This is my 36th installment of the "top 20" set (P)review articles! Just like the previous reviews, it will be in a spoiled top X 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. I got a lot of positive feedback on the format from the last few articles, so I’m going to keep the “what I like” and “what I don’t like” sections.
Keep in mind (just like the others) that this is a set preview. Similar to draft predictions in professional sports, this list is an educated guess at best. Some cards I value highly in here may turn out to not last long in the cube. Other cards that are lower down on the list (or even missed entirely!) could (well, very likely may) turn out to be great cards. Even Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round! Again, this is not intended to be gospel, set in stone or written as a review for posterity. This is simply written to be an enjoyable guess at cards I like for cubes, and hopefully it'll allow some cube managers to evaluate cards they may have otherwise overlooked and/or put some cards in perspective that may've been overhyped. Nothing more.
Kaldheim is a set that is arguably a little disappointing for cubes, but I’m actually encouraged by the design. I haven’t been a huge fan of the set designs in recent years, with extremely pushed powerlevels that require lots of constructed bannings. This set feels like a return to normalcy to kick off 2021, which is something of a comfort. But don’t get me wrong; there are good cards in this set, and several that I look forward to exploring in more detail later on. I was originally pretty let down by the full set spoiler, but as I was writing this article, I found a lot of interesting cards worth discussing. I expect this set to be one that has more representation later on down the road rather than one that starts off with a lot of representation and gets pruned down over time.
What I Like: I like being able to shoehorn in additional impactful cards into my cube decks that take up land slots during deckbuilding. This land taps for colored mana, and helps to support an established decktype in addition to providing a valuable effect. It spills cards into your ‘yard for you, and can reanimate monsters …at instant speed!
What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, I think there’s a combination of problems with all the cards in this cycle. First, I think the effects themselves are ever-so-slightly overcosted; maybe by about 1 each. This one effectively has an activation cost of 7, for example. And the land entering the battlefield tapped is a problem for multiple reasons. Most obviously, it impacts your development by entering tapped somewhere in your curve. But perhaps even more importantly, if you wanted to use this card as late-game flood insurance, it’s still a pretty bad topdeck considering that the entering tapped clause will cut off access to the effect for another turn. I think they missed an opportunity with these lands to make something quite special, which would’ve been stapling these effects to fixing lands. Imagine how much better this land would’ve been if it had the base of a Salt Marsh instead of a tapped Island. The opportunity cost would drop tremendously if they had gone this route. But ultimately a land that enters the battlefield tapped, that doesn’t fix my mana, and also costs 7 mana before it does anything meaningful is just too slow for my format.
Verdict: I think they missed an opportunity with this cycle by not making them mana fixers. As they stand, some of them might be good enough to make it into a land draft module if lands get drafted separately, but I don’t think they’re going to push out meaningful cube cards from most lists. Gates of Istfell illustrates this problem… Gaining 2 life does not make up for making a Memorial to Genius so much harder to activate without mana fixing making the base land a Coastal Tower instead. Close, but no cigar.
What I Like: Falkenrath Aristocrat is a good card, and this creature is an obvious comparison to it. It’s also a known commodity, so it makes it easy to discuss. In comparison to the Aristocrat, the Predator has an easier time putting +1/+1 counters on it, so it can grow out of Bolt range faster. The higher base toughness also makes it stronger against cheap fliers, so it’s harder for the opponent to stunt the pressure with Spirit tokens and Thopter tokens. It provides some incidental graveyard hate too, which is always welcome. It also doesn’t rely on having Humans to sacrifice in order to scale over time, making its larger late-game size more consistent.
What I Don't Like: Well, Aristocrat has HASTE. Which is one of the main reasons the card is good. The sacrifice outlet is obviously valuable (on both cards) but the 4-power, evasion and haste makes Aristocrat a valuable curve-topper for Rakdos aggro in a way that Predator might struggle with. Aristocrat also doesn’t tap itself when it becomes indestructible, so the opponent can’t chuck removal spells at it to “blank” it in combat for a turn like they can against the Predator. Predator also can’t sacrifice itself, which can be problematic against creature theft, and can limit your late-game reach with Blood Artist effects on the board.
Verdict: Overall I think Predator is a fine card. It still supports Aristocrats as an archetype and helps out with the Persist combo decks because it’s a free discard outlet. However, I think it’s not only worse than Falkenrath Aristocrat, I think it’s a lot worse …enough so that I don’t think I need access to both cards in my section. Unless you’re DEEP on both Aristocrats and Persist, AND you have a really large multicolor section, I think Predator is a safe pass.
What I Like: Well, a 6-mana 6/6 trample haste is a pretty big beater. The counter doubling effect can lead to some silly lines with planeswalkers and +1/+1 counter cards, giving access to oversized monsters and powerful ‘walker interactions. It also nerfs your opponent’s +1/+1 counter cards and their ‘walkers too, which might be relevant on occasion.
What I Don't Like: Honestly, if I have a 6/6 trampling hastey creature that the opponent can’t remove …does the other text really matter? It will be cute and all when I can make a gigantic Walking Ballista or drop an Ugin that’s ready to ultimate, but that might all be moot if the opponent just dies to the 6/6 trampling beater anyways. It also happens to interfere with your Persist combos (and enables the opponent’s Persist combos) for whatever minuscule drawback that might be in certain lists.
Verdict: I think slow, multiplayer environments is where this might have a chance to shine. In traditional 1v1, the 6/6 trample haste will either be enough to win the game or just die to removal and accomplish very little. But in a format where there are still lots of turns after someone plays a creature of this size, there might be hope to extract some fun and powerful value out of Vorinclex.
What I Like: Most 2-drops run out of gas in the late game, making them bad topdecks or dead when boards get complicated. The first strike makes the body somewhat survivable in the early- to mid-game, and the activated ability makes the creature relevant in the late-game. My aggro deck won’t have a gameplan that’s centered around paying 5-mana for 5/5 dragons, but I’ll sure be glad to have access to it if I’m flooding out. This is the kind of creature that’s nice to have in the maindeck in the aggro mirrors, since it allows you to squeeze midrange threats into your final 40 without giving up pressure in your other matchups.
What I Don't Like: A 2/2 first strike just isn’t where my aggro decks want to be with their 2-drops nowadays. Making dragons will be cool when the ability shows up …but what about all the situations where it doesn’t? The floor is okay, but the ceiling will have some consistency issues that makes it just a little bit underwhelming. Compared to something like Earthshaker Khenra, for example, they both have activated abilities that are relevant in the late game, but the base body is so much more impactful in aggro’s gameplan for the Khenra than it is for the Berserker.
Verdict: I like this creature just fine, but I couldn’t find a cut for it in my current suite that I liked. I think this card is playable in the 720 range for some folks, depending on your cube meta and how often you think the late-game ability will be relevant enough to justify the 2-mana 2-power first striking base body.
What I Like: Foretelling this card early can give you access to a pretty big monster for relatively cheap. T1 mana dork, T2 foretell, T3 land -> Mammoth is a line that doesn’t seem that farfetched, and a 6/5 trampler that pseudo-protects itself (and your other permanents) from being targeted by drawing cards if they do is quite strong. It’s also a halfway reasonable 5cc card if you can’t find room to foretell it in your curve, and it survives Languish and Wildfire and other such sweepers that might drop around the same time in the game.
What I Don't Like: Even if it does draw you a card when it gets targeted, losing the tempo of foretelling this card and then paying 4 mana to cast it won’t feel good when it gets blown up by a cheap removal spell. The opponent might be very pleased to concede the card advantage knowing that you spent 2 of your first 3-4 turns getting this onto the battlefield and wound up with nothing on the board to show for it.
Verdict: If most of your green decks follow the blueprint of 1-2cc ramp into 3-5cc oversized threats, this Mammoth will fit that gameplan pretty well. The more varied your green strategies get, however, the harder it will be to find room for an oversized monster. I could see this fitting into some “Unga Bunga” green strategies in some medium- to large-sized cubes, but for most lists, this will probably be a narrow miss.
What I Like: At its base, this card gives you a 4-mana Serra Angel. The following turn, you can use the effect to kill one of your opponent’s creatures, and in the final mode, you can give your angels double strike and bash for a lot. It’s a 2-for-1 that impacts the board and applies decent pressure. It also makes for a great Flickerwisp target, since retriggering the Saga will give you another Angel (also doubling, or more, the effectiveness of modes 2 and 3 on the card as well). It has a solid floor and a great ceiling. As an aside, this card gets super strong with any number of other Angels on the board. If you can make Angel tribal a thing, this card can be quite good.
What I Don't Like: If the opponent can deal with the Angel token, the rest of the card will be unlikely to do much of anything most of the time. That can be a rough floor for a 4cc multicolor permanent that’s vulnerable to bounce effects.
Verdict: The competition at the top of the section is pretty stiff, but for larger cubes and cubes with robust gold sections, there might be room to try this card out. I expect it to be a solid playable in most decks that can cast it. It just misses the cut in my current list because of some of the archetypes I support that consume guild slots in this guild, but I imagine a lot of other cubes in the 630-720 range will be happy to explore the effect.
