Basic Information:
360 Cards + 30 extra
Peasant (commons and uncommons only)
U2 from Arabian Nights enabled
Only physical printings in the appropriate rarities
No Un-cards
Designed for 8 players
1) If the cards you're running are horrible (the lands), I would just put in a gold nonland card in its place. This kind of balancing is quite common.
2) Since you have different goals for your cube, it will be hard for me to actually give feedback. Normally, I would never play groundskeeper but if your multicolor-heavy, combo heavy cube is purposely built to run off of unusual synergies, I can't tell you what to do. I suppose the best advice I can give you now is to avoid cards that are only playable when they have a particular partner. This particular cube should probably be running pyrite spellbomb though.
Pyrite Spellbomb was originally in but it went out alongside the removal of the worse burn spells as well as the minor artifact theme red had. Also, I understand the idea of replacing fixing with gold spells but since each color only has a single land, I would like to keep that small cycle up. Would even ETB tapped lands be better than the Kamigawa laglands? I would seriously like to try Stalking Yeti in place of Keldon Champion but I would also prefer not to get the required amount of snow lands simply for that one card. Thus, if Highland Weald and Tresserhorn Sinks would actually be better than the current Gruul and Rakdos lands, I might consider them for that reason.
Because yeah, I suppose the Broodhatch is a bit too much work for little pay (this was pointed out elsewhere). The Denizen was primarily a supporting card for tokens in green but since tokens are secondary for this color, I added something simply better. Besides, the centaur also fills in for Broodhatch Nantuko as a creature which benefits from toughness increasing effects. I also though I might as well support green as an aggro color with Wild Dogs, especially since it cycles.
Shower of Coals was simply deemed better than Fireball when I noticed the card being mentioned as a recommendation for someone else.
Big changes. Most notably, I moved spells which use Phyrexian mana to the colorless section and removed quite a few build-around cards. Thopter Foundry and Groundskeeper stay for the time being. The latter even received a cute synergy with Strands of Night (and another with the return of Wild Mongrel). I even opted out and because quite a bit of space was made in the blue section, I opted to run both looters (which those who noticed the discussion in the Peasant This or That -discussion might find ironic; I am fickle).
Something I wanted to test was Blessings of Nature. It seems decent although far from great for 5 mana - but miracle for 1 may be a complete blowout. Besides, I want green to have spells other than only creatures. Another find was Brine Shaman which is a soft-lock on creatures with recursive creatures and supports the sacrifice-archetype in general.
I wonder... Would Thundering Thanadon be worth a slot now that it would be colorless?
Would you pay 4 mana for a 5/4 trample that eats a fifth of your life? Eh
It's hard enough to convince people to pay 4 mana for a 4/4 haste that costs you that life as well (Lava Hounds). At least that card is more likely to do something other than die and cost you life, and it's harder to kill to boot. I would vote "Not anymore".
toss brine shaman back into that box of magic cards you use for making sharpie-proxies...that card is bad. 1/1 and it dies to everything, mana intensive ability, and just extremely situational....dimir is one of the most loaded guilds too.
But, but... Oh, fine. But I will try and include him in an EDH deck at some point. My experiences with that format most definitely bias my judgment of cards because a non-tapping creature capable of countering spells is a jewel in my books. The fact that it has an alternative way to sacrifice creatures is gravy.
The cards I removed make me a bit unhappy. I would prefer playing Serrated Biskelion simply because it has an interesting effect capable of generating advantage. Also, now Selesnya has only one (pseudo-)hybrid card but I needed to include Trostani's Summoner because it works with reanimation, blink, tokens and ramp. Cavern Harpy was mostly a combo card because of cards like Chittering Rats - but maybe its time was up by now because some of the cards with which it was intended to be used had been removed previously.
I don't look for cards that sacrifice creatures as though sacrificing creatures is a good thing. It's really a bad thing that you turn into something tolerable by means of recursive cards and blood artistry. The effects the sacrifice guys have tend to be strong, that's why we support them.
Since inscho (I think) brought up the lack of mana elves besides Joraga Treespeaker, I finally found a balance between my spite for the dull Llanowar Elves clones and the demands of green as a color. Thus...
