A lot of discussion is made over the tightest and most competitive cubes buildable, but not a lot of discourse focuses on the other cubes: theme cubes, weaker cubes, larger cubes, etcetera. My aim is to point out every card from the set that is remarkable from a cubing perspective without worrying about details like which slots are considered tight. The focus is not on the best cards, but on the cards that do things that are useful in specific archetypes, or have remarkable qualities for cube/deck building.
If you want to read about the best cards for small cubes, wtwlf123's article is a far better resource. I also don't talk about peasant/pauper as I've not played much of it. My interest is most intently on the cards that are going under radars, and on the archetypes that random cards support (and whether or not that support is worthwhile). Hour of Devastation a graveyard set, so the majority of archetypal support is centered there. That's nice, as basically every cube ever has some form of graveyard related subtheme. It's called a weak set by all, and that's true, but for one such as myself, it's full of goodies.
Adorned Pouncer- Archetypes: Graveyard, Pants, General.
This is an overtly powerful card, and is efficient enough for almost any cube. It's also a member of the exclusive club of playable white cards that care about the graveyard. Adorn the cat for maximum pouncing. Personally, I'm not a fan of double strike, but that's just me.
Overwhelming Splendor- Archetypes: Cheat target, Curses, Enchantments.
IT'S A TRAP!!! This never wins a game by itself. If you heavily supportAcademy Rector style enchantment shenanigans, this is a fine target (since not many targets exist), but you really want such a thing to be capable of winning the game, not just making your opponent's life miserable. If you were hoping that curses might become a real archetype with Amonkhet block, you'll be disappointed. In any format where Curse of Misfortunes has been forced into playability, you might as well play this, but that takes some serious forcing.
Sunscourge Champion- Archetypes: Graveyard, ETB.
This is a perfect card for a graveyard-centric cube. If you are pushing cards that play from the grave, and/or madness, this is one of the best white options to date. That's not saying a huge amount, but it does matter.
God-Pharaoh's Faithful- Archetypes: Multicolor, Defensive.
Five color decks can use a Kraken Hatchling, and many defensive decks won't mind playing this even if they're only one or two of the grixis colors. Even in a five color deck, this card isn't doing anything ultra-powerful, but it's pretty efficient for what it does. Quirion Dryad demonstrates how often this can trigger in a five-color deck (which is quite often). Also, anything that can gain life every turn helps things like Crested Sunmare.
Djeru, with Eyes Open- Archetypes: Superfriends.
Playable tutors are really good, and ones with legs are some of the most playable. Nobody should really be cubing with Call the Gatewatch, but Djeru on the other hand is exactly what you want with 3+ walkers in your deck. I would prefer a 1/5 to a 4/3, but what can you do? At least the open eyes give him vigilance to protect the walkers.
Angel of Condemnation- Archetypes: Blink, General.
You don't need me to tell you this card is great. It's great.
Solemnity- Archetypes: Combo, Hate.
I don't recommend this, but if you love stray two-card combos, this does form a lot of them (anything that enters the battlefield with counters and does something when they're gone). Doing bupkiss by itself makes this parasitic to the environment unless it's also a relevant sideboard card.
Crested Sunmare- Archetypes: Life Gain, General
This is some of the best support around for this archetype, and it is exactly the payoff required to serve as a build-around in a cube without the archetype (which frankly is not one I'd recommend investing a lot of slots in). It's also one of the many friends of the changelings. That unfortunately still doesn't go that far, but more changelings will doubtless be printed in the future.
Dauntless Aven and Vizier of the True- Archetype: Exert Matters.
It's a lie. Exert matters was never going to get there. Even in an Amonkhet block cube running multiples of all the important cards, it's hard to make exert anything but completely fair. Forcing the theme would require way more work than the payoff is ever worth
Unconventional Tactics- Archetype: Tribal.
You should not play this no matter how big your tribal theme is. There aren't enough decent white zombies to make it worthwhile, and the payoff is mediocre at best. Mummy Paramount is much better support if you want to have color bleeding, but that card is no superstar.
Proven Combatant- Archetype: Ratbox.
That's right. This card is so bad that it might make "bad on purpose" cubes. Sure, Merfolk of the Pearl Trident is strictly worse, but this is strictly more interesting while remaining profoundly bad.
Fraying Sanity- Archetype: Mill, Curses.
This is a dedicated mill spell indeed. I know this is powerful, but I would always recommend cards that provide their own sense of inevitability over cards that compound what your other cards are doing. This also does next to nothing for the curses archetype, which once again is a dead end. This is not a cube card.
Nimble Obstructionist- Archetype: General.
No cuber should leave home without it. It does everything and goes in any cube.
Riddleform- Archeypes: Spellslinger, Enchantments.
Noncreature spells that act as creatures form the backbone of certain dedicated spells-matter shells. To note, this is a stellar card in a creatureless cube. It's fine support for spell-flinging in a general cube, but the ceiling and floor are both too low to make it any kind of a staple. Expect it to be outclassed in that spot. However, for a dedicated spell theme, I expect it to stick around.
Vizier of the Anointed- Archetype: Block.
And here you have it: the best card for your block cube that matters nowhere else.
Champion of Wits- Archetypes: Graveyard/ Discard, ETB, General.
This has enough little abilities that it becomes close to playable for general cube. I like Magus of the Bazaar and other cards better, but that may be wrong. This is a great choice if the graveyard is something you to cultivate in blue, but there are a LOT of other great choices around the same mana cost. Still, this buffs the graveyard, then plays from the graveyard (while buffing it again), which is not to be scoffed at.
Striped Riverwinder- Archetypes: Reanimate, Ramp, General.
It has accurately been said that there are plenty of better reanimate targets, but this one discards itself for one, remains hard-castable at seven, and is never ever dead due to cycling. This thing is an expert at nothing, but it does everything. Rampaging Hippo is pretty hip too, but I like it much less, as cycling is the dominant mode for these cards. Cycling fatties have always played well for me.
Supreme Will- Archetype: General.
