We were able to get an 8-man cube in yesterday after FNM, after being snowed out last week. It was an awesome draft, with a bunch of different decks. I went Jund, and 0-2'd (foregoing the 3rd round).... mostly because of mana issues out of my control. haha. We've all been there. The finals was between BUG and U/W. They decided to do the finals in a best of 5, with the UW deck squeaking by 3-2. Here's the list:
I use 41 lands as the baseline for all of my cube decks. I shorten to 40 if I need a specific piece/interaction or don't want to hit all of my land drops (40/16), and go to 40/17 41/17 or 41/18 04 40/18 depending on how badly I need extra lands/don't have playables.
The rationale here is that the odds of you drawing any particular card and that card being significantly better than the average card in your deck isn't as high as needing to draw the proper ratio of action and lands.
In other words, I'd much rather be able to play all of my stuff when I want to rather than have mana problems.
Do yuo have any idea what your aggro deck looked like? I'd expect rakdos aggro to smash that deck half the time and play fairer games the rest of the way.
However, both games he got Wall of Blossoms out turn 2, even Unearthing it game 2. I mulled to 6 both games, where he usually had the answer to my 1 drop. I didn't see my Nekrataal or Flametongue Kavu once in those games. It was just pretty unlucky. I though my deck was monstrous.
Woot! I was able to get another draft in today... the good ol' back to backer. We got a 6-man draft tonight and it was only 2 rounds, because the pair-down lost. I ended up losing in the "finals", with a sweet U/G/w brew. I punted game 2, missing the win on board, which involved some antics with Briarhorn, Regrowth, and Jodah's Avenger (who is awesome btw). I could have evoked my Briarhorn, regrowthed, and evoked again, shadow up and double strike for lethal. I ended up dying the next turn to Overrun.
Notes on recent includes: Syndic of Tithes was awesome. He beat me Game 1, by just getting me lower and lower, just scratching away, by extorting me. The card provides incredible reach, and if not taken care of, can be a huge problem.
I haven't had much experience with him personally, but he has been showing up on occasion. I haven't played against it either. He definitely takes some setting up, but once he's active, he seems pretty sweet. I'll keep my eye on him further.
With Wall of Tanglecord having such success, even without the reach (even though the reach is a nice perk), I looked into perhaps another wall with a decent cost. Steel Wall seemed to fit the bill. It provides the U/x control decks a way to ward off the early aggro, and find a way to finish off their opponents in the late game. It also shines in some midrange decks, where they want to set up for their strong mid/late game. The wall also curves out perfectly for the U/x decks, being at 1 mana.
I think this card looks fun! It turns everything into a pinger and works great with tokens, which there are a lot of in my cube. (Side note: I was recently hosed by Izzet Staticaster, so for those of you with a lot of token generators, this guy is a good choice.) Anyways, in the event of a boardstall, which happens on occasion, this card can really end games. It can also just be a "reach" card, say you have your opponent at low life, just play it, and sac all your creatures for the win. It seems like it could be fun, and the fact that you can chump/shoot, alpha sac, or just shoot off a relevant X/1 (at instant speed mind you), helps it deserve a spot in testing.
Something that was pointed out to me recently, was that there was a significant lack of deathtouch in my cube. I think deathtouch is incredibly powerful, as it allows you to trade up and can provide some awkward combat decisions. This card seems decently costed and provides a strong ability to all the colors. It just seems like a decent equipment with a powerful ability. Needless to say, this card goes great with the aforementioned wall! Also, it does enable some combo wombos, which I wouldn't mind happening every now and then... I'm looking at you Cunning Sparkmage, along with a few others.
It just adds more deathtouch to the cube and, again, enables some combo wombos. Combat can get harder, but the soulbond can get punished as well. Seems like a fair and efficient little duder.
Steel Wall - I haven't found aggro overrunning everyone, so I've held off on adding too many walls. It's certainly a good choice if you want another one.
Goblin Bombardment - A decent sac outlet, but I don't really push tokens much in red itself making it a bit harder for us to get value out of it.
Gorgon Flail - I'd rather have Vulshok Morningstar, since an extra +1/+1 is usually better than deathtouch. It's not horrible if you want to push deathtouch in your cube.
Nightshade Peddler - I like it less than the flail. I'd rather have a beater or a ramp creature for two mana in green.
Hey guys! We got a Monday Evening 7-man draft yesterday! Since we did a 7-man, there was a first-round bye, I drew the short-stick and got the bye. However, I ended up winning the draft with my U/R deck!
I played a U/G deck in the finals, winning in 3 games. Here's my list:
Thoughts on the draft: Obviously, most of these cards speak for themselves, I thought I'd just give a few opinions on the cards I recently added or haven't played much with yet.
Izzet Staticaster:This card was bonkers for me all night. In the finals, the card just won games because my opponent played a lot of x/1's and also had Squirrel Nest as a win condition. Considering most peasant cubes have a strong tokens base, this card is a great hoser, but is also just a fair card. I initially put this card in because tokens was so strong, and it has not disappointed me yet.
Jodah's Avenger:I added this guy in my cube to give the U/x control decks a strong finisher. He did not let me down. He's so strong, as you can swing, and threaten 6 damage if unblocked. You can also just shadow and double strike him up and get in for a free 4. He is just a super strong finisher that did exceptionally well for me last night. I'm glad I added him.
Shower of Coals:This was my first time playing with this card, and it was spectacular. Killing up to 3 dudes was just insane, as 2 damage can kill a lot of creatures in the cube. I actually did get the 4 damage threshold in one of my games last night... that is just a blowout. "I'll kill your two creatures and dome you for 4 as well." The card is awesome.
And lastly, I have to give my sideboard credit when it's due. I wouldn't have won the finals if I didn't have access to Slice and Dice from the sideboard. The card 4 for 1'd my opponent in game 3 of the finals and helped me stabilize and take over. Great, great card! I think I played it and killed a Sentinel Spider, Azure Mage, Llanowar Elves, and Briarhorn. It was a blowout.
And lastly, I have to give my sideboard credit when it's due. I wouldn't have won the finals if I didn't have access to Slice and Dice from the sideboard. The card 4 for 1'd my opponent in game 3 of the finals and helped me stabilize and take over. Great, great card! I think I played it and killed a Sentinel Spider, Azure Mage, Llanowar Elves, and Briarhorn. It was a blowout.
I am a big, big fan of slice and dice. I mainboard it when my guys have 2 toughness.
Jodah's avenger served me quite well and is on the short list of cards for me to reinclude once I get my blue section stable. Shower of coals might be the strongest red card, honestly. Staticaster has been well regarded by a lot of people, and maybe I can test it one day.
Funky deck....I definitely would've maindecked Slice and Dice, seeing that you only have one guy that would die to the cycle effect. What else was in your sideboard?
Good to hear that Staticaster is making a good showing.
Jodah's Avenger is such a cool card. It's definitely up for consideration if I find myself needing another blue finisher.
Constructing the deck was difficult because I had a lot of cards to choose from. I had some cards that shined in my finals match from the sideboard in: Sulfurous Blast, Slice and Dice, Cunning Sparkmage.
There were a few cards that I wanted to play but wasn't sure what to do: Brainstorm, Enclave Cryptologist, and Compulsive Research. Out of those, I wish I played the cryptologist, especially because I played 18 lands and had Shower of Coals to benefit from the discarding. I sided him in in the finals and he did well.
Keldon Champion was pretty bad for me. Juggernaut was just okay. He merely traded with big fatties in the finals match. So in hindsight, he was just a 4 mana removal spell. Fireslinger was decent, as it gave me some control over the x/1's, which there are a lot of in the cube. I could definitely see maining both the SaD and the Blast. You're definitely right!
What's up guys? We got a 6-man draft in last night after my local shop's FNM! We had 3 rounds this time - the pair down won! I went 3-0 and won the draft with a Junk Deck. It was a very fun draft with some tough draft choices at times. I want to say pack 3.. I had to choose between Mother of Runes, Sylvan Library, Skinrender, and Swords to Plowshares. Hardest choice I've made in a while haha!
Thoughts on the night: Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble-type effects are super powerful, especially with tokens. There was a point in the finals when I had both of these guys out, with the Grafted Wargear + tokens combo. "Equip, sac trigger, you lose 2, I gain 2, equip again, sac trigger, repeat"
I do have a question for you guys though. What are your thoughts on the hammers? Both Behemoth Sledge and Loxodon Warhammer? I'm on the fence about them, for power reasons. The guy I played in the finals had the Warhammer, and thankfully he didn't see it once during our games. However, if he did, I think he would have just won flat out, even when I was ahead. It seems to me as just an unfair card. Don't get me wrong, there are ways to combat it, but the fact that it can be super swingy is making me think of giving the hammers the banhammer, rather than squeezing more artifact hate in. Thoughts?
Yeah, extort has proven it's mettle!! It's been really good in my cube so far. I'm very close to the banning of the hammers... It definitely may happen before my next cube.
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 !!!
1x Doomed Traveler
1x Mother of Runes
1x Azure Mage
1x Azorius Guildmage
1x Flickerwisp
1x Man-o'-War
1x Wall of Denial
1x Lyev Skyknight
1x Wing Splicer
1x Skymark Roc
1x Master Splicer
1x Mnemonic Wall
1x Jetting Glasskite
1x Preordain
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Harm's Way
1x Into the Roil
1x Otherworldly Journey
1x Midnight Haunting
1x Repulse
1x Spectral Procession
1x Exclude
1x Dissipate
9x Island
8x Plains
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
I went Rakdos Aggro and lost in the finals ... Haha. Here's the winning deck, with 41 cards!:
1x Experiment One
1x Child of Night
1x Wall of Blossoms
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Wild Mongrel
1x Qasali Pridemage
1x Putrid Leech
1x Wolfir Avenger
1x Imperious Perfect
1x Briarpack Alpha
1x Vital Splicer
1x Blastoderm
1x Pelakka Wurm
1x Unearth
1x Disfigure
1x Night's Whisper
1x Rampant Growth
1x Cultivate
1x Midnight Haunting
1x Putrefy
1x Grizzly Fate
Enchantment (1)
1x Sylvan Library
Artifact (3)
1x Trusty Machete
1x Tumble Magnet
1x Golgari Keyrune
5x Forest
4x Swamp
1x Plains
1x Golgari Guildgate
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Tectonic Edge
1x Orzhov Basilica
1x Treetop Village
1x Strip Mine
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
The rationale here is that the odds of you drawing any particular card and that card being significantly better than the average card in your deck isn't as high as needing to draw the proper ratio of action and lands.
In other words, I'd much rather be able to play all of my stuff when I want to rather than have mana problems.
Do yuo have any idea what your aggro deck looked like? I'd expect rakdos aggro to smash that deck half the time and play fairer games the rest of the way.
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
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/2nd-place-21913-6-man-cube-draft/
However, both games he got Wall of Blossoms out turn 2, even Unearthing it game 2. I mulled to 6 both games, where he usually had the answer to my 1 drop. I didn't see my Nekrataal or Flametongue Kavu once in those games. It was just pretty unlucky. I though my deck was monstrous.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Here's the winner (4 color!):
1x Strangleroot Geist
1x Syndic of Tithes
1x Cloistered Youth
1x Phyrexian Rager
1x Kor Hookmaster
1x Imperious Perfect
1x Yavimaya Elder
1x Murderous Redcap
1x Bloodbraid Elf
1x Beetleback Chief
1x Marsh Flitter
1x Seraph of Dawn
1x Shriekmaw
1x Disfigure
1x Terror
1x Selesnya Charm
1x Night's Whisper
1x Overrun
Enchantment (3)
1x Sylvan Library
1x Squirrel Nest
1x Centaur Glade
Artifact (2)
1x Traveler's Amulet
1x Selesnya Keyrune
3x Swamp
3x Plains
5x Forest
1x Mountain
1x Grasslands
1x Savage Lands
1x City of Brass
1x Vivid Crag
1x Vivid Marsh
Notes on recent includes:
Syndic of Tithes was awesome. He beat me Game 1, by just getting me lower and lower, just scratching away, by extorting me. The card provides incredible reach, and if not taken care of, can be a huge problem.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
I lost in the pair down, so we only had 2 rounds :(.
Here's the winning deck:
1x Nezumi Graverobber
1x Merfolk Looter
1x Perilous Myr
1x Augur of Bolas
1x Sea Gate Oracle
1x Kor Sanctifiers
1x Benthicore
1x Artisan of Kozilek
Instant/Sorcery (10)
1x Preordain
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Mana Leak
1x Gerrard's Verdict
1x Compulsive Research
1x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Mortify
1x Deep Analysis
1x Unburial Rites
1x Animate Dead
1x Propaganda
1x Oblivion Ring
1x Control Magic
Artifact (1)
1x Prismatic Lens
Land (17)
4x Island
3x Swamp
2x Plains
1x Vivid Meadow
1x Faerie Conclave
1x Bad River
1x Strip Mine
1x Dimir Guildgate
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Azorius Guildgate
1x Arcane Sanctum
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 !!!
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 !!!
The first is: Steel Wall.
With Wall of Tanglecord having such success, even without the reach (even though the reach is a nice perk), I looked into perhaps another wall with a decent cost. Steel Wall seemed to fit the bill. It provides the U/x control decks a way to ward off the early aggro, and find a way to finish off their opponents in the late game. It also shines in some midrange decks, where they want to set up for their strong mid/late game. The wall also curves out perfectly for the U/x decks, being at 1 mana.
Second: Goblin Bombardment.
I think this card looks fun! It turns everything into a pinger and works great with tokens, which there are a lot of in my cube. (Side note: I was recently hosed by Izzet Staticaster, so for those of you with a lot of token generators, this guy is a good choice.) Anyways, in the event of a boardstall, which happens on occasion, this card can really end games. It can also just be a "reach" card, say you have your opponent at low life, just play it, and sac all your creatures for the win. It seems like it could be fun, and the fact that you can chump/shoot, alpha sac, or just shoot off a relevant X/1 (at instant speed mind you), helps it deserve a spot in testing.
Third: Gorgon Flail.
Something that was pointed out to me recently, was that there was a significant lack of deathtouch in my cube. I think deathtouch is incredibly powerful, as it allows you to trade up and can provide some awkward combat decisions. This card seems decently costed and provides a strong ability to all the colors. It just seems like a decent equipment with a powerful ability. Needless to say, this card goes great with the aforementioned wall! Also, it does enable some combo wombos, which I wouldn't mind happening every now and then... I'm looking at you Cunning Sparkmage, along with a few others.
Lastly: Nightshade Peddler.
It just adds more deathtouch to the cube and, again, enables some combo wombos. Combat can get harder, but the soulbond can get punished as well. Seems like a fair and efficient little duder.
Thoughts?
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
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Goblin Bombardment - A decent sac outlet, but I don't really push tokens much in red itself making it a bit harder for us to get value out of it.
Gorgon Flail - I'd rather have Vulshok Morningstar, since an extra +1/+1 is usually better than deathtouch. It's not horrible if you want to push deathtouch in your cube.
Nightshade Peddler - I like it less than the flail. I'd rather have a beater or a ramp creature for two mana in green.
I don't have much to say about the other ones, except to parrot dirt when he says Morningstar>flail.
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 played a U/G deck in the finals, winning in 3 games. Here's my list:
1x Fireslinger
1x Augur of Bolas
1x Man-o'-War
1x Izzet Staticaster
1x Guttersnipe
1x Keldon Champion
1x Juggernaut
1x Archaeomancer
1x Mulldrifter
1x Jodah's Avenger
1x Jetting Glasskite
1x Fire // Ice
1x Izzet Charm
1x Magma Jet
1x Rift Bolt
1x Electrolyze
1x Capsize
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Jilt
1x Shower of Coals
1x Shrine of Burning Rage
1x Izzet Keyrune
Land (18)
8x Island
7x Mountain
1x Izzet Guildgate
1x Izzet Boilerworks
1x Terramorphic Expanse
Thoughts on the draft:
Obviously, most of these cards speak for themselves, I thought I'd just give a few opinions on the cards I recently added or haven't played much with yet.
