I was thinking maybe Aftershock. It's a good card, but is just 1-for-1 removal, while Fire Imp is at least a 2-for-1. Both Imp and Goblin Ruinblaster fit in with what I'm really trying to do in Red: besides straight-forward aggression, I'm looking for Red to contribute attrition for Rakdos- or Jund-style midrange decks.
I may complete the update without Ravages of War as it hasn't arrived yet, but will add it as soon as it does. Condemn is an option, though I'm perfectly happy to have it in any White control deck. Is it really the worst one? Maybe Temporal Isolation is worse?
A couple of differences from the previous discussion:
1. I decided that my priority in the near future will be ABUR dual lands, which means that it may take me some time to pick up Burning of Xinye. I'm keen to do that, but take the advice that you need both that and Wildfire to make the archetype more viable. So I didn't add Wildfire. People have been raving about Zealous Conscripts, so I decided to give that a try.
Thanks for the feedback. I recognize that these are not common additions at 450. Certainly, Eldrazi Monument is speculative and may not stay long. However, for now I'm happy to try the mana rocks and see how things get on. Maybe they're not great, but this is the direction that I'd like to try out before I make any further decision.
Half way there! I think the second half will be much harder than the first as these are the low-hanging fruit (i.e. locally available) ones. A couple more out there I think but then things will thin out. So far sacrificed a Tarmogoyf to the cause, but nothing else of particular note.
Good changes! Not running proxies certainly means they are not minor when it comes to monetary value, though
Agreed. The next few updates are likely to be similar - major milestones but very few actual cards. It's certainly not a goal of mine for the cube to be expensive, but there are a few staples that are necessary.
Quote from eidolon232 »
I think you have to cut a white 4 drop, even if it is in the creature section, or your curve is just going to be horrible. How about the landfall thing?
I think you're right. I guess Emeria Angel could be an option. I'll have to take a look at what to bring in.
Hmm. I'm wanting to add some more stuff to support tokens. Interestingly, I was thinking of Battle Screech but it's yet another 4-drop. Maybe it's just a simple Midnight Haunting. Not the greatest card ever but you're happy to have it in a token deck. Thoughts?
8/10! Getting very close, now. Just need Tropical Island and Underground Sea. Not a small task, by any means, but working on it.
No M13 updates at this time. I'm playing an M13 League with a couple of guys at work, so not planning to buy cube cards from M13 until that is done, just in case I crack the cards that I'm after. Meanwhile, hopefully starting a semi-regular cube-group in a couple of weeks. It's the reforming of a previous casual group and it could be a cause to push me to 540 - as the group was always at least 10 people, one time an 11th had to sit out.
I'd be interested in suggestions for things to remove. In the artifact section, I'm not keen to remove any mana rocks at this time until I see how things go in that area.
With the recent additions, and almost being complete on Revised dual lands, I'm pretty happy with the quality of my cube. I was just flicking through it after not really having a chance for over a week, and I was struck by how many cards that I wished were in my cube, actually are! It's a cool feeling. Once I've completed the dual land cycle, I'll feel like I can post in eidolon's thread to add myself to the stats.
I'm likely going to slow roll my RTR changes as well since I'll be participating in a League again and won't free up my RTR additions until it's finished. That said, a few cards, especially anything common/uncommon which I can pick up on the side might make it in.
In response to eidolon's previous comment: While I do have some lands in my gold section, they do not fix mana. These cards have activated abilities which require the two colours in question, making them effectively spells. I have the same number of mana fixers for each guild - currently 4 - and I'm not looking to unbalance it at this time. As for the Green section - yes, I should look to balance this up a bit, perhaps at the next update. Because Green has so much ramp, I don't mind pushing the Green curve up a little, which is why I probably have so much at the top end. There are plenty of 4-drop creatures, and some of the 5-drop creatures I view as effectively undercosted. It's really Green's spells that need addressing since they are a bit dismal. That being said, it's an area for me to look at and I appreciate the feedback.
EDIT: Also, considering adding Yeva, Nature's Herald and/or Wolfir Avenger. Any thoughts and feedback on those cards and maybe what might be time to drop?
Also, just an observation - everytime someone suggests something to drop it always seems to be something related to tokens strategies (e.g. Deranged Hermit) which is something that I'd ideally like to support in GW.
