I think Dack is the best planeswalker in powered cube. Bottom line, this card always has a target and at its worst can draw cards.
Dack best performs in average R/U tempo. Fantastic card if you are able to assemble twin, to take focus off of the combo.
I've used his emblem a couple of times but its eh in cube. The few cards that can make use of the emblem are ElectrolyzeLightning BoltFire//Ice. With FI being the best.
The most expensive card I own is an Unlimited Black Lotus, although I would really like to get into the Beta dual land market and possibly Summer Magic in the next year. All in time though.
Dack is in my top 3 'walkers. Three fun and relevant abilities and goes in all kinds of decks. He has a natural home in Grixis Reanimator, or any kind of goodstuff deck. Definitely best Izzet card by a mile - I am finding Ral cuttable and Izzet Charm is hardly a must-have either.
Most expensive card I owned was WWK Jace at its peak, which I sold for a cheaper version because I hate WWK foils (maybe it was just European ones, but they are so very dark), or FUT Tarmo foil which had the same fate. As long as I've got a version of a card with art I don't hate and foil that isn't too dark, I'm always OK trading down for a lower cost version and some bonus new cube cards. Typically I try for the 'lightest' foil printing when I find easier to read/play with in the evening light.
Run in at 390. I hate the Theros art, had a foil one and took it out for fuel deck elspeth because I can never get over how pointy elspeth's head is in Theros. I love the background in her OG art though.
It fits in controlling white decks, midrange white decks and eureka.dec.
Recently I was pretty good at a game called league of legends and my college team was the champion of bunch of tournaments. That's where my avatar comes from.
White decks Seriously you wouldn't play it in Bw or Rw hyper-aggro, and even some monoW decks can be too fast to want a 6 drop. If you do want a 6 drop, Elspeth is one of the best. Her + provides a humongous amount of pressure and defense, her - isn't hard to make assymmetric, especially when you know it's coming, and her achievable ult will usually close out the game on the spot. Overall a bit better in control decks, but also great in midrange or ramp.
Edit: I view Chandra, Flamecaller and Elspeth, Sun's Champion pretty similarly, as flexible very strong 6 mana walkers. I hope that Green, Blue, and Black get similar cards someday.
I run Elspeth, Sun's Champion at 540, but she's another that I'd probably still be running as low as 360. She's great in pretty much every white deck. I might not run her in a hard aggro Boros deck or something similar, but basically every other white deck, she's amazing. She's great in tokens strategies, great in midrange, great in control, just an all around solid powerful planeswalker.
I don't know that I've ever been a 'champion'. Years ago when I was playing more constructed, I came close to being the champion a couple of times, but never won. I got second in a Grand Prix Trial (running sui-black in Extended) and I got fourth (7/8) in a 2HG Time Spiral sealed States event for TN. Is States still a thing? I haven't played anything other than cube in so long.
Ya, I play this card in my 540. She's a great 'walker, and can slot into pretty much any white deck that's in the market for 6cc cards. My favorite use is probably as a curve-topper for a midrange token deck. Greatly prefer the original art.
She's a top tier walker in my 450. Always picked early. In a rare exception, prefer the Elspeth vs Kiora art to the original because I don't like how twisted her spine is in the original. Doesn't look right.
I love Mom and Pop. Works with Opposition, in the artifact deck, in Purphoros / Goblin Bombardment shells, etc.
For the next block, I'm hoping for some sweet red-centered artifact cards ala Daretti 1.0 and Feldon.
Don't keep up on lore, but parents seem to not like kids who burn everything.
I taught a 16 yr old at the group home where I work in the summers to play Magic this morning. Then we did a four person draft and played all the rest of the day. He went from not knowing that lands tapped for mana to correctly blowing up big Elspeth, Faith's Fetters, and his own tapped swamp with a Terrastodon brought back with Unburial Rites in less than 12 hours.
My wife and I are expecting our first kid in two weeks. Both of us play. It's only a matter of time until we teach him.
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I can't say I'm pleased to see you and must warn you I may have to do something about it.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: URDelver
Modern: UGRDelver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
P&K are a great cube card. Not only they support multiple synergies like stated above, the card is still great by its lonesome in aggro and midrange deck so it rarely goes unused. Also good at combating planeswalkers.
I'd teach them, we could always use more drafters.
The Nalaars have been solid in my 465 as well, my only complaint is that the activation cost for the sac ability is a bit steep.
I'm really looking forward to the next block, not only for what it might bring to cube, but also because this will be my first time playing an artifact themed block.
Mike, I admire your efforts to bring Magic to the next generation at the group home you work at. And congrats on the upcoming addition to your family!
