Flood is rated highly because people I play think the best way to win is to smash with big green dudes. I also limited myself on the bounce spells, otherwise I'd have put four more of them in.
I wish I could vote, but I come from peasants not paupers. For instance, I wouldn't be able to pick errant ephemeron, which automatically disqualified me.
I still p1p1 hymn every day though. Surprised to see things like crippling fatigue on here. Interesting stuff.
Red is a really tight section... There's so much quality removal to run that it really doesn't end up with a lot of good cards outside of removal. The only creatures that I would say are worthy of being in the top 20 are Gorehorn Minotaurs (Usually a 5/5 for 4 mana) and Ghitu Slinger (Removal plus a creature).
Asking out a girl is like trying to cast a first turn Necropotence. Sometimes the other player will have the Force of Will to say no. You shouldn't let that stop you from trying it.
RGW Mayael the Anima ~ G Jolrael, Empress of Beasts ~ GWU Roon of the Hidden Realm ~ WU Kangee, Aerie Keeper ~ WU Daxos of Meletis ~ WUR Ruhan of the Fomori ~ UR Jhoira of the Ghitu
WUBRG Sliver Queen ~ WUBRG Sliver Overlord ~ BG Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord ~ B Iname, Death Aspect
Wow, this section is a great reminder of why I hate Red so much. You have to get through so much removal before you even consider picking anything else. There are several cards on many people's top 20s that I don't disagree with placement-wise, but that I don't run because I just have too much removal in the color and want to mix things up a bit.
Anyway, my top 20 (also, sorry for missing the last few. :()
Some notes:
-Wow, Rolling Thunder is just... Nuts. Pyrotechnics gets #2 just by being the closest card to its raw power, and easier on the mana.
-I really don't understand why people run Kaervek's Torch over Lava Burst. I realize they're both X spells with pretty marginal benefits, but this isn't constructed- the extra 2 on the cost doesn't change much.
-Brimstone Volley is so high because it comes damn close to a "3 mana X-spell" most of the time, rather than a 3-mana Incinerate. 5 damage for 3 is HUGE, and easy to trigger.
-Gathan Raiders is the highest Red creature because Red's creatures are awful and I'll play it if I'm not in Red. That's really the only reason.
-Fireslinger at 20 is partially indicative of my personal love of the card, but I also think it's really strong.
No love for Flame Slash? It kills a lot of things.
Or Skred? After turn 5 in a cube with snow lands it says destroy target creature. After turn 8 it even kills target common eldrazi.
Flame Slash and Skred (assuming you're playing snow lands) are both fine cards that are very efficient mana-wise, but they just don't do enough. When I'm P1P1 and comparing burn in red, I'm not just looking for removal, because almost every burn spell already does that. I'm looking for cards which can hit player's faces, so that they're useful later in the game when I'm looking for that topdeck to win, burn multiple targets/times (Firebolt, Magma Burst) or are just capable of huge blowouts (all X spells, Pyrotechnics).
On Kaervak's Torch vs. Lava Burst, I'm sure you could easy crunch the numbers to decide which card is 'turned on' against more cards in your cube. Let me try it on mine:
Mana Tithe
Daze
Condescend
Force Spike
Logic Knot
Syncopate
Arcane Denial
Counterspell
Mana Leak
Memory Lapse
Miscalculation
Embolden
Kor Chant
Prismatic Strands
Hallowed Healer
Troubled Healer
From statistics alone, Torch is better than Lava Burst.
Also, in general X spells have a tendency to be used against players (not necessarily the right call, but X to the dome is often a crucial game-winning move), during which Lava Burst is just Blaze.
the two on torch does change things... I don't leave up counter magic mana + 2 very often.
also, stone rain should beat out molten rain every day in this cube. the number of times where that 2 damage is the difference between winning and losing should pale in comparison to the number of times you had to wait for double red. Remember: that 2 might kill them, but if you would win that game anyway it doesn't matter. I mean, we aren't shooting planeswalkers here.