Others have discussed this card plenty. It's a great card for anyone. Amonkhet block has been a breath of fresh air for counterspells.
Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign- Archetypes: ETB, General, Changelings.
This is effient enough to be good on its own (though not really enough to topple any of the top played six drops). Once again, changelings aren't really there yet, but hope remains that they will become a proper archetype. If and when they do, playable cards with sidecase tribal support like this guy will pick up a decent amount of value.
Ominous Sphinx, Cunning Survivor, and Seer of the Last Tomorrow- Archetype: Graveyard/ Discard .
I don't think these cards get there. None of them have enough payoff. If you're dedicated to a mill theme in your cube, Seer might be okay, as dedicated mill can probably use a spellshaper, but I don't think this is the payoff you're looking for in that niche.
Ammit Eternal- Archetypes: Aggro, -1/-1 counters, General.
This is much more of an aggro card than anything else. It is a playable card that features -1/-1 counters, but it's not one to play because it fits with any kind of counters matter theme. Really the only reason to play this card is that it's straight up good. I prefer Plague Belcher in synergy, and in other categories, but this card is undeniably powerful (and a zombie).
Banewhip Punisher- Archetypes: -1/-1 counters, ETB.
This card is sweet. It's a four mana murder that you can spread over multiple turns, or it's a grey ogre that snipes an X/1, or it's a fabulous engine for a counters matter theme. This is definitely going into my cube. Necroskitter welcomes this with open appendages.
Apocalypse Demon- Archetypes: Sacrifices, Graveyard, Fatty
This is not the greatest finisher in the world, and it's not a card I would really recommend. However, this works for a cube that (A) loves the graveyard, and can guarantee a giant demon, or (B) likes the old-school idea of demons always having a drawback, but wants decent cards. This card is really reliant on deckbuilding, careful play, and palatable situations, which makes it absolutely an awful card for those who like optimized cubes. Some cubes do have a theme of cards that cut both ways, and this one does that without becoming truly bad. I don't want to make this sound too bad, as it does get HUGE.
Accursed Horde- Archetype: Tribal
Meh. You can find better zombies, but if you REALLY want them all to have extra zombie bonuses, this could be worse. It's a hill giant that regenerates zombies. It actually feels really old school when you think about it.
Grisly Survivor - Archetype: Discard
You've really gotta be going deep to make this powerful, but if you've got a real engine, this can attack for a million damage. There's no evasion, so it's not even all that great at that. This plus Cunning Survivor would be a great card, but as is, it doesn't seem worthwhile.
Doomfall- Archetype: Toolbox
The power level here is too low for this to be a general cube card, but the flexibility is undeniable. Almost any cube below traditional power standards could happily run this, but shouldn't feel obligated to.
Razaketh, the Foulblooded- Archetypes: Ramp/Cheat target, Sacrifices, Budget
This is mostly great as an alternative to the truly great. Still, this will never command the price of Griselbrand, and it is a damn good card on its own. Being a sac outlet and a tutor are important, but like any eight-drop, Raz's role is mostly as a cheat/ ramp target.
Torment of Scarabs- Archetype: Curses, Enchantments
Once again, wishing won't make curses a thing. Still, this one has some actual redeeming qualities, despite giving the choice to your opponent. I could see to putting this in an Innistrad cube, and being okay with it. Even so, it's no all star, and it can end up favoring the opponent as a sac/discard outlet. I had hoped for one decent curse.
Abrade- Archetype: General, Artifacts, Hate.
This is a good card for almost any cube.
Burning-Fist Minotaur- Archetypes: Discard, Aggro, General.
This card is quite good, but I won't bother extolling its praises too far, as the general community already seems to have embraced it. Suffice it to say that it is the perfect blend of a palatable card for any fast red deck and a staple ability for a variety of graveyard decks. Its versatility makes it playable in most any cube, and its clearly synergistic nature is ideal to create or nurture a subtheme.
Firebrand Archer- Archetypes: Spellflinger, Multiplayer.
This doesn't crank out damage as quickly as Guttersnipe, but the two of them together (and maybe Thermo-Alchemist) make a pretty strong machine-gun theme. I like Alchemist a little better than this, but I have an unholy love of that card.
Hour of Devastation- Archetypes: General.
I point out this card only because its playability has become oddly contentious. This is a great card, and I could see running it in almost any cube. I could also see not running it, since it's just another red wrath.
Hazoret's Undying Fury- Archetype: Chaos.
Who doesn't want to win with this? Still, we have to call it what it is: a wacky, expensive, unreliable sorcery with a huge drawback. Those don't have a great track record. Add this because you want to see what it does, not because you expect it to be a great card.
Neheb, The Eternal- Archetype: Ramp, General.
This guy is odd, and he shouldn't be considered as part of a proper ramp package. Still, he can produce an obscene amount of mana if used correctly. I think that this is more of a large cube card than anything, as it clearly can't compete in small cubes. That's a shame, because it looks pretty fun, and not that difficult to turn your Lightning Bolt into Dark Ritual, swing for your unavoidable three, and cast an Eldrazi on your second main phase. I look forward to doing such things in my cube.
Inferno Jet- Archetype: Burn. Burn is not an archetype that should be given dedicated support in limited!!! Burn is very parasitic to an environment, insisting that you run boring cards that you otherwise shouldn't. A burn subtheme arises naturally from playing good red cards, and is not something you should dedicate slots to. If you were building such a theme, this would be a fine card for it, as it at least has a backup mode (while dealing frequently lethal damage). Once again, however, I do not recommend this card, or the theme that it represents to anyone!
Majestic Myriarch- Archetype: Tokens, Go wide.
This can get properly huge with the right shell, but it's a slot that you should alot to something that supports the overall strategy, rather than just benefiting from it. Eidolon of Countless Battles and Odric, Lunarch Marshal both do a better job.
Pride Sovereign- Archetype: Tokens, Untap.
