UPDATE: White has been updated to reflect M10, playtesting, and discussion. This brings me 6 cards over for white. I'm not sure I want to cut anything in here, so I might expand the cube a little for diversity. M10 pretty much demands to make room for it, anyway.
Looks like you took my "lets compare notes" advice to heart after I posted my "Modern" cube. Good changes overall.
Thanks. I'm trying not to copy your cube card-for-card, and I think the inherent differences in card pools (mine allowing older reprints) will lend itself to that. But in my first couple plays with the cube, I've noticed a lack of weenie decks, which is why so many of the white cards in your cube made sense as replacements for the bigger creatures in mine.
So you decided to keep cards like Balance, Sol Ring, Maze of Ith, Bloodstained Mire, etc? Like, I allow "reprints" so long as they were printed in a tournament legal set with the new card face (like Savannah Lions and Bribery, etc...) but not the judge-foil-only reprints like those.
And about "cupying" or whatever -- the idea in cube is to use the best cards possible. There's no such thing as "copying" lists when cube-building (or in MtG at all, for that matter). As long as both lists are using the "best available cards" that's all that matters.
So you decided to keep cards like Balance, Sol Ring, Maze of Ith, Bloodstained Mire, etc? Like, I allow "reprints" so long as they were printed in a tournament legal set with the new card face (like Savannah Lions and Bribery, etc...) but not the judge-foil-only reprints like those.
And about "cupying" or whatever -- the idea in cube is to use the best cards possible. There's no such thing as "copying" lists when cube-building (or in MtG at all, for that matter). As long as both lists are using the "best available cards" that's all that matters.
Yes, as long as it's in a modern card frame, I will accept it. I'm not adding in the fetch lands yet, as there is only one available - plus Windswept Heath soon - in the modern card frame.
Given my conditions, what do you think of Icatian Javelineers and Orim's Chant? They are both on the bubble, but I don't want to purchase them unless I am certain I want to try them out.
There are 2 fetches available. The Mire and the Foothills I thought. Soon to be 3.
Orim's Chant is solid. For the Javelin guy, there are better 1-Drops for smaller cubes, IMO. In a bigger cube, he's fine... but for cube's our size, I'd leave him out.
I felt the same about Yawgmoth's Will, Engineered Plague and Circular Logic.
Is Dark Ritual really that good of an accelerator in a format with so much good removal? It seems that the card disadvantage would hurt too much.
What would you cut for Plague Sliver? I feel like black doesn't need to be true aggro to win. It's not as efficient as red or white in that department, so Plague Sliver's drawback ends up hurting more than the extra p/t helps. Against control, there are too many answers for a vanilla creature.
I've never built (or drafted) a Cube before, so I'm not really an expert on which cards are good or not, but your Cube looks great! I'm a big fan of the new frames and black borders, so if I ever have the desire to build a pimped-out Cube it would be pretty similar to the ones you two have.
The Coldsnap Theme Decks have new frames and black borders for some Ice Age cards. One of the decks has a Swords to Plowshares in it, and you could run that instead of (or alongside) Condemn. I'm not sure how relevant the power/toughness difference is for the spells' lifegain effects. (The theme decks also have Brainstorm and Dark Ritual, but you already have those)
EDIT:
I realized that Swords wouldn't be foil in that case. Not sure if that matters or not.
I felt the same about Yawgmoth's Will, Engineered Plague and Circular Logic.
Is Dark Ritual really that good of an accelerator in a format with so much good removal? It seems that the card disadvantage would hurt too much.
What would you cut for Plague Sliver? I feel like black doesn't need to be true aggro to win. It's not as efficient as red or white in that department, so Plague Sliver's drawback ends up hurting more than the extra p/t helps. Against control, there are too many answers for a vanilla creature.
I like Dark Ritual. In this "Modern" environment, acceleration is few and far between. And, who said you're gonna play something that's automatically gonna be capable of being removed? If you use it to play spells or a shroud creature or something, the "card disadvantage" isn't that much of a drawback. Plus, tempo is huge for this "modern" format as well. Dark Ritual is a pretty serious tempo boost.
I don't really consider Plague Sliver to be an "aggro" card. He's more of a mid-range card... that can be played in aggro too. It's a 5/5 for 4, and he adds a 1-life upkeep to all your opponent's changelings. Not every creature can have shroud. Just because a creature can be removed, doesn't mean it's not cube-worthy. Otherwise, there'd be no non-shroud creatures... and thus there'd be no need for removal spells.
I'd cut the Stinkweed Imp for the Plague Sliver, I think.
I've never built (or drafted) a Cube before, so I'm not really an expert on which cards are good or not, but your Cube looks great! I'm a big fan of the new frames and black borders, so if I ever have the desire to build a pimped-out Cube it would be pretty similar to the ones you two have.
The Coldsnap Theme Decks have new frames and black borders for some Ice Age cards. One of the decks has a Swords to Plowshares in it, and you could run that instead of (or alongside) Condemn. I'm not sure how relevant the power/toughness difference is for the spells' lifegain effects. (The theme decks also have Brainstorm and Dark Ritual, but you already have those)
EDIT:
I realized that Swords wouldn't be foil in that case. Not sure if that matters or not.
Yeah, I just started looking into the Coldsnap theme decks. There are a couple other quality spells in there as well, although none as good as Swords to Plowshares. in my mind, that's an auto-include.
UPDATE: Gold and Lands have been updated to reflect M10, playtesting, and discussion. This brings me 5 cards over for Gold and 10 cards over for Lands.
Alas, only three of these suggestions are legal in my cube. It's "modern frames only", which rules out anything that has not been reprinted since Scourge.
360 Cards: 50 Each Color, 40 Colorless, 70 Multicolor
Enjoy!
1 Akrasan Squire
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
1 Perimeter Captain
1 Steppe Lynx
[B]//2CC[/B] (12)
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Azorius Arrester
1 Cloistered Youth
1 Daring Skyjek
1 Knight of Glory
1 Knight of Meadowgrain
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Lone Missionary
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Sigiled Paladin
1 Wall of Omens
[B]//3CC[/B] (7)
1 Attended Knight
1 Dawnglare Invoker
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Flickerwisp
1 Midnight Haunting
1 Spectral Procession
1 Stonecloaker
[B]//4CC[/B] (7)
1 Calciderm
1 Captain's Call
1 Celestial Crusader
1 Goldnight Commander
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Master Splicer
1 Seraph of Dawn
[B]//5CC[/B] (5)
1 Belfry Spirit
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Guardian of the Gateless
1 Serra Angel
1 Stormfront Riders
1 Harm's Way
1 Mana Tithe
1 Path to Exile
[B]//2CC[/B] (5)
1 Intangible Virtue
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Revoke Existence
1 Shrine of Loyal Legions
1 Temporal Isolation
[B]//3CC[/B] (4)
1 Arrest
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Timely Reinforcements
[B]//4CC[/B] (2)
1 Blinding Beam
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Faerie Conclave
[B]//1CC [/B](1)
1 Enclave Cryptologist
[B]//2CC[/B] (6)
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Azure Mage
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Vedalken Mastermind
[B]//3CC[/B] (3)
1 Aether Adept
1 Fettergeist
1 Sea Gate Oracle
[B]//4CC[/B] (3)
1 Mist Raven
1 Talrand's Invocation
1 Thieving Magpie
//5CC [/B](2)
1 Mulldrifter
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
[B]//6CC[/B] (1)
1 Jetting Glasskite
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Mental Misstep
[B]//1CC[/B] (7)
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Serum Visions
1 Sleight of Hand
1 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
1 Vapor Snag
[B]//2CC[/B] (6)
1 Boomerang
1 Delay
1 Mana Leak
1 Negate
1 Remand
1 Think Twice
[B]//3CC[/B] (6)
1 Compulsive Research
1 Crystal Shard
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Frost Breath
1 Hinder
1 Thirst for Knowledge
[B]//4CC[/B] (7)
1 Bone to Ash
1 Careful Consideration
1 Concentrate
1 Domestication
1 Into the Roil
1 Rewind
1 Sleep
[B]//5CC[/B] (2)
1 Mind Control
1 Tidings
[B]//6CC[/B] (1)
1 Confiscate
[B]//XCC[/B] (2)
1 Condescend
1 Repeal
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Fume Spitter
1 Pulse Tracker
1 Vampire Lacerator
[B]//2CC[/B] (8)
1 Black Knight
1 Blind Creeper
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Nezumi Cutthroat
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Wight of Precint Six
[B]//3CC[/B] (5)
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Servant of Nefarox
1 Vampire Nighthawk
[B]
//4CC[/B] (4)
1 Moan of the Unhallowed
1 Nekrataal
1 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
1 Skinrender
[B]//5CC[/B] (3)
1 Morkut Banshee
1 Sengir Vampire
1 Shriekmaw
1 Darkblast
1 Despise
1 Disfigure
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Tragic Slip
1 Vendetta
[B]//2CC[/B] (11)
1 Devour Flesh
1 Doom Blade
1 Geth's Verdict
1 Go for the Throat
1 Marsh Casualties
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Smallpox