Huh, different playstyles, I guess. Torch technically "turns on" for more cards, but I care far more when Burst turns on than I do when Torch turns on (yes, this is where my love-hate relationship with Troubled Healer comes into play). I cut Torch when I decided I just had too many X-spells (a recent change), and as a player whose main weakness is a tendency to overdraft Blue (I ended up just going monoblue in my last draft, and managed to win!), I was never unable to do something because of Torch's requirement. If I was actually concerned about an X-spell, it was never a big challenge to avoid leaving appropriate counter mana +2 up. I mean, it's a contest of super marginal value, so I guess it doesn't matter too much, but I'll stand by Burst over Torch any day.
Asking out a girl is like trying to cast a first turn Necropotence. Sometimes the other player will have the Force of Will to say no. You shouldn't let that stop you from trying it.
1: Capsize
2: Mulldrifter
3: Flood
4: Exclude
5: Errant Ephemeron
6: Counterspell
7: Looter il-Kor
8: Deep Analysis
9: Mana Leak
10: Compulsive Research
11: Foresee
12: Man-o-War
13: Narcolepsy
14: Aether Adept
15: Repulse
16: Stitched Drake
17: Condescend
18: Calcite Snapper
19: Into the Roil
20: Claustrophobia
Flood is rated highly because people I play think the best way to win is to smash with big green dudes. I also limited myself on the bounce spells, otherwise I'd have put four more of them in.
Black:
1: Pestilence
2: Hymn To Tourach
3: Crypt Rats
4: Evincar's Justice
5: Disturbed Burial
6: Ashes to Ashes
7: Death Denied
8: Doom Blade
9: Snuff Out
10: Chittering Rats
11: Okiba-Gang Shinobi
12: Tortured Existence
13: Terror
14: Lilliana's Specter
15: Crippling Fatigue
16: Victim of Night
17: Nameless Inversion
18: Dauthi Horror
19: Faceless Butcher
20: Vampire Lacerator
Grim Harvest just misses out as a much weaker Disturbed Burial.
Death Denied is amazing. The least you'll usually do with is is Morbid Plunder for 1 extra colourless.
I still p1p1 hymn every day though. Surprised to see things like crippling fatigue on here. Interesting stuff.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Edit: Because I was doing the statistic anyway, I'll just put it up there that 2/3s of the creatures in my cube die to Crippling Fatigue.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
02 Lightning Bolt
03 Firebolt
04 Chain Lightning
05 Pyrotechnics
06 Fireball
07 Staggershock
08 Arc Lightning
09 Brimstone Volley
10 Searing Blaze
11 Disintegrate
12 Lash Out
13 Burst Lightning
14 Incinerate
15 Ghitu Slinger
16 Chandra's Outrage
17 Gorehorn Minotaurs
18 Flame Slash
19 Rift Bolt
20 Volcanic Hammer
Red is a really tight section... There's so much quality removal to run that it really doesn't end up with a lot of good cards outside of removal. The only creatures that I would say are worthy of being in the top 20 are Gorehorn Minotaurs (Usually a 5/5 for 4 mana) and Ghitu Slinger (Removal plus a creature).
Other creatures that I would include as "Runners up" include: Manic Vandal, Bladetusk Boar, Flamecore Elemental and Vulshok Sorcerer
Draft it on Cubetutor!
02 Pyrotechnics
03 Fireball
04 Lightning Bolt
05 Reckless Charge
06 Brimstone Volley
07 Chain Lightning
08 Arc Lightning
09 Fireblast
10 Disintegrate
11 Ghitu Slinger
12 Rites of Initiation
13 Incinerate
14 Aftershock
15 Gorehorn Minotaurs
16 Fireslinger
17 Keldon Vandals
18 Burst Lightning
19 Vulshok Sorcerer
20 Bladetusk Boar
Level 1 DCI Judge
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@Izor
Disintegrate/Kaervak's Torch are quite different. You should really pick just one of them.
