This is my 40th 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.
I’m not going to lie, Innistrad: Crimson Vow is a slightly below-average set for cubes. The set features a couple of cool mechanics with the introduction of Blood Tokens (artifacts you can sacrifice to loot) and more transform goodies. However, the powerlevel is tapered down a bit for godly constructed cards, and focuses more on fun and flavor for casual players. It also features Dracula-themed cards in the style of the old Godzilla ones, so if you like the Dracula universe, there may be a couple of cool variants you can get into your cube for more crossover IP flavor.
What I Like: Not that long ago, a 2 power flying creature for 2 mana with an upside would’ve been a slam dunk on its own. Now, 2-drops have become so efficient that they really need to be overpowered or contribute strongly to specific decktypes to push out the competition. I like the 2-power flying body, and blood tokens are valuable things to have around for a lot of different black shells. It can function as a backup discard outlet, can make extra permanents in Aristocrats shells, and has decent synergy with cards like Smokestack. Decent overall value for 2 mana.
What I Don't Like: It just falls short for me for a few reasons. I really wish the blood token generation triggered off of tokens too, since sacrifice decks would really be able to abuse that aspect with a lot of support cards. As a discard outlet, it would be far more consistent if it made a blood token upon ETB instead of death, to help with earlier reanimation support. Lastly, outside of very specific situations, transforming this card is going to be really hard due to the nontoken clause.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a playable evasive aggro beater that can also provide some additional permanents, this card could play really well. Especially if you support an aggressive artifact deck that uses things like Arcbound Ravager and Disciple of the Vault kinds of cards. But I think this is a miss for most traditionally constructed cubes.
What I Like: 3 power flying creatures for 3 mana are a solid baseline for attacking, and this creature provides additional value by being able to tap down blockers or lock down tapped creatures. Playing this in an aggressive deck that produce early attacking creatures will be a great fit, as resolving on T3 and immediately tapping down a blocker will help push through early damage.
What I Don't Like: The recipe for 1UU 3/1 evasive creatures has already produced some godly options. So this competes directly with cards like Vendillion Clique, True-Name Nemesis, and Brazen Borrower. In the face of that kind of competition, this card looks significantly less appealing since it’s so much worse on its own and doesn’t play nearly as well in reactive tempo shells.
Verdict: If you play a lot of U/X beatdown decks, this is a very solid option, as the creature disruption is very good support if you have other non-evasive creatures you need to push damage through with. But if your aggressive blue decks tend to be more tempo-oriented (like a lot of cube builds are) I don’t think this will push out the current competition.
What I Like: This card is like a pseudo Infest // Wrath variant that gives you the ability to sweep an early board full of tokens or small monsters for 3 mana, or the entire board and all the bigger monsters for 6. The efficiency in either mode is lacking slightly, but if you play any number of Orzhov control shells, it’s still a valuable card to have in your deck.
What I Don't Like: Each mode feels slightly meh, and I’m not sure if the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this case. Instant speed would be amazing. A 2B main cost, or 5cc Cleave mode would’ve gone a long way. But 1BB Sorcery feels a bit rough, and the 6-mana multicolor mode is a lot of mana.
Verdict: If your playgroup plays a decent amount of Orzhov or Esper control and you’re looking for a flexible sweeper option, Path of Peril might be that card for you. But with Damn in the mix already, I think this card is slightly too cost-inefficient to break into most Orzhov sections.
What I Like: 4 mana 4/4 flying is a solid baseline, and in a deck featuring a lot of proactive spells, this can represent a lot of damage if you have an opportunity to untap with it. Adding evasive Spark Elementals to your Commands and Wheels is pretty spicy, and this card can represent a TON of damage if you can do silly things like casting Time Spirals and the like with it on the board.
What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, it only triggers based on mana spent on the spells it’s looking at. So cards like Snuff Out and Fireblast that I was originally super excited to play with it don’t work. Additionally, it requires you to sacrifice the token at the beginning of THE next end step (instead of YOUR end step), so none of the tokens that you make off reactive spells will have a chance to attack. This clause hurts a lot since spell-heavy decks often feature blue as one of its colors. Lastly, this just doesn’t have the teeth (aggressively speaking) to push out cards that can apply immediate pressure, and it doesn’t guarantee any value in the face of removal, so value/midrange decks won’t be looking to play it either.
Verdict: In cubes that are deep on the spells-matter plan, this can be a powerful curve-topper in those kinds of decks. But for most cubes, I think this is a miss.
What I Like: 3 mana 3/4 vigilant body is solid. Immediate and repeatable graveyard disruption is nice. Spell cost reduction is powerful. This card is pretty good in most of your matchups. The body is beastly against aggro. The mana discount is valuable against control. The graveyard disruption is good against combo. Overall, it’s a super solid package. Note that the discount applies not just to the first card you exile, so as the game progresses and you’ve exiled more cards with it, the discount will apply to multiple card types at that point.
What I Don't Like: For most green decks, the creature-heavy nature of the deck construction will somewhat limit how early the spell discount will come into play. Until you have a creature target to exile, you aren’t super likely to be able to take full advantage of the discount feature. A 2G cost would’ve gone a long way towards making this card playable in more multicolor goodstuff decks, which generally feature a wider range of card types to get a discount bonus with.
Verdict: Overall very solid. If you play the ungabunga style green beatdown decks, this is a super solid monster. If your green midrange plan is more focussed on ramp and combo/cheaty kinds of decks, this card is probably lacking the home needed to make it a consistent player for your group.
What I Like: This card reminds me of a combination of Sheoldred and Verdant Force. It gives you immediate impact on your first end step, and starts killing/crippling your opponents monsters and making tokens before they have a chance to untap. In matchups where the opponent is going wide with tokens and aggressive bodies, this card will have an absurd impact. Not to mention that in decks with access to blue mana, you can also use this as a card advantage engine as soon as you’re making bodies with it.
What I Don't Like: In some matchups, the ability will be limited. The impact can be both minimal and temporary, and making bodies will be very matchup dependent. And the card draw requiring blue mana makes this card even more limited in which decks will be able to maximize the array of effects it has available.
