Having gone to the prerelease, I opened some of the things I was interested in. Here are some that were never on my list, but that I mean to add, since I have them now.
I have to try Kaya, Orzhov Usurper. She's not goodstuff, like basically every planeswalker, but there are enough ways to generate gradual advantage with her in the main-deck that I don't think she'll actually be bad. It's a fun card to try. Playing over the lackluster Vizkopa Guildmage.
I'm also thinking I'll try Consecrate // Consume over Voracious Hatchling in the last soft Orzhov slot. It'll probably be replaced at some point. I guess Orzhov gets graveyard hate in my cube now.
I like Hero of Precinct One. Five color stuff is a good deck here, and it can really use early plays and extra chump-blockers. Adding over the severely mediocre Sensei Golden-Tail.
I'm sorely tempted by Azorius Knight-Arbiter. It's definitely my pick for common power-house of the set, and it certainly overperformed for me at the prerelease. Sadly, it is probably just a bit weak for even my cube. I can add it over a provenly blah Aven Mimeomancer, but It'll still probably be my weakest Azorius card.
I've more or less settled on the changes. Here we go:
* * Hydroid Krasis --> Edric out.
I don't support green or blue aggro, so Edric seems like a silly inclusion. I think it's probably good if I supported a UG Tempo deck, but my Qube doesn't have it. I chose Krasis over Frilled Mystic because it seems more splashy and perfect for the typical UG ramp deck. I also learned the life gain and draw are triggered on cast so it still provides value even if countered.
* * Electrodominance --> Devil's Play out
Verdict is still out, but this card does broken things potentially, which I think Qube should be about.
* * Gutterbones --> Kokusho out
Another good one drop that brings me to the right number to consistently have black aggro options. Kokusho was only bonkers in my mind as a Nightmare target, and that rarely happened. There are better reanimate targets these days.
* * Spawn of Mayhem --> Isareth out
Isareth is weak. The Spawn will take out some folks. Of note, the add +1/+1 counter trigger is when YOU are at 10 life or less, not the opponent.
* * End-Raze Forerunners --> Overrun out
Another top end that's situationally better than Craterhoof since it grants vigilance. My Qube is big enough to support another green fatty, esp over Overrun which is limited gold, but Qube meh.
* * Dovin, Grand Arbiter --> Fractured Identity out
Identity is undoubtedly a good card, but UW control already has plenty of toys in the Guild. Arguably, Venser should come out, but the card is sometimes good. He'll leave eventually. Dovin opens up a new avenue for UW Tempo, which is something rarely ever played. White weenie creatures need more archetypes to be played in too.
* * Judith, the Scourge Diva --> Spike Jester out??
Spike Jester is actually a great card in Rakdos. I'd consider cutting terminate instead (already have Dreadbore). Judith adds a lot of oomph to the deck, and the death trigger targets anything, that's super good, especially with the recursive nature of the small black creatures.
Other changes:
* * Thousand-Year Storm --> Stormchase Mage out
Some folks have been lobbying for this card since it's splashy for a Qube card. I don't support storm, but this card probably generates enough value probably in a dedicated spells deck.
* * Glorybringer --> Bloodrage Brawler out
Bad card out. Glorybringer is FTK but flying and hasty (mostly). Seems great as a finisher for Red.
I'm amused that Thoughtseize Guy got dunked on so much (though he exacerbated the problem by constantly firing back) while "Mr. I'm cutting Grave Titan and Glen Elendra Archmage for two vanilla durdles" was praised (and why not Cloud Spirit or Latch Seeker or Shu Yun???). Anyway, as someone who has often cut objectively better cards for cards that perform well in my highly-subjective Fun Scale (Ruric Thar and Prime Speaker Zeganna are hilarious. Fight me.), I totally understand (if not support) everyone's perspective here.
One thing I tend to do after the initial wave of card evaluations is revisit limited cards that are severely overperforming. By way of example, I remember Consecrated Sphinx and Pack Rat not being universally embraced by the community. So far - the two that catch my eye are Light up the Stage, Ethereal Absolution and Hydroid Krasis.
Has anyone been testing either or thinking of giving them a run after seeing how they're performing in limited and constructed?
Has anyone been testing either or thinking of giving them a run after seeing how they're performing in limited and constructed?
Yeah, Light up the Stage has been fantastic so far. I don't see myself cutting it from my 450 cube after initial testing, at least not any time soon. It's my vote for the most underrated card from the set for cube.
I haven't cubed with her yet, but Judith, the Scourge Diva has been an absolute bomb in limited. She plays a lot better than I thought she would and I thought she would be pretty good. Seeing how much damage she can push through with even just a few creatures on the board is impressive. The games I've played her in remind me a lot of how Hellrider ends games. Im going to give this card extended testing. She's definitely the biggest mover upwards for me.
Yeah, I'll be giving light up the stage a test run. It's been phenomenal playing against it in standard on arena. Enabling spectacle seems trivial in a red agro deck with lots of burn.
I like the analogy between judith and hellrider. Nothing special on it's own, but devastating immediately with a board presence.
One thing I tend to do after the initial wave of card evaluations is revisit limited cards that are severely overperforming. By way of example, I remember Consecrated Sphinx and Pack Rat not being universally embraced by the community. So far - the two that catch my eye are Light up the Stage, Ethereal Absolution and Hydroid Krasis.
Has anyone been testing either or thinking of giving them a run after seeing how they're performing in limited and constructed?
I am totally with you on Light Up the Stage. That card is really good in Arena, and I'm going to give it a run in Cube. I think that card will be a bit like Faithless Looting; a card that seemed decent at first, and ripens with time. It's hard to factor in how valuable card advantage is in Red.
