I'm trying to have room for Experimental Frenzy in my 540 power cube and these seem like the only red noncreature spells I could even possibly cut for it.
I don't think I would come close to consider cutting either of them at 540... but between the two , cutting firebolt is the easy choice, unless you were trying to nerf mono R.
Fireblast is red agro only , firebolt is versatile and playable in any red archetype. Fireblast is way more powerful. There are multiple redundant effects for firebolt that do it's job better, but no so much in that I'd be happy cutting it. There are no redundant effects that do fire blasts job.
Fireblast is one of the most powerful red agro cards ever printed and it's chronically underestimated around here.
4 damage for no mana is an absurd rate when you are trying to finish your opponent off. It allows you to consistently speed up your goldfish clock
the way very few, if any red card printed can.
Firebolt > Fireblast, but I would try to find another cut, or leave out Frenzy, which I think is worse than both of those burn spells by a pretty good margin.
Do you have a link to your cube? I feel like there are probably other things I would cut first? I would probably cut firebolt. It goes in more decks, but fireblast it such a powerhouse in the right deck.
Do you have a link to your cube? I feel like there are probably other things I would cut first? I would probably cut firebolt. It goes in more decks, but fireblast it such a powerhouse in the right deck.
Interesting that the initial responses seem split over whether firebolt or fireblast is the better cut, even if most seem to think neither is better than frenzy. I do appreciate the feedback!
Maybe cut the 5cc Sarkhan to keep both Firebolt and Fireblast and play Frenzy too?
I think Ilharg and Tremors are both worse as well. I wouldn't cut firebolt of fireblast unless red aggro is just absolutely not a thing in a cube, then I'd cut fireblast. However, since aggro's clearly supported in this cube, I'd cut something else.
Actually, maybe you can cut jackle pup or courier, unless courier is very important to some archetype you're trying to support?
Thanks all for the support and advice. I'm relatively new at this, so its much appreciated.
I didn't think to cut a creature or creature-ish card for this but maybe that's for the best and courier or 5cc sarkhan could go for it. I certainly struggled to come up with any cuts from the noncreature section and would be more comfortable with either of those leaving the cube than the firebolt or fireblast anyway. I think I was looking at it too narrowly.
Skinrender is IMO worse than all of the cards I named. Why settle for three -1/-1 counters on an opposing threat when you can just kill it with Nekrataal or Chupacabra?
I still don't know how I would rank the black 4 drops. I'll be expanding to 500 soon (Calling my cube the Vivi 500 in honor of my favorite character from my favorite game!), but even at that size I'm not certain I want all of these.
Trying to decide which black 4s to run when Yawgmoth got spoiled was hard enough, and rankle isnt helping!
I had Nekretaal and Skinrender on the list as well, and ultimately decided to cut Vraska's Contempt rather than any of the creature based removal spells. But the abililty to hit planeswalkers and instant speed makes me question that, and now I'm going to have to do it all again if Rankle is to get in too!
For me it is Master. I think Nightpack Ambusher requires a flash/instant package like the one it has in standard now to be optimal--but this type of deck isn't common in cube. Most green decks want to be able to cast spells on their turn. Also holding up 2GG is a fairly big giveaway, so its combat trick utility is only so-so. I think Ambusher is really close though.
Also, when I go up to 500 cards Supreme Will will probably come in. I think its just outside right now. Forbid is better though. The games where you can lockdown an opponent with that buyback are just devastating.
I like both of these cards a lot, but I think I like the Ambusher slightly more at this point. It requires more build-around though, and there are certainly decks that have a hard time having Ambusher make more wolves, and there are games where Master goes unchecked and completely dominates without any additional help.
I have really liked Nightpack Ambusher as well. I am thinking about adding a little more flash to my green section in my next update as well which should make him a little better, + I am thinking of adding Mystic Snake back in, and Wildborn Preserver will be another way to make more of a flash deck work. Mystic Snake felt a little outclassed recently, but I think having the option of multiple different flash creatures makes it quite a bit more difficult to play around, along with a variety of other 4 mana green creatures I am thinking to run along with it include Thrun, the Last Troll, Questing Beast, Voracious Hydra, and Hexdrinker. The 4 drop spot will be difficult to play around. I know traditional wisdom has preached that green midrange can often not keep up in really powerful environments, but I am hoping all these new additions will make the deck more viable.
I'm trying to cut a card for Bonecrusher Giant. I run a 360 powered cube, so cuts are usually pretty hard. I'm thinking of cutting either:
Purphoros, God of the Forge - A fairly generic good card that is best in midrange token builds. Always getting better with red token-makers like Krenko Tin Street Kingpin, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, and Seasoned Pyromancer etc.
Feldon of the Third Path - A rarely-used card but fairly strong in the reanimator/sneak shell. Low floor, but excellent ceiling.
Lightning Strike - A generic burn spell which is strictly worse than Incinerate. The least interesting, but the most versatile. Also a fairly comparable card to Stomp as well.
They don't quite fit the same slot, so it's more of a question - which would be the most important at 360 powered? List: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/opterown
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
I don't think I would come close to consider cutting either of them at 540... but between the two , cutting firebolt is the easy choice, unless you were trying to nerf mono R.
Fireblast is red agro only , firebolt is versatile and playable in any red archetype. Fireblast is way more powerful. There are multiple redundant effects for firebolt that do it's job better, but no so much in that I'd be happy cutting it. There are no redundant effects that do fire blasts job.
Fireblast is one of the most powerful red agro cards ever printed and it's chronically underestimated around here.
4 damage for no mana is an absurd rate when you are trying to finish your opponent off. It allows you to consistently speed up your goldfish clock
the way very few, if any red card printed can.
Last Updated 02/07/24
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Interesting that the initial responses seem split over whether firebolt or fireblast is the better cut, even if most seem to think neither is better than frenzy. I do appreciate the feedback!
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I think Ilharg and Tremors are both worse as well. I wouldn't cut firebolt of fireblast unless red aggro is just absolutely not a thing in a cube, then I'd cut fireblast. However, since aggro's clearly supported in this cube, I'd cut something else.
Actually, maybe you can cut jackle pup or courier, unless courier is very important to some archetype you're trying to support?
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
I didn't think to cut a creature or creature-ish card for this but maybe that's for the best and courier or 5cc sarkhan could go for it. I certainly struggled to come up with any cuts from the noncreature section and would be more comfortable with either of those leaving the cube than the firebolt or fireblast anyway. I think I was looking at it too narrowly.
Thanks again for all the help.
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I still don't know how I would rank the black 4 drops. I'll be expanding to 500 soon (Calling my cube the Vivi 500 in honor of my favorite character from my favorite game!), but even at that size I'm not certain I want all of these.
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I had Nekretaal and Skinrender on the list as well, and ultimately decided to cut Vraska's Contempt rather than any of the creature based removal spells. But the abililty to hit planeswalkers and instant speed makes me question that, and now I'm going to have to do it all again if Rankle is to get in too!
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Also, when I go up to 500 cards Supreme Will will probably come in. I think its just outside right now. Forbid is better though. The games where you can lockdown an opponent with that buyback are just devastating.
I like both of these cards a lot, but I think I like the Ambusher slightly more at this point. It requires more build-around though, and there are certainly decks that have a hard time having Ambusher make more wolves, and there are games where Master goes unchecked and completely dominates without any additional help.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
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http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569
Purphoros, God of the Forge - A fairly generic good card that is best in midrange token builds. Always getting better with red token-makers like Krenko Tin Street Kingpin, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, and Seasoned Pyromancer etc.
Feldon of the Third Path - A rarely-used card but fairly strong in the reanimator/sneak shell. Low floor, but excellent ceiling.
Lightning Strike - A generic burn spell which is strictly worse than Incinerate. The least interesting, but the most versatile. Also a fairly comparable card to Stomp as well.
They don't quite fit the same slot, so it's more of a question - which would be the most important at 360 powered? List: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/opterown
This.
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!