I'll probably never cut Treetop Village or Faerie Conclave. They are excellent cards. I also like Lavaclaw Reaches; BR aggro loves Wrath-proof threats. I run these lands in their color sections, i.e., Treetop in green, Conclave in blue, Reaches in Rakdos (as the fourth Rakdos land).
My suggestion is to cut one card from each color to expand the colorless section (and move Inkwell Leviathan and Shelldock Isle to blue).
I'm down with your changes as well. Faerie Conclave looks super underwhelming until you're sitting post-wrath with nothing to do or your opponent forgets that you've got it in play for surprise antics. We're playing Creeping Tar Pit, Celestial Colonnade and Treetop Village in addition to the conclave. I guess Mishra's Factory fits in there, too.
Edit: I see now that there is a list of proposed changes posted above the actual changes. I like the actual changes but I wouldn't cut the manlands in the proposed changes.
I'm also a huge fan of Faerie Conclave (evasion on manlands is boss), but 360 is really tight. Village I would 100% keep though, it's one of the best lands in the cube.
Alright, for now I am going to cut Krosan Tusker for Treetop Village and move it to green. I certainly plan on getting Faerie Conclave back in but am not sure what to cut for it as of yet.
I have started a cube group for each Wednesday, hopefully it will turn in to a solid group. I think I will be making minimal changes to the list for a bit as we break in the cube. That way things are less like shots in the dark.
In the meantime I plan to build up a decent On-Deck binder. I already have Pox, Smallpox, Reassembling Skeleton, etc for a Pox theme but will not make a change like that until I have more testing under my belt.
Aside from thoughts on these changes, I wonder what should be my next trading targets? I love trading to make the cube better and it is helpful to already have some cards in mind.
First of the Wednesday Drafts was last night! We had 6 people, the most drafters yet! We played a little 3-round event. It was certainly a learning experience, but the W-L records did not go as planned since we lost two players after the 2nd round.
It was the first cube draft for basically everyone there, so the decks turned out a bit weak. We also had one player who drafted with multiplayer in mind, and thus ended up with a fairly different plan. I should have explained it better, will not make that mistake.
Elspeth Tirel was very good in the 4cc wildfire deck. Making 6 soliders and gaining 6 life a turn was key for this deck's survival. I know she is not played much, but we were at least impressed this draft.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride was not very good but was also not in an aggressive shell. At the moment we would strongly consider cutting him for Elspeth 1 should we acquire one. But I definitely think he could be better.
Really though, I think this draft was so full of strange picks and decks that it will not tell us too much. I can't wait till next week!
I was the one playing the 4-color control deck (went 4-0 in 2 matches before I had to bounce), and I would say I was mostly happy with my deck.
Manabase - I was supremely happy with this, although I imagine as people get more experienced I won't be able to snap up such insane fixing.
PW's - I was happy with all of them, although elspeth 2.0 was definitely an all-star for me. Lingering souls into elspeth make the dudes into flashback souls gain a million was a pretty huge play for me in multiple games. Tamiyo is obviously also amazing
Controlly cards - Never got to play force spike at a relevant time, but the other removal and counterspells definitely did work. Disc was good, although not against the troll aesthetic/thrun deck I was facing in round 2 (although it did bring me the win in that game, when I flashbacked firebolt on my turn, disced on his turn to kill hus thragtusk and tap his regenning thrun and lol troll when he had lethal on board, enabling to cast the arc lightning for the win on my turn, which was fun). Miscalculation was awesome, as expected.
Overall - I wanted 1 more walker (I let a memory adept go for fixing at some point during the draft, which ended up being a terrible choice), more wraths and removal, and less creatures. I think ideally I probably would have only played auger and St traft, maybe geists and image in the board to kill hexproof legends. Wildfire was as expected, fun and backbreaking when it resolved. Still, I think it was a good first draft.
Cards that did not impress me, either in my deck or others -
New ajani - Haven't seem him in an aggressive shell, but he just seems so mediocre
Dungeon Geists - It's fine, but I feel like we will find stronger 4-drops. So bad to instant speed removal at end of turn when you are counting on the tap.
Jace, Memory Adept is really good in a 40 card format. Ultimately we cut him for fun factor reasons. I would first pick him in a pack or definitely take him later on if I'm in blue at all. Sometimes you can't count on wheeling the duals and rocks are high picks with our group so I get it.
The new Ajani is a win out of nowhere card in a deck with creatures. I definitely wouldn't cut him. As you guys draft more, he's bound to see some more play in the right types of decks. He's not really a super friends contender, if that's what you're going for.
Dungeon Geists is another amazing card. I've found it to be one of the most awkward cards to play around in cube. Instant speed removal is predominantly in black, which may only be one of your matches for the day.
Dungeon Geists is another amazing card. I've found it to be one of the most awkward cards to play around in cube. Instant speed removal is predominantly in black, which may only be one of your matches for the day.
Plus this cube is currently running Venser, the Sojourner which makes the Geists even better.
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I originally had it as mostly a Reanimation or Tinker target and thought it should not count against Blue. But I agree that I need to do some adjustment of Blue move things around. I also want to get Faere Conclave back in, which was colorless but needs to be Blue.
Plus this cube is currently running Venser, the Sojourner which makes the Geists even better.