Verdict: If you’re looking for another black reanimation target and you’re unhappy with option #3 or #4 that you’re currently using, you can give Toxrill a shot. It’s pretty devastating in certain matchups, so if tokens/go-wide aggro are giving your reanimation strategies fits, give this critter a chance to help shore up those weaknesses.
What I Like: This is a modern take on a Fact or Fiction kind of effect. You’re in full control of the cards that go to hand and get binned, so in a lot of situations, the ACS (average-case scenario) will be higher on this card, especially if the opponents are veterans that are good at making FoF splits. Also, in comparison to Memory Deluge, this card can feed the ‘yard, has a splashable casting cost, and can be cast for free with Torrential Gearhulk and still get full value.
What I Don't Like: While the ACS is often better on Thoughts, there are still quite a few things that the cards it most directly competes with can do that this one can’t. Fact or Fiction can always get you 3+ cards, so the raw card advantage is higher. It also digs deeper, so if what you need is that one specific card that wins you the game, the 1/4 split that gets you the perfect card is an option that can sometimes be better than your options with Thoughts. And of course, Memory Deluge has the flashback mode that nets two additional cards, so in traditional draw-go control, it’s likely the better option there two.
Verdict: This is a solid 4cc reactive draw spell that splits the difference between the advantages that Fact or Fiction or Memory Deluge might provide and rolls it up into a package that is more consistent and a better ACS performer. If you’re a fan of these kinds of cards and are looking for more of them, this is one of the best options available. Additionally, if you’re looking for a middle ground effect between the two existing options, this is a perfectly solid choice.
What I Like: This is the newest take on the splashable 3-power 2-drops that have drawback options to keep them alive in situations where they’d otherwise die. The exile for first strike ability will randomly be capable of making attacks and threatening blocks that the other options would’ve be able to pull off, and flickering the body off the board protects it from everything. It’s also an additional rare white discard outlet if cards like Karmic Guide and Unburial Rites make white a small roleplayer for graveyard decks in your cube.
What I Don't Like: Of the three commonly played options for this kind of effect, I think this one is my least favorite. Hallowblade’s indestructible clause allows it to get involved in combat and still kill the opponent’s creature, making it a menace to tangle with, and the 4-life vampire doesn’t have to discard cards to keep it alive. If this could target the opponent’s ‘yard to give it first strike, it would’ve added a whole added level of value.
Verdict: If you’re in the market for another white discard outlet or a 3rd survivable 3-power 2-drop, this card will play very solidly for you. Otherwise, I think this misses the cut for most cubes that are under ~720 cards or so.
A new Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy/Arcane Artisan Variant.
What I Like: The whole cube community has been comparing Jacob to JVP and Artisan since it was spoiled, and for obvious reasons. It’s a cheap fragile creature that has the ability to pseudo-loot for both card selection and eventual value. I like how robust Jacob gets when it transforms into Insight, and the impact can be incredible (both immediate value and long-term grinding value). Play it early, flip it once you have 4UU safely available, and reap the rewards.
What I Don't Like: Unlike JVP, this card can’t feed the yard for graveyard decks. And unlike Arcane Artisan, you have to wait until you have 6 mana available before dropping any threats. This card will be pretty fragile for quite a while before it gets crazy good, and if it gets blasted before you start casting free stuff with it, the impact is pretty minimal, and is effectively lost since you can’t interact with those exiled cards in other meaningful ways.
Verdict: This is my sleeper card for the set. I’m cautiously placing this card lower than where it probably belongs because I’m worried about the fragility of the body while it spends a decent amount of time not doing much. But man, when this card gets rolling, it’s going to be really hard to beat. It’s likely worth testing out because it has a really high ceiling, but I’m placing it somewhere in the ~630 range to be safe for now. But this card has the potential to be a cube monster that’s laying low during spoiler season.
What I Like: Don’t get me wrong, this is no Monastery Mentor …but this card can do a lot of work in creature-heavy shells. There are so few payoff cards in this vein that the effect feels super unique. It’s a human that makes human tokens, and a single 3-power creature can turn Toren and all the future training tokens into formidable threats. It’s pretty easy for this card to spiral out of control, and in a Selesnya beatdown deck that’s loaded with affordable and efficient threats, this can add a lot to the deck’s path to success.
What I Don't Like: Selesnya is full of cards that are usually performing specific roles for the cube manager. Naturalize/Disenchant effects, beatdown creatures, ramp, combo, utility/value creatures …adding in a card that just makes creature decks make more creatures can be hard to find room for.
Verdict: This effect is both powerful and unique. If players in your playgroup like to play white/green decks that play a ton of creatures and turn them sideways, this can add a payoff card and a build-around signpost card for those kinds of decks. It’s not for every cube environment, but I expect it to perform really well in cubes that encourage its players to win with fair creature decks.
What I Like: The ceiling on this card can be insanely high. As a later-game play, sacrificing a Bloodghast or Gravecrawler, getting a 3/3 creature and killing a ‘walker is an insane amount of value for a 2cc card. It’s also a solid T2 beater that’s both a Zombie for Gravecrawler and a Warrior for Najella.
What I Don't Like: I expect this to be a 3-power 2-drop a lot of the time, and I don’t know how often the planeswalker bullet option will realistically show up. Without a good creature to sacrifice to it (useless token, recursive body, etc) it’s going to be a 2-for-2, which is fair and situational. The lifeloss drawback will make this feel like a Wretched Anurid a lot of the time, which just doesn’t cut it in 2021.
Verdict: I’m all for increasing the density of planeswalker removal, and the opportunity cost to do so is low on this card because it has an acceptable floor even when it’s lacking on targets. But outside of very specific situations, I think this card is going to feel quite fair when it’s played, and very underwhelming without a ‘walker target and an expendable creature to exploit. I’d include this at 630 just at face value, and perhaps smaller in cubes loaded for bear with tokens/recursive creatures for Aristocrats and a higher than average planeswalker count.
