Was browsing your list and wondering what were your experiences with the following cards:
*Overrun/Overwhelming Stampede: I've thought about the inclusion of these with the increase in token production lately, but been hesitant to pull the trigger yet.
*Angelic Destiny: I had completely forgotten about this card for a while, but I added it tonight and hope it will be as good as I assume.
*Mangara of Corondor: He seems like you have to do a bit of work to really make him awesome, but at the very least he's not the worst way to answer a planeswalker in a pinch.
*Raise the Alarm: I've looked at this card when brainstorming for my tokens push a month or two ago, but never went beyond that. Has it been good enough to recommend or is it a bit too dependent on anthems?
Thanks!
Hey sorry I haven't checked this in a long time!
Overwhelming Stampede and Overrun are both great archetypal cards. Everyone likes playing them a lot; A+ on these cards. Raise the Alarm is a fine card, and I definitely like it in the token strategy. I am even running Midnight Haunting, and I really like what these tokens generators have done for the Cube.
Mangara is an average card, and I really only like it in certain UW decks, but it can be played in anything if you need it. He will come out at some point I'm sure, but he's fine right now.
Alright so I decided to take out Mangara for Stonecloaker and Sadistic Hypnotist for Undead Gladiator. The Hypnotist was a fine card, but I discovered quickly that BW tokens really didn't need another card to make it good, and I didn't like that it was only really good in that color combination. Undead Gladiator is cool and played out well yesterday. It's a great Reanimator/Survival card, but it's also just solid in a control/midrange deck.
I did 3 drafts in the last couple days which was quite fun. The winning decks were GW tokens, GR Survival, and BR aggro. 2nd place decks were Naya midrange, Esper Reanimator, and UW aggro.
Overall I think the Cube has been playing very well. I have been able to draft it quite often the last couple months.
Some section notes:
I am slightly concerned that too many players seem to be drafting green, which seems to be the opposite of most Cubes. I tried to make green better in my Cube by not running signets (and obviously the mana elves get a little better with no moxes). Green also benefits quite a bit from the Cube being unpowered imo. It's weird because I still think the power level of the Cube is balanced, I just don't understand why everyone continues to draft it so heavily. The Jungle Lions are getting picked very late, but the midrangey creatures go so highly.
Blue has been a little weird. People don't know how to evaluate some of blue's cards, so it is overdrafted or underdrafted a lot. I'm not sure why people are having a difficult time reading blue signals, but they are. I am thinking about making a couple changes here, but I'm not sure what yet.
White is doing well in general, but white control is not played as much as I would like it to be. I am thinking about taking Moat off my banned list and trying it out, but I am not sure yet.
Red is great. Bogardan Hellkite never gets played, so I think I might need to take that out.
No complaints in black. I push Reanimator more heavily than some, but I think it is necessary if you are going to play the archetype at all in a 720.
Lands are good.
Multicolor is good.
Colorless is fine. I think I will take out Jinxed Choker since no one seems to be playing it (even though I understand that the card is fine). I have considered Erratic Portal, but I don't know if it's good enough; I just really like cards like that.
So yeah, things are doing well. Hopefully people will stop trying to force green midrange when there are other obvious first-picks in the pack, but there's only so much I can do with that. I also hope that people begin to better understand blue in my Cube.
I like both of those changes. I enjoyed having Stonecloaker in my cube. He no longer makes the cut at 500 but at 720 he should be fine.
Don't know what to tell you regarding green. I wouldn't view it as a problem. Sooner or later, your players will realize that it's overdrafted and move into something else.
Moat is aweseome, but it's not unbeatable. There are lots of really backbreaking artifacts and enchantments in cube, so if you didn't draft a way to deal with them you shouldn't be surprised if you lose to Moat.
Bogardan Hellkite should be fine at this size. It's good for ramp, reanimator, and counterburn (possibly it's best deck).
Erratic Portal makes it into many smaller cubes than yours (including mine). It's not as good as Crystal Shard but it's still pretty great.
I am slightly concerned that too many players seem to be drafting green, which seems to be the opposite of most Cubes.
This could just be the people you cube with. Everyone has specific preferences. Your green may be perfectly balanced but if 3-4 people are predisposed to drafting green, there isn't much you can do. Keep an eye on this, but I wouldn't make radical changes just yet. Same thing goes for the blue woes.
I am thinking about taking Moat off my banned list and trying it out, but I am not sure yet.
Give it a shot - just make sure you have enough removal effects (Ronom Unicorn, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, Naturalize, Bramblecrush, Creeping Mold, Ratchet Bomb, Powder Keg etc). There is nothing more frustrating than losing to Moat because there is no access to methods to remove it.
Red is great. Bogardan Hellkite never gets played, so I think I might need to take that out.