What I Like: This is a rare effect for blue. Exiling artifacts and creatures is not exactly blue’s forte, and the rarity of the effect can add to its value. Blue getting a Crib Swap variant isn’t that surprising, but getting one that can split its costs between turns/phases, can exile artifacts, and can bluff itself as a different foretell effect is pretty surprising. It also allows you to turn one of your opponent’s artifacts into a creature for the purposes of triggering your own Oath of Druids, which I hope someone out there does at least once.
What I Don't Like: Giving away a body always feels worse in practice than it does on paper. Even if it’s just a lowly 1/1 creature (this one has flying too) is a drag when the opponent can strap a Sword to it or something and make use of the body. Also, the effect being a sorcery is kinda a bummer, since the opponent will have access to an attacker/blocker no matter what, and you can’t remove targets in response to equipping or the like.
Verdict: I like this card the more foretell you decide to experiment with in the cube. Not knowing if this is a sweeper, token-maker, counterspell, draw spell, angel, or any of the other cool effects that foretell has to offer really adds to the versatility of the effect. If the opponent knows this is a sorcery-speed removal spell that will give them an evasive body, it might change the way they play into it. I think medium- to large-sized cubes supporting a foretell subtheme will be really happy with this card, but I think it will have a hard time pushing out cubeworthy blue cards in other situations.
A 5-color enabler and a 5-color payoff card rolled into one.
What I Like: If you support the green 5-color goodstuff shenanigans deck, this is the bomb payoff//enabler combo card you’ve been waiting for. On the front side, it provides you with mana fixing that helps cast multicolor cards. It also has a reasonable body (a 1/4 with vigilance is a decent body to pair with this kind of effect). Also, extending the vigilance and the mana abilities to your other legends might randomly be powerful. More importantly, if you have access to all your mana already, the back side is a really powerful enchantment. Putting a free threat onto the battlefield every turn is a strong payoff, and one worth building towards. Unlike other 5-color cards that people have experimented with in the cube, this one being a useful card before you have access to all 5 colors is a huge upside.
What I Don't Like: If you don’t support the 5-color goodstuff deck, the ramp creature isn’t good enough on its own to justify a slot in a deck. A 3cc ramp creature that only provides +1 mana just isn’t going to cut it.
Verdict: If the 5-color goodstuff deck is something you and your playgroup enjoy, I would imaging that Esika is going to be an exciting inclusion for you. If you don’t, you probably won’t have much interest in it at all. This card’s fate has less to do with the real estate available to play it in the cube, and has more to do with whether or not your group is interested in 5-color shenanigans. If you do, play it. If you don’t …don’t.
What I Like: Scry 2 draw 2 cards is a powerful line of text. Good enough that some cube managers were playing cards like Glimmer of Genius …even without an energy theme. Foretell is a strong effect to strap to a design like this because it can allow you to play this early when you have to dig for lands, and play it as a late-game topdeck and draw straight away. This is good enough to compete against the other 4cc draw options that folks play, like Deep Analysis, Careful Consideration, and even Fact or Fiction if you get any bluff value out of the foretell.
What I Don't Like: With other foretell cards, the opponent can’t tell if you have card draw or removal face down, and that can add a lot of extra value. With no other foretell effects in the cube, the opponent might not have to change their decision making one bit when they know your face-down card is card draw. 4 total mana for scry 2 draw 2 is a fair rate. We’ve seen this before, and it’s good, but if you’re not getting any additional “bluff” value from the foretell, it might not have enough juice to push other blue cards out of the cube.
Verdict: Solid, completely playable draw spell. Probably worse than Fact or Fiction if foretell isn’t a reasonably deep thing in your cube because FoF digs deeper for your game-ending spell and can guarantee more card advantage if that’s all you’re looking for (plus it feeds the ‘yard). But being able to split the cost between multiple turns is nothing to scoff at, and this spell will be a consistent performer in most reactive blue decks. I could see this card being playable in medium-sized cubes with a handful of other blue foretell cards, and potentially playable in large-sized cubes without.
What I Like: The closest comparison is Restoration Angel. This card is better than Resto at protecting a full board against board sweepers (or pairing with your own Wrath effects to make them asymmetrical). It also has the ability to be foretold, and drop into your reactive gameplan for only 3 mana instead of needing to hold up 4. If this gets added into a suite of foretell effects, it can really make the opponent think about what you have face down, since this can be a blowout against a certain number of lines.
What I Don't Like: Mom, can we have some Restoration Angel? We have Restoration Angel at home… Resto is still better, IMO. It gives better value against targeted removal (instead of mass removal), since you immediately get the threat back on the board. It can be used to untap another creature to double-ambush in combat. Resto only costs a single white mana in 4cc mode. Resto is better with ETB trigger abuse because you get the effect immediately. And it also goes infinite with Kiki-Jiki.
Verdict: This is a solid playable. It still protects your other creatures and gives you a 3/4 flying flash body. If you have a flash theme in Bant or a foretell theme you plan on exploring, I would make Protector a part of ‘em. Definitely a card that’s playable in the 450+ range if either of those themes are supported. Without a specific shell available for it, I think it’s a miss from most cubes at just face value; I think it’s edged out by the existing competition, including, but not limited to, Restoration Angel.
What I Like: Blue removal is rare. 1cc blue removal is almost nonexistent. Despite its various drawbacks, this card is in rare company. In a midrange heavy list focussed on value and rate, it’s hard to find better than a 1cc removal spell in a color that has no business having access to one. Remember that Vendetta isn’t a card that was removed from cubes over time because it was bad, it was simply taken out because the competition got more stiff. Black’s 1cc removal suite expanded to include cards like Snuff Out, Dismember, Fatal Push, and Bloodchief’s Thirst. Without that suite of competitors, Vendetta is a super solid spell, and blue has no such competition at the 1cc removal slot.
What I Don't Like: Despite the rarity of the effect, the drawbacks associated with this particular form of removal are numerous. It has all the problems of a card like Vendetta (the lifeloss when you’re on your heels) in addition to being sorcery speed. Plus, it’s permanent-based removal, meaning that the effect can be undone by a Disenchant or Reclamation Sage effect, the opponent can rescue the creature with bounce, and can still sacrifice the creature to sacrifice outlets for value. Lastly, all the passive effects the creature provides are still live, so this effect can’t effectively counter effects like Eidolon of the Great Revel’s damage clause or Ramunap Excavator’s Crucible effect.
Verdict: I really want to pull the trigger on this card because 1cc blue removal is such a gift. At the moment, I can’t find a swap I love to test it out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I bring it in for extended testing at some point in the future. I could see midrange cubes that prioritize rate go all in on this kind of effect and play it in even the smallest of cubes. I could also see more traditional lists elect not to play it at all. The honest assessment is that it’s probably somewhere in the middle, and if you have any plans on playing blue removal, this one should be at or near the top of the list. Worth experimenting with for medium-sized cubes, I think.
What I Like: This card reminds me a lot of Gisela, except it trades First Strike for protection from planeswalkers, and it’s unused Meld ability for something valuable. In my cube, the protection is valuable against 16 planeswalkers that would be able to meaningfully interact with Gisela. That’s not an irrelevant number. There are 14 creatures in the cube with flying and that have power ≥ 3 and toughness ≤ 4 in my cube, meaning that there are slightly more planeswalkers in the cube that can deal with Gisela than there are single creature interactions where the first strike is more valuable on offense. Now, of course, this ignores multi-blocks in combat, defensive applications, and cards that increase creatures’ power, but it’s still a good gauge to eyeball the first strike vs ‘walker protection between the 2 cards. The Valkyrie, however, has a really cool activated ability that contributes to Aristocrats decks really well, and pairs perfectly with tokens and recursive creatures. Valkyrie is a powerful card against slower midrange decks and threat-light control decks.
What I Don't Like: Despite all of the advantages, it still has the same glaring weakness. It’s a 4cc creature that has no immediate impact and dies to Bolt effects. This was enough to us to bench Gisela, and even if Valkyrie is ever-so-slightly better than Gisela overall, I don’t know if it’s better enough to overcome this issue.
Verdict: I could see this card coming in for testing at some point, but I’m going to pass on it at the moment. I could see this being a perfectly serviceable creature in the 630-720 range, and fit amazingly well into cubes that are even smaller than that depending on how prevalent planeswalkers are. In cubes with ‘walker caps or no ‘walkers at all, this will be a miss.
What I Like: This card does so many different things. It plays great early defense as a 2/4 creature for 3 mana. Then it gets exiled and accumulates counters over time, returning in the late game as a giant body that brings with it lots of card advantage. It can also be played as a card advantage generating, land-drop securing vehicle with a cheap crew cost. Even a single connection or two from an early Omenkeel should net you at least one extra land drop to make, which is obviously of great value. This is irrelevant to (most) cube lists, but I adore the elegant way this plays in multiples. One creature in play, one creature in exile gathering counters, and one in vehicle mode bashing and trying to secure lands. It’s packed with flavor and a lot of unique lines to explore.