Arbor Elf can actually do things other than ramping with land auras. Such as the newly added Utopia Sprawl which should be closer to Birds of Paradise as far as color fixing and ramping goes although it does not come equipped with a body. I cut Twinblade Slasher since it seems worse for aggro than the 2/1 creatures with drawbacks and Blessings of Nature because it might have been too cute to begin with.
Seems like a good update! I think you'll be pretty happy with the change.
I suppose. I have also made quite a few other changes today, mostly pertaining to artifacts. However, I also added Fencing Ace and Hearthfire Hobgoblin to increase the amount of double strikers. Bullwhip is going to be tested here alongside Leonin Bladetrap. I also finally remembered to add Lurebound Scarecrow.
I have high~ish hopes for those two cards. Bullwhip is should be quite different from the Manipulator simply because it removes X/1 creatures and because it can force an opponent to attack unprofitably, thus being a potential removal for bigger creatures as well. Leonin Bladetrap, on the other hand, is a colorless mass removal spell despite being a conditional one. I like how one may flash it in at the end of a turn although even when it is not used on that turn. Besides, it will require some playing around while it is on the field. But yeah - I agree, they are interesting but slightly questionable choices. (Too bad gathering enough players is kind of hard when I do not attend FNMs.)
Ironically, my 2-drop spot is much more stacked than the 3-drop spot in red and white. Of course, aggressive decks appreciate additional 2-drops more than 3-drops but the Swiftblade just does not do it for me somehow. Most importantly, I suppose, it trades with bears whereas the hobgoblin does not. Although being a hybrid (despite being an intensive one) also affects the standing the goblin has. This cube is intended to be particularly friendly towards 2- and even 3-color decks but in the Draft thread someone managed to pull a mono red aggro, and thus the goblin has the possibility of being included in a mono-colored deck going for it.
We did a 6 man draft yesterday. While not all the cards were used, I got a few decent pointers. I did not see all the decks being used but at least there was an UB reanimator/control of sorts, Gruul aggro, Naya aggro, Selesnya Midrange with blue splash (both the elves, Skullclamp, Loxodon Warhammer, Pelakka Wurm, etc.) and Orzhov tokens with red splash (me). The last deck, I think, was azorius and probably quite control~ish. The winner was the Gruul aggro. Although the Selesnya deck actually had the crazies cards, I won it in the semi-finals (although the player durdled badly on the last turn, not blocking my creatures because he did not calculate in the boost provided by my Thunderstaff).
So...
1. Most of the players agreed that aggressive decks are the way to go although I have attempted to increase the amount of control cards. Does aggro look too well supported, or is this problem only caused by the drafting habits of my players? If they feel that aggro is always the best choice, I think it is a problem.
2. Bullwhip was amazing. I happened to draft it so I speak of first-hand experience although the sample is still quite small. When I was playing against the Selesnya deck, its player felt obliged to destroy Bullwhip whenever he head a chance because otherwise it would have demolished his deck. Thunderstaff was also something of an all-star in my deck as was Manriki-Gusari. In one game, it destroyed both Loxodon Warhammer and Skullclamp on the same turn.
3. Some cards might be a bit too cute, though. For example, Homicidal Seclusion should probably be swapped for a decent big creature in black. However, I really cannot decide what finisher would serve the cube best.
4. Oh, the moaning of my players... It seems like the power level is set just high enough because all the cries of "but I don't want to pass this" and "this pack is CRAZY" were music to my ears. And the decks seemed decent although I might still want to up the amount of non-creature removal a bit. Or at least non-creature removal - does anyone think that there is too little creature removal in colors other than red?
Edit:
Medium-sized update. Still need to replace a few cards, like Brindle Shoat, because I removed the sacrifices archetype to give black some more focus. Grotesque Hybrid is being tested as a finisher because it protects itself from quite a few things and can also gain evasion. I also removed Tinker and many of its bigger targets.
And of course, there were general small changes all around. I would really like to add Wall of Roots back but Devoted Druid took that slot for because of its synergy with Gravetiller Wurm (and Morkrut Banshee). And of course, it is also more explosive in general.
Ironically, I removed most of my sacrifice enablers earlier so it might be weaker than it could be. But we will see. I am open to recommendations for black curve toppers (particularly decent finishers) to replace it although I will try how it does, of course.
2. Removed the Shard cards. Viashino Slaughtermaster and Wild Nacatl were relocated; the rest meant additional monocolored cards. This includes removing the Thopter combo.
3. Other minor updates, including some testing with red 1-drops (Goblin Gaveleer, Goblin Grappler) and the inclusion of Portent. Many sub-optimal elementals were also switched for other cards.
Oh, and since it has not been mentioned here yet: I also added Library of Alexandria some time back. Unfortunately, it still remains to be tested due to everyone having dispersed over summer.
The CUbe has been undergoing quite a few changes. Its multicolor sections are reduced to a husk of their former selves, and blue has finally received support for more aggressive tempo decks. A few reinforcements in the form of a blast from the past also arrived in the form of Juzam Djinn, Serendib Efreet and Serendib Djinn.
In anticipation of Khans of Tarkir, the following changes will be made as soon as the cards become available:
- Panoramas will be replaced with wedge trilands. They are currently mere placeholders.
- Generator Servant -> War-Name Aspirant
- Mogg Fanatic -> Monastery Swiftspear
While I update the Cube more or less continuously, I am actually posting a bit about a 2-person grid draft I held yesterday.
The draft itself was really fun. I had done a 3x3 grid draft before, and it is among the better alternatives for 2-player drafts although the time between drafting and actually playing with the decks is somewhat funny. My opponent was an old friend who does not play MtG actively but who started around Invasion and stopped around Lorwyn. He still receives some info about new sets sporadically and keeps a few casual decks ready.
In the beginning, I went with a clear plan of picking white bombs like Serra Angel, Feudkiller's Verdict and Cloudgoat Ranger as well as white removal such as Sunlance, Swords to Plowshares, Condemn, and so on. I first started picking a few red controllish value alternatives such as Young Pyromancer, Flametongue Kavu, Fire Imp and Slice and Dice but I was also actively hate-drafting good blue cards, reanimation targets and controlling black cards because my opponent had started by picking reanimation spells and counterspells. Soon, I was on my way to picking all the Jeskai goodies I could muster while he was clearly preferring Sultai. After all, he had a nice black and blue base and I disregarded green for the most part. Ironically, neither of us picked Library of Alexandria when it showed up because both had more relevant things to do. I managed to snatch Skullclamp while he received Loxodon Warhammer.
Game 2, he started. The beginning was quite slow for us both, and he basically had an active Sylvan Library from the get-go while I had removal for some of his earlier threats. However, he managed to reanimate his Vampire Nighthawk (killed by Dismember)with Necromancy and give it Lightning Greaves which was problematic until he equipped the greaves to another creature on his turn and forgot to re-equip them to the Nighthawk after combat. This way, I was able to use Journey to Nowhere on Nighthawk, and it joined the Curse of Shallow Graves which I had Oblivion Ringed before. All in all, I was in a real pickle but managed to stabilize atop Ninja of the Deep Hours which was bonded with Nearheath Pilgrim, which was later bestowed with Thassa's Emissary. There was a lot going on, including my opponent attempting to Into the Roil the aforementioned Oblivion Ring, forcing me to use Forbid without buyback. I also managed to cycle Complicate in order to counter a Psychatog which might have proved deadly in the situation at hand. I also played Mother of Runes as a somewhat early defense and Kitchen Finks as the first stabilizing creature. His offense in the late-game was based on a Looter il-Kor equipped with Hammer of Ruin.
All in all, both claimed to enjoy the games although I was a bit saddened by the fact that he ended up playing 60 cards because, to me, it signaled that his deckbuilding skills might have become a bit rusty.
@Leelue: He was not pure aggro per se, and mayhap I was thrown off by the number when I did not yet know how low his curve ended up being. But from my experience with constructed, I would rarely if ever go as low as 20 except in the most aggressive of aggressive decks.
@Clash: Steelshaper's Gift is, IMO, worth running because it only takes one mana but really helps when you manage to run some of the more broken equipments. It also helps that I run some more utility equipments such as Manriki-Gusari and Mortarpod. Would not cut easily.