BH is also underplayed in my cube. Think of it as a great reanimator target, and a stellar finisher for UR control or RG ramp. If he pops up an no one is heavily invested in these archetypes then he will usually just go 14th-15th.
Colorless is fine. I think I will take out Jinxed Choker since no one seems to be playing it (even though I understand that the card is fine). I have considered Erratic Portal, but I don't know if it's good enough; I just really like cards like that.
Choker is pretty unexciting, I would make the straight swap for Portal. Portal has been in my cube since its infancy and is always great. While Shard is a better card, this allows you to get great value out of your 187s in other colours when not paired with blue (Because paying 3 for bounce is sometimes not an option).
From the three drafts you describe, there seems to be a reasonable balance of successful archetypes. In the six top decks, all colours are represented two or three times.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
I don't like him at all. He's a 3-cost creature with no evasion that dies to pretty much everything. His recursiveness didn't justify how weak that was. A recursive creature also needs to stay relevant if you're going to be bringing it back into the endgame (Bloodghast, Eternal Dragon, Squee, Goblin Nabob) and his body was never useful there either. You're also paying 2BBB + a card for him every time beyond the first. I'd rather pay 3GG + a card and get something like Gigapede that is a must-block and doesn't die to most removal.
He gains in effectiveness if you attach some importance to the shenanigans you can pull off with his cycling and pseudo-looting abilities played together, but most of the time they tied up too much mana to get good value out of. I'm a fan of pushing reanimator strategies in larger cubes, but both halves of the card were subpar (the body was rarely relevant, the pseudo-looting too mana-intensive) and I usually wanted to have another card that was good at fulfilling just one of those roles.
Also not a fan of Undead Gladiator though at this size the black 3 drops start to get pretty meh. I've been running Ravenous Skirge as a second Dauthi Marauder and he gets the job done well enough and doesn't cost 1BB.
Hey guys,
I've been on the Cube forums a bit over the last few days. I have updated my Cube list to what I am currently running. It includes some random changes as well as my Restored additions. Feel free to look through my list. I am interested in suggestions for adds a LOT more than suggestions for cards to take out. I am very familiar with how the cards in my list play out (minus the Av Restored cards; I've only gotten 2 drafts in with those), but I am obviously not experienced with many cards not on my list and would love to hear suggestions...
A couple cards that I would like opinions on -
1) Mind Twist
2) Moat
Both of these cards are on my 'banned' list listed on the first page, but I am considering taking them off. I have resisted Mind Twist for a very long time, but I am thinking that giving black an easy first pick might be good. My greatest concern is that adding this won't really help black at all since it is so easy to splash... Moat seems like a fine addition at this point, but I would like opinions on this card. I decided that I would like to see more white control decks, and this is an obvious bomb for that archetype.
A random card that I'm thinking about trying because I'm obsessed with looting: Bonded Fetch. Please give me opinions on this card. I know it seems unusual, but a high density of looting in blue is nice to have IMO.
I am also interested in opinions on Stunted Growth. Part of me likes this better than Harmonize.
Thanks for the input! As a reminder, I do not run flip cards in my Cube, and other than that there is a banned list of 15 cards on the first page.
Bonded Fetch does not seem flat-out 'bad' in a 720 card Cube; I don't know if it's good enough though. The simple response of it being bad doesn't do much for me. Also, Stunted Growth is in the MTGO Cube, and Conley Woods was raving about it in some video.
I like both of those cards (Moat and Twist, not Growth & Fetch). And as for the power level, they each have their moments of total brokenness, moments where they're fair and moments when they're bad. I was considering cutting Moat from my 360 for a while, not for being too good, but just because of some inconsistency issues. I don't think it's so good it needs to be banned. Mind Twist is pretty game-warping, but it also has its moments where it's fair. So I could see both sides of either playing both and/or banning both, depending on how tolerant your playgroup is with cards that are either really broken or underwhelming.
Stunted Growth definitely has it's uses in that cube but the MTGO cube is pretty slow by this forums standards. I can see it being good enough in an unpowered 720 cube as it's a pretty brutal card in a ramp heavy deck vs. non aggro decks.
I have been out of forum posting for a while, but I am going to post my proposed M13 changes. I'd like to post more often about my Cube; I just often get lazy and stalk the forums to glean info from the Cube pros without posting a lot. I really appreciate everyone who posts often on these forums, because there is so much good Cube information. Whoever made the MTGO list really needs to check out these forums for some tips...
Anyways, here are my proposed changes for M13:
White
In:
-Knight of Glory
-Ajani, Caller of the Pride
-Sublime Archangel
I feel good about these swaps. Celestial Crusader is the only one that I don't feel 100% about, but I like Hokori a LOT more, and nothing else is really up for consideration in that area. Thraben Doomsayer was underwhelming most of the time, and I feel like I've been trying too hard to push tokens.