What I Like: The play pattern on this card is great. Play a 3-power 2-drop. Attack with it until it can’t effectively turn sideways. When it runs into a roadblock, activate the ability, play the extra card, collect the card advantage, pass go, collect $200, and flip it into a 4/3 beater that can pick up attacking where the 3/1 body left off. Easy as can be.
What I Don't Like: Red’s 2cc creatures have grown deeper over the recent years, and a lot of them provide specific effects that help red is a variety of ways besides just turning sideways. While this card can generate card advantage and is a solid beater, it’s not spectacular at either role. The 1-toughness will render it an inefficient attacker pretty early on, and it has to take a turn off in order to get back on track. There exist better forms of attacking power and better ways to generate card advantage among its competition. Time will tell if the hybrid of both modes that VV embodies will ultimately prove out.
Verdict: If you’re at all unhappy with any of your red 2’s, this is likely worth a spin. I would be happy including this at 630 or 720, and is likely worth a test even in smaller cubes if you dislike any of your current options that aren’t critical roleplayers.
What I Like: The 0/4 body is a good defender against aggressive decks in the early game, and then it transforms into a 3/4 creature with evasion that can disrupt the opponent’s hand! If you play defensive/controlling black decks at all, this can be a really good card. Providing you with early defense, a good midgame body, a halfway-reasonable win condition, and disruption that can peel the opponent’s curve-topping bombs and hopefully replace them with something easier to deal with.
What I Don't Like: It takes a very specific kind of deck to want both halves of this card. Aggro wants the disruptive 3/4 with evasion, but doesn’t want to spend early mana/development on a 0/4 …at all. And this is no Clique, you have to frontload the disruptive cost, so the opponent can untap and draw an unknown card on the turn after you disrupt them, leaving your defenses down if you activate it on curve. So it needs to be played in a deck that wants the early wall and can wait until the later stages of the game to transform it. Which pretty much relegates it to control decks in the cube format, and black control is good, but it’s not usually popular enough to warrant a ton of dedicated slots for it.
Verdict: If you play a lot of black control and have room for another dedicated tool, I think this card looks really good. I’d play it at 630+ for sure, and I’d test it in smaller lists where black control is a really popular archetype.
What I Like: A splashable 2/1 first strike that has the ability to disrupt graveyards and shock players. The floor is acceptable. As a 2/1 first strike, it can attack into most creatures and apply pressure through the red zone even if the disruptive shocking fails. The strongest use for this card will be exiling a land from a graveyard on curve, and turning this into a 2-mana Zo-Zu the Punisher with first strike. It’s absolutely backbreaking as an Ankh of Mishra on legs. It also has the ability to exile an early instant to punish reactive control decks, or an early sorcery to combat storm combo.
What I Don't Like: When it doesn’t disrupt the ‘yard and shock players, it’s a pretty disappointing card. If you don’t support Storm combo (which this guy can punish hard) or have an above-average density of fetchlands, I think this will be a Youthful Knight too often to be super exciting.
Verdict: I ranked this card where I did because in some windows it’s super busted. Additionally, in cubes that play a multiple fetchland package and/or heavily support storm, it’s going to be too good to leave out. I think this is a ~630 card for most traditionally constructed cubes, but in some specific builds, it has a chance to be a staple.
What I Like: A 2/3 flying body is a big improvement over the plain 2/2 body of MotM. Unlike Mentor, Vampire draws the cards for free too, so you don’t have to spend any additional mana to generate your card advantage. The once per turn limitation can stop some of the spicier shenanigans, but as a face value effect, drawing for free is a bigger upside. Additionally, if you can create any creatures on the opponent’s turn, you can draw a card on their turn too, so something like an Ophiomancer with a sacrifice outlet can draw 2 cards per turn cycle. Mentor is a strong tool for decks that produce recursive bodies and tokens on the cheap and on demand.
What I Don't Like: White’s 3cc creature suite is pretty stacked, and most of the cards there are roleplayers for specific decktypes. Finding a card for a goodstuff small creature deck support card will be tough for a lot of lists.
Verdict: I’d be eyeing this card for my list in the 630-720 range, or in cubes that have a lot of ways to produce cheap/free creatures on demand on either player’s turn. A completely solid option anywhere else though, don’t sleep on this effect. Drawing extra cards for free when you don’t need to change your gameplan in order to make it work is going to be good everywhere.
What I Like: The biggest issue I’ve had with Compulsive Research historically has been the sorcery-speed. Upgrading the effect to an instant is a big deal, even at the cost of limiting the discard option to a basic land. Not much else to say. If you’re looking for a 3cc draw/discard option, this is likely going to be the new standard moving forward.
What I Don't Like: I love drafting greedy manabases that are loaded with nonbasic lands. This card might be harder for me to use than the average drafter since my basic land count is often very, very low.
Verdict: Despite the basic land restriction, I like this card more than Compulsive Research, and by quite a bit. I’d consider this for myself somewhere in the 630-720 range, and perhaps in smaller cubes that play a lot of 2-color decks with fair manabases.
What I Like: A 4/4 trample for 4 mana with haste is nothing to scoff at. It applies pressure very well through the vast majority of defensive bodies on the board at that time, and is very good at clearing ‘walkers because of that combination of effects. As the game progresses and you get access to more mana, you can transform it into an 8/8 monster of a threat that will close games out quick. This provides midrange decks with powerful endgame monsters without having to sacrifice midgame pressure in order to access it.
What I Don't Like: This card is no Questing Beast, and I question the need for two different 4-power 4/4 haste monsters in green.
Verdict: This would be a new go-to favorite of mine in ungabunga green, since it doesn’t have to sacrifice the potential late game flood protection that true ramp decks have since this is such a beastly end game monster when you’re flooded. It still provides great pressure as a 4-drop, and is a very spicy addition to midrange green. I would include this at 630 for sure, and smaller cubes that play that style of green as a primary green deck should find room for it.
