Yep, we've had decks that have won games on turn 4, I'm pretty sure that's "pure" aggro. I agree that it's kind of like aggro in limited in that it gravitates around the 1-2-3 drop slots rather than the 1-2 drop slots that you see in constructed, but it's definitely not midrange.
It's okay, but high end creatures in Pauper are generally lacking. I'm never super excited to run it, but if I'm playing a slower control deck, I don't mind the flexibility of cycling it.
It's okay, but high end creatures in Pauper are generally lacking. I'm never super excited to run it, but if I'm playing a slower control deck, I don't mind the flexibility of cycling it.
It's one of the better finishers in pauper cube; it's pretty unexciting.
Yeah, it's one of the better finishers, but that's speaking more to the weakness of Pauper finishers than it is the strength of the card itself. I mean, there are a ton of awesome aggro creatures that are good on their own merit rather than being awesome compared to Grizzly Bears.
I'm saying there is no reason not to run it, but I wish each color had access to a Errant Ephemeron level finisher, but maybe not a Sprout Swarm level.
The lack of finishes is what makes a lot of control decks suffer, but not the ability to control the board state which leads to not a lot of variance in the archetype, and making all the finishers highly sought after picks.
Aggro on the other hand in pauper is quite healthy, although it tends to be mostly red/x decks. Although I have recntly been noticing more White/X decks as the 2 drops are getting really good.
The thing is, I dislike Rakdos Shred-Freak enough that I'm willing to try out a few others cards in place of it. Blightning, Strangling Soot and Terminate are the best three B/R cards, and then I'd place Henchfiend of Ukor and Fires of Undeath as likely candidates.
Recently I was messing around during a draft and put together your classic aggressive GW deck with three mana dorks (and a huge number of 2-drops, which is awkward.) Somehow in the middle of it I picked up Empyrial Armor and a lot of evasion, including both Boas, Kor Skyfisher and Soltari Trooper. When the pack containing Snake Umbra came by, I knew what I had to do. GW Auras, baby.
So far it's been hilariously fun to play. I'm not sure what that says about the power level of the Auras - they've been removed as much as I expect - but it's something that I may just have to investigate further. For one thing, maybe replacing Empyrial Armor for Wordmail.
Not a fan of Ancestral Mask. A bit too deep for me.
Aura Gnarlid, though, is interesting. There's enough Aura-based removal around that I can imagine it being a 3/3 a lot of the time, and the evasion is sweet in that case. Reasonable in a non-Aura deck, and bonkers in the Aura deck - just what I like to see. May have to tank on it.
Something I've noticed while looking through people's cube lists is that Blinding Beam is a near staple while very few include Frost Breath.
They are very close to bring the same card, both are instants except frost breath is always entwined for one mana less. I understand that Blinding Beam can keep more creatures tapped since the clauses are separate but is that big enough a corner case compared to the corner case of frost breath being able to tap one guy while blinding beam can't? (Frost breath says up to two target creatures)
I understand white is a more aggressive color than blue in most cubes, but I also think that most cubes can support a white/blue fliers deck, so I don't see why frost breath is not considered a good card when blinding beam is almost staple.
I've found it good in almost every match up. Obviously it's not at its strongest in aggro vs control but control vs aggro and aggro vs aggro it's pretty beastly at stalling or winning a race.
Frost Breath is probably just as powerful as Blinding Beam, but blue has just way less room in its spell section for such an effect. In White, you play some removal spells, and a few tapdown cards. In blue you play counter spells, bounce, card draw, cantrips, etc. I would really really love to play the card, but it's very hard to fit in.
I think Blinding Beam is slightly more powerful, but I agree with this. Lately Blinding Beam hasn't been all that great. Still a good card, and fills the role of a lategame alpha-strike-enabler that I won't be cutting, but it's not staple by any means anymore.
Aven Riftwatcher is a real powerhouse and should be a staple in any common cube. having a 2/3 Flyer on the table for several turns plus gaining 4 life is very very strong. If your opponent has to spend a removal spell on it, it's even better.
The best tappers are obviously Gideon's Lawkeeper and Goldmeadow Harrier. They are staples that everyone should run. Then you have Squall Drifter, Blinding Souleater, Ballynock Trapper and 3-4 Blinding Mages.
I personally run the Drifter plus one Blinding mage and I'm pretty happy with it.
Blinding Souleater has the drawback of being an artifact, thus being much easier to kill than the CC2 guys, which is why I don't run it.
Ballynock Trapper seems interesting, but I personally haven't tested it yet. It doesn't seem stronger than the much cheaper options, though.
There are also people who eschew all of those entirely (apart from the CC1 guys of course), because they feel that the effect doesn't do enough. I have always liked the ability and think that it is very good, especially against equipment or if you just need to prevent a defferent creature from attacking and/or blocking each turn.
Besides the 1-drops, I only run the Drifter now, and even that hasn't been great. I'm not a fan of tappers.
I can definitely see there being a cap on the number of tappers you want to run. I run 4 and they seem to do very well in our cube. Their versatility is awesome and both control and aggro seem to want them. Whether its tapping down a 4/4, a flier with equipment, or a blocker to bash in with the team they always do something useful. Even if it's not the most backbreaking of abilities (sometimes it is), it's always at the very worst, useful. I guess it's also of note that I don't run any hexproof guys except for old blastoderm.