Blue
In:
-Void Stalker
Out:
-Shaper Parasite
Shaper Parasite has been a personal favorite of mine, but Void Stalker curves out much nicer and can deal with the strong creatures you need to get rid of in the midgame. This looks like an upgrade to me, but Void Stalker seems like one of the first cards to cut for a better blue card in the future.
Black
In:
-Knight of Infamy
-Griselbrand
Out:
-Highborn Ghoul
-Life's Finale
I will add Liliana later if lots of people have success with her. I do not like her at all right now though... This aggro creature swap seems easy to me. I'm glad I get a couple decent aggro creatures that are easier to cast in black and white. I want to try Griselbrand, but I wonder if his applications will be too narrow... I don't know, he just seems almost auto-win against any matchup if you can get him out.
Red
In:
-Ashmouth Hound
-Searing Spear
-Flames of the Firebrand
-Thundermaw Hellkite
Pyroclasm gets some great reviews on the forums, but it has been so narrow. It's hit or miss; sometimes it does literally nothing in a matchup, but sometimes it will destroy an archetype for 2 mana. I like the x-sweepers better, and I run 3. The second Arc Lightning seems like a reasonable replacement for Pyroclasm. The other adds seem a lot better than their previous counterparts. Skirk Marauder is so slow, and I wanted to add another red 2-drop, so the hound is coming in with the new cards.
Green
In:
-Yeva, Nature's Herald
-Thragtusk
Out:
-Kodama of the North Tree
-Brutalizer Exarch
I debated whether or not I would keep in Obstinate Baloth, and I think I will for now...
Land
In:
-Hellion Crucible
Out:
-Reflecting Pool
I wanted a red utility land since red lands are underrepresented in the nonbasic section. Reflecting Pool has been underwhelming as a fixer and doesn't help you splash a color.
Multi
In:
-Flinthoof Boar
Out:
-Boggart Ram-gang
Very similar cards, but the boar is more flexible and curves out better.
Colorless:
No changes.
Feedback is welcome; thanks!
Btw - still looking for an English Moat to try in the Cube... This is the only card that I wish I could try but currently do not because I don't own one. It was discussed above.
Blue:
+Jace, Architect of Thought
+Show and Tell
+Flash
-Lu Xun, Scholar General
-Thieving Magpie
-Mindshrieker
It was about time for the Magpies to come out. I realized that I had kept them in for so long because of my love for playing with a cool P3K card, but they are very underwhelming creatures. They cost 4 mana, die to ever removal card in the game, have no impact or value when they hit the board, and the damage they deal is irrelevant. Mindshrieker was fine, but it just felt janky at times. I really want to try out Show and Tell and Flash to push a 'cheating in fatties' archetype that isn't just the Tinker deck. I feel like there is room for this in a large Cube. There are some pretty busted things you do with Flash...
Black:
+Pack Rat
+Entomb
-Ogre Marauder
-Pulse Tracker
Pack Rat seems awesome, and I am finally coming around to adding the Entomb to support some archetypes. Pulse Tracker filled the aggro 1-drop slot for me, but it is just so bad sometimes... I could be wrong about this though.
Red:
+Mizzium Mortars
-Flame Slash
Mizzium Mortars seems awesome, and this seems like the appropriate swap.
Some people won't like this 'cause they love Terastadon, but the Wurm is just insane for the Natural Order, Flash, and Show and Tell decks that I'm trying to push. Maybe people will be able to cast it in the occasional big mana deck, but we'll see how it plays out. I couldn't resist this card!
Nonbasic Land:
None.
Colorless:
+Chromatic Lantern
-Druidic Satchel
The Satchel was an experiment and was a fine card, but Lantern is better.
Mystic Snake is a "staple" that feels underpowered in the draft. Yes, it's solid in a UG deck, but its mana cost is so heavy, and it's not a card that actually makes you jump into the UG archetype. I just don't like how it drafts. I'm hoping to add more multicolored and hybrid cards. I have my fingers crossed for something awesome in Izzet and Azorius.
These are my swaps so far. Feel free to comment, but I am mostly doing this right now so that I can keep track of my changes.
Adding Entomb while cutting Life // Death seems wrong to me. I'd cut Putrefy instead. Golgari has answers to creatures and artifacts in healthy numbers; it doesn't have that many great reanimation spells. The Life side is also completely solid.
I'd cut Wilt-Leaf Liege for the Dryad and leave the awesome little snakey in the cube.
Adding Entomb while cutting Life // Death seems wrong to me. I'd cut Putrefy instead. Golgari has answers to creatures and artifacts in healthy numbers; it doesn't have that many great reanimation spells. The Life side is also completely solid.
