Finally managed to add the allied fetches, making the mana pretty good now.
I also put Kird Ape and Loam Lion back in since they should be a little easier to get value out of now.
The other big change was adding some colour-aligned lands into the mono-colour sections, including Volrath's Stronghold, Kor Haven and Academy Ruins. Treetop Village was moved into the Green section and Stalking Stones will take its place in the Land section for now, until I acquire a suitable replacement (e.g. Wasteland).
A couple of cards didn't arrive and are still on the pending list.
Yeah - there seems to be some general disagreement about these cards in particular, but I thought I'd give these a try for now. Searing Blaze is a little better in my particular cube now that I've added the allied fetchlands, so I thought it was a good time to give it a try. I'm definitely on the fence with Whipflare so I wanted to see how it plays.
I'm finding cuts difficult these days, though there's always something that can go in the end. I still have a handful of staples to add. However, I'm seriously considering going up to 540 and having reviewed some 540 cube lists I probably have most of the cards I'll need. I originally thought that my cube would be used primarily with about 4 players, so I wanted to keep it small. However, so far, it's actually being used more with larger groups - groups which can be larger than 10 people and if more than 10 show up then we don't cube draft but play some other format instead. Clearly this is not where I want to be. The key factor for me is supporting aggro at the larger cube size, and I'm not yet convinced that there are enough good one-drops to support it properly.
A few "high-profile" additions. While the cube is obviously never a done deal, and there are still a few cards I may well add (not counting new set releases), I now consider my cube to be "complete" in the sense that I'm not awaiting funds to make particular additions. These were completed with the additions of Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Force of Will and Wasteland, along with Garruk, Primal Hunter as a recent addition to that list.
I've had these cards for a few weeks, but becames a daddy in the meantime so updating the list wasn't exactly top priority. Looking forward to Innistrad but I have to admit that I don't see very many 'must includes'. Which is kind of nice...though I've purchased a booster box anyway. Looks like a fun set.
For those who care about these things, I've also removed my last two foils (Ajani Vengeant and Razormane Masticore) so there aren't any cards sticking out like sore thumbs.
Unfortunately, my cube doesn't get drafted nearly as often as others seem to: only once every few weeks. On top of that, the group tends to be large - the full 10 people that the cube can currently support. This means that I'm not able to collect all of the data that I'd like to.
That being said, I have collected a little data. Brittle Effigy has certainly been maindecked. How did it perform? Not sure, to be honest.
The other cards don't appear to have been maindecked that I can see as yet, but my data is imperfect. Perilous Myr seems fine to me, but the others could be considered to be on my "watch list" now that you raise the question. However, because of the rate of drafting, cards will tend to move more slowly through the include-evaluate-cut lifecycle in my cube as compared to others. (Most of the changes I've made up to now have been to include cards that are more common cube inclusions or to support strategies I want to support. The cuts based on performance tend to come more as the cube matures, and mine is a little lacking in experience. Working on that. )
Ok, I've got a BUNCH of cards that I want to add to my cube. For the first time, I'm going to straight up ask for advice on what people think should be dropped. Some may even be the cards that I'm wanting to add (i.e. don't add card X). Here are the cards that I have sitting in my folder ready to be sleeved in the Cube, I just don't know whose sleeves they will take.
-I think Pulse Tracker can definitely get replaced by Diregraf Ghoul. Seems a lot better.
-Puppeteer Clique seems like a good swap for the Bloodgift Demon.
-Cloud Spirit is pretty weak and adding in Snapcaster Mage would be an upgrade.
-I ran Exclude for a while, but it's really not that stellar, and bringing in Vedalken Shackles here would definitely be an upgrade.
-If you want to keep your red X spells the same volume, then I think Devil's Play may be slightly better than Banefire.
-To bring in Mox Diamond and Erratic Portal I'd say you could definitely lose Eldrazi Monument, Staff of Domination, Prismatic Lens. If the monument and staff are pet cards then the Mox is a big upgrade from the Lens.
I just want to clarify - are you meaning that Liliana of the Veil should replace Innocent Blood? I just want to confirm because the direction of your comparison seems to have changed (unless you really do mean that Innocent Blood is better).
Still mulling things over and still being tired (newborns do that, etc.). Also flicked through the cards I'm looking to add and I see that I left out Karn Liberated from the list above.
I have to admit that I'm reluctant to drop cards like Welkin Tern and Cloud Spirit (though maybe Horizon Drake is just a better choice at the 3-drop slot). UG Aggro is a commonly* drafted archetype in my cube, and these cards do get played. I understand that they're lower on pure power level, but if they're getting played, then I'm reluctant to break up a viable strategy. Obviously, Snapcaster Mage slots into that same category, though he'll likely be snapped up by any old Blue deck.
*My cube doesn't get drafted nearly as frequently as others on here, but UG aggro has been drafted pretty much every time so far - keeping in mind that we almost always have the full 10 drafters.
I can get on board with that whole update, but I'd miss Puppeteer Clique. The black cards you are brining in are better than the Clique, so it works out. Still, I'd rather cut Sign in Blood or Barter in Blood before the Clique.
I can get on board with that whole update, but I'd miss Puppeteer Clique. The black cards you are brining in are better than the Clique, so it works out. Still, I'd rather cut Sign in Blood or Barter in Blood before the Clique.
Cheers,
rant
What do you have against cards that deal in blood? :p;):)
Ok, time for a long overdue update. A mix of new cards and some other changes.
I usually find it very difficult to make cuts but is wasn't too tough this time. It's hard to believe that cards like Mortify are no longer good enough. Fortunately, I have other avenues for playing cards like that. Most changes aren't too controversial, I think. I'm mucking around a bit with U/R and R/W sections. I'm giving Burning Oil a try - I know it's probably not cube worthy but cutting Goblin Legionnaire isn't losing much. U/R is probably more controversial. Suffocating Blast and Gelectrode just don't get played so I'm trying something else out. I know that the conventional wisdom is to cut the size of the multi-colour sections but I'm not prepared to do that at this stage - I just need to try to make the couple of weak guilds work.
Most of the changes look okay, except cutting Greater Gargadon. Nothing warps the development of the game for a single mana like suspending a Gargadon on T1.
The rest of the changes are mostly fine, but you're losing a lot of aggro from this update, and adding in a lot of mid-range stuff. With the rest of the list looking the way it does, I don't think you can afford to cut all those aggro cards and still have aggro be close to equally competitive.
The trigger only goes off if he deals damage so he would deal four damage if he goes off.
Draft my cube!
Watch me stream!
That's not bad for a 1 mana investment...
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
Finally managed to add the allied fetches, making the mana pretty good now.
I also put Kird Ape and Loam Lion back in since they should be a little easier to get value out of now.
The other big change was adding some colour-aligned lands into the mono-colour sections, including Volrath's Stronghold, Kor Haven and Academy Ruins. Treetop Village was moved into the Green section and Stalking Stones will take its place in the Land section for now, until I acquire a suitable replacement (e.g. Wasteland).
A couple of cards didn't arrive and are still on the pending list.
My Cube
My Blog
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!
I'm finding cuts difficult these days, though there's always something that can go in the end. I still have a handful of staples to add. However, I'm seriously considering going up to 540 and having reviewed some 540 cube lists I probably have most of the cards I'll need. I originally thought that my cube would be used primarily with about 4 players, so I wanted to keep it small. However, so far, it's actually being used more with larger groups - groups which can be larger than 10 people and if more than 10 show up then we don't cube draft but play some other format instead. Clearly this is not where I want to be. The key factor for me is supporting aggro at the larger cube size, and I'm not yet convinced that there are enough good one-drops to support it properly.
My Cube
My Blog
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
Now with Jace, the Mind Sculptor! ;P
A few "high-profile" additions. While the cube is obviously never a done deal, and there are still a few cards I may well add (not counting new set releases), I now consider my cube to be "complete" in the sense that I'm not awaiting funds to make particular additions. These were completed with the additions of Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Force of Will and Wasteland, along with Garruk, Primal Hunter as a recent addition to that list.
I've had these cards for a few weeks, but becames a daddy in the meantime so updating the list wasn't exactly top priority. Looking forward to Innistrad but I have to admit that I don't see very many 'must includes'. Which is kind of nice...though I've purchased a booster box anyway. Looks like a fun set.
For those who care about these things, I've also removed my last two foils (Ajani Vengeant and Razormane Masticore) so there aren't any cards sticking out like sore thumbs.
My Cube
My Blog
-Hex Parasite
-Perilous Myr
-Brittle Effigy
-Eldrazi Monument
-Mortarpod
Thanks!
(list not current)
My Cube Google Docs Spreadsheet: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AibgWfz0ukmOdDNhOHlucjcxUi1wVy00NDhLbDUtUlE&hl=en_US#gid=8
(list is always current)
That being said, I have collected a little data. Brittle Effigy has certainly been maindecked. How did it perform? Not sure, to be honest.
The other cards don't appear to have been maindecked that I can see as yet, but my data is imperfect. Perilous Myr seems fine to me, but the others could be considered to be on my "watch list" now that you raise the question. However, because of the rate of drafting, cards will tend to move more slowly through the include-evaluate-cut lifecycle in my cube as compared to others. (Most of the changes I've made up to now have been to include cards that are more common cube inclusions or to support strategies I want to support. The cuts based on performance tend to come more as the cube matures, and mine is a little lacking in experience. Working on that. )
My Cube
My Blog
Potential Adds:
My Cube
My Blog
-Puppeteer Clique seems like a good swap for the Bloodgift Demon.
-Cloud Spirit is pretty weak and adding in Snapcaster Mage would be an upgrade.
-I ran Exclude for a while, but it's really not that stellar, and bringing in Vedalken Shackles here would definitely be an upgrade.
-If you want to keep your red X spells the same volume, then I think Devil's Play may be slightly better than Banefire.
-To bring in Mox Diamond and Erratic Portal I'd say you could definitely lose Eldrazi Monument, Staff of Domination, Prismatic Lens. If the monument and staff are pet cards then the Mox is a big upgrade from the Lens.
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
I just got back from FNM and picked up a Mikaeus, the Lunarch. I think I read that people like him - he certainly looks worth a try. Thoughts?
Cheers
My Cube
My Blog
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
I just want to clarify - are you meaning that Liliana of the Veil should replace Innocent Blood? I just want to confirm because the direction of your comparison seems to have changed (unless you really do mean that Innocent Blood is better).
Still mulling things over and still being tired (newborns do that, etc.). Also flicked through the cards I'm looking to add and I see that I left out Karn Liberated from the list above.
My Cube
My Blog
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 Bramblecrush
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Mox Diamond
1 Erratic Portal
1 Karn Liberated
1 Welkin Tern
1 Cloud Spirit / Exclude
1 Sphinx of Lost Truths
1 Pulse Tracker
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Innocent Blood
1 Corpse Dance
1 Sign in Blood / Puppeteer Clique
1 Banefire
1 Ravenous Baboons
1 Beast Within
1 Restock
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Mortarpod
I have to admit that I'm reluctant to drop cards like Welkin Tern and Cloud Spirit (though maybe Horizon Drake is just a better choice at the 3-drop slot). UG Aggro is a commonly* drafted archetype in my cube, and these cards do get played. I understand that they're lower on pure power level, but if they're getting played, then I'm reluctant to break up a viable strategy. Obviously, Snapcaster Mage slots into that same category, though he'll likely be snapped up by any old Blue deck.
*My cube doesn't get drafted nearly as frequently as others on here, but UG aggro has been drafted pretty much every time so far - keeping in mind that we almost always have the full 10 drafters.
My Cube
My Blog
My Cube Blog @theCubeMiser on Twitter
Yes to this!
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!
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
Finally got around to making the update. A couple of minor deviations from the discussion above, but basically the same.
My Cube
My Blog
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
What do you have against cards that deal in blood? :p;):)
Draft my cube!
Watch me stream!
They're bloody. It's so hard to get blood out of your clothes. I just hate bloodstains.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
My Cube Blog @theCubeMiser on Twitter
I usually find it very difficult to make cuts but is wasn't too tough this time. It's hard to believe that cards like Mortify are no longer good enough. Fortunately, I have other avenues for playing cards like that. Most changes aren't too controversial, I think. I'm mucking around a bit with U/R and R/W sections. I'm giving Burning Oil a try - I know it's probably not cube worthy but cutting Goblin Legionnaire isn't losing much. U/R is probably more controversial. Suffocating Blast and Gelectrode just don't get played so I'm trying something else out. I know that the conventional wisdom is to cut the size of the multi-colour sections but I'm not prepared to do that at this stage - I just need to try to make the couple of weak guilds work.
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
My Cube
My Blog
The rest of the changes are mostly fine, but you're losing a lot of aggro from this update, and adding in a lot of mid-range stuff. With the rest of the list looking the way it does, I don't think you can afford to cut all those aggro cards and still have aggro be close to equally competitive.
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!