02 Pyrotechnics
03 Kaervak's Torch
04 Fireball
05 Lightning Bolt
06 Chain Lightning
07 Brimstone Volley
08 Staggershock
09 Firebolt
10 Arc Lightning
11 Searing Blaze
12 Magma Burst
13 Gorehorn Minotaurs
14 Incinerate
15 Ghitu Slinger
16 Slash Panther
17 Fireblast
18 Burst Lightning
19 Blood Ogre
20 Disintegrate
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
02 Fireball
03 Pyrotechnics
04 Disintegrate
05 Lightning Bolt
06 Chain Lightning
07 Staggershock
08 Searing Blaze
09 Arc Lightning
10 Brimstone Volley
11 Incinerate
12 Firebolt
13 Chandra's Outrage
14 Lash Out
15 Burst Lightning
16 Rock Slide
17 Ghitu Slinger
18 Ashmouth Hound
19 Volcanic Hammer / Fire Ambush
20 Aftershock
We've got 5 lists in and we're getting close to the deadline. I'm cool with extending it for another day or two if it means we can get more lists.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
02 Pyrotechnics
03 Kaervek's Torch
04 Fireball
05 Lightning Bolt
06 Staggershock
07 Disintegrate
08 Chain Lightning
09 Arc Lightning
10 Firebolt
11 Brimstone Volley
12 Searing Blaze
13 Incinerate
14 Fireblast
15 Gorehorn Minotaurs
16 Gathan Raiders
17 Ghitu Slinger
18 Blood Ogre
19 Aftershock
20 Slash Panther
And I return, with a list for red. Tasty.
02 Lightning Bolt
03 Chain Lightning
04 Pyrotechnics
05 Fireblast
06 Staggershock
07 Arc Lightning
08 Burst Lightning
09 Incinerate
10 Plated Geopede
11 Fireball
12 Searing Blaze
13 Keldon Marauders
14 Brimstone Volley
15 Keldon Vandals
16 Ghitu Slinger
17 Gorehorn Minotaurs
18 Gathan Raiders
19 Firebolt
20 Molten Rain
#20 went down to Molten Rain vs. Reckless Charge and honestly, I could go either way.
I used to write cube articles on StarCityGames, now for GatheringMagic and podcast about cube (w/Antknee42.)
Anyway, my top 20 (also, sorry for missing the last few. :()
1 Rolling Thunder
2 Pyrotechnics
3 Lightning Bolt
4 Brimstone Volley
5 Fireball
6 Disintegrate
7 Lava Burst
8 Arc Lightning
9 Staggershock
10 Firebolt
11 Chain Lightning
12 Incinerate
13 Gathan Raiders
14 Searing Blaze
15 Gorehorn Minotaurs
16 Plated Geopede
17 Ghitu Slinger
18 Keldon Marauders
19 Blood Ogre
20 Fireslinger
Some notes:
-Wow, Rolling Thunder is just... Nuts. Pyrotechnics gets #2 just by being the closest card to its raw power, and easier on the mana.
-I really don't understand why people run Kaervek's Torch over Lava Burst. I realize they're both X spells with pretty marginal benefits, but this isn't constructed- the extra 2 on the cost doesn't change much.
-Brimstone Volley is so high because it comes damn close to a "3 mana X-spell" most of the time, rather than a 3-mana Incinerate. 5 damage for 3 is HUGE, and easy to trigger.
-Gathan Raiders is the highest Red creature because Red's creatures are awful and I'll play it if I'm not in Red. That's really the only reason.
-Fireslinger at 20 is partially indicative of my personal love of the card, but I also think it's really strong.
My Trading Post! Bunches of valuable EDH/Modern/Legacy stuff, looking for foil commons!
Always remember: Rarity changes don't balance cards that are overpowered in constructed formats.
Or Skred? After turn 5 in a cube with snow lands it says destroy target creature. After turn 8 it even kills target common eldrazi.
