Wall of Denial is a stupid card and I don't want it in my cube any more. Few people enjoy playing with it and everyone hates playing against it. Consider it banned.
We had a similar experience in my cube. I am not surprised to see the card banned. Good riddance!
I've been similarly disappointed with the various 5 mana mass pumps in White (both Stir and Swell). Brave the Elements is something I've been considering too so I'd be interested to hear how it does for you. I like how it can do double duty in protecting all your White guys from sweepers as well as being used for combat trick/alpha strike purposes.
Brave the Elements has been in my cube before. It's mostly used to stop removal spells, but it does occasionally grant two or three dudes evasion. I think it's a good card, but I might be a bit biased by my love of combat tricks.
I want the mass pump spells to be awesome, but they're too costly to be played reliably in a 15- or 16-land aggro deck. I wish so badly that we had some kind of Glorious Anthem card at uncommon.
Force of Will has never been a great card in this cube, but it lasted through many years just because it was cool and unique. I figured it would get better as aggro improved, but that just hasn't happened.
Cutting some chaff from colorless to make room for fringe Theros cards. Pristine Talisman might come back.
This update has increased the amount of removal in the cube, which is something that hasn't happened in a long while. Aggro has gotten better in the last year or so, but it's still not nearly as consistent as control is. Removal has become a much higher priority in the draft process, which is good. The days of tenth pick burn spells are gone. I will continue to watch the removal situation and cut some if need be.
It simply blanks all X/1s for the rest of the game unless you are dropping a bunch at once. One of the only removal spells you can topdeck and beat mother of runes with!
Okay, so maybe I went a little crazy with the Threatens.
My copy of Ancient Hydra got creased at some point, so I'm cutting it until I order some cards and get a new one. And that's probably not gonna be until the new set comes out, so why not try some different cards in the meantime?
Cutting a few cards to make way for some hybrids. Augur misses too often. Ingenuity is probably the worst draw spell (though it's still a fine card); I just wasn't sure I needed that many of them.
I guess it depends how often you see RG played as all-out aggro instead of being more midrangey?
I suspect this is the real issue at hand. Our RG decks do tend toward mid-range a bit more than pure aggro.
I'll be interested to hear how the "spell-lands" fare. They've mostly seemed to me like things you'd play in a deck but never pick highly or be particularly bothered about wheeling. Basically I worry that they'll mostly just clog packs.
I'm also worried about this. But they're replacing lowly picked cards anyway, so I suspect there won't have too much of an impact on the draft. I'll keep an eye on them and report back after a few drafts.
Also interesting that you're reporting good things from Dauntless Onslaught, I've had it under consideration for a while now and it almost made my last update (figured I'd give Embolden another chance to impress first).
I think Embolden is pretty much on par with Dauntless Onslaught. They both can thoroughly screw up combat, though three mana is a bit pricey.
Thus far in my cubing career I have been against adding cards to my list that I view as strictly sideboard material. But, as my views on what a cube should be shift further and further away from "a collection of powerful cards" and more toward "a fun limited environment," I feel that perhaps having a few more artifact and enchantment removal options is more valuable than being able to say that every card is maindeckable.
Cutting a bunch of fringe cards for some other fringe cards. One of the benefits of a large cube is the ability to swap stuff in and out with relative ease.
I find that to be a problem with big cubes. Whenever I have a card that underperforms in white (or green, at times) I have trouble because the cardpools don't allow me to have a good solution.
I'll likely be making a large update within a few weeks. I'm considering reducing the size of the guild sections by one card. I'm not entirely comfortable with how many gold removal spells there are.
I'm going to be doing a much larger examination of my gold and hybrid sections soon. I can pretty much guarantee that Nacatl will come back at that point.
I cut the Mirage tutors years ago because I really disliked using tutors in singleton formats. But members of my group have mentioned that they could encourage people to draft narrower decks like spells-matter or reanimator. And they like drafting those decks a lot, so let's see what happens.
What's your reason for dropping Rolling Thunder for Fireball? It's something I've considered, because my cube doesn't really need another dividable damage spell. The splashability of Fireball is becoming more appealing. I've also considered Disintegrate to give a little game towards anti-recursive strategies.