What I Like: This card has a very familiar recipe for a successful ‘walker. It resolves, puts a decent body on the board, and leaves behind a ‘planeswalker that generates card advantage while working towards a game-ending ultimate. The 2/3 flying lifelink body produced by the {-2} is no joke. It’s valuable on both offense and defense, and has synergy with Sorin’s first ability. The {+1} ability is worth a card, and unlike Dark Confidant’s similar trigger, this card gives you the option. Meaning you don’t have to deal massive damage to yourself or reveal a critical card if you don’t want to. And the ultimate pretty much wins the game on the spot in most situations, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice.
What I Don't Like: This card does exactly what I would expect a modern 4cc ‘walker to do. My hesitation with it is exactly where its best fit will be. The {+1} ability is best suited for a low-to-the-ground aggressive deck, but the rest of the card doesn’t suit that shell perfectly. Control may have to opt not to draw too often because of the higher average mana value of its spells, so it’s not optimal there either. It’s perfect for a black midrange deck, but do I really want to add in a card that’s only really going to shine in midrange? I don’t think I do.
Verdict: I would test this card at 630 for sure. It’s a good solid black ‘walker, and it will perform solidly if you elect to play it. I’m just not sure it has an ideal home in enough decks to justify it in smaller lists.
What I Like: This is a good aggressive creature. It has the floor of being a 2-power 1-drop at the very least. If you play the card later in the game, it might resolve as a 3-power creature if you already have a curve-topper on the board. And it will grow immediately when you play higher mana value spells. I love the fact that it triggers based on mana value, so when you cast Snuff Out, Fireblast, and Force of Will this card will grow, even when played for free!
What I Don't Like: If you don’t play aggressively slanted green decks, this card won’t have a home for you.
Verdict: If you play green in your aggro decks, this card is an immediate must-play card. Most super small lists don’t support decks where this card is ideal, so it’s likely not a card for 360-card cubes. But if you support green aggro in any cube size, probably in the 450-540 range, this card should go in.
What I Like: This card is to Inquisition of Kozilek what Burst Lightning is to Lightning Bolt. Is Inquisition better? Yes. Is Dread Fugue still a great cube card? Absolutely. There are only a couple of cards that can peel all of your opponent’s most powerful early plays from their hand regardless of their card type. That list includes Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, and …that’s it. So this card is in elite company when you want to make proactive plays that can pull Moxes, cheap spells, and early threats from the opponent’s hand. Plus, this card has kicker (sorry, I meant Cleave) that allows it to hit any card if you pay the 2B. So unlike Inquisition, this card isn’t limited to only hitting small cards when topdecked later on. Don’t sleep on the Cleave ability, it adds a lot of value to the card.
What I Don't Like: In cubes with a less volatile early game (like unpowered cubes or fairer cubes that focus more on midgame interaction and combat) the range of critical targets for this card shrinks quite a bit. It’s a much more powerful card the faster, leaner, and more powerful the rest of the cube is.
Verdict: In a lean, explosive, powered cube, I think this card is likely worth testing, and may very well be a new staple 1cc discard spell. In fairer unpowered lists, it might be relegated to 450+ cubes, but it’ll still be quite good. This spell excites me, and I think it’s going to be very strong for years to come.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to comment here or comment over on Twitter, and we can discuss cube!
This looks about how I expected. Some decent cards for larger lists, but no real home runs for smaller tighter lists. Thanks, as always, for the write-up. Truly one of the best things for cubers come spoiler season.
This looks about how I expected. Some decent cards for larger lists, but no real home runs for smaller tighter lists. Thanks, as always, for the write-up. Truly one of the best things for cubers come spoiler season.
Being the 5th standard set of the year and a mediocre one at that, I was worried we weren't going to get a top 20! Really appreciate the write-up, even if most of the cards aren't in cube contention it's still nice to see your thoughts on them!
This is the first time in a while the cards I've been excited about are so different to yours. But you do get into the why in your explanations. I'm definitely trying to support midrange green and spells matter red so it makes sense Manaform Hellkite and Cemetery Prowler are higher up my list. I also like the call of Jacob Hauken as a potential sleeper. I just have no clue how good or bad it's going to be and am really excited to see it in action!
I am a bit confused why you say Graf Reaver is a 2-for-2 if there's no good sacrifice fodder - if there's a PW target, it can just sac itself, which makes it a 2cmc sorcery speed destroy target PW - obviously not a card we'd ever play on its own, but when you want it, it's pretty good. And if there's anything you want in play less and a 3/3 that pings you every turn, it's still a 1-for-1.
I think the card is just a 3/3 for 2 that pings you for 1 each turn 90%+ of the time (are you gonna hold this up off curve on the off chance they play a PW?), which means it only finds a home in aggressive decks, so I think the rating is right, just confused by the wording.
What I mean, is that it's only ever going to be card parity (a 2-for-2 or a 1-for-1) unless you have something amazing/synergistic to feed to it like a Bloodghast/Gravecrawler/Ophiomancer Token/etc. In all the other cases, the exploit is costing you a card, so the advantage isn't amazing.
Curious about your thoughts on Volatile Arsonist. We’re adding him over Goldspan Dragon for 720. Note that we have some human tribal synergies in white plus Winota.
I think Volatile Arsonist is a fine option for that extra 5cc creature slot if you have an open position. I personally prefer Glorybringer and Goldspan Dragon (and I don't have either in my list currently) but there's nothing wrong with this new option at all. Especially if you have other ways to help it resolve flipped in the cube.
Nice article again for a lacklustre set. I'm only confident in the #1 and #2 sticking around plus possibly Thirst for Discovery. I'm embarrassed to admit the 'basic' clause completely passed me by, that looks way less good now. I'll also try out Welcoming Vampire as the first Mentor of the Meek effect that looks decent to me, thanks to the passable body and free trigger - I know Mentor used to have its fans on this forum (remember DerBK, oldtimers?).
I like some green aggro in my cube, but 4cc spells in aggro decks will not be much, so it feels it will not be pumped much.
I think I like Dread Fugue's play pattern. In the first 2 turns, it will likely get something, and on turn 3, Cleave it and you will get the best card in hand. I forsee some feel bad moments where you see a lot of good 3cc or 4cc spells but you cant get them.
