Yeah, that's the idea. I've currently got 5 gold cards/guild and 4 lands (ABUR, fetch, shock, and manland). I'd be adding either the checklands, fastlands, or painlands (not sure which yet, but probably checklands) over one of the existing cards.
I Can agree with AntiPox for the most part.
Rakdos though I would cut Aristocrat
Selesnya either one is fine,
Izzet: Duplicate has been a beast for us, I would cut Electrolze
Follow-up: Due to budgetary constraints, I'm thinking short-term of ally checklands (I already have them all, and some of the ally fastlands are above where I'd like to pay), but since I don't own enemy fastlands or enemy checklands, was thinking of just getting the fastlands.
Would you find it annoying/bad if you drafted and had this split since it doesn't account for whether a given color pair is aggressive or slower? The ultimate goal would be all fastlands, and I think it makes more sense not to buy lands I'd already be planning to replace, but am indecisive on this front.
It wouldn't tick me off, every cube is unique with Pros and Cons with every card choice. Other than it might be nice to let your new drafters know ahead of time so that way they can make logical decisions
Fractured Identity needs to be in that Azorious guild. It's definitely within the top 3 Azorious cards. Being able to take Planewalkers is huge. Cut Revelation if you want to try Calcutron. I think wlwtf123 and Antipox have covered the rest so I won't repeat what they' said. If budget is your primary constraint and your plan of action is short-term, I think your thinking is fine. Yeah, it won't be entirely optimal at the moment, but you are going to replace those lands eventually. I wouldn't be too bothered at all so don't feel pressured to buy the lands you're planning to replace.
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Nissa, Vastwood Seer or Cultivate? - I currently already run Kodama's Reach and I really like it. I'm just not sure if I should run Nissa instead of another Kodama's Reach for diversity.
Command > Forbid > Force > Miscalculation > Force Spike but I can't imagine cutting any of these cards even in a small cube.
This.
Force spike is narrow enough that it's cuttable, IMO (I'm not currently running it). Might be diferent in powered where t1 plays are so important. I do play a lot of more expensive counters, though, and one of them could probably be cut for force spike.
I also like force of will less than miscalc in unpowered.
In any event, yes, the first 4 should be in any cube, and force spike is a card I'd never be surprised to see included.
If you want to have an infinite combo but not have too many support cards, go for it. I used to just run those 3 as a my combo pieces at 540 (I now fully support Splinter Twin). 360 is pretty tight though and I personally wouldn’t run any of those cards at 360 besides Restoration Angel.
Kiki-Jiki is always a fun card though and has appeal for Timmy / Johnny / Spike. Just let your group be aware that the only infinites involve Angel / Conscripts.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably keep Kiki out. I have always been weary of adding any infinite combos, but only going infinite with 2 cards isn't so crazy.
I like Zealous Conscripts at 360, though. It's a great curve topper in aggro decks and solid in control decks.
FWIW, I've been running Kiki without Deceiver Exarch, and plan to cut Pestermite soon. The combo/support: Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Splinter Twin, Restoration Angel, Zealous Conscripts, Combat Celebrant, Recruiter of the Guard. I think it's important that if you run Kiki-Jiki, you also run Twin, as a dedicated Kiki-Jiki deck wants redundancy in both halves of the combo. It's also probably important to have one other piece of the non-kiki side of the combo in addition to Conscripts + Resto, whether that's Pestermite, Exarch, or Combat Celebrant. Imperial Recuriter and/or Recuriter of the Guard can go a long way, as well, depending on what untapper(s) you run. It's a pretty compact combo, and most of the pieces are good outside the combo or fit into other archetypes, so I don't think it's difficult to do at 360. But if your only support is Kiki-Jiki, Resto and Conscripts, it's probably best to leave out Kiki-Jiki and just run Resto and Conscripts.
I don't think that if you run Kiki, you need to run Twin. I run Kiki-Jiki, Resto, and Zealous Conscripts (and both Recruiters, but not Celebrant). I like having Kiki in because I don't think that he's that strong of a combo signal. Twin definitely reads like a stronger signal, and I don't like Pestermite, Celebrant, or Exarch enough to try/put them back in. That being said, after reading your response, I do like the idea of thinking of it as a primarily WR archetype by supplying tools for the deck in those colors but not in blue.
I don't think that if you run Kiki, you need to run Twin. I run Kiki-Jiki, Resto, and Zealous Conscripts (and both Recruiters, but not Celebrant). I like having Kiki in because I don't think that he's that strong of a combo signal. Twin definitely reads like a stronger signal, and I don't like Pestermite, Celebrant, or Exarch enough to try/put them back in. That being said, after reading your response, I do like the idea of thinking of it as a primarily WR archetype by supplying tools for the deck in those colors but not in blue.
This is literally my 360 cube right now. Running Conscripts, Resto, both Recruiters, and nothing else.
It's fine - if drafted early, there are often enough other creature with relevant ETB effects that the player drafting doesn't feel bad about Kiki, but it's not a top performer. It does very occasionally sit out if the person drafting it ends up with a different red deck, since red isn't exactly the highest density of ETB effects compared to the other colors. I'm not looking to cut it any time soon, though, although I'll admit part of it is the nostalgia factor for me.
