My son and I are attempting to build an all commons/uncommons cube. We are just building from what we own (we started playing magic just before rise of eldrazi) so our cards only span the last 5-7 sets.
Two questions:
1. Are gold cards (multi-colored cards) necessary? And if so, in what ratio to the mono-colored cards? I ask because we own very few.
2. How do dual lands and fetch lands fit in?
Also, we will mostly just use the cube to play one another to start. So far we have chosen 40 cards for each of the five colors and 40 artifacts. We then assembled 20 of each basic land type. I estimate that these numbers would work for up to four players if necessary) with 60 cards leftover to create variance each time we draft. Does this seem like a good start? Will the cube work for just two players?
And for what it is worth, I did read up on the topic of cubing but I couldn't find answers to these questions.
I'm relatively new to the cube myself and haven't played any pauper specific cubes, but I'll take a stab at your questions.
1. While multi-colored cards aren't absolutely neceassary (especially in pauper where there are a lot fewer to choose from), they are very fun and provide a lot of cool effects that you just can't get in single colored cards. I would plan on adding a small multicolored section at some point in the future, but for now you can definitely enjoy your cube without one.
2. Most cubes will either include dual lands with the multicolored cards (i.e. counting Creeping Tar Pit as a blue/black card) or include them in a separate land section. How you do it is up to you and shouldn't matter as it's mainly an organizational thing.
Forty for each color and forty artifacts give you 240 cards. If you're looking to draft with 6 people, (with 3 packs of 15 cards per person which is the norm) you would need at least 270 cards. (You could hold a 4 or 5 player draft as those would require 180 and 225 cards, respectively.)
For two players, there are a number of way you could play with your cube. The simplest is probably sealed deck. To play sealed, you give each player a pool of random cards (six packs worth or 90 cards is pretty standard) and have them build their deck (of at least 40 cards) from those cards and as many basic lands as they need. If you're looking to draft with two players, you could try either Winston drafting (which you can read about here) or Winchester drafting (which you can read about here). I've done (and enjoyed several Winstons with my cube. I haven't had a chance to try Winchester but it looks like fun to me. (I would probably use a few more cards than they recomend for either of those formats.)
My son and I are attempting to build an all commons/uncommons cube. We are just building from what we own (we started playing magic just before rise of eldrazi) so our cards only span the last 5-7 sets.
Two questions:
1. Are gold cards (multi-colored cards) necessary? And if so, in what ratio to the mono-colored cards? I ask because we own very few.
Multicolored cards are not necessary but there a lot of great ones, even in commons/uncommons, that can help to fill out your cube. Most cubes seem to have somewhere around 10% of the cards as multicolor (more or less depending on preferences and definitions of what multicolor includes). For example, my common/uncommon cube has 30 multicolor cards out of 360 cards total; however, there are 30 other cards in my cube that I consider to be "multicolored" that are technically colorless (signets from Ravnica block, the uncommon dual lands from Zendikar, the uncommon tri-lands from Shards of Alara, and the cycle of "bouncelands" from Ravnica block). This leads into your next question...
You can count them as multicolored cards, or as colorless/non-basic land cards. Usually people label them however helps organize the contents of the cube best. Again, the amount you include comes down to personal preference; I know people who don't include too much to encourage more basics and less colors in decks, and others who include a lot of multicolored lands so that people can play lots of colors in their decks.
The methods described above for two-player play are good recommendations. Sounds like you are off to a good start! With a commons/uncommons cube, you can definitely try out a lot of things without breaking the bank. Or your cube can be worth more than a lot of cubes that include rares if you decide to make it all shiny with foil cards (check out klug's common/uncommon cube).
Have fun!
EDIT: if you play with more than 2 people, you might want at least 30 of each basic land. 40 of each basic land for an 8-player cube draft should be enough about 99% of the time, in my experience.
We are now up to 300 cards: 50 for each color and 50 artifacts. I also added all the cheap Zendikar dual lands. So far we are just playing one of each card. Is that how you guys do it? If so, does the same rule apply to dual lands and the cheap fetchlands (Terramorphic, etc)?