What I Don't Like: It does a lot of things, but I’m not sure how good it is at any of them. It’s a pretty lackluster creature, it’s a slow (and land-drop contingent) card advantage engine, and the vehicle has no form of evasion to make its connections reliable.
Verdict: I’m too afraid to rank this card higher even though I think it has the potential to be great, and I’m too afraid to rank it lower and watch it turn into a multi-format-breaking powerhouse. I’m going to wait until PVDDR shows me how to properly use this card, what the correct play patterns are, and what kinds of decks it can ideally be used in …then I’ll find a place for it in my cube. But I have the sneaking suspicion that this card is going to be quite good.
A disruptive black creature paired with an expensive planeswalker.
What I Like: Valki can disrupt the opponent’s hand, and turn itself into the stolen creature at some point. If this play pattern can’t be interrupted by the opponent, it’s a powerful line. In constructed, this will be even stronger since it can steal Uro, and then turn into a 6/6 creature for 3 mana, and get both attacking triggers …without the sacrifice clause… on curve. Those kinds of lines can sorta exist in the cube too, but I expect Valki to be somewhat situational. And the Tibalt form is nothing to scoff at either. If you can afford it, it’s a powerful ‘walker, and it has a big impact and generates a lot of card advantage.
What I Don't Like: Similar to the other Mesmeric Fiend effects, the exile only lasts until the creature leaves the board, so the disruption is only temporary. With one toughness and no evasion, it will be fragile in the early-mid game, making it easy to undo his effect in combat. Valki’s exile clause is also restricted to creatures alone, meaning that against creature-light control decks and combo decks, you don’t get reliable disruption from him. Lastly, there seems to be a wide gap between the front half and the back half. Rarely do I have a deck that wants both a 2cc disruptive creature and a 7cc planeswalker rolled into the same card. So it might me relegated to midrange decks that can use both sides of the card …and only be good against creature decks.
Verdict: Card will be good in constructed. Card will be good in cubes that are primarily centered around midrange creature mirrors. It will be rough in environments that play creature-light decks and support a wide variety of archetypes and macroarchetypes; most of which Valki won’t fit into. Depending on cube construction, this can range anywhere between a card playable at 450+ and a card that’s largely unplayable. I’d be happy to be wrong about my criticisms of this card though, because the flavor is on-point and it looks like a blast to play.
What I Like: This reminds me of a card like Hero of Bladehold or Leonin Warleader that sacrifices the additional attacking power that those cards have for some more resiliency. Alone and unchecked, it provides all the power needed to crew the 4/4 and start populating your 2/2 tokens on the next turn. They don’t enter tapped and attacking, making this card less aggressive than Hero/Warleader …but this card is more resistant to getting blown out by removal. If they kill the vehicle, you still have a pair of 2/2 creatures for your mana. If they sweep the creatures off the board, you’re left with a vehicle that might be able to be crewed later on; providing pseudo haste to your Hermits and Tusks. It can also be flickered to make lots more cats. Plus, look at the sweet art!
What I Don't Like: Unlike a card like Hero of Bladehold, the level of pressure that this card puts on is relatively anemic. Bladehold swings for 7 and then 11 if unchecked …getting in for 18 damage by the end of combat on T6. The Chariot, on the other hand, swings for 4 and then 6 if unmolested, for a total of 10 damage in that same timeframe.
Verdict: This is a good, resilient threat with a very solid floor that leaves value behind against all manner of meddling from the opponent. It’s not particularly explosive, but it’s a solid, splashable investment. I could see this card being playable in any medium- to large-sized cube, and as soon as I have a 4cc cut I like for it, I plan on trying it out for myself.
A creature or a piece of equipment, whatever you need.
What I Like: There are two things that sold me on the value of Halvar. First, is the piece of equipment. It’s a decent card on its own, and if it had been priced one mana less on either the casting cost or the equip cost I’d probably play it on its own. The other is how useful it is to have the ability to play your equipment as a creature when you have no threats. First, lets evaluate the equipment (which I almost consider the “main” part of the card). I have heard multiple people call this a “bad Bonesplitter” …which is a poor evaluation, because it ignores the only two aspects of the equipment that are good. It’s good because it bounces the threat to your hand when it dies, and because it has vigilance to pair with that effect. The Bonesplitter impression that this does is not the valuable function it performs. As @luckypaperMtG posted on Twitter, the Sword side does an interesting Heirloom Blade impression. I agree; not in the aggressive, colorless, +3 power for {1} equip way, but in the “guaranteeing another threat to replay even if the threat carrying the sword dies” kind of way. It keeps you in gas, and that’s the important feature. The vigilance plays well with this effect too, since every time you “trade” this away in combat, you just get your threat right back, but their creature stays dead. Even pairing this with a 1-mana 2/1 gives you access to a 4-power vigilant creature that’s effective at both attacking and blocking because it’s so unfavorable to trade against. Not to even mention how silly the card can get with enters the battlefield effects that can continually be re-triggered as the creature bounces back and forth between the battlefield and your hand. However, that’s only half the card. When you have no other creatures, you can always play this as a 4/4 beater for 4 mana. If you have an equipped/aura-d creature on the battlefield, you get “haste” in the form of immediate double strike. If you have creatures already, play the Sword side and equip to keep yourself in threats. Unlike other pieces of equipment, this is valuable even with no creatures out. Unlike other creatures, this can be played as a piece of equipment that not only prevents overextension but can keep you in gas even in the face of removal and opposing creatures. It’s important to note that all auras provide double strike with Halvar, this includes not just things like Rancor, but also cards like Control Magic effects and Animate Dead effects. So keep a look out for those interactions while testing.
What I Don't Like: The equipment side is probably overcosted by at least 1 (if not W ) in either the casting cost or equip cost mode in order to be good enough on its own. The creature definitely costs at least 1-mana too much in today’s era. I really wish the equipment was the main side of the card too, since it can’t be targeted by Stoneforge Mystic as is.
Verdict: This card isn’t great, but it’s very solid and it’s useful in a variety of situations. I’m currently testing it in my cube, and it’s been performing okay. I don’t think it’s a staple, and it might not be around forever, but I think medium- to large-sized cubes could do worse than Halvar.
What I Like: This card can be used in a variety of different ways. It can be foretold on T2 in order to cast a Serra Angel for 3 mana on T3. It can be played as a 4-mana Serra Angel at any time. It can be foretold in the early stages of your curve in order to unlock a 5-mana (well, 7 total mana) mono-white Broodmate Dragon-esque kind of card. Hell, you can cast this from exile after foretelling it for 7 mana or 9 mana in the late stages of the game and get 12-power of 16-power worth of flying, vigilant Angels. Like all foretell cards, keeping it in exile protects it from discard, but this can be a particularly potent place to store an X-spell, since your opponent would otherwise have the entire game to disrupt it. It can also be nice to resolve a threat and keep countermagic up at the same time. Even paying 3 mana for this and getting 1 angel out of it on T5 might be worth it if it allows you to hold up your Mana Drain alongside it.
What I Don't Like: For an “X-Spell”, this one can be an awkward topdeck since you can’t foretell it and cast it in the same turn. Plus, the T2 foretell -> T3 Serra line is pretty risky …you’re one bounce spell from getting blown out or one removal spell away from spending 2 full turns worth of tempo for nothing. And a 4-mana Serra Angel isn’t particularly impressive in this day and age. I mean, it’s a fine play, but it’s not particularly exciting.
Verdict: I’m experimenting with this card because it does a lot of different things, even if it’s not particularly amazing at any of them. Again, this is another card I can imagine cube managers having some success with in the medium-large cube range, but probably can’t crack down into the smaller lists without a deep foretell subtheme.
What I Like: When you’re on the draw and you know you’re going to be behind against aggro, foretelling this on T2 and having a Wrath available as early as T3 is nice. Especially if you stumble on mana and might not hit the mana thresholds needed to cast other sweepers. Late in the game, it can be played as a 5cc Wrath. Against tempo, you can cast this from exile for 3 mana on T5+ and still have mana open for countermagic or a follow-up play. There are a lot of subtle combinations of lines that make Doomskar a competitive option for a sweeper in this format. MTGS user wallycaine brought up the interaction that Doomskar has with other foretell cards; especially Starnheim Unleashed. With just that one other card in the cube list, the opponent can’t predict which foretell card you have face down, and those two cards require completely opposite play patters to navigate around. If you play it as though it’s a Doomskar and underdevelop, you’ll be way behind when a pair of Serra Angels drop to the board. If you go wide and play biggger threats to get around Starnheim, you get blown out by Doomskar.
What I Don't Like: If the opponent knows for sure what this is, it hurts the value of the spell because it telegraphs itself pretty hard. The opponent playing correctly knowing this is coming can limit the damage it can do. Additionally, if you don’t spend the mana to foretell this spell, it never costs less than 5 mana. If you have other, more important plays in the early parts of your curve, you’re doomed to pay 5 mana for this card and you would’ve been better off with something like Fumigate or the like.