1 Smother
1 Terror
1 Ultimate Price
[B]//3CC[/B] (3)
1 Dismember
1 Infest
1 Murder
[B]//4CC [/B](2)
1 Barter in Blood
1 Makeshift Mannequin
[B]//5CC[/B] (1)
1 Incremental Blight
[B]//6CC[/B] (1)
1 Enslave
[B]//XCC[/B] (1)
1 Exsanguinate
1 Ghitu Encampment
[B]//1CC[/B] (5)
1 Jackal Familiar
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Reckless Waif
1 Skitter of Lizards
1 Stonewright
[B]//2CC[/B] (12)
1 Ember Hauler
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Goblin Wardriver
1 Gore-House Chainwalker
1 Hearth Kami
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Plated Geopede
1 Slith Firewalker
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Torch Fiend
[B]//3CC[/B] (6)
1 Cunning Sparkmage
1 Gathan Raiders
1 Manic Vandal
1 Pyreheart Wolf
1 Splatter Thug
1 Sulfur Elemental
[B]//4CC[/B] (3)
1 Bloodfray Giant
1 Gorehorn Minotaurs
1 Lesser Gargadon
[B]//5CC[/B] (1)
1 Reckless Wurm
[B]//6CC[/B] (1)
1 Volcanic Dragon
1 Burst Lightning
1 Faithless Looting
1 Forked Bolt
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Shock
[B]//2CC[/B] (8)
1 Arc Trail
1 Incinerate
1 Magma Jet
1 Pyroclasm
1 Searing Spear
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Sudden Shock
1 Volcanic Hammer
[B]//3CC[/B] (5)
1 Act of Aggression
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Molten Rain
1 Staggershock
//4CC[/B] (1)
1 Sulfurous Blast
[B]//5CC[/B] (1)
1 Cone of Flame
[B]//XCC[/B] (1)
1 Fireball
1 Arbor Elf
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Experiment One
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Nettle Sentinel
1 Twinblade Slasher
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Young Wolf
[B]//2CC[/B] (10)
1 Beastbreaker of Bala Ged
1 Garruk's Companion
1 Jade Mage
1 Mire Boa
1 River Boa
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Thornweald Archer
1 Viridian Emissary
1 Wall of Tanglecord
[B]//3CC[/B] (8)
1 Carven Caryatid
1 Eternal Witness
1 Gloomwidow
1 Imperious Perfect
1 Leatherback Baloth
1 Slaughterhorn
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Wolfir Avenger
[B]//4CC[/B] (4)
1 Briarhorn
1 Cudgel Troll
1 Thundering Tanadon
1 Wickerbough Elder
[B]//5CC[/B] (4)
1 Acidic Slime
1 Bellowing Tanglewurm
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Sprout Swarm
[B]//6CC[/B] (1)
1 Mold Shambler
[B]//7CC[/B] (1)
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Mutagenic Growth
1 Treetop Village
[B]//2CC[/B] (2)
1 Explore
1 Vines of Vastwood
[B]//3CC[/B] (5)
1 Beast Within
1 Cultivate
1 Harrow
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Wildsize
[B]//4CC[/B] (2)
1 Creeping Mold
1 Harmonize
[B]//5CC[/B] (1)
1 Overrun
1 Lyev Skyknight
1 Plumeveil
1 Wall of Denial
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Azorius Guildgate
1 Azorius Signet
1 Sejiri Refuge
1 Agony Warp
1 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Dimir Keyrune
1 Dimir Signet
1 Jwar Isle Refuge
1 Bituminous Blast
1 Blightning
1 Crimson Muckwader
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Terminate
1 Akoum Refuge
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Boggart Ram-Gang
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
1 Kird Ape
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Behemoth Sledge
1 Dryad Militant
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Loam Lion
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Selesnya Guildgate
1 Lingering Souls
1 Mortify
1 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Electrolyze
1 Gelectrode
1 Izzet Charm
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Izzet Signet
1 Dreg Mangler
1 Putrefy
1 Putrid Leech
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Golgari Signet
1 Boros Charm
1 Hearthfire Goblin
1 Lightning Helix
1 Skyknight Legionnaire
1 Truefire Paladin
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Simic Charm
1 Trygon Predator
1 Urban Evolution
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Simic Signet
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Savage Lands
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Mirrodin's Core
1 Rupture Spire
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Urza's Factory
1 Aether Vial
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Guardian Idol
1 Mind Stone
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Tumble Magnet
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Bonesplitter
1 Skullclamp
1 Trusty Machete
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mask of Memory
1 Mortarpod
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Signal Pest
1 Perilous Myr
1 Bottle Gnomes
1 Juggernaut
1 Ulamog's Crusher
1 Artisan of Kozilek
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!