I've found that Fireball rarely hits multiple targets when it's cast. It's usually going to the dome for the win. This makes rethink Disintegrate. I might test it in place of fireball.
It's something I've considered, because my cube doesn't really need another dividable damage spell. The splashability of Fireball is becoming more appealing.
I've found that Fireball rarely hits multiple targets when it's cast. It's usually going to the dome for the win. This makes rethink Disintegrate. I might test it in place of fireball.
If I played a second X burn spell, it'd be Disintegrate.
We had a similar experience in my cube. I am not surprised to see the card banned. Good riddance!
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
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Brave the Elements has been in my cube before. It's mostly used to stop removal spells, but it does occasionally grant two or three dudes evasion. I think it's a good card, but I might be a bit biased by my love of combat tricks.
I want the mass pump spells to be awesome, but they're too costly to be played reliably in a 15- or 16-land aggro deck. I wish so badly that we had some kind of Glorious Anthem card at uncommon.
Good riddance indeed. When a card is making games dramatically less fun in a format that exists solely to be fun, something drastic needs to be done.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Infantry Veteran
-Swell of Courage
+Akrasan Squire
+Leonin Snarecaster
+Dauntless Onslaught
If Dauntless Onslaught does well, then I'll likely add Symbiosis.
-Snap
-Mnemonic Wall
-Force of Will
+Omenspeaker
+Vaporkin
+Whirlpool Whelm
+Dissolve
Force of Will has never been a great card in this cube, but it lasted through many years just because it was cool and unique. I figured it would get better as aggro improved, but that just hasn't happened.
-Nantuko Husk
-Vampire Aristocrat
-Stab Wound
-Dance of Shadows
+Tormented Hero
+Ultimate Price
+Mogis's Marauder
+Read the Bones
+Hideous Laughter
I've lost to token swarms a few too many times lately, so I want another sweeper.
-Spur Grappler
+Lightning Strike
+Madcap Skills
-Jungle Weaver
+Viridian Emissary
+Nemesis of Mortals
-Korozda Guildmage
+Pharika's Mender
-Canker Abomination
+Rendclaw Trow
-Chronomaton
-Spawning Pit
-Specter's Shroud
-Pristine Talisman
-Artisan of Kozilek
Cutting some chaff from colorless to make room for fringe Theros cards. Pristine Talisman might come back.
This update has increased the amount of removal in the cube, which is something that hasn't happened in a long while. Aggro has gotten better in the last year or so, but it's still not nearly as consistent as control is. Removal has become a much higher priority in the draft process, which is good. The days of tenth pick burn spells are gone. I will continue to watch the removal situation and cut some if need be.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
+Gray Merchant of Asphodel
-Volcanic Dragon
+Traitorous Blood
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
+Icatian Javelineers
-Relentless Skaabs
+Thassa's Emissary
-Darkblast
-Reckless Spite
+Terror
+Sengir Vampire
-Sentinel Spider
+Nessian Asp
If Reach of Branches doesn't have a few good shows in the near future, then Sentinel Spider will likely come back.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
I suppose I could cut Tragic Slip instead.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
+Genju of the Falls
Spin is a really cool card, but it's just too expensive.
-Tragic Slip
+Darkblast
Peer pressure.
-Fireblast
+Minotaur Skullcleaver
Viashino Firstblade has been pretty solid, so I'll give this fool a try.
-Vital Splicer
+Kozilek's Predator
Splicer is fine, but I want more ramp-ish cards. Also, RoE was probably my favorite limited format ever.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Leonin Snarecaster
+Fencing Ace
Snarecaster might come back at some point.
-Silent Departure
-Fettergeist
-Zanam Djinn
-Power Sink
+Vedalken Mastermind
+Neurok Invisimancer
+Ghostly Flicker
+Peregrine Drake
More blink support because that deck is fun.
-Hearth Kami
-Rubblebelt Maaka
-Ancient Hydra
+Viashino Slaughtermaster
+Glarewielder
+Chartooth Cougar
-Deputy of Acquittals
+Momentary Blink
-Simic Charm
+Jhessian Infiltrator
It was a close decision between Charm and Plaxmanta.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
Okay, so maybe I went a little crazy with the Threatens.
My copy of Ancient Hydra got creased at some point, so I'm cutting it until I order some cards and get a new one. And that's probably not gonna be until the new set comes out, so why not try some different cards in the meantime?
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Pollen Remedy
-Knight of Meadowgrain
-Miraculous Recovery
+Sejiri Steppe
+Niveous Wisps
Miraculous Recovery is a really cool card, but no one is playing it anymore. I may try to find room for Ornitharch.
-Augur of Bolas
-Sleep
-Jace's Ingenuity
+Frost Breath
Cutting a few cards to make way for some hybrids. Augur misses too often. Ingenuity is probably the worst draw spell (though it's still a fine card); I just wasn't sure I needed that many of them.
-Thoughtpicker Witch
-Ravenous Skirge
-Infest
+Reanimate
+Curse of Shallow Graves
+Drown in Sorrow
-Ember Hauler
-Hanweir Lancer
-Traitorous Blood
-Act of Aggression
+Smoldering Spires
+Teetering Peaks
+Searing Blood
Cutting the two worst Threatens for some sweet utility lands.
-Gatstaf Shepherd
-Kalonian Tusker
-Gloomwidow
+Symbiosis
+Curse of Predation
Symbiosis comes in because Dauntless Onslaught has been pretty decent.
-Kird Ape
+Fanatic of Xenagos
-Loam Lion
+Hedge Troll
I understand that having a critical mass of one drops is necessary for aggro to flourish, but these cards aren't making it into decks.
+Somnomancer
+Curse of Chains
+Frostburn Weird
+Burning-Tree Emissary
+Snakeform
Weird is obviously better in blue decks, but that sort of makes up for the fact that Fire // Ice is better in red decks.
-Wasteland
+Stalking Stones
Wasteland hasn't been maindecked in many moons. I believe I will be selling it soon.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
I suspect this is the real issue at hand. Our RG decks do tend toward mid-range a bit more than pure aggro.
I'm also worried about this. But they're replacing lowly picked cards anyway, so I suspect there won't have too much of an impact on the draft. I'll keep an eye on them and report back after a few drafts.
I think Embolden is pretty much on par with Dauntless Onslaught. They both can thoroughly screw up combat, though three mana is a bit pricey.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
+Disenchant
-Water Servant
-Gryff Vanguard
+Infiltrator il-Kor
+Ninja of the Deep Hours
-Cudgel Troll
+Naturalize
Thus far in my cubing career I have been against adding cards to my list that I view as strictly sideboard material. But, as my views on what a cube should be shift further and further away from "a collection of powerful cards" and more toward "a fun limited environment," I feel that perhaps having a few more artifact and enchantment removal options is more valuable than being able to say that every card is maindeckable.
Also, I finally found a copy of Infiltrator il-Kor. Huzzah.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Test of Faith
+Excommunicate
-Whirlpool Whelm
-Neurok Invisimancer
-Soulsworn Spirit
+Nimbus Naiad
+Undo
+Wonder
-Terror
-Sudden Death
-Death Denied
+Wight of Precinct Six
+No Rest for the Wicked
+Snuff Out
-Viashino Fangtail
+Acidic Soil
-Young Wolf
-Viridian Emissary
+Leafcrown Dryad
+Trophy Hunter
-Jhessian Infiltrator
+Aether Mutation
-Chimeric Idol
+Spawning Pit
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
-Prison Term
+Suture Priest
+Banishing Light
-Claustrophobia
-Dissolve
-Aethersnipe
+Snap
+Hour of Need
+Archaeomancer
I like Aethersnipe a fair amount, so it might come back at some point.
-Viscera Dragger
+Gnarled Scarhide
-Reach of Branches
+Nessian Game Warden
Swapping out one forests-matter card for another. Reach is really cool, but 2 power on a five drop is disappointing.
-Blightning
+Fire Covenant
Blightning is a very elegantly designed card, but it's also probably the weakest in the BR section, which is a shame. I shall miss thee, Blightning.
-Kingpin's Pet
-Maw of the Obzedat
+Tidehollow Sculler
+Zealous Persecution
-Rot Farm Skeleton
+Nyx Weaver
-Nimbus Swimmer
+Fleetfeather Cockatrice
-Trip Noose
-Fireshrieker
-Juggernaut
+Blasting Station
+Palladium Myr
+Thran Dynamo
I have no idea if Dynamo will be any good. But I know people will try it.