Gather the Townsfolk is a decent enough token support spell. Most likely Raise the Alarm would be better most of the time but there have been problems with aggressive decks so at least it would be better when trying to stabilize. But it is not a must-have, except as a support card for tokens, and I simply prefer it for that role out of similar options.
Jeskai Elder came in on an update when I removed both Thought Courier and Merfolk Looter. Admittedly, both would likely do better for the relevant archetypes but I always try to run all funtionally equivalent options if I run one and at the moment, there is hardly room for both. It is also a support card for the less supported spells matter archetype, as you suspected.
Serendib Efreet borderlines on too good but then again, it is hardly the only such creature. At the end of the day, it is simply a (very) effective body and thus relatively unproblematic (except maybe for red).
Benthicore was a recent addition which I sort of rammed in to replace something (Aethersnipe, I think). It is hardly a mainstay but I will give it a chance. At the very least, it is more interesting than something like Riverwheel Aerialists.
Turn to Mist is in as a hybrid card, less than surprisingly. Ghostly Flicker is something I keep considering but cannot stand Mnemonic Wall, nor the 4-drop, and Nucklavee might be a bit too slow for such a thing. Blue 3-drops are simply so very crowded.
Augur of Skulls is there in order to support more controlling decks in black. Plus, a regenerating creature is never a horrible topdeck unless your opponent is attacking with creatures it cannot block. In the late-game, its ability to rot minds might also be relevant although the opponent has a chance to empty their hand. It is something of a placeholder until I come up with a better defensive 2-drop in black.
Crypt Rats is basically a sweeper which may be recurred. The most important thing about is the fact how easy it is to revive for another round. Plus, with a butt-increasing equipment, it can keep wiping the board. Going nowhere.
Quest for the Gravelord is not an aggressive spell - first and foremost, I consider it is an early drop for more controlling builds. The fact that it cannot attack straight away matters little when you may activate it at the end of an opponent's turn whenever you feel like it once it goes active. A controlling black deck has no problems activating it. You should probably also ask Leelue for an opinion.
Pardic Dragon is indeed mostly a slightly worse Shivan Dragon, but I really prefer it over Volcanic Dragon (which I have also considered) because the firebreathing allows killing an opponent in fewer blows albeit it may not attack the turn it comes into play. I, too, consider the suspend nothing but a trap (unless you have nothing better to do) but judge the card on its other merits.
Myriad Landscape is a very recent addition, less than surprisingly (also applies to a lot of the discussed cards, btw). I like the fact that it may be activated at instant speed, and it is naturally a card for more controlling decks. Plus, I run Worm Harvest which is always delighted to have lands which sacrifice themselves as a part of the effect. A keeper until proven otherwise.
Let us say that each of the suggested cards except Ronom Unicorn and Ancient Ziggurat has been in my cube at one point or another. For the most part, they have been abandoned because I have found better or more interesting cards for those slots. For example, I consider the white 2-drop slot very crowded and have no interest in the sacrifice archetype for the time being due to all the slots it requires. Also, Ancient Ziggurat really is too limited because it gives *any* mana only for creatures.
Oh, and thanks for your compliments. I suppose I somewhat dismissed your suggestions but rest assured, the main reason was that I have considered most of them before and will probably do so in the future as well.
"Bloodhunter Bat because he is just everything a player wants from one card"
I vehemently, no, violently, disagree. If I'm on defense, I don't want a 2/2 flier that gains 2 life for 4 mana. If I'm on offense, it's a little better but still not particularly impactful
Well, I was not attempting to convince you on anything but on the reasons why the aforementioned cards are in my Cube. I suppose that at the very least, I should probably remove Gather the Townsfolk and re-include Raise the Alarm since this discussion forced me to reconsider the upsides of its instant speed. In particular, adding surprise blockers should help more controlling builds against the first waves of aggression. If find room for another big red finisher (and I am trying to think of some way), I will add Volcanic Dragon - or if Pardic Dragon turns out to be a disappointment.
Oh, and one more thing favors the Augur, I just realized: it does trigger morbid easily enough (before combat) which is somewhat relevant with all the morbid cards I run.
360 Cards + 30 extra
Peasant (commons and uncommons only)
U2 from Arabian Nights enabled
Only physical printings in the appropriate rarities
No Un-cards
Designed for 8 players
List
Visual Spoiler
2) Since you have different goals for your cube, it will be hard for me to actually give feedback. Normally, I would never play groundskeeper but if your multicolor-heavy, combo heavy cube is purposely built to run off of unusual synergies, I can't tell you what to do. I suppose the best advice I can give you now is to avoid cards that are only playable when they have a particular partner. This particular cube should probably be running pyrite spellbomb though.
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
Pyrite Spellbomb was originally in but it went out alongside the removal of the worse burn spells as well as the minor artifact theme red had. Also, I understand the idea of replacing fixing with gold spells but since each color only has a single land, I would like to keep that small cycle up. Would even ETB tapped lands be better than the Kamigawa laglands? I would seriously like to try Stalking Yeti in place of Keldon Champion but I would also prefer not to get the required amount of snow lands simply for that one card. Thus, if Highland Weald and Tresserhorn Sinks would actually be better than the current Gruul and Rakdos lands, I might consider them for that reason.
Broodhatch Nantuko -> Wild Dogs
Ivy Lane Denizen -> Phantom Centaur
Fireball -> Shower of Coals
Because yeah, I suppose the Broodhatch is a bit too much work for little pay (this was pointed out elsewhere). The Denizen was primarily a supporting card for tokens in green but since tokens are secondary for this color, I added something simply better. Besides, the centaur also fills in for Broodhatch Nantuko as a creature which benefits from toughness increasing effects. I also though I might as well support green as an aggro color with Wild Dogs, especially since it cycles.
Shower of Coals was simply deemed better than Fireball when I noticed the card being mentioned as a recommendation for someone else.
Edit:
Nightshade Peddler -> Brindle Shoat
Because the Shoat supports tokens easier but in a similar vein as the Nantuko. It also has synergy with sacrificers.
Also... I should look into the shoat. I have the decks that rely on fat sacs very pushed. Culling dias has new life.
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
Something I wanted to test was Blessings of Nature. It seems decent although far from great for 5 mana - but miracle for 1 may be a complete blowout. Besides, I want green to have spells other than only creatures. Another find was Brine Shaman which is a soft-lock on creatures with recursive creatures and supports the sacrifice-archetype in general.
I wonder... Would Thundering Thanadon be worth a slot now that it would be colorless?
It's hard enough to convince people to pay 4 mana for a 4/4 haste that costs you that life as well (Lava Hounds). At least that card is more likely to do something other than die and cost you life, and it's harder to kill to boot. I would vote "Not anymore".
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 added Spined Thopter, Trostani's Summoner, Dinrova Horror and Recoil. I removed Serrated Biskelion, Mercy Killing, Brine Shaman (*sob*) and Cavern Harpy.
The cards I removed make me a bit unhappy. I would prefer playing Serrated Biskelion simply because it has an interesting effect capable of generating advantage. Also, now Selesnya has only one (pseudo-)hybrid card but I needed to include Trostani's Summoner because it works with reanimation, blink, tokens and ramp. Cavern Harpy was mostly a combo card because of cards like Chittering Rats - but maybe its time was up by now because some of the cards with which it was intended to be used had been removed previously.
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
- Twinblade Slasher
- Blessings of Nature
+ Arbor Elf
+ Utopia Sprawl
Arbor Elf can actually do things other than ramping with land auras. Such as the newly added Utopia Sprawl which should be closer to Birds of Paradise as far as color fixing and ramping goes although it does not come equipped with a body. I cut Twinblade Slasher since it seems worse for aggro than the 2/1 creatures with drawbacks and Blessings of Nature because it might have been too cute to begin with.
Edit: It was ArBoR4817, not inscho.
I suppose.
Ironically, my 2-drop spot is much more stacked than the 3-drop spot in red and white. Of course, aggressive decks appreciate additional 2-drops more than 3-drops but the Swiftblade just does not do it for me somehow. Most importantly, I suppose, it trades with bears whereas the hobgoblin does not. Although being a hybrid (despite being an intensive one) also affects the standing the goblin has. This cube is intended to be particularly friendly towards 2- and even 3-color decks but in the Draft thread someone managed to pull a mono red aggro, and thus the goblin has the possibility of being included in a mono-colored deck going for it.