I have Detention Sphere in hand but its in my league pool so I'll add it to the cube when league finishes. Lotleth Troll and Dreadbore are on order. When the troll arrives I'm going to have to cut something from Golgari - that is insane. I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Also, I recognize that Blightning is probably the correct cut over Terminate here but they'll both be gone when Dreadbore arrives and I'm a huge fan of Blightning.
When Gatecrash comes out I'll have to consider jumping back up to 5-card guild sections, even if it means expanding the cube. If that happens, some of these cards will go straight back in.
Ok, so a fairly large update, all things considered. (Note the cube list in the OP hasn't yet been updated as I can't access deckstats for some reason. This should be fixed later today when I have more time.)
The biggest change was a large overhaul of my Green section which I've discussed in some detail here. I also added the Wildfire "package" and looking forward to drafting it at some stage. Finished the RTR multi-coloured updates...after cutting this section from 50 down to 40, I'm pretty sure I'll go back up to 50 after Gatecrash. I just need one more cubable card for Boros and Simic.
This update has been a long time coming. The birth of our second daughter - and in general having two children in diapers - has meant that I have had little free time to tinker with my cube. Once I did start back at it the intention was simply to make a Gatecrash & Dragon's Maze update. But then I kept tinkering...
Probably the most obvious major change, and the one that I imagine would garner the most criticism, is the shift to standardising on the Legacy card pool for my cube. I know most people wouldn't want to do this, and that's fine. The history of this has to do largely with nomenclature, though there are implications to actual game play as well. Most people define their cubes as either powered or unpowered. But then I found out that among the unpowered crew, there are many who also ban fast mana, and then those who don't play various other cards such as Library of Alexandria, Channel, etc. Many people also have indicated that Mind Twist is not appopriate for an unpowered cube. In fact, below is a list of cards that I've chosen to exclude from my cube, mostly for design reasons:
Power Nine: Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, Mox Pearl, Timetwister
Black Vise
Channel
Library of Alexandria
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain (more cost, really)
Mana Vault
Sol Ring
Mind Twist
Yawgmoth's Bargain
Yawgmoth's Will
In pondering these, it occurred to me that the thing these cards have in common is that they are all on the Legacy banned list. The more that I thought about my exclusions, the more I realised that the reason for those exclusions was largely similar to the reason that many of the cards are on that list: to exclude the really broken cards while playing with the best of the rest in a fun and "fair" environment. Now, I realise that some of the cards are on the list only because they became broken specifically in the Constructed Legacy format (e.g. Survival of the Fittest), not necessarily because they're broken in and of themselves. Nevertheless, I took a closer look at the cards that I do have in my cube which are also on the Legacy banned list:
To be fair, this is pretty much a mass slaughter of sacred cows. Cards like Mystical Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, etc. come and go as the list is updated over time. Ultimately, the only card that made me feel sad to lose was Tinker, but I also realised that there are other ways to cheat fatties into play so it wouldn't be the actual end of the world if it wasn't there. I know a lot of people would argue with Strip Mine as well - I'll be actively looking to include Rishadan Port in the future. The others are great, no question, but they have always had a bit of a stigma for me and I like the idea of simply defining my cube as a Legacy cube and all that that entails.
Ultimately, I decided to give it a try. It's not like I've torn up my copies of these cards - they're just in the "on deck binder" for awhile and I'll see how things go from there. I've seen several members of this forum switch between powered and unpowered, change their cube sizes up and down (and back again and back again), etc. So, this is my current experiment. Incidentally, I had thought in the past that a Modern cube would also be fun and plenty enjoyable - the main reason for sticking with Legacy is actually the mana(!) - I like that you can draft an excellent mana base for 2- and 3-colour decks with the ABUR duals and the 5 allied fetches which are not Modern legal - and since I already have them, I'm happy to keep them. But a Modern cube would be plenty fun, I reckon.
In any event, this is where the cube currently stands. We had a 2-person Winchester draft today and the decks felt plenty powerful without any those cards. We'll see how it goes.
The next item on my agenda is to make some minor adjustments to improve how the cube plays with small groups. More on that in another thread and I'll check back in with the updates when they happen.
That's the way my cube has been from its inception, and I have no plan to change it. Legacy is the best format (balanced power level!) and my only gripe with the banlist is Survival of the Fittest (because it was dependent on exploiting multiple copies of vengevine).
We went 2-2 before we had to go. My BUG ramp deck had a coherent plan and was more consistent but the two losses were just to powerful planeswalkers - the first game with both Ral and Ajani firing at the same time and the second loss was to a turn 4 Jace, Memory Adept. That card is hard to beat with 40-card decks.
