Seeing this list confirms something I've been worrying about--the gradual power creep in sets. It's crazy how many of the top sets are from the past couple of years. On the one hand, I'm always excited to try new cards and I love the idea of creating a powerful environment for my drafters. On the other hand, a lot of what makes cube special is getting to play powerful/interesting old cards. Hopefully we don't get to the point where there are so many new cards that I have to start cutting some old favorites. This is a bigger deal for creatures than spells, but I'll be sad when cards like Wild Mongrel and FTK no longer make the cut
It turns out I was actually wrong (sort of). I was bored today and decided to actually go through my whole list, which makes it look...somewhat better. Here it actually is:
I considered looking back, but I somewhat recently upped my cube size by 135, so the data would only be relevant for the M21 release. I do plan to track this by set release moving forward.
For ZNR, if I make all of the above changes, I'll be losing:
2: ZEN, LRW, CHK, M21
1: MH1, MRD, AKH, XLN, DTK, ORI, USG, EMN, OGW, TSP, C18, M13
and ZNR will insert itself in third place right below MH1 (ABUR will be "on top" since the list is chronological within the same bracket). My bigger concern isn't necessarily the loss of old cards - there are still a good number of old cards that I don't expect to lose for a while. The issue to me is the slow power creep where I'm churning through new cards faster than I'm able to justify the purchase of them.
I'm also watching Kazandu Mammoth. I think it's likely to make it in, but the cut would either be Scavenging Ooze or Tireless Tracker, and I'm not 100% which of the three is the right cut yet.
The black, red, and green mythic flip lands all appeal to me, but I don't think any of them are must includes. I may swap them in as I pick them up incidentally from pack cracking or trades.
I'm also watching Kazandu Mammoth. I think it's likely to make it in, but the cut would either be Scavenging Ooze or Tireless Tracker, and I'm not 100% which of the three is the right cut yet.
What a great set for cubes of all types and sizes. Lots of powerful cards at rare, mythic and uncommon! Not only does this set contain the clearly amazing MDFC's but it also has a a great compliment of two drops that span nearly the color spectrum. After the disappointing M21, I am really excited for these inclusions.
WWW Emeria's Call - A game winning effect on a land. Yes Please. Luminarch Aspirant - A great two drop that can play different roles depending on the board state.
UUU Jace, Mirror MAge - An excellent planeswalker with a unique play style. Thieving Skydiver - Looks to be a future cube all star. A great card that is even better in powered cubes.
BBB Agadeem's Awakening - This card is going to win a lot of games in very memorable and silly ways. Oh, and it's also a land lol. Nighthawk Scavenger - A three drop that can just run away with the game. Skyclave Shade - A nice aggressive and recursive two drop. Can fit into a few different archetypes. Nullpriest of Oblivion - A two drop that is good early and late. Probably the weakest card I'm including from this update. Bloodchief's Thirst - A good removal spell that can help recoup some tempo from my cube's swath of good low cmc creatures and planeswalkers.
RRR Shatterskull Smashing - X burn spells are always fun cards and here's one that red decks can include for free. Kargan Intimidator - A solid aggro 2 drop that will make blocking hard for your opponent.
GGG Turntimber Symbiosis - I love that this spell gives +1/+1 counters to low cmc creatures in case you can't find the beef. I also love that it's a free spell. Bala Ged Recovery - I'm a big fan of Regrowth and getting another copy of the effect on a card that's possibly better is very exciting. Kazandu Mammoth - A 3cmc beater was needed in green and this one comes with added versatility.
Tracker, Ooze, and Mammoth take up a similar role in my mind - they're low-costed green creatures that beat down with minor upsides. Tracker can investigate, Ooze can be gravehate and lifegain, Mammoth can be a land, but I think the same deck that would play one, would play any of them. Woe-reaper and Wall of Omens aren't the same in my mind. The white weenie player would be much less happy to have a Wall of Omens instead of a Woe-reaper. I could still see cutting Wall of Blossoms for the Mammoth instead, though.
Kytheon and JVP are two cards that are good enough to be in my cube, but are kind of left-over exclusions from when the cube was slightly lower power. I don't want players to have to split so much attention fighting multiple onboard planeswalkers. The power level in the cube has increased, and because of that I've recently doubled the amount of Planeswalkers in the cube, because I felt decks could now handle that. It's possible Kytheon could have slotted in during that update, too. Part of me also wishes there were playable black, red and green flip walkers, too though. But that's a lesser concern; I already run several incomplete cycles. Kytheon will likely be in one day, but it's not been a priority to make the swap.
Tracker, Ooze, and Mammoth take up a similar role in my mind - they're low-costed green creatures that beat down with minor upsides. Tracker can investigate, Ooze can be gravehate and lifegain, Mammoth can be a land, but I think the same deck that would play one, would play any of them. Woe-reaper and Wall of Omens aren't the same in my mind. The white weenie player would be much less happy to have a Wall of Omens instead of a Woe-reaper. I could still see cutting Wall of Blossoms for the Mammoth instead, though.
Kytheon and JVP are two cards that are good enough to be in my cube, but are kind of left-over exclusions from when the cube was slightly lower power. I don't want players to have to split so much attention fighting multiple onboard planeswalkers. The power level in the cube has increased, and because of that I've recently doubled the amount of Planeswalkers in the cube, because I felt decks could now handle that. It's possible Kytheon could have slotted in during that update, too. Part of me also wishes there were playable black, red and green flip walkers, too though. But that's a lesser concern; I already run several incomplete cycles. Kytheon will likely be in one day, but it's not been a priority to make the swap.
I had a quick look over your list and personally I'd cut something like Rattleclaw Mystic for the Mammoth as you have a bunch of 2-drop mana dorks, I don't run the mystic or Wall or Roots at 360, but I do run green aggro so slots are tighter and cards like Mammoth, Scavenger and Tracker are valued much higher. Wall of Blossoms was also on my cut list as I've never felt that my green decks actually want it where most (all?) of my non-aggro white decks would love a Wall of Omens.
I agree on the flip-walkers, I run Liliana as she's put in some work in an aristocrats shell and just being a 2/3 lifelink that threatened to flip was enough to help greatly in some recent games. I really like the Nissa but had to cut her going down to 360, Chandra was good once or twice but again not good enough to survive when I went down to 405 a while back.
@ Jamis - oh i completely agree w/ you that wall of omens & woe-reaper are un-alike. woe-reaper just felt like the worst 1 drop creature b/c i couldnt see a viable cut in your white 2 drop section. however i did fail to point out ordinary pony as a reasonable cut as well since you also have flickerwisp. that way you wouldnt lose that effect in ur cube, b/c i agree w/ what Zephyr259 said about non-white aggro decks would love to have access to a wall of omens. i just didnt want to see you drop the wall of blossoms for the mammoth & completely lose that effect from ur cube. just thinking out of the box. i do appreciate the non-vitriolic response though, thank you
Surprised you don't have Kazandu Mammoth as staple along with Akoun Hellhound. It's 7/7 with a fetch and comes down t2 off mana elves. Ahd, honestly, I would be thinking about Territorial Scythecat. After two fetches its a permanent 6/5 trample.
That's because Red Aggro is far better than Green Aggro, and aggro one-drops are more important than aggro three-drops. Green's best thing to do will always be ramp, as as much damage as the Mammoth does, it's still an awkward (though not impossible) fit there. A red Steppe Lynx is seriously bonkers, looks more like a Modern Horizons printing or something.
That's because Red Aggro is far better than Green Aggro, and aggro one-drops are more important than aggro three-drops. Green's best thing to do will always be ramp, as as much damage as the Mammoth does, it's still an awkward (though not impossible) fit there. A red Steppe Lynx is seriously bonkers, looks more like a Modern Horizons printing or something.
Oh, I definitely agree in the right format(s) the Hellhound is nuts.
I was hoping to get this up before WTL's article, but hey ho, late as always
The list of includes on a larger basis I've put in spoiler tags, as this set was really good for the extra large (1440) cube. A lot of cards helped support the tribes-that-bind that make the cube operable, and the party mechanic adds value to decks that don't pursue a particular tribe. Some cards also were essentially swapped just to freshen up the cube by rotating out cards that don't see enough play (for whatever reason).
There is a number of cards I've singled out for comment though, as these are cards that in testing were a tad more impactful than the other bread & butter cards.
WHITE
Angel of Destiny - Being an angel it works with Lyra Dawnbringer, being a cleric is also interesting. Being a life gain machine that's also a double-striking flyer is also interesting. I imagine this card would be good for smaller cubes with a BWG life gain package or just for those with a life drain archetype. For us, it's an interesting value card that can be built around.
Maul of the Skyclaves - For those with RW equipment support, or who just want some value equipment, this is pretty good. I've seen it played on turn three after a turn 2 creature was removed, allowing it to attach to a 2/1. Suddenly that 2/1 is a 4/3 flyer, which is difficult for a tapped down control player. I've also seen it stolen with Vulshok Battlemaster, which like any good play with that card, was utterly backbreaking. As far as equipment goes, this attach-on-enter variant of Living Weapon is great for those aggressive decks.
Luminarch Aspirant - At first this didn't really stand out to us. Then someone remembered we have cards like Isamaru, Hound of Konda, Mirran Crusader and High Sentinels of Arashin, all of which work well with +1/+1 counters. And then there's Kitchen Finks, which this got frustrating to deal with really, really quickly. If you've a persist package or +1/+1 theme, this card is great, without it's a good option for value creatures.