I'd cut Wilt-Leaf Liege for the Dryad and leave the awesome little snakey in the cube.
I will go ahead and make this swap; I think you're right about Life/Death. I will keep the Liege in and take out Snake for the time being, but this may change. Liege is one of the next cards coming out if we get a couple more multicolored goodies. Thanks for the input!
Land:
+Thespian's Stage
+10 new art shocks
-Isolated Chapel
-Clifftop Retreat
-Shivan Reef
-Woodland Cemetary
-Yavimaya Coast
-5 Shards of Alara Trilands
-Murmuring Bosk
I'm taking out 6 colorless cards to add 6 to the multi/hybrid section.
Comments are welcome. I'm going to see how people in my group like having 2 of each shock. We usually draft 6 people, so it would be nice to have more duals in a 720 card pool. I know that will be unpopular here, so please just discuss power level of swapped cards rather than whether or not 2 of each shock is OK in Cube.
White:
+Daring Skyjek I like this guy...not quite to Accorder Paladin levels, but I think this one should push through some damage
+Frontline Medic I'm on the fence with including this guy, but it certainly can't hurt to at least test
+Gideon, Champion of Justice I probably like this card more than most people and think it will end up doing good work, but I've been wrong before...
-Nearheath Pilgrim Not a fan of this cut since this has proven to be one of the most impacting two drops to our surprise, but if it hasn't caught the interest of your players or it hasn't performed then by all means replace it
-Hokori, Dust Drinker Good cut. This card's time has passed I feel
-Eternal Dragon I'm always just about to cut this from my cube but then I seem to find another appropriate cut...your cube is slightly smaller so it makes sense that the dragon no longer makes it
Blue:
+Gifts Ungiven While this card goes super late a lot of the time, when it works it's very good...I don't see Unburial Rights in your cube, but that card has been awesome for us and really helps push this card similar to constructed (and makes Entomb even better)!
-Sunder Good cut
Black:
none
Red:
+Reckless Charge While this card is situational, it's a HUGE amount of damage for the cost when it does happen...plus my group and myself all LOVE double strike and you really haven't lived until you 10 your opponent from nowhere with a Mirran Crusader.
-Fireblast While this cut will probably bring a lot of hate from other cubers I'm completely fine with it...Fireblast is almost always my least favorite card in my aggro deck if it makes my final 23-24. Yes, it's the kind of card stories are made of, but so is Reckless Charge.
Green:
+Experiment One Good inclusion that almost everyone agrees on
-Ulvenwald Tracker Good cut...I kept hoping for this guy to do good things, but just a few too many conditions needed to be met.
Multi:
+Boros Charm Best card in set probably, etc, etc
+Dimir Charm I'm skeptical so I'll be interested to hear how it ends up playing out for people.
+Baleful Strix Card has been awesome ever since it was released. A cube staple in my eyes that I am always happy to pick up for my decks.
+Duskmantle Seer I have no idea what to expect from this card, but it seems powerful enough and is getting enough positive press across the internet that I will be giving it a fair shot as well.
+Simic Charm I'm a big fan of this one...All three modes are useful and is probably a card I'm very happy to have in hand or draw at most stages of the game.
+Prime Speaker Zegana I love this card so much...talking about cards stories are made of, this one will probably have enough to fill a book by this time next year.
+Domri Rade I give planeswalkers the benefit of the doubt and I really have high hopes here. It's cheap and all of it's abilities seem useful. Plus, it should fit right in with a lot of decks I like to build (CREATURES!!!!).
+Obzdat, Ghost Council This card seems pretty pushed and I think will do good things for your cube despite the very needy casting cost. Awkward? Yes. Worth it despite that? I think so.
-Recoil Seems like a fine cut...never exiting, but generally not usually terrible either.
-Vraska the Unseen While this card is not as good as a lot of planeswalkers I still like it's inclusion in most cubes since it's relatively versatile. I would probably play a four mana Maelstrom Pulse, so putting most of that effect on a Planeswalker for one more mana doesn't seem THAT overcosted for me. I can certainly understand the decision to cut her though.
Colorless:
-Chimeric Mass Good cut...was never impressive for us.
-Tezzeret's Gambit Good cut.
-Phyrexian Processor Cubes are too aggressive and filled with too much cheap, versatile artifact hate for this to be any good any more.
-Basilisk Collar Not the most powerful card so I can understand the cut, but can occasionally dominate games in a way similar to what it did in it's limited format...allowing aggressive creatures to profitably push through bigger creatures from midrange and control has been it's primary function here, but it does that pretty well...that being said, it's a fine cut.
-AEther Vial It's been a while since this card really did work around here which is sad considering how good it used to be years ago, but this is another card I understand cutting (and I think about it all the time but continue to resist for the time being).
