Hello everyone, I've been posting here fairly regularly over the past two years and maintaining a rare cube. I absolutely love my rare cube, but my regular playgroup has quite a bit of turnover (mostly expats living in South Korea), and newer players often seem to be a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of my rare cube. I have also built another Peasant cube that consists entirely of Korean editions (4th Edition - Urza's Saga, M12+) that I've yet to play, but this is my first Peasant cube that uses the entire Peasant card pool. I'm building this cube not only for a bit of a change of pace, but also in hopes that it will work as a gateway to cube draft for players who might take better to a cube with more interactive gameplay than my regular cube allows. I'd love to hear any feedback from people with more experience with Peasant cubing, as I'm sure I've missed some Peasant gems, added some clunkers that don't carry over so well from rare cubing, and may have even made some basic design mistakes based on my habits from maintaining a rare cube for the past two years.
Here's the basic info:
Basic Information Cube Size: 450 Breakdown: 63 of each color, 45 multicolor (4 cards and per guild, plus an additional hybrid allowed per guild), 60 colorless (artifact/eldrazi/Conspiracy, 5c and colorless lands), 45 land (2 cycles of duals (Ravnica bounce lands, KTK lifegain taplands, full cycle of tri-lands, full cycle of Vivid lands) Standard or Theme: Peasant Average Number of Players: mostly 2 or 3, sometimes 4 Type of play: Mostly Draft, occasionally Sealed.
Card Selection: Strictly Peasant, but I do recognize online rarity downshifts. Proxies: No, but I do run some World Championship editions. Portal: Yes "Un" Cards: Not now. Players revolted when I added "Un" cards to my rare cube a while back. Conspiracy Cards: Yes Functional Reprints: Yes Banned Cards: For now only Sol Ring, Power Play (my players hated it in rare cube) and Library of Alexandria (like I can afford one anyway). Otherwise, I'm willing to push the envelope as far as possible power-wise. Online-only Downshifts: Yes
Cube Design Multiplayer: Not by design, but some 2HG games will probably happen. Color Balance: Mostly, but I do allow one additional hybrid card per guild where the power level warrants it. Some guilds have no playable hybrids, so this leads to a minor color imbalance. Gold Balance: Four gold cards per guild, but some may be replaced by HH or HHH cost hybrids. Hybrid/Split/Kicker/Flashback as Gold: Hybrids will occasionally replace gold or mono-colored cards if the power level is strong enough. Off-color Split/Kicker/Flashback costs are treated as Gold. Phyrexian as Colorless: No Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
I will be updating this cube entirely on Cube Tutor, but for posterity's sake here's the original build:
Like any good cube, this will be a constant work in progress. There are also some pricier older C/U (e.g. Wasteland, Force of Will, Demonic Tutor, Land Tax) cards that I'm certainly not opposed to running on principle, but I'm going to hold off on purchasing them for this cube until I see how popular it is with the people I play with.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm not used to thinking in terms of cards being too powerful yet, so I'll definitely keep an eye on the Curses as well as the equipment in the first few drafts.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Thanks for the detailed suggestions on swaps! Kitchen Finks wasn't an oversight, I just didn't have an extra copy on hand, and it's not a cheap card any more. I'd have to pull my only other copy out of my Daghatar the Unbowed EDH deck. Blastoderm seems less necessary than Calciderm because green has a lot of other options for big dumb guys at 4, but if any of my 4s underperform I do have a copy of Blastoderm to bring in. The rest of those look like interesting cards to try, and I don't know how I missed Blood Artist.
After tonight's draft, I'll be taking a good look at making some of these swaps. I think I have both of them on hand.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
First I'll preface my answers by pointing out that I haven't actually gotten in a draft with this cube yet, so this cube is pure theorycraft. I have a lot more experience with drafting my Unpowered rare cube, so in many ways this Peasant cube probably mirrors my Unpowered cube a bit more than it should. I'm hoping that some test drafts will give me ideas of what this cube needs as well aswhat needs to go
What's on the banned list? I can guess a few, but not all. I assume there's colored cards there as well as colorless. Why the the exception for Skullclamp? (I can probably guess, but still wanna know for sure.)
From my opening post....
"For now only Sol Ring, Power Play (my players hated it in rare cube) and Library of Alexandria (like I can afford one anyway). Otherwise, I'm willing to push the envelope as far as possible power-wise."
Otherwise, I'm deliberately trying out the most powerful C/U cards I have available, cutting primarily for budget. If they turn out to be oppressive after some live drafts, I'm open to cutting Skullclamp, Loxodon Warhammer, Double Stroke, and anything else that makes these drafts unfun because of power level. However, I find it interesting to try to push the power level as best I can within the restriction of Peasant.
Also, I don't run Un- cards. My playgroup revolted when I included them in an early version of my rare cube.
How does one typically build a control deck in this format?
I assume it would be Jeskai or Grixis with a lot of spot removal, some card draw, and
How do you keep Green from being the worst color?
I don't expect it to be. With access to lots of ramp and some beefy top-end finishers I expect green ramp decks to be a force to be reckoned with. I think there are enough good value creatures and efficient mid-rangey beaters for it to also be good in Rock and Ehrnam and Burn 'Em type decks.
How's Timely Hordemate been?
Sorry, haven't tried it yet, it's only in because I've seen it in others' lists. I like its potential for value, but based on my experiences with Wingmate Roc and Mardu Skullhunter in my rare cube, Raid can be unreliable, so it may well not be good enough.
What's the deal with Elixir of Immortality?
It's meant to be a control finisher for very spell-heavy decks with high velocity that are willing to trade the inherent card disadvantage for inevitability. It may well be too durdly, but the control finishers available in C/U lack the resilience of something like Aetherling or a planeswalker. At least Elixir of Immortality can't be Doom Bladed away.
Here's my somewhat delayed SOI update. As I've still yet to actually play with this cube, I don't have a whole lot of insight to give about why any particular swap beyond the fact that the card I'm adding seems either more powerful or more interesting than what it's replacing. The good news is the first draft of this cube is scheduled for next Tuesday night, which is why I've finally gotten off my but to get around to updating this!
Swapping colorless cards for hybrids may seem a bit strange, but I allow each guild a "free hybrid" if their power level warrants it. Finks definitely warrants it, I'm less sure about Silkbind Faerie, but I did love it in its Limited environment and I happen to have a foil copy on hand.
Again, all of these changes come from pure theorycrafting and I have zero experience with any of these cards in the C/Ube environment, so if any of these cuts look bad I'd really like to hear it.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Cathar seems... really subpar. Vanilla 3/2 that lets you cast a Royal Falcon later? It's not like it's WILDLY unplayable, but I'd never really consider it at this power level.
Screech on the other hand is just insanely good. Also it's $4 now for some weird reason.
Chaplain is somewhere in-between, I don't like it a ton but it's worth a shot.
