I'm posting this here primarily as a point of reference for the people that will be playing my cube. However, feedback is always appreciated!
1. Cube Description
Short Introduction
Long ago I began working on the concept of a custom "block", to be designed and built using existing cards. The idea was to throw the cards into a box and then they'd always be there for building casual Constructed decks. Then I learned about Cube. It took awhile for me to convert, but during that time I also began FNM booster drafting relatively regularly and slowly developed a real appreciation for the challenges and play variation that Limited formats offer. That's when I decided to build a Cube.
This Cube is the result of a long process of design and learning from others - a process which is by no means complete. I am currently designing two additional themed Cubes as well, but this will always be my flagship Cube. I enjoy design as much as playing, so the whole process is a neverending journey. I will constantly be upgrading the Cube list as I acquire key missing pieces, so if you're going to join me for a draft, check back here before the draft if you want to be 100% up to date.
I hope this Cube brings fun to many over the coming years.
Basic Information
Size: 450 Cards
Sections: White (62), Blue (62), Black (62), Red (62), Green (62), Colourless (50), Multi-Colour (40), Land (50)
Style: Unpowered, Mythic/Rares included. Currently adhering to Legacy Banned List.
Target Formats: 4-8 person booster draft, 2 person Winston Draft, up to 5 players sealed.
Card Selection
Bling: Black Bordered. I don't like foils at all, and I don't much like white bordered cards, so my preference is for a fully black bordered Cube. However, there are some white bordered cards in the Cube due to the cost of acquiring black bordered versions (generally these are the Alpha/Beta cards). The ultimate goal is a fully black bordered, non-foil Cube.
Proxies: No. "They're real and they're spectacular!" I guess the white-bordered cards are kind my version of a proxy.
Power 9: No. Besides the financial considerations, I just don't think that these are required to have a really fun Cube.
Portal: Yes. I have no fundamental issues with the Portal sets. However, Portal: Three Kingdoms cards are white bordered and tend to be very expensive, generally making them a very low priority for inclusion.
Unglued/Unhinged: No. I don't much like the silver bordered cards. I guess I take my fun seriously.
Colour Pie: I do try to keep the colour pie vaguely intact. In a cube based on "the best cards", this is never going to be 100%. However, I've removed "out of colour" cards like Harmonize and Mana Tithe after finding better replacements. I have also tried to ensure that Green is the primary colour for mana ramp + fixing. For this reason, I do not run lands that ramp (e.g. Ancient Tomb) and try to keep artifacts primarily for ramping with minimal colour fixing.
Banned Cards: The cube is currently standardised against the Legacy banned list. This is a decision I may review in the future but is in place for now.
Pack Construction
Packs will be semi-random, with "section balancing". To construct packs I will do the following:
1. Shuffle each of the 8 sections.
2. Create 30 packs by randomly placing one card from each section in each of 30 piles.
3. The remaining cards will then be shuffled together.
4. The remaining cards will be randomly divided between the 30 packs.
This way, 30 packs of 15 cards each will be created. Each pack will contain at least one card from each of the 8 sections. The other 7 cards will be completely random.
The alternative will be completely random packs. To be honest, this is the approach most commonly used.
Pending Additions
The following cards are likely be added to the cube in the near future (drops not yet determined):
2. Tips for Players New to Cube
While Cube is a Limited format, it is a little different from traditional sanctioned draft formats. The Cube is much more powerful and therefore the approach to drafting and deck building is slightly different. Below are some bits of common wisdom (inspired by this thread) to help make your Cube experience as fun as possible. You may choose to adopt or ignore these as you wish, but they're worth keeping in mind.
1. Draft a Deck
There's more to Cube than bombs and removal. Consider drafting a synergistic archetype like Reanimator, Boros Deck Wins, UW Control, BG Rock, or Blink. As a minimum, most decks should fall into one of {Aggro, Midrange, Control, Aggro-Control}. The Cube contains a number of archetype-specific cards. This means that seeing good cards in one particular color doesn't mean that the person next to you isn't drafting the same color combination or archetype that you want.
2. Consistency
Drafting cards with similar effects creates redundancy. This will naturally push you into a general archetype (like Aggro or Control) and create more a consistent deck. Building your deck is easier and the result is more powerful when it is consistent.
3. A Note on Aggro
Unlike traditional draft decks, adding some 5+ mana bombs and card advantage doesn't always make your deck better. If you are well positioned in a certain archetype stick to the plan. For aggro strategies this will mean paying attention to your curve and ensuring your deck has the ability to put the game away. In Cube, aggro starts on turn one.
4. Lands
After the draft, you will have a high number of playables - far more than in traditional drafts. Lands that produce multiple colors of mana help make your deck more consistent. This means that every on-color nonbasic land that you have picked up during the draft will improve your deck, while you don't really profit from having a huge sideboard. Cube decks play more like Constructed decks than Limited decks, and having the right mana fixing can put your deck over the top. Some Lands can also augment your strategy and may well be an upgrade over a Basic Land.
5. Non-Creature Threats are Relevant
Unlike most Limited and even some Constructed environments, the Cube contains a large number of artifacts and a relatively high number of Planeswalkers. While the number of Enchantments is not high, some of them are very powerful. Almost all decks will need a way to deal with non-Creature threats, so putting something like Disenchant in the maindeck is not automatically bad.
6. Bombs
Every color has several powerful cards. Sometimes you have to pass them, and sometimes they're not right for your deck. Hate drafting a bomb isn't as good as picking a slightly less-powerful on-color card for your deck.
Agree with eidolon: Blue looks overpowered because all of your colors are top heavy and aggro does not look healthy. Also, way too much multicolor. You should have at most 45 gold cards. If you cut gold and some of your >4cc stuff, aggro will be able to keep blue in check.
agreed with the others. the best way to keep blue in check without lowering its power level is to support aggro strongly. it's a perfect solution because everything gets stronger rather than everything being weaker. blue control should fear turn 4 geddon or turn 3 molten rain on a field full of weenies.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm taking your advice to heart, while also needing to be reasonable in that I won't be able to replace all of the cards all at once, and I don't necessarily agree with the assumption that my cube needs to be exactly the same as everyone else's.
That being said, after some time perusing the multi-colour section, I can easily trim 2 per colour pair, and could probably even trim a 3rd from each colour pair, eventually getting me down to 50. That should be a bit more manageable. The downside is that I will (hopefully) have a draft this weekend and I can't pull together enough "recommended" cards to replace all of those. In addition, it seems pretty clear that I should add at least some of those to the artifact section, and I don't have any additional artifacts from the recommendations at all right away. Will take some time to acquire.
Likely prior to the weekend I'll only be able to pull one of each guild and replace with 2 new recommended additions to each colour.
That being said, even if I do implement this over time, I have a basic issue with the recommendations. If I remove some or all of the recommended cards, and replace them with the recommended inclusions, it doesn't look like the curve will actually go down that much. Specifically, recommendations are to remove quite a few low casting cost cards with not that many low cc replacements. I'll crunch the numbers to find out for sure though.
For those of you who have advised lowering the curve, have you done so by following the "standard" set of cards or have you made some specific non-standard choices of your own to keep the curve low?
Basic stats on my cube:
It took a little longer than I'd hoped, but I've made some drastic changes (80 adds/drops!).
The changes have been primarily to hit the two major points of feedback: 1) improve the cube for agro (primarily through lowering of curve); and 2) reduce the size of the multi-colour section.
I've managed to trim 2 cards per guild from the multi-colour section and I'm happy to cut another in the future to get it down to 50 total. In doing so, I've increased the artifact section to 40 and I'd like that to get up to 50 in the future.
At the same time, I've swapped a number of cards for more "canonical" choices. I have mixed feelings about this, but it's definitely worth giving a try and then I'll collect feedback from players.
Thanks for all of the feedback!
Some basic curve info by my calculations (average casting cost for creatures/other spells/overall):
So, overall average casting cost is right on 3. I've not tried to balance multi-colour and artifacts as yet - I've only worked on the numbers for the colour-specific sections.
I'm not sure if Ob Nix is a staple in a cube this size but I think its to early to drop it yet.
Pelakka Wurm > Gaea's Revenge. The lifegain gets you out of opponents reach which is good at that point in the game. The uncounterability is nice but I feel the Gaea's Revenge can be dealt with too easily in combat with chump blockers or traded with a power 5 dude.
@ eidolon232: Thanks for the thoughts on specific cards. I was a little gutted cutting Ob Nixilis and will likely consider putting him back in. I'll wait for now, as I'd like to get a couple of drafts in with the current list before I make too many more changes. Juggernaut does seem a bit average, but I wanted a certain critical mass of artifacts, including artifact creatures. Since I want to get to 50, there's a possibility that the Juggernaut won't get cut until I have effectively 11 more to replace it. I'll give AEther Vial a try - it's interesting because I've studied your cube list and thought maybe it wasn't being run for being "too good" rather than "not good enough". Happy to cut cards that aren't good enough so we'll see. I think you're right on War Priest. I'd really like enchantments to be "like artifacts", in that there are enough of them that are relevant to make enchantment removal relevant, but my spreadsheet tells me I have about half as many enchantments as artifacts, so I'll have to go through and reconcile the amount of removal against the amount of threats.
@ islip: Thanks for the feedback. I also like Vendetta. However, Black has a LOT of options at 1cc, a luxury most of the other colours just don't have. It also has a lot of cheap removal, so any one particluar option isn't really critical. Conversely, turn 1 hand disruption is pretty critical to some of Black's strategies so I don't want to scrimp. It basically comes down to effective rarity - in a 450-card cube, a "common" card will occur 3 times. So, for 1-mana discard, I want 3 copies (Duress, Thoughtseize, Inquisition). I don't have an issue with containing cards in a cube that have strict upgrades because you don't often actually have to choose - you're looking for a type of effect and will often happily include multiple copies, even those that are strictly worse. Volcanic Hammer is a good example - I wanted more 2-mana/3-damage removal, so it's included even though Incinerate (and Lightning Bolt, for that matter) are strictly better.
@ Sexyindiancurry: Thanks again. I actually like both Pelakka Wurm and Gaea's Revenge. However, I thought that I'd give Gaea's Revenge a try primarily because of the impact it can have immediately. Uncounterable, Haste, can't really be hit by most removal, punches for 8 is all good stuff.
Even though it's only been a week, I've made a minor update - details in the change log. I've added the cards that I had on order already, plus a couple of changes based on feedback (e.g. Ob Nixilis back in). All changes for the better, I think.
I didn't manage to squeeze in every card that I'd planned to - in particular Cataclysm and Frost Titan. Not too upset by that - they may have to wait until the cube expands.
Perhaps slightly unconventional is the inclusion of Elves of Deep Shadow, but I cut Glissa, the Traitor for it, so not a huge loss, really. I wanted the additional one-drop accelerator for Green, and also thought that the dark elves added some interesting flexibility for the Black splash in some decks. (Also note that I don't run signets for colour-pie reasons, so I like having Green-based acceleration and fixing as a consideration).
Red's creature curve is exceptionally low, currently sitting at average casting cost of 2.6.
I do feel like I'm getting very close to the point where I'm removing cards that I'd like to be in the cube. I'm really already there, but trying to keep the size of the cube in proportion with the number of one-drops.
I'm also trying to make Blue-based aggro a consideration. It's already at least partially supported. I was thinking of adding Wonder because it's effect is pretty good in aggro-control decks. It's also fairly easy to get into the graveyard in a dedicated deck - plenty of cards for doing this, and Blue-Green decks have cards like Survival of the Fittest and Fauna Shaman to go and get it. What do people think of Wonder?
Hi, eidolon, thanks for your feedback. I agree with you that those cards aren't necessarily awesome, but as you mention, they're better than what got cut and they do have some value. I gave Ninja of the Deep Hours a try tonight and I was reasonably happy with it. It always drew me a card on Ninjutsu and a few more besides, and even did some other duty, such as swapping places with a Kira, Great Glass Spinner before my opponent could blow Pernicious Deed on his next turn (not to mention changing the mana cost he needed to spend). I've ordered Edge of Autumn and will give it a try when it comes in.
We ran a full 10-player draft tonight with the list posted (at the time of this post) except that I borrowed a Tarmogoyf from one of the other drafters who also has a cube. ('goyf replaced Albino Troll for this draft but I haven't decided which card will get cut when my own copy arrives). The group was mixed - most players had a reasonable to extensive amount of Magic experience and most are strong players, but at the same time most aren't highly competitive players. There were a couple of fairly serious spikes at the table though.
Round 1: My opponent had an aggressive Black/Red deck. I lost handily in 2 games. Her fast starts of Pulse Tracker and Jackal Pup didn't combine well with me drawing City of Brass both games; in the second I didn't have another source of Blue and lost a lot of life against a very aggressive deck. She also ran out cards like Keldon Marauders and Keldon Champion and I couldn't compete. After our official round finished, we played two more games and I won both, my deck coming together with the tempo game it was drafted to implement. This gave me a little more confidence for the next rounds. (On a side note, the performance of Pulse Tracker here pleased me as a cube designer. It got drafted, maindecked, played and performed it's task as intended; that was satisfying as it is a non-standard inclusion.)
Round 3: My opponent was playing a White/Green midrange ramp deck, running cards like Loxodon Hierarch, Wilt-Leaf Liege, Survival of the Fittest, Krosan Tusker, Harrow, Emeria Angel, etc. I won the first game with a very aggressive start against his mana screw. I lost the second when he gummed up the board and then went big - Sword of Feast and Famine on Spectral Procession tokens took care of business until I couldn't hold off his big guns any longer. This deck needs to win fast or not at all. I managed to pull out the third game with a tempo draw. At a key point in the game, countering his Spectral Procession meant that he was dead to my aggressive fliers.
Overall: 2-1 and 4th place out 10.
I was really pleased with how the draft went and everyone seemed to have fun. It was the first cube draft for a few of the players and the exclamations of incredulity during the draft are awesome when drafters have to choose between half a dozen bonkers cards.
Awesome night overall - and thanks to all of the drafters for making it so much fun.
Have made a reasonably sized update (32 cards in/out). Details are in the Change Log. This update had two primary purposes:
1. Get some cards into the cube which I had just felt were missing but I didn't yet own.
2. Improve the section balance of the cube by lowering the multicolour section to 50 and increasing the colourless section to 50. This creates the nice balance of 60 for each of the mono-colour sections and 50 for each of the other sections.
How did I do? Well, I made the updates, so that was successful. I'm happy with the cards that I've added to each of the mono-colour sections. Cuts are getting very difficult at this point, however, and there were some cards that didn't make it in. For example, I didn't get Lone Missionary in, and adding Twinblade Slasher actually resulted in removing a card from the non-creature section, which I wasn't intending. At this stage, Green is excessively skewed toward creatures. I'm very happy to have Tarmogoyf in there finally. I've increased the graveyard recursion theme in Black with the additions of Necromancy, Recurring Nightmare and Corpse Dance.
I am reasonably happy with the colourless update, though there are definitely a few cards that I'd probably rather have in this section, such as Phyrexian Metamorph and Solemn Simulacrum, but I'll work on that.
Looking at a couple of other cubes, I see that some people still run Kird Ape and Loam Lion. I like these cards in theory but the mana isn't particulary consistent for getting 2/3 creatures on turn 1. This may be a result of only running the enemy fetchlands and not running the allied coloured fetchlands, but generally it's not consistent so I've dropped them for now. I'm happy with the smaller multi-colour section.
I had also intended to add 4 more lands - one related to each colour (except Green, which already has Treetop Village), including a couple of graveyard lands such Academy Ruins and Volrath's Stronghold but I haven't yet decided what to remove. (This is the reason that I swapped Revoke Existence in for Seal of Cleansing, for example). As a result, there may be another minor update in the near future if I figure it out, or it may wait for a later update.
I guess on a related note, I've seen a lot of support for Lone Missionary in many forum posts. I'd be keen to include him here, but looking for suggestions of what to cut and why.
I guess on a related note, I've seen a lot of support for Lone Missionary in many forum posts. I'd be keen to include him here, but looking for suggestions of what to cut and why.
honor of the pure (i rarely see monocolor decks so the drawback is problematic), sunblast angel (decent but not reliable as a sweeper or finisher and you have enough of those for this size), and emeria angel (all around mediocre) would be my first choices.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
Yeah, I think Honor of the Pure does probably need to go, though I don't really want to tip the creature balance anymore than it already is in White. I actually originally built a bit of support for Honor of the Pure into the Gold section - all of my GW cards are creatures, and half of my RW cards are creatures. But I admit that probably isn't enough. I'd like to add Ravages of War long term but that card is so expensive. What do you think of Cataclysm for HotP? Any other suggestions?
I suppose Sunblast Angel isn't as exciting as I'd hoped. I could swap her out for Lone Missionary and open up some room at the top of the curve.
Another few changes. I know most people like to batch the changes, but I like to make sure the list is up to date. Probably another update in the next couple of weeks since I have cards on order.
2. It was always the intention to directly swap Force of Will for Pact of Negation. However, I needed to make room for Jace, Memory Adept and the Pact never gets played, so I'll make room for FoW when I cross that bridge.
3. The land swaps are stage 1 of ensuring that I have the best set of lands for each colour pair, rather than balancing by set. Stage 2 will happen when I manage to acquire the allied fetchlands. More info on the consensus set of lands is available in this thread.
4. I know that some people feel Chandra Nalaar is better than Chandra, the Firebrand. However, I wanted to give the new Chandra a try, and the old Chandra doesn't really see that much play. Perhaps it's a temporary swap, but we'll see.
Ah! Don't cut Chandra Nalaar! The new Chandra is pretty good, but the old one isn't the right cut. Chandra 1 is a bargain for the amount of damage you get from it. Like, a steal.
I was actually debating about Flame Javelin at the time. I only ended up cutting Chandra Nalaar as it made for a straight swap.
Do you think Slagstorm is that bad? It seems more reliable than the two-damage sweepers. I thought it was a good addition when it came out. Haven't drafted the cube enough times to make a decision based on hard numbers, but it wasn't something that I thought would be on the chopping block.
At this point I'd like to make a second cube containing all of the cards that I love but have had to cut from this cube.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
Has Goblin Bushwhacker been playing well for you? I'm curious as I kind of wrote the creature off without testing him in cube, but I'd certainly be open to trying it at some point if it were to warrant it.
I was actually debating about Flame Javelin at the time. I only ended up cutting Chandra Nalaar as it made for a straight swap.
Do you think Slagstorm is that bad? It seems more reliable than the two-damage sweepers. I thought it was a good addition when it came out. Haven't drafted the cube enough times to make a decision based on hard numbers, but it wasn't something that I thought would be on the chopping block.
Chandra is very cost effective burn. She can kill a dragon and live the turn she resolves. Or kill a smaller creature and start pinging. She has a lot of loyalty to attack down.
Slagstorm was pretty bad around here. Our red control decks tend to splash red, and don't reliably have 1RR available on T3. Pyroclasm kills a greater percentage of the creatures in the cube for its relative cost (I think it killed like 15% more creatures or so, for a 50% increase increase in overall mana, and a more difficult cost). 'Clasm's faster and more splashable too. The most important factor was the speed. I don't want to take another round of damage from my opponent's early beaters if I don't have to. I think 'Clasm is much better, and I'd rather play Whipflare (or in this case, Chandra Nalaar) instead of Slaggy. Also, the player damage was more or less irrelevant in the decks that want to play a sweeper. I even had times where I could've pointed it at a planeswalker, but it still didn't help, because it wasn't enough damage to remove all of its loyalty, it damaged me in the process, and I was playing control so I didn't have a board presence to attack into the walker in the same turn as the burn. Really, I was nothing but disappointed with it. Whereas I consider Pyroclasm a staple.
Has Goblin Bushwhacker been playing well for you? I'm curious as I kind of wrote the creature off without testing him in cube, but I'd certainly be open to trying it at some point if it were to warrant it.
He's ok. I mean, he's kind of like a situational burn spell, which obviously isn't fantastic. But if you do manage to draft a very fast deck, he can be good - enters with a big splash and can always carry equipment later. I like him, but I wouldn't swear by him.
EDIT: Was there any discussion of Furnace Scamp at any point when New Phyrexia came out? I'm always on the lookout for one drops and the scamp at least made Standard burn decks. I don't see him in any lists but I was just wondering whether anyone tried him out.
He doesn't really interest me at all. It won't perform that well in a cube format. In these other all-in burn decks, it's basically like another 3 damage to the face for R spells, which we don't want/need in the cube.
1. Cube Description
Short Introduction
Long ago I began working on the concept of a custom "block", to be designed and built using existing cards. The idea was to throw the cards into a box and then they'd always be there for building casual Constructed decks. Then I learned about Cube. It took awhile for me to convert, but during that time I also began FNM booster drafting relatively regularly and slowly developed a real appreciation for the challenges and play variation that Limited formats offer. That's when I decided to build a Cube.
This Cube is the result of a long process of design and learning from others - a process which is by no means complete. I am currently designing two additional themed Cubes as well, but this will always be my flagship Cube. I enjoy design as much as playing, so the whole process is a neverending journey. I will constantly be upgrading the Cube list as I acquire key missing pieces, so if you're going to join me for a draft, check back here before the draft if you want to be 100% up to date.
I hope this Cube brings fun to many over the coming years.
Basic Information
Size: 450 Cards
Sections: White (62), Blue (62), Black (62), Red (62), Green (62), Colourless (50), Multi-Colour (40), Land (50)
Style: Unpowered, Mythic/Rares included. Currently adhering to Legacy Banned List.
Target Formats: 4-8 person booster draft, 2 person Winston Draft, up to 5 players sealed.
Card Selection
Bling: Black Bordered. I don't like foils at all, and I don't much like white bordered cards, so my preference is for a fully black bordered Cube. However, there are some white bordered cards in the Cube due to the cost of acquiring black bordered versions (generally these are the Alpha/Beta cards). The ultimate goal is a fully black bordered, non-foil Cube.
Proxies: No. "They're real and they're spectacular!" I guess the white-bordered cards are kind my version of a proxy.
Power 9: No. Besides the financial considerations, I just don't think that these are required to have a really fun Cube.
Portal: Yes. I have no fundamental issues with the Portal sets. However, Portal: Three Kingdoms cards are white bordered and tend to be very expensive, generally making them a very low priority for inclusion.
Unglued/Unhinged: No. I don't much like the silver bordered cards. I guess I take my fun seriously.
Colour Pie: I do try to keep the colour pie vaguely intact. In a cube based on "the best cards", this is never going to be 100%. However, I've removed "out of colour" cards like Harmonize and Mana Tithe after finding better replacements. I have also tried to ensure that Green is the primary colour for mana ramp + fixing. For this reason, I do not run lands that ramp (e.g. Ancient Tomb) and try to keep artifacts primarily for ramping with minimal colour fixing.
Banned Cards: The cube is currently standardised against the Legacy banned list. This is a decision I may review in the future but is in place for now.
Pack Construction
Packs will be semi-random, with "section balancing". To construct packs I will do the following:
1. Shuffle each of the 8 sections.
2. Create 30 packs by randomly placing one card from each section in each of 30 piles.
3. The remaining cards will then be shuffled together.
4. The remaining cards will be randomly divided between the 30 packs.
This way, 30 packs of 15 cards each will be created. Each pack will contain at least one card from each of the 8 sections. The other 7 cards will be completely random.
The alternative will be completely random packs. To be honest, this is the approach most commonly used.
Pending Additions
The following cards are likely be added to the cube in the near future (drops not yet determined):
While Cube is a Limited format, it is a little different from traditional sanctioned draft formats. The Cube is much more powerful and therefore the approach to drafting and deck building is slightly different. Below are some bits of common wisdom (inspired by this thread) to help make your Cube experience as fun as possible. You may choose to adopt or ignore these as you wish, but they're worth keeping in mind.
1. Draft a Deck
There's more to Cube than bombs and removal. Consider drafting a synergistic archetype like Reanimator, Boros Deck Wins, UW Control, BG Rock, or Blink. As a minimum, most decks should fall into one of {Aggro, Midrange, Control, Aggro-Control}. The Cube contains a number of archetype-specific cards. This means that seeing good cards in one particular color doesn't mean that the person next to you isn't drafting the same color combination or archetype that you want.
2. Consistency
Drafting cards with similar effects creates redundancy. This will naturally push you into a general archetype (like Aggro or Control) and create more a consistent deck. Building your deck is easier and the result is more powerful when it is consistent.
3. A Note on Aggro
Unlike traditional draft decks, adding some 5+ mana bombs and card advantage doesn't always make your deck better. If you are well positioned in a certain archetype stick to the plan. For aggro strategies this will mean paying attention to your curve and ensuring your deck has the ability to put the game away. In Cube, aggro starts on turn one.
4. Lands
After the draft, you will have a high number of playables - far more than in traditional drafts. Lands that produce multiple colors of mana help make your deck more consistent. This means that every on-color nonbasic land that you have picked up during the draft will improve your deck, while you don't really profit from having a huge sideboard. Cube decks play more like Constructed decks than Limited decks, and having the right mana fixing can put your deck over the top. Some Lands can also augment your strategy and may well be an upgrade over a Basic Land.
