Coalition Honour Guard and Happy Fish stand out for me as the cards I will pluck from a pack unless I am set on some other direction and have something extremely good competing to be picked in the pack. A lot of the other high powered cards I will also pluck early but if it is later in the draft they don't have the same pull as the two I mentioned. Rancor and Bonesplitter are also extremely high picks for me but I don't think they have quite the game game changing power of the other cards. Happy Fish can interact with so many bounce and recursive graveyard cards and result in insane value. Coalition Honour Guard will often make at least a couple of cards dead in your opponent's hand and can often do even better.
If the poll was what is your pack one pick one I think it would be a lot harder to narrow down my top nine. Too many of the cards become situational once you've already started building a deck.
While you are reworking the "evaluate everything" structure, is there a possibility to re-evaluate Butcher's Glee? Cause I'm still shure it is cubeable. It does so many things at once. It raises the damage of the creature critically, gives you a ton of life and saves the creature in the end. Add the flexibility of being able to save an important creature from removal when needed.
This card is seriously awesome. It's probably underrated because people put too much instant speed removal in their cubes.
It's combat trick (that kills basically anything) + gain ~5 life, or a big life swing on an unblocked creature, OR one of the best answers to hexproof, for those who cube hexproof creatures.
This card is seriously awesome. It's probably underrated because people put too much instant speed removal in their cubes.
It has nothing to do with too much removal. Combat tricks that cost three mana are just too clunky to run. The same way removal that costs three mana doesn't get much airtime either
3 mana is definitely the max for a combat trick, but this one gains a large chunk of life which is additional value, pretty much like cantripping. And it has flexibility to be played on an unblocked creature for a big life swing. In a race scenario it's ideal.
I think it has a lot to do with removal, in the sense that instant speed removal is the only reason a card like this wouldn't be good
I realised, that the Conspiracy 2 evaluation will not take as much time as other sets, because there are a lot of reprints. I will sit down soon and try to write down an evaluation and post it here.
Edit: Here my evaluation:
Ballot Broker: Bad. There aren't enough voting cards in pauper to make this card valuable.
Custodi Peacekeeper: Bad. There are way better and unconditional tapper in pauper.
Agree with everything except one thing. How is Wings of the Guard bad when Stormfront Pegasus is a staple? How much does blocking actually factor into an evaluation of Pegasus? This should be upgraded at least to borderline if not cubeable
I really like Wings of the Guard because you don't want to block much with 2-power flyers anyway, while the buff it gets on attack makes it more resilient to 1-power flyers (spirit tokens, etc). Plus if you plan to have 3+player games it can be more fun.
I want to block a TON with my Mistral Charger, actually. Like, do you just keep trading 2 damage for 3 damage if your opponent casts a Borderland Marauder?
I would argue Entourage as a Staple.
-Replaces itself, and possibly/likely will get more cards
-Its able to block 2 creatures, meaning less vulnerability to aggro/swarm. I know no Reach.
-Splashable
-Acceptable boxy that has no restrictions.
I changed the Wings to Cubeable. Didn't realise, there isn't that much power possible with two mana (I know, I should have known). Crown-Hunter Hireling is compared to red creatures and in my opinion, can't really compete with the cubeable 5-drops. The other ones are all at least as big as Hireling or bigger and have a form of evasion. Hireling can't attack for drawing cards, which is okay, but doesn't have any evasion.
When I look again on Entourage of Trest, yes I think it could be a staple. This card is even more ridiculous, the more I look at it. Any opinion on that?
I think Crown-Hunter Hireling is possibly the most polarizing pauper card of the last three years. I consider it borderline (how does it stack up to middle-road stuff like Kuldotha Ringleader anyway?) but the effect is clearly powerful enough for pauper since Entourage of Trest is a thing. If you hang on to the monarchy for more than one turn, then the 4/4 defender is basically a free card and you don't care about the drawback anyway (or it helps you hang on to the monarchy) . I just hate the strictly-worse approach to card design even if you take a color's context into consideration. Seems lazy.
But that slows the timing of the Crown Hunter as you need to kill off, or leave mana open, the other threats.
I understand Red is one of the better conttolling colors. However, when the source of Monarch is a wall for 4R...
I simply like Entourage, probably for the same reasons you find Crown Hunter appealing, they fit our personal play style.
Golgari/X is my favorite archetype. And having 2 of the better Monarchs makes it even stronger. Entourage is good no matter the timing, and Green has more of a chance to drop it early, with pressure, than most
I already said that Martyr was really bad in my cube, but will give it a 2nd chance.
I dont like Sparksmith, since it cant hit players and kind of anti-synergizes with goblins when you want to kill small creatures.
Iron Myr seems bad in control.
Rukh Egg belongs in the sacrifice archetype
Cougar is hybrid
Rock Slide is bad compared to all other x-spells
Pyrotechnics, Fireball are hybrids as well
the next time we cube I will draft the UR control and see how it performs. If its really above powerlevel compared to the other decks I might move it into tier1.
Rukh can be Control as no one wants to kill it. Sparksmith getting to deal 2-3 damage keeps swarm and aggro in check. I keep Sparksmith based of the memories of how good it was in Onslaught
I compared Crown-Hunter Hireling again with the other red 5-drops, but I just can't see it cubeable. The drawback is too big in my opinion and if you're not the monarch, it's just a 4/4 without evasion or any other upside.
Except that your "Planeswalker" only have on loyalty ever and you creature says, this creature can't attack as long as you control that Planeswalker. And if 4/4 is huge, why is stuff like Cinder Hellion not cubeable?