We are now up to 300 cards: 50 for each color and 50 artifacts. I also added all the cheap Zendikar dual lands. So far we are just playing one of each card. Is that how you guys do it? If so, does the same rule apply to dual lands and the cheap fetchlands (Terramorphic, etc)?
Almost every cube I've seen sticks to one copy of each card (lands included) and relies on cards with similar effects to provide redundency. (For example, if you want more than one Sejiri Refuge, look for cards like Azorius Chancery and Seaside Citadel.)
So far we have a 312 card cube with 50 cards of each color and 50 artifacts, along with 5 pauper dual lands, 5 panoramas, 1 terramorphic expanse and 1 evolving wilds. Included in the 50 artifacts are all the signets and borderposts. We plan to add 5 more for each color and 5 more artifacts, 20 multi-colored cards, and 5 tri-colored lands.
We are having a lot of fun so far. We have turbo drafted and used the Winston method as well. Thank you all so much for your valuable feedback.
Yeah, Winston is probably the best way to draft 2 player. Try experimenting with different stack sizes (having a bigger stack like 120 cards lets you pursue linear themes like aggro or fewer colours).
There's also Winchester draft, which is a bit like winston but with complete information. It's an interesting change of pace, and also a good way to see how your opponent values cards.
We are having a lot of fun so far. We have turbo drafted and used the Winston method as well. Thank you all so much for your valuable feedback.
Glad you're having a good time. If you don't mind my turning the tables for a moment, what's "turbo drafting"? I've never heard of it and Google isn't being helpful on the subject (though it's late and maybe I'm just not searching right.)
I'm not suggesting that you run all of them, just letting you know what's there to use.
As far as how your sort your lands goes, most people tend to include cycles (ex. Vivids/Bounce Lands) in their land section along with lands that aren't aligned to a color, while putting cards like Treetop Village in their respective color. I'd sort it however you feel most comfortable having it laid out though.
Glad you're having a good time. If you don't mind my turning the tables for a moment, what's "turbo drafting"? I've never heard of it and Google isn't being helpful on the subject (though it's late and maybe I'm just not searching right.)
Thanks and have a good one.
My son saw two people using the "turbo" method at our local game store with booster packs from the latest set. Each player opens a pack and chooses a card. They then exchange packs but this time they each choose two cards. They exchange again but this time each takes three cards, and it continues until each pack is gone. They then each move onto their second pack and start over. Hope that makes sense.
My son saw two people using the "turbo" method at our local game store with booster packs from the latest set. Each player opens a pack and chooses a card. They then exchange packs but this time they each choose two cards. They exchange again but this time each takes three cards, and it continues until each pack is gone. They then each move onto their second pack and start over. Hope that makes sense.
Two questions:
1. Are gold cards (multi-colored cards) necessary? And if so, in what ratio to the mono-colored cards? I ask because we own very few.
2. How do dual lands and fetch lands fit in?
Also, we will mostly just use the cube to play one another to start. So far we have chosen 40 cards for each of the five colors and 40 artifacts. We then assembled 20 of each basic land type. I estimate that these numbers would work for up to four players if necessary) with 60 cards leftover to create variance each time we draft. Does this seem like a good start? Will the cube work for just two players?
And for what it is worth, I did read up on the topic of cubing but I couldn't find answers to these questions.
Thanks in advance!
1. While multi-colored cards aren't absolutely neceassary (especially in pauper where there are a lot fewer to choose from), they are very fun and provide a lot of cool effects that you just can't get in single colored cards. I would plan on adding a small multicolored section at some point in the future, but for now you can definitely enjoy your cube without one.
2. Most cubes will either include dual lands with the multicolored cards (i.e. counting Creeping Tar Pit as a blue/black card) or include them in a separate land section. How you do it is up to you and shouldn't matter as it's mainly an organizational thing.