I like Lynx AND Mangler a lot, but it's reasonable to cut A for B.
Everything black looks good.
I drafted twice yesterday and think I literally never saw a game play out in a way that would make Breakneck Rider worth drafting/playing. The only time it would have flipped is when someone mulliganed horribly and/or missed a third land drop, in which case just Cathodion would have been enough to win the game.
Rite has been in my cube for a long time (i.e. since it was printed) without ever showing up in gameplay. It's just hard to have a matchup where you can spend five mana for absolutely no immediate impact.
Trophy Hunter has been pretty bad here. Crocanura, on the other hand, is usually a 3-mana 3/5 which is fairly insane. It looks so unassuming, but always plays out really well.
Byway Courier is similar to Dauntless Cathar. It's... just not enough of a card.
I'm also surprised to see Druid's Familiar go. There's certainly a lot of competition for green 4's, but that guy adds so much power to the table when cast.
Ongoing Investigation looks pretty bad, 7U spent to draw three cards? I think it's considerably worse than Coastal Piracy, which is itself seldom-used.
I had Silkbind Faerie in for a while, it did not last long. Admittedly, that was nearly two years ago, so I could see myself being wrong about it.
Ziggurat is unplayable, but I don't think Vestige is much better.
Cool, thanks for the detailed feedback. Most of the SOI cards I'm adding are cards that I've been particularly impressed by in SOI limited, but I won't be surprised if many of them don't hold up in a Peasant cube environment.
Rite has been in my cube for a long time (i.e. since it was printed) without ever showing up in gameplay. It's just hard to have a matchup where you can spend five mana for absolutely no immediate impact.
I'm hoping this will work as a control finisher for red, but since it does nothing on defense my reasoning may well be flawed. I may well be understimating the speed of this format.
I'm also surprised to see Druid's Familiar go. There's certainly a lot of competition for green 4's, but that guy adds so much power to the table when cast.
Is there a green 4 you'd cut instead of Druid's Familiar? That spot was looking glutted to me.
Ongoing Investigation looks pretty bad, 7U spent to draw three cards? I think it's considerably worse than Coastal Piracy, which is itself seldom-used.
This is a card that's massively overperformed for me in SOI Limited, I've been able to draw my entire deck in several games, and being able to pay that mana in installments makes it much more manageable. The lifegain on the 1G ability helps buy time, and I'm betting it'll be easy enough to drop this enchantment for 1U as opposed to 2UU that it might be more playable than Coastal Piracy. Again, this may be too slow to translate into Peasant cube.
Again, thanks so much for all the detailed feedback. I'll definitely be taking it all into consideration as I go into our first test draft next week!
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
As for druid's familiar, there are a few cards you're running that I'd drop over it at 4, but then again there are cards at 5 or 6 or in the spells section that I'd cut for it as well. Hurricane, Hooting mandrills, Nessian game warden, etc
Thanks for the suggestions. It sounds like I may have underrated the value of Soulbond in Peasant, Wolfir Silverheart and Silverblade Paladin both turned out to be unreliable in my rare cube, so Druid's Familiar's fail case looks particularly bad to me. Does it play out better than I expect in Peasant?
NGW's a card I want to test, it seems like great value on paper, have you had experience with it? What don't you like about Hurricane and Hooting Mandrills? I've yet to see either in action in my cube yet.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Warden is fine, not great. You get a sweet ramp hand and cast it on T3 then you're like, I look at HOW many cards? Two? It's about as good as Masked Admirers, which is playable but far from great.
I don't really see the appeal of Hurricane. Two narrow cards -- a wrath for flyers and a fireball for both players -- doesn't really add up. I guess it can turn losing games into... ties? at least? if you pump a bunch of mana into it late.
Hoot is a card I really like, actually. If you can ever delve for three -- which is quite easy -- then it's a very very good 3-drop. Sometimes it even shows up as a 1-drop.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I can see cutting Hurricane, it's probably primarily a sideboard card. I envisioned it as a Fireball for more aggressive decks as well as a way to hose fliers but that's probably best case scenario mentality plus nostalgia talking. I'm running a few nostalgia cards that I want to see if they hold up. I'll try cutting it for Crocanura, or Druid's Familiar.
This is a small data point, but Silkbind Faerie did pretty well in my first draft with it. I ran it in a Dimir control/skies deck. It's not an ideal T3 play, but it can block OK sometimes that turn and afterwards it does a fine job of chipping away in the air while locking down the scariest creature, and it can still block something small. It performed better than Icy Manipulator would have in that particular deck. I don't see any reason to cut it for now.
I'm also happy to report that my first draft of this cube went over really well. We had a pod of 8 drafters, most of them had drafted my rare cube as well. In addition to my Dimir skies deck, there was a Simic tempo deck, a Boros tokens deck with Skullclamp and Rolling Thunder enhanced by Double Stroke, a Golgari "rock" style deck with recursion as well as Loxodon Warhammer, a Selesnya midrange deck that gained a ton of card advantage and board control with Temur Sabretooth, an almost mono-black Orzhov aggro deck, and a mono-red aggro deck. Some of the cards I've been warned to watch for like Loxodon Warhammer, Behemoth Sledge, and Skullclamp were quite good but didn't seem to dominate games. Skullclamp was the most worrisome card, but it was beatable. I think I will try to make room for a bit more artifact removal to help keep these in check, though. Double Stroke is also on my watch list. Most importantly, everyone had a great time, and a few of the drafters told me that they prefer this cube to my rare cube because they said it felt more like retail limited. I'll be trying this cube with another playgroup on Tuesday, and they'll also be playing it for the first time.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Some cards, especially in new lists, overperform. I'm not surprised the faerie is doing well now, just be aware of its performance down the road as you get things going
Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye on it. Now that I've had the chance to play this cube a couple of times, I've realized my goals for it are a bit different from what I'm doing with my rare cube, and nostalgia for old limited and constructed bombs will probably role almost as important as power in some of my card choices. That's part of why I included Silkbind Faerie in the first place, it was a bomb in Shadowmoor limited, and I also love hybrids. If it doesn't continue to perform well, though, I'll reassess.
Here are some updates now that I've had the chance to try this cube based on feedback from players, cards I've observed not being particularly popular, and some ideas I've gleaned from the forum:
OUT > IN
Dauntless Cathar > Shelter DC was as underwhelming as IO warned, and I wanted to make room for this combat trick/cantrip anyway. Triplicate Spirits > Daring Skyjek The consensus from players who were playing white is that this seems like it will likely be too expensive.
