've made games go so much more smoothly. Using World Championship Editions can also give you some great looking casual-play only versions of some older cube staples at a fraction of the cost of their tournament-legal counterparts.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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.
I agree with Spike Rogue here. I threw a cube together with what I had, and though I have a considerable number of expensive cards, I've had to go somewhat budget for my lands because I didn't (and still don't) have full cycles of fetches or duals. Most of the money I've spent to improving the cube has been trying to collect better lands.
But it's important to have some kind of mana fixing, even if it's the new tango lands, pain lands, the 3 mana land cycles from Khans and Alara, something, anything to give equal fixing to all the colors.
These days, sets usually have at least one interesting or fun cycle worth holding onto. I keep them around in case someone in my group wants to start a cube, or I get a budget cube idea and need a base to build off of.
The great part about cube is you can make it anything you want. I know people have mentioned the common/uncommon cube. I've seen people make Modern cubes because they don't want to deal with the super expensive RL stuff. I personally built a Frontier cube because most of my collection was comprised of those cards. I actually made the cube because I wanted to find a use for my rare that didn't make EDH or constructed.
My advice is always proxy. I personally own some expensive cards, but I prefer to play with proxies.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
For myself:
1. Built off of the Conspiracy set.
2. Limited to themes that were cheap and accessible based on available printed product
-Commander 2015 had white and red=artifact possibilities
-Modern Masters for building a Modern cube
3. Enchantment cube built from scraps out of Urza Block and Theros Block
4. Modified and expanded themes, cut themes as necessary within and regard to new sets and reprints
I see something of that nature as someone who has already built a Cube, but instead opts to use existing materials and new product to construe something for relative cost preservation.
For newer players I was thinking that the tendency was towards:
1. Participate in drafts
-Commons/Uncommons Cube
-Pure set cube for draft simulator
2. The "friends" ticket, people that give you a cube by playing and heavily trading. Asking for specific copies of inexpensive cards with already available materials.
3. Network with more advanced players who extra materials from scraps. Be polite after a draft.
I'm trying to sort through different ideas, but wanted to ask the board based on their own experiences with their own Cube beginnings. I've been cubing for roughly two years now, but everyone has a different experience and figured placing those experiences into an easy to look at format for advice would be advantageous for gathering product and options to specific sets.
For example, taking Urza+Theros block commons to build an enchantment themed cube and then expanding after a while.
Thoughts?
Modern
Commander
Cube
<a href="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-lists/588020-unpowered-themed-enchantment-an-enchanted-evening">An Enchanted Evening Cube </a>
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/603665-budget-cube-cards-that-cost-less-than-2-usd?page=2
Edit: I mean that in a friendly way.
1) Build your initial cube with whatever you have on hand. I built mine entirely out of draft leftovers from RTR and Theros block drafts, and it was a blast to play even though Hundred-Handed One was probably the most broken rare in the whole. No matter what you start with, it will be fun to draft and of a higher power level than retail draft.
2) Buy the cheap stuff first. Refer to the list of budget cube cards I maintain that DSF linked to for suggestions. Twenty quality cards that cost $0.50 will have more impact on your draft environment than one card that costs $10.
3) Always be trading. It's always better to trade off cards you don't want to build your cube than pay cash. Any time you go to a Magic event or your LGS, have your binder and make trades whenever you can. I've also been having quite a bit of success with getting cube foils on Puca Trade lately. It takes patience, but it pays off.
4) Prioritize your mana base. When you're ready to spend serious money/trade stock on magical cardboard for your cube, improving the dual lands and 5-color lands will have the highest impact on the draft experience and are very unlikely to become obsolete with future expansions. There's a broad consensus on this board that ABU duals, fetch lands, shock lands, and manlands are the Cadillac of fixing. Pain lands and check lands are decent as budget placeholders and for cubes that need more than 4 cycles of duals.
5) Don't be afraid to proxy. All the above advice assumes that you'd rather be playing with authentic cards instead of proxying, but there's no reason to let price tags get in the way of trying some of the best cards with a proxy here and there. I'd never be able to run ABU duals in my cube otherwise, and they've made games go so much more smoothly. Using World Championship Editions can also give you some great looking casual-play only versions of some older cube staples at a fraction of the cost of their tournament-legal counterparts.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
But it's important to have some kind of mana fixing, even if it's the new tango lands, pain lands, the 3 mana land cycles from Khans and Alara, something, anything to give equal fixing to all the colors.
Information is always good when accurate, useful, and vetted as a resource. Thank you.
Modern
Commander
Cube
<a href="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-lists/588020-unpowered-themed-enchantment-an-enchanted-evening">An Enchanted Evening Cube </a>
Yeah I edited my post because I just didn't want it to be interpreted as me shooting down your idea. I was just trying to offer resources.
These days, sets usually have at least one interesting or fun cycle worth holding onto. I keep them around in case someone in my group wants to start a cube, or I get a budget cube idea and need a base to build off of.
"Personally I love high-riak, low-reqars gambles. Life's best with a decent amount of riak. And f*** reqars."
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i