Probably I have to test it in a cube, but in Conspiracy-Drafts it's kind of annoying not to be able to attack, especially in a stall board, when you're risking to draw yourself to death.
Except that your "Planeswalker" only have on loyalty ever and you creature says, this creature can't attack as long as you control that Planeswalker. And if 4/4 is huge, why is stuff like Cinder Hellion not cubeable?
Probably I have to test it in a cube, but in Conspiracy-Drafts it's kind of annoying not to be able to attack, especially in a stall board, when you're risking to draw yourself to death.
I was going to say that Crown-Hunter Hireling is cubeable but I think it's actually borderline. It's very unsual card for red since it draws cards. I can see it working in a control deck only.
That is probably the point. I didn't realise it until you said it, but as an aggro player I just can't do anything with a defender. So good for control decks, but pretty mediocre to bad for aggro decks. Thus Borderline in my opinion.
If the poll was what is your pack one pick one I think it would be a lot harder to narrow down my top nine. Too many of the cards become situational once you've already started building a deck.
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This card is seriously awesome. It's probably underrated because people put too much instant speed removal in their cubes.
It's combat trick (that kills basically anything) + gain ~5 life, or a big life swing on an unblocked creature, OR one of the best answers to hexproof, for those who cube hexproof creatures.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
It has nothing to do with too much removal. Combat tricks that cost three mana are just too clunky to run. The same way removal that costs three mana doesn't get much airtime either
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I think it has a lot to do with removal, in the sense that instant speed removal is the only reason a card like this wouldn't be good
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Edit: Here my evaluation:
Ballot Broker: Bad. There aren't enough voting cards in pauper to make this card valuable.
Custodi Peacekeeper: Bad. There are way better and unconditional tapper in pauper.
Lieutenants of the Guard: Terrible. This card is just not worth the mana in a duel.
Palace Sentinels: Borderline. Being the monarch is nice, but the body is not as great as it could be.
Throne Warden: Bad. Without Monarch cards in the cube, this is just a bear.
Wings of the Guard: Cubeable. A 2/2 flyer that for 2 mana is useful, the drawback is okay.
Canal Courier: Borderline. Being the monarch is nice, but the body is overcosted and the second ability is useless in a duel.
Illusionary Informant: Borderline. It's a Seacoast Drake with an upside in draft.
Jeering Homunculus: Bad. This creature has no power and goad is not a good ability in a duel.
Messenger Jays: Terrible. This creature is just terribly overcosted in a duel.
Skittering Crustacean: Borderline. The body is mediocre and the ability expensive, but after activation, this is a much bigger Benthic Giant.
Garrulous Sycophant: Bad. The body is not very big for the cost and it doesn't make you the monarch. If you are, the ability is not very good.
Regicide: Cubeable. This is a one mana kill spell, that kills 70% of the creatures in the cube.
Sinuous Vermin: Cubeable. It's a bear with an upside. A very good upside. A 5/5 Menace is a big threat.
Thorn of the Black Rose: Cubeable. Being the monarch and have a deathtouch creature to defend this position is good.
Crown-Hunter Hireling: Borderline. A 4/4 that draws a card is good, but the drawback may be relevant.
Deputized Protester: Borderline. This is a worse Boggart Brute.
Garbage Fire: Cubeable. You need to wait to pick this up, but than it removes almost everything.
Goblin Racketeer: Bad. Goad is a bad ability in a duel.
Borderland Explorer: Cubeable. A 3/1 for 2 is always good. This also helps fixing your mana and the drawback is irrelevant most of the times.
Entourage of Trest: Cubeable. A 4/4 that draws a card and then helps to defend your crown is just value.
Leovold's Operative: Bad. A 3/2 for 3 isn't very good, but if you like the draft effect, you might want to add it.
Menagerie Liberator: Bad. This is not very good in a duel with this body for that cost.
Orchard Elemental: Terrible. This is just way overcosted in a duel.
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-Replaces itself, and possibly/likely will get more cards
-Its able to block 2 creatures, meaning less vulnerability to aggro/swarm. I know no Reach.
-Splashable
-Acceptable boxy that has no restrictions.
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Crown-Hunter Hireling is compared to red creatures and in my opinion, can't really compete with the cubeable 5-drops. The other ones are all at least as big as Hireling or bigger and have a form of evasion. Hireling can't attack for drawing cards, which is okay, but doesn't have any evasion.
When I look again on Entourage of Trest, yes I think it could be a staple. This card is even more ridiculous, the more I look at it. Any opinion on that?
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I understand Red is one of the better conttolling colors. However, when the source of Monarch is a wall for 4R...
I simply like Entourage, probably for the same reasons you find Crown Hunter appealing, they fit our personal play style.
Golgari/X is my favorite archetype. And having 2 of the better Monarchs makes it even stronger. Entourage is good no matter the timing, and Green has more of a chance to drop it early, with pressure, than most
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I dont like Sparksmith, since it cant hit players and kind of anti-synergizes with goblins when you want to kill small creatures.
Iron Myr seems bad in control.
Rukh Egg belongs in the sacrifice archetype
Cougar is hybrid
Rock Slide is bad compared to all other x-spells
Pyrotechnics, Fireball are hybrids as well
the next time we cube I will draft the UR control and see how it performs. If its really above powerlevel compared to the other decks I might move it into tier1.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
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Probably I have to test it in a cube, but in Conspiracy-Drafts it's kind of annoying not to be able to attack, especially in a stall board, when you're risking to draw yourself to death.
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I was going to say that Crown-Hunter Hireling is cubeable but I think it's actually borderline. It's very unsual card for red since it draws cards. I can see it working in a control deck only.
Or are you interested in a Fiora flavor cube? Conspire and win!
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