Hi guys,
since my son will be born soon, I decided that I want to restart my cube to give my son the opportunity to play this great game while he will be growing up (and although it will take years until he will be able to play the cube, I decided that it is now a good time to come back to cube building and wrap my head around it).
Due to financial reasons I opt to include only cards that cost 15€ maximum. Moreover, cards have to have a modern frame, since this reflects most of my magic career.
Although I regularly play the current limited set, I am a bit rusty with regards to cube and would like to ask for some help.
I.) I put together a preliminary list. The numbers are not final yet, but I would to ask you to shortly browse through the list and give a general impression if there are any obvious flaws to the cube design.
II.) Due to the financial restrictions I (might) see one design problem: all the expensive pay-off cards such as the Eldrazis, Karn Liberated or Ugin, the Spirit Dragon are not available. Are there any cheaper replacements?
III.) I am undecided whether I should go for 400 or 450 cards. I do not want to dilute the themes too much, but on the other hand I like diversity within the cube.
Thank you very much for the link. I just checked the card and added some cards to my list. Any further general advice on the preliminary list or on the cube size?
Again thank you for your advice. If I remember correctly, the rule of thumb is ~10% multicolor and 10% lands, so at 450 4 cards per guild and 4 guild lands + 5 color fixing?
Welcome back to cubing, and congratulations on the coming birth of your son.
Until last year I’d stopped cubing as much. I moved away from my regular mtg group and didn’t find a replacement.
What got me back into it were my sons, particularly the older one. Both had learned to play magic with my old cards but it has become a popular pastime with their peer group. So I built a new cube for my boys and their friends to play.
The result is in my sig as a Beginner Cube. It strongly pushes 10 2-colour archetypes, but there is a fair bit of overlap: W/G tokens helps R/W go-wide aggro; B/R madness/hellbent helps U/B reanimator; and so on.
I went for modern cards only, ideally with post-M10 templating for consistency, and have avoided expensive cards.
I’m quite pleased with the results, and although the format is perhaps not as skill testing, it produces cohesive decks that are reasonably balanced and certainly fun.
My suggestion for building a budget Cube, therefore, is perhaps not to go for a watered-down version of a powered cube, but to pick some archetypes you enjoy and build your cube around those with the best cards you can afford.
Budget mana bases are an issue, though, without the dual/fetch/shock trifecta.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
I would do a maximum of 10% gold, and a minimum of 10% fixing lands. Probably more on lands, like 12-13%
Yeah thats is what I am aiming for at 450. 4 cards per guild; 4 fixers per guild + triomes and 5 color fixing. Thank you again.
Welcome back to cubing, and congratulations on the coming birth of your son.
Until last year I’d stopped cubing as much. I moved away from my regular mtg group and didn’t find a replacement.
What got me back into it were my sons, particularly the older one. Both had learned to play magic with my old cards but it has become a popular pastime with their peer group. So I built a new cube for my boys and their friends to play.
The result is in my sig as a Beginner Cube. It strongly pushes 10 2-colour archetypes, but there is a fair bit of overlap: W/G tokens helps R/W go-wide aggro; B/R madness/hellbent helps U/B reanimator; and so on.
I went for modern cards only, ideally with post-M10 templating for consistency, and have avoided expensive cards.
I’m quite pleased with the results, and although the format is perhaps not as skill testing, it produces cohesive decks that are reasonably balanced and certainly fun.
My suggestion for building a budget Cube, therefore, is perhaps not to go for a watered-down version of a powered cube, but to pick some archetypes you enjoy and build your cube around those with the best cards you can afford.
That is a very cool cube, thank you for sharing. The thing is, that I really want to include (some) iconic cards of magic and therefore I automatically might have a lot of redundancies with an (un)powered cube. I will browse through your list and look for possible inclusions.
Budget mana bases are an issue, though, without the dual/fetch/shock trifecta.
I agree that this is a big problem. I am thinking about violating my financial restrictions for mana-fixing (!) lands as these hold the cube together and are also a nice investment. So I might include Fetchies and Shocks to have a solid base.
I agree that this is a big problem. I am thinking about violating my financial restrictions for mana-fixing (!) lands as these hold the cube together and are also a nice investment. So I might include Fetchies and Shocks to have a solid base.
While I'd agree that, of course, the trifecta of Dual/Shock/Fetch is the ideal starting point for a cube mana base, it is possible to assemble a decent mana base for your drafters on a budget. I have a low power list that we use as a secondary drafter at times and for example, the Azorius lands can be purchased for about thirteen bucks. For clarity that's Flood Plain, Glacial Fortress, Irrigated Farmland, and Prairie Stream.
I'm not trying to discourage you from making the leap to the big three, but if you're on a budget, it is certainly possible to stay inside that budget and still provide your drafters with a decent manabase.
Congrats and welcome back MagicFever! Sharing your passion with your children is one of the greatest gifts you can endow!
I recently got back into the cubing and mtg, and I found it crazy how much my cards shot up in value. Playing with my kids and their friends, I wasn't very comfortable with how my "memories" and these older value cards from my collection might be handled. Plus, I just do not have the budget to put away for cards when I have activities for the kids, and hunting for cards at local shops isn't ideal.
So to make our cube our own, we actually went the route of "creating" our cube. There are ton of free templates out there, but I had my kids draw some of their own art, and created our own back. We use a site called makeplayingcards.com (Mod's please advise if this is breaking the rule to post).
I use a base template and place the art, and type up the text in Photoshop.
The card price fits our budget, and the personalness makes "creating" cards that much more fun and a bonding experience.
Hey man props to you for trying to get your little on into magic. Future planning here, I like it. Have you considered maybe a pauper cube? Very cheap, complex enough while also a great entry point
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since my son will be born soon, I decided that I want to restart my cube to give my son the opportunity to play this great game while he will be growing up (and although it will take years until he will be able to play the cube, I decided that it is now a good time to come back to cube building and wrap my head around it).
Due to financial reasons I opt to include only cards that cost 15€ maximum. Moreover, cards have to have a modern frame, since this reflects most of my magic career.
Although I regularly play the current limited set, I am a bit rusty with regards to cube and would like to ask for some help.
I.) I put together a preliminary list. The numbers are not final yet, but I would to ask you to shortly browse through the list and give a general impression if there are any obvious flaws to the cube design.
II.) Due to the financial restrictions I (might) see one design problem: all the expensive pay-off cards such as the Eldrazis, Karn Liberated or Ugin, the Spirit Dragon are not available. Are there any cheaper replacements?
III.) I am undecided whether I should go for 400 or 450 cards. I do not want to dilute the themes too much, but on the other hand I like diversity within the cube.
IV.) I am always open for new card suggestions
My Peasant Cube: @ mtgsalvation---- @ cubecobra
I'd start in this thread for a list of competitive budget options, and see what you can dredge up!
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/603665-budget-cube-cards-that-cost-less-than-2-usd
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!
My Peasant Cube: @ mtgsalvation---- @ cubecobra
I don't have much expertise when it comes to modern-only frame cubes, so I'll let someone else handle the card selection advice.
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!
My Peasant Cube: @ mtgsalvation---- @ cubecobra
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!
Until last year I’d stopped cubing as much. I moved away from my regular mtg group and didn’t find a replacement.
What got me back into it were my sons, particularly the older one. Both had learned to play magic with my old cards but it has become a popular pastime with their peer group. So I built a new cube for my boys and their friends to play.
The result is in my sig as a Beginner Cube. It strongly pushes 10 2-colour archetypes, but there is a fair bit of overlap: W/G tokens helps R/W go-wide aggro; B/R madness/hellbent helps U/B reanimator; and so on.
I went for modern cards only, ideally with post-M10 templating for consistency, and have avoided expensive cards.
I’m quite pleased with the results, and although the format is perhaps not as skill testing, it produces cohesive decks that are reasonably balanced and certainly fun.
My suggestion for building a budget Cube, therefore, is perhaps not to go for a watered-down version of a powered cube, but to pick some archetypes you enjoy and build your cube around those with the best cards you can afford.
Budget mana bases are an issue, though, without the dual/fetch/shock trifecta.
My 380 Beginners’ Cube on Cube Tutor
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Yeah thats is what I am aiming for at 450. 4 cards per guild; 4 fixers per guild + triomes and 5 color fixing. Thank you again.
That is a very cool cube, thank you for sharing. The thing is, that I really want to include (some) iconic cards of magic and therefore I automatically might have a lot of redundancies with an (un)powered cube. I will browse through your list and look for possible inclusions.
I agree that this is a big problem. I am thinking about violating my financial restrictions for mana-fixing (!) lands as these hold the cube together and are also a nice investment. So I might include Fetchies and Shocks to have a solid base.
My Peasant Cube: @ mtgsalvation---- @ cubecobra
While I'd agree that, of course, the trifecta of Dual/Shock/Fetch is the ideal starting point for a cube mana base, it is possible to assemble a decent mana base for your drafters on a budget. I have a low power list that we use as a secondary drafter at times and for example, the Azorius lands can be purchased for about thirteen bucks. For clarity that's Flood Plain, Glacial Fortress, Irrigated Farmland, and Prairie Stream.
I'm not trying to discourage you from making the leap to the big three, but if you're on a budget, it is certainly possible to stay inside that budget and still provide your drafters with a decent manabase.
Here is that list if you're interested in the lands I've chosen. https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/littlecube
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
I recently got back into the cubing and mtg, and I found it crazy how much my cards shot up in value. Playing with my kids and their friends, I wasn't very comfortable with how my "memories" and these older value cards from my collection might be handled. Plus, I just do not have the budget to put away for cards when I have activities for the kids, and hunting for cards at local shops isn't ideal.
So to make our cube our own, we actually went the route of "creating" our cube. There are ton of free templates out there, but I had my kids draw some of their own art, and created our own back. We use a site called makeplayingcards.com (Mod's please advise if this is breaking the rule to post).
I use a base template and place the art, and type up the text in Photoshop.
The card price fits our budget, and the personalness makes "creating" cards that much more fun and a bonding experience.
Sometimes I stream on twitch.tv/Game_Haus
Come trade with Puca Trade!, the best place to get those hard to get cards no one else will trade!