Verdict: I think this Wrath effect has the potential to compete with the tier-2 white sweepers in the cube. Especially if you support it with at least one other foretell card in order to help disguise it. It would be playable in large cubes on its own, and it might be playable into small- and medium-sized lists if it’s accompanied by other foretell cards.
Pathway Lands
The rest of the Pathway Land cycle is here!
What I Like: I have enough experience with the Pathway Lands in the cube to know that they’re good, and that I like ‘em. They all have slightly different value, depending on how important the untapped fixing is to a particular color combination, but I grouped them together in this countdown to free up space to discuss more cards. They’re part of an elite group of fixing lands that can tap for either color of mana on turn 1 and never enter the battlefield tapped. There are only 5-6 lands per guild that can do this. For some of the color combinations and some of the cube configurations, some of the lands in this cycle could be played all the way down to the ~405 card range, where others may be 630 or 720 cards. But they’re good, and if you prioritize untapped mana fixing, these compete for the #4-#6 slot of all-time mana fixers in some guilds.
What I Don't Like: Being frozen on one color for the whole game hurts some decks more than others. If you need fixing for 3-5 color goodstuff decks, the Pathway Lands are a little worse than some of the other options.
Verdict: Some of these lands, like the Pathway Land, is a sight for sore eyes. Untapped mana fixing for aggro combinations is so good. Some slots for the others are maybe a bit more congested, but still very solid options. I’m stoked to be cubing all 4 of these lands, and imagine playing them for a long time coming.
What I Like: A 2/1 for 1 mana that can make more bodies? Sign me up. Don’t want to ever-extend with a threat-light hand? Make another body on T2 with the Boast trigger. Most 2-power 1-drops don’t have upsides that are this impactful on the game. I like having a 1cc creature that can contribute to a token archetype or an Aristocrats/Sacrifice archetype in addition to being playable in aggro. It’s also a Warrior that makes Human tokens, for cubes where those tribal interactions matter.
What I Don't Like: Not much not to like here. I wish the token entered tapped and attacking, but I don’t think that would work with the way the ability is templated without convoluting the text.
Verdict: If your cube plays aggro creatures, this should be one of them. This is one of the best 2-power 1-drop variants available in white, and that’s saying a lot.
As always, feel free to comment here or hit me up on Twitter and comment there!
I thought that you might have a hard time filling in 20, but the set still has a lot to offer for medium cubes.
I agree with you on the missed opportunity on the “sorcery” lands. They could be replacement for some of the weaker man lands if they fix mana as well. Perhaps in another set, they will make a rare cycle.
It is interesting to know that the top 4 colored cards are white; and for pauper, blue gets 3 new solid options as well.
I wanted to put Vorinclex in my artifact cube, but I agree that it suffers from the enabler coming in too late. At 6cc, it costs way too more than the cards it should be enabling. I might test it over doubling season for a while but I feel it will just be a big dumb beater with an ability that won’t matter much given the clock. Man, I wish he costed 4 so he can curve out with Verdurous Gearhulk at least!!!
Esika’s Chariot is something I appreciate for green in my artifact cube. Token generation and payoff, plus an artifact/vehicle.
Halvar is interesting as a creature/euipment choice depending on what you need, but I really hate the “vanilla creature mode” on an empty board. Still, that is better than an equipment that will be useless. Even though it is annoying that it can’t be tutored with Stoneforge Mystic, I am still going to try it in my artifact cube, and will likely stick.
I view Starnheim Unleashed and Doomskar as a “Fortell Package” and they seem to be OK for 450 cubes, but personally I am sticking with the 4 mana Shatter the Sky, pushing these out from my 450.
That leaves User the Fallen as my sole include for my 450 unpowered. Your asessment pretty much hits it dead center. It is one of the best one drops in cube.
Thanks for your dedicated to the cube community. With so many sets/ new cards going around, I always wait for White Wolf's Verdict on cards before testing.
New untapped are always a welcome in my books. I love the pathway lands.
Three cards I will be watching very closely:
- Valki, God of Lies. TideHollow Sculler has been amazing because if its 2 power. I've found Mesmeric fiend to be underwhelming. Unfortunately, this creature doesn't have Sculler's ETB/ flicker shenanigans but it is mono-color + Valki seems like a nice card card to for black aggro, black-green recurring decks that need early drops + mana sinks.
- Battle Mammoth - This seems like a very well rounded creature, but I'm not sure if green midrange is really the way to go in vintage cube right now.
- Doomskar - I think the consensus is Wrath of God/ Day of Judgement are the better wrath. I'm not sure if Terminus, Doomskar or Shatter the Sky should be the 3rd wrath. I currently have give it to terminus because it can tuck rather than destroy them.
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I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
I like Valki's 2 power too. I'm just not sold on the disruptive element since it's creature-only and we play quite a few decks that have a low/no creature count.
The snow Figure of Destiny and the white creature that makes all snow lands enter tapped sure seem good if you give out free snow basics to everybody.
But honestly I didn't evaluate the stuff that much since it doesn't really interest me or my playgroup. I'm sure there are other good snow cards worth looking at.
All in all a pretty mediocre set for cube. I'll play the pathway cycle and the new Savannah Lion variant. If Sword of the Realms was the front side I would try it out. I think the legacy of this set will be giving dual lands with basic land types to pauper cubes.
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That's the remarkable thing about life. It's never so bad that it can't get worse
Calvin and Hobbes Cube Tutor
Great as always. With all ten Pathways now available, what are the color combos you feel most benefit from them? I don't have room for all ten, but I really want to have the best combos in Guild section if I can. B/R does seem obvious.
All in all a pretty mediocre set for cube. I'll play the pathway cycle and the new Savannah Lion variant. If Sword of the Realms was the front side I would try it out. I think the legacy of this set will be giving dual lands with basic land types to pauper cubes.
There seem to be quite a few cool options for lower rarity cubes in this set! But I'm not a C/Ube aficionado, so I leave that discussion for the folks that are.
Great as always. With all ten Pathways now available, what are the color combos you feel most benefit from them? I don't have room for all ten, but I really want to have the best combos in Guild section if I can. B/R does seem obvious.
I like them all, but the more aggressive the color combination, the better. Rakdos and Boros might have the most to gain from this cycle, if I had to guess.
very good review as always. good insight into doomskar potentially almost always being 5 cmc and at that point fumigate would be better.
I am really hoping fortell comes through stronger than it reads.
I think Foretell will be decent, but I've been reading a lot of peoples' takes about the mechanic and they seem to underestimate how big of a cost the 2 can be in the early parts of your curve. It's not nothing.
I was happy to see Glorious Protector on the list because I haven't seen anyone talking about it, and I think it's quite powerful and versatile.
I do also think that foretell cards will get hardcast at least half the time if not more. You usually do have something to do on turn 2 with your two mana.
Because there are several powerful foretell cards, it's not hard to play three of them. Or even five or six if you want to. Saw It Coming is a card that by itself is not great, but alongside several other foretell cards, its effectiveness shoots way up. But I doubt many people are actually going to play more than one to three over the long term.
Necromancer doesn't feel like a long-term add but if he plays well, maybe he'll stay in. I really enjoy stealing people's stuff.
For funsies I'm also tossing in Winter's Rest which reminds me of the (yes) quite-good Bind the Monster. Mostly, I'd like to see how it does in actual games. (I could easily upgrade it to BtM later.)
Thanks for the writeup, WtWlf. Always appreciated.
I always enjoy seeing how your thoughts line up with my initial impressions, and I'll be curious to see how some of the cards I'm more down on end up performing. I'm definitely most excited about the cycle of Pathway lands being completed, and also thrilled that this isn't a crazy packed set like the past few have been. Definitely some cool cards that might sneak into the rotation but that aren't must play cards, which is a place I'm happy to have a set be.
I always enjoy seeing how your thoughts line up with my initial impressions, and I'll be curious to see how some of the cards I'm more down on end up performing. I'm definitely most excited about the cycle of Pathway lands being completed, and also thrilled that this isn't a crazy packed set like the past few have been. Definitely some cool cards that might sneak into the rotation but that aren't must play cards, which is a place I'm happy to have a set be.
Ya, I'm quite happy with this set's design myself.
Not even a mention of Egon, God of Death? I see him filling a similar-ish spot to Rotting Regi, and at a minimum he blocks and draws a card. The back side is spicy too for lists who want a minor self-mill theme without committing cards too hard.
My only gripe with him (vs Regisaur) is he is self-limiting with an empty graveyard whereas Regisaur just happily ignores an empty hand and keeps on beating down.
Can't speak for others but I'll stick wtih Regisaur over Egon for this reason.
I agree that they're kind of inverse of each other, but compare Egon to say, Tasigur or Gurmag. Comes down earlier, gets in, leaves and gives you a gift on the way out. I support Blaggro and Stax, so both sides are appealing.