If I did run, what would you cut? Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Sin Prodder seem like the objectively weakest cards in red in my cube.
I definitely wouldn't run it without the full package... I have run full kiki combo support since inception in my cube so I have a ton of experience with it.
Kiki jiki is playable, without a full dedicated combo package, but it's not great.
There exists very few decks where it's at most marginally better than any other top red 5 drop.. Most of the other times it'll ride the sideboard.
The key is that it requires another creature in play to go off, and RRR really narrows the potential decks it can go into.
Though, If you think the card is fun, go for it..
Glorybringer is a card that's been testing very well in my cube, which is another 5 drop worth considering that not many people gave a chance to around here.
Honestly, I would be pretty annoyed if I picked Kiki only to find out later that Deceiver Exarch and Pestermite were excluded. Yeah, ETB decks are nice and all, but if I picked Kiki early, I probably wanted to mimic Modern Twin or center my deck around assembling the combo. Don't forget about Combat Celebrant if you need another piece.
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I've been hearing great things about Glorybringer as well.
Arlinn Kord was never great, but Domri was never even good. I'd cut Domri for the big dragon.
Dance >> Rites. I also wouldn't be comparing these two, as I'd see Rites as a low end Orzhov card.
Squee v Prodder is a tougher choice as it depends on how good Squee is in your list and if your players take advantage of him. For us Squee was never that popular, so I'd put Prodder back in before I put Squee back in. Other folks on these boards have had different experiences with Squee.
I think Tutor is more important than Nissa, but they'd both probably make the cut even at a smaller size.
EDIT: Also thanks for the input!
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Rakdos though I would cut Aristocrat
Selesnya either one is fine,
Izzet: Duplicate has been a beast for us, I would cut Electrolze
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569
Would you find it annoying/bad if you drafted and had this split since it doesn't account for whether a given color pair is aggressive or slower? The ultimate goal would be all fastlands, and I think it makes more sense not to buy lands I'd already be planning to replace, but am indecisive on this front.
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http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569
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Nissa, Vastwood Seer or Cultivate? - I currently already run Kodama's Reach and I really like it. I'm just not sure if I should run Nissa instead of another Kodama's Reach for diversity.
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Command > Forbid > Force > Miscalculation > Force Spike but I can't imagine cutting any of these cards even in a small cube.
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Force spike is narrow enough that it's cuttable, IMO (I'm not currently running it). Might be diferent in powered where t1 plays are so important. I do play a lot of more expensive counters, though, and one of them could probably be cut for force spike.
I also like force of will less than miscalc in unpowered.
In any event, yes, the first 4 should be in any cube, and force spike is a card I'd never be surprised to see included.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
Should I consider running this card in a 360 unpowered cube without Pestermite or Deceiver Exarch? Kiki goes infinite with Restoration Angel and Zealous Conscripts. It combos well with ETB effects of course.
If I did run, what would you cut? Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Sin Prodder seem like the objectively weakest cards in red in my cube.
Kiki-Jiki is always a fun card though and has appeal for Timmy / Johnny / Spike. Just let your group be aware that the only infinites involve Angel / Conscripts.
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I like Zealous Conscripts at 360, though. It's a great curve topper in aggro decks and solid in control decks.
I ran a poll about it, and it seems like people agree that it's fine to run independent of the combo, without it signaling or trapping players:
https://twitter.com/wtwlf123/status/913372095123353602
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This is literally my 360 cube right now. Running Conscripts, Resto, both Recruiters, and nothing else.
How has Kiki performed in your cube?
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I definitely wouldn't run it without the full package... I have run full kiki combo support since inception in my cube so I have a ton of experience with it.
Kiki jiki is playable, without a full dedicated combo package, but it's not great.
There exists very few decks where it's at most marginally better than any other top red 5 drop.. Most of the other times it'll ride the sideboard.
The key is that it requires another creature in play to go off, and RRR really narrows the potential decks it can go into.
Though, If you think the card is fun, go for it..
Glorybringer is a card that's been testing very well in my cube, which is another 5 drop worth considering that not many people gave a chance to around here.
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I've been hearing great things about Glorybringer as well.
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Dragonlord Atarka in. What's the cut?
Domri Rade vs. Arlinn Kord?
Unburial Rites vs. Dance of the Dead? Assume I have every better reanimate spell already.
And now for some weird comparisons, just trust me:
Squee, Goblin Nabob vs Sin Prodder?
Worldly Tutor vs. Nissa, Voice of Zendikar?
This is still the best place for high-power-level cube chat & debate.
Here's to many more years at MTGS *clink*
Dance >> Rites
Squee > Prodder
Nissa if you support token strategies, otherwise Tutor. I play both at 405.
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Dance >> Rites. I also wouldn't be comparing these two, as I'd see Rites as a low end Orzhov card.
Squee v Prodder is a tougher choice as it depends on how good Squee is in your list and if your players take advantage of him. For us Squee was never that popular, so I'd put Prodder back in before I put Squee back in. Other folks on these boards have had different experiences with Squee.
I think Tutor is more important than Nissa, but they'd both probably make the cut even at a smaller size.
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