This card is decent, providing a pretty good supply of powerful tokens. It's certainly slow, but the ability is undeniably good. This is particular friends with Regal Caracal, and (I'll say it again) is friends with the changelings for when they become more important.
Feral Prowler- Archetypes: Sacrifices.
In an aristocrats (sacrifices matter) theme, this is not the worst, as green is frequently part of those decks, and is lacking in this ability. However, a 1/3 is not that great for green, and this is pretty much always filler. It's not the worst filler, but it struggles to earn its slot.
Ramunap Excavator- Archetype: Lands, Graveyard.
Sweet sweet Magus of the Crucible. Such joy. This adds the redundancy that the loaming strategy had really been missing. Others have talked about this card a lot, so I won't worry about it too much, but suffice it to say this is a serious staple in what has long been a favorite archetype. This makes a huge number of cards more playable, such as Desolation, the Gitrog Monster, Impending Disaster, Army Ants, and many many more (those are just a few favorites from my cube). It's also noteworthy that this guy is WAY more affordable than Crucible of Worlds. He will beyond a doubt increase in value as he ages, but it's a budget alternative to Crucible, (even though they really belong together).
Rhonas's Last Stand- Archetypes: Stompy, Tokens.
I only point this out (a card which I would put well below both Leatherback Baloth and Albino Troll) because of the obvious interaction with populate. I still wouldn't recommend doing it, as the drawback is huge, and any bounce trashes you, but this IS a rediculously huge token for rediculously cheap.
Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh/ Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver- Archetype: Finisher, General.
I bring these (and Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker) up to demonstrate that now there is a Bolas for everyone so to speak. God-Pharaoh is probably most efficient, Planeswalker is the biggest, and Deciever is a fun alternative for those who want a weaker meta. For the record, my favorite Bolas art is still decidedly Nicol Bolas.
Bloodwater Entity- Archetype: Spellflinger.
This card is fine, but the recursion is only a small upside. Other similar options exist, but this card is perfectly solid.
The Locust God- Archetypes: Fatty, Tokens, Drawing matters, Looter, General.
This guy does it all. As a finisher, the archetypal support is less important by the time he comes down but it's still gonna feel pretty great to Brainstorm out three more babies.
The Scarab God- Archetypes: Fatty, Graveyard, General.
Others have spoken of this card's greatness, and great it is. This one rises above the other two, but all of them are insanely powerful.
The Scorpion God- Archetypes: Fatty, -1/-1 counters, Pinger, General.
This is my favorite of the new gods. I love the way it brings the -1/-1 counter theme to BR without sacrificing playability, and I love that it's an insane rakdos finisher that doesn't just require you to attack attack attack.
Unraveling Mummy- Archetype: Tribal.
A mana hungry lord is still a lord if that's what you want. These are powerful abilities, and being able to use them at instant speed can make a few mana into a real headaache for your opponent. Obviously, this only matters in a dedicated zombie theme.
Obelisk Spider- Archetype: -1/-1 counters.
This is tough, since golgari already has some of the best support cards for this theme, but Obelisk Spider is a fine addition. Still, it's not rocking too many worlds, and it's not an engine like Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons.
To be fair, this card is fine in a vaccuum, it's just not fine compared to the heap of RG walkers. If she's the only gruul walker you own, you might as well play her.
AFTERMATH- Archetypes: Toolbox, Graveyard, Multicolor
As a mechanic, I love aftermath. The cards are mostly mediocre on the face, but they always play better than they look, and they always reward creative play. They are also just fabulous support for graveyard synergies everywhere, as they love being discarded and milled. The biggest problem with this cycle is that nobody wants to fill precious guild slots with cards like these. Still, as toolboxes that reward creative and careful play, these cards are pretty damn cool. I list multicolor as an archetype above, as I think these probably play best in gold-focused cubes where only costing one color of mana in the hand can be a big plus. Individually, several of the cards are a bit lackluster, but others are better than people give them credit for. I'll briefly discuss the cycle:
Farm // Market: I love it. It's vaguely playable removal with a great source of late game upside. A graveyard ability that also fills the graveyard is always helpful, and farm isn't much overcosted for the upside. I'll play this. My one complaint is that the two halves don't seem particularly elegantly entwined.
Consign // Oblivion: As was discussed on the main thread, Recoil abilities are not too hard to find in UB, and this one is likely worse than others. Still, the card is more versatile than its competition, and dimir can utilize the grave better than most.
Claim // Fame: Gee shucks, this card is cool, but I don't think it's much of a cube card. Unearth really makes Claim look like a loser, and it's going to be unusable far too often. To be sure, this is more of an aggro card than a reanimate card, but at that, aggro would rather have Rakdos Cackler anyway.
Struggle // Survive: This one is odd. The front is a mediocre removal spell, much like Farm, but the back is something that most decks just don't care about, and feels wrong in RG. If you want a hate card for mill, Gruul isn't who needs it, as they can usually stomp face before mill ever gets about.
Appeal // Authority: This is much like Prepare // Fight in that it's two generic cards stapled together to make a much more powerful and versatile whole. This card is good, and supports a go-wide theme, but it also struggles to justify itself, since the things it does are not really all that world shattering. This is a perfect card to demonstrate how heavily aftermath relies on the skill of the player to work. Great players will make this card look insane, while less experienced players will struggle to get value.
Leave // Chance: There's Boros getting the shaft again. The front half of this card is completely unplayable on its own. It doesn't even work with Barren Glory. Are there combos I'm missing with this? I fail to see how Leave could be worth a card, and Chance doesn't have a chance to save it, even if a graveyard theme would be interested.
Reason // Believe: Lucidvision made a strong case for this card in the main thread which I won't bother to repeat. I believe the card is much better than it looks. The most important reason is that only a chump would pay 4UG to whiff. You play Reason first to check, and then you play another five drop if you whiff, keeping Believe in the bin for other library manipulation. That's one of many ways to play it, but you'll never just pay six. When you pay five blindly, it's not as a whiff, but as a draw-one with upside if you've got nothing else. This is a great card for larger/ weaker cubes. Don't let yourself be fooled by whiffs that only happen if you misplay the card.