Only for one turn and the effect you want wouldn't happen until the end step so I think the benefit is negligible. The first creature will untap in its controller's untap step because the first Dungeon Geists, exiled with Venser, the Soujourner, is no longer on the battlefield.
I just acquired a Celestial Colonnade so Venser is on watch, but so far he has been extremely amusing.
I am also looking at replacing the Geist with Glen Elendra Archmage though I am also considering Keiga, the Tide Star. Glen Elendra certainly plays better with Venser than the Geists, and has far more impact on the game state. That said Blue might just be too top heavy.
Sphinx of Jwar Isle--Glen Elendra Archmage
Sphinx is basically a perfect control finisher. But it is also super boring. My players asked to try keep interesting interactions in mind, so I cut Sphinx and kept Keiga.
Vapor Snag-----------Fact or Fiction Cyclonic Rift----------Bribery
Cyclonic Rift was cool and did get overloaded once, but the fact you cannot bounce your own stuff was the killer for us. Yea its certainly a cool trick, but a lot of them we just wanted to bounce our own card for value.
Vapor Snag I am sorrier to see go, but it was never sought after.
We have been playing a lot of games, and it has been a ton of fun. Over all I am very happy with where the cube is. Thanks largely to all of you!
Geist of Saint Traft--Celestial Colonnade = Temp for Venser
This is an interesting one all around. I think Colonnade should make the cut on its own, and I like Geist more than Venser. In a 3-card WU 360 section, I'd run Geist, Colonnade (if it cant fit as a land somehow) and probably Detention Sphere. Supreme Verdict is a nice option if you need more 4cc wraths, but it's probably not needed until 450+.
At 450, Celestial Colonnade goes into the 4th land slot for the pair, and the 4 cards I'd run would be
1. Geist of Saint Traft
2. Detention Sphere
3. Supreme Verdict
4. Venser the Sojourner
Probably in that order. So in 360 with Colonnade stealing a spell slot, I'd have it:
1. Celestial Colonnade
2. Geist of Saint Traft
3. Detention Sphere
Just my $0.02 on small Azorius sections. The rest of that update looks outstanding, fwiw.
I'm really happy with Geist, Colonnade and Sphere but my players would like to get another spell in there. I don't think I would cut Geist. Everything else looks good!
I know it's a ton of work but draft reports are interesting to read, especially as you develop your list. If you feel like posting them, I've been checking this thread when it gets bumped!
I agree with you about Venser. Geist is the better include and I will certainly plan and putting him back in soon. Colonnade has been very good already and I am happy to have it.
@wolf:
Thank you for your kind words! I am lucky to have you guys help me build this. It has been by far the most fun I have had with Magic. Looking forward to a long relationship with my cube and the forums.
@USA:
I will try to get some draft reports. This week we only had 3 at the my Wed Draft, so I did not do a report. Are you interested even if it is just a 2-man grid draft? I assumed not.
We do a lot of small group stuff too and we've found you have to get creative to keep the draft interesting. For 3 players we usually do the face up draft (Rochester?) and it's pretty fun. I've only grid drafted our cube once but it was cool to try.
We were in a similar position for a long time in terms of cube development so it's neat to see another group's take on things.
I have included the lists and records below. Also a few quick notes on the decks. We are all still learning and several of the draft picks/construction were less than perfect. It was a great time though! Looking forward to drafting again soon.
I did get to see the downside of Venser, the Sojourner though. Really just does nothing at all with out some very solid targets. Build around, certainly.
This was the winning deck. It was piloted by the most experienced cuber, and several of the cards here probably should not have been passed to him. Green was wide open and he took advantage of that. Most games he just crushed, dropping only a single game for the night, to the 2nd place deck.
Allstars for him were Armageddon, Thrun, and Arena. No surprises there.
While sub-optimal, this deck could be extremely punishing. 3 2/x on turn 2 then Tangle Wire into Winter Orb ended several games. Liliana and Squee also preformed well. This deck could have been a lot better had he not been sitting next to two other RB drafters. Should have read the draft singles better.
Plainswalker value with some serious ramp with a good draw was the name of the game here. Turn 3 Titan or Keiga happened, as well as just 1-for-1 till the deck did something bigger than the opponent.
I am not sure on the land counts this deck played, or exactly how it turned out as I never played it, but Mimic Vat was this deck's core. Remove the problem, then make your own. Vat on Muldrifter, on Eternal Witness, on Thragtusk, was crazy!
Guessing on the lands here, and I once again did not play this deck. From what I did see, the walkers and revoker were the best cards. Getting Ajani and Elspeth out together was crazy!
I think this deck ended up just being a bit too slow. It had some amazing turns with Thragtusk, but it was just not enough in the end. It was very well posed to win again the 4th place deck but once Mimic Vat got online, it was just too much.
I'm the guy that played the 0-3 this week (and I'm pretty sure I was 0-3 the previous time as well). On the bright side I feel like I'm getting better at general drafting and deck construction strategy but, as you can see, I still make many myriad mistakes.
I really don't know why I had Nevinyrral's Disk on my sideboard. It would've helped a lot especially against flutterguy's deck where he was able to lock me down with winder orb and tangle wire.