Military Intelligence > Standstill Military Intelligence turned out to be a bit unreliable. Getting an attacker through, a la Coastal Piracy, is one thing but being able to attack with both consistently is another matter. Silumgar Sorcerer > Nimbus Naiad Silumgar Sorceror was underwhelming in both modes, and I don't like the color intensiveness on a 3-drop if I can avoid it. Thieving Magpie > Phantom Monster Phantom Monster might not be the most exciting card, but I like the raw stats on it. If it's underwhelming, I may try Living Tsunami or Aberrant Researcher instead. Opportunity > Gush Anchor to the Æther > Deep Spawn An additional reanimator and maybe occasionally ramp target. Anchor wasn't bad, but feels unnecessary considering the rest of the bounce effects already in my blue section.
Phyrexian Gargantua > Fallen Angel I just found out Fallen Angel used to be an uncommon! I like the idea of having an additional sac outlet, I'd like to begin supporting "aristrocrats" style sacrifice based decks. Gotta get copies of Maw of Obzedat and Blood Artist next to help push this theme. Unearth > Victimize Additional reanimator/aristocrats support
Skin Invasion > Haze of Rage Skin Invasion doesn't seem to be getting any play, but Boros anthem/tokens decks are. This seems like it could be a fantastic anthem option.
Yavimaya Dryad > Crocanura YD is cut for color-intensiveness as well as unnecessary complexity to make room for this card that other posters say is great. Hurricane > Druid's Familiar Nostalgia or no, no one is bothering to draft Hurricane and skies decks don't seem to be overly oppressive.
Here's a pretty big update, I'm trying to introduce a the spells matter archetype, and also deepen aristocrats, tokens, reanimator, and graveyard matters themes.
Hmmm, I may be underrating it. i found it too unconditional for my rare cube, but I definitely have a higher creature count in my Peasant cube. I'll try re-including it over Cloudform. Thanks for the feedback!
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Updates, partly based on Eternal Masters acquisitions:
OUT > IN
Celestial Crusader > Coalition Honor Guard Coalition Honor Guard really impressed me in EMA limited. Celestial Crusader has not, symmetry of the anthem effect and the fact that it only affects white creatures have been problematic. Daring Skyjek > Mana Tithe I've foiled out Mana Tithe in my rare cube recently, so now I have an extra copy to include in this cube. Leonin Relic-Warder > Samurai of the Pale Curtain A little hosing for graveyard decks on a very efficient body. I think it's worth a try for one of my 2 WW spots. Topan Freeblade > Cloistered Youth Turns out Topan Freeblade is a lot worse in this format than it was in ORI limited.
Nimbus Naiad > Exclude As mentioned in my previous post, leaving out Exclude was an unfortunate oversight. Deep Spawn > Phyrexian Ingester I did actually manage to live the dream and reanimate Deep Spawn in a game once! It's too expensive, too color intensive, and the fact that the shroud effect causes it to Frost Breath itself makes it terrible protection. Fortunately this EMA demotion has made a much better ramp/reanimation target an control finisher available.
Dark Hatchling > Night's Whisper I'm not sure if this is the best cut for Night's Whisper, but it does trim a bit of fat and a gold symbol.
Searing Blaze > Skarrgan Firebird Firebird may turn out to be too clunky, but it's really been bothering me that my red section is the only section with no creatures bigger than 5CMC. I think this is the best option. I'm not sure that this cut is ideal, but the double red in this burn spell plus the fact that it virtually has to be played as a sorcery has always bothered me. Ghitu Encampment > Act of Treason A threaten effect or two helps shore up aggro's matchup vs. midrange and helps support sacrifice decks.
Snapping Gnarlid > Obsessive Skinner Skinner has continued to impress me in SOI limited, and it does help support graveyard matters as well as +1/+1 counters themes. Wild Growth > Utopia Sprawl People have been gushing over Utopia Sprawl in the Evaluate Everything thread. It might not come out for free quite as often, but ramp decks tend to run a lot of forests, so the fixing should be enough upside to make up the drawback for having to go onto a forest. Predator's Howl > Search for Tomorrow I need more ramp! Predator's Howl has been too unreliable, and it's hard to get all 3 wolves into play at instant speed as blockers, when you'd want them most. Erhnam Djinn > Cytoplast Root-Kin Shoring up +1/+1 counters. Beast Attack > Conclave Naturalists Beast Attack never saw play, it turns out triple green's a deal breaker. Too bad, the card seems cool. Become Immense > Invigorate Invigorate really impressed me during EMA drafts. I'm looking forward to trying it in this cube. Become Immense turned out to be very binary, it either just ended games like a green Fireblast or it just rotted in hands because it cost so much.
Firespout > Fires of Yavimaya I'm not sure if this is the best cut, but I've been wanting to try Fires. Nahiri's Machinations > Rally the Peasants Rally has better synergy with the token and Prowess themes in this cube. Deathless Behemoth > Wasteland I pulled a Wasteland in EMA draft, which left me with an extra. That's the only way I was ever likely to get one into this cube. Elixir of Immortality > Skull Catapult Elixir of Immortality was an experiment due to the lack of resilient control finishers available at Peasant, but it's not flashy enough to make anyone want to go into control. Plus, with one of the playgroups I cube with, we time our matches and Elixir doesn't exactly end matches quickly.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Not sure yet, I'm away on vacation and won't be able to get any cubing in until late August. It's been a near-bomb in SOI limited, though, so it seems worth a shot if you support +1/+1 counters and graveyard themes.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I've finally dug through the draft chaff box of my LGS and am ready to make a long overdue update for EMN! In addition to trying out new cards I'm also going a bit deeper on +1/+1 counters, trying out some recent acquisitions of old-school overpriced Peasant cards, and making some general tweaks to up the power level and improve overall performance. As always, feedback is welcome, I have a lot to learn when it comes to Peasant cube!
By request of one of the two primary playgroups I cube with, I am removing all Conspiracies and Conspiracy mechanics from this cube. This means I will not be adding any cards from CN2 except for Sinuous Vermin when I get a hold of a copy, and if I can find a cut for it I may also try Borderland Explorer. I'm a bit sad that I won't get to try some of the new C/U Conspiracies and Hidden Agendas which look like they'll be pretty busted in Peasant cube, but at least I have some openings in my colorless section:
While sorting cards, a couple of cards turned up that I've been wanting to try out in the Peasant cube:
OUT > IN
Doom Blade > Blood Artist - Falkenrath Noble's already been fantastic, and EMA draft reminded me just how strong Blood Artist can be, so I'm happy to add this to shore up the Aristocrats deck as well as to give extra reach to black aggro decks. Doom Blade is probably the least essential removal spell in my black section, as good as it is, but I think I can live with one less.