As always, great list and breakdown, but I would like to point out that Reidane, God of the Worthy and Bloodsky Berserker are probably worth noting. Reidane needs snow basics to be good, but, if like me, your cube has already made that change (for things like on thin ice and icehide golem which are both fantastic) then it is so very good it makes my teeth hurt (landing this on t3 will be backbreaking, no soul crushing). Bloodsky is one of the best black aggro support we have gotten in some time, and although I am not sure he stands up, he is sure worth the testing since he works great on t2 into t3 double spell, or as the first spell on t3.
This is my 36th installment of the "top 20" set (P)review articles! Just like the previous reviews, it will be in a spoiled top X 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. I got a lot of positive feedback on the format from the last few articles, so I’m going to keep the “what I like” and “what I don’t like” sections.
Keep in mind (just like the others) that this is a set preview. Similar to draft predictions in professional sports, this list is an educated guess at best. Some cards I value highly in here may turn out to not last long in the cube. Other cards that are lower down on the list (or even missed entirely!) could (well, very likely may) turn out to be great cards. Even Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round! Again, this is not intended to be gospel, set in stone or written as a review for posterity. This is simply written to be an enjoyable guess at cards I like for cubes, and hopefully it'll allow some cube managers to evaluate cards they may have otherwise overlooked and/or put some cards in perspective that may've been overhyped. Nothing more.
Kaldheim is a set that is arguably a little disappointing for cubes, but I’m actually encouraged by the design. I haven’t been a huge fan of the set designs in recent years, with extremely pushed powerlevels that require lots of constructed bannings. This set feels like a return to normalcy to kick off 2021, which is something of a comfort. But don’t get me wrong; there are good cards in this set, and several that I look forward to exploring in more detail later on. I was originally pretty let down by the full set spoiler, but as I was writing this article, I found a lot of interesting cards worth discussing. I expect this set to be one that has more representation later on down the road rather than one that starts off with a lot of representation and gets pruned down over time.
Without further ado, here’s the countdown!
Port of Karfell
A reanimation spell strapped to a land.
What I Like: I like being able to shoehorn in additional impactful cards into my cube decks that take up land slots during deckbuilding. This land taps for colored mana, and helps to support an established decktype in addition to providing a valuable effect. It spills cards into your ‘yard for you, and can reanimate monsters …at instant speed!
What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, I think there’s a combination of problems with all the cards in this cycle. First, I think the effects themselves are ever-so-slightly overcosted; maybe by about 1 each. This one effectively has an activation cost of 7, for example. And the land entering the battlefield tapped is a problem for multiple reasons. Most obviously, it impacts your development by entering tapped somewhere in your curve. But perhaps even more importantly, if you wanted to use this card as late-game flood insurance, it’s still a pretty bad topdeck considering that the entering tapped clause will cut off access to the effect for another turn. I think they missed an opportunity with these lands to make something quite special, which would’ve been stapling these effects to fixing lands. Imagine how much better this land would’ve been if it had the base of a Salt Marsh instead of a tapped Island. The opportunity cost would drop tremendously if they had gone this route. But ultimately a land that enters the battlefield tapped, that doesn’t fix my mana, and also costs 7 mana before it does anything meaningful is just too slow for my format.
Verdict: I think they missed an opportunity with this cycle by not making them mana fixers. As they stand, some of them might be good enough to make it into a land draft module if lands get drafted separately, but I don’t think they’re going to push out meaningful cube cards from most lists. Gates of Istfell illustrates this problem… Gaining 2 life does not make up for making a Memorial to Genius so much harder to activate without mana fixing making the base land a Coastal Tower instead. Close, but no cigar.
Immersturm Predator
A new Falkenrath Aristocrat variant.
What I Like: Falkenrath Aristocrat is a good card, and this creature is an obvious comparison to it. It’s also a known commodity, so it makes it easy to discuss. In comparison to the Aristocrat, the Predator has an easier time putting +1/+1 counters on it, so it can grow out of Bolt range faster. The higher base toughness also makes it stronger against cheap fliers, so it’s harder for the opponent to stunt the pressure with Spirit tokens and Thopter tokens. It provides some incidental graveyard hate too, which is always welcome. It also doesn’t rely on having Humans to sacrifice in order to scale over time, making its larger late-game size more consistent.
What I Don't Like: Well, Aristocrat has HASTE. Which is one of the main reasons the card is good. The sacrifice outlet is obviously valuable (on both cards) but the 4-power, evasion and haste makes Aristocrat a valuable curve-topper for Rakdos aggro in a way that Predator might struggle with. Aristocrat also doesn’t tap itself when it becomes indestructible, so the opponent can’t chuck removal spells at it to “blank” it in combat for a turn like they can against the Predator. Predator also can’t sacrifice itself, which can be problematic against creature theft, and can limit your late-game reach with Blood Artist effects on the board.
Verdict: Overall I think Predator is a fine card. It still supports Aristocrats as an archetype and helps out with the Persist combo decks because it’s a free discard outlet. However, I think it’s not only worse than Falkenrath Aristocrat, I think it’s a lot worse …enough so that I don’t think I need access to both cards in my section. Unless you’re DEEP on both Aristocrats and Persist, AND you have a really large multicolor section, I think Predator is a safe pass.
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
A big green fatty that brings the shenanigans.
What I Like: Well, a 6-mana 6/6 trample haste is a pretty big beater. The counter doubling effect can lead to some silly lines with planeswalkers and +1/+1 counter cards, giving access to oversized monsters and powerful ‘walker interactions. It also nerfs your opponent’s +1/+1 counter cards and their ‘walkers too, which might be relevant on occasion.
What I Don't Like: Honestly, if I have a 6/6 trampling hastey creature that the opponent can’t remove …does the other text really matter? It will be cute and all when I can make a gigantic Walking Ballista or drop an Ugin that’s ready to ultimate, but that might all be moot if the opponent just dies to the 6/6 trampling beater anyways. It also happens to interfere with your Persist combos (and enables the opponent’s Persist combos) for whatever minuscule drawback that might be in certain lists.
Verdict: I think slow, multiplayer environments is where this might have a chance to shine. In traditional 1v1, the 6/6 trample haste will either be enough to win the game or just die to removal and accomplish very little. But in a format where there are still lots of turns after someone plays a creature of this size, there might be hope to extract some fun and powerful value out of Vorinclex.
Dragonkin Berserker
A red 2-drop with late-game relevance.
What I Like: Most 2-drops run out of gas in the late game, making them bad topdecks or dead when boards get complicated. The first strike makes the body somewhat survivable in the early- to mid-game, and the activated ability makes the creature relevant in the late-game. My aggro deck won’t have a gameplan that’s centered around paying 5-mana for 5/5 dragons, but I’ll sure be glad to have access to it if I’m flooding out. This is the kind of creature that’s nice to have in the maindeck in the aggro mirrors, since it allows you to squeeze midrange threats into your final 40 without giving up pressure in your other matchups.
What I Don't Like: A 2/2 first strike just isn’t where my aggro decks want to be with their 2-drops nowadays. Making dragons will be cool when the ability shows up …but what about all the situations where it doesn’t? The floor is okay, but the ceiling will have some consistency issues that makes it just a little bit underwhelming. Compared to something like Earthshaker Khenra, for example, they both have activated abilities that are relevant in the late game, but the base body is so much more impactful in aggro’s gameplan for the Khenra than it is for the Berserker.
Verdict: I like this creature just fine, but I couldn’t find a cut for it in my current suite that I liked. I think this card is playable in the 720 range for some folks, depending on your cube meta and how often you think the late-game ability will be relevant enough to justify the 2-mana 2-power first striking base body.
Battle Mammoth
An oversized green beater that can drop early.
What I Like: Foretelling this card early can give you access to a pretty big monster for relatively cheap. T1 mana dork, T2 foretell, T3 land -> Mammoth is a line that doesn’t seem that farfetched, and a 6/5 trampler that pseudo-protects itself (and your other permanents) from being targeted by drawing cards if they do is quite strong. It’s also a halfway reasonable 5cc card if you can’t find room to foretell it in your curve, and it survives Languish and Wildfire and other such sweepers that might drop around the same time in the game.
What I Don't Like: Even if it does draw you a card when it gets targeted, losing the tempo of foretelling this card and then paying 4 mana to cast it won’t feel good when it gets blown up by a cheap removal spell. The opponent might be very pleased to concede the card advantage knowing that you spent 2 of your first 3-4 turns getting this onto the battlefield and wound up with nothing on the board to show for it.
Verdict: If most of your green decks follow the blueprint of 1-2cc ramp into 3-5cc oversized threats, this Mammoth will fit that gameplan pretty well. The more varied your green strategies get, however, the harder it will be to find room for an oversized monster. I could see this fitting into some “Unga Bunga” green strategies in some medium- to large-sized cubes, but for most lists, this will probably be a narrow miss.
Firja's Retribution
An Orzhov Angel/value …thing.
