I decided to do another set review in the style of my AVR review. The last one seemed to be pretty well received, and I thought it might be worth sharing my initial thoughts on M13 in the same way.
Just like the previous review, it will be in a spoiled top 20 countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in.
Enjoy!
Crimson Muckwader isn't a particularly great card. It doesn't do anything super exciting or broken, but what it does bring is a solid body and a somewhat relative ability that negates its drawback of having only 2 toughness. When you swing on T3, you force your opponent to a decision about losing a creature in combat to force you into paying the overcosted regeneration ability or simply letting the damage through. Most of the time, they're not going to want to be throwing bodies in front of this guy simply to make you pay costs. That being said, the regen cost is still too high. If this had a regeneration cost of B or 1B, it could be a real contender.
Verdict: I think this is very likely the 7th or 8th best Rakdos card, which probably places it in the range of 720-810 card cubes.
This is an interesting creature. A pseudo-Impulse on a stick is nice. The 1/3 body is nice for blue control. The splashable cost is nice. What gets me down about him is the consistency. Sometimes he's going to be excellent. But when he whiffs, he's a really disappointing creature. Unfortunately, you need to have a really high concentration of instants and sorceries to have his success rate be higher than 50%. More than the average cube deck will have. But in decks with a high concentration of targets (decks like counter-burn come to mind) he'll likely be a solid creature.
Verdict: There are a few 2cc blue creatures I like more than the Auger that I'm not using at 500. I think this creature will be playable at 720 perhaps, and depending on performance, could wind up anywhere in the 630-810 range. I think it's going to be very cube and playgroup dependent.
This is probably my 4th favorite red-based land. Which isn't exactly a glowing endorsement. I think it can find a home in more controlling red decks. It's akin to something like Gargoyle Castle, with the advantage of having a 4th power and not having to sink as much mana into it at one time. And disadvantages of being red and having a higher overall mana investment before you see a creature. That said, I don't think it's bad, but I don't think it's particularly stellar either.
Verdict: I would try and find a way to test this in 720 card cubes, but in my heart of hearts, I simply don't think it's good enough.
This may be the sleeper card in this set. Don't get me wrong, this card is far from excellent. 3 power for 3 mana with a few upsides is the norm now, so this card doesn't have any unexpected power-level behind it. But what it does do, is support a pair of white archetypes in one card. It's a decent filler card for both blink decks and token decks; both of which are heavily supported archetypes in most cubes. This creature won't be replacing Blade Splicer in any lists, but it's still a nice 3-drop to have with Anthem effects on the board.
Verdict: I would very likely play this creature at 720, and it would make the cut for me at 630 if I supported the blink and token theme heavily. I also think it's a great card for C/Ubes, for what it's worth.
Trading Post is a cool card. It's really flavorful and fun, and it does a LOT of stuff. It's a discard outlet, a sac outlet, and supports the artifact.dec. It gains life against aggro, chump-blocks against mid-range and draws cards against control. If it cost 3, it would go into most cubes, I think. But at 4 mana, it's not going to be breaking too many games open.
Verdict: The colorless cards in larger cubes aren't particularly stellar. I don't think it would be too difficult to find room for this card in 630-720 card cubes.
I think Cathedral of War is akin to a colorless Teetering Peaks. Peaks plays better in aggro, and this land is better in mid-range and control builds. Exalted is a solid ability. I think the value is overrated by some and understated by others. Sometimes that extra +1/+1 is just what you need to be able to push an attacker through, and this card can give it to you. At a relatively low cost, thanks to it being strapped to a land. The only problem I have with Cathedral is that it's both an ETBT land AND a land that taps for colorless. I think one of those two clauses could've been removed and the land still wouldn't have been too over-the-top.
Verdict: I would test this land at 630, and I think it makes the cut at 720. It may even break into some 540 cubes if the design of that list lends itself to a ton of mid-range mirrors.
This is a cool creature. I mean, if it were any color other than blue we probably would've thrown a parade for it. A 2/1 for two mana that has a splashable cost. And then can basically sacrifice itself to get rid of any creature your opponent controls. It's a beater in the early game that can clear a path for your other creatures in the mid-late game. Two things hold this card back. One, is the tap clause on the activation. If I could use this as a 5cc removal spell at any time, or swing on my turn and remove a freshly played creature on their turn it would've been outstanding. The other problem is that it's blue, and even blue tempo decks aren't usually on the Goblin Piker plan. They're more interested in flash and evasion; unlike Zoo style aggro that the other aggro colors mimic.
Verdict: I would want to test this creature out at 630, but I don't think it'll ever be better than perhaps a bottom-tier creature for 720+ sized cubes.
Filler, but a decent creature. Exalted is relevant, but not as good as first strike. Likewise, the protection is relevant too. Most white decks packing 2-drops want to be swinging with a whole team of guys, but this creature doesn't do that very well. But in the decks that have a smaller creature count, or only want to be attacking with one Voltron-style creature, he can be a solid contributor for that deck.
Verdict: I think his black brother is much better than he is. I'd probably play this guy at 630.
This was a surprising late gem. It's not the strongest spell out there, but I like what it does for you. Black doesn't have a bottomless supply of 2-power 1-drops, and larger cubes look to effects like Unearth to fill that role. While Unearth is capable of grabbing better creatures than Isamaru, Vile Rebirth has the added utility of exiling one of your opponent's creatures to give you a threat; meaning you don't need to have a target in your own yard to start beating down. It's also randomly game-breaking against reanimator, Genesis, Squee, Bloodghast, Gravecrawler, Chandra's Phoenix, etc... value you just can't get from Unearth. I would replace Unearth with this spell personally, and that's the size cube it'll probably fit into.
Verdict: I'd replace Unearth with this spell at the 630 range.
Just like his white brother, this creature isn't spectacular. But black doesn't have a deep a bench of 2-drops like white does, and I think exalted plays better in black than it does in white.
Verdict: I wouldn't play the white one until the 630+ level, but I think the new black knight can earn a spot at 540.
I can't decide of this is my 5th or 6th favorite Gruul spell. It's a 3/3 for 2 that has the additional advantage of being a 3/3 haste for 3 if you draw it later on in the game. Overall, it's a good creature and it'll be a solid contributor to Naya aggro.
Verdict: I would test this in the 5th slot for RG and see if it's good enough. If not, it may take slot #6. In either case, it'll wind up in the 540-630 range.
I like this creature. I kind of look at it like black's version of Harmonize. Assuming I'm sacrificing a creature with 2-3 power, I see it like this: A 3B sorcery that gains 2 life and draws 2 cards. At the very worst. If I have a beast to sacrifice to it, I pay 4 mana to draw 3 cards and gain 3 life, with the only drawback being that I turn my 3-power creature into a 2-power one. Makes Ancient Craving look pretty poor by comparison. Now what I really look forward to doing is finding ways to make the effect less than fair. Undying and Persist targets are a prime choice. Creatures that can return from the graveyard. Creatures that have a death trigger. Creatures that are going to die at EOT anyways. Tokens created by Kiki or Mimic Vat. Creatures I stole from my opponent via Shackles or Sarkhan. Creatures I brought into play with my Sneak Attack. Creatures wearing a Skullclamp or Wargear. And many more. I'm also seeing the pipe-dream of sacrificing a flipped Blistering Firecat to it in the 2nd main phase. Oh my. We'll see if he lives up to my expectations, but it's a card I really want to test out.
Verdict: I think it's probably somewhere in the 540 range, but I'll be testing it at 500.
This creature attacks for a lot on its own. With one other creature out, she's a 4-drop that bashes for 6 with flying. With 2 creatures out, almost nothing in the cube can tangle with her in combat, because she'll be attacking as a 7/6 flying. The only drawbacks of hers is that she's got 3 toughness, can lead to mid-combat blowouts, and she doesn't play well with the typical white Battle Cry/Anthem plan. But I think she has too much of a potential upside to not at least test her out.
Verdict: She's very likely a 450 caliber creature. I'll be testing her at 500, but she may wind up being a 540 creature if her fragility proves to be too much of a liability.
Yeva may be a creature I'm overvaluing, but I don't think so. Green decks playing green 4-drops tend to have a lot of other green creatures in them. A 4/4 Flash for 4 mana is pretty good, especially in green where she can double as removal. And having a 4/4 body left behind permanently is better than Briarhorn's 3/3 body it leaves behind; enough so that if that's all she did I would probably like her more than him anyways. But that's not all she does. Giving flash to other creatures really increases their relative intrinsic values. From a godly scenario of casting 5-drops and cascade creatures during my opponent's combat step to simply flashing Ohran Vipers into play, there's a lot her ability can do for you. Hopefully she plays as good as I think she will.
Verdict: I would play her at 450 I think. Testing is required to be sure, but I'm of the impression that she's a very solid 4-drop.
I've been playtesting the crap out of this planeswalker. She looks like garbage. I thought she was going to be garbage. But I was wrong. I have several detailed posts in the M13 thread about why this is the case. But basically it boils down to this: Her average performance is higher than I estimated. Her BCS is still the same (getting swamps, killing creatures, getting swamps, repeat) and her WCS is still the same (get 1 swamp, die in combat; OR die after one -3 activation) but her ACS is decent. She usually gets 2-3 swamps while I protect her with smaller creatures and my opponent attacks her down with what's available. If she survives more than the first attack against her, she's really good value. 2BB for a pair of swamps and 2 combat steps of your opponent's attention. Pretty solid. But if you can protect her 100% the turn after she resolves, she's just a total house. She's akin to a Jace Beleren in black (worse because she costs 4 mana, but better because she has a much higher BCS). A card advantage walker that your opponent can't choose to ignore.