Grind // Dust: Start // Finish is leagues better than than this from beginning to end. If you want to support -1/-1 counters as an archetype, this is okay, but it's not that amazing even there.
Refuse // Cooperate: I love Cooperate, and hate Refuse. If I'm holding up four whole mana to respond to my opponent's spell I at least want the spell countered. If I want to burn my opponent, I need my burn when I need my burn, not when my opponent decides to cast their seven drop. Cooperate is the bees knees in the graveyard, but I don't think that's enough to make this playable. C'mon, I'm playing RU, there's no way my opponent isn't wary of my four open mana.
Driven // Despair: This one is really good. The sheer number of ways this can be made into a blowout is staggering. Sorcery speed combat tricks don't typically play well, but this is more along the lines of Overrun, I suppose. Golgari has the best self-mill in the game, and this is powerful enough on its face that I'm positive it does a million things we're not even seeing yet. This is playable even in the strongest mid-sized cubes, but the number of golgari playables is high enough that it will still have a hard time breaking in. I'll definitely play this.
God-Pharaoh's Gift- Archetypes: Graveyard, Ramp target, General.
This is a large cube card more than anything, and as a large cube manager, I'm happy to give it an honest shot. This doesn't have a ton of synergy with most artifact stuff, and it's tricky to make work, since you have to have a graveyard worthy of it to be any good. Still, it looks like a super fun card, and being colorless makes it easier to add. This card needs a lower power environment to thrive, but it's certainly a powerful card if the environment can take it. Treasure Mage and Gate to the Afterlife fetch it. Gate is not super playable, but TheGroglord suggested making it a 2 for 1 sort of thing (where you get Gate for free if you take Gift,) which is an amusing thought.
Hollow One- Archetypes: Discard, Artifacts, General
I'm a huge fan of this card, but I understand why anyone would choose to forgo it. The main appeal is that it's never ever ever dead, and it's playable filler in any deck. Also, being an artifact that puts itself in the graveyard can be relevant. If you manage to go nuts with a discard themed deck, this card feels filthy, and otherwise, you're never sad to play or cut it. To be sure, this card is generic enough that it can struggle to earn its slot, but you'll never be all that sad to see it.
Mirage Mirror-Archetypes: Combo, Artifacts.
If you wanna combo, you can combo. This adds additional pieces to cubes that want them. Dark Depths and Time Vault are the most important combos, but there are various others. This is also not unplayable as a fair card (in a powered down environment), and hitting artifacts and enchantments is a big plus there. In a heavy artifact theme, I expect this to do decent work. This can do enough different things that I'm curious to try it in my giant cube, but I expect the activation cost will keep this card from being great. To note: Trophy Mage fetches this.
Crypt of the Eternals- Archetype: Grey mana, Tri-land.
Yuck! Were they even trying with this card? I play two of each Alara/Tarkir tri-land, and I'd love to replace duplicates with different playable iterations, but this certainly isn't one. It's better than Castle Sengir, but not by all that much. Grey mana can't save this.
Ifnir Deadlands- Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts
This is playable everywhere but the smallest cubes. I'm looking forward to it. New players will scoff at the life loss, but the ability will teach them why it's worthwhile.
Hashep Oasis- Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts, Monogreen
This is a better green allied land than Blighted Woodland for C, but it's not without serious problems. Costing GG, plus this (a green land) makes this very difficult to activate, and sorcery speed saps its utility, so a forest is going to be better a lot of the time.
Ramunap Ruins- Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts
As was discussed on the main thread, this is better than most of the other red aligned lands, but that speaks to their frailty more than this card's merit. If you do care about C, this is fine, but it's never amazing except when they're at 2 life. This shares a lot of Hashep Oasis's problems, but is significantly better. I still wouldn't play it unless the cube really needed it.
Shefet Dunes: Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Go wide, Deserts
Well gee shucks, this is the worst one yet. It does tap for W and C... for what it's worth (and it's basically worth Eldrazi Displacer).
Ipnu Rivulet- Archetypes: Mill, Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts
This is the most interesting one of the cycle from a brewer's perspective. It's a lot easier to activate than its brethren, and it plays into a very popular archetype (mill will always be popular, just like it will always be a little janky). Combined with our new friend Magus of the Crucible, this can turn into a decent mill engine (add Hedron Crab for game-ending spice). It also self-mills quite effectively, and enters untapped unlike Halimar Depths. This isn't for every cube, but it is for some.
This is an archetype specifically created in HOU. Like any archetype that's only really supported in a single small set, you kinda have to force it if you want to make it happen, and the payoff here doesn't look particularly worthwhile. The main place for such a theme is in a block cube, where it's a fine archetype, if a bit uninspiring.
Great write up! This was an interesting read. As someone who runs a low power list as a secondary cube, it's nice to read this sort of take that covers pretty much every cubeable option a set has to offer.
I think Sunscourge Champion is a trap. It is very good against aggro decks, especially of the red variety. I think it will end up being used as a sideboard (or maindeck hate) card against those decks more often than as a synergy piece, no matter how hard you are pushing that theme.
I think Sunscourge Champion is a trap. It is very good against aggro decks, especially of the red variety. I think it will end up being used as a sideboard (or maindeck hate) card against those decks more often than as a synergy piece, no matter how hard you are pushing that theme.
You may be right.
I think that being a 4/4 for four plus four life is going to be pretty good in any deck where discarding is an upside. However, white doesn't have the graveyard enablers that make this card reliable. As an anti-aggro card, this is definitely respectable, and having a solid archetype to hate adds to the card's playability.
To be sure, the ceiling isn't nuts, and this card is only ever pretty good. I don't think it'll make my cube, so I'm not going to defend it too much. I might test it, but I don't have high expectations.
Great read! There are enough cards in magic to support theme cubes (tribal , graveyard, artifact).
HOU might not be a great classic cube set but it is definitely a great graveyard set.