This is my 40th 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.
I’m not going to lie, Innistrad: Crimson Vow is a slightly below-average set for cubes. The set features a couple of cool mechanics with the introduction of Blood Tokens (artifacts you can sacrifice to loot) and more transform goodies. However, the powerlevel is tapered down a bit for godly constructed cards, and focuses more on fun and flavor for casual players. It also features Dracula-themed cards in the style of the old Godzilla ones, so if you like the Dracula universe, there may be a couple of cool variants you can get into your cube for more crossover IP flavor.
Without further ado, here’s the countdown!
Voldaren Bloodcaster // Bloodbat Summoner
A cheap, evasive blood token generator.
What I Like: Not that long ago, a 2 power flying creature for 2 mana with an upside would’ve been a slam dunk on its own. Now, 2-drops have become so efficient that they really need to be overpowered or contribute strongly to specific decktypes to push out the competition. I like the 2-power flying body, and blood tokens are valuable things to have around for a lot of different black shells. It can function as a backup discard outlet, can make extra permanents in Aristocrats shells, and has decent synergy with cards like Smokestack. Decent overall value for 2 mana.
What I Don't Like: It just falls short for me for a few reasons. I really wish the blood token generation triggered off of tokens too, since sacrifice decks would really be able to abuse that aspect with a lot of support cards. As a discard outlet, it would be far more consistent if it made a blood token upon ETB instead of death, to help with earlier reanimation support. Lastly, outside of very specific situations, transforming this card is going to be really hard due to the nontoken clause.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a playable evasive aggro beater that can also provide some additional permanents, this card could play really well. Especially if you support an aggressive artifact deck that uses things like Arcbound Ravager and Disciple of the Vault kinds of cards. But I think this is a miss for most traditionally constructed cubes.
Dreamshackle Geist
A disruptive evasive beater.
What I Like: 3 power flying creatures for 3 mana are a solid baseline for attacking, and this creature provides additional value by being able to tap down blockers or lock down tapped creatures. Playing this in an aggressive deck that produce early attacking creatures will be a great fit, as resolving on T3 and immediately tapping down a blocker will help push through early damage.
What I Don't Like: The recipe for 1UU 3/1 evasive creatures has already produced some godly options. So this competes directly with cards like Vendillion Clique, True-Name Nemesis, and Brazen Borrower. In the face of that kind of competition, this card looks significantly less appealing since it’s so much worse on its own and doesn’t play nearly as well in reactive tempo shells.
Verdict: If you play a lot of U/X beatdown decks, this is a very solid option, as the creature disruption is very good support if you have other non-evasive creatures you need to push damage through with. But if your aggressive blue decks tend to be more tempo-oriented (like a lot of cube builds are) I don’t think this will push out the current competition.
Path of Peril
Darn.
What I Like: This card is like a pseudo Infest // Wrath variant that gives you the ability to sweep an early board full of tokens or small monsters for 3 mana, or the entire board and all the bigger monsters for 6. The efficiency in either mode is lacking slightly, but if you play any number of Orzhov control shells, it’s still a valuable card to have in your deck.
What I Don't Like: Each mode feels slightly meh, and I’m not sure if the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this case. Instant speed would be amazing. A 2B main cost, or 5cc Cleave mode would’ve gone a long way. But 1BB Sorcery feels a bit rough, and the 6-mana multicolor mode is a lot of mana.
Verdict: If your playgroup plays a decent amount of Orzhov or Esper control and you’re looking for a flexible sweeper option, Path of Peril might be that card for you. But with Damn in the mix already, I think this card is slightly too cost-inefficient to break into most Orzhov sections.
Manaform Hellkite
A spells-matters curve-topper.
What I Like: 4 mana 4/4 flying is a solid baseline, and in a deck featuring a lot of proactive spells, this can represent a lot of damage if you have an opportunity to untap with it. Adding evasive Spark Elementals to your Commands and Wheels is pretty spicy, and this card can represent a TON of damage if you can do silly things like casting Time Spirals and the like with it on the board.
What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, it only triggers based on mana spent on the spells it’s looking at. So cards like Snuff Out and Fireblast that I was originally super excited to play with it don’t work. Additionally, it requires you to sacrifice the token at the beginning of THE next end step (instead of YOUR end step), so none of the tokens that you make off reactive spells will have a chance to attack. This clause hurts a lot since spell-heavy decks often feature blue as one of its colors. Lastly, this just doesn’t have the teeth (aggressively speaking) to push out cards that can apply immediate pressure, and it doesn’t guarantee any value in the face of removal, so value/midrange decks won’t be looking to play it either.
Verdict: In cubes that are deep on the spells-matter plan, this can be a powerful curve-topper in those kinds of decks. But for most cubes, I think this is a miss.
Cemetery Prowler
A good midrange monster.
What I Like: 3 mana 3/4 vigilant body is solid. Immediate and repeatable graveyard disruption is nice. Spell cost reduction is powerful. This card is pretty good in most of your matchups. The body is beastly against aggro. The mana discount is valuable against control. The graveyard disruption is good against combo. Overall, it’s a super solid package. Note that the discount applies not just to the first card you exile, so as the game progresses and you’ve exiled more cards with it, the discount will apply to multiple card types at that point.
What I Don't Like: For most green decks, the creature-heavy nature of the deck construction will somewhat limit how early the spell discount will come into play. Until you have a creature target to exile, you aren’t super likely to be able to take full advantage of the discount feature. A 2G cost would’ve gone a long way towards making this card playable in more multicolor goodstuff decks, which generally feature a wider range of card types to get a discount bonus with.
Verdict: Overall very solid. If you play the ungabunga style green beatdown decks, this is a super solid monster. If your green midrange plan is more focussed on ramp and combo/cheaty kinds of decks, this card is probably lacking the home needed to make it a consistent player for your group.
Toxrill, the Corrosive
A solid reanimator target.