On Kaervak's Torch vs. Lava Burst, I'm sure you could easy crunch the numbers to decide which card is 'turned on' against more cards in your cube. Let me try it on mine:
Mana Tithe
Daze
Condescend
Force Spike
Logic Knot
Syncopate
Arcane Denial
Counterspell
Mana Leak
Memory Lapse
Miscalculation
Embolden
Kor Chant
Prismatic Strands
Hallowed Healer
Troubled Healer
From statistics alone, Torch is better than Lava Burst.
Also, in general X spells have a tendency to be used against players (not necessarily the right call, but X to the dome is often a crucial game-winning move), during which Lava Burst is just Blaze.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
also, stone rain should beat out molten rain every day in this cube. the number of times where that 2 damage is the difference between winning and losing should pale in comparison to the number of times you had to wait for double red. Remember: that 2 might kill them, but if you would win that game anyway it doesn't matter. I mean, we aren't shooting planeswalkers here.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
My Trading Post! Bunches of valuable EDH/Modern/Legacy stuff, looking for foil commons!
Always remember: Rarity changes don't balance cards that are overpowered in constructed formats.
Onwards to Green Top 20! I'll adjust the schedule for the updated dates.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
02 Rancor
03 Festerhide Boar
04 Wild Mongrel
05 Thundering Tanadon
06 Sylvok Replica
07 Krosan Tusker
08 Sprout Swarm
09 Simian Grunt
10 Silhana Ledgewalker
11 Grazing Gladehart
12 Ambush Viper
13 Yavimaya Elder
14 Sakura-Tribe Elder
15 Sylvan Ranger
16 Civic Wayfinder
17 Cultivate
18 Elephant Ambush
19 River/Mire Boa
20 Wickerbough Elder
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
02 Blastoderm
03 Rancor
04 Krosan Tusker
05 Yavimaya Elder
06 Wall of Roots
07 Sakura-Tribe Elder
08 Simian Grunts
09 River Boa
10 Mire Boa
11 Wickerbough Elder
12 Cultivate
13 Llanowar Elves
14 Vines of Vastwood
15 Penumbra Spider
16 Mold Shambler
17 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
18 Jolrael's Centaur
19 Kavu Primarch
20 Wildsize
Level 1 DCI Judge
Check out my Commons Cube.
02 Rancor
03 Sprout Swarm
04 Yavimaya Elder
05 Krosan Tusker
06 Wickerbough Elder
07 Sakura-Tribe Elder
08 Festerhide Boar
09 Wall of Roots
10 Simian Grunts
11 Kodama's Reach / Cultivate
12 River Boa
13 Mire Boa
14 Wild Mongrel
15 Vines of Vastwood
16 Moment's Peace
17 Ambush Viper
18 Penumbra Spider
19 Mold Shambler
20 Citanul Woodreaders
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
2 Sprout Swarm
3 Rancor
4 Wild Mongrel
5 Wall of Roots
6 Yavimaya Elder
7 Wickerbough Elder
8 Prey Upon
9 Krosan Tusker
10 Sakura-Tribe Elder
11 Llanowar Elves/Fyndhorn Elves
12 River Boa
13 Mire Boa
14 Cultivate
15 Penumbra Spider
16 Moment's Peace
17 Jungle Lion
18 Thundering Tanadon
19 Ambush Viper
20 Arachnus Web
Draft it on Cubetutor!
02 Sprout Swarm
03 Rancor
04 Krosan Tusker
05 Yavimaya Elder
06 Wall of Roots
07 Festerhide Boar
08 Wickerbough Elder
09 Sakura-Tribe Elder
10 Kodama's Reach
11 River Boa
12 Mire Boa
13 Ambush Viper
14 Simian Grunts
15 Penumbra Spider
16 Wild Mongrel
17 Citanul Woodreaders
18 Prey Upon
19 Silhana Ledgewalker
20 Vines of Vastwood
Tasty.