Well, it's been a long time since I've made an actual update. This update includes M14, Theros, and a few stragglers from RTR block. Below is my pending update - we have a draft scheduled soon so I'll need to finalize the changes in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I'm keen for any feedback so that I can adjust my update if someone convinces me to.
EDIT: Somewhere along the way, I seem to have swapped in Garruk Relentless for Ohran Viper. I'll include this change in this update, since it's not already in my change log. I shouldn't do that...it's the first time that's ever happened. I guess I've just been too busy this year.
I can't believe it's been so long since my last update! This is essentially my Theros block + Commander 2013 update, along with a few sweet pickups (Sinkhole, Rolling Earthquake) I made along the way.
In the past, I've really struggled to make cuts, but I didn't find it too difficult this time. Some of the additions, I'm sure, won't be long term staples (Dictate of Heliod?) and some of the cuts could be undone in the future (Earthquake?) but I'm pretty happy for now.
Dictate of Heliod is included because I am trying to push the "swarm" archetype (often referred to as "tokens") based in White, and this card is very good in that deck.
Other than that, I'm always interested in thoughts and feedback on changes.
Conspiracy and likely M15 will be on my radar next, though I'm not currently looking at including the special "as you draft this" cards from Conspiracy - just not up my alley and we cube infrequently so I don't feel the need to add that additional layer of complexity (though I can see how it would be a fun diversion for frequent drafters).
EDIT: I should also mention that I found it useful to compare my cube with the "average cubes" (in this case the Cube Tutor 450) on cubetutor.com. I don't necessarily agree with all of the average decisions, but it really helped point out cards that perhaps other people are cutting that I should consider for my short list.
Cuts for Ravages of War: Condemn or a white two-drop creature (for example Stormfront Pegasus).
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
The other option was Whipflare. It's a good card, but there are already multiple sweeper effects: Pyroclasm, Slagstorm, Earthquake, Wildfire and Crater Hellion. I'll also be adding Burning of Xinye in a future update, so I'm not sure this card is needed.
I may complete the update without Ravages of War as it hasn't arrived yet, but will add it as soon as it does. Condemn is an option, though I'm perfectly happy to have it in any White control deck. Is it really the worst one? Maybe Temporal Isolation is worse?
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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 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 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
A couple of differences from the previous discussion:
1. I decided that my priority in the near future will be ABUR dual lands, which means that it may take me some time to pick up Burning of Xinye. I'm keen to do that, but take the advice that you need both that and Wildfire to make the archetype more viable. So I didn't add Wildfire. People have been raving about Zealous Conscripts, so I decided to give that a try.
2. Rugged Prairie -> Plateau. It has begun.
I can't even remember what else. Anyway, that's the current update.
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Cheers.
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1 Tundra
1 Taiga
1 Scrubland
1 Volcanic Island
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Copperline Gorge
1 Fetid Heath
1 Shivan Reef
Half way there! I think the second half will be much harder than the first as these are the low-hanging fruit (i.e. locally available) ones. A couple more out there I think but then things will thin out. So far sacrificed a Tarmogoyf to the cause, but nothing else of particular note.
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1 Ravages of War
1 Parallax Wave
1 Natural Order
1 Condemn
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Ohran Viper
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"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Agreed. The next few updates are likely to be similar - major milestones but very few actual cards. It's certainly not a goal of mine for the cube to be expensive, but there are a few staples that are necessary.
I think you're right. I guess Emeria Angel could be an option. I'll have to take a look at what to bring in.
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Update: 10 July 2012
1 Badlands
1 Savannah
1 Bayou
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Llanowar Wastes
8/10! Getting very close, now. Just need Tropical Island and Underground Sea. Not a small task, by any means, but working on it.
No M13 updates at this time. I'm playing an M13 League with a couple of guys at work, so not planning to buy cube cards from M13 until that is done, just in case I crack the cards that I'm after. Meanwhile, hopefully starting a semi-regular cube-group in a couple of weeks. It's the reforming of a previous casual group and it could be a cause to push me to 540 - as the group was always at least 10 people, one time an 11th had to sit out.
Anyway, I have picked up the following cards along the way:
Sigarda, Host of Herons
Future Sight
Smokestack
Shelldock Isle
I'd be interested in suggestions for things to remove. In the artifact section, I'm not keen to remove any mana rocks at this time until I see how things go in that area.
