Why would that necessarily be the case? If there is a particular board state that could Arena with positive effect, it's because my hand doesn't have removal, not my deck. The two are correlated but by no means is it a 1:1.
Furthermore, Arena is repeatable and doesn't cost a card. In the best performance for the card, it was in G/R and arena did the bulk of the work, killing looters and other things while I held onto my burn. Once it turned into a 2-0 (still hadn't cost me a card, technically) it was totally worth it.
The real problem is that these windows where the card is good are practically imposible to predict. You can be ahead or behind. You can have the biggest guy on the board, or not. Or deathtouch. Or they can't have deathtouch. Or burn backup. Or you sacrifice a weenie to a greater cause.
I was over my 450 by 2 cards to begin with, without realizing it, first of all. Artisan of Kozilek narrowly misses getting cut because I want to see if it's presense is made known sometime again. It is a bomb, but it's so rare to see it. Rupture spire was a hard cut, but besides that the only cut I imagined was the recent addition Sylvok lifestaff or old faithful Crystal Ball.
In any case, my hybrid section is doing something cool now. Snakeform, tattermunge maniac, spitemare, inkfathom infiltrator, and gift of orzhova are all supporting each other in balancing out the guilds. Funny.
Maniac, I know isn't often good but my cube is getting more aggro. So let's see.
Inkfathom infiltrator may actually show up in blue now. Tandem lookout, let's go!
EDIT
Damn I have to cut a blue card now. I'll figure that out later. should be tough.
When I was looking at my red section yesterday and lamenting the lack of 2 power 1 drops...i started reconsidering tattermunge maniac, let us know how it works out.
You could cut the lesser of the creature stealing enchantments, you have 5 right now. Or maybe Keymaster Rogue, which seems a little clunky.
Gryff vanguard has been quite the overperformer. I've actually splashed for him. No joke.
Confiscate, frost breath, keymaster rogue, cloudfin raptor, force spike, pestermite, theiving magpie, and wingcrafter are all candidates for the cut. Problem is, all of them are still either new or getting used to the new blue layout.
Funny you should mention that Majikian. The first time I brought it back for testing a month or so ago the thing that it stole was a grafted wargear. Won the game on the spot.
3 power on gryff vanguard allows it to trade with almost everything. That + being a 2-for-1 is practically unique on a blue creature outside of relentless skaabs, but this guy is easy to cast. It's one of those cards that does just enough to be good, and it's good in literally every deck that can cast a blue card.
3 power on gryff vanguard allows it to trade with almost everything. That + being a 2-for-1 is practically unique on a blue creature outside of relentless skaabs, but this guy is easy to cast. It's one of those cards that does just enough to be good, and it's good in literally every deck that can cast a blue card.
I guess I understand, I just think Murder of Crows is a better card so it seems strange to put it on the chopping block before the vanguard when considering Relentless Skaabs. Splashability is nice, but paying the CC on a 5cmc card is rarely difficult.
Gryff Vanguard is that good that you're comparing it to Murder of Crows? You're making me take another look at the card for my own cube now... You've got a number of card choices that have been useful to me even as a pauper cuber, so thanks for that.
I'm also really interested in the reasoning for including signets in some color pairs over others. Is it to do with the archetypes you're trying to support in those color pairs, are those pairs just shallower than others, or am I missing something else?
Back in the realm of peasant cubing, have you thought about including Hypnotic Specter? I had no idea but apparently it was an uncommon once upon a time, and it seems good enough.
I guess I understand, I just think Murder of Crows is a better card so it seems strange to put it on the chopping block before the vanguard when considering Relentless Skaabs. Splashability is nice, but paying the CC on a 5cmc card is rarely difficult.
Well to your first point, you do have to take into account that sometimes your 5 drops die before they get into combat. Or if they don't die then maybe they got kor hooked, or need to chump a blastoderm. The times where Murder of crows 4/4 body are more relevant then gryff's 3/2 body do exist obviously, but there are games where you just have a clock and either will kill him anyway. But the big thing here is "when are you playing your 5 drop in blue?" More often than not it's when you're behind. If your blue five drop gets killed, and you got no other value from it, you're probably going to lose. Murder has raw power, Gryff has safety.
These upsides almost cancel out, but I'd give a hair's breadth to Murder of crows here.
Murder of crow's looting ability really doesn't come up often, but it is usually "win more" (or maybe nail in the coffin). If they had a kill spell it's probably aimed at the murder, so the kill spell is probably yours. The main exception here is when everything is stable and other guys are trading when you're attacking.
But to the big point: I very happily support a green based control deck. I love this deck. Utopia sprawl into something into a card of any color into a card of any color is fun. Thing is, these are usually like... 7 forests, a vivid, a shardland, a guildgate, 4 lands of one color, and 1 or 2 lands of the other three colors (and mana rock backup). In these decks, CC is not easy to put together for the nongreen colors and only kinda easy to do for the secondary color. These decks love Gryff Vanguard. I'm also happy with cards like this in ramp decks that can afford one or two random basics for a splash color, and splashing for blue is normally not possible without cards like this.
I haven't checked your cube to compare, but I think my cube has less mana fixing than most.
I'm also really interested in the reasoning for including signets in some color pairs over others. Is it to do with the archetypes you're trying to support in those color pairs, are those pairs just shallower than others, or am I missing something else?
Back in the realm of peasant cubing, have you thought about including Hypnotic Specter? I had no idea but apparently it was an uncommon once upon a time, and it seems good enough.
Crippling chill by a mile, but frost breath is a fine card. Draw a card is the most powerful phrase in the game.
The colors that have signets are the color pairs that will be most happy to use their turn two to make some mana. First, these will include every blue deck. This will also include some green decks but green has it's own stuff for that. However, simic signet is far too helpful to let go so it earns a spot despite green theoretically covering it's bases. The GU ramp decks are mana hungry. Orzhov signet is in here because black and white are probably the most frequent splash colors (or have been in the past, I haven't evaluated that aspect in a while) so usually one color is important to the deck and the other color is letting you play doom blade. If I were to lose any signet, it'd be this one.
Hypnotic specter was cut back when I was trying to make my decks more resilient to removal. Chittering rats and Liliana's specter both do their work when they come in, and I wanted to limit the number of 1CC cards in black. Choosing between this, Ogre Marauder and Dross golem is tough, but the other two cards are unblockable more often.
Obviously each of these cards is better in different situations, but I'd rather have Frost Breath over Crippling Chill and Crows over Gryff more often than not. Card draw is helpful for getting more resources than your opponent, but getting bigger and better effects from your cards can help you stabilize earlier. It doesn't matter how many cards you've drawn if none of them are that great.
I'm wondering if your love of smaller effects plus cantrip is part of why aggro was running so rampant in your cube a month or so ago, Leelue. Concentrating on smaller effects just because they cycle seems like a fast track to durdletown if you're not careful.
I'm not sure if you can trace how clearly my blue and white section evolved over the last two months, but I moved distinctly away from bigger in favor of smaller just to be able to keep up with aggro.
That's why I care so much about how good a blue card is when you're behind and can't afford to be blown out because there literally was no time for the control deck to stabilize without playing a "tempo" kind of game or flashing back a lingering souls.
The portion of the game where I want crippling chill/frost breath is more often at the beginning of the game now that I'm running so many magpie effects. I can have blue decks that are keeping up in the race now but with far more cards than the opponent, and that's a cool identity.
a 6/9 trampler is pretty monstrous... I'm curious how difficult getting the two creatures in the graveyard will be for the U/x controlly decks that will play this guy. I'm leaning more towards "very difficult", but if you have success with him, definitely let us know!!!
My blue section has quite a bit more creatures than noncreatures. It won't be a real problem, I theorize.
If I don't have two creatures in the 'yard by 6 mana, things are going really well or reaaaally badly. (or I've ramped to 6 and shot myself in the foot)
Hurricane has gotten played almost never. It was dangerous once, but once isn't good considering how long it's been here. Evolution Charm is a crowd pleaser and I think the green based control decks will be happy to have it. Prismatic Lens is in over Heart so the ramp decks can try and do 2 things in one turn. Crusader is token support and I've wanted to try it for a while now and Otherworldly journey comes in for a card that hasn't been consistent in a long time.
Furthermore, Arena is repeatable and doesn't cost a card. In the best performance for the card, it was in G/R and arena did the bulk of the work, killing looters and other things while I held onto my burn. Once it turned into a 2-0 (still hadn't cost me a card, technically) it was totally worth it.
The real problem is that these windows where the card is good are practically imposible to predict. You can be ahead or behind. You can have the biggest guy on the board, or not. Or deathtouch. Or they can't have deathtouch. Or burn backup. Or you sacrifice a weenie to a greater cause.
Easy to envision, almost impossible to plan for.
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
-Nucklavee
-Canker Abomination
-Selesnya Guildmage
-Rupture Spire
-Elixir of Immortality
-Juggernaut
+Snakeform
+Tattermunge Maniac
+Inkfathom Infiltrator
+Turn to Mist
So a little explaining is in order
I was over my 450 by 2 cards to begin with, without realizing it, first of all. Artisan of Kozilek narrowly misses getting cut because I want to see if it's presense is made known sometime again. It is a bomb, but it's so rare to see it. Rupture spire was a hard cut, but besides that the only cut I imagined was the recent addition Sylvok lifestaff or old faithful Crystal Ball.
In any case, my hybrid section is doing something cool now. Snakeform, tattermunge maniac, spitemare, inkfathom infiltrator, and gift of orzhova are all supporting each other in balancing out the guilds. Funny.
Maniac, I know isn't often good but my cube is getting more aggro. So let's see.
Inkfathom infiltrator may actually show up in blue now. Tandem lookout, let's go!
EDIT
Damn I have to cut a blue card now. I'll figure that out later. should be tough.
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
You could cut the lesser of the creature stealing enchantments, you have 5 right now. Or maybe Keymaster Rogue, which seems a little clunky.
Confiscate, frost breath, keymaster rogue, cloudfin raptor, force spike, pestermite, theiving magpie, and wingcrafter are all candidates for the cut. Problem is, all of them are still either new or getting used to the new blue layout.