So...
1. Most of the players agreed that aggressive decks are the way to go although I have attempted to increase the amount of control cards. Does aggro look too well supported, or is this problem only caused by the drafting habits of my players? If they feel that aggro is always the best choice, I think it is a problem.
2. Bullwhip was amazing. I happened to draft it so I speak of first-hand experience although the sample is still quite small. When I was playing against the Selesnya deck, its player felt obliged to destroy Bullwhip whenever he head a chance because otherwise it would have demolished his deck. Thunderstaff was also something of an all-star in my deck as was Manriki-Gusari. In one game, it destroyed both Loxodon Warhammer and Skullclamp on the same turn.
3. Some cards might be a bit too cute, though. For example, Homicidal Seclusion should probably be swapped for a decent big creature in black. However, I really cannot decide what finisher would serve the cube best.
4. Oh, the moaning of my players... It seems like the power level is set just high enough because all the cries of "but I don't want to pass this" and "this pack is CRAZY" were music to my ears. And the decks seemed decent although I might still want to up the amount of non-creature removal a bit. Or at least non-creature removal - does anyone think that there is too little creature removal in colors other than red?
Edit:
Medium-sized update. Still need to replace a few cards, like Brindle Shoat, because I removed the sacrifices archetype to give black some more focus. Grotesque Hybrid is being tested as a finisher because it protects itself from quite a few things and can also gain evasion. I also removed Tinker and many of its bigger targets.
1. I reduced the size of each guild by one card (oh, that hurt me so badly in the case of Rakdos and Selesnya in particular).
2. Replaced some of the cuter cards such as Chamber of Manipulation, Groundskeeper and Strands of Night.
3. Added quite a few curve toppers such as Council Guardian, Jodah's Avenger, Walker of the Grove, and Gravetiller Wurm.
And of course, there were general small changes all around. I would really like to add Wall of Roots back but Devoted Druid took that slot for because of its synergy with Gravetiller Wurm (and Morkrut Banshee). And of course, it is also more explosive in general.
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
1. Added the Splicer package (Master Splicer, Wing Splicer, Vital Splicer, Maul Splicer (and Golem Artisan)).
2. Removed the Shard cards. Viashino Slaughtermaster and Wild Nacatl were relocated; the rest meant additional monocolored cards. This includes removing the Thopter combo.
3. Other minor updates, including some testing with red 1-drops (Goblin Gaveleer, Goblin Grappler) and the inclusion of Portent. Many sub-optimal elementals were also switched for other cards.
4. Preliminary inclusion of Borderland Marauder and Reclamation Sage; they are represented by Rogue Kavu and Viridian Shaman in Cubetutor.
Man, I really need to update the decription in the original post. But right now, it is 2 A.M. in here.
1. Restock
2. Reclamation Sage
3. Generator Servant
4. Borderland Marauder
5. Frost Lynx
Oh, and since it has not been mentioned here yet: I also added Library of Alexandria some time back. Unfortunately, it still remains to be tested due to everyone having dispersed over summer.
In anticipation of Khans of Tarkir, the following changes will be made as soon as the cards become available:
- Panoramas will be replaced with wedge trilands. They are currently mere placeholders.
- Generator Servant -> War-Name Aspirant
- Mogg Fanatic -> Monastery Swiftspear
The draft itself was really fun. I had done a 3x3 grid draft before, and it is among the better alternatives for 2-player drafts although the time between drafting and actually playing with the decks is somewhat funny. My opponent was an old friend who does not play MtG actively but who started around Invasion and stopped around Lorwyn. He still receives some info about new sets sporadically and keeps a few casual decks ready.