With the recent additions, and almost being complete on Revised dual lands, I'm pretty happy with the quality of my cube. I was just flicking through it after not really having a chance for over a week, and I was struck by how many cards that I wished were in my cube, actually are! It's a cool feeling. Once I've completed the dual land cycle, I'll feel like I can post in eidolon's thread to add myself to the stats.
Happy cubing!
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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 Underground Sea means I've completed the cycle of Revised duals. To say I'm excited would be and understatement.
As always, I'm happy to hear your feedback.
Cheers.
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Cheers,
rant
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CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Flinthoof Boar
1 Plague Sliver
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
1 Stormbind
I'm likely going to slow roll my RTR changes as well since I'll be participating in a League again and won't free up my RTR additions until it's finished. That said, a few cards, especially anything common/uncommon which I can pick up on the side might make it in.
In response to eidolon's previous comment: While I do have some lands in my gold section, they do not fix mana. These cards have activated abilities which require the two colours in question, making them effectively spells. I have the same number of mana fixers for each guild - currently 4 - and I'm not looking to unbalance it at this time. As for the Green section - yes, I should look to balance this up a bit, perhaps at the next update. Because Green has so much ramp, I don't mind pushing the Green curve up a little, which is why I probably have so much at the top end. There are plenty of 4-drop creatures, and some of the 5-drop creatures I view as effectively undercosted. It's really Green's spells that need addressing since they are a bit dismal. That being said, it's an area for me to look at and I appreciate the feedback.
EDIT: Also, considering adding Yeva, Nature's Herald and/or Wolfir Avenger. Any thoughts and feedback on those cards and maybe what might be time to drop?
Also, just an observation - everytime someone suggests something to drop it always seems to be something related to tokens strategies (e.g. Deranged Hermit) which is something that I'd ideally like to support in GW.
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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
I have Detention Sphere in hand but its in my league pool so I'll add it to the cube when league finishes. Lotleth Troll and Dreadbore are on order. When the troll arrives I'm going to have to cut something from Golgari - that is insane. I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Also, I recognize that Blightning is probably the correct cut over Terminate here but they'll both be gone when Dreadbore arrives and I'm a huge fan of Blightning.
When Gatecrash comes out I'll have to consider jumping back up to 5-card guild sections, even if it means expanding the cube. If that happens, some of these cards will go straight back in.
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1 Show and Tell
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 Opposition
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
The biggest change was a large overhaul of my Green section which I've discussed in some detail here. I also added the Wildfire "package" and looking forward to drafting it at some stage. Finished the RTR multi-coloured updates...after cutting this section from 50 down to 40, I'm pretty sure I'll go back up to 50 after Gatecrash. I just need one more cubable card for Boros and Simic.
Always keen to hear feedback.
EDIT: The cube list has been updated.
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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
Major Changes:
Probably the most obvious major change, and the one that I imagine would garner the most criticism, is the shift to standardising on the Legacy card pool for my cube. I know most people wouldn't want to do this, and that's fine. The history of this has to do largely with nomenclature, though there are implications to actual game play as well. Most people define their cubes as either powered or unpowered. But then I found out that among the unpowered crew, there are many who also ban fast mana, and then those who don't play various other cards such as Library of Alexandria, Channel, etc. Many people also have indicated that Mind Twist is not appopriate for an unpowered cube. In fact, below is a list of cards that I've chosen to exclude from my cube, mostly for design reasons:
Power Nine: Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, Mox Pearl, Timetwister
Black Vise
Channel
Library of Alexandria
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain (more cost, really)
Mana Vault
Sol Ring
Mind Twist
Yawgmoth's Bargain
Yawgmoth's Will
In pondering these, it occurred to me that the thing these cards have in common is that they are all on the Legacy banned list. The more that I thought about my exclusions, the more I realised that the reason for those exclusions was largely similar to the reason that many of the cards are on that list: to exclude the really broken cards while playing with the best of the rest in a fun and "fair" environment. Now, I realise that some of the cards are on the list only because they became broken specifically in the Constructed Legacy format (e.g. Survival of the Fittest), not necessarily because they're broken in and of themselves. Nevertheless, I took a closer look at the cards that I do have in my cube which are also on the Legacy banned list:
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Skullclamp
1 Strip Mine
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Wheel of Fortune
To be fair, this is pretty much a mass slaughter of sacred cows. Cards like Mystical Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, etc. come and go as the list is updated over time. Ultimately, the only card that made me feel sad to lose was Tinker, but I also realised that there are other ways to cheat fatties into play so it wouldn't be the actual end of the world if it wasn't there. I know a lot of people would argue with Strip Mine as well - I'll be actively looking to include Rishadan Port in the future. The others are great, no question, but they have always had a bit of a stigma for me and I like the idea of simply defining my cube as a Legacy cube and all that that entails.