Verdict: I think this is a 450-quality card.
This is a 5-drop. I mean, 5 mana, for 5 power, 5 life and a 3/3 when it leaves? And attached to a splashable cost? This guy is pretty swell. He plays really well with bounce/blink decks because the trigger goes off when he leaves play, not when he dies. No matter how they deal with it, you're getting 8 power and gaining 5 life for 5 mana. Finding any way to get him into play a second time will be too much attrition for your opponent to overcome.
Verdict: A 450 creature, no doubt.
Just when I thought Thragtusk was going to be the best 5-drop in the set ...I was proven wrong. A 5/5 flying haste for 5 mana puts all the previous big hasted fliers to shame. And the best part? No blocks. It kills a ton of flying tokens and 1-toughness fliers immediately. And then it taps all the other fliers so they can't block. Just a fantastic 5-drop all around.
Verdict: I'd play this dude at 450. Depending on how Zealous Conscripts performs for you, I may even play this at 360, but it would certainly be harder to find room.
Arc Lightning is one of my favorite burn spells in the entire cube. I love the ability to generate CA and kill multiple creatures at the same time. And red loves it too. Dividable damage is just so boss; this may actually be the M13 card I'm most excited about having in the cube.
Verdict: Personally, I would play this card at 360 because I have an unnatural love for dividable burn. I ranked Arc Lightning in my Top 20 Ranking for all of red's cards last year, and I have two of them now. But realistically, this is probably more of a 450 caliber card. But I would certainly play it at 450.
Incinerate is pretty good. This card is, for all intents and purposes, a 2nd Incinerate. I mean, the anti-regen clause only effects 3-4 creatures in the cube, and it's only critical against two targets (the Boas). For all other applications, this is Incinerate #2. This is the Day of Judgement/Wrath of God comparison all over again, and there's no real reason not to run both this and Incinerate together. Especially considering how red could use some more good 2cc spells as it is.
Verdict: I think this card is a 360-worthy competitor.
Not much to say here. 3 mana, 4 starting loyalty that immediately can tick to 5? A +1/+1 counter engine that can be more than an Anthem for low-creature count boards? A {-} ability that can steal games out of nowhere? An ultimate that creatures absurd amounts of 2/2 tokens? This planeswalker has cube bomb written all over him.
Verdict: 360 staple.
Well, there's a quick look at my favorite M13 cards for the cube. Hope you enjoyed, and as always...
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
No surprise here: I'm mostly in agreement with you and I really enjoyed the piece. My quibble: I'm at 500 cards and I can't find anything I want to cut for Thragtusk or Yeva. I'm going to keep them in mind and if other cubists report that they are awesome, I'll reevaluate. I don't doubt that they are good; I just doubt they are 450-500 staples.
No surprise here: I'm mostly in agreement with you and I really enjoyed the piece. My quibble: I'm at 500 cards and I can't find anything I want to cut for Thragtusk or Yeva. I'm going to keep them in mind and if other cubists report that they are awesome, I'll reevaluate. I don't doubt that they are good; I just doubt they are 450-500 staples.
Cheers,
I'm not feeling anything for Yeva for some reason, I get an Obstinate Baloth vibe from her, in that it looked exciting at first and made a lot of lists but then slowly fizzled out. I could be dead wrong of course and would be thrilled if I was.
I think Thragtusk should have enough overall value to make it at 450+.
this kind of list shows how shallow this set really is for cube.
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's not the best set for cube; particularly not small cubes.
Quote from rant »
No surprise here: I'm mostly in agreement with you and I really enjoyed the piece. My quibble: I'm at 500 cards and I can't find anything I want to cut for Thragtusk or Yeva. I'm going to keep them in mind and if other cubists report that they are awesome, I'll reevaluate. I don't doubt that they are good; I just doubt they are 450-500 staples.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear this from some people managing 450 card cubes, but I can't imagine Thragtusk not making it at 500.
And as I mentioned, I don't know 100% about Yeva, I just think she's good.
I'm happy you liked the article.
Quote from Bullywug_King »
The list looks pretty much spot on.
I'm glad you concur!
Quote from Bullywug_King »
I'm not feeling anything for Yeva for some reason, I get an Obstinate Baloth vibe from her, in that it looked exciting at first and made a lot of lists but then slowly fizzled out. I could be dead wrong of course and would be thrilled if I was.
Instead of gaining the life, you kill off an attacker. Instead of playing when discarded, it gives all my other green creatures flash. I like her more than the Baloth.
I love these because they are so clean and easy to read, with none of the fluff of the full set reviews.
I think Thundermaw Hellkite is going to end up being the best red five drop for aggro. Conscripts are often better on that turn they are played, and Gang Bang is often better if left alive, but Hellkite fits in that meaty middle: scary immediately, and still a dragon if left unchecked.
Glad to hear that Liliana is playing more how I hoped than how I feared. Well balanced planeswalkers (like the last Liliana) are exceedingly fun to play with.