5. Non-Creature Threats are Relevant
Unlike most Limited and even some Constructed environments, the Cube contains a large number of artifacts and a relatively high number of Planeswalkers. While the number of Enchantments is not high, some of them are very powerful. Almost all decks will need a way to deal with non-Creature threats, so putting something like Disenchant in the maindeck is not automatically bad.
6. Bombs
Every color has several powerful cards. Sometimes you have to pass them, and sometimes they're not right for your deck. Hate drafting a bomb isn't as good as picking a slightly less-powerful on-color card for your deck.
7. MOST OF ALL, HAVE FUN!
If it's not fun, then we're doing it wrong.
My cube list can be found at the following URL:
http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/919
Update: 3 July 2014
1 Banishing Light
1 Dictate of Heliod
1 Master of Waves
1 Tidings
1 Gnarled Scarhide
1 Pain Seer
1 Ultimate Price
1 Sinkhole
1 Ophiomancer
1 Herald of Torment
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Reckless Reveler
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Gore-House Chainwalker
1 Prophetic Flamespeaker
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Rolling Earthquake
1 Sudden Demise
1 Nature's Lore
1 Curse of Predation
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Stunted Growth
1 Mortify
1 Grim Monolith
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Tangle Wire
1 Mana Confluence
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
1 Standstill
1 Despise
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Dauthi Marauder
1 Hearth Kami
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Hell's Thunder
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Slagstorm
1 Ember Swallower
1 Keldon Champion
1 Earthquake
1 Explore
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Growth Spasm
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Pristine Talisman
1 Razormane Masticore
Update: 12 December 2013
1 Imposing Sovereign
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Spear of Heliod
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Tormented Hero
1 Blood Scrivener
1 Curse of Shallow Graves
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Firedrinker Satyr
1 Ember Swallower
1 Lightning Strike
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Kalonian Hydra
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Steam Augury
1 Nearheath Pilgrim
1 Stormfront Pegasus
1 Calciderm
1 Kor Haven
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Black Sun's Zenith
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Ember Hauler
1 Whipflare
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Overgrown Battlement
1 Somberwald Sage
1 Harrow
1 Ohran Viper
1 Lotleth Troll
1 Prophetic Bolt
Update: 12 June 2013
1 AEtherling
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Sneak Attack
1 Devoted Druid
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Palladium Myr
1 Maze of Ith
1 Baleful Strix
1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
1 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Voice of Resurgence
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
1 Ral Zarek
1 Boros Charm
1 Boros Reckoner
1 Tinker
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mind Twist
1 Fume Spitter
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Wild Nacatl
1 River Boa
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Skullclamp
1 Mortarpod
1 Strip Mine
1 Nemesis of Reason
1 Rakdos Shred-Freak
1 Flinthoof Boar
1 Loam Lion
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
1 Electrolyze
1 Lightning Helix
1 Slayers' Stronghold
Update: 22 November 2012
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Pack Rat
1 Griselbrand
1 Wildfire
1 Burning of Xinye
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Arbor Elf
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Overgrown Battlement
1 Somberwald Sage
1 Ohran Viper
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Primeval Titan
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Explore
1 Growth Spasm
1 Life from the Loam
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mortarpod
1 Detention Sphere
1 Lotleth Troll
1 Dreadbore
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Night's Whisper
1 Devil's Play
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
1 Flame Slash
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Mire Boa
1 Skinshifter
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Great Sable Stag
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Thornling
1 Gaea's Revenge
1 Nature's Claim
1 Primal Command
1 Krosan Grip
1 Ring of Gix
1 Bonehoard
1 Absorb
1 Vraska the Unseen
1 Blightning
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1 Ash Zealot
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Rakdos Shred-Freak
1 Dryad Militant
1 Izzet Charm
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Vraska the Unseen
1 Sunblast Angel
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Wall of Denial
1 Bituminous Blast
1 Terminate
1 Gavony Township
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Putrefy
1 Putrid Leech
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Flinthoof Boar
1 Plague Sliver
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
1 Stormbind
1 Nearheath Pilgrim
1 Shelldock Isle
1 Searing Spear
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Thragtusk
1 Smokestack
1 Underground Sea
1 Emeria Angel
1 Dismiss
1 Volcanic Hammer
1 Aftershock
1 Blastoderm
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Crater Hellion
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Tropical Island
1 Badlands
1 Savannah
1 Bayou
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Ravages of War
1 Parallax Wave
1 Natural Order
1 Condemn
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Ohran Viper
1 Tundra
1 Taiga
1 Scrubland
1 Volcanic Island
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Fetid Heath
1 Shivan Reef
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Restoration Angel
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Emeria Angel
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Fettergeist
1 Tinker
1 Standstill
1 Coralhelm Commander
1 Wake Thrasher
1 Opposition
1 Exclude
1 Despise
1 Animate Dead
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Exhume
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Hornet Queen
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Dust Bowl
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Pristine Talisman
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Plateau
1 Scepter of Dominance
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Aquamoeba
1 Thieving Magpie
1 Calcite Snapper
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Cloud Spirit
1 Capsize
1 Repulse
1 Sign in Blood
1 Nameless Inversion
1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Fire Imp
1 Forked Bolt
1 Moltensteel Dragon
1 Jungle Lion
1 Basking Rootwalla
1 Twinblade Slasher
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Voidslime
1 Jilt
1 Teferi's Moat
1 Undermine
1 Blazing Specter
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Desolation Angel
1 Spiritmonger
1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Desperate Ravings
1 Burning Oil
1 Brion Stoutarm
1 Hex Parasite
1 Crystal Ball
1 Juggernaut
1 Spined Thopter
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Brittle Effigy
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Gravecrawler
1 Faithless Looting
1 Torch Fiend
1 Hellrider
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Vorapede
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Nature's Claim
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Gavony Township
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Lingering Souls
1 Desperate Ravings
1 Jilt
1 Burning Oil
1 Paladin en-Vec
1 Decree of Justice
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Frost Titan
1 Black Knight
1 Goblin Patrol
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Fireball
1 Wild Dogs
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Kodama of the North Tree
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Momentary Blink
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Watchwolf
1 Angel of Despair
1 Mortify
1 Suffocating Blast
1 Gelectrode
1 Goblin Legionnaire