What I Like: At its base, this card gives you a 4-mana Serra Angel. The following turn, you can use the effect to kill one of your opponent’s creatures, and in the final mode, you can give your angels double strike and bash for a lot. It’s a 2-for-1 that impacts the board and applies decent pressure. It also makes for a great Flickerwisp target, since retriggering the Saga will give you another Angel (also doubling, or more, the effectiveness of modes 2 and 3 on the card as well). It has a solid floor and a great ceiling. As an aside, this card gets super strong with any number of other Angels on the board. If you can make Angel tribal a thing, this card can be quite good.
What I Don't Like: If the opponent can deal with the Angel token, the rest of the card will be unlikely to do much of anything most of the time. That can be a rough floor for a 4cc multicolor permanent that’s vulnerable to bounce effects.
Verdict: The competition at the top of the section is pretty stiff, but for larger cubes and cubes with robust gold sections, there might be room to try this card out. I expect it to be a solid playable in most decks that can cast it. It just misses the cut in my current list because of some of the archetypes I support that consume guild slots in this guild, but I imagine a lot of other cubes in the 630-720 range will be happy to explore the effect.
Ravenform
A blue artifact/creature removal spell?
What I Like: This is a rare effect for blue. Exiling artifacts and creatures is not exactly blue’s forte, and the rarity of the effect can add to its value. Blue getting a Crib Swap variant isn’t that surprising, but getting one that can split its costs between turns/phases, can exile artifacts, and can bluff itself as a different foretell effect is pretty surprising. It also allows you to turn one of your opponent’s artifacts into a creature for the purposes of triggering your own Oath of Druids, which I hope someone out there does at least once.
What I Don't Like: Giving away a body always feels worse in practice than it does on paper. Even if it’s just a lowly 1/1 creature (this one has flying too) is a drag when the opponent can strap a Sword to it or something and make use of the body. Also, the effect being a sorcery is kinda a bummer, since the opponent will have access to an attacker/blocker no matter what, and you can’t remove targets in response to equipping or the like.
Verdict: I like this card the more foretell you decide to experiment with in the cube. Not knowing if this is a sweeper, token-maker, counterspell, draw spell, angel, or any of the other cool effects that foretell has to offer really adds to the versatility of the effect. If the opponent knows this is a sorcery-speed removal spell that will give them an evasive body, it might change the way they play into it. I think medium- to large-sized cubes supporting a foretell subtheme will be really happy with this card, but I think it will have a hard time pushing out cubeworthy blue cards in other situations.
Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge
A 5-color enabler and a 5-color payoff card rolled into one.
What I Like: If you support the green 5-color goodstuff shenanigans deck, this is the bomb payoff//enabler combo card you’ve been waiting for. On the front side, it provides you with mana fixing that helps cast multicolor cards. It also has a reasonable body (a 1/4 with vigilance is a decent body to pair with this kind of effect). Also, extending the vigilance and the mana abilities to your other legends might randomly be powerful. More importantly, if you have access to all your mana already, the back side is a really powerful enchantment. Putting a free threat onto the battlefield every turn is a strong payoff, and one worth building towards. Unlike other 5-color cards that people have experimented with in the cube, this one being a useful card before you have access to all 5 colors is a huge upside.
What I Don't Like: If you don’t support the 5-color goodstuff deck, the ramp creature isn’t good enough on its own to justify a slot in a deck. A 3cc ramp creature that only provides +1 mana just isn’t going to cut it.
Verdict: If the 5-color goodstuff deck is something you and your playgroup enjoy, I would imaging that Esika is going to be an exciting inclusion for you. If you don’t, you probably won’t have much interest in it at all. This card’s fate has less to do with the real estate available to play it in the cube, and has more to do with whether or not your group is interested in 5-color shenanigans. If you do, play it. If you don’t …don’t.
Behold the Multiverse
A very solid card selection draw spell.
What I Like: Scry 2 draw 2 cards is a powerful line of text. Good enough that some cube managers were playing cards like Glimmer of Genius …even without an energy theme. Foretell is a strong effect to strap to a design like this because it can allow you to play this early when you have to dig for lands, and play it as a late-game topdeck and draw straight away. This is good enough to compete against the other 4cc draw options that folks play, like Deep Analysis, Careful Consideration, and even Fact or Fiction if you get any bluff value out of the foretell.
What I Don't Like: With other foretell cards, the opponent can’t tell if you have card draw or removal face down, and that can add a lot of extra value. With no other foretell effects in the cube, the opponent might not have to change their decision making one bit when they know your face-down card is card draw. 4 total mana for scry 2 draw 2 is a fair rate. We’ve seen this before, and it’s good, but if you’re not getting any additional “bluff” value from the foretell, it might not have enough juice to push other blue cards out of the cube.
Verdict: Solid, completely playable draw spell. Probably worse than Fact or Fiction if foretell isn’t a reasonably deep thing in your cube because FoF digs deeper for your game-ending spell and can guarantee more card advantage if that’s all you’re looking for (plus it feeds the ‘yard). But being able to split the cost between multiple turns is nothing to scoff at, and this spell will be a consistent performer in most reactive blue decks. I could see this card being playable in medium-sized cubes with a handful of other blue foretell cards, and potentially playable in large-sized cubes without.
Glorious Protector
A new Restoration Angel variant.
What I Like: The closest comparison is Restoration Angel. This card is better than Resto at protecting a full board against board sweepers (or pairing with your own Wrath effects to make them asymmetrical). It also has the ability to be foretold, and drop into your reactive gameplan for only 3 mana instead of needing to hold up 4. If this gets added into a suite of foretell effects, it can really make the opponent think about what you have face down, since this can be a blowout against a certain number of lines.
What I Don't Like: Mom, can we have some Restoration Angel? We have Restoration Angel at home… Resto is still better, IMO. It gives better value against targeted removal (instead of mass removal), since you immediately get the threat back on the board. It can be used to untap another creature to double-ambush in combat. Resto only costs a single white mana in 4cc mode. Resto is better with ETB trigger abuse because you get the effect immediately. And it also goes infinite with Kiki-Jiki.
Verdict: This is a solid playable. It still protects your other creatures and gives you a 3/4 flying flash body. If you have a flash theme in Bant or a foretell theme you plan on exploring, I would make Protector a part of ‘em. Definitely a card that’s playable in the 450+ range if either of those themes are supported. Without a specific shell available for it, I think it’s a miss from most cubes at just face value; I think it’s edged out by the existing competition, including, but not limited to, Restoration Angel.
Bind the Monster
A blue …Vendetta variant?
What I Like: Blue removal is rare. 1cc blue removal is almost nonexistent. Despite its various drawbacks, this card is in rare company. In a midrange heavy list focussed on value and rate, it’s hard to find better than a 1cc removal spell in a color that has no business having access to one. Remember that Vendetta isn’t a card that was removed from cubes over time because it was bad, it was simply taken out because the competition got more stiff. Black’s 1cc removal suite expanded to include cards like Snuff Out, Dismember, Fatal Push, and Bloodchief’s Thirst. Without that suite of competitors, Vendetta is a super solid spell, and blue has no such competition at the 1cc removal slot.
What I Don't Like: Despite the rarity of the effect, the drawbacks associated with this particular form of removal are numerous. It has all the problems of a card like Vendetta (the lifeloss when you’re on your heels) in addition to being sorcery speed. Plus, it’s permanent-based removal, meaning that the effect can be undone by a Disenchant or Reclamation Sage effect, the opponent can rescue the creature with bounce, and can still sacrifice the creature to sacrifice outlets for value. Lastly, all the passive effects the creature provides are still live, so this effect can’t effectively counter effects like Eidolon of the Great Revel’s damage clause or Ramunap Excavator’s Crucible effect.
Verdict: I really want to pull the trigger on this card because 1cc blue removal is such a gift. At the moment, I can’t find a swap I love to test it out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I bring it in for extended testing at some point in the future. I could see midrange cubes that prioritize rate go all in on this kind of effect and play it in even the smallest of cubes. I could also see more traditional lists elect not to play it at all. The honest assessment is that it’s probably somewhere in the middle, and if you have any plans on playing blue removal, this one should be at or near the top of the list. Worth experimenting with for medium-sized cubes, I think.
Eradicator Valkyrie
A black Gisela, the Broken Blade variant.
What I Like: This card reminds me a lot of Gisela, except it trades First Strike for protection from planeswalkers, and it’s unused Meld ability for something valuable. In my cube, the protection is valuable against 16 planeswalkers that would be able to meaningfully interact with Gisela. That’s not an irrelevant number. There are 14 creatures in the cube with flying and that have power ≥ 3 and toughness ≤ 4 in my cube, meaning that there are slightly more planeswalkers in the cube that can deal with Gisela than there are single creature interactions where the first strike is more valuable on offense. Now, of course, this ignores multi-blocks in combat, defensive applications, and cards that increase creatures’ power, but it’s still a good gauge to eyeball the first strike vs ‘walker protection between the 2 cards. The Valkyrie, however, has a really cool activated ability that contributes to Aristocrats decks really well, and pairs perfectly with tokens and recursive creatures. Valkyrie is a powerful card against slower midrange decks and threat-light control decks.