What I Like: This card reminds me of a combination of Sheoldred and Verdant Force. It gives you immediate impact on your first end step, and starts killing/crippling your opponents monsters and making tokens before they have a chance to untap. In matchups where the opponent is going wide with tokens and aggressive bodies, this card will have an absurd impact. Not to mention that in decks with access to blue mana, you can also use this as a card advantage engine as soon as you’re making bodies with it.
What I Don't Like: In some matchups, the ability will be limited. The impact can be both minimal and temporary, and making bodies will be very matchup dependent. And the card draw requiring blue mana makes this card even more limited in which decks will be able to maximize the array of effects it has available.
Verdict: If you’re looking for another black reanimation target and you’re unhappy with option #3 or #4 that you’re currently using, you can give Toxrill a shot. It’s pretty devastating in certain matchups, so if tokens/go-wide aggro are giving your reanimation strategies fits, give this critter a chance to help shore up those weaknesses.
Scattered Thoughts
A new Fact or Fiction/Memory Deluge variant.
What I Like: This is a modern take on a Fact or Fiction kind of effect. You’re in full control of the cards that go to hand and get binned, so in a lot of situations, the ACS (average-case scenario) will be higher on this card, especially if the opponents are veterans that are good at making FoF splits. Also, in comparison to Memory Deluge, this card can feed the ‘yard, has a splashable casting cost, and can be cast for free with Torrential Gearhulk and still get full value.
What I Don't Like: While the ACS is often better on Thoughts, there are still quite a few things that the cards it most directly competes with can do that this one can’t. Fact or Fiction can always get you 3+ cards, so the raw card advantage is higher. It also digs deeper, so if what you need is that one specific card that wins you the game, the 1/4 split that gets you the perfect card is an option that can sometimes be better than your options with Thoughts. And of course, Memory Deluge has the flashback mode that nets two additional cards, so in traditional draw-go control, it’s likely the better option there two.
Verdict: This is a solid 4cc reactive draw spell that splits the difference between the advantages that Fact or Fiction or Memory Deluge might provide and rolls it up into a package that is more consistent and a better ACS performer. If you’re a fan of these kinds of cards and are looking for more of them, this is one of the best options available. Additionally, if you’re looking for a middle ground effect between the two existing options, this is a perfectly solid choice.
Fleeting Spirit
The newest survivable 3-power 2-drop variant.
What I Like: This is the newest take on the splashable 3-power 2-drops that have drawback options to keep them alive in situations where they’d otherwise die. The exile for first strike ability will randomly be capable of making attacks and threatening blocks that the other options would’ve be able to pull off, and flickering the body off the board protects it from everything. It’s also an additional rare white discard outlet if cards like Karmic Guide and Unburial Rites make white a small roleplayer for graveyard decks in your cube.
What I Don't Like: Of the three commonly played options for this kind of effect, I think this one is my least favorite. Hallowblade’s indestructible clause allows it to get involved in combat and still kill the opponent’s creature, making it a menace to tangle with, and the 4-life vampire doesn’t have to discard cards to keep it alive. If this could target the opponent’s ‘yard to give it first strike, it would’ve added a whole added level of value.
Verdict: If you’re in the market for another white discard outlet or a 3rd survivable 3-power 2-drop, this card will play very solidly for you. Otherwise, I think this misses the cut for most cubes that are under ~720 cards or so.
Jacob Hauken, Inspector // Hauken's Insight
A new Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy/Arcane Artisan Variant.
What I Like: The whole cube community has been comparing Jacob to JVP and Artisan since it was spoiled, and for obvious reasons. It’s a cheap fragile creature that has the ability to pseudo-loot for both card selection and eventual value. I like how robust Jacob gets when it transforms into Insight, and the impact can be incredible (both immediate value and long-term grinding value). Play it early, flip it once you have 4UU safely available, and reap the rewards.
What I Don't Like: Unlike JVP, this card can’t feed the yard for graveyard decks. And unlike Arcane Artisan, you have to wait until you have 6 mana available before dropping any threats. This card will be pretty fragile for quite a while before it gets crazy good, and if it gets blasted before you start casting free stuff with it, the impact is pretty minimal, and is effectively lost since you can’t interact with those exiled cards in other meaningful ways.
Verdict: This is my sleeper card for the set. I’m cautiously placing this card lower than where it probably belongs because I’m worried about the fragility of the body while it spends a decent amount of time not doing much. But man, when this card gets rolling, it’s going to be really hard to beat. It’s likely worth testing out because it has a really high ceiling, but I’m placing it somewhere in the ~630 range to be safe for now. But this card has the potential to be a cube monster that’s laying low during spoiler season.
Torens, Fist of the Angels
A Mentor variant for creature decks!
What I Like: Don’t get me wrong, this is no Monastery Mentor …but this card can do a lot of work in creature-heavy shells. There are so few payoff cards in this vein that the effect feels super unique. It’s a human that makes human tokens, and a single 3-power creature can turn Toren and all the future training tokens into formidable threats. It’s pretty easy for this card to spiral out of control, and in a Selesnya beatdown deck that’s loaded with affordable and efficient threats, this can add a lot to the deck’s path to success.
What I Don't Like: Selesnya is full of cards that are usually performing specific roles for the cube manager. Naturalize/Disenchant effects, beatdown creatures, ramp, combo, utility/value creatures …adding in a card that just makes creature decks make more creatures can be hard to find room for.
Verdict: This effect is both powerful and unique. If players in your playgroup like to play white/green decks that play a ton of creatures and turn them sideways, this can add a payoff card and a build-around signpost card for those kinds of decks. It’s not for every cube environment, but I expect it to perform really well in cubes that encourage its players to win with fair creature decks.
Graf Reaver
A 2-mana 3/3 that kills ‘walkers!
What I Like: The ceiling on this card can be insanely high. As a later-game play, sacrificing a Bloodghast or Gravecrawler, getting a 3/3 creature and killing a ‘walker is an insane amount of value for a 2cc card. It’s also a solid T2 beater that’s both a Zombie for Gravecrawler and a Warrior for Najella.