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Crystal Shard
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Diabolic Servitude
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Devil's Play
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Mox Diamond
1 Erratic Portal
1 Karn Liberated
1 Desolation Angel
1 Arrest
1 Welkin Tern
1 Exclude
1 Sphinx of Lost Truths
1 Pulse Tracker
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Innocent Blood
1 Corpse Dance
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Banefire
1 Ravenous Baboons
1 Restock
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Mortarpod
1 Unmake
1 Force of Will
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Wasteland
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Skinshifter
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Goblin Legionnaire
1 Ophidian
1 Scroll Thief
1 Stalking Stones
1 AEther Vial
1 Glint Hawk Idol
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Overrun
1 Cerodon Yearling
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Kor Haven
1 Academy Ruins
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Beast Within
1 Stalking Stones
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Searing Blaze
1 Whipflare
1 Hex Parasite
1 Wall of Denial
1 Kird Ape
1 Loam Lion
1 Mystic Gate
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Brushland
1 Honor of the Pure
1 Mind Spring
1 Necrogen Scudder
1 Awakening Zone
1 Stonewood Invocation
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Words of War
1 Wildfire
1 Vault Skirge
1 Plumeveil
1 Boggart Ram-Gang
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Lone Missionary
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Emeria Angel
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Graven Cairns
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Underground River
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Flame Javelin
1 Goblin Wardriver
1 Pentavus
1 Pact of Negation
1 Knight of Meadowgrain
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Blade Splicer
1 Catastrophe
1 Decree of Justice
1 Revoke Existence
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Spellskite
1 Frost Titan
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Upheaval
1 Dismember
1 Necromancy
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Corpse Dance
1 Black Sun's Zenith
1 Moltensteel Dragon
1 Fireblast
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Genesis
1 Twinblade Slasher
1 Stormbind
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Spined Thopter
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Ring of Gix
1 Mortarpod
1 Juggernaut
1 Glint Hawk Idol
1 Vault Skirge
1 Pentavus
1 War Priest of Thune
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Pianna, Nomad Captain
1 Mana Tithe
1 Austere Command
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Skyshroud Condor
1 Draining Whelk
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Rite of Replication
1 Sudden Death
1 Stupor
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Sorin Markov
1 Makeshift Mannequin
1 Sulfur Elemental
1 Incendiary Command
1 Terastodon
1 Albino Troll
1 Harmonize
1 Wall of Denial
1 Agony Warp
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Giant Solifuge
1 Kird Ape
1 Loam Lion
1 Debtors' Knell
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Snakeform
1 Nucklavee
1 Spitemare
1 Impulse
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Scroll Thief
1 AEther Adept
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Manic Vandal
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Boggart Ram-Gang
1 Psychatog
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Dark Confidant
1 Complicate
1 Clone
1 Phantom Monster
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Jace's Ingenuity
1 Blisterstick Shaman
1 Oxidda Scrapmelter
1 Burning-Tree Shaman
1 Firespout
1 Inkfathom Infiltrator
1 Glissa, the Traitor
1 Dauthi Mercenary
1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Chain Lightning
1 Mutavault
1 Strip Mine
1 Bonehoard
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
1 Reckless Charge
1 Dread Statuary
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Juggernaut
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Land Tax
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Pianna, Nomad Captain
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Armageddon
1 Balance
1 War Priest of Thune
1 Student of Warfare
1 Ranger of Eos
Blue
1 Capsize
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Bribery
1 Control Magic
1 Treachery
1 Forbid
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Black
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Black Knight
1 Dark Ritual
1 Nameless Inversion
1 Makeshift Mannequin
1 Go for the Throat
1 Tombstalker
1 Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Mind Twist
Red
1 Slagstorm
1 Arc Lightning
1 Fireball
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Fireslinger
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Keldon Champion
Green
1 Wild Dogs
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Harmonize
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Eternal Witness
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Plow Under
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Skullclamp
1 Pithing Needle
1 Chimeric Mass
1 Triskelion
1 Juggernaut
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Bonesplitter
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Winter Orb
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Aether Vial
1 Perilous Myr
1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Lodestone Golem
Multi-Colour
1 Bituminous Blast
1 Qasali Pridemage
Land
1 Treetop Village
White
1 Knight of Dawn
1 Karmic Guide
1 Marshal's Anthem
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Spectral Lynx
1 Soltari Crusader
1 Wall of Reverence
1 Soltari Emissary
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 White Knight
1 Silver Knight
1 Martial Coup
1 Celestial Crusader
Blue
1 Time Warp
1 Chronozoa
1 Spreading Seas
1 Spell Burst
1 Mind Control
1 Volition Reins
1 Guile
Black
1 Laquatus's Champion
1 Foul Imp
1 Vendetta
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Consume the Meek
1 Smother
1 Sangromancer
1 Visara the Dreadful
1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Mind Shatter
1 Sulfurous Blast
1 Flames of the Blood Hand
1 Molten Disaster
1 Spark Elemental
1 Flameblast Dragon
1 Changeling Berserker
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Stigma Lasher
1 Ball Lightning
1 Obsidian Fireheart
Green
1 Desert Twister
1 Overwhelming Stampede
1 Cloudthresher
1 Leatherback Baloth
1 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Garruk's Companion
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Naturalize
1 Bestial Menace
1 Blurred Mongoose
1 Gaea's Anthem
Colourless
1 Guardian Idol
1 All Is Dust
Multi-Colour
1 Mirrorweave
1 Mistmeadow Witch
1 Windreaver
1 Ghastlord of Fugue
1 Soul Manipulation
1 Ashenmoor Gouger
1 Wrecking Ball
1 Void
1 Spellbreaker Behemoth
1 Rumbling Slum
1 Noble Panther
1 Oversoul of Dusk
1 Mystic Enforcer
1 Death Grasp
1 Identity Crisis
1 Stalker Hag
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Wistful Selkie
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Call the Skybreaker
1 Dominus of Fealty
1 Firemane Angel
1 Balefire Liege
Land
1 Gargoyle Castle
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Some land destruction also really helps aggro. I'd get Armageddon, Avalanche Riders, and maybe Stone Rain in here immediately.
Foul Imp is terrible. Switch him with Nezumi Graverobber or Black Knight.
Cheers,
rant
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CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
That being said, after some time perusing the multi-colour section, I can easily trim 2 per colour pair, and could probably even trim a 3rd from each colour pair, eventually getting me down to 50. That should be a bit more manageable. The downside is that I will (hopefully) have a draft this weekend and I can't pull together enough "recommended" cards to replace all of those. In addition, it seems pretty clear that I should add at least some of those to the artifact section, and I don't have any additional artifacts from the recommendations at all right away. Will take some time to acquire.