Entomber Exarch > Corpse Augur - Even with the extra mode, Gravedigger's just too durdly for Peasant cube. I've already seen Corpse Augur get way out of hand in EDH matches, I'm looking forward to trying it in this environment where it should usually be at least a 2-for-1.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Lately I've just been updating this cube on my CT page, but I'm itching to do my Amonkhet upgrade and AKH isn't available there, so I'm posting this update mostly as a note to myself, but if anyone has feedback to share, I'd love to hear it. Here are all the cards I've gotten from prerelease that I'm planning to try out:
Hello everyone, I've been posting here fairly regularly over the past two years and maintaining a rare cube. I absolutely love my rare cube, but my regular playgroup has quite a bit of turnover (mostly expats living in South Korea), and newer players often seem to be a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of my rare cube. I have also built another Peasant cube that consists entirely of Korean editions (4th Edition - Urza's Saga, M12+) that I've yet to play, but this is my first Peasant cube that uses the entire Peasant card pool. I'm building this cube not only for a bit of a change of pace, but also in hopes that it will work as a gateway to cube draft for players who might take better to a cube with more interactive gameplay than my regular cube allows. I'd love to hear any feedback from people with more experience with Peasant cubing, as I'm sure I've missed some Peasant gems, added some clunkers that don't carry over so well from rare cubing, and may have even made some basic design mistakes based on my habits from maintaining a rare cube for the past two years.
Here's the basic info:
Basic Information
Cube Size: 450
Breakdown: 63 of each color, 45 multicolor (4 cards and per guild, plus an additional hybrid allowed per guild), 60 colorless (artifact/eldrazi/Conspiracy, 5c and colorless lands), 45 land (2 cycles of duals (Ravnica bounce lands, KTK lifegain taplands, full cycle of tri-lands, full cycle of Vivid lands)
Standard or Theme: Peasant
Average Number of Players: mostly 2 or 3, sometimes 4
Type of play: Mostly Draft, occasionally Sealed.
Card Selection: Strictly Peasant, but I do recognize online rarity downshifts.
Proxies: No, but I do run some World Championship editions.
Portal: Yes
"Un" Cards: Not now. Players revolted when I added "Un" cards to my rare cube a while back.
Conspiracy Cards: Yes
Functional Reprints: Yes
Banned Cards: For now only Sol Ring, Power Play (my players hated it in rare cube) and Library of Alexandria (like I can afford one anyway). Otherwise, I'm willing to push the envelope as far as possible power-wise.
Online-only Downshifts: Yes
Cube Design
Multiplayer: Not by design, but some 2HG games will probably happen.
Color Balance: Mostly, but I do allow one additional hybrid card per guild where the power level warrants it. Some guilds have no playable hybrids, so this leads to a minor color imbalance.
Gold Balance: Four gold cards per guild, but some may be replaced by HH or HHH cost hybrids.
Hybrid/Split/Kicker/Flashback as Gold: Hybrids will occasionally replace gold or mono-colored cards if the power level is strong enough. Off-color Split/Kicker/Flashback costs are treated as Gold.
Phyrexian as Colorless: No
Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
I will be updating this cube entirely on Cube Tutor, but for posterity's sake here's the original build:
1x Dragon Hunter
1x Dryad Militant
1x Elite Vanguard
1x Expedition Envoy
1x Mardu Woe-Reaper
1x Mother of Runes
1x Savannah Lions
1x Steppe Lynx
1x Accorder Paladin
1x Azorius Arrester
1x Consul's Lieutenant
1x Kor Skyfisher
1x Samurai of the Pale Curtain
1x Seeker of the Way
1x Soltari Trooper
1x Stormfront Pegasus
1x Topan Freeblade
1x Wall of Omens
1x Attended Knight
1x Flickerwisp
1x Kor Hookmaster
1x Kor Sanctifiers
1x Mardu Hordechief
1x Pianna, Nomad Captain
1x Sandsteppe Outcast
1x Soltari Champion
1x Soltari Visionary
1x Calciderm
1x Celestial Crusader
1x Master Splicer
1x Relief Captain
1x Timely Hordemate
1x Cloudgoat Ranger
1x Custodi Squire
1x Elite Scaleguard
1x Ornitharch
1x Serra Angel
1x Sentinel of the Eternal Watch
1x Quarry Colossus
White Artifact Creature
1x Porcelain Legionnaire
White Artifact
1x Shrine of Loyal Legions
White Instant
1x Condemn
1x Harm's Way
1x Path to Exile
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Disenchant
1x Raise the Alarm
White Sorcery
1x Sunlance
1x Gather the Townsfolk
1x Spectral Procession
1x Feudkiller's Verdict
1x Triplicate Spirits
White Enchantment
1x Intangible Virtue
1x Journey to Nowhere
1x Temporal Isolation
1x Banishing Light
1x Griffin Guide
1x Lightform
1x Oblivion Ring
1x Stasis Snare
1x Faith's Fetters
1x Retreat to Emeria
White Enchantment Creature
1x Nyx-Fleece Ram
Blue Creature
1x Cloudfin Raptor
1x Enclave Cryptologist
1x Azure Mage
1x Jeskai Sage
1x Looter il-Kor
1x Merfolk Looter
1x Omenspeaker
1x Vaporkin
1x Eldrazi Skyspawner
1x Frost Lynx
1x Illusory Angel
1x Jhessian Thief
1x Man-o'-War
1x Pestermite
1x Sea Gate Oracle
1x Serendib Efreet
1x Silumgar Sorcerer
1x Tandem Lookout
1x Clone
1x Mist Raven
1x Thieving Magpie
1x Whirler Rogue
1x Mulldrifter
1x Murder of Crows
1x Riftwing Cloudskate
1x Jetting Glasskite
1x Errant Ephemeron
Blue Artifact Creature
1x Spined Thopter
Blue Artifact
1x Crystal Shard
Blue Instant
1x Force Spike
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Vapor Snag
1x Arcane Denial
1x Counterspell
1x Daze
1x Impulse
1x Into the Roil
1x Mana Leak
1x Memory Lapse
1x Miscalculation
1x Remand
1x Snap
1x Complicate
1x Exclude
1x Forbid
1x Frantic Search
1x Psionic Blast
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Ray of Command
1x Condescend
1x Opportunity
Blue Sorcery
1x Clutch of Currents
1x Ponder
1x Preordain
1x Anchor to the Æther
1x Compulsive Research
1x Deep Analysis
1x Talrand's Invocation
1x Treasure Cruise
Blue Enchantment
1x Military Intelligence
1x Control Magic
1x Mind Control
Blue Land
1x Faerie Conclave
Black Creature
1x Carrion Feeder
1x Diregraf Ghoul
1x Ruthless Ripper
1x Tormented Hero
1x Vampire Lacerator
1x Blood-Chin Rager
1x Carrier Thrall
1x Fledgling Djinn
1x Mardu Skullhunter
1x Nezumi Graverobber
1x Reassembling Skeleton
1x Thrill-Kill Assassin
1x Vampire Interloper
1x Wight of Precinct Six
1x Bone Shredder
1x Dauthi Marauder
1x Hypnotic Specter
1x Liliana's Specter
1x Nantuko Husk
1x Vampire Nighthawk
1x Falkenrath Noble
1x Kezzerdrix
1x Nekrataal
1x Orc Sureshot
1x Skinrender
1x Vulturous Aven
1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1x Rakshasa Gravecaller
1x Sengir Vampire
1x Shriekmaw
1x Dark Hatchling
1x Phyrexian Gargantua
1x Gurmag Angler
1x Dark Ritual
1x Tragic Slip
1x Diabolic Edict
1x Doom Blade
1x Go for the Throat
1x Ultimate Price
1x Dismember
1x Snuff Out
1x Murderous Cut
Black Sorcery
1x Blackmail
1x Despise
1x Duress
1x Reanimate
1x Unearth
1x Exhume
1x Hymn to Tourach
1x Ashes to Ashes
1x Drown in Sorrow
1x Read the Bones
1x Stupor
1x Barter in Blood
Black Enchantment
1x Sarcomancy
1x Vampiric Rites
1x Animate Dead
1x Dance of the Dead
1x Curse of Shallow Graves
1x Necromancy
1x Diabolic Servitude
1x Pestilence
Black Enchantment Creature
1x Gnarled Scarhide
Red Creature
1x Frenzied Goblin
1x Goblin Glory Chaser
1x Jackal Pup
1x Mogg Fanatic
1x Monastery Swiftspear
1x Reckless Waif
1x Stonewright
1x Borderland Marauder
1x Generator Servant
1x Gore-House Chainwalker
1x Lightning Mauler
1x Mogg War Marshal
1x Plated Geopede
1x Stormblood Berserker
1x War-Name Aspirant
1x Young Pyromancer
1x Acolyte of the Inferno
1x Boggart Brute
1x Fervent Cathar
1x Fire Imp
1x Ghirapur Gearcrafter
1x Hissing Iguanar
1x Manic Vandal
1x Splatter Thug
1x Avalanche Riders
1x Beetleback Chief
1x Embodiment of Fury
1x Flametongue Kavu
1x Goblin Heelcutter
1x Keldon Champion
1x Vaultbreaker
1x Seismic Elemental
Red Artifact
1x Shrine of Burning Rage
Red Instant
1x Burst Lightning
1x Lightning Bolt
1x Incinerate
1x Lightning Strike
1x Magma Jet
1x Searing Blaze
1x Searing Spear
1x Brimstone Volley
1x Staggershock
1x Stoke the Flames
1x Fireblast
Red Sorcery
1x Faithless Looting
1x Firebolt
1x Flame Slash
1x Arc Trail
1x Breath of Darigaaz
1x Pyroclasm
1x Tormenting Voice
1x Arc Lightning
1x Flames of the Firebrand
1x Hordeling Outburst
1x Pillage
1x Shower of Coals
1x Fireball
1x Slice and Dice
1x Rolling Thunder
Red Enchantment
1x Genju of the Spires
1x Goblin Bombardment
1x Lust for War
Red Land
1x Ghitu Encampment
Green Creature
1x Arbor Elf
1x Elvish Mystic
1x Fyndhorn Elves
1x Joraga Treespeaker
1x Llanowar Elves
1x Wasteland Viper
1x Wild Nacatl
1x Ambush Viper
1x Heir of the Wilds
1x Jade Mage
1x Nest Invader
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Snapping Gnarlid
1x Strangleroot Geist
1x Thornweald Archer
1x Undercity Troll
1x Wall of Blossoms
1x Wall of Roots
1x Wild Mongrel
1x Abzan Beastmaster
1x Civic Wayfinder
1x Crocanura
1x Eternal Witness
1x Imperious Perfect
1x Reclamation Sage
1x Slaughterhorn
1x Trusted Forcemage
1x Wolfir Avenger
1x Yavimaya Dryad
1x Yavimaya Elder
1x Briarhorn
1x Cytoplast Root-Kin
1x Druid's Familiar
1x Erhnam Djinn
1x Phantom Centaur
1x Seed Guardian
1x Temur Sabertooth
1x Wickerbough Elder
1x Acidic Slime
1x Nessian Asp
1x Deadwood Treefolk
1x Great Oak Guardian
1x Hooting Mandrills
1x Skysnare Spider
1x Krosan Tusker
1x Pelakka Wurm
1x Plated Crusher
Green Instant
1x Mutagenic Growth
1x Beast Attack
1x Become Immense
Green Sorcery
1x Epic Confrontation
1x Regrowth
1x Cultivate
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Harmonize
1x Overrun
1x Hurricane
1x Rancor
1x Wild Growth
1x Curse of Predation
1x Elephant Guide
Green Enchantment Creature
1x Leafcrown Dryad
Green Land
1x Treetop Village
Azorius
1x Lyev Skyknight
1x Thunderclap Wyvern
1x Sky Hussar
1x Roil Spout
1x Azorius Chancery
1x Tranquil Cove
Dimir
1x Inkfathom Infiltrator
1x Possessed Skaab
1x Baleful Strix
1x Agony Warp
1x Far // Away
1x Dimir Aqueduct
1x Dismal Backwater
Rakdos
1x Rakdos Cackler
1x Murderous Redcap
1x Swift Warkite
1x Terminate
1x Fire Covenant
1x Bloodfell Caves
1x Rakdos Carnarium
Gruul
1x Kird Ape
1x Burning-Tree Emissary
1x Flinthoof Boar
1x Bloodbraid Elf
1x Ghor-Clan Rampager
1x Gruul Turf
1x Rugged Highlands
Selesnya
1x Qasali Pridemage
1x Enlisted Wurm
1x Trostani's Summoner
1x Behemoth Sledge
1x Sundering Growth
1x Blossoming Sands
1x Selesnya Sanctuary
Orzhov
1x Drana's Emissary
1x Zealous Persecution
1x Mortify
1x Lingering Souls
1x Orzhov Basilica
1x Scoured Barrens
Golgari
1x Catacomb Sifter
1x Dreg Mangler
1x Baloth Null
1x Putrefy
1x Life // Death
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Jungle Hollow
Simic
1x Bounding Krasis
1x Horizon Chimera
1x Fleetfeather Cockatrice
1x Temporal Spring
1x Simic Growth Chamber
1x Thornwood Falls
Izzet
1x Fire // Ice
1x Izzet Charm
1x Jilt
1x Electrolyze
1x Izzet Boilerworks
1x Swiftwater Cliffs
Boros
1x Duergar Hedge-Mage
1x Spitemare
1x Boros Charm
1x Lightning Helix
1x Boros Garrison
1x Wind-Scarred Crag
Jund
1x Savage Lands
Naya
1x Jungle Shrine
Bant
1x Seaside Citadel
Esper
1x Arcane Sanctum
Grixis
1x Crumbling Necropolis
Jeskai
1x Mystic Monastery
Mardu
1x Nomad Outpost
Abzan
1x Sandsteppe Citadel
Sultai
1x Opulent Palace
Temur
1x Frontier Bivouac
Colourless Creature
1x Deathless Behemoth
1x Bane of Bala Ged
1x Ulamog's Crusher
1x Artisan of Kozilek
Colourless Artifact Creature
1x Signal Pest
1x Epochrasite
1x Perilous Myr
1x Phyrexian War Beast
1x Cogwork Librarian
1x Galvanic Juggernaut
1x Juggernaut
1x Pierce Strider
1x Darksteel Sentinel
Colourless Artifact
1x Bonesplitter
1x Darksteel Axe
1x Elixir of Immortality
1x Skullclamp
1x Trusty Machete
1x Azorius Signet
1x Boros Signet
1x Dimir Signet
1x Golgari Signet
1x Gruul Signet
1x Isochron Scepter
1x Izzet Signet
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Manriki-Gusari
1x Mask of Memory
1x Mind Stone
1x Orzhov Signet
1x Rakdos Signet
1x Selesnya Signet
1x Simic Signet
1x Vulshok Morningstar
1x Grafted Wargear
1x Loxodon Warhammer
1x Worn Powerstone
1x Hedron Archive
1x Icy Manipulator
1x Serrated Arrows
1x Thran Dynamo
Colourless Land
1x Ancient Ziggurat
1x City of Brass
1x Dread Statuary
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Foundry of the Consuls
1x Mirrodin's Core
1x Mishra's Factory
1x Spawning Bed
1x Strip Mine
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Vivid Crag
1x Vivid Creek
1x Vivid Grove
1x Vivid Marsh
1x Vivid Meadow
Colourless Conspiracy
1x Advantageous Proclamation
1x Double Stroke
1x Muzzio's Preparations
1x Unexpected Potential
Like any good cube, this will be a constant work in progress. There are also some pricier older C/U (e.g. Wasteland, Force of Will, Demonic Tutor, Land Tax) cards that I'm certainly not opposed to running on principle, but I'm going to hold off on purchasing them for this cube until I see how popular it is with the people I play with.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
After tonight's draft, I'll be taking a good look at making some of these swaps. I think I have both of them on hand.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
First I'll preface my answers by pointing out that I haven't actually gotten in a draft with this cube yet, so this cube is pure theorycraft. I have a lot more experience with drafting my Unpowered rare cube, so in many ways this Peasant cube probably mirrors my Unpowered cube a bit more than it should. I'm hoping that some test drafts will give me ideas of what this cube needs as well aswhat needs to go
From my opening post....
"For now only Sol Ring, Power Play (my players hated it in rare cube) and Library of Alexandria (like I can afford one anyway). Otherwise, I'm willing to push the envelope as far as possible power-wise."
Otherwise, I'm deliberately trying out the most powerful C/U cards I have available, cutting primarily for budget. If they turn out to be oppressive after some live drafts, I'm open to cutting Skullclamp, Loxodon Warhammer, Double Stroke, and anything else that makes these drafts unfun because of power level. However, I find it interesting to try to push the power level as best I can within the restriction of Peasant.
Also, I don't run Un- cards. My playgroup revolted when I included them in an early version of my rare cube.
I assume it would be Jeskai or Grixis with a lot of spot removal, some card draw, and
I don't expect it to be. With access to lots of ramp and some beefy top-end finishers I expect green ramp decks to be a force to be reckoned with. I think there are enough good value creatures and efficient mid-rangey beaters for it to also be good in Rock and Ehrnam and Burn 'Em type decks.
Sorry, haven't tried it yet, it's only in because I've seen it in others' lists. I like its potential for value, but based on my experiences with Wingmate Roc and Mardu Skullhunter in my rare cube, Raid can be unreliable, so it may well not be good enough.
It's meant to be a control finisher for very spell-heavy decks with high velocity that are willing to trade the inherent card disadvantage for inevitability. It may well be too durdly, but the control finishers available in C/U lack the resilience of something like Aetherling or a planeswalker. At least Elixir of Immortality can't be Doom Bladed away.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
OUT > IN
WWW
Soltari Visionary > Dauntless Cathar
Retreat to Emeria > Battle Screech
Timely Hordemate > Nearheath Chaplain
UUU
Frost Lynx > Stitched Mangler
BBB
Vampire Interloper > Olivia's Bloodsworn
Blood-Chin Rager > Heir of Falkenrath
Orc Sureshot > Tooth Collector
Vampiric Rites > Demonic Tutor
RRR
Frenzied Goblin > Village Messenger
Ghirapur Gearcrafter > Breakneck Rider
Genju of the Spires > Rite of the Raging Storm
GGG
Jade Mage > Duskwatch Recruiter
Abzan Beastmaster > Byway Courier
Crocanura > Trophy Hunter
Cytoplast Root-Kin > Pack Guardian
Druid's Familiar > Nessian Game Warden
WUBRG
Bounding Krasis > Ongoing Investigation
Spawning Bed > Silkbind Faerie
Vulshok Morningstar > Kitchen Finks
Swapping colorless cards for hybrids may seem a bit strange, but I allow each guild a "free hybrid" if their power level warrants it. Finks definitely warrants it, I'm less sure about Silkbind Faerie, but I did love it in its Limited environment and I happen to have a foil copy on hand.
xxx
Ancient Ziggurat > Crumbling Vestige
Again, all of these changes come from pure theorycrafting and I have zero experience with any of these cards in the C/Ube environment, so if any of these cuts look bad I'd really like to hear it.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Screech on the other hand is just insanely good. Also it's $4 now for some weird reason.
Chaplain is somewhere in-between, I don't like it a ton but it's worth a shot.
I like Lynx AND Mangler a lot, but it's reasonable to cut A for B.
Everything black looks good.
I drafted twice yesterday and think I literally never saw a game play out in a way that would make Breakneck Rider worth drafting/playing. The only time it would have flipped is when someone mulliganed horribly and/or missed a third land drop, in which case just Cathodion would have been enough to win the game.
Rite has been in my cube for a long time (i.e. since it was printed) without ever showing up in gameplay. It's just hard to have a matchup where you can spend five mana for absolutely no immediate impact.
Trophy Hunter has been pretty bad here. Crocanura, on the other hand, is usually a 3-mana 3/5 which is fairly insane. It looks so unassuming, but always plays out really well.
Byway Courier is similar to Dauntless Cathar. It's... just not enough of a card.
I'm also surprised to see Druid's Familiar go. There's certainly a lot of competition for green 4's, but that guy adds so much power to the table when cast.
Ongoing Investigation looks pretty bad, 7U spent to draw three cards? I think it's considerably worse than Coastal Piracy, which is itself seldom-used.
I had Silkbind Faerie in for a while, it did not last long. Admittedly, that was nearly two years ago, so I could see myself being wrong about it.
Ziggurat is unplayable, but I don't think Vestige is much better.
I'm hoping this will work as a control finisher for red, but since it does nothing on defense my reasoning may well be flawed. I may well be understimating the speed of this format.
Is there a green 4 you'd cut instead of Druid's Familiar? That spot was looking glutted to me.
This is a card that's massively overperformed for me in SOI Limited, I've been able to draw my entire deck in several games, and being able to pay that mana in installments makes it much more manageable. The lifegain on the 1G ability helps buy time, and I'm betting it'll be easy enough to drop this enchantment for 1U as opposed to 2UU that it might be more playable than Coastal Piracy. Again, this may be too slow to translate into Peasant cube.
Again, thanks so much for all the detailed feedback. I'll definitely be taking it all into consideration as I go into our first test draft next week!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
As for druid's familiar, there are a few cards you're running that I'd drop over it at 4, but then again there are cards at 5 or 6 or in the spells section that I'd cut for it as well. Hurricane, Hooting mandrills, Nessian game warden, etc
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
NGW's a card I want to test, it seems like great value on paper, have you had experience with it? What don't you like about Hurricane and Hooting Mandrills? I've yet to see either in action in my cube yet.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I don't really see the appeal of Hurricane. Two narrow cards -- a wrath for flyers and a fireball for both players -- doesn't really add up. I guess it can turn losing games into... ties? at least? if you pump a bunch of mana into it late.
Hoot is a card I really like, actually. If you can ever delve for three -- which is quite easy -- then it's a very very good 3-drop. Sometimes it even shows up as a 1-drop.
This is a small data point, but Silkbind Faerie did pretty well in my first draft with it. I ran it in a Dimir control/skies deck. It's not an ideal T3 play, but it can block OK sometimes that turn and afterwards it does a fine job of chipping away in the air while locking down the scariest creature, and it can still block something small. It performed better than Icy Manipulator would have in that particular deck. I don't see any reason to cut it for now.
I'm also happy to report that my first draft of this cube went over really well. We had a pod of 8 drafters, most of them had drafted my rare cube as well. In addition to my Dimir skies deck, there was a Simic tempo deck, a Boros tokens deck with Skullclamp and Rolling Thunder enhanced by Double Stroke, a Golgari "rock" style deck with recursion as well as Loxodon Warhammer, a Selesnya midrange deck that gained a ton of card advantage and board control with Temur Sabretooth, an almost mono-black Orzhov aggro deck, and a mono-red aggro deck. Some of the cards I've been warned to watch for like Loxodon Warhammer, Behemoth Sledge, and Skullclamp were quite good but didn't seem to dominate games. Skullclamp was the most worrisome card, but it was beatable. I think I will try to make room for a bit more artifact removal to help keep these in check, though. Double Stroke is also on my watch list. Most importantly, everyone had a great time, and a few of the drafters told me that they prefer this cube to my rare cube because they said it felt more like retail limited. I'll be trying this cube with another playgroup on Tuesday, and they'll also be playing it for the first time.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
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
Here are some updates now that I've had the chance to try this cube based on feedback from players, cards I've observed not being particularly popular, and some ideas I've gleaned from the forum:
OUT > IN
Dauntless Cathar > Shelter DC was as underwhelming as IO warned, and I wanted to make room for this combat trick/cantrip anyway.
Triplicate Spirits > Daring Skyjek The consensus from players who were playing white is that this seems like it will likely be too expensive.
Military Intelligence > Standstill Military Intelligence turned out to be a bit unreliable. Getting an attacker through, a la Coastal Piracy, is one thing but being able to attack with both consistently is another matter.
Silumgar Sorcerer > Nimbus Naiad Silumgar Sorceror was underwhelming in both modes, and I don't like the color intensiveness on a 3-drop if I can avoid it.
Thieving Magpie > Phantom Monster Phantom Monster might not be the most exciting card, but I like the raw stats on it. If it's underwhelming, I may try Living Tsunami or Aberrant Researcher instead.
Opportunity > Gush
Anchor to the Æther > Deep Spawn An additional reanimator and maybe occasionally ramp target. Anchor wasn't bad, but feels unnecessary considering the rest of the bounce effects already in my blue section.
Phyrexian Gargantua > Fallen Angel I just found out Fallen Angel used to be an uncommon! I like the idea of having an additional sac outlet, I'd like to begin supporting "aristrocrats" style sacrifice based decks. Gotta get copies of Maw of Obzedat and Blood Artist next to help push this theme.
Unearth > Victimize Additional reanimator/aristocrats support
Skin Invasion > Haze of Rage Skin Invasion doesn't seem to be getting any play, but Boros anthem/tokens decks are. This seems like it could be a fantastic anthem option.
Yavimaya Dryad > Crocanura YD is cut for color-intensiveness as well as unnecessary complexity to make room for this card that other posters say is great.
Hurricane > Druid's Familiar Nostalgia or no, no one is bothering to draft Hurricane and skies decks don't seem to be overly oppressive.
Possessed Skaab > Moroii Am I underrating Possessed Skaab here? It seemed too clunky for the one Dimir deck I drafted.
Galvanic Juggernaut > Stalking Stones
Manriki-Gusari > Blasting Station
Crumbling Vestige > Rix Maadi Guildmage It may seem odd that I'm cutting colorless cards for multicolored cards, but each of these guilds has at least one hybrid, and I allow each guild at least 2 hybrids in addition to 4 gold cards if power level permits.
Advantageous Proclamation > Frostburn Weird
Dread Statuary > Nahiri's Machinations
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
OUT > IN
CCC
Stalking Stones > Gemstone Mine
WWW
Samurai of the Pale Curtain > Leonin Relic-Warder
Stasis Snare > Glimmerpoint Stag
Sandsteppe Outcast > Midnight Haunting
UUU
[card]
Vapor Snag[/card] > Unsummon
Illusory Angel > Aberrant Researcher
Exclude > Rise from the Tides
Phantom Monster > Cloudform
BBB
Reaver Drone > Carnophage
Mardu Skullhunter > Darkblast
Liliana's Specter > Stinkweed Imp
Duress > Entomber Exarch
Ostracize > Raven's Crime
Bone Shredder > Bone Shredder
Kezzerdrix > Gisa's Bidding
Gray Merchant of Asphodel > Morkrut Necropod
RRR
Gibbering Fiend > Kiln Fiend
Boggart Brute > Guttersnipe
Breakneck Rider > Kessig Forgemaster
GGG
Undercity Troll > Satyr Wayfinder
Trophy Hunter > Ulvenwald Mysteries
Thornweald Archer > Predator's Howl
WUBRG
Jilt > Gelectrode
Enlisted Wurm > Selesnya Guildmage
Putrefy > Nyx Weaver
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
OUT > IN
Celestial Crusader > Coalition Honor Guard Coalition Honor Guard really impressed me in EMA limited. Celestial Crusader has not, symmetry of the anthem effect and the fact that it only affects white creatures have been problematic.
Daring Skyjek > Mana Tithe I've foiled out Mana Tithe in my rare cube recently, so now I have an extra copy to include in this cube.
Leonin Relic-Warder > Samurai of the Pale Curtain A little hosing for graveyard decks on a very efficient body. I think it's worth a try for one of my 2 WW spots.
Topan Freeblade > Cloistered Youth Turns out Topan Freeblade is a lot worse in this format than it was in ORI limited.
Nimbus Naiad > Exclude As mentioned in my previous post, leaving out Exclude was an unfortunate oversight.
Deep Spawn > Phyrexian Ingester I did actually manage to live the dream and reanimate Deep Spawn in a game once! It's too expensive, too color intensive, and the fact that the shroud effect causes it to Frost Breath itself makes it terrible protection. Fortunately this EMA demotion has made a much better ramp/reanimation target an control finisher available.
Dark Hatchling > Night's Whisper I'm not sure if this is the best cut for Night's Whisper, but it does trim a bit of fat and a gold symbol.
Searing Blaze > Skarrgan Firebird Firebird may turn out to be too clunky, but it's really been bothering me that my red section is the only section with no creatures bigger than 5CMC. I think this is the best option. I'm not sure that this cut is ideal, but the double red in this burn spell plus the fact that it virtually has to be played as a sorcery has always bothered me.
Ghitu Encampment > Act of Treason A threaten effect or two helps shore up aggro's matchup vs. midrange and helps support sacrifice decks.
Snapping Gnarlid > Obsessive Skinner Skinner has continued to impress me in SOI limited, and it does help support graveyard matters as well as +1/+1 counters themes.
Wild Growth > Utopia Sprawl People have been gushing over Utopia Sprawl in the Evaluate Everything thread. It might not come out for free quite as often, but ramp decks tend to run a lot of forests, so the fixing should be enough upside to make up the drawback for having to go onto a forest.
Predator's Howl > Search for Tomorrow I need more ramp! Predator's Howl has been too unreliable, and it's hard to get all 3 wolves into play at instant speed as blockers, when you'd want them most.
Erhnam Djinn > Cytoplast Root-Kin Shoring up +1/+1 counters.
Beast Attack > Conclave Naturalists Beast Attack never saw play, it turns out triple green's a deal breaker. Too bad, the card seems cool.
Become Immense > Invigorate Invigorate really impressed me during EMA drafts. I'm looking forward to trying it in this cube. Become Immense turned out to be very binary, it either just ended games like a green Fireblast or it just rotted in hands because it cost so much.
Firespout > Fires of Yavimaya I'm not sure if this is the best cut, but I've been wanting to try Fires.
Nahiri's Machinations > Rally the Peasants Rally has better synergy with the token and Prowess themes in this cube.
Deathless Behemoth > Wasteland I pulled a Wasteland in EMA draft, which left me with an extra. That's the only way I was ever likely to get one into this cube.
Elixir of Immortality > Skull Catapult Elixir of Immortality was an experiment due to the lack of resilient control finishers available at Peasant, but it's not flashy enough to make anyone want to go into control. Plus, with one of the playgroups I cube with, we time our matches and Elixir doesn't exactly end matches quickly.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Elixir is a card I love putting in my deck but I'm not a nice person.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Mardu Hordechief > Sandsteppe Outcast
Serra Angel > Patron of the Valiant
Jhessian Thief > Ingenious Skaab
Azure Mage > Geist of the Archives
Cloudform > Peregrine Drake
Clutch of Currents > Repulse
Rise from the Tides > Opportunity Rise from the Tides turned out to be very disappointing. The zombies coming into play tapped when you're usually tapping out to cast this is just unacceptable.
Embodiment of Fury > Brazen Wolves
Fervent Cathar > Conduit of Storms
Vaultbreaker > Smoldering Werewolf
Breath of Darigaaz > Chain Lightning
Tormenting Voice > Weapon Surge I want there to be at least one combat trick in each color, and this seems to be a good one that also helps support tokens.
Brimstone Volley > Volt Charge
Keldon Champion > Bloodfray Giant
Wild Nacatl > Gnarlwood Dryad
Slaughterhorn > Kessig Prowler
Leafcrown Dryad > Noose Constrictor
Ulvenwald Mysteries > Ifh-Biff Efreet
Satyr Wayfinder > Grapple with the Past
Utopia Sprawl > Wild Growth - I've had over a month to think about Ravnic's comment above, and decided Utopia Sprawl is the better cut. I know that the Forest drawback on Sprawl won't come up that often, but even a bit of inconsistency in that regard edges it out over both Wild Growth and Search for Tomorrow.
By request of one of the two primary playgroups I cube with, I am removing all Conspiracies and Conspiracy mechanics from this cube. This means I will not be adding any cards from CN2 except for Sinuous Vermin when I get a hold of a copy, and if I can find a cut for it I may also try Borderland Explorer. I'm a bit sad that I won't get to try some of the new C/U Conspiracies and Hidden Agendas which look like they'll be pretty busted in Peasant cube, but at least I have some openings in my colorless section:
Cogwork Librarian > Su-Chi
Double Stroke > Triskelion
Unexpected Potential > Everflowing Chalice
Muzzio's Preparations > Tezzeret's Gambit
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
OUT > IN
Doom Blade > Blood Artist - Falkenrath Noble's already been fantastic, and EMA draft reminded me just how strong Blood Artist can be, so I'm happy to add this to shore up the Aristocrats deck as well as to give extra reach to black aggro decks. Doom Blade is probably the least essential removal spell in my black section, as good as it is, but I think I can live with one less.
Entomber Exarch > Corpse Augur - Even with the extra mode, Gravedigger's just too durdly for Peasant cube. I've already seen Corpse Augur get way out of hand in EDH matches, I'm looking forward to trying it in this environment where it should usually be at least a 2-for-1.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
OUT --> IN
Forsake the Worldly --> Disenchant
Cast Out --> Faith's Fetters
Quarry Colossus --> Seraph of the Suns
Standstill --> Hieroglyphic Illumination
Murder of Crows --> Angler Drake
Phyrexian Gargantua --> Stir the Sands
Olivia's Bloodsworn --> Bone Picker
Tragic Slip --> Supernatural Stamina
Village Messenger --> Bloodlust Inciter
Thriving Grubs --> Bloodrage Brawler
Act of Treason --> Limits of Solidarity
Skysnare Spider --> Scaled Behemoth
Seed Guardian -- Greater Sandwurm
Prophetic Bolt --> Enigma Drake
Rally the Peasants --> Honored Crop-Captain
Other cards I'm planning to try out once I get a hold of them, cuts TBD:
And, of course, I'll be adding as many full-art Amonkhet basics as I can find to my basics box.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.