What I Don't Like: I expect this to be a 3-power 2-drop a lot of the time, and I don’t know how often the planeswalker bullet option will realistically show up. Without a good creature to sacrifice to it (useless token, recursive body, etc) it’s going to be a 2-for-2, which is fair and situational. The lifeloss drawback will make this feel like a Wretched Anurid a lot of the time, which just doesn’t cut it in 2021.
Verdict: I’m all for increasing the density of planeswalker removal, and the opportunity cost to do so is low on this card because it has an acceptable floor even when it’s lacking on targets. But outside of very specific situations, I think this card is going to feel quite fair when it’s played, and very underwhelming without a ‘walker target and an expendable creature to exploit. I’d include this at 630 just at face value, and perhaps smaller in cubes loaded for bear with tokens/recursive creatures for Aristocrats and a higher than average planeswalker count.
Voltaic Visionary // Volt-Charged Berserker
A 3-power 2-drop that generates card advantage!
What I Like: The play pattern on this card is great. Play a 3-power 2-drop. Attack with it until it can’t effectively turn sideways. When it runs into a roadblock, activate the ability, play the extra card, collect the card advantage, pass go, collect $200, and flip it into a 4/3 beater that can pick up attacking where the 3/1 body left off. Easy as can be.
What I Don't Like: Red’s 2cc creatures have grown deeper over the recent years, and a lot of them provide specific effects that help red is a variety of ways besides just turning sideways. While this card can generate card advantage and is a solid beater, it’s not spectacular at either role. The 1-toughness will render it an inefficient attacker pretty early on, and it has to take a turn off in order to get back on track. There exist better forms of attacking power and better ways to generate card advantage among its competition. Time will tell if the hybrid of both modes that VV embodies will ultimately prove out.
Verdict: If you’re at all unhappy with any of your red 2’s, this is likely worth a spin. I would be happy including this at 630 or 720, and is likely worth a test even in smaller cubes if you dislike any of your current options that aren’t critical roleplayers.
Concealing Curtains // Revealing Eye
A Steel Wall // Vendillion Clique hybrid!
What I Like: The 0/4 body is a good defender against aggressive decks in the early game, and then it transforms into a 3/4 creature with evasion that can disrupt the opponent’s hand! If you play defensive/controlling black decks at all, this can be a really good card. Providing you with early defense, a good midgame body, a halfway-reasonable win condition, and disruption that can peel the opponent’s curve-topping bombs and hopefully replace them with something easier to deal with.
What I Don't Like: It takes a very specific kind of deck to want both halves of this card. Aggro wants the disruptive 3/4 with evasion, but doesn’t want to spend early mana/development on a 0/4 …at all. And this is no Clique, you have to frontload the disruptive cost, so the opponent can untap and draw an unknown card on the turn after you disrupt them, leaving your defenses down if you activate it on curve. So it needs to be played in a deck that wants the early wall and can wait until the later stages of the game to transform it. Which pretty much relegates it to control decks in the cube format, and black control is good, but it’s not usually popular enough to warrant a ton of dedicated slots for it.
Verdict: If you play a lot of black control and have room for another dedicated tool, I think this card looks really good. I’d play it at 630+ for sure, and I’d test it in smaller lists where black control is a really popular archetype.
Cemetery Gatekeeper
A new Eidolon variant!
What I Like: A splashable 2/1 first strike that has the ability to disrupt graveyards and shock players. The floor is acceptable. As a 2/1 first strike, it can attack into most creatures and apply pressure through the red zone even if the disruptive shocking fails. The strongest use for this card will be exiling a land from a graveyard on curve, and turning this into a 2-mana Zo-Zu the Punisher with first strike. It’s absolutely backbreaking as an Ankh of Mishra on legs. It also has the ability to exile an early instant to punish reactive control decks, or an early sorcery to combat storm combo.
What I Don't Like: When it doesn’t disrupt the ‘yard and shock players, it’s a pretty disappointing card. If you don’t support Storm combo (which this guy can punish hard) or have an above-average density of fetchlands, I think this will be a Youthful Knight too often to be super exciting.
Verdict: I ranked this card where I did because in some windows it’s super busted. Additionally, in cubes that play a multiple fetchland package and/or heavily support storm, it’s going to be too good to leave out. I think this is a ~630 card for most traditionally constructed cubes, but in some specific builds, it has a chance to be a staple.
Welcoming Vampire
A new Mentor of the Meek variant.
What I Like: A 2/3 flying body is a big improvement over the plain 2/2 body of MotM. Unlike Mentor, Vampire draws the cards for free too, so you don’t have to spend any additional mana to generate your card advantage. The once per turn limitation can stop some of the spicier shenanigans, but as a face value effect, drawing for free is a bigger upside. Additionally, if you can create any creatures on the opponent’s turn, you can draw a card on their turn too, so something like an Ophiomancer with a sacrifice outlet can draw 2 cards per turn cycle. Mentor is a strong tool for decks that produce recursive bodies and tokens on the cheap and on demand.
What I Don't Like: White’s 3cc creature suite is pretty stacked, and most of the cards there are roleplayers for specific decktypes. Finding a card for a goodstuff small creature deck support card will be tough for a lot of lists.
Verdict: I’d be eyeing this card for my list in the 630-720 range, or in cubes that have a lot of ways to produce cheap/free creatures on demand on either player’s turn. A completely solid option anywhere else though, don’t sleep on this effect. Drawing extra cards for free when you don’t need to change your gameplan in order to make it work is going to be good everywhere.
Thirst for Discovery
A Compulsive Research variant!
What I Like: The biggest issue I’ve had with Compulsive Research historically has been the sorcery-speed. Upgrading the effect to an instant is a big deal, even at the cost of limiting the discard option to a basic land. Not much else to say. If you’re looking for a 3cc draw/discard option, this is likely going to be the new standard moving forward.
What I Don't Like: I love drafting greedy manabases that are loaded with nonbasic lands. This card might be harder for me to use than the average drafter since my basic land count is often very, very low.
