IMO Treasure Cruise is best in a more tempo oriented deck where you have a lot of spells going to the yard and you empty your hand quickly. In that deck, this is ancestral recall on T4/5 and it's hard to lose from that position. Cruise also works very well in graveyard centric decks. It's sweet in LFTL decks. Often very good in reanimator builds too. Again, really anything that will be dumping cards in the yard. It's very playable in control decks that use early 2 for 1 creatures as well because post wrath you have food for delve.
This card to me is a bit more narrow than other blue draw spells, but the ceiling is quite high. I enjoy cards like this a lot because if you put some energy into your deck synergies you get something greater than the sum of the parts. I feel this is where Magic operates at its best as a game when you can craft a meta that revolves around doing this.
Firebolt is sweet. Sorcery speed shock is good enough as a baseline in all types of lists, and the late game flashback isn't so prohibitive that it doesn't come up.
This card I think has made every iteration of my cubes from very high powered to the other end. Really awesome design and perfect power level IMHO.
Firebolt is a good card; it performs what it needs to do, but it should not be the primary red removal of a deck.
I like embalm in concept, but its execution leaves much to be desired; majority of the creatures its on have double cmc, making them hard to splash, and the effects generally are lackluster. Heart-Piercer Manticore is a great 4 drop, and reminds me of flametongue kavu
Firebolt is the kind of flexible card I love. It's useful starting on turn 1, has some additional value at 5 mana (or if you needed to pitch it early) and can double up its effect to stay relevant against larger creatures if that's what you need.
I like the embalm mechanic. I don't love the naming though.
Embalming is what you would do when you put the creature in the graveyard, not when it comes out. I guess they already used Unearth though, and embalm does feel very Egyptian.
I was actually hesitant to add Firebolt to my cube because sorcery-speed burn is so much worse than instant speed variety. However, it's proven quite solid. Shock really doesn't need much upside at all to be good enough for cube, and just about any form of card advantage in red is always welcome. Lately, WoTC doesn't seem to be particularly interested in printing new burn spells that are upgrades to existing options, so I don't expect Firebolt to be outclassed any time soon.
I'm proud to be rocking the original Odyssey version in gorgeous old-frame foil.
Embalm's been pretty sweet in AKH limited, and if you're actually using the printed tokens that show a blank white-faced version of the creature, it's pretty flavorful, too. I've added two Embalm creatures to my cube so far (Trueheart Duelist and Vizier of Many Faces), but I've yet to see them in action in cube.
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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.
On paper it looks great but I haven't played with one.Figure of Destiny is the best comparison of this type of card I can think of, a low CC creature that smooths out curves and can win games (Pack Ratbeing another). Warden is maybe a bit worse since you need access to a second colour to start activating him but it is less colour intensive (Figure of Desitiny can be awkward outside of RW); it also trades a (situationaly) weaker middle mode for a higher ceiling.
If/when I get one I will definitely run it, and will do so as a green card. With tri-brids I tend to run them in their base colour for simplicity's sake, I get it throws off colour balance but their isn't a lot of them so I don't think its noticeable, I don't want to be tied to having X 3 colour cards and they are a lot less rigid than other multi-colour cards. If we gets a lot more in the future I would definitely rethink how I'm doing things, but for now it works.
I haven't seen Warden in action outside of normal booster draft. I did get one in this year's secret Santa, we just haven't had a chance to play much since then.
I have a small rainbow section that's a catch-all for a few cards like this, Wild Nacatl and Tasigur. I think there are four cards in it right now, but it's somewhat balanced between colors.
I have not seen thia guy in action but is excited to see how he fares.
I count him as half a Selesnya card and Half a Golgari card. Together with Wild Nacatl; they occupy 1 Selesnya slot and 1 "extra cards not color balanced" slot.
Warden is a fun card, I have seen him played a couple times.
Not an all star, but can eventually win games quickly if both players get into top deck mode and he is not answered.