Forty for each color and forty artifacts give you 240 cards. If you're looking to draft with 6 people, (with 3 packs of 15 cards per person which is the norm) you would need at least 270 cards. (You could hold a 4 or 5 player draft as those would require 180 and 225 cards, respectively.)
For two players, there are a number of way you could play with your cube. The simplest is probably sealed deck. To play sealed, you give each player a pool of random cards (six packs worth or 90 cards is pretty standard) and have them build their deck (of at least 40 cards) from those cards and as many basic lands as they need. If you're looking to draft with two players, you could try either Winston drafting (which you can read about here) or Winchester drafting (which you can read about here). I've done (and enjoyed several Winstons with my cube. I haven't had a chance to try Winchester but it looks like fun to me. (I would probably use a few more cards than they recomend for either of those formats.)
Hope this helps and happy cubing.
Multicolored cards are not necessary but there a lot of great ones, even in commons/uncommons, that can help to fill out your cube. Most cubes seem to have somewhere around 10% of the cards as multicolor (more or less depending on preferences and definitions of what multicolor includes). For example, my common/uncommon cube has 30 multicolor cards out of 360 cards total; however, there are 30 other cards in my cube that I consider to be "multicolored" that are technically colorless (signets from Ravnica block, the uncommon dual lands from Zendikar, the uncommon tri-lands from Shards of Alara, and the cycle of "bouncelands" from Ravnica block). This leads into your next question...
You can count them as multicolored cards, or as colorless/non-basic land cards. Usually people label them however helps organize the contents of the cube best. Again, the amount you include comes down to personal preference; I know people who don't include too much to encourage more basics and less colors in decks, and others who include a lot of multicolored lands so that people can play lots of colors in their decks.
The methods described above for two-player play are good recommendations. Sounds like you are off to a good start! With a commons/uncommons cube, you can definitely try out a lot of things without breaking the bank. Or your cube can be worth more than a lot of cubes that include rares if you decide to make it all shiny with foil cards (check out klug's common/uncommon cube).
Have fun!
EDIT: if you play with more than 2 people, you might want at least 30 of each basic land. 40 of each basic land for an 8-player cube draft should be enough about 99% of the time, in my experience.
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We are now up to 300 cards: 50 for each color and 50 artifacts. I also added all the cheap Zendikar dual lands. So far we are just playing one of each card. Is that how you guys do it? If so, does the same rule apply to dual lands and the cheap fetchlands (Terramorphic, etc)?
The fetches are harder to duplicate at common and uncommon, but you do still have options. Besides Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds, you could try the Terminal Moreaine, panoramas from Shards of Alara or the uncommon fetch lands from Mirage.
Of course, your cube is your own so if you wnat to use more than one of each card, it's entirely your choice.
We are having a lot of fun so far. We have turbo drafted and used the Winston method as well. Thank you all so much for your valuable feedback.
There's also Winchester draft, which is a bit like winston but with complete information. It's an interesting change of pace, and also a good way to see how your opponent values cards.
Thanks and have a good one.
Zendikar Refuges
Shards Panoramas
Shards Tri-Lands
Mirage Fetches
Lorwyn Vivids
As far as how your sort your lands goes, most people tend to include cycles (ex. Vivids/Bounce Lands) in their land section along with lands that aren't aligned to a color, while putting cards like Treetop Village in their respective color. I'd sort it however you feel most comfortable having it laid out though.
Peasant+ Cube
Nope. Can't help. I play Pauper, or commons only. You want Peasant, or no rares.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
My son saw two people using the "turbo" method at our local game store with booster packs from the latest set. Each player opens a pack and chooses a card. They then exchange packs but this time they each choose two cards. They exchange again but this time each takes three cards, and it continues until each pack is gone. They then each move onto their second pack and start over. Hope that makes sense.
80 of each color
60 artifacts
60 multi-colored (4 gold of each pairing, and 2 hybrid of each pairing)
32 nonbasic lands
It has been a big hit at our local game store.
Thanks for all your help!
EDH Decks:
- Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior