Did your playgroup increase in size, or did you miss the artifact deck, or what prompted the increase to 450?
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I can't say I'm pleased to see you and must warn you I may have to do something about it.
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: URDelver
Modern: UGRDelver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
Struggling with the quality of 5-player events; wanting 5-player sealed and/or a perfect 100% cube pool Sight Draft for 5 players. And yes, missing the artifact.dec terribly.
Going up to 450 lowered the ceiling but raised the floor for draft quality. The overall pool percentages are down from 405, but compared to the other sizes, there's not a single event that uses less than 60% of the pool, no matter how many players we have.
Interesting update. Several surprises to me, but it all looks good. One thing that surprised me is not bringing back the 2-power cc cards in green and the similar absence of Rancor. Given up on green aggro?
Do you find you have enough reanimator/Tinker/cheat targets without Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Hellkite Overlord?
Ancient Grudge over Sarkhan Vol is also very interesting.
I'm keeping a close eye on green at the moment. I'm not sure if I have the real estate for green aggro, but I wanted to test this configuration and see.
Sphinx is another card I want in. I'm using Bosh at the moment, since I don't have a multicolor slot available for the Sphinx, and Bosh is fun in the Welder/Daretti shenanigans decks.
Grudge is a card that regularly receives really high praise from other groups, and with the Signets coming in at this size, the concentration of targets might be just right for Grudge to really shine.
I'm also wrapping my head around the exclusion of Enclave Cryptologist. Looting on T2 seems really important. I realize you only have room for so much though. I've been contemplating a similar restructure of my cube and the cuts are really daunting. I'm more than half tempted to just go up to 465.
It's tight in blue, especially if you're supporting the artifact.dec. With Jace, Looter il-Kor, Chart and Search, it just isn't as necessary as it once was.
@wtwlf123 I've been following your cube for a long time and finally pulling the trigger to build my own. Im super impressed how long youve been around and how active you are. I wanted to ask a couple of questions. I'm sorry if you get this question a lot (tried searching but couldn't find an answer)
First, how do you find people to trust to draft with your cube? That's my #1 concern with building a cube and things end up going "missing".
And second, I understand why you built a powered cube but I think i want to go the unpowered route. Is there a certain method you'd use while using your 450 list as a reference to downgrade from powered to unpowered or is it just as simple as pulling out all the powered card and adding others?
Thanks for doing what you do, we all really appreciate it!!
While I can't speak for wtwlf123, I can give you my experiences as someone who has built my own version of his cube. I draft about 1-2 times a month with a circle of about 20 different players that jump in and out whenever I cube. We always have 8 players.
Unfortunately, after 3 years of doing this it happened. Someone I trusted stole from my cube.
To give you some background whenever I cube I do a full check (not count, I check for every individual card on the printed list and check it off) of the cube to make sure every card is there. Then I pull out exactly the amount of cards needed (at ranmdom or not depending) for the event and I count all pf it to make sure there are exactly 15 cards per pack. Once I'm sure of this we do the draft. This is because I hold every player responsible for taking and giving me back exactly the correct amount of cards. Then once the event is over, I collect the cards from each participant and then do a full count to make sure I was given back all of the cards I gave out. This has worked flawlessly until the above.
The way the thief took the card was to wait until I was in the middle of doing the count at the end of the event and then came to stand next to me to thank me for hosting the event and to say he had a blast. Then as he turned to walk out of my home, he swiped the top facedown card of a random pile and tucked the card in his back pocket. Except that as he did so, I turned my head to wave him off and caught him red handed.
He is no longer my friend, I still do cube events. I'm sticking to the same system to protect the cube because, imo, it works.
@wtwlf123 I've been following your cube for a long time and finally pulling the trigger to build my own. Im super impressed how long youve been around and how active you are. I wanted to ask a couple of questions. I'm sorry if you get this question a lot (tried searching but couldn't find an answer)
First, how do you find people to trust to draft with your cube? That's my #1 concern with building a cube and things end up going "missing".