-Basalt Monolith Probably my least favorite cut from your artifacts, but it can be a little clunky/slow at times...that being said, turn four 7-drops is a pretty good incentive to run this card still. Plus, WAKE THRASHER (it took us a year or two to line this up in play, but it finally happened...felt like achievement unlocked)!
Land:
+Thespian's Stage Not a fan, but as mentioned early, I could certainly be wrong on this one.
+10 new art shocks I think you will LOVE this decision...my playgroup hasseled me about it when I initially did this for my cube, but I feel like the play experience as a whole has improved tremendously as a result...fixing is better and it helps to enable aggressive decks far better than other options available to larger cubes.
-Isolated Chapel
-Clifftop Retreat
-Shivan Reef
-Woodland Cemetary
-Yavimaya Coast
-5 Shards of Alara Trilands
-Murmuring Bosk The land cuts all seem correct with the possible exception of Woodland Cemetary over Llanowar Wastes which I guess depends on BG aggro versus BG midrange.
I'm taking out 6 colorless cards to add 6 to the multi/hybrid section.
Comments are welcome. I'm going to see how people in my group like having 2 of each shock. We usually draft 6 people, so it would be nice to have more duals in a 720 card pool. I know that will be unpopular here, so please just discuss power level of swapped cards rather than whether or not 2 of each shock is OK in Cube.
Looks like as a whole your cube should be increasing in power-level and hopefully as a result, excitement!
Thanks so much for the responses! The Basalt Monolith cut was a little painful for me, so I would be happy to cut something else instead. Ay suggestions of what to cut over Nearheath Pilgrim? Also, would you cut Sigarda over Vraska? Thanks again.
Thanks so much for the responses! The Basalt Monolith cut was a little painful for me, so I would be happy to cut something else instead. Ay suggestions of what to cut over Nearheath Pilgrim? Also, would you cut Sigarda over Vraska? Thanks again.
Alternative two-drops possible cuts to keep Pilgrim would be Blade of the Sixth Pride (I think I'm finally gonna drop this one for the strict upgrade), Knight of the White Orchid, or Kor Skyfisher (controversial, but hasn't done that much in my cube experiences).
Alternative artifact possible cuts to keep Monolith would be one of the "tap" artifacts that's not Icy (Ring of Gix, Trip Noose, Puppet Strings, or Tumble Magnet) depending on your mileage with those cards.
While Sigarda is pretty vanilla and not the most exciting card, if the choice is between her and Vraska I think I would have to side with the Angel here. Sometimes she comes down early and that's all you need to do.
Anyone have any suggestions on the cut for Basalt Monolith? I think Puppet Strings is probably the worst card of those, but I am sad to see one of the tap artifacts go. I like keeping a high density of those effects. Alternatively I could cut Epochrasite, but I have always really liked that card...
Eternal Dragon is almost NEVER a creature; it's been in my Cube for a loooong time, but it rarely does anything impressive. It's solid with reanimation spells, but every other fatty is going to be 10x better if you are playing those cards. Actually activating Eternal Dragon's ability has only ever happened maybe 2 times... I don't know if we're doing something wrong or what.
I might keep Vraska and not add the Dimir Charm, idk... Any better cut suggestions?
Hey sorry I haven't checked this in a long time!
Overwhelming Stampede and Overrun are both great archetypal cards. Everyone likes playing them a lot; A+ on these cards. Raise the Alarm is a fine card, and I definitely like it in the token strategy. I am even running Midnight Haunting, and I really like what these tokens generators have done for the Cube.
Mangara is an average card, and I really only like it in certain UW decks, but it can be played in anything if you need it. He will come out at some point I'm sure, but he's fine right now.
I did 3 drafts in the last couple days which was quite fun. The winning decks were GW tokens, GR Survival, and BR aggro. 2nd place decks were Naya midrange, Esper Reanimator, and UW aggro.
Overall I think the Cube has been playing very well. I have been able to draft it quite often the last couple months.
Some section notes:
I am slightly concerned that too many players seem to be drafting green, which seems to be the opposite of most Cubes. I tried to make green better in my Cube by not running signets (and obviously the mana elves get a little better with no moxes). Green also benefits quite a bit from the Cube being unpowered imo. It's weird because I still think the power level of the Cube is balanced, I just don't understand why everyone continues to draft it so heavily. The Jungle Lions are getting picked very late, but the midrangey creatures go so highly.
Blue has been a little weird. People don't know how to evaluate some of blue's cards, so it is overdrafted or underdrafted a lot. I'm not sure why people are having a difficult time reading blue signals, but they are. I am thinking about making a couple changes here, but I'm not sure what yet.