Likely prior to the weekend I'll only be able to pull one of each guild and replace with 2 new recommended additions to each colour.
That being said, even if I do implement this over time, I have a basic issue with the recommendations. If I remove some or all of the recommended cards, and replace them with the recommended inclusions, it doesn't look like the curve will actually go down that much. Specifically, recommendations are to remove quite a few low casting cost cards with not that many low cc replacements. I'll crunch the numbers to find out for sure though.
For those of you who have advised lowering the curve, have you done so by following the "standard" set of cards or have you made some specific non-standard choices of your own to keep the curve low?
Basic stats on my cube:
White: Creature Avg 3.33 Spell Avg 3.15
Blue: Creature Avg 3.74 Spell Avg 3.03
Black: Creature Avg 3.27 Spell Avg 2.90
Red: Creature Avg 2.97 Spell Avg 2.81
Green: Creature Avg 3.42 Spell Avg 3.33
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The changes have been primarily to hit the two major points of feedback: 1) improve the cube for agro (primarily through lowering of curve); and 2) reduce the size of the multi-colour section.
I've managed to trim 2 cards per guild from the multi-colour section and I'm happy to cut another in the future to get it down to 50 total. In doing so, I've increased the artifact section to 40 and I'd like that to get up to 50 in the future.
At the same time, I've swapped a number of cards for more "canonical" choices. I have mixed feelings about this, but it's definitely worth giving a try and then I'll collect feedback from players.
Thanks for all of the feedback!
Some basic curve info by my calculations (average casting cost for creatures/other spells/overall):
White: 2.9/2.9/2.9
Blue: 3.7/2.9/3.3
Black: 3.2/2.5/2.8
Red: 2.7/2.8/2.75
Green: 3.1/3.2/3.1
Overall: 3.16/2.91/3.04
So, overall average casting cost is right on 3. I've not tried to balance multi-colour and artifacts as yet - I've only worked on the numbers for the colour-specific sections.
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I agree with most of it.
I think I would run Vendetta over Inquisition of Kozilek or Sign in Blood since they both have hard upgrades. I like Vendetta.
I'm not sure if Ob Nix is a staple in a cube this size but I think its to early to drop it yet.
Pelakka Wurm > Gaea's Revenge. The lifegain gets you out of opponents reach which is good at that point in the game. The uncounterability is nice but I feel the Gaea's Revenge can be dealt with too easily in combat with chump blockers or traded with a power 5 dude.
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Casual Decks
UG Madness GU
W Stonehewer Equipment W
WU Millfolk UW
B Necroskitter (FFA) B
WU Multi-Kicker (FFA) UW
BW Near-Death Experience (FFA) WB
@ eidolon232: Thanks for the thoughts on specific cards. I was a little gutted cutting Ob Nixilis and will likely consider putting him back in. I'll wait for now, as I'd like to get a couple of drafts in with the current list before I make too many more changes. Juggernaut does seem a bit average, but I wanted a certain critical mass of artifacts, including artifact creatures. Since I want to get to 50, there's a possibility that the Juggernaut won't get cut until I have effectively 11 more to replace it. I'll give AEther Vial a try - it's interesting because I've studied your cube list and thought maybe it wasn't being run for being "too good" rather than "not good enough". Happy to cut cards that aren't good enough so we'll see. I think you're right on War Priest. I'd really like enchantments to be "like artifacts", in that there are enough of them that are relevant to make enchantment removal relevant, but my spreadsheet tells me I have about half as many enchantments as artifacts, so I'll have to go through and reconcile the amount of removal against the amount of threats.
@ islip: Thanks for the feedback. I also like Vendetta.
@ Sexyindiancurry: Thanks again. I actually like both Pelakka Wurm and Gaea's Revenge. However, I thought that I'd give Gaea's Revenge a try primarily because of the impact it can have immediately. Uncounterable, Haste, can't really be hit by most removal, punches for 8 is all good stuff.
Cheers!
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I didn't manage to squeeze in every card that I'd planned to - in particular Cataclysm and Frost Titan. Not too upset by that - they may have to wait until the cube expands.
Perhaps slightly unconventional is the inclusion of Elves of Deep Shadow, but I cut Glissa, the Traitor for it, so not a huge loss, really. I wanted the additional one-drop accelerator for Green, and also thought that the dark elves added some interesting flexibility for the Black splash in some decks. (Also note that I don't run signets for colour-pie reasons, so I like having Green-based acceleration and fixing as a consideration).
I also managed to add one of my "conspicuous absentees" in Dark Confidant, so happy about that. (Still on the list: Tarmogoyf - on order, Recurring Nightmare - on order, Force of Will and Jace, the Mind Sculptor).
Red's creature curve is exceptionally low, currently sitting at average casting cost of 2.6.
I do feel like I'm getting very close to the point where I'm removing cards that I'd like to be in the cube. I'm really already there, but trying to keep the size of the cube in proportion with the number of one-drops.
I'm also trying to make Blue-based aggro a consideration. It's already at least partially supported. I was thinking of adding Wonder because it's effect is pretty good in aggro-control decks. It's also fairly easy to get into the graveyard in a dedicated deck - plenty of cards for doing this, and Blue-Green decks have cards like Survival of the Fittest and Fauna Shaman to go and get it. What do people think of Wonder?
Cheers.
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We ran a full 10-player draft tonight with the list posted (at the time of this post) except that I borrowed a Tarmogoyf from one of the other drafters who also has a cube. ('goyf replaced Albino Troll for this draft but I haven't decided which card will get cut when my own copy arrives). The group was mixed - most players had a reasonable to extensive amount of Magic experience and most are strong players, but at the same time most aren't highly competitive players. There were a couple of fairly serious spikes at the table though.
I drafted the following deck:
1 Wild Dogs
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Jungle Lion
1 Welkin Tern
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Aquamoeba
1 Cloud Spirit
1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Man-o'-War
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Preordain
1 Brainstorm
1 Condescend
1 Memory Lapse
1 Miscalculation
1 Remand
1 Repeal
1 Stonewood Invocation
1 Skullclamp
Lands (16)
1 Mutavault
1 City of Brass
1 Yavimaya Coast
7 Island
6 Forest
1 Viridian Shaman
Round 1: My opponent had an aggressive Black/Red deck. I lost handily in 2 games. Her fast starts of Pulse Tracker and Jackal Pup didn't combine well with me drawing City of Brass both games; in the second I didn't have another source of Blue and lost a lot of life against a very aggressive deck. She also ran out cards like Keldon Marauders and Keldon Champion and I couldn't compete. After our official round finished, we played two more games and I won both, my deck coming together with the tempo game it was drafted to implement. This gave me a little more confidence for the next rounds. (On a side note, the performance of Pulse Tracker here pleased me as a cube designer. It got drafted, maindecked, played and performed it's task as intended; that was satisfying as it is a non-standard inclusion.)
Round 2: My opponent was playing Jund. He was on Bloodbraid Elf, Putrid Leech, Pernicious Deed, Spiritmonger and Sword of Light and Shadow. His deck looked very powerful, but was threat light in general and didn't have enough gas to put me away. My deck managed to tempo him out and I won the round 2-0.
Round 3: My opponent was playing a White/Green midrange ramp deck, running cards like Loxodon Hierarch, Wilt-Leaf Liege, Survival of the Fittest, Krosan Tusker, Harrow, Emeria Angel, etc. I won the first game with a very aggressive start against his mana screw. I lost the second when he gummed up the board and then went big - Sword of Feast and Famine on Spectral Procession tokens took care of business until I couldn't hold off his big guns any longer. This deck needs to win fast or not at all. I managed to pull out the third game with a tempo draw. At a key point in the game, countering his Spectral Procession meant that he was dead to my aggressive fliers.
Overall: 2-1 and 4th place out 10.
I was really pleased with how the draft went and everyone seemed to have fun. It was the first cube draft for a few of the players and the exclamations of incredulity during the draft are awesome when drafters have to choose between half a dozen bonkers cards.
Awesome night overall - and thanks to all of the drafters for making it so much fun.
Cheers.
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1. Get some cards into the cube which I had just felt were missing but I didn't yet own.
2. Improve the section balance of the cube by lowering the multicolour section to 50 and increasing the colourless section to 50. This creates the nice balance of 60 for each of the mono-colour sections and 50 for each of the other sections.
How did I do? Well, I made the updates, so that was successful.
I am reasonably happy with the colourless update, though there are definitely a few cards that I'd probably rather have in this section, such as Phyrexian Metamorph and Solemn Simulacrum, but I'll work on that.
Looking at a couple of other cubes, I see that some people still run Kird Ape and Loam Lion. I like these cards in theory but the mana isn't particulary consistent for getting 2/3 creatures on turn 1. This may be a result of only running the enemy fetchlands and not running the allied coloured fetchlands, but generally it's not consistent so I've dropped them for now. I'm happy with the smaller multi-colour section.
I had also intended to add 4 more lands - one related to each colour (except Green, which already has Treetop Village), including a couple of graveyard lands such Academy Ruins and Volrath's Stronghold but I haven't yet decided what to remove. (This is the reason that I swapped Revoke Existence in for Seal of Cleansing, for example). As a result, there may be another minor update in the near future if I figure it out, or it may wait for a later update.
Always keen for feedback.
Cheers.
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Cheers.
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honor of the pure (i rarely see monocolor decks so the drawback is problematic), sunblast angel (decent but not reliable as a sweeper or finisher and you have enough of those for this size), and emeria angel (all around mediocre) would be my first choices.
I suppose Sunblast Angel isn't as exciting as I'd hoped. I could swap her out for Lone Missionary and open up some room at the top of the curve.
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Changes added to change log:
1 Lone Missionary
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Emeria Angel
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Graven Cairns
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Underground River
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Goblin Wardriver
1 Pentavus
1 Pact of Negation
Notes:
1. Spellskite was moved into the Colourless section to make room for Phantasmal Image. Pentavus was the resulting drop.
2. It was always the intention to directly swap Force of Will for Pact of Negation. However, I needed to make room for Jace, Memory Adept and the Pact never gets played, so I'll make room for FoW when I cross that bridge.
3. The land swaps are stage 1 of ensuring that I have the best set of lands for each colour pair, rather than balancing by set. Stage 2 will happen when I manage to acquire the allied fetchlands. More info on the consensus set of lands is available in this thread.
4. I know that some people feel Chandra Nalaar is better than Chandra, the Firebrand. However, I wanted to give the new Chandra a try, and the old Chandra doesn't really see that much play. Perhaps it's a temporary swap, but we'll see.
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Cheers.
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Preferably Flame Jav or Slagstorm first.
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Do you think Slagstorm is that bad? It seems more reliable than the two-damage sweepers. I thought it was a good addition when it came out. Haven't drafted the cube enough times to make a decision based on hard numbers, but it wasn't something that I thought would be on the chopping block.
At this point I'd like to make a second cube containing all of the cards that I love but have had to cut from this cube.
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Chandra is very cost effective burn. She can kill a dragon and live the turn she resolves. Or kill a smaller creature and start pinging. She has a lot of loyalty to attack down.
Slagstorm was pretty bad around here. Our red control decks tend to splash red, and don't reliably have 1RR available on T3. Pyroclasm kills a greater percentage of the creatures in the cube for its relative cost (I think it killed like 15% more creatures or so, for a 50% increase increase in overall mana, and a more difficult cost). 'Clasm's faster and more splashable too. The most important factor was the speed. I don't want to take another round of damage from my opponent's early beaters if I don't have to. I think 'Clasm is much better, and I'd rather play Whipflare (or in this case, Chandra Nalaar) instead of Slaggy. Also, the player damage was more or less irrelevant in the decks that want to play a sweeper. I even had times where I could've pointed it at a planeswalker, but it still didn't help, because it wasn't enough damage to remove all of its loyalty, it damaged me in the process, and I was playing control so I didn't have a board presence to attack into the walker in the same turn as the burn. Really, I was nothing but disappointed with it. Whereas I consider Pyroclasm a staple.
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He's ok. I mean, he's kind of like a situational burn spell, which obviously isn't fantastic. But if you do manage to draft a very fast deck, he can be good - enters with a big splash and can always carry equipment later. I like him, but I wouldn't swear by him.
EDIT: Was there any discussion of Furnace Scamp at any point when New Phyrexia came out? I'm always on the lookout for one drops and the scamp at least made Standard burn decks. I don't see him in any lists but I was just wondering whether anyone tried him out.
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I totally didn't even know this guy existed.
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!