Izzet Staticaster: This card was bonkers for me all night. In the finals, the card just won games because my opponent played a lot of x/1's and also had Squirrel Nest as a win condition. Considering most peasant cubes have a strong tokens base, this card is a great hoser, but is also just a fair card. I initially put this card in because tokens was so strong, and it has not disappointed me yet.
Jodah's Avenger: I added this guy in my cube to give the U/x control decks a strong finisher. He did not let me down. He's so strong, as you can swing, and threaten 6 damage if unblocked. You can also just shadow and double strike him up and get in for a free 4. He is just a super strong finisher that did exceptionally well for me last night. I'm glad I added him.
Shower of Coals: This was my first time playing with this card, and it was spectacular. Killing up to 3 dudes was just insane, as 2 damage can kill a lot of creatures in the cube. I actually did get the 4 damage threshold in one of my games last night... that is just a blowout. "I'll kill your two creatures and dome you for 4 as well." The card is awesome.
And lastly, I have to give my sideboard credit when it's due. I wouldn't have won the finals if I didn't have access to Slice and Dice from the sideboard. The card 4 for 1'd my opponent in game 3 of the finals and helped me stabilize and take over. Great, great card! I think I played it and killed a Sentinel Spider, Azure Mage, Llanowar Elves, and Briarhorn. It was a blowout.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
I am a big, big fan of slice and dice. I mainboard it when my guys have 2 toughness.
Jodah's avenger served me quite well and is on the short list of cards for me to reinclude once I get my blue section stable. Shower of coals might be the strongest red card, honestly. Staticaster has been well regarded by a lot of people, and maybe I can test it one day.
How many times did augur miss?
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 !!!
Good to hear that Staticaster is making a good showing.
Jodah's Avenger is such a cool card. It's definitely up for consideration if I find myself needing another blue finisher.
Constructing the deck was difficult because I had a lot of cards to choose from. I had some cards that shined in my finals match from the sideboard in: Sulfurous Blast, Slice and Dice, Cunning Sparkmage.
There were a few cards that I wanted to play but wasn't sure what to do: Brainstorm, Enclave Cryptologist, and Compulsive Research. Out of those, I wish I played the cryptologist, especially because I played 18 lands and had Shower of Coals to benefit from the discarding. I sided him in in the finals and he did well.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
I could see these changes working out:
-Juggernaut
-Keldon Champion
-Fireslinger
+Slice and Dice
+Sulfurous Blast
+Compulsive Research
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Here's my list:
1x Fyndhorn Elves
1x Mother of Runes
1x Wall of Blossoms
1x Sylvan Ranger
1x Syndic of Tithes
1x Blood Artist
1x Kingpin's Pet
1x Bone Shredder
1x Kitchen Finks
1x Eternal Witness
1x Master Splicer
1x Briarhorn
1x Falkenrath Noble
1x Indrik Stomphowler
1x Cloudshift
1x Harm's Way
1x Terror
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Sprout Swarm
1x Lingering Souls
1x Midnight Haunting
Artifact (2)
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Grafted Wargear
Land (17)
6x Plains
5x Forest
2x Swamp
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Orzhov Guildgate
1x Vivid Grove
Thoughts on the night:
Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble-type effects are super powerful, especially with tokens. There was a point in the finals when I had both of these guys out, with the Grafted Wargear + tokens combo. "Equip, sac trigger, you lose 2, I gain 2, equip again, sac trigger, repeat"
The extort guys, Kingpin's Pet and Syndic of Tithes, were amazing! They just provided an incredible amount of reach, and makes me definitely want to add in Basilica Screecher.
I do have a question for you guys though. What are your thoughts on the hammers? Both Behemoth Sledge and Loxodon Warhammer? I'm on the fence about them, for power reasons. The guy I played in the finals had the Warhammer, and thankfully he didn't see it once during our games. However, if he did, I think he would have just won flat out, even when I was ahead. It seems to me as just an unfair card. Don't get me wrong, there are ways to combat it, but the fact that it can be super swingy is making me think of giving the hammers the banhammer, rather than squeezing more artifact hate in. Thoughts?
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
My extort experiment has been really successful. If it continues, I'll have to add pet and I'll be running 6 of them. This ability is awesome.
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 !!!