I classify him in green since he goes into over 1/2 or more green decks that are multicolored. I can see the justification in large cubes that have shard / wedge as well. My cube is pretty small though, so I have a hard time justifying having a section like this. The concept of the tri-brids though is really fun with Tasigur, the golden fang being my personally favorite. (playing a 4/5 for 1 mana, and then getting card draw off of it if he lives is just to good
I like Warden just fine. Terribly underrated by most drafters I know, though.
I have a rainbow section. I only play 3 guild cards at 450, so I don't feel too bad having an unbalanced rainbow section that includes cards I want to play. There are currently 7 cards, but I could see going as high as 10 if I really wanted: Deathrite Shaman, Warden, Nacatl, Alesha, Yasova, Tasigur, Sphinx of the Steel Wind.
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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
I categorize tri-brids as a gold card in one of the guilds it belongs to, but I made an exception for Warden of the First Tree and categorized it as green as I just couldn't find a slot for it in the super-stacked Selesnya and Golgari sections. However, it just did not see much play when I ran it, likely not only because it's more narrower than mono-green cards, but also because I'm not really supporting green as an aggro color with Jungle Lion and the like. It seems like a powerful enough card, but just doesn't have a place in my cube.
However, if we start to get more high quality green one-drops like Kessig Prowler that make supporting green aggro more appealing, I could see making room for this card again, perhaps by cutting Deathrite Shaman for it.
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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.
I haven't put him in my cube yet, but he's been a stud in my Doran Doran EDH deck. Okay on turn one, very good on turn 8 which is really all you can ask out of a creature.
Warden is a house, I'd recommend him even if you're not supporting green aggro. I think he's the best "level up" creature.
I classify my tri-brids / Eldrazi Displacer as mono colored. I basically have one tri-brid or colorless matters card in each color so they all kind of balance each other out. The only irregularity is that green has two tri-brids and blue currently has zero colorless / tri-brid action going on.
This Garruk is pretty sweet. I don't currently run it as the green 5s are pretty stacked and I generally like the other options better but he has shone. Sometimes he makes 3/3s, sometimes he's 2GGG draw 5 which is sweet. I think the points against the mana cost are overblown since like every green deck that wants Garruk should be able to pay that cost.
Gah-rook, but not like the chess piece more like an 'ooo! ahhh!' sound for the -oo-
He is solid but I try and keep my walkers unique so I have went for 4CC Garruk over him and Nissa, worldwaker. Wouldn't fault anyone for running him, Nissa is just more my style.
Definitely a good card. I like Garruk Wildspeaker, Nissa, Worldwaker, and Garruk Relentless more, but if I were looking for a fourth Green Planeswalker, this would be it. Good card, but tough competition both in terms of Green Planeswalkers and Green 5-drops.
This iteration of Garruk is decent, it defends itself OK with its +1, and if you already have a board presence it can draw a lot of cards. However, it just doesn't have enough immediate impact on the board compared to its competition in the 5-drop slot in green, or fit the kind of ramp decks that green's identity tends to be focused on in so many cubes. Other 5 drops in green have a more immediate impact on the board by stabilizing the board better (Acidic Slime & Thragtusk), hitting harder (Kalonian Hydra), or some combination of the two (Verdurous Gearhulk & Deranged Hermit). By the time you get to 5 mana that includes GGG, that Hill Giant you get from the +1 often just doesn't do it. Garruk, Primal Hunter was pretty solid when I ran him, but I cut it a while back for Nissa, Worldwaker, which is such a powerful enabler for big mana-green ramp decks, and also has a more powerful immediate impact on the board. I've been happy with that switch. Garruk, Primal Hunter is a pretty good card, but like many pretty good cards in cube, it's the victim of stiff competition.
I pronounce it "gayr-uck"
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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.
All modes on Izzet Charm are generally useful. I like the card, more in my combo list than my midrange one (where I'd rather run Fire//Ice and/or Electrolyze). In combo though, having the looting option, spell counter, plus spot removal makes the card quite desirable.
Favorite modal card right now is probably Kolaghan's Command. Having 4 modes - all useful - and being able to choose any two makes the card insane value. I also love raise dead effects, but it's conditionally useful so has to be paired with other functionality or strapped to a body in order for it to be cubeable.