Verdict: Despite the basic land restriction, I like this card more than Compulsive Research, and by quite a bit. I’d consider this for myself somewhere in the 630-720 range, and perhaps in smaller cubes that play a lot of 2-color decks with fair manabases.
Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth
A big hastey beater with trample!
What I Like: A 4/4 trample for 4 mana with haste is nothing to scoff at. It applies pressure very well through the vast majority of defensive bodies on the board at that time, and is very good at clearing ‘walkers because of that combination of effects. As the game progresses and you get access to more mana, you can transform it into an 8/8 monster of a threat that will close games out quick. This provides midrange decks with powerful endgame monsters without having to sacrifice midgame pressure in order to access it.
What I Don't Like: This card is no Questing Beast, and I question the need for two different 4-power 4/4 haste monsters in green.
Verdict: This would be a new go-to favorite of mine in ungabunga green, since it doesn’t have to sacrifice the potential late game flood protection that true ramp decks have since this is such a beastly end game monster when you’re flooded. It still provides great pressure as a 4-drop, and is a very spicy addition to midrange green. I would include this at 630 for sure, and smaller cubes that play that style of green as a primary green deck should find room for it.
Sorin the Mirthless
A 4cc value ‘walker in black.
What I Like: This card has a very familiar recipe for a successful ‘walker. It resolves, puts a decent body on the board, and leaves behind a ‘planeswalker that generates card advantage while working towards a game-ending ultimate. The 2/3 flying lifelink body produced by the {-2} is no joke. It’s valuable on both offense and defense, and has synergy with Sorin’s first ability. The {+1} ability is worth a card, and unlike Dark Confidant’s similar trigger, this card gives you the option. Meaning you don’t have to deal massive damage to yourself or reveal a critical card if you don’t want to. And the ultimate pretty much wins the game on the spot in most situations, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice.
What I Don't Like: This card does exactly what I would expect a modern 4cc ‘walker to do. My hesitation with it is exactly where its best fit will be. The {+1} ability is best suited for a low-to-the-ground aggressive deck, but the rest of the card doesn’t suit that shell perfectly. Control may have to opt not to draw too often because of the higher average mana value of its spells, so it’s not optimal there either. It’s perfect for a black midrange deck, but do I really want to add in a card that’s only really going to shine in midrange? I don’t think I do.
Verdict: I would test this card at 630 for sure. It’s a good solid black ‘walker, and it will perform solidly if you elect to play it. I’m just not sure it has an ideal home in enough decks to justify it in smaller lists.
Ascendant Packleader
A nice green 2-power 1-drop!
What I Like: This is a good aggressive creature. It has the floor of being a 2-power 1-drop at the very least. If you play the card later in the game, it might resolve as a 3-power creature if you already have a curve-topper on the board. And it will grow immediately when you play higher mana value spells. I love the fact that it triggers based on mana value, so when you cast Snuff Out, Fireblast, and Force of Will this card will grow, even when played for free!
What I Don't Like: If you don’t play aggressively slanted green decks, this card won’t have a home for you.
Verdict: If you play green in your aggro decks, this card is an immediate must-play card. Most super small lists don’t support decks where this card is ideal, so it’s likely not a card for 360-card cubes. But if you support green aggro in any cube size, probably in the 450-540 range, this card should go in.
Dread Fugue
A very solid 1cc discard spell.
What I Like: This card is to Inquisition of Kozilek what Burst Lightning is to Lightning Bolt. Is Inquisition better? Yes. Is Dread Fugue still a great cube card? Absolutely. There are only a couple of cards that can peel all of your opponent’s most powerful early plays from their hand regardless of their card type. That list includes Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, and …that’s it. So this card is in elite company when you want to make proactive plays that can pull Moxes, cheap spells, and early threats from the opponent’s hand. Plus, this card has kicker (sorry, I meant Cleave) that allows it to hit any card if you pay the 2B. So unlike Inquisition, this card isn’t limited to only hitting small cards when topdecked later on. Don’t sleep on the Cleave ability, it adds a lot of value to the card.
What I Don't Like: In cubes with a less volatile early game (like unpowered cubes or fairer cubes that focus more on midgame interaction and combat) the range of critical targets for this card shrinks quite a bit. It’s a much more powerful card the faster, leaner, and more powerful the rest of the cube is.
Verdict: In a lean, explosive, powered cube, I think this card is likely worth testing, and may very well be a new staple 1cc discard spell. In fairer unpowered lists, it might be relegated to 450+ cubes, but it’ll still be quite good. This spell excites me, and I think it’s going to be very strong for years to come.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to comment here or comment over on Twitter, and we can discuss cube!
Cheers, and happy cubing.
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Nice to give the wallet a little rest
I won't add any cards to my 360 list.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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Every once in a while, a light set feels good on the ol' wallet.
You're welcome.
Thanks for the kind words!
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540 Version: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/zza
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Thanks for the [p]review as always.
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I am a bit confused why you say Graf Reaver is a 2-for-2 if there's no good sacrifice fodder - if there's a PW target, it can just sac itself, which makes it a 2cmc sorcery speed destroy target PW - obviously not a card we'd ever play on its own, but when you want it, it's pretty good. And if there's anything you want in play less and a 3/3 that pings you every turn, it's still a 1-for-1.
I think the card is just a 3/3 for 2 that pings you for 1 each turn 90%+ of the time (are you gonna hold this up off curve on the off chance they play a PW?), which means it only finds a home in aggressive decks, so I think the rating is right, just confused by the wording.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
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My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
Curious about your thoughts on Volatile Arsonist. We’re adding him over Goldspan Dragon for 720. Note that we have some human tribal synergies in white plus Winota.
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Cheers,
rant
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On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
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I like some green aggro in my cube, but 4cc spells in aggro decks will not be much, so it feels it will not be pumped much.
I think I like Dread Fugue's play pattern. In the first 2 turns, it will likely get something, and on turn 3, Cleave it and you will get the best card in hand. I forsee some feel bad moments where you see a lot of good 3cc or 4cc spells but you cant get them.
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