I like Sublime Archangel's design a ton. I hope she makes it into a deep section at 450.
I love these because they are so clean and easy to read, with none of the fluff of the full set reviews.
I think Thundermaw Hellkite is going to end up being the best red five drop for aggro. Conscripts are often better on that turn they are played, and Gang Bang is often better if left alive, but Hellkite fits in that meaty middle: scary immediately, and still a dragon if left unchecked.
Glad to hear that Liliana is playing more how I hoped than how I feared. Well balanced planeswalkers (like the last Liliana) are exceedingly fun to play with.
I like Sublime Archangel's design a ton. I hope she makes it into a deep section at 450.
I'm happy you enjoy the format. Makes it worth writing them to know people enjoy reading them.
Thundermaw is a savage beast. You may very well be right about it being a top red 5-drop.
Liliana has been a pleasant surprise. Not broken, and not crap. That's refreshing for a planeswalker in this day and age.
I hope the Angel plays out well too. The design is awesome.
Instead of gaining the life, you kill off an attacker. Instead of playing when discarded, it gives all my other green creatures flash. I like her more than the Baloth.
I'm not trying to make a head to head comparison, it just feels to me like they will meet a similar fate. I feel like the flash element will look good on paper but won't meet expectations, but I could be absolutely mistaken and would be the first to include her if others experiences prove me wrong.
I'm not trying to make a head to head comparison, it just feels to me like they will meet a similar fate. I feel like the flash element will look good on paper but won't meet expectations, but I could be absolutely mistaken and would be the first to include her if others experiences prove me wrong.
You're swaying me in favor of Liliana though.
Cheers!
I even mentioned in the article that she could very well be being overvalued my me and her other supporters. But I won't know until I test her more.
And Liliana has proven herself to be quite a bit better than I originally thought. Looking forward to having her around for a while.
I think you misunderstood disciple of bolas. Worst case scenario, it does nothing.
I understand it perfectly fine. Don't cast it in situations where it does nothing and you don't have to worry about it. It's not a critical on-curve beater. It's a utility spell. You can wait for proper timing.
Thanks! I was hoping you'd do another one of these and I agree almost completely with your list except I think I would have slotted Odric at 20. I think he's got potential in a 720.
Thanks! I was hoping you'd do another one of these and I agree almost completely with your list except I think I would have slotted Odric at 20. I think he's got potential in a 720.
Odric was on my list in the #20 slot until the Vile Rebirth was posted this morning and nudged him out. I had such a hard time getting Windbrisk Heights to activate ...I can't imagine him doing much with any level of consistency.
I'd probably rank Augur higher, and I think the WU bird should be included somewhere in the 20. The card seems fine if you support the tempo based WU decks.
Im under the impression that you need something along the lines of 15 targets in the decklist for augur of bolas to hit more than 75% of the time. Or something. I don't know how good odric or the bird would be, but it can't be much more cumbersome than that.
I'd probably rank Augur higher, and I think the WU bird should be included somewhere in the 20. The card seems fine if you support the tempo based WU decks.
The math just doesn't side with the Auger. I cant remember what the actual value was, but to have a 75% chance of drawing a card with it, you need to be using like 14-15 instants/sorceries or something absurd like that ...and that just doesn't happen.
I can think of at least 8 W/U cards I'd rather use, which means it wouldn't see play in any cube I'd build less than 900 cards. Which means it doesn't make the list for me.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear this from some people managing 450 card cubes, but I can't imagine Thragtusk not making it at 500.
And as I mentioned, I don't know 100% about Yeva, I just think she's good.
I'm happy you liked the article.
Sure thing. It was pretty easy to like.
I don't question that they are both good. I just can't find anything in my green section I really want to cut for them. The obvious choice would be Rampaging Baloths, but I have that slated as my cut for Primeval Titan. I'll slot Thragtusk in there if I get one before I get a PrimeTime, but if I don't that doesn't leave me with anything I really want to cut in that mana range.
I don't question that they are both good. I just can't find anything in my green section I really want to cut for them. The obvious choice would be Rampaging Baloths, but I have that slated as my cut for Primeval Titan. I'll slot Thragtusk in there if I get one before I get a PrimeTime, but if I don't that doesn't leave me with anything I really want to cut in that mana range.
Cheers,
rant
Fair enough. I'd try and find something if it were up to me, but if you can't you can't. I'm moving up to 500, I have one less overall green card in the cube than you do, and I was able to find room for both.
Thank you for the review. It's really cool that you go quite a different route than most reviews and present it as a top 20.
I actually predicted the top 5 in that order*, but Liliana at 6 surprised me quite a bit. Considering that you actually got play experience with her, it seems that I was a bit harsh with my initial reaction. She seems better than I thought.
I would agree that Cathedral of War needs to lose the etb tapped drawback to be really cubable, but at the same time, I know that a +1/+1 boost without any further cost is quite good on a land. This card may turn out better than we think, simply by being a land.