I also tried to start drafting green way too late in the game when I noticed others weren't drafting it. I think I would've been better off going with black which was one of my original colors I was targeting.
One thing I"m happy with is there were a lot of options for flashing creatures in and out of the battlefield which definitely helped with my enter the battle field cards and helped me to extend some games longer than they would've otherwise.
Also I think I tend to overestimate the power of the planeswalkers and draft them over other great cards, though this is something that should improve as I get more knowledgeable on the cards.
I find myself often falling into the trap of thinking about how powerful the cards in my deck are and failing to remember that the cube is absolutely stacked with great cards.
Overall I find cube to be a great format and it's excellent getting to play with very powerful cards.
I'm the guy that played the 0-3 this week (and I'm pretty sure I was 0-3 the previous time as well). On the bright side I feel like I'm getting better at general drafting and deck construction strategy but, as you can see, I still make many myriad mistakes.
I really don't know why I had Nevinyrral's Disk on my sideboard. It would've helped a lot especially against flutterguy's deck where he was able to lock me down with winder orb and tangle wire.
I also tried to start drafting green way too late in the game when I noticed others weren't drafting it. I think I would've been better off going with black which was one of my original colors I was targeting.
One thing I"m happy with is there were a lot of options for flashing creatures in and out of the battlefield which definitely helped with my enter the battle field cards and helped me to extend some games longer than they would've otherwise.
Also I think I tend to overestimate the power of the planeswalkers and draft them over other great cards, though this is something that should improve as I get more knowledgeable on the cards.
I find myself often falling into the trap of thinking about how powerful the cards in my deck are and failing to remember that the cube is absolutely stacked with great cards.
Overall I find cube to be a great format and it's excellent getting to play with very powerful cards.
You should have gone straight two colors.
I would like to point out that you didn't have enough mana fixing or justification to be bant when UG would have been very good and consistent.
Your final build looks like a good card deck without any respect for mana costs (ex: 2GG, 1UU, 2WW, 1WW, 1GG) especially without good fixing (6+ mana fixers is good in three colors).
You had a SWEET UG deck: Mystic Snake, Into the Roil and Control Magic are all sweet disruption to slow games down in your favor while Sakura-Tribe Elder and Everflowing Chalice ramp to your Craterhoof Behemoth.
I think your drafting went pretty well, you were able to stay in three colors with good fixing and had some of the better cube cards. I would have like to see some counterspells or draw spells in your pool assuming you were going UG.
I decided that I would talk only about my matches instead of saying one or two things about everyone. Hopefully that will be more interested for ya'll. It's super long though....
We only had 5 this week, and we stuck with the standard 3 packs of 15. I don't remember all that much about the draft except that i P1P1 Gideon Jura, and that Black was wide open. I was in UW pretty quickly and tried to pick up Black when I could but still did not get much. I also had a horrible time picking from a pack that was Jace, Memory Adept, Armageddon, Wrath of God, and Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. I took the Jace, but was extremely sad to pass all that...
Not 100% happy with my choices, but in the end it worked out most of the time.
Match 1: vs Mono-Red 0-1 (0-2)
One unfortunate roll and I was matched up with the mono-red deck, who we were all scared of. I became clear during deck building that he was really the only person in red. I also knew my slower control deck was going to get punished. Oh it was. Game 1 I dealt with a few creatures and stabilized on 3. Eventually he top decked his 3rd land, and cast stagger shock.
Game 2 I Mental Missteped his 1 drop (Stromkirk) and had Swords to Plowshares in hand and Tundra and a Swamp. He Strip Mined my Tundra and I never drew a second land. Just completely crushed.
Match 2: vs GUw Tempo 1-1 (2-1)
By far the most interesting match of the night. He had a solid GUw tempo deck but was still figuring out a bit how to play it. I was also making lots of mistakes. The match could have gone either way.
Game 1: We both get to 6 or so lands. I have Looter il-Kor and Hypnotic Specter. He has Oracle and Reveillark, and I destroy all lands with Catastrophe. Super risky but I know he has no lands in hand and none coming up, and have Swords to Plowshares in hand and a plains. Swords the Reveillark and start swinging for 3. I discard his whole hand over and over and he doesn't get enough land to recover. Epic game.
Game 2: Hey gets an aggressive start and I hold the board with Dungeon Geists, and he clamps the target and draws 2. Then he plays Troll Ascetic, Detention Sphere's my Geist and starts swinging with a 4/1 Troll and gets me all the way to 1 life. At 6 mana I am way behind and he is tapped out. I stupidly think that this is a perfect time to get Sun Titan online and miss a perfect time to wrath with Catastrophe. He follows up the Titan with a Sword of War and Peace on his Troll. I start using the Titan to clump the troll over and over by recurring Kira. He plays Blade Splicer and looks to get a Venser, the Sojourner online. I Counterspell the Venser and he continues to kill my Kira over and over. I Wrath the board when he gets too many creatures for me to block but he follows up with a Wurmcoil Engine and just destroys me. Epic game.