White is doing well in general, but white control is not played as much as I would like it to be. I am thinking about taking Moat off my banned list and trying it out, but I am not sure yet.
Red is great. Bogardan Hellkite never gets played, so I think I might need to take that out.
No complaints in black. I push Reanimator more heavily than some, but I think it is necessary if you are going to play the archetype at all in a 720.
Lands are good.
Multicolor is good.
Colorless is fine. I think I will take out Jinxed Choker since no one seems to be playing it (even though I understand that the card is fine). I have considered Erratic Portal, but I don't know if it's good enough; I just really like cards like that.
So yeah, things are doing well. Hopefully people will stop trying to force green midrange when there are other obvious first-picks in the pack, but there's only so much I can do with that. I also hope that people begin to better understand blue in my Cube.
Don't know what to tell you regarding green. I wouldn't view it as a problem. Sooner or later, your players will realize that it's overdrafted and move into something else.
Moat is aweseome, but it's not unbeatable. There are lots of really backbreaking artifacts and enchantments in cube, so if you didn't draft a way to deal with them you shouldn't be surprised if you lose to Moat.
Bogardan Hellkite should be fine at this size. It's good for ramp, reanimator, and counterburn (possibly it's best deck).
Erratic Portal makes it into many smaller cubes than yours (including mine). It's not as good as Crystal Shard but it's still pretty great.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Both good changes. I have been wanting to add Gladiator for some time, maybe I will think harder about it on my next update.
This could just be the people you cube with. Everyone has specific preferences. Your green may be perfectly balanced but if 3-4 people are predisposed to drafting green, there isn't much you can do. Keep an eye on this, but I wouldn't make radical changes just yet. Same thing goes for the blue woes.
Give it a shot - just make sure you have enough removal effects (Ronom Unicorn, Revoke Existence, Disenchant, Naturalize, Bramblecrush, Creeping Mold, Ratchet Bomb, Powder Keg etc). There is nothing more frustrating than losing to Moat because there is no access to methods to remove it.
BH is also underplayed in my cube. Think of it as a great reanimator target, and a stellar finisher for UR control or RG ramp. If he pops up an no one is heavily invested in these archetypes then he will usually just go 14th-15th.
Agreed.
Choker is pretty unexciting, I would make the straight swap for Portal. Portal has been in my cube since its infancy and is always great. While Shard is a better card, this allows you to get great value out of your 187s in other colours when not paired with blue (Because paying 3 for bounce is sometimes not an option).
My Tribal Cube
EDH Decks
GOmnath, Locus of ManaG
WUBSen TripletsWUB
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG
From the three drafts you describe, there seems to be a reasonable balance of successful archetypes. In the six top decks, all colours are represented two or three times.
My 380 Beginners’ Cube on Cube Tutor
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
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!
He gains in effectiveness if you attach some importance to the shenanigans you can pull off with his cycling and pseudo-looting abilities played together, but most of the time they tied up too much mana to get good value out of. I'm a fan of pushing reanimator strategies in larger cubes, but both halves of the card were subpar (the body was rarely relevant, the pseudo-looting too mana-intensive) and I usually wanted to have another card that was good at fulfilling just one of those roles.
My Cube (DeckStats)
My Pauper Cube: 540 (CubeTutor link!)
Level 1 Judge
I've been on the Cube forums a bit over the last few days. I have updated my Cube list to what I am currently running. It includes some random changes as well as my Restored additions. Feel free to look through my list. I am interested in suggestions for adds a LOT more than suggestions for cards to take out. I am very familiar with how the cards in my list play out (minus the Av Restored cards; I've only gotten 2 drafts in with those), but I am obviously not experienced with many cards not on my list and would love to hear suggestions...
A couple cards that I would like opinions on -
1) Mind Twist
2) Moat
Both of these cards are on my 'banned' list listed on the first page, but I am considering taking them off. I have resisted Mind Twist for a very long time, but I am thinking that giving black an easy first pick might be good. My greatest concern is that adding this won't really help black at all since it is so easy to splash... Moat seems like a fine addition at this point, but I would like opinions on this card. I decided that I would like to see more white control decks, and this is an obvious bomb for that archetype.
A random card that I'm thinking about trying because I'm obsessed with looting: Bonded Fetch. Please give me opinions on this card. I know it seems unusual, but a high density of looting in blue is nice to have IMO.
I am also interested in opinions on Stunted Growth. Part of me likes this better than Harmonize.
Thanks for the input! As a reminder, I do not run flip cards in my Cube, and other than that there is a banned list of 15 cards on the first page.
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!
Anyways, here are my proposed changes for M13:
White
In:
-Knight of Glory
-Ajani, Caller of the Pride
-Sublime Archangel
Out:
-Kor Aeronaut
-Thraben Doomsayer
-Celestial Crusader
I feel good about these swaps. Celestial Crusader is the only one that I don't feel 100% about, but I like Hokori a LOT more, and nothing else is really up for consideration in that area. Thraben Doomsayer was underwhelming most of the time, and I feel like I've been trying too hard to push tokens.
Blue
In:
-Void Stalker
Out:
-Shaper Parasite
Shaper Parasite has been a personal favorite of mine, but Void Stalker curves out much nicer and can deal with the strong creatures you need to get rid of in the midgame. This looks like an upgrade to me, but Void Stalker seems like one of the first cards to cut for a better blue card in the future.
Black
In:
-Knight of Infamy
-Griselbrand
Out:
-Highborn Ghoul
-Life's Finale
I will add Liliana later if lots of people have success with her. I do not like her at all right now though... This aggro creature swap seems easy to me. I'm glad I get a couple decent aggro creatures that are easier to cast in black and white. I want to try Griselbrand, but I wonder if his applications will be too narrow... I don't know, he just seems almost auto-win against any matchup if you can get him out.
Red
In:
-Ashmouth Hound
-Searing Spear
-Flames of the Firebrand
-Thundermaw Hellkite
Out:
-Skirk Marauder
-Bogardan Hellkite
-Pyroclasm
-Puncture Blast
Pyroclasm gets some great reviews on the forums, but it has been so narrow. It's hit or miss; sometimes it does literally nothing in a matchup, but sometimes it will destroy an archetype for 2 mana. I like the x-sweepers better, and I run 3. The second Arc Lightning seems like a reasonable replacement for Pyroclasm. The other adds seem a lot better than their previous counterparts. Skirk Marauder is so slow, and I wanted to add another red 2-drop, so the hound is coming in with the new cards.
Green
In:
-Yeva, Nature's Herald
-Thragtusk
Out:
-Kodama of the North Tree
-Brutalizer Exarch
I debated whether or not I would keep in Obstinate Baloth, and I think I will for now...
Land
In:
-Hellion Crucible
Out:
-Reflecting Pool
I wanted a red utility land since red lands are underrepresented in the nonbasic section. Reflecting Pool has been underwhelming as a fixer and doesn't help you splash a color.
Multi
In:
-Flinthoof Boar
Out:
-Boggart Ram-gang
Very similar cards, but the boar is more flexible and curves out better.
Colorless:
No changes.
Feedback is welcome; thanks!
Btw - still looking for an English Moat to try in the Cube... This is the only card that I wish I could try but currently do not because I don't own one. It was discussed above.
Please give any feedback people have on these cards; thanks!
White:
None.
Blue:
+Jace, Architect of Thought
+Show and Tell
+Flash
-Lu Xun, Scholar General
-Thieving Magpie
-Mindshrieker
It was about time for the Magpies to come out. I realized that I had kept them in for so long because of my love for playing with a cool P3K card, but they are very underwhelming creatures. They cost 4 mana, die to ever removal card in the game, have no impact or value when they hit the board, and the damage they deal is irrelevant. Mindshrieker was fine, but it just felt janky at times. I really want to try out Show and Tell and Flash to push a 'cheating in fatties' archetype that isn't just the Tinker deck. I feel like there is room for this in a large Cube. There are some pretty busted things you do with Flash...
Black:
+Pack Rat
+Entomb
-Ogre Marauder
-Pulse Tracker
Pack Rat seems awesome, and I am finally coming around to adding the Entomb to support some archetypes. Pulse Tracker filled the aggro 1-drop slot for me, but it is just so bad sometimes... I could be wrong about this though.
Red:
+Mizzium Mortars
-Flame Slash
Mizzium Mortars seems awesome, and this seems like the appropriate swap.
Green:
+Deadbridge Goliath
+Worldspine Wurm
-Obstinate Baloth
-Terastadon
Some people won't like this 'cause they love Terastadon, but the Wurm is just insane for the Natural Order, Flash, and Show and Tell decks that I'm trying to push. Maybe people will be able to cast it in the occasional big mana deck, but we'll see how it plays out. I couldn't resist this card!
Nonbasic Land:
None.
Colorless:
+Chromatic Lantern
-Druidic Satchel
The Satchel was an experiment and was a fine card, but Lantern is better.
Multi:
+Lotleth Troll
+Vraska, the Unseen
+Dryad Militant
+Supreme Verdict
-Crime/Punishment
-Putrefy
-Mystic Snake
-Wilt-Leaf Liege
Mystic Snake is a "staple" that feels underpowered in the draft. Yes, it's solid in a UG deck, but its mana cost is so heavy, and it's not a card that actually makes you jump into the UG archetype. I just don't like how it drafts. I'm hoping to add more multicolored and hybrid cards. I have my fingers crossed for something awesome in Izzet and Azorius.
