Rift Bolt is one of those cards I wouldn't be shy about drafting out of someone's cube if I was drafting aggro/burn, because burn is burn, but I can't find room for it in my own cube. Having to pay 3 at sorcery speed or wait a full turn longer to see it resolve makes it worse than any of the Incinerate clones, which are probably the worst burn spells I'm running at this point.
I would have been really happy to see reprints of Austere Command and Cryptic Command, as well as Eternal Witness. I can't complain too much, though, I think they did an amazing job of packing MM3 with value. I picked up quite a few singles from it that I've been wanting for my cube and casual decks, and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to get some cheap foils. It was a really fun draft format, too, it felt almost like drafting a non-singleton Peasant cube.
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If mono-white aggro was more of a thing in our group, this guy would be great. But since most of our aggro decks tend to be 2-color shells, the WW cost was just too prohibitive to allow him to reliably resolve early (which he needs to do).
I was a fan of Precinct Captain when it came out. I later started culling token makers since that strategy got a little too easy to assemble in my midrange list. The biggest weakness is the WW cost and the fact that you really need to be clearing the path to get maximum value, so it's better in other colors. An RR version of this would probably be in 360 lists.
With respect to CC cost cards in general, I think they tend to be a bit poisonous in cube mainly because of the availability of fixing and the fact that mono colored decks are generally hard to draft. Unless you are going to run 20% fixing or 10 copies of City of Brass, it's very hard to make a reliable two color deck that can land a CC card on t2 while still playing another color on curve (there's an article on ChannelFireball with the math on this for those that are interested). Two mana cards really have to do a lot or being quintessential cards for archetypes to justify the CC in their cost. I'm not sure white has any of those in a traditional rare cube TBH.
Yup, agreed with all of that. I wrote a whole article on mana demand in cube (link in my sig) that helps explains the numbers behind casting spells, and why CC and 1CC cards should be limited when drafting/deckbuilding.
Precinct Captain is pretty high variance in my cube. Sometimes it's a Bitterblossom than deals 2 damage to your opponent each turn, and sometimes it's the most miserable bear ever. I run the captain, I like him but I can see myself cutting it for a more interesting card.
I run both, and I'm pretty happy with them. Bears with first strike that cost ww are kind of iconic in MTG, so I think it's appropriate to run a couple (as in exactly 2) of the better ones available to support archetypes you're actively supporting in white. They work quite well in white heavy aggro decks, and support the token/anthem decks rather nicely. As long as white-based token/anthem decks are a thing in my cube, I don't see cutting Precinct Captain any time soon.
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I cut it because my WX aggro decks tend not to be base white, making the WW too prohibitive. This card does not scale well as a topdeck in the mid or late game.
Red 2s are pretty bad these days.... I think red 2s might be the weakest spot in cube now, other than Simic generally. Kari Zev was a start, but we need like 2-4 more good creatures to fill the big gaps.
How do you feel about your red 2-drop section right now?
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Here's where I diverge sharply from the majority of posters here.
I don't actually think cubes get more balanced with stronger red creatures options. It just makes RDW better, which is already one of the strongest (if not the strongest deck) in traditional rare cubes (powered or unpowered). Red has burn - and most cubes run a collection of the best ever printed - which is a big advantage over every other color in terms of value. Even the best white and black removal spells do not offer what something like lightning bolt does - it's both removal and reach later in the game. Burn is even more versatile these days wth so many walkers running around too.
From a deign standpoint, red's creatures really should be weaker than options in other colors. That forces actual draft decisions. Do you go with weaker creatures but prioritize fixing less as a reward (heavier single color deck)? Or do you try to run better creatures from other colors and have to manage a more demanding mana base? This is the fundamental reason why I don't think slapping the highest raw power card in every single slot of the cube makes sense from a balance standpoint. Because there isn't anything inherently balanced about that approach. That said, it's less of an issue wth powered cubes since the meta is already degenerate (same principle applies to a combo cube), but for lower powered rare lists with less combo that drift more midrange, this design principle of maximum power just leads to a bad format IMO.
TLDR: Crappy red creatures is a good thing.