Game 3: I mull to 5 on the play and keep Counterspell, Swords, and three lands. He plays a turn 1 Noble Hierarch and then we both do nothing for the next 5 turns as he swings for 1 each time. I get to 6 lands and play out Sun Titan to bait the counter he clearly has. He Condescends it, and I let the Titan go. He plays out his Oracle. I follow up with Jace, Memory Adept and mill 10. He swings for 3 at Jace putting him to 1. I mill 10 again and he is down to 4 cards. He plays Eternal Witness, with his whole deck to choose from so I counter it. He swings in and kills my Jace. He then plays Jace Beleren and draws his Wurmcoil. This is when he realizes he could have legend ruled my Jace. It's too late, the Wurmcoil can't kill me before he drawns the remaining two cards in his library. I win the match with another awesome game.
Match 3: vs GWr Mid-range 2-1 (2-0)
Game 1 I just curve out into Elspeth Tirel and Hyp Specter his hand away. Not too much of a game.
Game 2 He is stuck on two lands but I have nothing and he hits me down to 6. I deal with everything but his Birds of Paradise and Spikeshot Elder. He Spikeshots me down to 3 doing one a turn but I have 2 creatures now. I draw Elspeth and get up to 6. Then soldiers and up to 11. Then I just good card him out of the game.
I wouldn't classify that Bant deck as "tempo" at all. It has 3-5-drops, a 6-drop, ramp cards, all utility creatures no 1-2 drops and no beaters. It's a straight-up midrange deck.
Half the cards in the SB could've come in and replaced stuff to turn it into a tempo deck maybe. And what on earth is Stoneforge Mystic doing in the sideboard with a Sword and a 'Clamp maindeck!?
My suggestion is to cut one card from each color to expand the colorless section (and move Inkwell Leviathan and Shelldock Isle to blue).
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Edit: I see now that there is a list of proposed changes posted above the actual changes. I like the actual changes but I wouldn't cut the manlands in the proposed changes.
[360][Unpowered] USAstrat's Cube
Draft my cube on CubeTutor!
Modern: UWR UWR Control
EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
and
Celestial Colonnade.
I'm also a huge fan of Faerie Conclave (evasion on manlands is boss), but 360 is really tight. Village I would 100% keep though, it's one of the best lands in the cube.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
I need to acquire a Mutavault, a Creeping Tar Pit, and a Celestial Colonnade before I can fit those in, but I will work on it.
That makes the follow changes to the cube:
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Simic Signet
1 Sphinx of the Steel WInd
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Tangle Wire
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Batterskull
1 Karn Liberated
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
I have started a cube group for each Wednesday, hopefully it will turn in to a solid group. I think I will be making minimal changes to the list for a bit as we break in the cube. That way things are less like shots in the dark.
In the meantime I plan to build up a decent On-Deck binder. I already have Pox, Smallpox, Reassembling Skeleton, etc for a Pox theme but will not make a change like that until I have more testing under my belt.
Aside from thoughts on these changes, I wonder what should be my next trading targets? I love trading to make the cube better and it is helpful to already have some cards in mind.
Thanks again!
It was the first cube draft for basically everyone there, so the decks turned out a bit weak. We also had one player who drafted with multiplayer in mind, and thus ended up with a fairly different plan. I should have explained it better, will not make that mistake.
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Pack Rat
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Carnophage
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 City of Brass
1 Skinrender
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Student of Warfare
1 Mind Twist
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Soltarti Champion
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Shriekmaw
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Flickerwisp
1 Soltari Priest
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Isamaru, Hond of Konda
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Pithing Needle
1 Plateau
1 Scrubland
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Force Spike
1 Vindicate
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Mana Leak
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Man-O'-War
1 Azorius Signet
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Impulse
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Polluted Delta
1 Arc Lightning
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Miscalculation
1 Windswept Heath
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Firebolt
1 Brainstorm
1 Lingering Souls
1 Dreadbore
1 Wildfire
1 Reckless Charge
1 Incinerate
1 Stromkirk Noble
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hell's Thunder
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Fireblast
1 Goblin Guide
1 Ball Lightning
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Bonesplitter
1 Strip Mine
1 Searing Spear
1 Hellrider
1 Plated Geopede
1 Ash Zealot
1 Devil's Play
1 Figured of Destiny
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Duress
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Profane Command
1 Primeval Titan
1 Call of the Heard
1 Channel
1 Eternal Witness
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Go for the Throat
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Thragtusk
1 Erratic Portal
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Sylvan Library
1 Acidic Slime
1 Experiment One
1 Day of Judgment
1 Dismember
1 Arbor Elf
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Nekrataal
1 Regrowth
1 Reveillark
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Batterskull
1 Massacre Wurm
1 River Boa
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Soltari Monk
1 Diaboi Edict
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Doom Blade
1 Reanimate
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Entomb
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Restoration Angel
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Sun Titan
1 Savannah Lions
1 Gideon Jura
1 Mirror Entity
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Lone Missionary
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Mox Diamond
Squee, Goblin Nabob turned into a crazy disruption engine with Liliana of the Veil in three separate games. Very impressed.
Elspeth Tirel was very good in the 4cc wildfire deck. Making 6 soliders and gaining 6 life a turn was key for this deck's survival. I know she is not played much, but we were at least impressed this draft.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride was not very good but was also not in an aggressive shell. At the moment we would strongly consider cutting him for Elspeth 1 should we acquire one. But I definitely think he could be better.
Really though, I think this draft was so full of strange picks and decks that it will not tell us too much. I can't wait till next week!
Manabase - I was supremely happy with this, although I imagine as people get more experienced I won't be able to snap up such insane fixing.
PW's - I was happy with all of them, although elspeth 2.0 was definitely an all-star for me. Lingering souls into elspeth make the dudes into flashback souls gain a million was a pretty huge play for me in multiple games. Tamiyo is obviously also amazing
Controlly cards - Never got to play force spike at a relevant time, but the other removal and counterspells definitely did work. Disc was good, although not against the troll aesthetic/thrun deck I was facing in round 2 (although it did bring me the win in that game, when I flashbacked firebolt on my turn, disced on his turn to kill hus thragtusk and tap his regenning thrun and lol troll when he had lethal on board, enabling to cast the arc lightning for the win on my turn, which was fun). Miscalculation was awesome, as expected.
Overall - I wanted 1 more walker (I let a memory adept go for fixing at some point during the draft, which ended up being a terrible choice), more wraths and removal, and less creatures. I think ideally I probably would have only played auger and St traft, maybe geists and image in the board to kill hexproof legends. Wildfire was as expected, fun and backbreaking when it resolved. Still, I think it was a good first draft.
Cards that did not impress me, either in my deck or others -
New ajani - Haven't seem him in an aggressive shell, but he just seems so mediocre
Dungeon Geists - It's fine, but I feel like we will find stronger 4-drops. So bad to instant speed removal at end of turn when you are counting on the tap.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
The new Ajani is a win out of nowhere card in a deck with creatures. I definitely wouldn't cut him. As you guys draft more, he's bound to see some more play in the right types of decks. He's not really a super friends contender, if that's what you're going for.
Dungeon Geists is another amazing card. I've found it to be one of the most awkward cards to play around in cube. Instant speed removal is predominantly in black, which may only be one of your matches for the day.
[360][Unpowered] USAstrat's Cube
Draft my cube on CubeTutor!
Modern: UWR UWR Control
EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
Plus this cube is currently running Venser, the Sojourner which makes the Geists even better.
[Pauper Cube] - Heisen's Travel Cube || [Cube] - USAstrat's Cube
[EDH] - Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind || [Modern] - Grixis Kiln
[Pauper Cube] - Heisen's Travel Cube || [Cube] - USAstrat's Cube
[EDH] - Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind || [Modern] - Grixis Kiln
I traded for Glen Elendra Archmage and would love to get that in there too, along with Ancestral Visions. Basically, today I will be looking at Blue...
Only for one turn and the effect you want wouldn't happen until the end step so I think the benefit is negligible. The first creature will untap in its controller's untap step because the first Dungeon Geists, exiled with Venser, the Soujourner, is no longer on the battlefield.
[360][Unpowered] USAstrat's Cube
Draft my cube on CubeTutor!
Modern: UWR UWR Control
EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
I just acquired a Celestial Colonnade so Venser is on watch, but so far he has been extremely amusing.
I am also looking at replacing the Geist with Glen Elendra Archmage though I am also considering Keiga, the Tide Star. Glen Elendra certainly plays better with Venser than the Geists, and has far more impact on the game state. That said Blue might just be too top heavy.
OUT --->--->--->---IN
Mind Control---------Treachery
Sphinx of Jwar Isle--Glen Elendra Archmage
Gilded Lotus----------Ancient Tomb
Yosei, the Morning Star--Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Geist of Saint Traft--Celestial Colonnade = Temp for Venser
Blightsteel Colossus--Coalition Relic
Vapor Snag-----------Fact or Fiction
Cyclonic Rift----------Bribery
Sphinx of Jwar Isle--Glen Elendra Archmage
Sphinx is basically a perfect control finisher. But it is also super boring. My players asked to try keep interesting interactions in mind, so I cut Sphinx and kept Keiga.
Yosei, the Morning Star--Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
In the end, I put Eternal Dragon back in. Yosei was just always meh.
Vapor Snag-----------Fact or Fiction
Cyclonic Rift----------Bribery
Cyclonic Rift was cool and did get overloaded once, but the fact you cannot bounce your own stuff was the killer for us. Yea its certainly a cool trick, but a lot of them we just wanted to bounce our own card for value.
Vapor Snag I am sorrier to see go, but it was never sought after.
We have been playing a lot of games, and it has been a ton of fun. Over all I am very happy with where the cube is. Thanks largely to all of you!
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
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This is an interesting one all around. I think Colonnade should make the cut on its own, and I like Geist more than Venser. In a 3-card WU 360 section, I'd run Geist, Colonnade (if it cant fit as a land somehow) and probably Detention Sphere. Supreme Verdict is a nice option if you need more 4cc wraths, but it's probably not needed until 450+.
At 450, Celestial Colonnade goes into the 4th land slot for the pair, and the 4 cards I'd run would be
1. Geist of Saint Traft
2. Detention Sphere
3. Supreme Verdict
4. Venser the Sojourner
Probably in that order. So in 360 with Colonnade stealing a spell slot, I'd have it:
1. Celestial Colonnade
2. Geist of Saint Traft
3. Detention Sphere
Just my $0.02 on small Azorius sections. The rest of that update looks outstanding, fwiw.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
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I know it's a ton of work but draft reports are interesting to read, especially as you develop your list. If you feel like posting them, I've been checking this thread when it gets bumped!