Squad Commander - RW tokens wants to say hello, because this card rocks in that deck. Maybe not a consideration for smaller cubes, but for larger cubes this can easily knock out 2/3 tokens on entry, and when that second clause gets going (especially with something like Najeela, the Blade-Blossom or Legion Warboss on the board, it can be a really annoying 'everyone's a Gideon' effect.
BLUE
Confounding Conundrum - This is anti-sacland tech. It's anti ramp tech. It gives blue an option for fighting ramp and aggro decks that's not just counters, and forces my opponents to think. The usefulness of this card does seem proportional to the density of Cultivate/Rampant Growth and sacland effects in the cube, but with a high enough density, this card does create some interesting tension.
Glasspool Mimic - I am aware of many people's feelings on this card. I'm aware of why they feel that way. However, this card has been VERY interesting for us and hard to evaluate when it's come up. As a creature, it's incidentally been good for rogues, been handy for randomly cloning True-Name Nemesis off a top deck, even making a second Etherium Sculptor in the artifact deck has been useful. But what's really been interesting is that it's covered blue from land screw a few times: players have dropped this turn 3 after keeping a 2 land hand, where they've been able to pass priority through turn 3 because they've a 2CMC counter in hand. Because of that alone, this card has made for far more interesting games.
Thieving Skydiver - Whatever I say will likely just reiterate the thoughts of WTL, so just click here to go to his article. Aside from that, stealing Moxen, stealing Talismans, stealing Swords of This and That; in the end, it all leads to stealing the game (and possibly your opponent's sanity).
BLACK
Nullpriest of Oblivion - An early game aggressive creature that outpaces Child of Night in every way. Great for Vampire players, Cleric Players, but best of all, those who enjoy value. Being an early game card that gains life and evades is great, turning into a reanimation spell late game is great, and that reanimation spell doesn't break the bank either. Definitely a card I expect to be seeing in cubes of all sizes.
Nighthawk Scavenger - Vampire support, Rogue support, and a direct upgrade for those with Vampire Nighthawk who don't want to play them side by side. This grows quickly though, like a Tarmogoyf that flies and gains life. An absolute nightmare when equipped with Lightning Greaves.
Bloodchief's Thirst - This has been a nice little value card. It's handy for MBC, shutting down some irritating early aggro pushes and utility creatures. Later in the game, it's a fair removal spell. The reason I've mentioned it is because in larger cubes the cards that have two modes of play are increasingly valuable as they can functionally fill a gap the draft may have created: this card helps alleviate that in spades.
RED
Cleansing Wildfire - There is a lot of utility lands that can be shot down with this. From Maze of Ith to City of Brass, this can slow your opponent's mana down, buying you time. If that player got greedy and didn't put basics in their deck? Well... you just got a cantripped Stone Rain at 1R. And that's what makes this better than most of its cousins, the cantrip: drawing a card to replace this means it rarely feels bad, and regardless of what you snipe, it's likely to at least disrupt the opponent the majority of the time.
Valakut Awakening - At worse, this card is 2R: Draw a card. At best, you can pitch a dead hand to the bottom of your deck to try for better (which also triggers any 'when you draw a card' effects). You can also play it turn 1 as a land when you're playing RU Spells decks, and alike most of the MDFC, this is where it's strength has lay, enabling hands that otherwise wouldn't be kept, increasing gameplay tension and the meaningful decisions players must make.
Shatterskull Charger - This card has been ridiculous. 4/3 Trample + haste for 1RR is big for aggro. It also plays well with Purphoros, God of the Forge and Terror of the Peaks. Even getting a 5/4 Trample + Haste for 3RR isn't bad. Strap on Giant and Warrior for those were it's relevant, and you've got a really tasty red beater, especially when combined with...
Kargan Intimidator - The other great red beater this set brought along. The top line might be a throwaway much of the time, but for anyone with a higher density of changelings, this messes with them so hard. Even on it's own, it's modality on turn 3 is brutal: trample over walls, walk past things that can kill it, or pump itself vs an empty board. This isn't going anywhere for a while I don't think, and I'd be surprised if this doesn't barge it's way into smaller, more powered cubes as well.
Fireblade Charger - Is it Goblin Guide? No. It's a goblin card that supports warrior and equipment decks. What is also is, is hilarious: Dropping this turn 5 off a top deck, auto equipping Obsidian Battle-Axe to it, then paying for the Loxodon Warhammer as well, is nasty (6/2 Trample, Lifelink, Haste), and then if it dies... it deals 6 damage to whatever you want. The trick with this card is timing: play it early for Footlight Fiend style shenanigans, or play it late to grab a weapon and swing/self detonate. Not sure if it'll make it into the most tight of cubes, but those with Goblins, Equipment or who like shenanigans should consider it.