Thank you for the review. It's really cool that you go quite a different route than most reviews and present it as a top 20.
I actually predicted the top 5 in that order*, but Liliana at 6 surprised me quite a bit. Considering that you actually got play experience with her, it seems that I was a bit harsh with my initial reaction. She seems better than I thought.
I would agree that Cathedral of War needs to lose the etb tapped drawback to be really cubable, but at the same time, I know that a +1/+1 boost without any further cost is quite good on a land. This card may turn out better than we think, simply by being a land.
Liliana is a solid card advantage engine. And the set, by in large, is not that amazing for smaller cube lists, so her placing at #6 kinda makes sense.
I hope you're right about the Cathedral. Maybe it's better than it looks.
I think Hellion Crucible is better than you assume it is. Yes it has some parallels with Gargoyle Castle but they aren't very similar.
1.) The token not only has 1 more power but also has haste. This is relevant as it doesn't require you to activate it on the opponents EOT to make it have haste on your turn, and it can be used sooner by putting a counter on it at the end of their turn and cracking it on your turn.
2.) It's Red, but it's also active in two turns and off of 3 mana total instead of 6, which is HUGE. How often do you want to get to 6 lands in the aggro or burn deck? On the other hand 3 lands is perfectly reasonably for the deck that wants this card and using it as your 15th or 16th land is great as it essentially turns a land into a pseudo Barbarian Ring.
3.) The token isn't an artifact so it avoid some removal that the Gargoyle might be hit as a result of Anti-Moxen or whatever hate that can be included in the cube.
It looks fair in comparison to Gargoyle Castle. But I don't cube Gargoyle Castle. I have to put nine mana into Hellion Crucible before I get a creature from it. And the creature has haste, but loses flying, so it's a wash for me.
So, the way I summed it up in the OP is pretty accurate, I think. It's comparable to Gargoyle Castle. Castle makes a flying token, it can go in any color deck and it requires less overall mana to get a creature out. Hellion land has 4 power, haste and can pay the mana investment in increments. Looks pretty much dead even to me.
My cube would have to be significantly bigger before I would consider adding it in.
I decided to do another set review in the style of my AVR review. The last one seemed to be pretty well received, and I thought it might be worth sharing my initial thoughts on M13 in the same way.
Just like the previous review, it will be in a spoiled top 20 countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in.
Enjoy!
Crimson Muckwader isn't a particularly great card. It doesn't do anything super exciting or broken, but what it does bring is a solid body and a somewhat relative ability that negates its drawback of having only 2 toughness. When you swing on T3, you force your opponent to a decision about losing a creature in combat to force you into paying the overcosted regeneration ability or simply letting the damage through. Most of the time, they're not going to want to be throwing bodies in front of this guy simply to make you pay costs. That being said, the regen cost is still too high. If this had a regeneration cost of B or 1B, it could be a real contender.
Verdict: I think this is very likely the 7th or 8th best Rakdos card, which probably places it in the range of 720-810 card cubes.
This is an interesting creature. A pseudo-Impulse on a stick is nice. The 1/3 body is nice for blue control. The splashable cost is nice. What gets me down about him is the consistency. Sometimes he's going to be excellent. But when he whiffs, he's a really disappointing creature. Unfortunately, you need to have a really high concentration of instants and sorceries to have his success rate be higher than 50%. More than the average cube deck will have. But in decks with a high concentration of targets (decks like counter-burn come to mind) he'll likely be a solid creature.
Verdict: There are a few 2cc blue creatures I like more than the Auger that I'm not using at 500. I think this creature will be playable at 720 perhaps, and depending on performance, could wind up anywhere in the 630-810 range. I think it's going to be very cube and playgroup dependent.
This is probably my 4th favorite red-based land. Which isn't exactly a glowing endorsement. I think it can find a home in more controlling red decks. It's akin to something like Gargoyle Castle, with the advantage of having a 4th power and not having to sink as much mana into it at one time. And disadvantages of being red and having a higher overall mana investment before you see a creature. That said, I don't think it's bad, but I don't think it's particularly stellar either.
Verdict: I would try and find a way to test this in 720 card cubes, but in my heart of hearts, I simply don't think it's good enough.
This may be the sleeper card in this set. Don't get me wrong, this card is far from excellent. 3 power for 3 mana with a few upsides is the norm now, so this card doesn't have any unexpected power-level behind it. But what it does do, is support a pair of white archetypes in one card. It's a decent filler card for both blink decks and token decks; both of which are heavily supported archetypes in most cubes. This creature won't be replacing Blade Splicer in any lists, but it's still a nice 3-drop to have with Anthem effects on the board.
Verdict: I would very likely play this creature at 720, and it would make the cut for me at 630 if I supported the blink and token theme heavily. I also think it's a great card for C/Ubes, for what it's worth.