[360][Unpowered] USAstrat's Cube
Draft my cube on CubeTutor!
Modern: UWR UWR Control
EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
I agree with you about Venser. Geist is the better include and I will certainly plan and putting him back in soon. Colonnade has been very good already and I am happy to have it.
@wolf:
Thank you for your kind words! I am lucky to have you guys help me build this. It has been by far the most fun I have had with Magic. Looking forward to a long relationship with my cube and the forums.
@USA:
I will try to get some draft reports. This week we only had 3 at the my Wed Draft, so I did not do a report. Are you interested even if it is just a 2-man grid draft? I assumed not.
We were in a similar position for a long time in terms of cube development so it's neat to see another group's take on things.
[360][Unpowered] USAstrat's Cube
Draft my cube on CubeTutor!
Modern: UWR UWR Control
EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
I have included the lists and records below. Also a few quick notes on the decks. We are all still learning and several of the draft picks/construction were less than perfect. It was a great time though! Looking forward to drafting again soon.
I did get to see the downside of Venser, the Sojourner though. Really just does nothing at all with out some very solid targets. Build around, certainly.
1 Armageddon
1 Phyrexian Arean
1 Mind Twist
1 Animate Dead
1 Profane Command
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Damnation
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Mother of Runes
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Mirror Entity
1 Path to Exile
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Vindicate
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Arc Trail
1 Arc Lightning
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Avalance Riders
1 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Temple Garden
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bayou
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Stomping Ground
1 Plateau
2 Plains
3 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Swamp
1 Wrath of God
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Tinker
1 Call of the Herd
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Wolfbitten Captive
1 Bramblecrush
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Student of Warfare
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
This was the winning deck. It was piloted by the most experienced cuber, and several of the cards here probably should not have been passed to him. Green was wide open and he took advantage of that. Most games he just crushed, dropping only a single game for the night, to the 2nd place deck.
Allstars for him were Armageddon, Thrun, and Arena. No surprises there.
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Dreadbore
1 Jackal Pup
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Pack Rat
1 Winter Orb
1 Goblin Guide
1 Char
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Bone Shredder
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Burst Lightning
1 Shriekmaw
1 Stromkirk Noble
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Chain Lightning
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Forked Bolt
1 Strip Mine
1 Bloodstained Mire
7 Swamp
7 Mountain
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Manic Vandal
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Snuff Out
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Pillage
1 Molten Rain
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Soltari Priest
1 Enclave Cryptologist
1 Armada Wurm
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Memory Lapse
1 Forbid
1 Psychatog
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Primeval Titan
While sub-optimal, this deck could be extremely punishing. 3 2/x on turn 2 then Tangle Wire into Winter Orb ended several games. Liliana and Squee also preformed well. This deck could have been a lot better had he not been sitting next to two other RB drafters. Should have read the draft singles better.
Allstars: Tangle Wire, Winter Orb, Sulfuric Vortex, Goblin Guide
1 Jace Beleren
1 Izzet Signet
1 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
1 Azorius Signet
1 Mana Leak
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Soltari Champion
1 Treachery
1 Electrolyze
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Detention Sphere
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Grim Monolith
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Bribery
1 Frost Titan
1 Balance
1 Gideon Jura
1 Impulse
1 Man-O'-War
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Miscalculation
1 Steam Vents
1 Shelldock Isle
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Flooded Strand
3 Plains
5 Island
2 Mountain
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Disenchant
1 Staggershock
1 Magma Jet
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Catastrophe
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Plow Under
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Sundering Titan
Plainswalker value with some serious ramp with a good draw was the name of the game here. Turn 3 Titan or Keiga happened, as well as just 1-for-1 till the deck did something bigger than the opponent.
Allstars: Grim Monolith, Gideon Jura, Mana Leak
1 Incinerate
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Batterskull
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Go for the Throat
1 Fireblast
1 Skinrender
1 Nekrataal
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Mimic Vat
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Necromancy
1 Gravecrawler
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Firebolt
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Doom Blade
1 Taiga
1 Badlands
1 Scrublands
1 Underground Sea
1 Blood Crypt
6 Mountain
6 Swamp
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Plated Geopede
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Erratic Portal
1 Skullclamp
1 Entomb
1 Mayor of Avabruck
1 Treetop Village
1 Genesis Wave
1 Mana Tithe
1 Stormbind
1 Wildfire
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Force Spike
1 Compulsive Research
1 Counterspell
I am not sure on the land counts this deck played, or exactly how it turned out as I never played it, but Mimic Vat was this deck's core. Remove the problem, then make your own. Vat on Muldrifter, on Eternal Witness, on Thragtusk, was crazy!
Allstars: Mimin Vat, Fireblast, Vampire Hexmage
1 Blade Splicer
1 Karn Liberated
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Reveillark
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Restoration Angel
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Wall of Omens
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Lingering Souls
1 Lone Missionary
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Soltari Monk
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Pithing Needle
1 Spectral Procession
1 Sylvan Library
1 Maze of Ith
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Arid Mesa
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Savannah
1 Marsh Flats
1 Mountain
1 Forest
7 Plains
1 Reckless Charge
1 Dryad Militant
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Experiment One
1 Torch Fiend
1 Arcane Denial
1 Lotleth Troll
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Nature's Claim
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Duress
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Kird Ape
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Dismember
1 Masticore
Guessing on the lands here, and I once again did not play this deck. From what I did see, the walkers and revoker were the best cards. Getting Ajani and Elspeth out together was crazy!