What I Don't Like: Despite all of the advantages, it still has the same glaring weakness. It’s a 4cc creature that has no immediate impact and dies to Bolt effects. This was enough to us to bench Gisela, and even if Valkyrie is ever-so-slightly better than Gisela overall, I don’t know if it’s better enough to overcome this issue.
Verdict: I could see this card coming in for testing at some point, but I’m going to pass on it at the moment. I could see this being a perfectly serviceable creature in the 630-720 range, and fit amazingly well into cubes that are even smaller than that depending on how prevalent planeswalkers are. In cubes with ‘walker caps or no ‘walkers at all, this will be a miss.
Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel
A blue card that does a bit of everything.
What I Like: This card does so many different things. It plays great early defense as a 2/4 creature for 3 mana. Then it gets exiled and accumulates counters over time, returning in the late game as a giant body that brings with it lots of card advantage. It can also be played as a card advantage generating, land-drop securing vehicle with a cheap crew cost. Even a single connection or two from an early Omenkeel should net you at least one extra land drop to make, which is obviously of great value. This is irrelevant to (most) cube lists, but I adore the elegant way this plays in multiples. One creature in play, one creature in exile gathering counters, and one in vehicle mode bashing and trying to secure lands. It’s packed with flavor and a lot of unique lines to explore.
What I Don't Like: It does a lot of things, but I’m not sure how good it is at any of them. It’s a pretty lackluster creature, it’s a slow (and land-drop contingent) card advantage engine, and the vehicle has no form of evasion to make its connections reliable.
Verdict: I’m too afraid to rank this card higher even though I think it has the potential to be great, and I’m too afraid to rank it lower and watch it turn into a multi-format-breaking powerhouse. I’m going to wait until PVDDR shows me how to properly use this card, what the correct play patterns are, and what kinds of decks it can ideally be used in …then I’ll find a place for it in my cube. But I have the sneaking suspicion that this card is going to be quite good.
Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor
A disruptive black creature paired with an expensive planeswalker.
What I Like: Valki can disrupt the opponent’s hand, and turn itself into the stolen creature at some point. If this play pattern can’t be interrupted by the opponent, it’s a powerful line. In constructed, this will be even stronger since it can steal Uro, and then turn into a 6/6 creature for 3 mana, and get both attacking triggers …without the sacrifice clause… on curve. Those kinds of lines can sorta exist in the cube too, but I expect Valki to be somewhat situational. And the Tibalt form is nothing to scoff at either. If you can afford it, it’s a powerful ‘walker, and it has a big impact and generates a lot of card advantage.
What I Don't Like: Similar to the other Mesmeric Fiend effects, the exile only lasts until the creature leaves the board, so the disruption is only temporary. With one toughness and no evasion, it will be fragile in the early-mid game, making it easy to undo his effect in combat. Valki’s exile clause is also restricted to creatures alone, meaning that against creature-light control decks and combo decks, you don’t get reliable disruption from him. Lastly, there seems to be a wide gap between the front half and the back half. Rarely do I have a deck that wants both a 2cc disruptive creature and a 7cc planeswalker rolled into the same card. So it might me relegated to midrange decks that can use both sides of the card …and only be good against creature decks.
Verdict: Card will be good in constructed. Card will be good in cubes that are primarily centered around midrange creature mirrors. It will be rough in environments that play creature-light decks and support a wide variety of archetypes and macroarchetypes; most of which Valki won’t fit into. Depending on cube construction, this can range anywhere between a card playable at 450+ and a card that’s largely unplayable. I’d be happy to be wrong about my criticisms of this card though, because the flavor is on-point and it looks like a blast to play.
Esika's Chariot
A resilient army-in-a-can variant for green.
What I Like: This reminds me of a card like Hero of Bladehold or Leonin Warleader that sacrifices the additional attacking power that those cards have for some more resiliency. Alone and unchecked, it provides all the power needed to crew the 4/4 and start populating your 2/2 tokens on the next turn. They don’t enter tapped and attacking, making this card less aggressive than Hero/Warleader …but this card is more resistant to getting blown out by removal. If they kill the vehicle, you still have a pair of 2/2 creatures for your mana. If they sweep the creatures off the board, you’re left with a vehicle that might be able to be crewed later on; providing pseudo haste to your Hermits and Tusks. It can also be flickered to make lots more cats. Plus, look at the sweet art!
What I Don't Like: Unlike a card like Hero of Bladehold, the level of pressure that this card puts on is relatively anemic. Bladehold swings for 7 and then 11 if unchecked …getting in for 18 damage by the end of combat on T6. The Chariot, on the other hand, swings for 4 and then 6 if unmolested, for a total of 10 damage in that same timeframe.
Verdict: This is a good, resilient threat with a very solid floor that leaves value behind against all manner of meddling from the opponent. It’s not particularly explosive, but it’s a solid, splashable investment. I could see this card being playable in any medium- to large-sized cube, and as soon as I have a 4cc cut I like for it, I plan on trying it out for myself.
Halvar, God of Battle // Sword of the Realms
A creature or a piece of equipment, whatever you need.
What I Like: There are two things that sold me on the value of Halvar. First, is the piece of equipment. It’s a decent card on its own, and if it had been priced one mana less on either the casting cost or the equip cost I’d probably play it on its own. The other is how useful it is to have the ability to play your equipment as a creature when you have no threats. First, lets evaluate the equipment (which I almost consider the “main” part of the card). I have heard multiple people call this a “bad Bonesplitter” …which is a poor evaluation, because it ignores the only two aspects of the equipment that are good. It’s good because it bounces the threat to your hand when it dies, and because it has vigilance to pair with that effect. The Bonesplitter impression that this does is not the valuable function it performs. As @luckypaperMtG posted on Twitter, the Sword side does an interesting Heirloom Blade impression. I agree; not in the aggressive, colorless, +3 power for {1} equip way, but in the “guaranteeing another threat to replay even if the threat carrying the sword dies” kind of way. It keeps you in gas, and that’s the important feature. The vigilance plays well with this effect too, since every time you “trade” this away in combat, you just get your threat right back, but their creature stays dead. Even pairing this with a 1-mana 2/1 gives you access to a 4-power vigilant creature that’s effective at both attacking and blocking because it’s so unfavorable to trade against. Not to even mention how silly the card can get with enters the battlefield effects that can continually be re-triggered as the creature bounces back and forth between the battlefield and your hand. However, that’s only half the card. When you have no other creatures, you can always play this as a 4/4 beater for 4 mana. If you have an equipped/aura-d creature on the battlefield, you get “haste” in the form of immediate double strike. If you have creatures already, play the Sword side and equip to keep yourself in threats. Unlike other pieces of equipment, this is valuable even with no creatures out. Unlike other creatures, this can be played as a piece of equipment that not only prevents overextension but can keep you in gas even in the face of removal and opposing creatures. It’s important to note that all auras provide double strike with Halvar, this includes not just things like Rancor, but also cards like Control Magic effects and Animate Dead effects. So keep a look out for those interactions while testing.
What I Don't Like: The equipment side is probably overcosted by at least 1 (if not W ) in either the casting cost or equip cost mode in order to be good enough on its own. The creature definitely costs at least 1-mana too much in today’s era. I really wish the equipment was the main side of the card too, since it can’t be targeted by Stoneforge Mystic as is.
Verdict: This card isn’t great, but it’s very solid and it’s useful in a variety of situations. I’m currently testing it in my cube, and it’s been performing okay. I don’t think it’s a staple, and it might not be around forever, but I think medium- to large-sized cubes could do worse than Halvar.
Starnheim Unleashed
A flexible angel-maker.
What I Like: This card can be used in a variety of different ways. It can be foretold on T2 in order to cast a Serra Angel for 3 mana on T3. It can be played as a 4-mana Serra Angel at any time. It can be foretold in the early stages of your curve in order to unlock a 5-mana (well, 7 total mana) mono-white Broodmate Dragon-esque kind of card. Hell, you can cast this from exile after foretelling it for 7 mana or 9 mana in the late stages of the game and get 12-power of 16-power worth of flying, vigilant Angels. Like all foretell cards, keeping it in exile protects it from discard, but this can be a particularly potent place to store an X-spell, since your opponent would otherwise have the entire game to disrupt it. It can also be nice to resolve a threat and keep countermagic up at the same time. Even paying 3 mana for this and getting 1 angel out of it on T5 might be worth it if it allows you to hold up your Mana Drain alongside it.
What I Don't Like: For an “X-Spell”, this one can be an awkward topdeck since you can’t foretell it and cast it in the same turn. Plus, the T2 foretell -> T3 Serra line is pretty risky …you’re one bounce spell from getting blown out or one removal spell away from spending 2 full turns worth of tempo for nothing. And a 4-mana Serra Angel isn’t particularly impressive in this day and age. I mean, it’s a fine play, but it’s not particularly exciting.