IN
OUT
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!
Thanks. I'm trying not to copy your cube card-for-card, and I think the inherent differences in card pools (mine allowing older reprints) will lend itself to that. But in my first couple plays with the cube, I've noticed a lack of weenie decks, which is why so many of the white cards in your cube made sense as replacements for the bigger creatures in mine.
And about "cupying" or whatever -- the idea in cube is to use the best cards possible. There's no such thing as "copying" lists when cube-building (or in MtG at all, for that matter). As long as both lists are using the "best available cards" that's all that matters.
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!
Yes, as long as it's in a modern card frame, I will accept it. I'm not adding in the fetch lands yet, as there is only one available - plus Windswept Heath soon - in the modern card frame.
Given my conditions, what do you think of Icatian Javelineers and Orim's Chant? They are both on the bubble, but I don't want to purchase them unless I am certain I want to try them out.
Orim's Chant is solid. For the Javelin guy, there are better 1-Drops for smaller cubes, IMO. In a bigger cube, he's fine... but for cube's our size, I'd leave him out.
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!
IN
OUT
Also: How do you feel about Circular Logic?
IN
OUT
Also: How do you feel about Engineered Plague and Yawgmoth's Will?
Edit: I also feel Circular Logic is a bit sub par.
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!
IN
OUT
I felt the same about Yawgmoth's Will, Engineered Plague and Circular Logic.
Is Dark Ritual really that good of an accelerator in a format with so much good removal? It seems that the card disadvantage would hurt too much.
What would you cut for Plague Sliver? I feel like black doesn't need to be true aggro to win. It's not as efficient as red or white in that department, so Plague Sliver's drawback ends up hurting more than the extra p/t helps. Against control, there are too many answers for a vanilla creature.
The Coldsnap Theme Decks have new frames and black borders for some Ice Age cards. One of the decks has a Swords to Plowshares in it, and you could run that instead of (or alongside) Condemn. I'm not sure how relevant the power/toughness difference is for the spells' lifegain effects. (The theme decks also have Brainstorm and Dark Ritual, but you already have those)
EDIT:
I realized that Swords wouldn't be foil in that case. Not sure if that matters or not.
My Custom Cube - a super-powered Core Set
I like Dark Ritual. In this "Modern" environment, acceleration is few and far between. And, who said you're gonna play something that's automatically gonna be capable of being removed? If you use it to play spells or a shroud creature or something, the "card disadvantage" isn't that much of a drawback. Plus, tempo is huge for this "modern" format as well. Dark Ritual is a pretty serious tempo boost.
I don't really consider Plague Sliver to be an "aggro" card. He's more of a mid-range card... that can be played in aggro too. It's a 5/5 for 4, and he adds a 1-life upkeep to all your opponent's changelings. Not every creature can have shroud. Just because a creature can be removed, doesn't mean it's not cube-worthy. Otherwise, there'd be no non-shroud creatures... and thus there'd be no need for removal spells.
I'd cut the Stinkweed Imp for the Plague Sliver, I think.
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!
Yeah, I just started looking into the Coldsnap theme decks. There are a couple other quality spells in there as well, although none as good as Swords to Plowshares. in my mind, that's an auto-include.
IN
OUT
IN
OUT
None
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!
Fact or Fiction and Counterspell are already in the cube.
I'm just about to add the Maze of Ith, too. Wish it weren't so damn expensive... maybe they'll reprint it in From the Vault: Exiled
IN
M10 Dual Lands
OUT
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!
Also, I'm looking for three non-creature artifacts to complete my cube thus far. Any ideas?
P.S. Anyone know why I'm getting card tag errors under my gold spoiler?
Alas, only three of these suggestions are legal in my cube. It's "modern frames only", which rules out anything that has not been reprinted since Scourge.
I'll take a look at those three, though. Thanks!