Moraug, Fury of Akoum - Ok, here it comes.... this card, is weird. I know most people don't like it. I know the problem with it not creating an additional main phase. I also know I've seen it kill on turn 4. How? Player A got Sneak Attack on the board turn 3 when Player B tapped out. On Turn 4 Player A used Sneak Attack to throw down this and Combat Celebrant. So what happened? Well, they attack, with Moraug and the Celebrant that exerts, mowing down the blockers and getting some damage in, with a second combat phase for Moraug from the Celebrant. Then they play a land during their second main phase. Then they attack with both this and the just untapped Celebrant (it can't exert). Then they kill their opponent. Witnessing that, says to me to that while the card is unlikely to be amazing on it's own, it's interactions with exert creatures, saclands and Sneak Attack alone are so ridiculous, that when it does work, it's literally game-breaking.
GREEN
Tajuru Paragon - It's a 3/2 elf for 1G. That makes it good for aggro decks who wanna keep swinging. It also boosts multiple tribes (six of them, all relevant). It also has a kicker effect that while not fundamentally busted, can be useful if this is a late game top-deck (dig for the big thing). A very good value card, like a personal gift for tribal or large cubes, and should definitely be considered for those looking for more green aggro options.
Turntimber Symbiosis - As before, WTL likely has already explained this card better than me (I've not read their article yet). Lest to say, when pulling out Troll Ascetic or Drana, Liberator of Malakir is as good as spawning Wurmcoil Engine or King Kong the card is great. But the ability to keep an opening hand that's got only 2 lands because you can drop this as a land turn 1 if necessary is nuts. Get this in your cube because I can't envision it coming back out again.
I'm watching the ZNR preview streams like a hawk to see how effective the MDFC's are. I've only watched 3 decks so far W/B Clerics, U/B Rogues, and Mono-Blue Mill. Initial impressions are that it is telling that the streamers who tend to excel at deck construction (CGB in particular) are running playsets of these. I didn't see any of these cast as a spell except for one game where the mono-blue deck was able to cast Sea Gate Restoration right before dying but to be fair mono-blue mill is not a great deck period. Hoping to see some builds running the G/R MDFC's.
Verdict is still out, need to watch some more. Also, yes I know that Day 1 standard with ZNR doesn't necessarily predict performance in cube, but it is better than nothing.
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MH1 28
ABUR 27
ELD 19
IKO 17
ZEN 14
MRD 13
KLD 13
LRW 12
BFZ 12
ULG 11
MBS 11
NPH 11
WAR 11
THB 11
WWK 10
AKH 10
XLN 10
GRN 10
8 - USG, 5DN, CHK, ROE, M11 SOM, ISD, DKA, EMN
7 - ONS, CNS, FRF, OGW, M21
6 - LEG, UDS, DIS, RTR, SOI, DOM, RNA
5 - ICE, STH, APC, GPT, TSP, SHM, ALA, AVR, JOU, KTK, CN2, M20
4 - VIS, EXO, P3K, ODY, DST, FUT, MOR, EVE, GTC, C14, C15, AER, HOU, C18
3 - MIR, SCG, CON, CMD, M13, M14, C13, BNG, RIX, BBD, M19
2 - ATQ, ALL, MMQ, NEM, PLC, M10, M15
1 - ARN, DRK, WTH, POR, P02, INV, PLS, JUD, BOK, CSP, ARB, M12, PC2, DGM, C16, C17, C19
I considered looking back, but I somewhat recently upped my cube size by 135, so the data would only be relevant for the M21 release. I do plan to track this by set release moving forward.
For ZNR, if I make all of the above changes, I'll be losing:
2: ZEN, LRW, CHK, M21
1: MH1, MRD, AKH, XLN, DTK, ORI, USG, EMN, OGW, TSP, C18, M13
and ZNR will insert itself in third place right below MH1 (ABUR will be "on top" since the list is chronological within the same bracket). My bigger concern isn't necessarily the loss of old cards - there are still a good number of old cards that I don't expect to lose for a while. The issue to me is the slow power creep where I'm churning through new cards faster than I'm able to justify the purchase of them.
Draft my cube! (630 cards)
Definites:
Luminarch Aspirant
Kargan Intimidator
Watching:
All DFCs
Nighthawk Scavenger
Artifact Cube:
Nahiri or Akiri (leaning towards latter)
Skyclave Relic
Lithoform Engine (maybe)
all 5 MDFC/bolt lands
Luminarch Aspirant
Fearless Fledgling
Skyclave Apparition
Felidar Retreat
Thieving Skydiver
Bloodchief's Thirst
Nighthawk Scavenger
Skyclave Shade
Nullpriest of Oblivion
Akoum Hellhound
Kargan Intimidator
Bala Ged Recovery
Skyclave Relic
+ maybe some other random uncommons but for now, yeah.
I should maybe add 3 more and see if I can guess wtwlf's whole top 20 lmao
These I think could be good but will hold off from until I see people rave about them:
Jace, Mirror Mage
Sea Gate Stormcaller
Kazandu Mammoth
WHITE
Luminarch Aspirant
Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave
BLUE
Jace, Mirror Mage
Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins
Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore (maybe)
Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate Reborn (maybe)
BLACK
Bloodchief's Thirst
Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit
Nighthawk Scavenger
Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
Skyclave Shade
RED
Shaterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass
Kargan Intimidator (maybe)
GREEN
Bala Ged Regrowth
Turntimber Symbiosis // Turntimber, Serpentine Wood
Kazandu Mammoth // Kazandu Valley
Tangled Florahedron (maybe)
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
THE JUICE[BOX]³ CUBE
Luminarch Aspirant
Blue
Jace, Mirror Mage
Black
Skyclave Shade
Nighthawk Scavenger
I'm also watching Kazandu Mammoth. I think it's likely to make it in, but the cut would either be Scavenging Ooze or Tireless Tracker, and I'm not 100% which of the three is the right cut yet.
[180 classic cube]
Considering/Waiting for test results
W:
Emeria's Call
Luminarch Aspirant
U:
Jwari Disruption
Thieving Skydiver
B:
Agadeem's Awakening
Nighthawk Scavenger
Nullpriest of Oblivion
Soul Shatter
R:
Kargan Intimidator
Shatterskull Smashing
G:
Kazandu Mammoth
Bala Ged Recovery
Turntimber Symbiosis
I think that will be it for now.
Watched:
Skyclave Shade
Cubecobra
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Magic Cardmarket Profile
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DCI Rules Advisor
White
- Silverblade Paladin > Luninarch Aspirant
- Fiend Hunter > Skyclave Apparition
- Gideon of the Trials > Emeria's Call
Blue
- Man-o'-War > Thieving Skydiver
- Omen of the Sea > Jace, Mirror Master
Black
- Vampire Nighthawk > Nighthawk Scavenger
- Asylum Visitor > Skyclave Shade
- Order of Midnight > Nullpriest of Oblivion
- Mardu Strike Leader > Agadeem's Awakening
Red
- Storm's Wrath > Kargan Intimidator
- Devil's Play > Shatterskull Smashing
Green
- Turntimber Symbiosis > Oath of Nissa
Also considering but still unsure:
Kazandu Mammoth
Bloodchief's Thirst
Include:
Lithoform Engine - cut deathrender
Moraug, Fury of Akoum - cut savage beating
Maybes/Lower Priority:
Luminarch Aspirant
Thieving Skydiver
Glasspool Mimic
Bala Ged Recovery
Skyclave Relic
Skyclave Shade
Nullpriest of Oblivion
ancient greenwarden
The black, red, and green mythic flip lands all appeal to me, but I don't think any of them are must includes. I may swap them in as I pick them up incidentally from pack cracking or trades.
"Personally I love high-riak, low-reqars gambles. Life's best with a decent amount of riak. And f*** reqars."
Luminarch Aspirant over Secure the Wastes
Nighthawk Scavenger over Vampire Nighthawk
Nullpriest of Oblivion over Sling-Gang Lieutenant
Bala Ged Recovery//Bala Ged Sanctuary over Regrowth
Turntimber Symbiosis//Turntimber, Serpentine Wood over Chainweb Aracnir
Also considering:
Nissa of Shadowed Boughs over Grim Flayer
Lithoform Engine over Panharmonicon
@ Jamis, since scavenging ooze & tireless tracker are different cmc, i'm assuming that ur flexible w/ ur cuts, so why not drop mardu woe-reaper & add wall of omens, that way you could cut wall of blossoms. same wall, different name, so you dont lose the effect, & that would give you room to add kazandu mammoth...
on a side note, just curious, but why isamaru, hound of konda & not kytheon, hero of akros
WWW
Emeria's Call - A game winning effect on a land. Yes Please.
Luminarch Aspirant - A great two drop that can play different roles depending on the board state.
UUU
Jace, Mirror MAge - An excellent planeswalker with a unique play style.
Thieving Skydiver - Looks to be a future cube all star. A great card that is even better in powered cubes.
BBB
Agadeem's Awakening - This card is going to win a lot of games in very memorable and silly ways. Oh, and it's also a land lol.
Nighthawk Scavenger - A three drop that can just run away with the game.
Skyclave Shade - A nice aggressive and recursive two drop. Can fit into a few different archetypes.
Nullpriest of Oblivion - A two drop that is good early and late. Probably the weakest card I'm including from this update.
Bloodchief's Thirst - A good removal spell that can help recoup some tempo from my cube's swath of good low cmc creatures and planeswalkers.
RRR
Shatterskull Smashing - X burn spells are always fun cards and here's one that red decks can include for free.
Kargan Intimidator - A solid aggro 2 drop that will make blocking hard for your opponent.
GGG
Turntimber Symbiosis - I love that this spell gives +1/+1 counters to low cmc creatures in case you can't find the beef. I also love that it's a free spell.
Bala Ged Recovery - I'm a big fan of Regrowth and getting another copy of the effect on a card that's possibly better is very exciting.
Kazandu Mammoth - A 3cmc beater was needed in green and this one comes with added versatility.
Tracker, Ooze, and Mammoth take up a similar role in my mind - they're low-costed green creatures that beat down with minor upsides. Tracker can investigate, Ooze can be gravehate and lifegain, Mammoth can be a land, but I think the same deck that would play one, would play any of them. Woe-reaper and Wall of Omens aren't the same in my mind. The white weenie player would be much less happy to have a Wall of Omens instead of a Woe-reaper. I could still see cutting Wall of Blossoms for the Mammoth instead, though.
Kytheon and JVP are two cards that are good enough to be in my cube, but are kind of left-over exclusions from when the cube was slightly lower power. I don't want players to have to split so much attention fighting multiple onboard planeswalkers. The power level in the cube has increased, and because of that I've recently doubled the amount of Planeswalkers in the cube, because I felt decks could now handle that. It's possible Kytheon could have slotted in during that update, too. Part of me also wishes there were playable black, red and green flip walkers, too though. But that's a lesser concern; I already run several incomplete cycles. Kytheon will likely be in one day, but it's not been a priority to make the swap.
[180 classic cube]
I had a quick look over your list and personally I'd cut something like Rattleclaw Mystic for the Mammoth as you have a bunch of 2-drop mana dorks, I don't run the mystic or Wall or Roots at 360, but I do run green aggro so slots are tighter and cards like Mammoth, Scavenger and Tracker are valued much higher. Wall of Blossoms was also on my cut list as I've never felt that my green decks actually want it where most (all?) of my non-aggro white decks would love a Wall of Omens.
I agree on the flip-walkers, I run Liliana as she's put in some work in an aristocrats shell and just being a 2/3 lifelink that threatened to flip was enough to help greatly in some recent games. I really like the Nissa but had to cut her going down to 360, Chandra was good once or twice but again not good enough to survive when I went down to 405 a while back.
Thread Cubetutor
My Other Cubes
Pauper Cube
One-Drop Cube
Thieving Skydiver
Nighthawk Scavenger
Akoum Hellhound
(good)
Skyclave Apparition
Inscription of Insight
Bloodchief's Thirst
Kargan Intimidator
Valakut Awakening
Kazandu Mammoth
modal DFC pathway lands
(fringe)
Fearless Fledgling
Emeria's Call
Luminarch Aspirant
Maul of the Skyclaves
Deliberate
Jace, Mirror Mage
Nullpriest of Oblivion
Skyclave Shade
Fissure Wizard
Magmatic Channeler
Shatterskull Smashing
Turntimber Symbiosis
Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager
Surprised you don't have Kazandu Mammoth as staple along with Akoun Hellhound. It's 7/7 with a fetch and comes down t2 off mana elves. Ahd, honestly, I would be thinking about Territorial Scythecat. After two fetches its a permanent 6/5 trample.
Oh, I definitely agree in the right format(s) the Hellhound is nuts.
Posted up my Testing and Includes on my cube blog!
Feel free to see the list and thoughts here: https://andrewvisser.wixsite.com/cube/blog
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/articles-podcasts-and-guides/819010-set-p-review-my-top-20-zendikar-rising-znr-cards
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!
The list of includes on a larger basis I've put in spoiler tags, as this set was really good for the extra large (1440) cube. A lot of cards helped support the tribes-that-bind that make the cube operable, and the party mechanic adds value to decks that don't pursue a particular tribe. Some cards also were essentially swapped just to freshen up the cube by rotating out cards that don't see enough play (for whatever reason).
There is a number of cards I've singled out for comment though, as these are cards that in testing were a tad more impactful than the other bread & butter cards.
WHITE
Angel of Destiny - Being an angel it works with Lyra Dawnbringer, being a cleric is also interesting. Being a life gain machine that's also a double-striking flyer is also interesting. I imagine this card would be good for smaller cubes with a BWG life gain package or just for those with a life drain archetype. For us, it's an interesting value card that can be built around.
Maul of the Skyclaves - For those with RW equipment support, or who just want some value equipment, this is pretty good. I've seen it played on turn three after a turn 2 creature was removed, allowing it to attach to a 2/1. Suddenly that 2/1 is a 4/3 flyer, which is difficult for a tapped down control player. I've also seen it stolen with Vulshok Battlemaster, which like any good play with that card, was utterly backbreaking. As far as equipment goes, this attach-on-enter variant of Living Weapon is great for those aggressive decks.