This card to me is a bit more narrow than other blue draw spells, but the ceiling is quite high. I enjoy cards like this a lot because if you put some energy into your deck synergies you get something greater than the sum of the parts. I feel this is where Magic operates at its best as a game when you can craft a meta that revolves around doing this.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
BONUS QUESTION
How have you liked the Embalm mechanic so far?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
This card I think has made every iteration of my cubes from very high powered to the other end. Really awesome design and perfect power level IMHO.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/
[180 classic cube]
I like embalm in concept, but its execution leaves much to be desired; majority of the creatures its on have double cmc, making them hard to splash, and the effects generally are lackluster. Heart-Piercer Manticore is a great 4 drop, and reminds me of flametongue kavu
I like the embalm mechanic. I don't love the naming though.
Embalming is what you would do when you put the creature in the graveyard, not when it comes out. I guess they already used Unearth though, and embalm does feel very Egyptian.
I'm proud to be rocking the original Odyssey version in gorgeous old-frame foil.
Embalm's been pretty sweet in AKH limited, and if you're actually using the printed tokens that show a blank white-faced version of the creature, it's pretty flavorful, too. I've added two Embalm creatures to my cube so far (Trueheart Duelist and Vizier of Many Faces), but I've yet to see them in action in cube.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Warden of the First Tree
BONUS QUESTION
How do you categorize tri-brids in your cube?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
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If/when I get one I will definitely run it, and will do so as a green card. With tri-brids I tend to run them in their base colour for simplicity's sake, I get it throws off colour balance but their isn't a lot of them so I don't think its noticeable, I don't want to be tied to having X 3 colour cards and they are a lot less rigid than other multi-colour cards. If we gets a lot more in the future I would definitely rethink how I'm doing things, but for now it works.
I have a small rainbow section that's a catch-all for a few cards like this, Wild Nacatl and Tasigur. I think there are four cards in it right now, but it's somewhat balanced between colors.
I count him as half a Selesnya card and Half a Golgari card. Together with Wild Nacatl; they occupy 1 Selesnya slot and 1 "extra cards not color balanced" slot.
Not an all star, but can eventually win games quickly if both players get into top deck mode and he is not answered.
I classify him in green since he goes into over 1/2 or more green decks that are multicolored. I can see the justification in large cubes that have shard / wedge as well. My cube is pretty small though, so I have a hard time justifying having a section like this. The concept of the tri-brids though is really fun with Tasigur, the golden fang being my personally favorite. (playing a 4/5 for 1 mana, and then getting card draw off of it if he lives is just to good
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569
I have a rainbow section. I only play 3 guild cards at 450, so I don't feel too bad having an unbalanced rainbow section that includes cards I want to play. There are currently 7 cards, but I could see going as high as 10 if I really wanted: Deathrite Shaman, Warden, Nacatl, Alesha, Yasova, Tasigur, Sphinx of the Steel Wind.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
However, if we start to get more high quality green one-drops like Kessig Prowler that make supporting green aggro more appealing, I could see making room for this card again, perhaps by cutting Deathrite Shaman for it.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I classify my tri-brids / Eldrazi Displacer as mono colored. I basically have one tri-brid or colorless matters card in each color so they all kind of balance each other out. The only irregularity is that green has two tri-brids and blue currently has zero colorless / tri-brid action going on.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
BONUS QUESTION
So, how do YOU pronounce "Garruk"?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Gah-rook, but not like the chess piece more like an 'ooo! ahhh!' sound for the -oo-
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
I say "Gar-Ruk"
Gair-ick
[180 classic cube]
I say Gar-rukh.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
I pronounce it "gayr-uck"
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Izzet Charm
BONUS QUESTION
What's your favorite modal spell?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Favorite modal card right now is probably Kolaghan's Command. Having 4 modes - all useful - and being able to choose any two makes the card insane value. I also love raise dead effects, but it's conditionally useful so has to be paired with other functionality or strapped to a body in order for it to be cubeable.
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/modular-cube-5-colors.800/
Retro combo cube thread
http://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/retro-combo-cube.1454/