As far as Hellspark...
I've never really liked "creature burn" cards like Hellspark. This just came up in the "this or that" thread I think. But it's a style of gameplay I also don't really enjoy, so I'm a bit biased. From a damage to cost ratio, this card is very high though. So it is worth running even in smaller lists if that is a deck you are encouraging and running the most powerful cards is what you are designing around.
To clarify my statement about red 2s sucking: I'm not saying we need Bob-level cards in red. I'm saying that the ones that are there suck because they're boring. Young Pyromancer isn't busted, but at least it's interesting. Stormblood Berserker isn't. Think about a card like Sour-Scar Mage: it's not close to busted, but at least it has interesting synergies and makes gameplay more interesting than a 6th Jackal Pup variant.
I agree that red's creatures don't need to be as good as white's or black's to justify their inclusion. But they could at least be interesting.
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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.
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I think red's 2cc creatures are good, and so is Hellspark Elemental. There's a lot of play to this card, and despite not being permanent, it usually represents more damage than an on-board creature would anyways, since it has haste, trample AND flashback. So as much as people want to call it "player-only-burn" ...it's much more than that. Being a creature gives it interactions that burn doesn't have. Like making your attacks better, interacting with cards that interact with creatures, benefitting from pump/anthems/etc. Hellspark isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I think the 2cc red creature section is great. I'm happy with the cards in there, and I think it's deep and competitive.
I run 16 red two drops, so no matter what there will be huge power gaps between the best and worst there. I think cracking the red two drop slot is not hard compared to other slots in the cube, but what I'd really want is just more great red one drops instead.
I'm not a fan of the pseudo-burn spells like Hellspark Elemental and Keldon Marauders, there are too many situations after turn 2 where they're just dead cards. The decks that go deeper on blink and recursion typically have better things to recur than this, and dedicated aggro decks don't have room for shenanigans. I prefer a boring old Gore-house Chainwalker because it is more efficient and has a higher ceiling than a creature that kills itself twice.
When I did run Hellspark Elemental, though, I ran the FNM promo. That art is pretty sweet.
Half of my red 2-drops have been printed within the past couple of years, because I've been liking some of the recent choices we've been getting for that slot. Not long ago, it seemed like that slot was all Borderland Marauder clones and wannabe burn spells. I was about as excited about my red 2-drops as I was about my black 1-drops. Crappy creatures that just happened to cost 1 less than their power that only fit into one deck. Now we've got 2-drops that can draw you a card in the late game and still attack for 3, a piker that makes creatures every time you cast a burn spell, and a pirate that makes freakin' monkeys!
I don't actually think cubes get more balanced with stronger red creatures options. It just makes RDW better, which is already one of the strongest (if not the strongest deck) in traditional rare cubes (powered or unpowered).
I don't see my drafts getting dominated by RDW decks. There seems to be enough fighting over the burn spells that going mono-red is really hard to reliably do. I think that better and more exciting red 2-drops could only make red draw more people fighting over it during drafts. If we see a red equivalent to Dark Confidant, I'll jam it in a heartbeat.
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I love Hellspark Elemental, mini Ball Lightning with Unearth is great for red decks.
I'm pretty happy with the quality of my red 2-drop section, there's a good amount of diversity although they're all just beaters. There's no Pack Rat / Stoneforge Mystic / Rolfellos level of a red 2-drop, but that's fine with me. I'm just happy I'm not running all the Gorehouse Chainwalker variants anymore.
FWIW, here's what I posted in the Aether Chaser thread of how I rank the red 2-drops:
Staples / Has Job Security
- Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
- Hellspark Elemental
- Keldon Marauders
- Young Pyromancer
Middle of the Pack
- Stormblood Berserker
- War-Name Aspirant
- Lightning Mauler
- Plated Geopede
Could Live Without
- Abbot of Keral Keep
- Ash Zealot
- Ire Shaman
I'm not a fan of the pseudo-burn spells like Hellspark Elemental and Keldon Marauders, there are too many situations after turn 2 where they're just dead cards. The decks that go deeper on blink and recursion typically have better things to recur than this, and dedicated aggro decks don't have room for shenanigans. I prefer a boring old Gore-house Chainwalker because it is more efficient and has a higher ceiling than a creature that kills itself twice.
Unless I had a heavy vehicle cube with lots of Crew 3, I will take Marauders / Hellspark Elemental any day over Chainwalker variants. Marauders guaranteed damage makes it a staple aggro beater, IMO.
Count myself as not a fan of Marauders or Hellspark either. Haven't cubed with either in years but i think Hellspark would be the likelier to return since red now has a few ways to dump stuff into the 'yard and profit from that virtual CA.
I think the Reckoner is okay, but nothing great. I dislike how the first strike ability is at odds with its first ability too. Odd design.
How I pretty much feel. I also don't like how non-splashable reckoner is. Ultimately a fine card, but you can do better than fine in a guild.
I drink/drank a lot of milk. I actually avoid milk now, but I used to have ~1 gallon/1-2 days. Yes I know it's insane. Thankfully hard labor helped take some of the brut off my body.
I'm not sure I got enough experience in with Reckoner. I added it and was excited thinking it would be really good but it never made a splash. Sometimes cards don't stay in long enough to really shine, and this card could be one of those (or not).
I'm all about milk. I drink a ton of it. Filet is my favorite cut. Medium rare. Little bloody but not undercooked. There's a sweet spot you want to try and hit IMO.
I ran the Reckoner for way too long and agree with all the negative reviews. Not a fan of how unsplashable it is. It gets outclassed by a lot of creatures these days. The first strike doesn't work with the damage ability.
boros reckoner is a pet card for me so i wont be cutting it any time soon. sure the ability is counter intuitive but it is part of what makes trying to block him so tough and makes combat interesting.
you never know if the guy will just trade and burn you to the face, or if you block with a 3/3 are they going to activate and save it for later?
punishes players with big fatties as they can't attack without taking a pile from the reckoner and they also can't block the reckoner effectively with it.
Just love the choices that the card forces people to make. more chances for my opponent to make the wrong choice.
I think Kitchen Finks, Mishra's Bauble and Cursecatcher were the biggest exclusions from MM3. And Aven Mindcensor was on that list too before the AKH announcement.
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I would have been really happy to see reprints of Austere Command and Cryptic Command, as well as Eternal Witness. I can't complain too much, though, I think they did an amazing job of packing MM3 with value. I picked up quite a few singles from it that I've been wanting for my cube and casual decks, and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to get some cheap foils. It was a really fun draft format, too, it felt almost like drafting a non-singleton Peasant cube.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Precinct Captain
BONUS QUESTION
Who watches your back in troubled times?
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With respect to CC cost cards in general, I think they tend to be a bit poisonous in cube mainly because of the availability of fixing and the fact that mono colored decks are generally hard to draft. Unless you are going to run 20% fixing or 10 copies of City of Brass, it's very hard to make a reliable two color deck that can land a CC card on t2 while still playing another color on curve (there's an article on ChannelFireball with the math on this for those that are interested). Two mana cards really have to do a lot or being quintessential cards for archetypes to justify the CC in their cost. I'm not sure white has any of those in a traditional rare cube TBH.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
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I run both, and I'm pretty happy with them. Bears with first strike that cost ww are kind of iconic in MTG, so I think it's appropriate to run a couple (as in exactly 2) of the better ones available to support archetypes you're actively supporting in white. They work quite well in white heavy aggro decks, and support the token/anthem decks rather nicely. As long as white-based token/anthem decks are a thing in my cube, I don't see cutting Precinct Captain any time soon.
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Hellspark Elemental
BONUS QUESTION
In a recent This or That post, MikePemulis had this to say about the options available for red 2-drops:
How do you feel about your red 2-drop section right now?
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I don't actually think cubes get more balanced with stronger red creatures options. It just makes RDW better, which is already one of the strongest (if not the strongest deck) in traditional rare cubes (powered or unpowered). Red has burn - and most cubes run a collection of the best ever printed - which is a big advantage over every other color in terms of value. Even the best white and black removal spells do not offer what something like lightning bolt does - it's both removal and reach later in the game. Burn is even more versatile these days wth so many walkers running around too.