Luminarch Aspirant - At first this didn't really stand out to us. Then someone remembered we have cards like Isamaru, Hound of Konda, Mirran Crusader and High Sentinels of Arashin, all of which work well with +1/+1 counters. And then there's Kitchen Finks, which this got frustrating to deal with really, really quickly. If you've a persist package or +1/+1 theme, this card is great, without it's a good option for value creatures.
Squad Commander - RW tokens wants to say hello, because this card rocks in that deck. Maybe not a consideration for smaller cubes, but for larger cubes this can easily knock out 2/3 tokens on entry, and when that second clause gets going (especially with something like Najeela, the Blade-Blossom or Legion Warboss on the board, it can be a really annoying 'everyone's a Gideon' effect.
BLUE
Confounding Conundrum - This is anti-sacland tech. It's anti ramp tech. It gives blue an option for fighting ramp and aggro decks that's not just counters, and forces my opponents to think. The usefulness of this card does seem proportional to the density of Cultivate/Rampant Growth and sacland effects in the cube, but with a high enough density, this card does create some interesting tension.
Glasspool Mimic - I am aware of many people's feelings on this card. I'm aware of why they feel that way. However, this card has been VERY interesting for us and hard to evaluate when it's come up. As a creature, it's incidentally been good for rogues, been handy for randomly cloning True-Name Nemesis off a top deck, even making a second Etherium Sculptor in the artifact deck has been useful. But what's really been interesting is that it's covered blue from land screw a few times: players have dropped this turn 3 after keeping a 2 land hand, where they've been able to pass priority through turn 3 because they've a 2CMC counter in hand. Because of that alone, this card has made for far more interesting games.
Thieving Skydiver - Whatever I say will likely just reiterate the thoughts of WTL, so just click here to go to his article. Aside from that, stealing Moxen, stealing Talismans, stealing Swords of This and That; in the end, it all leads to stealing the game (and possibly your opponent's sanity).
BLACK
Nullpriest of Oblivion - An early game aggressive creature that outpaces Child of Night in every way. Great for Vampire players, Cleric Players, but best of all, those who enjoy value. Being an early game card that gains life and evades is great, turning into a reanimation spell late game is great, and that reanimation spell doesn't break the bank either. Definitely a card I expect to be seeing in cubes of all sizes.
Nighthawk Scavenger - Vampire support, Rogue support, and a direct upgrade for those with Vampire Nighthawk who don't want to play them side by side. This grows quickly though, like a Tarmogoyf that flies and gains life. An absolute nightmare when equipped with Lightning Greaves.
Bloodchief's Thirst - This has been a nice little value card. It's handy for MBC, shutting down some irritating early aggro pushes and utility creatures. Later in the game, it's a fair removal spell. The reason I've mentioned it is because in larger cubes the cards that have two modes of play are increasingly valuable as they can functionally fill a gap the draft may have created: this card helps alleviate that in spades.
RED
Cleansing Wildfire - There is a lot of utility lands that can be shot down with this. From Maze of Ith to City of Brass, this can slow your opponent's mana down, buying you time. If that player got greedy and didn't put basics in their deck? Well... you just got a cantripped Stone Rain at 1R. And that's what makes this better than most of its cousins, the cantrip: drawing a card to replace this means it rarely feels bad, and regardless of what you snipe, it's likely to at least disrupt the opponent the majority of the time.
Valakut Awakening - At worse, this card is 2R: Draw a card. At best, you can pitch a dead hand to the bottom of your deck to try for better (which also triggers any 'when you draw a card' effects). You can also play it turn 1 as a land when you're playing RU Spells decks, and alike most of the MDFC, this is where it's strength has lay, enabling hands that otherwise wouldn't be kept, increasing gameplay tension and the meaningful decisions players must make.
Shatterskull Charger - This card has been ridiculous. 4/3 Trample + haste for 1RR is big for aggro. It also plays well with Purphoros, God of the Forge and Terror of the Peaks. Even getting a 5/4 Trample + Haste for 3RR isn't bad. Strap on Giant and Warrior for those were it's relevant, and you've got a really tasty red beater, especially when combined with...
Kargan Intimidator - The other great red beater this set brought along. The top line might be a throwaway much of the time, but for anyone with a higher density of changelings, this messes with them so hard. Even on it's own, it's modality on turn 3 is brutal: trample over walls, walk past things that can kill it, or pump itself vs an empty board. This isn't going anywhere for a while I don't think, and I'd be surprised if this doesn't barge it's way into smaller, more powered cubes as well.
Fireblade Charger - Is it Goblin Guide? No. It's a goblin card that supports warrior and equipment decks. What is also is, is hilarious: Dropping this turn 5 off a top deck, auto equipping Obsidian Battle-Axe to it, then paying for the Loxodon Warhammer as well, is nasty (6/2 Trample, Lifelink, Haste), and then if it dies... it deals 6 damage to whatever you want. The trick with this card is timing: play it early for Footlight Fiend style shenanigans, or play it late to grab a weapon and swing/self detonate. Not sure if it'll make it into the most tight of cubes, but those with Goblins, Equipment or who like shenanigans should consider it.