These are my swaps so far. Feel free to comment, but I am mostly doing this right now so that I can keep track of my changes.
I'd cut Wilt-Leaf Liege for the Dryad and leave the awesome little snakey in the cube.
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
I will go ahead and make this swap; I think you're right about Life/Death. I will keep the Liege in and take out Snake for the time being, but this may change. Liege is one of the next cards coming out if we get a couple more multicolored goodies. Thanks for the input!
White:
+Angel of Serenity
+Martial Law
+Precinct Captain
-Eight-and-a-half Tails
-Hokori, Dust Drinker
-Decree of Justice
Blue:
+Cyclonic Rift
+Jace, Architect of Thought
-Lu Xun, Scholar General
-Thieving Magpie
Black:
+Pack Rat
+Ultimate Price
-Undead Gladiator
-Entomber Exarch
Red:
+Ash Zealot
+Gore-house Chainwalker
+Mizzium Mortars
-Flame Slash
-Burn at the Stake
-Squee, Goblin Nabob
Green:
+Brushstrider
+Deadbridge Goliath
+Worldspine Wurm
-Hungry Spriggan
-Obstinate Baloth
-Channel
Multi/hybrid:
UW
+Detention Sphere
+Supreme Verdict
GW
+Armada Wurm
+Dryad Militant
+Sundering Growth
-Wilt-leaf Liege
BR
+Rakdos Cackler
+Rakdos Shred-freak
+Dreadbore
UR
+Izzet Charm
-Jilt
BG
+Abrupt Decay
+Lotleth Troll
+Vraska, the Unseen
+Deathrite Shaman
-Crime/Punishment
-Putrefy
UB
-Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
UG
-Simic Sky Swallower
-Mystic Snake
Colorless:
+Chromatic Lantern
-Druidic Satchel
-Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
-Bonehoard
-Chimeric Idol
-Duplicant
-Crystal Ball
-Eldrazi Monument
-Adding 6 to multi/hybrid section and taking away 6 from colorless.
Changes:
White:
+Daring Skyjek
+Frontline Medic
+Gideon, Champion of Justice
-Nearheath Pilgrim
-Hokori, Dust Drinker
-Eternal Dragon
Blue:
+Gifts Ungiven
-Sunder
Black:
none
Red:
+Reckless Charge
-Fireblast
Green:
+Experiment One
-Ulvenwald Tracker
Multi:
+Boros Charm
+Dimir Charm
+Baleful Strix
+Duskmantle Seer
+Simic Charm
+Prime Speaker Zegana
+Domri Rade
+Obzdat, Ghost Council
-Recoil
-Vraska the Unseen
Colorless:
-Chimeric Mass
-Tezzeret's Gambit
-Phyrexian Processor
-Basilisk Collar
-AEther Vial
-Basalt Monolith
Land:
+Thespian's Stage
+10 new art shocks
-Isolated Chapel
-Clifftop Retreat
-Shivan Reef
-Woodland Cemetary
-Yavimaya Coast
-5 Shards of Alara Trilands
-Murmuring Bosk
I'm taking out 6 colorless cards to add 6 to the multi/hybrid section.
Comments are welcome. I'm going to see how people in my group like having 2 of each shock. We usually draft 6 people, so it would be nice to have more duals in a 720 card pool. I know that will be unpopular here, so please just discuss power level of swapped cards rather than whether or not 2 of each shock is OK in Cube.
Looks like as a whole your cube should be increasing in power-level and hopefully as a result, excitement!
(list not current)
My Cube Google Docs Spreadsheet: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AibgWfz0ukmOdDNhOHlucjcxUi1wVy00NDhLbDUtUlE&hl=en_US#gid=8
(list is always current)
Alternative two-drops possible cuts to keep Pilgrim would be Blade of the Sixth Pride (I think I'm finally gonna drop this one for the strict upgrade), Knight of the White Orchid, or Kor Skyfisher (controversial, but hasn't done that much in my cube experiences).
Alternative artifact possible cuts to keep Monolith would be one of the "tap" artifacts that's not Icy (Ring of Gix, Trip Noose, Puppet Strings, or Tumble Magnet) depending on your mileage with those cards.
While Sigarda is pretty vanilla and not the most exciting card, if the choice is between her and Vraska I think I would have to side with the Angel here. Sometimes she comes down early and that's all you need to do.
(list not current)
My Cube Google Docs Spreadsheet: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AibgWfz0ukmOdDNhOHlucjcxUi1wVy00NDhLbDUtUlE&hl=en_US#gid=8
(list is always current)
The rest of the update looks pretty solid.
Puppet Strings or Trip Noose could be cut.
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 might keep Vraska and not add the Dimir Charm, idk... Any better cut suggestions?