Ultimately, I decided to give it a try. It's not like I've torn up my copies of these cards - they're just in the "on deck binder" for awhile and I'll see how things go from there. I've seen several members of this forum switch between powered and unpowered, change their cube sizes up and down (and back again and back again), etc. So, this is my current experiment. Incidentally, I had thought in the past that a Modern cube would also be fun and plenty enjoyable - the main reason for sticking with Legacy is actually the mana(!) - I like that you can draft an excellent mana base for 2- and 3-colour decks with the ABUR duals and the 5 allied fetches which are not Modern legal - and since I already have them, I'm happy to keep them. But a Modern cube would be plenty fun, I reckon.
In any event, this is where the cube currently stands. We had a 2-person Winchester draft today and the decks felt plenty powerful without any those cards. We'll see how it goes.
The next item on my agenda is to make some minor adjustments to improve how the cube plays with small groups. More on that in another thread and I'll check back in with the updates when they happen.
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That's the way my cube has been from its inception, and I have no plan to change it. Legacy is the best format (balanced power level!) and my only gripe with the banlist is Survival of the Fittest (because it was dependent on exploiting multiple copies of vengevine).
I hope you like the format!
My Legacy-Legal Cube <--- Draft It!
wtwlf123's Classic Cube
Lanxal's Pauper Cube
Cubers, UNITE! Don't forget to post your cube location on The Great Cube Map Thread
Yeah, not saying it's perfect but I think I'm going to enjoy the decision - it's at least good for my brain.
Winchester drafted these decks the other night after work:
5 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Tropical Island
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Arbor Elf
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Overgrown Battlement
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Mystic Snake
1 Masticore
1 Primeval Titan
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Farseek
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Compulsive Research
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Natural Order
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Condescend
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Nearheath Pilgrim
1 Elspeth, Knirth-Errant
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Thoughtseize
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Searing Spear
1 Slagstorm
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Izzet Charm
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Tundra
4 Island
4 Plains
1 Volcanic Island
1 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Flooded Strand
1 Maze of Ith
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Spellskite
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 AEther Adept
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Mulldrifter
1 Brainstorm
1 Preordain
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Magma Jet
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Lingering Souls
1 Ral Zarek
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Treachery
1 Force of Will
1 Remand
1 Snuff Out
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Reanimate
1 Diabolic Servitude
1 Pack Rat
1 Skinrender
1 Pyroclasm
1 Whipflare
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Vorapede
1 Plow Under
1 Genesis
1 Beast Within
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Regrowth
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Winter Orb
1 Trygon Predator
1 Marsh Flats
1 Scrubland
1 Temple Garden
1 Badlands
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Caves of Koilos
We went 2-2 before we had to go. My BUG ramp deck had a coherent plan and was more consistent but the two losses were just to powerful planeswalkers - the first game with both Ral and Ajani firing at the same time and the second loss was to a turn 4 Jace, Memory Adept. That card is hard to beat with 40-card decks.
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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 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 Lotleth Troll
1 Prophetic Bolt
EDIT: Somewhere along the way, I seem to have swapped in Garruk Relentless for Ohran Viper. I'll include this change in this update, since it's not already in my change log. I shouldn't do that...it's the first time that's ever happened. I guess I've just been too busy this year.
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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
In the past, I've really struggled to make cuts, but I didn't find it too difficult this time. Some of the additions, I'm sure, won't be long term staples (Dictate of Heliod?) and some of the cuts could be undone in the future (Earthquake?) but I'm pretty happy for now.
Dictate of Heliod is included because I am trying to push the "swarm" archetype (often referred to as "tokens") based in White, and this card is very good in that deck.
Other than that, I'm always interested in thoughts and feedback on changes.
Conspiracy and likely M15 will be on my radar next, though I'm not currently looking at including the special "as you draft this" cards from Conspiracy - just not up my alley and we cube infrequently so I don't feel the need to add that additional layer of complexity (though I can see how it would be a fun diversion for frequent drafters).
EDIT: I should also mention that I found it useful to compare my cube with the "average cubes" (in this case the Cube Tutor 450) on cubetutor.com. I don't necessarily agree with all of the average decisions, but it really helped point out cards that perhaps other people are cutting that I should consider for my short list.
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