In the beginning, I went with a clear plan of picking white bombs like Serra Angel, Feudkiller's Verdict and Cloudgoat Ranger as well as white removal such as Sunlance, Swords to Plowshares, Condemn, and so on. I first started picking a few red controllish value alternatives such as Young Pyromancer, Flametongue Kavu, Fire Imp and Slice and Dice but I was also actively hate-drafting good blue cards, reanimation targets and controlling black cards because my opponent had started by picking reanimation spells and counterspells. Soon, I was on my way to picking all the Jeskai goodies I could muster while he was clearly preferring Sultai. After all, he had a nice black and blue base and I disregarded green for the most part. Ironically, neither of us picked Library of Alexandria when it showed up because both had more relevant things to do. I managed to snatch Skullclamp while he received Loxodon Warhammer.
Too bad that during deck construction he insisted on making a 60-card deck simply because he could not bear to leave too many card out. He also went with 20 lands, although the deck was actually quite aggressive, or at least tempo-oriented. While I do not have an actual list for him, notable card include Loxodon Warhammer, Skullsplitter, Remand, Go for the Throat, Sylvan Library, Curse of the Shallow Graves, Curse of Predation, Diabolic Servitude, Necromancy and Vampire Nighthawk. He also used Looter il-Kor, Wasteland Viper, Preordain, Gitaxian Probe, Kiora's Follower, Utopia Sprawl, Icy Manipulator, Psychatog, Hammer of Ruin, Canker Abomination, Blind Zealot, Into the Roil, Lightning Greaves, and Vampire Lacerator during our games. Basically, it was Sultai tempo with some graveyard support which could probably have been left outside the deck.
My deck was the following:
1x Arctic Aven
1x Kitchen Finks
1x Ninja of the Deep Hours
1x Tandem Lookout
1x Seeker of the Way
1x Mother of Runes
1x Nearheath Pilgrim
1x Thassa's Emissary
1x Guardian of the Guildpact
Artifact
1x Grafted Wargear
1x Skullclamp
Enchantment
1x Journey to Nowhere
1x Oblivion Ring
1x Control Magic
Instant
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Dismember
1x Forbid
1x Complicate
1x Psionic Blast
1x Mana Leak
1x Condescend
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Treasure Cruise
Land
1x City of Brass
1x Strip Mine
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Azorius Chancery
1x Mystic Monastery
5x Plains
6x Island
1x Serra Angel
1x Feudkiller's Verdict
1x Cloudgoat Ranger
1x Sunlance
1x Condemn
1x Benthic Giant
1x Steelshaper's Gift
1x Wall of Omens
1x Murderous Redcap
1x Fire Imp
1x Young Pyromancer
1x Sunhome Guildmage
1x Truefire Paladin
1x Sulfurous Blast
1x Slice and Dice
1x Arc Trail
1x Shower of Coals
1x Shrine of Burning Rage
1x Staggershock
1x Brimstone Volley
1x Latch Seeker
1x Man-o'-War
1x Calcite Snapper
1x Riftwing Cloudskate
1x Ajani's Pridemate
Game 1, I started. First, I played Evolving Wilds and searched for an island while my opponent searched for a swamp with Terramorphic Expanse. I then played Seeker of the Way and he played a vivid, I think, and Skullsplitter. On the third turn, I played Tandem Lookout and bonded it with Seeker which attacked. He played Blind Zealot. After that, I basically kept attacking, as did he, while I had Forbid in hand. He did manage to remove my Tandem Lookout with either Go for the Throat or Into the Roil (which would have sufficed to help him race) but I played Control Magic on the Zealot and won.
Game 2, he started. The beginning was quite slow for us both, and he basically had an active Sylvan Library from the get-go while I had removal for some of his earlier threats. However, he managed to reanimate his Vampire Nighthawk (killed by Dismember)with Necromancy and give it Lightning Greaves which was problematic until he equipped the greaves to another creature on his turn and forgot to re-equip them to the Nighthawk after combat. This way, I was able to use Journey to Nowhere on Nighthawk, and it joined the Curse of Shallow Graves which I had Oblivion Ringed before. All in all, I was in a real pickle but managed to stabilize atop Ninja of the Deep Hours which was bonded with Nearheath Pilgrim, which was later bestowed with Thassa's Emissary. There was a lot going on, including my opponent attempting to Into the Roil the aforementioned Oblivion Ring, forcing me to use Forbid without buyback. I also managed to cycle Complicate in order to counter a Psychatog which might have proved deadly in the situation at hand. I also played Mother of Runes as a somewhat early defense and Kitchen Finks as the first stabilizing creature. His offense in the late-game was based on a Looter il-Kor equipped with Hammer of Ruin.