Verdict: I’m experimenting with this card because it does a lot of different things, even if it’s not particularly amazing at any of them. Again, this is another card I can imagine cube managers having some success with in the medium-large cube range, but probably can’t crack down into the smaller lists without a deep foretell subtheme.
Doomskar
A Wrath variant with multiple casting options.
What I Like: When you’re on the draw and you know you’re going to be behind against aggro, foretelling this on T2 and having a Wrath available as early as T3 is nice. Especially if you stumble on mana and might not hit the mana thresholds needed to cast other sweepers. Late in the game, it can be played as a 5cc Wrath. Against tempo, you can cast this from exile for 3 mana on T5+ and still have mana open for countermagic or a follow-up play. There are a lot of subtle combinations of lines that make Doomskar a competitive option for a sweeper in this format. MTGS user wallycaine brought up the interaction that Doomskar has with other foretell cards; especially Starnheim Unleashed. With just that one other card in the cube list, the opponent can’t predict which foretell card you have face down, and those two cards require completely opposite play patters to navigate around. If you play it as though it’s a Doomskar and underdevelop, you’ll be way behind when a pair of Serra Angels drop to the board. If you go wide and play biggger threats to get around Starnheim, you get blown out by Doomskar.
What I Don't Like: If the opponent knows for sure what this is, it hurts the value of the spell because it telegraphs itself pretty hard. The opponent playing correctly knowing this is coming can limit the damage it can do. Additionally, if you don’t spend the mana to foretell this spell, it never costs less than 5 mana. If you have other, more important plays in the early parts of your curve, you’re doomed to pay 5 mana for this card and you would’ve been better off with something like Fumigate or the like.
Verdict: I think this Wrath effect has the potential to compete with the tier-2 white sweepers in the cube. Especially if you support it with at least one other foretell card in order to help disguise it. It would be playable in large cubes on its own, and it might be playable into small- and medium-sized lists if it’s accompanied by other foretell cards.
Pathway Lands
The rest of the Pathway Land cycle is here!
What I Like: I have enough experience with the Pathway Lands in the cube to know that they’re good, and that I like ‘em. They all have slightly different value, depending on how important the untapped fixing is to a particular color combination, but I grouped them together in this countdown to free up space to discuss more cards. They’re part of an elite group of fixing lands that can tap for either color of mana on turn 1 and never enter the battlefield tapped. There are only 5-6 lands per guild that can do this. For some of the color combinations and some of the cube configurations, some of the lands in this cycle could be played all the way down to the ~405 card range, where others may be 630 or 720 cards. But they’re good, and if you prioritize untapped mana fixing, these compete for the #4-#6 slot of all-time mana fixers in some guilds.
What I Don't Like: Being frozen on one color for the whole game hurts some decks more than others. If you need fixing for 3-5 color goodstuff decks, the Pathway Lands are a little worse than some of the other options.
Verdict: Some of these lands, like the Pathway Land, is a sight for sore eyes. Untapped mana fixing for aggro combinations is so good. Some slots for the others are maybe a bit more congested, but still very solid options. I’m stoked to be cubing all 4 of these lands, and imagine playing them for a long time coming.
Usher of the Fallen
A 2-power 1-drop with a relevant upside.
What I Like: A 2/1 for 1 mana that can make more bodies? Sign me up. Don’t want to ever-extend with a threat-light hand? Make another body on T2 with the Boast trigger. Most 2-power 1-drops don’t have upsides that are this impactful on the game. I like having a 1cc creature that can contribute to a token archetype or an Aristocrats/Sacrifice archetype in addition to being playable in aggro. It’s also a Warrior that makes Human tokens, for cubes where those tribal interactions matter.
What I Don't Like: Not much not to like here. I wish the token entered tapped and attacking, but I don’t think that would work with the way the ability is templated without convoluting the text.
Verdict: If your cube plays aggro creatures, this should be one of them. This is one of the best 2-power 1-drop variants available in white, and that’s saying a lot.
As always, feel free to comment here or hit me up on Twitter and comment there!
Thanks for reading! Cheers, and happy cubing.
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I had some thoughts on Starnheim and foretold in general following my playtesting
https://twitter.com/Zolthux/status/1352984233942384640?s=19
Im not testing Doomskar, as i still think its worse than the 4 mana wraths (which i feel ive sufficient of at my size)
Surprised not to see bloodsky berserker and Clarion Spirit which are testing well in low curve aggro decks.
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My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
I thought that you might have a hard time filling in 20, but the set still has a lot to offer for medium cubes.
I agree with you on the missed opportunity on the “sorcery” lands. They could be replacement for some of the weaker man lands if they fix mana as well. Perhaps in another set, they will make a rare cycle.
It is interesting to know that the top 4 colored cards are white; and for pauper, blue gets 3 new solid options as well.
I wanted to put Vorinclex in my artifact cube, but I agree that it suffers from the enabler coming in too late. At 6cc, it costs way too more than the cards it should be enabling. I might test it over doubling season for a while but I feel it will just be a big dumb beater with an ability that won’t matter much given the clock. Man, I wish he costed 4 so he can curve out with Verdurous Gearhulk at least!!!
Esika’s Chariot is something I appreciate for green in my artifact cube. Token generation and payoff, plus an artifact/vehicle.
Halvar is interesting as a creature/euipment choice depending on what you need, but I really hate the “vanilla creature mode” on an empty board. Still, that is better than an equipment that will be useless. Even though it is annoying that it can’t be tutored with Stoneforge Mystic, I am still going to try it in my artifact cube, and will likely stick.
I view Starnheim Unleashed and Doomskar as a “Fortell Package” and they seem to be OK for 450 cubes, but personally I am sticking with the 4 mana Shatter the Sky, pushing these out from my 450.
That leaves User the Fallen as my sole include for my 450 unpowered. Your asessment pretty much hits it dead center. It is one of the best one drops in cube.
Thanks again for the article!
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My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
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New untapped are always a welcome in my books. I love the pathway lands.
Three cards I will be watching very closely:
- Valki, God of Lies. TideHollow Sculler has been amazing because if its 2 power. I've found Mesmeric fiend to be underwhelming. Unfortunately, this creature doesn't have Sculler's ETB/ flicker shenanigans but it is mono-color + Valki seems like a nice card card to for black aggro, black-green recurring decks that need early drops + mana sinks.
- Battle Mammoth - This seems like a very well rounded creature, but I'm not sure if green midrange is really the way to go in vintage cube right now.
- Doomskar - I think the consensus is Wrath of God/ Day of Judgement are the better wrath. I'm not sure if Terminus, Doomskar or Shatter the Sky should be the 3rd wrath. I currently have give it to terminus because it can tuck rather than destroy them.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
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My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Do you have any opinions on Snow cards? Assuming the cube treats all basics as Snow basics.
But honestly I didn't evaluate the stuff that much since it doesn't really interest me or my playgroup. I'm sure there are other good snow cards worth looking at.
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My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
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Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
There seem to be quite a few cool options for lower rarity cubes in this set! But I'm not a C/Ube aficionado, so I leave that discussion for the folks that are.
I like them all, but the more aggressive the color combination, the better. Rakdos and Boros might have the most to gain from this cycle, if I had to guess.
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Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
I am really hoping fortell comes through stronger than it reads.
The more ways to splash Time Walk the better.
I think Foretell will be decent, but I've been reading a lot of peoples' takes about the mechanic and they seem to underestimate how big of a cost the 2 can be in the early parts of your curve. It's not nothing.
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My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
I do also think that foretell cards will get hardcast at least half the time if not more. You usually do have something to do on turn 2 with your two mana.
Because there are several powerful foretell cards, it's not hard to play three of them. Or even five or six if you want to. Saw It Coming is a card that by itself is not great, but alongside several other foretell cards, its effectiveness shoots way up. But I doubt many people are actually going to play more than one to three over the long term.
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My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
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I have a cube like that and I'm adding:
1x Frost Augur
1x Avalanche Caller
1x Boreal Outrider
1x Draugr Necromancer
Necromancer doesn't feel like a long-term add but if he plays well, maybe he'll stay in. I really enjoy stealing people's stuff.
For funsies I'm also tossing in Winter's Rest which reminds me of the (yes) quite-good Bind the Monster. Mostly, I'd like to see how it does in actual games. (I could easily upgrade it to BtM later.)
Thanks for the writeup, WtWlf. Always appreciated.
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I always enjoy seeing how your thoughts line up with my initial impressions, and I'll be curious to see how some of the cards I'm more down on end up performing. I'm definitely most excited about the cycle of Pathway lands being completed, and also thrilled that this isn't a crazy packed set like the past few have been. Definitely some cool cards that might sneak into the rotation but that aren't must play cards, which is a place I'm happy to have a set be.
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Ya, I'm quite happy with this set's design myself.
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Can't speak for others but I'll stick wtih Regisaur over Egon for this reason.
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Cubing in Indianapolis...send me a PM!!
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!