I have an artifact cube and the only possible update would be Mirage Mirror replacing Mizzium Transreliquat. Flexibility outweighs the permanent option. Such a shame though as the latter has a cool name.
If you want to read about the best cards for small cubes, wtwlf123's article is a far better resource. I also don't talk about peasant/pauper as I've not played much of it. My interest is most intently on the cards that are going under radars, and on the archetypes that random cards support (and whether or not that support is worthwhile). Hour of Devastation a graveyard set, so the majority of archetypal support is centered there. That's nice, as basically every cube ever has some form of graveyard related subtheme. It's called a weak set by all, and that's true, but for one such as myself, it's full of goodies.
Adorned Pouncer- Archetypes: Graveyard, Pants, General.
This is an overtly powerful card, and is efficient enough for almost any cube. It's also a member of the exclusive club of playable white cards that care about the graveyard. Adorn the cat for maximum pouncing. Personally, I'm not a fan of double strike, but that's just me.
Overwhelming Splendor- Archetypes: Cheat target, Curses, Enchantments.
IT'S A TRAP!!! This never wins a game by itself. If you heavily supportAcademy Rector style enchantment shenanigans, this is a fine target (since not many targets exist), but you really want such a thing to be capable of winning the game, not just making your opponent's life miserable. If you were hoping that curses might become a real archetype with Amonkhet block, you'll be disappointed. In any format where Curse of Misfortunes has been forced into playability, you might as well play this, but that takes some serious forcing.
Sunscourge Champion- Archetypes: Graveyard, ETB.
This is a perfect card for a graveyard-centric cube. If you are pushing cards that play from the grave, and/or madness, this is one of the best white options to date. That's not saying a huge amount, but it does matter.
God-Pharaoh's Faithful- Archetypes: Multicolor, Defensive.
Five color decks can use a Kraken Hatchling, and many defensive decks won't mind playing this even if they're only one or two of the grixis colors. Even in a five color deck, this card isn't doing anything ultra-powerful, but it's pretty efficient for what it does. Quirion Dryad demonstrates how often this can trigger in a five-color deck (which is quite often). Also, anything that can gain life every turn helps things like Crested Sunmare.
Djeru, with Eyes Open- Archetypes: Superfriends.
Playable tutors are really good, and ones with legs are some of the most playable. Nobody should really be cubing with Call the Gatewatch, but Djeru on the other hand is exactly what you want with 3+ walkers in your deck. I would prefer a 1/5 to a 4/3, but what can you do? At least the open eyes give him vigilance to protect the walkers.
Angel of Condemnation- Archetypes: Blink, General.
You don't need me to tell you this card is great. It's great.
Solemnity- Archetypes: Combo, Hate.
I don't recommend this, but if you love stray two-card combos, this does form a lot of them (anything that enters the battlefield with counters and does something when they're gone). Doing bupkiss by itself makes this parasitic to the environment unless it's also a relevant sideboard card.
Crested Sunmare- Archetypes: Life Gain, General
This is some of the best support around for this archetype, and it is exactly the payoff required to serve as a build-around in a cube without the archetype (which frankly is not one I'd recommend investing a lot of slots in). It's also one of the many friends of the changelings. That unfortunately still doesn't go that far, but more changelings will doubtless be printed in the future.
Dauntless Aven and Vizier of the True- Archetype: Exert Matters.
It's a lie. Exert matters was never going to get there. Even in an Amonkhet block cube running multiples of all the important cards, it's hard to make exert anything but completely fair. Forcing the theme would require way more work than the payoff is ever worth
Unconventional Tactics- Archetype: Tribal.
You should not play this no matter how big your tribal theme is. There aren't enough decent white zombies to make it worthwhile, and the payoff is mediocre at best. Mummy Paramount is much better support if you want to have color bleeding, but that card is no superstar.
That's right. This card is so bad that it might make "bad on purpose" cubes. Sure, Merfolk of the Pearl Trident is strictly worse, but this is strictly more interesting while remaining profoundly bad.
Fraying Sanity- Archetype: Mill, Curses.
This is a dedicated mill spell indeed. I know this is powerful, but I would always recommend cards that provide their own sense of inevitability over cards that compound what your other cards are doing. This also does next to nothing for the curses archetype, which once again is a dead end. This is not a cube card.
Nimble Obstructionist- Archetype: General.
No cuber should leave home without it. It does everything and goes in any cube.
Riddleform- Archeypes: Spellslinger, Enchantments.
Noncreature spells that act as creatures form the backbone of certain dedicated spells-matter shells. To note, this is a stellar card in a creatureless cube. It's fine support for spell-flinging in a general cube, but the ceiling and floor are both too low to make it any kind of a staple. Expect it to be outclassed in that spot. However, for a dedicated spell theme, I expect it to stick around.
Vizier of the Anointed- Archetype: Block.
And here you have it: the best card for your block cube that matters nowhere else.
Champion of Wits- Archetypes: Graveyard/ Discard, ETB, General.
This has enough little abilities that it becomes close to playable for general cube. I like Magus of the Bazaar and other cards better, but that may be wrong. This is a great choice if the graveyard is something you to cultivate in blue, but there are a LOT of other great choices around the same mana cost. Still, this buffs the graveyard, then plays from the graveyard (while buffing it again), which is not to be scoffed at.
Striped Riverwinder- Archetypes: Reanimate, Ramp, General.
It has accurately been said that there are plenty of better reanimate targets, but this one discards itself for one, remains hard-castable at seven, and is never ever dead due to cycling. This thing is an expert at nothing, but it does everything. Rampaging Hippo is pretty hip too, but I like it much less, as cycling is the dominant mode for these cards. Cycling fatties have always played well for me.
Supreme Will- Archetype: General.
Others have discussed this card plenty. It's a great card for anyone. Amonkhet block has been a breath of fresh air for counterspells.
Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign- Archetypes: ETB, General, Changelings.
This is effient enough to be good on its own (though not really enough to topple any of the top played six drops). Once again, changelings aren't really there yet, but hope remains that they will become a proper archetype. If and when they do, playable cards with sidecase tribal support like this guy will pick up a decent amount of value.
Ominous Sphinx, Cunning Survivor, and Seer of the Last Tomorrow- Archetype: Graveyard/ Discard .
I don't think these cards get there. None of them have enough payoff. If you're dedicated to a mill theme in your cube, Seer might be okay, as dedicated mill can probably use a spellshaper, but I don't think this is the payoff you're looking for in that niche.
This is much more of an aggro card than anything else. It is a playable card that features -1/-1 counters, but it's not one to play because it fits with any kind of counters matter theme. Really the only reason to play this card is that it's straight up good. I prefer Plague Belcher in synergy, and in other categories, but this card is undeniably powerful (and a zombie).
Banewhip Punisher- Archetypes: -1/-1 counters, ETB.
This card is sweet. It's a four mana murder that you can spread over multiple turns, or it's a grey ogre that snipes an X/1, or it's a fabulous engine for a counters matter theme. This is definitely going into my cube. Necroskitter welcomes this with open appendages.
Apocalypse Demon- Archetypes: Sacrifices, Graveyard, Fatty
This is not the greatest finisher in the world, and it's not a card I would really recommend. However, this works for a cube that (A) loves the graveyard, and can guarantee a giant demon, or (B) likes the old-school idea of demons always having a drawback, but wants decent cards. This card is really reliant on deckbuilding, careful play, and palatable situations, which makes it absolutely an awful card for those who like optimized cubes. Some cubes do have a theme of cards that cut both ways, and this one does that without becoming truly bad. I don't want to make this sound too bad, as it does get HUGE.
Accursed Horde- Archetype: Tribal
Meh. You can find better zombies, but if you REALLY want them all to have extra zombie bonuses, this could be worse. It's a hill giant that regenerates zombies. It actually feels really old school when you think about it.
Grisly Survivor - Archetype: Discard
You've really gotta be going deep to make this powerful, but if you've got a real engine, this can attack for a million damage. There's no evasion, so it's not even all that great at that. This plus Cunning Survivor would be a great card, but as is, it doesn't seem worthwhile.
Doomfall- Archetype: Toolbox
The power level here is too low for this to be a general cube card, but the flexibility is undeniable. Almost any cube below traditional power standards could happily run this, but shouldn't feel obligated to.
Razaketh, the Foulblooded- Archetypes: Ramp/Cheat target, Sacrifices, Budget
This is mostly great as an alternative to the truly great. Still, this will never command the price of Griselbrand, and it is a damn good card on its own. Being a sac outlet and a tutor are important, but like any eight-drop, Raz's role is mostly as a cheat/ ramp target.
Torment of Scarabs- Archetype: Curses, Enchantments
Once again, wishing won't make curses a thing. Still, this one has some actual redeeming qualities, despite giving the choice to your opponent. I could see to putting this in an Innistrad cube, and being okay with it. Even so, it's no all star, and it can end up favoring the opponent as a sac/discard outlet. I had hoped for one decent curse.
This is a good card for almost any cube.
Burning-Fist Minotaur- Archetypes: Discard, Aggro, General.
This card is quite good, but I won't bother extolling its praises too far, as the general community already seems to have embraced it. Suffice it to say that it is the perfect blend of a palatable card for any fast red deck and a staple ability for a variety of graveyard decks. Its versatility makes it playable in most any cube, and its clearly synergistic nature is ideal to create or nurture a subtheme.
Firebrand Archer- Archetypes: Spellflinger, Multiplayer.
This doesn't crank out damage as quickly as Guttersnipe, but the two of them together (and maybe Thermo-Alchemist) make a pretty strong machine-gun theme. I like Alchemist a little better than this, but I have an unholy love of that card.
Hour of Devastation- Archetypes: General.
I point out this card only because its playability has become oddly contentious. This is a great card, and I could see running it in almost any cube. I could also see not running it, since it's just another red wrath.
Hazoret's Undying Fury- Archetype: Chaos.
Who doesn't want to win with this? Still, we have to call it what it is: a wacky, expensive, unreliable sorcery with a huge drawback. Those don't have a great track record. Add this because you want to see what it does, not because you expect it to be a great card.
Neheb, The Eternal- Archetype: Ramp, General.
This guy is odd, and he shouldn't be considered as part of a proper ramp package. Still, he can produce an obscene amount of mana if used correctly. I think that this is more of a large cube card than anything, as it clearly can't compete in small cubes. That's a shame, because it looks pretty fun, and not that difficult to turn your Lightning Bolt into Dark Ritual, swing for your unavoidable three, and cast an Eldrazi on your second main phase. I look forward to doing such things in my cube.
Inferno Jet- Archetype: Burn.
Burn is not an archetype that should be given dedicated support in limited!!! Burn is very parasitic to an environment, insisting that you run boring cards that you otherwise shouldn't. A burn subtheme arises naturally from playing good red cards, and is not something you should dedicate slots to. If you were building such a theme, this would be a fine card for it, as it at least has a backup mode (while dealing frequently lethal damage). Once again, however, I do not recommend this card, or the theme that it represents to anyone!
This can get properly huge with the right shell, but it's a slot that you should alot to something that supports the overall strategy, rather than just benefiting from it. Eidolon of Countless Battles and Odric, Lunarch Marshal both do a better job.
Pride Sovereign- Archetype: Tokens, Untap.
This card is decent, providing a pretty good supply of powerful tokens. It's certainly slow, but the ability is undeniably good. This is particular friends with Regal Caracal, and (I'll say it again) is friends with the changelings for when they become more important.
Feral Prowler- Archetypes: Sacrifices.
In an aristocrats (sacrifices matter) theme, this is not the worst, as green is frequently part of those decks, and is lacking in this ability. However, a 1/3 is not that great for green, and this is pretty much always filler. It's not the worst filler, but it struggles to earn its slot.
Ramunap Excavator- Archetype: Lands, Graveyard.