Allstars: Phyrexian Revoker, Elspeth Tirel, Ajani Goldmane
1 Regrowth
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 AEther Adept
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Bonesplitter
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Arbor Elf
1 Muldrifter
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1 Eternal Witness
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Flickerwisp
1 Rancor
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Thragtusk
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Tundra
1 Tropical Island
1 Breeding Pool
1 Control Magic
1 Into the Roil
1 Preordain
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Mystic Snake
1 Daze
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Dimir Signet
1 Baleful Strix
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Grave Titan
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Ponder
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Watery Grave
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Ancient Tomb
I think this deck ended up just being a bit too slow. It had some amazing turns with Thragtusk, but it was just not enough in the end. It was very well posed to win again the 4th place deck but once Mimic Vat got online, it was just too much.
Allstars: Thragtusk, Green Sun's Zenith, Regrowth
I really don't know why I had Nevinyrral's Disk on my sideboard. It would've helped a lot especially against flutterguy's deck where he was able to lock me down with winder orb and tangle wire.
I also tried to start drafting green way too late in the game when I noticed others weren't drafting it. I think I would've been better off going with black which was one of my original colors I was targeting.
One thing I"m happy with is there were a lot of options for flashing creatures in and out of the battlefield which definitely helped with my enter the battle field cards and helped me to extend some games longer than they would've otherwise.
Also I think I tend to overestimate the power of the planeswalkers and draft them over other great cards, though this is something that should improve as I get more knowledgeable on the cards.
I find myself often falling into the trap of thinking about how powerful the cards in my deck are and failing to remember that the cube is absolutely stacked with great cards.
Overall I find cube to be a great format and it's excellent getting to play with very powerful cards.
You should have gone straight two colors.
I would like to point out that you didn't have enough mana fixing or justification to be bant when UG would have been very good and consistent.
Your final build looks like a good card deck without any respect for mana costs (ex: 2GG, 1UU, 2WW, 1WW, 1GG) especially without good fixing (6+ mana fixers is good in three colors).
You had a SWEET UG deck: Mystic Snake, Into the Roil and Control Magic are all sweet disruption to slow games down in your favor while Sakura-Tribe Elder and Everflowing Chalice ramp to your Craterhoof Behemoth.
I think your drafting went pretty well, you were able to stay in three colors with good fixing and had some of the better cube cards. I would have like to see some counterspells or draw spells in your pool assuming you were going UG.
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Arc Lightning
1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Jackle Pup
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Goblin Guide
1 Magma Jet
1 Ash Zealot
1 Searing Spear
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Fireblast
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Staggershock
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Stromkirk Noble
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Strip Mine
15 Mountain
1 Manic Vandal
1 Torch Fiend
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Bonesplitter
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Platau
1 Snuff Out
1 Steam Vents
1 Bone Shredder
1 Braids, Cabal Minon
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Reanimate
1 Buried Alive
1 Sarcomancy
1 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
1 Shriekmaw
1 Izzet Signet
1 Badlands
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Treachery
1 Restoration Angel
1 Sun Titan
1 Wall of Omens
1 Catastrophe
1 Counterspell
1 Pithing Needle
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Fact or Fictions
1 Sword to Plowshares
1 Ponder
1 Compulsive Research
1 Vindicate
1 Gideon Jura
1 Balance
1 Daze
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Scrubland
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Marsh Flats
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Arid Mesa
1 Watery Grave
2 Swamps
4 Islands
3 Plains
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Mental Misstep
1 Phyrexian Area
1 Azorius Signet
1 Profane Command
1 Upheaval
1 Mimic Vat
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Tinker
1 Psychatog
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Molten Rain
1 Blood Crypt
1 Pack Rat
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Mana Leak
1 Path to Exile
1 Preordain
1 Jace Beleren
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Skullclamp
1 Into the Roil
1 Eternal Witness
1 Detention Sphere
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Control Magic
1 Condescend
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Reveillark
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Remand
1 Bribery
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Blade Slipcer
1 Misty Rainforest
6 Island
5 Plains
5 Forest
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Armageddon
1 Burst Lightning
1 Dreadbore
1 Lotleth Troll
1 Stormbind
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Frantic Search
1 Arcane Denial
1 Duress
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Pyroclasm
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Masticore
1 Tangle Wire
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Dismember
1 Plow Under
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Flickerwisp
1 Armada Wurm
1 Wrath of God
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Phantom Centaur
1 Regrowth
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Spectral Procession
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Savannah Lions
1 Grim Monolith
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Call of the Herd
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Treetop Village
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Temple Garden
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wall of Roots
1 Soltari Priest
1 Lingering Souls
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Bayou
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Acidic Slime
1 Taiga
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Carnophage
1 Force Spike
1 Trygon Predator
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Channel
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Harm's Way
1 Lone Missionary
1 Mox Diamond
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Cultivate
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Student of Warfare
1 Day of Judgement
1 Disenchantment
1 Genesis Wave
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Sylvan Library
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Ajani Goldmane
8 Forest
9 Plains
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Doom Blade
1 Dark Ritual
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Mexumi Graverobber
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Memory Lapse
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Inferno Titan
1 Earthquake
1 WIldfire
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Primeval Titan
1 Vorapede
1 Coalition Relic
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Hellrider
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Reckless Charge
1 Forked Bolt
Hey All,
I decided that I would talk only about my matches instead of saying one or two things about everyone. Hopefully that will be more interested for ya'll. It's super long though....