I think Ethereal Absolution and Krasis depend on your cube. They are both too much mana for me to bother testing with now.
Black Aggro has seen quite a boost this block with spawn of mayhem, gutterbones and doom whispererer. In my powered environment one drop discard is super important, but I’ve thought about cutting it before, because it’s never valued as much by drafters I meet at LGSes and regularly gets sideboarded, so I can understand the sentiment.
I’m super happy with dovin baan and the slimelord. this block has been great for my cube, as well as surprisingly light on the wallet for how Mythic rare and rare dense this sets adds were.
I have to try Kaya, Orzhov Usurper. She's not goodstuff, like basically every planeswalker, but there are enough ways to generate gradual advantage with her in the main-deck that I don't think she'll actually be bad. It's a fun card to try. Playing over the lackluster Vizkopa Guildmage.
I'm also thinking I'll try Consecrate // Consume over Voracious Hatchling in the last soft Orzhov slot. It'll probably be replaced at some point. I guess Orzhov gets graveyard hate in my cube now.
I like Hero of Precinct One. Five color stuff is a good deck here, and it can really use early plays and extra chump-blockers. Adding over the severely mediocre Sensei Golden-Tail.
I'm sorely tempted by Azorius Knight-Arbiter. It's definitely my pick for common power-house of the set, and it certainly overperformed for me at the prerelease. Sadly, it is probably just a bit weak for even my cube. I can add it over a provenly blah Aven Mimeomancer, but It'll still probably be my weakest Azorius card.
Cindervines >> Clan Defiance
Skewer the Critics >> Electrostatic Bolt
Judith, the Scourge Diva >> Rix Maadi Guildmage
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
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* * Hydroid Krasis --> Edric out.
I don't support green or blue aggro, so Edric seems like a silly inclusion. I think it's probably good if I supported a UG Tempo deck, but my Qube doesn't have it. I chose Krasis over Frilled Mystic because it seems more splashy and perfect for the typical UG ramp deck. I also learned the life gain and draw are triggered on cast so it still provides value even if countered.
* * Electrodominance --> Devil's Play out
Verdict is still out, but this card does broken things potentially, which I think Qube should be about.
* * Gutterbones --> Kokusho out
Another good one drop that brings me to the right number to consistently have black aggro options. Kokusho was only bonkers in my mind as a Nightmare target, and that rarely happened. There are better reanimate targets these days.
* * Spawn of Mayhem --> Isareth out
Isareth is weak. The Spawn will take out some folks. Of note, the add +1/+1 counter trigger is when YOU are at 10 life or less, not the opponent.
* * End-Raze Forerunners --> Overrun out
Another top end that's situationally better than Craterhoof since it grants vigilance. My Qube is big enough to support another green fatty, esp over Overrun which is limited gold, but Qube meh.
* * Dovin, Grand Arbiter --> Fractured Identity out
Identity is undoubtedly a good card, but UW control already has plenty of toys in the Guild. Arguably, Venser should come out, but the card is sometimes good. He'll leave eventually. Dovin opens up a new avenue for UW Tempo, which is something rarely ever played. White weenie creatures need more archetypes to be played in too.
* * Judith, the Scourge Diva --> Spike Jester out??
Spike Jester is actually a great card in Rakdos. I'd consider cutting terminate instead (already have Dreadbore). Judith adds a lot of oomph to the deck, and the death trigger targets anything, that's super good, especially with the recursive nature of the small black creatures.
Other changes:
* * Thousand-Year Storm --> Stormchase Mage out
Some folks have been lobbying for this card since it's splashy for a Qube card. I don't support storm, but this card probably generates enough value probably in a dedicated spells deck.
* * Glorybringer --> Bloodrage Brawler out
Bad card out. Glorybringer is FTK but flying and hasty (mostly). Seems great as a finisher for Red.
360 Uncommons only Cube!
I'm amused that Thoughtseize Guy got dunked on so much (though he exacerbated the problem by constantly firing back) while "Mr. I'm cutting Grave Titan and Glen Elendra Archmage for two vanilla durdles" was praised (and why not Cloud Spirit or Latch Seeker or Shu Yun???). Anyway, as someone who has often cut objectively better cards for cards that perform well in my highly-subjective Fun Scale (Ruric Thar and Prime Speaker Zeganna are hilarious. Fight me.), I totally understand (if not support) everyone's perspective here.
One thing I tend to do after the initial wave of card evaluations is revisit limited cards that are severely overperforming. By way of example, I remember Consecrated Sphinx and Pack Rat not being universally embraced by the community. So far - the two that catch my eye are Light up the Stage, Ethereal Absolution and Hydroid Krasis.
Has anyone been testing either or thinking of giving them a run after seeing how they're performing in limited and constructed?
Yeah, Light up the Stage has been fantastic so far. I don't see myself cutting it from my 450 cube after initial testing, at least not any time soon. It's my vote for the most underrated card from the set for cube.
I like the analogy between judith and hellrider. Nothing special on it's own, but devastating immediately with a board presence.
Last Updated 02/07/24
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Spawn of Mayhem
Light up the Stage
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I am totally with you on Light Up the Stage. That card is really good in Arena, and I'm going to give it a run in Cube. I think that card will be a bit like Faithless Looting; a card that seemed decent at first, and ripens with time. It's hard to factor in how valuable card advantage is in Red.
I think Ethereal Absolution and Krasis depend on your cube. They are both too much mana for me to bother testing with now.
I’m super happy with dovin baan and the slimelord. this block has been great for my cube, as well as surprisingly light on the wallet for how Mythic rare and rare dense this sets adds were.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979