Trading Post is a cool card. It's really flavorful and fun, and it does a LOT of stuff. It's a discard outlet, a sac outlet, and supports the artifact.dec. It gains life against aggro, chump-blocks against mid-range and draws cards against control. If it cost 3, it would go into most cubes, I think. But at 4 mana, it's not going to be breaking too many games open.
Verdict: The colorless cards in larger cubes aren't particularly stellar. I don't think it would be too difficult to find room for this card in 630-720 card cubes.
I think Cathedral of War is akin to a colorless Teetering Peaks. Peaks plays better in aggro, and this land is better in mid-range and control builds. Exalted is a solid ability. I think the value is overrated by some and understated by others. Sometimes that extra +1/+1 is just what you need to be able to push an attacker through, and this card can give it to you. At a relatively low cost, thanks to it being strapped to a land. The only problem I have with Cathedral is that it's both an ETBT land AND a land that taps for colorless. I think one of those two clauses could've been removed and the land still wouldn't have been too over-the-top.
Verdict: I would test this land at 630, and I think it makes the cut at 720. It may even break into some 540 cubes if the design of that list lends itself to a ton of mid-range mirrors.
This is a cool creature. I mean, if it were any color other than blue we probably would've thrown a parade for it. A 2/1 for two mana that has a splashable cost. And then can basically sacrifice itself to get rid of any creature your opponent controls. It's a beater in the early game that can clear a path for your other creatures in the mid-late game. Two things hold this card back. One, is the tap clause on the activation. If I could use this as a 5cc removal spell at any time, or swing on my turn and remove a freshly played creature on their turn it would've been outstanding. The other problem is that it's blue, and even blue tempo decks aren't usually on the Goblin Piker plan. They're more interested in flash and evasion; unlike Zoo style aggro that the other aggro colors mimic.
Verdict: I would want to test this creature out at 630, but I don't think it'll ever be better than perhaps a bottom-tier creature for 720+ sized cubes.
Filler, but a decent creature. Exalted is relevant, but not as good as first strike. Likewise, the protection is relevant too. Most white decks packing 2-drops want to be swinging with a whole team of guys, but this creature doesn't do that very well. But in the decks that have a smaller creature count, or only want to be attacking with one Voltron-style creature, he can be a solid contributor for that deck.
Verdict: I think his black brother is much better than he is. I'd probably play this guy at 630.
This was a surprising late gem. It's not the strongest spell out there, but I like what it does for you. Black doesn't have a bottomless supply of 2-power 1-drops, and larger cubes look to effects like Unearth to fill that role. While Unearth is capable of grabbing better creatures than Isamaru, Vile Rebirth has the added utility of exiling one of your opponent's creatures to give you a threat; meaning you don't need to have a target in your own yard to start beating down. It's also randomly game-breaking against reanimator, Genesis, Squee, Bloodghast, Gravecrawler, Chandra's Phoenix, etc... value you just can't get from Unearth. I would replace Unearth with this spell personally, and that's the size cube it'll probably fit into.
Verdict: I'd replace Unearth with this spell at the 630 range.
Just like his white brother, this creature isn't spectacular. But black doesn't have a deep a bench of 2-drops like white does, and I think exalted plays better in black than it does in white.
Verdict: I wouldn't play the white one until the 630+ level, but I think the new black knight can earn a spot at 540.
I can't decide of this is my 5th or 6th favorite Gruul spell. It's a 3/3 for 2 that has the additional advantage of being a 3/3 haste for 3 if you draw it later on in the game. Overall, it's a good creature and it'll be a solid contributor to Naya aggro.
Verdict: I would test this in the 5th slot for RG and see if it's good enough. If not, it may take slot #6. In either case, it'll wind up in the 540-630 range.
I like this creature. I kind of look at it like black's version of Harmonize. Assuming I'm sacrificing a creature with 2-3 power, I see it like this: A 3B sorcery that gains 2 life and draws 2 cards. At the very worst. If I have a beast to sacrifice to it, I pay 4 mana to draw 3 cards and gain 3 life, with the only drawback being that I turn my 3-power creature into a 2-power one. Makes Ancient Craving look pretty poor by comparison. Now what I really look forward to doing is finding ways to make the effect less than fair. Undying and Persist targets are a prime choice. Creatures that can return from the graveyard. Creatures that have a death trigger. Creatures that are going to die at EOT anyways. Tokens created by Kiki or Mimic Vat. Creatures I stole from my opponent via Shackles or Sarkhan. Creatures I brought into play with my Sneak Attack. Creatures wearing a Skullclamp or Wargear. And many more. I'm also seeing the pipe-dream of sacrificing a flipped Blistering Firecat to it in the 2nd main phase. Oh my. We'll see if he lives up to my expectations, but it's a card I really want to test out.
Verdict: I think it's probably somewhere in the 540 range, but I'll be testing it at 500.