Sweet sweet Magus of the Crucible. Such joy. This adds the redundancy that the loaming strategy had really been missing. Others have talked about this card a lot, so I won't worry about it too much, but suffice it to say this is a serious staple in what has long been a favorite archetype. This makes a huge number of cards more playable, such as Desolation, the Gitrog Monster, Impending Disaster, Army Ants, and many many more (those are just a few favorites from my cube). It's also noteworthy that this guy is WAY more affordable than Crucible of Worlds. He will beyond a doubt increase in value as he ages, but it's a budget alternative to Crucible, (even though they really belong together).
Rhonas's Last Stand- Archetypes: Stompy, Tokens.
I only point this out (a card which I would put well below both Leatherback Baloth and Albino Troll) because of the obvious interaction with populate. I still wouldn't recommend doing it, as the drawback is huge, and any bounce trashes you, but this IS a rediculously huge token for rediculously cheap.
I bring these (and Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker) up to demonstrate that now there is a Bolas for everyone so to speak. God-Pharaoh is probably most efficient, Planeswalker is the biggest, and Deciever is a fun alternative for those who want a weaker meta. For the record, my favorite Bolas art is still decidedly Nicol Bolas.
Bloodwater Entity- Archetype: Spellflinger.
This card is fine, but the recursion is only a small upside. Other similar options exist, but this card is perfectly solid.
The Locust God- Archetypes: Fatty, Tokens, Drawing matters, Looter, General.
This guy does it all. As a finisher, the archetypal support is less important by the time he comes down but it's still gonna feel pretty great to Brainstorm out three more babies.
The Scarab God- Archetypes: Fatty, Graveyard, General.
Others have spoken of this card's greatness, and great it is. This one rises above the other two, but all of them are insanely powerful.
The Scorpion God- Archetypes: Fatty, -1/-1 counters, Pinger, General.
This is my favorite of the new gods. I love the way it brings the -1/-1 counter theme to BR without sacrificing playability, and I love that it's an insane rakdos finisher that doesn't just require you to attack attack attack.
Unraveling Mummy- Archetype: Tribal.
A mana hungry lord is still a lord if that's what you want. These are powerful abilities, and being able to use them at instant speed can make a few mana into a real headaache for your opponent. Obviously, this only matters in a dedicated zombie theme.
Obelisk Spider- Archetype: -1/-1 counters.
This is tough, since golgari already has some of the best support cards for this theme, but Obelisk Spider is a fine addition. Still, it's not rocking too many worlds, and it's not an engine like Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons.
Samut, the Tested- Archetype: General.
To be fair, this card is fine in a vaccuum, it's just not fine compared to the heap of RG walkers. If she's the only gruul walker you own, you might as well play her.
As a mechanic, I love aftermath. The cards are mostly mediocre on the face, but they always play better than they look, and they always reward creative play. They are also just fabulous support for graveyard synergies everywhere, as they love being discarded and milled. The biggest problem with this cycle is that nobody wants to fill precious guild slots with cards like these. Still, as toolboxes that reward creative and careful play, these cards are pretty damn cool. I list multicolor as an archetype above, as I think these probably play best in gold-focused cubes where only costing one color of mana in the hand can be a big plus. Individually, several of the cards are a bit lackluster, but others are better than people give them credit for. I'll briefly discuss the cycle:
Farm // Market: I love it. It's vaguely playable removal with a great source of late game upside. A graveyard ability that also fills the graveyard is always helpful, and farm isn't much overcosted for the upside. I'll play this. My one complaint is that the two halves don't seem particularly elegantly entwined.
Consign // Oblivion: As was discussed on the main thread, Recoil abilities are not too hard to find in UB, and this one is likely worse than others. Still, the card is more versatile than its competition, and dimir can utilize the grave better than most.
Claim // Fame: Gee shucks, this card is cool, but I don't think it's much of a cube card. Unearth really makes Claim look like a loser, and it's going to be unusable far too often. To be sure, this is more of an aggro card than a reanimate card, but at that, aggro would rather have Rakdos Cackler anyway.
Struggle // Survive: This one is odd. The front is a mediocre removal spell, much like Farm, but the back is something that most decks just don't care about, and feels wrong in RG. If you want a hate card for mill, Gruul isn't who needs it, as they can usually stomp face before mill ever gets about.
Appeal // Authority: This is much like Prepare // Fight in that it's two generic cards stapled together to make a much more powerful and versatile whole. This card is good, and supports a go-wide theme, but it also struggles to justify itself, since the things it does are not really all that world shattering. This is a perfect card to demonstrate how heavily aftermath relies on the skill of the player to work. Great players will make this card look insane, while less experienced players will struggle to get value.
Leave // Chance: There's Boros getting the shaft again. The front half of this card is completely unplayable on its own. It doesn't even work with Barren Glory. Are there combos I'm missing with this? I fail to see how Leave could be worth a card, and Chance doesn't have a chance to save it, even if a graveyard theme would be interested.
Reason // Believe: Lucidvision made a strong case for this card in the main thread which I won't bother to repeat. I believe the card is much better than it looks. The most important reason is that only a chump would pay 4UG to whiff. You play Reason first to check, and then you play another five drop if you whiff, keeping Believe in the bin for other library manipulation. That's one of many ways to play it, but you'll never just pay six. When you pay five blindly, it's not as a whiff, but as a draw-one with upside if you've got nothing else. This is a great card for larger/ weaker cubes. Don't let yourself be fooled by whiffs that only happen if you misplay the card.
Grind // Dust: Start // Finish is leagues better than than this from beginning to end. If you want to support -1/-1 counters as an archetype, this is okay, but it's not that amazing even there.
Refuse // Cooperate: I love Cooperate, and hate Refuse. If I'm holding up four whole mana to respond to my opponent's spell I at least want the spell countered. If I want to burn my opponent, I need my burn when I need my burn, not when my opponent decides to cast their seven drop. Cooperate is the bees knees in the graveyard, but I don't think that's enough to make this playable. C'mon, I'm playing RU, there's no way my opponent isn't wary of my four open mana.