I'm glad you find my cube an inspiration! I'll do my best to answer your questions.
I'm fortunate enough to be able to draft with just my close friends. Occasionally we'll have guest drafters, but those folks are all trusted by my core draft members, and so far in the 11+ years I've been drafting cube, I've never had anything get stolen.
Some tips that might help if you're cubing w/ unfamiliar folks:
1. Draft without sideboards. Each player then has only their 40-card deck to keep track of, and there's less of a chance for piles of cards to go missing or get misplaced.
2. Do an accountability check when players leave, and collect their decks and briefly check the contents.
3. Have packs ready for your players so you're the only person that dives into the cube box itself.
And second, I understand why you built a powered cube but I think i want to go the unpowered route. Is there a certain method you'd use while using your 450 list as a reference to downgrade from powered to unpowered or is it just as simple as pulling out all the powered card and adding others?
Thanks for doing what you do, we all really appreciate it!!
There are a lot of subtle things that happen when you depower the cube, but I don't have a "guide" or anything built for doing it. Cards that specifically interact with artifacts are going to get worse and more narrow. Cards that interact with low-CMC permanents might lose a bit of equity. The draw-7's are worse because they lose some of their explosive potential. Kor Skyfisher loses a bit of value. There's a bunch of little interactions here and there that change, but I don't have anything organized to help transition a cube from a powered to an unpowered version of the same thing.
Hope that helps at least a little. Cheers, and happy cubing!
I cut 'Tog for TSG to give it some extended testing. Scarab God is great. But 'Tog is 'Tog, and it's back now. Psychatog has been pulling it's weight in my cubes for 10+ years, and he needed a break to rest his feet. But he's back now, and not taking any prisoners.
Great work bro. Been lurking your thread. Quick question: Any idea to transform your cube into EDH/Commanders cube? As in what commanders would you recommend to synergize with your cube. Thanks bro!
Great work bro. Been lurking your thread. Quick question: Any idea to transform your cube into EDH/Commanders cube? As in what commanders would you recommend to synergize with your cube. Thanks bro!
Oh man, I have absolutely no clue. Sorry. There's an EDH cube thread in the card and archetype discussion subforum here, and you might be able to post in there to get some help collecting a suite of commanders.
How is it working out with the signets? Do you feel like you need all ten? Any issues with 5-color goodstuff being too prominent? I'm trying to decide if I should bring them back. I feel like my ramp and fixing could be better, but 10 slots and the corresponding cuts gives me pause.
They're good. They really help midrange strategies work well, and the fixing is helpful. No issues with an over-saturation of fixing since the Vivid lands were removed as part of the package to make room for them. And the 5 Vivid lands are probably the biggest offenders of that risk anyways.
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!
EDH: UGEdric
Pauper: UR Delver
Modern: UGR Delver
Draft my cube: Eric's 390 Unpowered
Going up to 450 lowered the ceiling but raised the floor for draft quality. The overall pool percentages are down from 405, but compared to the other sizes, there's not a single event that uses less than 60% of the pool, no matter how many players we have.
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!
Do you find you have enough reanimator/Tinker/cheat targets without Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Hellkite Overlord?
Ancient Grudge over Sarkhan Vol is also very interesting.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Sphinx is another card I want in. I'm using Bosh at the moment, since I don't have a multicolor slot available for the Sphinx, and Bosh is fun in the Welder/Daretti shenanigans decks.
Grudge is a card that regularly receives really high praise from other groups, and with the Signets coming in at this size, the concentration of targets might be just right for Grudge to really shine.
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'm also wrapping my head around the exclusion of Enclave Cryptologist. Looting on T2 seems really important. I realize you only have room for so much though. I've been contemplating a similar restructure of my cube and the cuts are really daunting. I'm more than half tempted to just go up to 465.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Also, my Dominaria top 20 article is up! https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/articles-podcasts-and-guides/792247-set-p-review-my-top-20-dominaria-cards-for-the
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!