All in all, both claimed to enjoy the games although I was a bit saddened by the fact that he ended up playing 60 cards because, to me, it signaled that his deckbuilding skills might have become a bit rusty.
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
@Clash:
Steelshaper's Gift is, IMO, worth running because it only takes one mana but really helps when you manage to run some of the more broken equipments. It also helps that I run some more utility equipments such as Manriki-Gusari and Mortarpod. Would not cut easily.
Gather the Townsfolk is a decent enough token support spell. Most likely Raise the Alarm would be better most of the time but there have been problems with aggressive decks so at least it would be better when trying to stabilize. But it is not a must-have, except as a support card for tokens, and I simply prefer it for that role out of similar options.
Jeskai Elder came in on an update when I removed both Thought Courier and Merfolk Looter. Admittedly, both would likely do better for the relevant archetypes but I always try to run all funtionally equivalent options if I run one and at the moment, there is hardly room for both. It is also a support card for the less supported spells matter archetype, as you suspected.
Serendib Efreet borderlines on too good but then again, it is hardly the only such creature. At the end of the day, it is simply a (very) effective body and thus relatively unproblematic (except maybe for red).
Benthicore was a recent addition which I sort of rammed in to replace something (Aethersnipe, I think). It is hardly a mainstay but I will give it a chance. At the very least, it is more interesting than something like Riverwheel Aerialists.
Turn to Mist is in as a hybrid card, less than surprisingly. Ghostly Flicker is something I keep considering but cannot stand Mnemonic Wall, nor the 4-drop, and Nucklavee might be a bit too slow for such a thing. Blue 3-drops are simply so very crowded.
Augur of Skulls is there in order to support more controlling decks in black. Plus, a regenerating creature is never a horrible topdeck unless your opponent is attacking with creatures it cannot block. In the late-game, its ability to rot minds might also be relevant although the opponent has a chance to empty their hand. It is something of a placeholder until I come up with a better defensive 2-drop in black.
Crypt Rats is basically a sweeper which may be recurred. The most important thing about is the fact how easy it is to revive for another round. Plus, with a butt-increasing equipment, it can keep wiping the board. Going nowhere.
Quest for the Gravelord is not an aggressive spell - first and foremost, I consider it is an early drop for more controlling builds. The fact that it cannot attack straight away matters little when you may activate it at the end of an opponent's turn whenever you feel like it once it goes active. A controlling black deck has no problems activating it. You should probably also ask Leelue for an opinion.
Pardic Dragon is indeed mostly a slightly worse Shivan Dragon, but I really prefer it over Volcanic Dragon (which I have also considered) because the firebreathing allows killing an opponent in fewer blows albeit it may not attack the turn it comes into play. I, too, consider the suspend nothing but a trap (unless you have nothing better to do) but judge the card on its other merits.
Myriad Landscape is a very recent addition, less than surprisingly (also applies to a lot of the discussed cards, btw). I like the fact that it may be activated at instant speed, and it is naturally a card for more controlling decks. Plus, I run Worm Harvest which is always delighted to have lands which sacrifice themselves as a part of the effect. A keeper until proven otherwise.
Let us say that each of the suggested cards except Ronom Unicorn and Ancient Ziggurat has been in my cube at one point or another. For the most part, they have been abandoned because I have found better or more interesting cards for those slots. For example, I consider the white 2-drop slot very crowded and have no interest in the sacrifice archetype for the time being due to all the slots it requires. Also, Ancient Ziggurat really is too limited because it gives *any* mana only for creatures.
Oh, and thanks for your compliments. I suppose I somewhat dismissed your suggestions but rest assured, the main reason was that I have considered most of them before and will probably do so in the future as well.
I vehemently, no, violently, disagree. If I'm on defense, I don't want a 2/2 flier that gains 2 life for 4 mana. If I'm on offense, it's a little better but still not particularly impactful
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
Oh, and one more thing favors the Augur, I just realized: it does trigger morbid easily enough (before combat) which is somewhat relevant with all the morbid cards I run.