Driven // Despair: This one is really good. The sheer number of ways this can be made into a blowout is staggering. Sorcery speed combat tricks don't typically play well, but this is more along the lines of Overrun, I suppose. Golgari has the best self-mill in the game, and this is powerful enough on its face that I'm positive it does a million things we're not even seeing yet. This is playable even in the strongest mid-sized cubes, but the number of golgari playables is high enough that it will still have a hard time breaking in. I'll definitely play this.
This is a large cube card more than anything, and as a large cube manager, I'm happy to give it an honest shot. This doesn't have a ton of synergy with most artifact stuff, and it's tricky to make work, since you have to have a graveyard worthy of it to be any good. Still, it looks like a super fun card, and being colorless makes it easier to add. This card needs a lower power environment to thrive, but it's certainly a powerful card if the environment can take it. Treasure Mage and Gate to the Afterlife fetch it. Gate is not super playable, but TheGroglord suggested making it a 2 for 1 sort of thing (where you get Gate for free if you take Gift,) which is an amusing thought.
Crook of Condemnation- Archetypes: Graveyard, Hate
Tormod's Crypt, Scrabbling Claws, Phyrexian Furnace, and Relic of Progenitus are all better than this. Play one or two of those instead.
Hollow One- Archetypes: Discard, Artifacts, General
I'm a huge fan of this card, but I understand why anyone would choose to forgo it. The main appeal is that it's never ever ever dead, and it's playable filler in any deck. Also, being an artifact that puts itself in the graveyard can be relevant. If you manage to go nuts with a discard themed deck, this card feels filthy, and otherwise, you're never sad to play or cut it. To be sure, this card is generic enough that it can struggle to earn its slot, but you'll never be all that sad to see it.
Mirage Mirror-Archetypes: Combo, Artifacts.
If you wanna combo, you can combo. This adds additional pieces to cubes that want them. Dark Depths and Time Vault are the most important combos, but there are various others. This is also not unplayable as a fair card (in a powered down environment), and hitting artifacts and enchantments is a big plus there. In a heavy artifact theme, I expect this to do decent work. This can do enough different things that I'm curious to try it in my giant cube, but I expect the activation cost will keep this card from being great. To note: Trophy Mage fetches this.
Yuck! Were they even trying with this card? I play two of each Alara/Tarkir tri-land, and I'd love to replace duplicates with different playable iterations, but this certainly isn't one. It's better than Castle Sengir, but not by all that much. Grey mana can't save this.
Ifnir Deadlands- Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts
This is playable everywhere but the smallest cubes. I'm looking forward to it. New players will scoff at the life loss, but the ability will teach them why it's worthwhile.
Hashep Oasis- Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts, Monogreen
This is a better green allied land than Blighted Woodland for C, but it's not without serious problems. Costing GG, plus this (a green land) makes this very difficult to activate, and sorcery speed saps its utility, so a forest is going to be better a lot of the time.
Ramunap Ruins- Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts
As was discussed on the main thread, this is better than most of the other red aligned lands, but that speaks to their frailty more than this card's merit. If you do care about C, this is fine, but it's never amazing except when they're at 2 life. This shares a lot of Hashep Oasis's problems, but is significantly better. I still wouldn't play it unless the cube really needed it.
Shefet Dunes: Archetypes: Grey mana, Land recursion, Go wide, Deserts
Well gee shucks, this is the worst one yet. It does tap for W and C... for what it's worth (and it's basically worth Eldrazi Displacer).
Ipnu Rivulet- Archetypes: Mill, Grey mana, Land recursion, Deserts
This is the most interesting one of the cycle from a brewer's perspective. It's a lot easier to activate than its brethren, and it plays into a very popular archetype (mill will always be popular, just like it will always be a little janky). Combined with our new friend Magus of the Crucible, this can turn into a decent mill engine (add Hedron Crab for game-ending spice). It also self-mills quite effectively, and enters untapped unlike Halimar Depths. This isn't for every cube, but it is for some.
This is an archetype specifically created in HOU. Like any archetype that's only really supported in a single small set, you kinda have to force it if you want to make it happen, and the payoff here doesn't look particularly worthwhile. The main place for such a theme is in a block cube, where it's a fine archetype, if a bit uninspiring.
The payoff cards are Solitary Camel, Unquenchable Thirst, Wretched Camel, Sand Strangler, Dune Diviner, Ramunap Hydra, Sidewinder Naga, Hour of Promise Hostile Desert, Scavenger Grounds, and the pain deserts (like Hashep Oasis). Right off, this looks like some pathetic payoff. Dunes of the Dead is one of the more interesting options, but once again, these cards are hard to break of their fairness. Desert of the True, and the other cycling deserts are really great support for this archetype, since lands in the bin matter, and they are vaguely playable. Still, the only deserts that are really good on their own are Desert, and Ifnir Deadlands. Cards like Quarry Beetle and Tilling Treefolk (and our beloved Magus of the Crucible) can help, but the archetype seems almost impossible to get off the ground outside of a block cube. In block, it's not bad, as some serious engines can get going. I would strongly recommend at least two Ramunap Excavators if you want to make it work.
Thanks for reading. If you're skimming, note that not all cards listed are good for their archetypes. Some are mentioned as traps to cube-builders.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
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My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
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You may be right.
I think that being a 4/4 for four plus four life is going to be pretty good in any deck where discarding is an upside. However, white doesn't have the graveyard enablers that make this card reliable. As an anti-aggro card, this is definitely respectable, and having a solid archetype to hate adds to the card's playability.
To be sure, the ceiling isn't nuts, and this card is only ever pretty good. I don't think it'll make my cube, so I'm not going to defend it too much. I might test it, but I don't have high expectations.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
HOU might not be a great classic cube set but it is definitely a great graveyard set.
I have an artifact cube and the only possible update would be Mirage Mirror replacing Mizzium Transreliquat. Flexibility outweighs the permanent option. Such a shame though as the latter has a cool name.