Just adding my final tidbit to the Riftwatcher debate, it's a very good card in the BW Recursion decks that use cards like Disturbed Burial, as you might guess. While I think Riftwatcher is good enough to be cubed with even without being good in that deck, it's still a +1 for me and is responsible for other cards like Lone Missionary staying in.
I think your definition of card disadvantage is a bit strange. Card disadvantage is when you net yourself negative cards. Such examples would be 2 for 1'ing yourself to get rid of your opponents creature or saving your own. Discarding 2 cards to your Wild Mongrel to kill a blocking 3/3 is card disadvantage. Playing your card and taking something from your opponent (life or a creature) or gaining something for yourself (life or a creature) is simply a card. At the very least, Aven Riftwatcher nets you 4 life if it literally does nothing. Life Burst is not card disadvantage. Sure, it's not a good card but it is not card disadvantage. We all know that a 2/3 flier is a very imposing body on the board. If you play it on turn 3, it would be very rare that your opponent could swing into it without at the very least trading which nets you a 1v1 for creatures and leaving you up 4 life from your opponent. If your opponent doesn't attack into it, you've just left yourself with a 2/3 flier, a fog, and 2 life. This card is simply a beating against any aggro deck and still a decent creature against others.
I think it's more important to note what effects are "worth" a card, as that's far more important than counting what actually ends up going + or - cards. If anything, I'd assume that Lanxal is saying that an 8 point life swing, with 4 of that going against your opponent, is worth 3 mana and a card when it is attached to something that can absorb a blastoderm attack, be abused, carry equipment, and on the occasion where it does it removal you're really far ahead.
I guess it really just boils down to how your cube plays out within the context of your playgroup. I know how true this is even in my own un-powered cube. There are cards that almost the entire community says is not only a staple but top 3 of that cards color and our playgroup seldom even puts it in their decks. Every one and every group has different cube experiences and different cards tend to fit those better than others. That being said, Aven Riftwatcher is always solid in our playgroup but maybe aggro isn't as powerful in other people's cubing experiences which could definitely detract from this cards value.
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(other slots are Terminate, Rakdos Shred-Freak, Blightning)
Between Fire at Will and Double Cleave I go with Double Cleave in a hybrid slot. FaW tripple color cost prevents it from being a true hybrid card.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
I dissagre on you with silkbind faerie as it makes racing impossible, is useable in just white or blue and can block OK
My errata'd commons cube
Strangling Soot. Bump is not very good.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Yeah, that's just wrong.
Draft it on Cubetutor!
It's one of the better finishers in pauper cube; it's pretty unexciting.
Draft it on Cubetutor!
I'm saying there is no reason not to run it, but I wish each color had access to a Errant Ephemeron level finisher, but maybe not a Sprout Swarm level.
The GB cards in maybe a 6-card section, the Shred-Freak probablly in a 7-card section. It is not very good.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Karador, Ghost Chieftain
The lack of finishes is what makes a lot of control decks suffer, but not the ability to control the board state which leads to not a lot of variance in the archetype, and making all the finishers highly sought after picks.
Aggro on the other hand in pauper is quite healthy, although it tends to be mostly red/x decks. Although I have recntly been noticing more White/X decks as the 2 drops are getting really good.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Recently I was messing around during a draft and put together your classic aggressive GW deck with three mana dorks (and a huge number of 2-drops, which is awkward.) Somehow in the middle of it I picked up Empyrial Armor and a lot of evasion, including both Boas, Kor Skyfisher and Soltari Trooper. When the pack containing Snake Umbra came by, I knew what I had to do. GW Auras, baby.
So far it's been hilariously fun to play. I'm not sure what that says about the power level of the Auras - they've been removed as much as I expect - but it's something that I may just have to investigate further. For one thing, maybe replacing Empyrial Armor for Wordmail.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Aura Gnarlid, though, is interesting. There's enough Aura-based removal around that I can imagine it being a 3/3 a lot of the time, and the evasion is sweet in that case. Reasonable in a non-Aura deck, and bonkers in the Aura deck - just what I like to see. May have to tank on it.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
They are very close to bring the same card, both are instants except frost breath is always entwined for one mana less. I understand that Blinding Beam can keep more creatures tapped since the clauses are separate but is that big enough a corner case compared to the corner case of frost breath being able to tap one guy while blinding beam can't? (Frost breath says up to two target creatures)
I understand white is a more aggressive color than blue in most cubes, but I also think that most cubes can support a white/blue fliers deck, so I don't see why frost breath is not considered a good card when blinding beam is almost staple.
At 360, I run Goldmeadow Harrier, Gideon's Lawkeeper, Squall Drifter, and Benalish Trapper. I'm also in the process of adding hybrid cards into the cube and I'm thinking Silkbind Faerie might come in with those changes.
I think Blinding Beam is slightly more powerful, but I agree with this. Lately Blinding Beam hasn't been all that great. Still a good card, and fills the role of a lategame alpha-strike-enabler that I won't be cutting, but it's not staple by any means anymore.
This.
Besides the 1-drops, I only run the Drifter now, and even that hasn't been great. I'm not a fan of tappers.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Card advantage is a dated metric if you ask me.
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