From a deign standpoint, red's creatures really should be weaker than options in other colors. That forces actual draft decisions. Do you go with weaker creatures but prioritize fixing less as a reward (heavier single color deck)? Or do you try to run better creatures from other colors and have to manage a more demanding mana base? This is the fundamental reason why I don't think slapping the highest raw power card in every single slot of the cube makes sense from a balance standpoint. Because there isn't anything inherently balanced about that approach. That said, it's less of an issue wth powered cubes since the meta is already degenerate (same principle applies to a combo cube), but for lower powered rare lists with less combo that drift more midrange, this design principle of maximum power just leads to a bad format IMO.
TLDR: Crappy red creatures is a good thing.
As far as Hellspark...
I've never really liked "creature burn" cards like Hellspark. This just came up in the "this or that" thread I think. But it's a style of gameplay I also don't really enjoy, so I'm a bit biased. From a damage to cost ratio, this card is very high though. So it is worth running even in smaller lists if that is a deck you are encouraging and running the most powerful cards is what you are designing around.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
I agree that red's creatures don't need to be as good as white's or black's to justify their inclusion. But they could at least be interesting.
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I think the 2cc red creature section is great. I'm happy with the cards in there, and I think it's deep and competitive.
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When I did run Hellspark Elemental, though, I ran the FNM promo. That art is pretty sweet.
Half of my red 2-drops have been printed within the past couple of years, because I've been liking some of the recent choices we've been getting for that slot. Not long ago, it seemed like that slot was all Borderland Marauder clones and wannabe burn spells. I was about as excited about my red 2-drops as I was about my black 1-drops. Crappy creatures that just happened to cost 1 less than their power that only fit into one deck. Now we've got 2-drops that can draw you a card in the late game and still attack for 3, a piker that makes creatures every time you cast a burn spell, and a pirate that makes freakin' monkeys!
I don't see my drafts getting dominated by RDW decks. There seems to be enough fighting over the burn spells that going mono-red is really hard to reliably do. I think that better and more exciting red 2-drops could only make red draw more people fighting over it during drafts. If we see a red equivalent to Dark Confidant, I'll jam it in a heartbeat.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I'm pretty happy with the quality of my red 2-drop section, there's a good amount of diversity although they're all just beaters. There's no Pack Rat / Stoneforge Mystic / Rolfellos level of a red 2-drop, but that's fine with me. I'm just happy I'm not running all the Gorehouse Chainwalker variants anymore.
FWIW, here's what I posted in the Aether Chaser thread of how I rank the red 2-drops:
Staples / Has Job Security
- Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
- Hellspark Elemental
- Keldon Marauders
- Young Pyromancer
Middle of the Pack
- Stormblood Berserker
- War-Name Aspirant
- Lightning Mauler
- Plated Geopede
Could Live Without
- Abbot of Keral Keep
- Ash Zealot
- Ire Shaman
Unless I had a heavy vehicle cube with lots of Crew 3, I will take Marauders / Hellspark Elemental any day over Chainwalker variants. Marauders guaranteed damage makes it a staple aggro beater, IMO.
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Boros Reckoner
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What's your favorite beef or dairy product? (Apologies to our vegan members)
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How I pretty much feel. I also don't like how non-splashable reckoner is. Ultimately a fine card, but you can do better than fine in a guild.
I drink/drank a lot of milk. I actually avoid milk now, but I used to have ~1 gallon/1-2 days. Yes I know it's insane. Thankfully hard labor helped take some of the brut off my body.
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I'm all about milk. I drink a ton of it. Filet is my favorite cut. Medium rare. Little bloody but not undercooked. There's a sweet spot you want to try and hit IMO.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
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you never know if the guy will just trade and burn you to the face, or if you block with a 3/3 are they going to activate and save it for later?
punishes players with big fatties as they can't attack without taking a pile from the reckoner and they also can't block the reckoner effectively with it.
Just love the choices that the card forces people to make. more chances for my opponent to make the wrong choice.