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!
First, how do you find people to trust to draft with your cube? That's my #1 concern with building a cube and things end up going "missing".
And second, I understand why you built a powered cube but I think i want to go the unpowered route. Is there a certain method you'd use while using your 450 list as a reference to downgrade from powered to unpowered or is it just as simple as pulling out all the powered card and adding others?
Thanks for doing what you do, we all really appreciate it!!
Modern
Ad Nauseam
Dredge
Living End
Legacy
Lands
Unfortunately, after 3 years of doing this it happened. Someone I trusted stole from my cube.
To give you some background whenever I cube I do a full check (not count, I check for every individual card on the printed list and check it off) of the cube to make sure every card is there. Then I pull out exactly the amount of cards needed (at ranmdom or not depending) for the event and I count all pf it to make sure there are exactly 15 cards per pack. Once I'm sure of this we do the draft. This is because I hold every player responsible for taking and giving me back exactly the correct amount of cards. Then once the event is over, I collect the cards from each participant and then do a full count to make sure I was given back all of the cards I gave out. This has worked flawlessly until the above.
The way the thief took the card was to wait until I was in the middle of doing the count at the end of the event and then came to stand next to me to thank me for hosting the event and to say he had a blast. Then as he turned to walk out of my home, he swiped the top facedown card of a random pile and tucked the card in his back pocket. Except that as he did so, I turned my head to wave him off and caught him red handed.
He is no longer my friend, I still do cube events. I'm sticking to the same system to protect the cube because, imo, it works.
I'm glad you find my cube an inspiration! I'll do my best to answer your questions.
I'm fortunate enough to be able to draft with just my close friends. Occasionally we'll have guest drafters, but those folks are all trusted by my core draft members, and so far in the 11+ years I've been drafting cube, I've never had anything get stolen.
Some tips that might help if you're cubing w/ unfamiliar folks:
1. Draft without sideboards. Each player then has only their 40-card deck to keep track of, and there's less of a chance for piles of cards to go missing or get misplaced.
2. Do an accountability check when players leave, and collect their decks and briefly check the contents.
3. Have packs ready for your players so you're the only person that dives into the cube box itself.
There are a lot of subtle things that happen when you depower the cube, but I don't have a "guide" or anything built for doing it. Cards that specifically interact with artifacts are going to get worse and more narrow. Cards that interact with low-CMC permanents might lose a bit of equity. The draw-7's are worse because they lose some of their explosive potential. Kor Skyfisher loses a bit of value. There's a bunch of little interactions here and there that change, but I don't have anything organized to help transition a cube from a powered to an unpowered version of the same thing.
Hope that helps at least a little. Cheers, and happy cubing!
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!
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569
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!
Oh man, I have absolutely no clue. Sorry. There's an EDH cube thread in the card and archetype discussion subforum here, and you might be able to post in there to get some help collecting a suite of commanders.
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!
Academy Ruins -----> The Antiquities War
Trygon Predator -----> Mystic Snake
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!
Even with the influx of artifacts in your last update, you like Snake better than Predator?
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
We'll see on TAW. I'm skeptical, but other folks are having good results so we'll see.
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!
http://solelysingleton.libsyn.com/episode-1-the-board-game-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!
Wild Mongrel -----> Experiment One
Tireless Tracker -----> Jungle Lion
Oath of Nissa -----> Kessig Prowler
Cultivate -----> Wolfbitten Captive
Kodama's Reach -----> Rancor
Ancient Grudge -----> Tattermunge Maniac
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!
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
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!
How is it working out with the signets? Do you feel like you need all ten? Any issues with 5-color goodstuff being too prominent? I'm trying to decide if I should bring them back. I feel like my ramp and fixing could be better, but 10 slots and the corresponding cuts gives me pause.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
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!