We only had 5 this week, and we stuck with the standard 3 packs of 15. I don't remember all that much about the draft except that i P1P1 Gideon Jura, and that Black was wide open. I was in UW pretty quickly and tried to pick up Black when I could but still did not get much. I also had a horrible time picking from a pack that was Jace, Memory Adept, Armageddon, Wrath of God, and Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. I took the Jace, but was extremely sad to pass all that...
In the end I played this:
1 Treachery
1 Restoration Angel
1 Sun Titan
1 Wall of Omens
1 Catastrophe
1 Counterspell
1 Pithing Needle
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Fact or Fictions
1 Sword to Plowshares
1 Ponder
1 Compulsive Research
1 Vindicate
1 Gideon Jura
1 Balance
1 Daze
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Scrubland
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Marsh Flats
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Arid Mesa
1 Watery Grave
2 Swamps
4 Islands
3 Plains
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Mental Misstep
1 Phyrexian Area
1 Azorius Signet
1 Profane Command
1 Upheaval
1 Mimic Vat
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Tinker
1 Psychatog
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Molten Rain
1 Blood Crypt
1 Pack Rat
Not 100% happy with my choices, but in the end it worked out most of the time.
Match 1: vs Mono-Red 0-1 (0-2)
One unfortunate roll and I was matched up with the mono-red deck, who we were all scared of. I became clear during deck building that he was really the only person in red. I also knew my slower control deck was going to get punished. Oh it was. Game 1 I dealt with a few creatures and stabilized on 3. Eventually he top decked his 3rd land, and cast stagger shock.
Game 2 I Mental Missteped his 1 drop (Stromkirk) and had Swords to Plowshares in hand and Tundra and a Swamp. He Strip Mined my Tundra and I never drew a second land. Just completely crushed.
Match 2: vs GUw Tempo 1-1 (2-1)
By far the most interesting match of the night. He had a solid GUw tempo deck but was still figuring out a bit how to play it. I was also making lots of mistakes. The match could have gone either way.
Game 1: We both get to 6 or so lands. I have Looter il-Kor and Hypnotic Specter. He has Oracle and Reveillark, and I destroy all lands with Catastrophe. Super risky but I know he has no lands in hand and none coming up, and have Swords to Plowshares in hand and a plains. Swords the Reveillark and start swinging for 3. I discard his whole hand over and over and he doesn't get enough land to recover. Epic game.
Game 2: Hey gets an aggressive start and I hold the board with Dungeon Geists, and he clamps the target and draws 2. Then he plays Troll Ascetic, Detention Sphere's my Geist and starts swinging with a 4/1 Troll and gets me all the way to 1 life. At 6 mana I am way behind and he is tapped out. I stupidly think that this is a perfect time to get Sun Titan online and miss a perfect time to wrath with Catastrophe. He follows up the Titan with a Sword of War and Peace on his Troll. I start using the Titan to clump the troll over and over by recurring Kira. He plays Blade Splicer and looks to get a Venser, the Sojourner online. I Counterspell the Venser and he continues to kill my Kira over and over. I Wrath the board when he gets too many creatures for me to block but he follows up with a Wurmcoil Engine and just destroys me. Epic game.
Game 3: I mull to 5 on the play and keep Counterspell, Swords, and three lands. He plays a turn 1 Noble Hierarch and then we both do nothing for the next 5 turns as he swings for 1 each time. I get to 6 lands and play out Sun Titan to bait the counter he clearly has. He Condescends it, and I let the Titan go. He plays out his Oracle. I follow up with Jace, Memory Adept and mill 10. He swings for 3 at Jace putting him to 1. I mill 10 again and he is down to 4 cards. He plays Eternal Witness, with his whole deck to choose from so I counter it. He swings in and kills my Jace. He then plays Jace Beleren and draws his Wurmcoil. This is when he realizes he could have legend ruled my Jace. It's too late, the Wurmcoil can't kill me before he drawns the remaining two cards in his library. I win the match with another awesome game.
Match 3: vs GWr Mid-range 2-1 (2-0)
Game 1 I just curve out into Elspeth Tirel and Hyp Specter his hand away. Not too much of a game.
Game 2 He is stuck on two lands but I have nothing and he hits me down to 6. I deal with everything but his Birds of Paradise and Spikeshot Elder. He Spikeshots me down to 3 doing one a turn but I have 2 creatures now. I draw Elspeth and get up to 6. Then soldiers and up to 11. Then I just good card him out of the game.
Good night all around.
Half the cards in the SB could've come in and replaced stuff to turn it into a tempo deck maybe. And what on earth is Stoneforge Mystic doing in the sideboard with a Sword and a 'Clamp maindeck!?
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!