This creature attacks for a lot on its own. With one other creature out, she's a 4-drop that bashes for 6 with flying. With 2 creatures out, almost nothing in the cube can tangle with her in combat, because she'll be attacking as a 7/6 flying. The only drawbacks of hers is that she's got 3 toughness, can lead to mid-combat blowouts, and she doesn't play well with the typical white Battle Cry/Anthem plan. But I think she has too much of a potential upside to not at least test her out.
Verdict: She's very likely a 450 caliber creature. I'll be testing her at 500, but she may wind up being a 540 creature if her fragility proves to be too much of a liability.
Yeva may be a creature I'm overvaluing, but I don't think so. Green decks playing green 4-drops tend to have a lot of other green creatures in them. A 4/4 Flash for 4 mana is pretty good, especially in green where she can double as removal. And having a 4/4 body left behind permanently is better than Briarhorn's 3/3 body it leaves behind; enough so that if that's all she did I would probably like her more than him anyways. But that's not all she does. Giving flash to other creatures really increases their relative intrinsic values. From a godly scenario of casting 5-drops and cascade creatures during my opponent's combat step to simply flashing Ohran Vipers into play, there's a lot her ability can do for you. Hopefully she plays as good as I think she will.
Verdict: I would play her at 450 I think. Testing is required to be sure, but I'm of the impression that she's a very solid 4-drop.
I've been playtesting the crap out of this planeswalker. She looks like garbage. I thought she was going to be garbage. But I was wrong. I have several detailed posts in the M13 thread about why this is the case. But basically it boils down to this: Her average performance is higher than I estimated. Her BCS is still the same (getting swamps, killing creatures, getting swamps, repeat) and her WCS is still the same (get 1 swamp, die in combat; OR die after one -3 activation) but her ACS is decent. She usually gets 2-3 swamps while I protect her with smaller creatures and my opponent attacks her down with what's available. If she survives more than the first attack against her, she's really good value. 2BB for a pair of swamps and 2 combat steps of your opponent's attention. Pretty solid. But if you can protect her 100% the turn after she resolves, she's just a total house. She's akin to a Jace Beleren in black (worse because she costs 4 mana, but better because she has a much higher BCS). A card advantage walker that your opponent can't choose to ignore.
Verdict: I think this is a 450-quality card.
This is a 5-drop. I mean, 5 mana, for 5 power, 5 life and a 3/3 when it leaves? And attached to a splashable cost? This guy is pretty swell. He plays really well with bounce/blink decks because the trigger goes off when he leaves play, not when he dies. No matter how they deal with it, you're getting 8 power and gaining 5 life for 5 mana. Finding any way to get him into play a second time will be too much attrition for your opponent to overcome.
Verdict: A 450 creature, no doubt.
Just when I thought Thragtusk was going to be the best 5-drop in the set ...I was proven wrong. A 5/5 flying haste for 5 mana puts all the previous big hasted fliers to shame. And the best part? No blocks. It kills a ton of flying tokens and 1-toughness fliers immediately. And then it taps all the other fliers so they can't block. Just a fantastic 5-drop all around.
Verdict: I'd play this dude at 450. Depending on how Zealous Conscripts performs for you, I may even play this at 360, but it would certainly be harder to find room.
Arc Lightning is one of my favorite burn spells in the entire cube. I love the ability to generate CA and kill multiple creatures at the same time. And red loves it too. Dividable damage is just so boss; this may actually be the M13 card I'm most excited about having in the cube.
Verdict: Personally, I would play this card at 360 because I have an unnatural love for dividable burn. I ranked Arc Lightning in my Top 20 Ranking for all of red's cards last year, and I have two of them now. But realistically, this is probably more of a 450 caliber card. But I would certainly play it at 450.
Incinerate is pretty good. This card is, for all intents and purposes, a 2nd Incinerate. I mean, the anti-regen clause only effects 3-4 creatures in the cube, and it's only critical against two targets (the Boas). For all other applications, this is Incinerate #2. This is the Day of Judgement/Wrath of God comparison all over again, and there's no real reason not to run both this and Incinerate together. Especially considering how red could use some more good 2cc spells as it is.
Verdict: I think this card is a 360-worthy competitor.
Not much to say here. 3 mana, 4 starting loyalty that immediately can tick to 5? A +1/+1 counter engine that can be more than an Anthem for low-creature count boards? A {-} ability that can steal games out of nowhere? An ultimate that creatures absurd amounts of 2/2 tokens? This planeswalker has cube bomb written all over him.
Verdict: 360 staple.
Well, there's a quick look at my favorite M13 cards for the cube. Hope you enjoyed, and as always...
Happy Cubing!
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this kind of list shows how shallow this set really is for cube.
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I'm not feeling anything for Yeva for some reason, I get an Obstinate Baloth vibe from her, in that it looked exciting at first and made a lot of lists but then slowly fizzled out. I could be dead wrong of course and would be thrilled if I was.
I think Thragtusk should have enough overall value to make it at 450+.