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Every third word they had in uncharted realms was how much they love and how proud they are of Chandra... It was like the authors fantasy of the perfect parents, so yeah I'd say they were proud.
Also they are dead.
Don't plan on kids any time soon but definitely.
Good news for eldrazi haters, there is a zero percent chance of them coming back this block as 2 are dead and one is in space prison. Although I'd argue only bfz eldrazi were lame, I loved their execution in RoE and Eldritch moon.
If you run this card, how has it been in your cube?
Fantastic creature. 4 power, 3 threats, evasion, reach, removal, blink interactions, token/anthem interactions, artifact.dec interactions ...it kinda does it all. The perfect kind of cube creature.
Are you excited that the next block will be in Kaladesh?
Oh yes. If it's anything like the taste that we got from it in Origins, it should be great for the cube.
Do you think Pia and Kiran are proud of Chandra?
I don't see why they wouldn't be.
Do you think you'll teach your kids how to play Magic?
I definitely will. Magic has been a big part of my life, and a largely positive one. It helped build up a lot of the lasting friendships that I have today, and it creates a safe and cognitive outlet for creative energy. The first time my son beats me in a cube draft ...it'll be a proud moment.
Pia and Kiran Nalaar are a pretty cool and decently powerful card. They are good in aggro, but also in other archetypes. I like that they work well in the token/army deck. They also helped cement red as a good secondary color for the artifact deck, an archetype that I like quite a bit.
I am excited to explore Kaladesh in the next set. I just hope the Eldrazi don't show up again and ruin everything. I'm so sick of Eldrazi.
I am also pretty excited for Kaladesh. The setting looks really interesting. I'm a huge fan of the visual style of that world and its inhabitants. I am also confident that the block will give me some more cool tools for the artifact deck. Blue has a decent amount already, but red could use a few more tools and I really want to see a few artifact matters cards in black.
It is guaranteed that there won't be any Eldrazi in the next block. I do wonder why so many people have that strong negative reaction to them though. I think BFZ block had a few execution problems, but the general direction was fine. And Emrakul and her brood on Innistrad were a perfect fit. The Eldrazi also gave us some interesting new cards for cube. Lastly, I'd like to point out that the Eldrazi appeared in three sets over the course of one year. Just like the Phyrexians did a couple of years ago. So I do not quite get the complaint that there were too much Eldrazi and that they are everywhere now. We just got the expected amount that would have been totally normal under the old three set block model. (Note that this more of a general statement than a response directed at your comment.)
It is guaranteed that there won't be any Eldrazi in the next block. I do wonder why so many people have that strong negative reaction to them though.
I enjoyed BFZ and the return to the world of Zendikar and the Eldrazi again. I did not enjoy meshing (melding?) that world with Innistrad. From a flavor standpoint, it felt forced. I would have enjoyed a return to Zendikar followed by a return to Innistrad more had the two been unrelated. It's just been set after set of Eldrazi, so I'm glad that we won't be seeing them again for a while.
If you run this, do you run it as part of a bigger Morph theme?
What's your favorite Morph card?
Either Usman or Antknee (I can't remember which, sorry guys!) has Sharpied his Exalted Angel to give it Exalted as a house rule. What house rules does your playgroup have?
Dack best performs in average R/U tempo. Fantastic card if you are able to assemble twin, to take focus off of the combo.
I've used his emblem a couple of times but its eh in cube. The few cards that can make use of the emblem are Electrolyze Lightning Bolt Fire//Ice. With FI being the best.
The most expensive card I own is an Unlimited Black Lotus, although I would really like to get into the Beta dual land market and possibly Summer Magic in the next year. All in time though.
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Most expensive card I owned was WWK Jace at its peak, which I sold for a cheaper version because I hate WWK foils (maybe it was just European ones, but they are so very dark), or FUT Tarmo foil which had the same fate. As long as I've got a version of a card with art I don't hate and foil that isn't too dark, I'm always OK trading down for a lower cost version and some bonus new cube cards. Typically I try for the 'lightest' foil printing when I find easier to read/play with in the evening light.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
It fits in controlling white decks, midrange white decks and eureka.dec.
Recently I was pretty good at a game called league of legends and my college team was the champion of bunch of tournaments. That's where my avatar comes from.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979
White decks Seriously you wouldn't play it in Bw or Rw hyper-aggro, and even some monoW decks can be too fast to want a 6 drop. If you do want a 6 drop, Elspeth is one of the best. Her + provides a humongous amount of pressure and defense, her - isn't hard to make assymmetric, especially when you know it's coming, and her achievable ult will usually close out the game on the spot. Overall a bit better in control decks, but also great in midrange or ramp.
Edit: I view Chandra, Flamecaller and Elspeth, Sun's Champion pretty similarly, as flexible very strong 6 mana walkers. I hope that Green, Blue, and Black get similar cards someday.
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
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(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
I don't know that I've ever been a 'champion'. Years ago when I was playing more constructed, I came close to being the champion a couple of times, but never won. I got second in a Grand Prix Trial (running sui-black in Extended) and I got fourth (7/8) in a 2HG Time Spiral sealed States event for TN. Is States still a thing? I haven't played anything other than cube in so long.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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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!
Play in 360.
Speaking of the Nalaar family, you might enjoy this video of Chandra from her college days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl7_WblWwDk
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
For the next block, I'm hoping for some sweet red-centered artifact cards ala Daretti 1.0 and Feldon.
Don't keep up on lore, but parents seem to not like kids who burn everything.
I taught a 16 yr old at the group home where I work in the summers to play Magic this morning. Then we did a four person draft and played all the rest of the day. He went from not knowing that lands tapped for mana to correctly blowing up big Elspeth, Faith's Fetters, and his own tapped swamp with a Terrastodon brought back with Unburial Rites in less than 12 hours.
My wife and I are expecting our first kid in two weeks. Both of us play. It's only a matter of time until we teach him.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
I'd teach them, we could always use more drafters.
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Read my blog on cube - Latest post June 2nd 2022
I'm really looking forward to the next block, not only for what it might bring to cube, but also because this will be my first time playing an artifact themed block.
Mike, I admire your efforts to bring Magic to the next generation at the group home you work at. And congrats on the upcoming addition to your family!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I am excited to explore Kaladesh in the next set. I just hope the Eldrazi don't show up again and ruin everything. I'm so sick of Eldrazi.
Chandra's a badass, so I would hope they are proud of her. I'm proud of her.
I don't have (or want) kids, but I'd be happy to teach anyone to play if they were truly interested.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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Every third word they had in uncharted realms was how much they love and how proud they are of Chandra... It was like the authors fantasy of the perfect parents, so yeah I'd say they were proud.
Also they are dead.
Don't plan on kids any time soon but definitely.
Good news for eldrazi haters, there is a zero percent chance of them coming back this block as 2 are dead and one is in space prison. Although I'd argue only bfz eldrazi were lame, I loved their execution in RoE and Eldritch moon.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979
Fantastic creature. 4 power, 3 threats, evasion, reach, removal, blink interactions, token/anthem interactions, artifact.dec interactions ...it kinda does it all. The perfect kind of cube creature.
Oh yes. If it's anything like the taste that we got from it in Origins, it should be great for the cube.
I don't see why they wouldn't be.
I definitely will. Magic has been a big part of my life, and a largely positive one. It helped build up a lot of the lasting friendships that I have today, and it creates a safe and cognitive outlet for creative energy. The first time my son beats me in a cube draft ...it'll be a proud moment.
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!
As for Kaladesh, it doesn't really do anything for me. The most recent new location that excited me by a flavor standpoint was Theros.
Of course they're proud of her, otherwise the story might actually be interesting at times.
I am also pretty excited for Kaladesh. The setting looks really interesting. I'm a huge fan of the visual style of that world and its inhabitants. I am also confident that the block will give me some more cool tools for the artifact deck. Blue has a decent amount already, but red could use a few more tools and I really want to see a few artifact matters cards in black.
It is guaranteed that there won't be any Eldrazi in the next block. I do wonder why so many people have that strong negative reaction to them though. I think BFZ block had a few execution problems, but the general direction was fine. And Emrakul and her brood on Innistrad were a perfect fit. The Eldrazi also gave us some interesting new cards for cube. Lastly, I'd like to point out that the Eldrazi appeared in three sets over the course of one year. Just like the Phyrexians did a couple of years ago. So I do not quite get the complaint that there were too much Eldrazi and that they are everywhere now. We just got the expected amount that would have been totally normal under the old three set block model. (Note that this more of a general statement than a response directed at your comment.)
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
I enjoyed BFZ and the return to the world of Zendikar and the Eldrazi again. I did not enjoy meshing (melding?) that world with Innistrad. From a flavor standpoint, it felt forced. I would have enjoyed a return to Zendikar followed by a return to Innistrad more had the two been unrelated. It's just been set after set of Eldrazi, so I'm glad that we won't be seeing them again for a while.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
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!
...
You guys know they are both dead, right?
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!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Exalted Angel
Bonus Questions
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.