There are a few random cards I've not yet gotten a hold of that I wanted to include in this update, namely Ancient Tomb, Haunted Crossroads and Illusory Angel. Next time.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
+Deftblade Elite
-Cavern Harpy
+Recoil
I'll likely be making a large update within a few weeks. I'm considering reducing the size of the guild sections by one card. I'm not entirely comfortable with how many gold removal spells there are.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Serra Angel
+Otherworldly Journey
+Ornitharch
The double strikers didn't see much play.
-Frost Breath
-Wonder
+Gush
+Æthersnipe
-Viashino Slaughtermaster
+Mogg War Marshal
Back by popular demand. I still don't like echo.
-Wild Nacatl
+Predator's Howl
I'm going to be doing a much larger examination of my gold and hybrid sections soon. I can pretty much guarantee that Nacatl will come back at that point.
-Mortify
+Maw of the Obzedat
I don't like having boring removal spells in my gold sections.
-Putrefy
+Deathreap Ritual
Not the most powerful card, I know, but it encourages the kind of BG decks my group likes.
-Blasting Station
+Mask of Memory
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Genju of the Fields
+Ajani’s Presence
-Augury Owl
-Narcolepsy
-Crippling Chill
-Undo
+Quickling
+Military Intelligence
+Frost Lynx
+Illusory Angel
I have high hopes for Military Intelligence. I might cut one of the actual card-draw spells soon.
-Dead Reveler
-Keening Banshee
+Wakedancer
Morbid should be easy enough to trigger in black.
-Firefist Striker
-Minotaur Skullcleaver
-Ronin Houndmaster
+Altac Bloodseeker
+Borderland Marauder
+Raid Bombardment
-Abundant Growth
-Overgrown Battlement
-Sylvan Ranger
-Briarpack Alpha
+Devoted Druid
+Reclamation Sage
+Ulvenwald Bear
+Restock
I intend to try Ancient Silverback at some point, but I don't know what to cut.
-Spike Jester
+Blightning
-Centaur Healer
-Boggart Ram-Gang
+Wild Nacatl
+Marisi's Twinclaws
Gold hybrids. Cutting Ram-Gang feels weird. It's been in my cube for like five years, but I think it's slightly worse than Fanatic of Xenagos.
-Warleader’s Helix
+Rally the Peasants
Once again cutting boring removal from gold.
-Curse of Chains
-Somnomancer
+Inkfathom Infiltrator
+Cauldron Haze
+Silkbind Faerie
Shadowmoor was a weird block.
-Stalking Stones
+Chronomaton
Colorless lands are going to count as artifacts from now on.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Nessian Asp
+Ancient Silverback
I might revert this change; Asp is pretty solid. I just wanted to get the ape in to try him out. He was in a deck, but didn't get drawn.
Some thoughts on a few recently added cards: Military Intelligence was in a deck with Lorescale Coatl, which pleased me greatly. Wakedancer was in a mono-black sacrifice deck and was good. Raid Bombardment was kind of win-more; will continue to test. No Rest for the Wicked was a Raise Dead; will continue to test, but it's not looking good. Silkbind Faerie was good.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
-Excommunicate
+Enlightened Tutor
-Darkslick Drake
-Thassa's Emissary
-Tidings
+Gitaxian Probe
+Mystical Tutor
+Latch Seeker
Emissary might come back.
-Ultimate Price
+Reckless Spite
-Rolling Thunder
+Fireball
-Ulvenwald Bear
-Nessian Game Warden
+Worldly Tutor
+Hurricane
Green five+ drops is getting really competitive. The bear might come back.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)
What's your reason for dropping Rolling Thunder for Fireball? It's something I've considered, because my cube doesn't really need another dividable damage spell. The splashability of Fireball is becoming more appealing. I've also considered Disintegrate to give a little game towards anti-recursive strategies.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Precisely this. Dividable burn is REALLY strong.
If I played a second X burn spell, it'd be Disintegrate.
My Type 4 stack (Cube Tutor link)