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's not the best set for cube; particularly not small cubes.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear this from some people managing 450 card cubes, but I can't imagine Thragtusk not making it at 500.
And as I mentioned, I don't know 100% about Yeva, I just think she's good.
I'm happy you liked the article.
I'm glad you concur!
Instead of gaining the life, you kill off an attacker. Instead of playing when discarded, it gives all my other green creatures flash. I like her more than the Baloth.
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I think Thundermaw Hellkite is going to end up being the best red five drop for aggro. Conscripts are often better on that turn they are played, and Gang Bang is often better if left alive, but Hellkite fits in that meaty middle: scary immediately, and still a dragon if left unchecked.
Glad to hear that Liliana is playing more how I hoped than how I feared. Well balanced planeswalkers (like the last Liliana) are exceedingly fun to play with.
I like Sublime Archangel's design a ton. I hope she makes it into a deep section at 450.
I'm happy you enjoy the format. Makes it worth writing them to know people enjoy reading them.
Thundermaw is a savage beast. You may very well be right about it being a top red 5-drop.
Liliana has been a pleasant surprise. Not broken, and not crap. That's refreshing for a planeswalker in this day and age.
I hope the Angel plays out well too. The design is awesome.
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I'm not trying to make a head to head comparison, it just feels to me like they will meet a similar fate. I feel like the flash element will look good on paper but won't meet expectations, but I could be absolutely mistaken and would be the first to include her if others experiences prove me wrong.
You're swaying me in favor of Liliana though.
Cheers!
I even mentioned in the article that she could very well be being overvalued my me and her other supporters. But I won't know until I test her more.
And Liliana has proven herself to be quite a bit better than I originally thought. Looking forward to having her around for a while.
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I know, and agree.
I may just have to find a cut for Liliana.
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I understand it perfectly fine. Don't cast it in situations where it does nothing and you don't have to worry about it. It's not a critical on-curve beater. It's a utility spell. You can wait for proper timing.
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Odric was on my list in the #20 slot until the Vile Rebirth was posted this morning and nudged him out. I had such a hard time getting Windbrisk Heights to activate ...I can't imagine him doing much with any level of consistency.
Glad you enjoyed the article!
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The math just doesn't side with the Auger. I cant remember what the actual value was, but to have a 75% chance of drawing a card with it, you need to be using like 14-15 instants/sorceries or something absurd like that ...and that just doesn't happen.
I can think of at least 8 W/U cards I'd rather use, which means it wouldn't see play in any cube I'd build less than 900 cards. Which means it doesn't make the list for me.
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Sure thing. It was pretty easy to like.
I don't question that they are both good. I just can't find anything in my green section I really want to cut for them. The obvious choice would be Rampaging Baloths, but I have that slated as my cut for Primeval Titan. I'll slot Thragtusk in there if I get one before I get a PrimeTime, but if I don't that doesn't leave me with anything I really want to cut in that mana range.
Cheers,
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Fair enough. I'd try and find something if it were up to me, but if you can't you can't. I'm moving up to 500, I have one less overall green card in the cube than you do, and I was able to find room for both.
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I actually predicted the top 5 in that order*, but Liliana at 6 surprised me quite a bit. Considering that you actually got play experience with her, it seems that I was a bit harsh with my initial reaction. She seems better than I thought.
I would agree that Cathedral of War needs to lose the etb tapped drawback to be really cubable, but at the same time, I know that a +1/+1 boost without any further cost is quite good on a land. This card may turn out better than we think, simply by being a land.
* Personally, I would have swapped Thundermaw Hellkite and Flames of the Firebrand, but I know of you love for devidable damage.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
You're welcome for the review!
Liliana is a solid card advantage engine. And the set, by in large, is not that amazing for smaller cube lists, so her placing at #6 kinda makes sense.
I hope you're right about the Cathedral. Maybe it's better than it looks.
And ya, I love dividable damage.
Thanks for the input!
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1.) The token not only has 1 more power but also has haste. This is relevant as it doesn't require you to activate it on the opponents EOT to make it have haste on your turn, and it can be used sooner by putting a counter on it at the end of their turn and cracking it on your turn.
2.) It's Red, but it's also active in two turns and off of 3 mana total instead of 6, which is HUGE. How often do you want to get to 6 lands in the aggro or burn deck? On the other hand 3 lands is perfectly reasonably for the deck that wants this card and using it as your 15th or 16th land is great as it essentially turns a land into a pseudo Barbarian Ring.
3.) The token isn't an artifact so it avoid some removal that the Gargoyle might be hit as a result of Anti-Moxen or whatever hate that can be included in the cube.
So, the way I summed it up in the OP is pretty accurate, I think. It's comparable to Gargoyle Castle. Castle makes a flying token, it can go in any color deck and it requires less overall mana to get a creature out. Hellion land has 4 power, haste and can pay the mana investment in increments. Looks pretty much dead even to me.
My cube would have to be significantly bigger before I would consider adding it in.
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