Moraug, Fury of Akoum - Ok, here it comes.... this card, is weird. I know most people don't like it. I know the problem with it not creating an additional main phase. I also know I've seen it kill on turn 4. How? Player A got Sneak Attack on the board turn 3 when Player B tapped out. On Turn 4 Player A used Sneak Attack to throw down this and Combat Celebrant. So what happened? Well, they attack, with Moraug and the Celebrant that exerts, mowing down the blockers and getting some damage in, with a second combat phase for Moraug from the Celebrant. Then they play a land during their second main phase. Then they attack with both this and the just untapped Celebrant (it can't exert). Then they kill their opponent. Witnessing that, says to me to that while the card is unlikely to be amazing on it's own, it's interactions with exert creatures, saclands and Sneak Attack alone are so ridiculous, that when it does work, it's literally game-breaking.
GREEN
Tajuru Paragon - It's a 3/2 elf for 1G. That makes it good for aggro decks who wanna keep swinging. It also boosts multiple tribes (six of them, all relevant). It also has a kicker effect that while not fundamentally busted, can be useful if this is a late game top-deck (dig for the big thing). A very good value card, like a personal gift for tribal or large cubes, and should definitely be considered for those looking for more green aggro options.
Turntimber Symbiosis - As before, WTL likely has already explained this card better than me (I've not read their article yet). Lest to say, when pulling out Troll Ascetic or Drana, Liberator of Malakir is as good as spawning Wurmcoil Engine or King Kong the card is great. But the ability to keep an opening hand that's got only 2 lands because you can drop this as a land turn 1 if necessary is nuts. Get this in your cube because I can't envision it coming back out again.
ARTIFACT
Myriad Construct - This breaks when in play with Urza, Lord High Artificer and Tolarian Academy. I don't feel the need to expound on that fact any further.
The list below is the bread & butter cards for those interested:
BLUE:
Sure-Footed Infiltrator > Academy Elite
Expedition Diviner > God-Eternal Kefnet
Cascade Seer > Spark Double
Tazeem Roilmage > Kadena's Silencer
Anticognition > Spell Rupture
Merfolk Windrobber > Distortion Strike
Zulaport Duelist > Controlled Instincts
Umara Wizard > Dreamtail Heron
Windrider Wizard > Teferi's Protege
Nimble Trapfinder > Mass Diminish
Enigma Thief > Frozen Aether
BLACK:
Malakir Blood-Priest > Fallen Askari
Expedition Skulker > Extremely Slow Zombie
Nimana Skitter-Sneak > Undercity Scavenger
Feed the Swarm > Mire In Misery
Taborax, Hope's Demise > Slate Street Ruffian
Demon's Disciple > Kheru Mind-Eater
Shadow Stinger > Silversmote Ghoul
Drana, the Last Bloodchief > Doom Blade
Thwart the Grave > Torment of Hailfire
Scourge of the Skyclaves > Nether Traitor
RED:
Goma Fada Vanguard > Blood Aspirant
Grotag Bug-Catcher > Bloodrage Brawler
Rockslide Sorceror > Tectonic Giant
Scavenged Blade > Temur Battle Rage
GREEN:
Scale the Heights > Harrow
Inscription of Abundance > Track Down
Tajuru Blightblade > Scute Mob
Veteran Adventurer > Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Strength in Solidarity > Sprout
WHITE:
Rockslide Sorceror > Burrenton Bombardier
Angelheart Protector > Zhalfirin Crusader
Kor Blademaster > Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Kor Outfitter > Old Guard
Warrior en-Kor > Tithe Taker
Tazri, Beacon of Unity > God-Eternal Oketra
Shepherd of Heroes > Knight-Captain of Eos
Emeria Captain > Sanctifier of Souls
Archpriest of Iona > Nyxborn Shieldmate
ORZHOV:
Cleric of Life's Bond > Arvad the Cursed
RAKDOS:
Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats > The Scorpion God
BOROS:
Kargan Warleader > Outlaws' Merriment
DIMIR:
Zareth San, the Trickster > Extract from Darkness
Anowon, the Ruin Thief > Etrata, the Silencer
ARTIFACT:
Sea Gate Colossus > Pathrazer of Ulamog
Stonework Packbeast > Pili-Pala
Relic Vial > Heraldic Banner
Relic Axe > Heart Piercer Bow
LAND:
Base Camp > Unknown Shores
This user has language problems due to their mental health problems and sometimes may not use the best wording to explain their thoughts.
Draft the "'What Is This Nonsense?'" casual cube.
Verdict is still out, need to watch some more. Also, yes I know that Day 1 standard with ZNR doesn't necessarily predict performance in cube, but it is better than nothing.