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
you've been talking up gryff vanguard for a hot minute now...can you go into some more detail about why it's been so good? i don't really understand.
EDIT: agreed on confiscate...since you aren't running squirrel nest, and you're cutting centaur glade
3 power on gryff vanguard allows it to trade with almost everything. That + being a 2-for-1 is practically unique on a blue creature outside of relentless skaabs, but this guy is easy to cast. It's one of those cards that does just enough to be good, and it's good in literally every deck that can cast a blue card.
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
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
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
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
I guess I understand, I just think Murder of Crows is a better card so it seems strange to put it on the chopping block before the vanguard when considering Relentless Skaabs. Splashability is nice, but paying the CC on a 5cmc card is rarely difficult.
On that note, how have Crippling Chill/Frost Breath been for you? Which has been better?
I'm also really interested in the reasoning for including signets in some color pairs over others. Is it to do with the archetypes you're trying to support in those color pairs, are those pairs just shallower than others, or am I missing something else?
Back in the realm of peasant cubing, have you thought about including Hypnotic Specter? I had no idea but apparently it was an uncommon once upon a time, and it seems good enough.
Level 1 Judge
Well to your first point, you do have to take into account that sometimes your 5 drops die before they get into combat. Or if they don't die then maybe they got kor hooked, or need to chump a blastoderm. The times where Murder of crows 4/4 body are more relevant then gryff's 3/2 body do exist obviously, but there are games where you just have a clock and either will kill him anyway. But the big thing here is "when are you playing your 5 drop in blue?" More often than not it's when you're behind. If your blue five drop gets killed, and you got no other value from it, you're probably going to lose. Murder has raw power, Gryff has safety.
These upsides almost cancel out, but I'd give a hair's breadth to Murder of crows here.
Murder of crow's looting ability really doesn't come up often, but it is usually "win more" (or maybe nail in the coffin). If they had a kill spell it's probably aimed at the murder, so the kill spell is probably yours. The main exception here is when everything is stable and other guys are trading when you're attacking.
But to the big point: I very happily support a green based control deck. I love this deck. Utopia sprawl into something into a card of any color into a card of any color is fun. Thing is, these are usually like... 7 forests, a vivid, a shardland, a guildgate, 4 lands of one color, and 1 or 2 lands of the other three colors (and mana rock backup). In these decks, CC is not easy to put together for the nongreen colors and only kinda easy to do for the secondary color. These decks love Gryff Vanguard. I'm also happy with cards like this in ramp decks that can afford one or two random basics for a splash color, and splashing for blue is normally not possible without cards like this.
I haven't checked your cube to compare, but I think my cube has less mana fixing than most.
Crippling chill by a mile, but frost breath is a fine card. Draw a card is the most powerful phrase in the game.
The colors that have signets are the color pairs that will be most happy to use their turn two to make some mana. First, these will include every blue deck. This will also include some green decks but green has it's own stuff for that. However, simic signet is far too helpful to let go so it earns a spot despite green theoretically covering it's bases. The GU ramp decks are mana hungry. Orzhov signet is in here because black and white are probably the most frequent splash colors (or have been in the past, I haven't evaluated that aspect in a while) so usually one color is important to the deck and the other color is letting you play doom blade. If I were to lose any signet, it'd be this one.
Hypnotic specter was cut back when I was trying to make my decks more resilient to removal. Chittering rats and Liliana's specter both do their work when they come in, and I wanted to limit the number of 1CC cards in black. Choosing between this, Ogre Marauder and Dross golem is tough, but the other two cards are unblockable more often.
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'm wondering if your love of smaller effects plus cantrip is part of why aggro was running so rampant in your cube a month or so ago, Leelue. Concentrating on smaller effects just because they cycle seems like a fast track to durdletown if you're not careful.
That's why I care so much about how good a blue card is when you're behind and can't afford to be blown out because there literally was no time for the control deck to stabilize without playing a "tempo" kind of game or flashing back a lingering souls.
The portion of the game where I want crippling chill/frost breath is more often at the beginning of the game now that I'm running so many magpie effects. I can have blue decks that are keeping up in the race now but with far more cards than the opponent, and that's a cool identity.
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
Out -
In
- Relentless skaabs
- Skaab Goliath
- Soulsworn spirit
- Beast attack
- Overrun
- Elixir of immortality
(turns out i had a duplicate land in the cube which freed up a spot.)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
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
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
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
If I don't have two creatures in the 'yard by 6 mana, things are going really well or reaaaally badly. (or I've ramped to 6 and shot myself in the foot)
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
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
out
In
Hurricane has gotten played almost never. It was dangerous once, but once isn't good considering how long it's been here. Evolution Charm is a crowd pleaser and I think the green based control decks will be happy to have it. Prismatic Lens is in over Heart so the ramp decks can try and do 2 things in one turn. Crusader is token support and I've wanted to try it for a while now and Otherworldly journey comes in for a card that hasn't been consistent in a long time.
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
Let me know if you end up missing Land Tax.
EDH Decks:
- Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior