I think removal needs to be viewed in the context of the environment. It's so much worse than other removal options in peasant that I feel its rating should reflect that. I'd put it at 1 with the caveat that it could be a 2ish with a lot of "artifacts matter" support.
Have to agree there. I'd even say that the Capsule and Paralyze feel kinda similar powerlevel-wise becausse their weaknesses and fortitudes kinda balance them out. Paralyze is a fast early game removal that becomes obsolet kinda fast while the cpasule is slower but more reliable.
But paralyze has a niche and isn't just a downgrade.
I think removal needs to be viewed in the context of the environment. It's so much worse than other removal options in peasant that I feel its rating should reflect that. I'd put it at 1 with the caveat that it could be a 2ish with a lot of "artifacts matter" support.
Glad to generate some interesting discussion. I think this quote is very relevant. I recall Leelue (I think) saying that if it was all about power in a vacuum, our red sections would contain 50 burn spells.
Alright, last lot of black 1cc spells. There's a few I'm not sure of, plus some that might be trash but maybe they have some slight playability.
Sarcomancy - 3 Description - On it's own, it is decent for aggro decks based on stats for cost. Unlike similar black cards, this one doesn't have a drawback while the creature is in play, but once it leaves play. So if the token is quickly taken out that can be a bummer. However, if you are playing Sarcomancy you are probably playing other black aggro cards which happen to be zombies, mitigating the drawback somewhat. Incidental gating/bounce/sac-for-effect is also nice, though the card is good enough without going out of your way. Anchors - Aggro
Supports -
Skeletal Scrying - 2.5 Description - Solid for control decks. More conditional than something like Night's Whisper or Ambition's Cost, but by the time you want to cast it you probably have the resources in the yard. Being instant also really helps. Anchors - Supports -
Stop That - 1 Description -Could be ok if you are ok with un cards. It's cheap enough that if you only catch your opponent out once it's a nice two for one. If you only get one activation, it isn't worth it. Anchors - Supports -
Suffer the Past - 1 Description -Drain Life variant that doesn't hit creatures? Nah. Clears graveyards? Nah. But if you want a graveyard clearing effect that has some other upside, at least you get that so it isn't a dead card when graveyard clearing doesn't matter. Anchors - Supports -
Tortured Existence - 2 Description -It can get your best creatures back form the yard, but having to discard another creature means you are at a card disadvantage as you have to invest in putting this on the board. Gets a lot better with dredgers or other ways to get more creatures in the yard for more selection. Anchors - Supports - Dredge
Tragic Slip - 3 Description - One of the few 1 mana black spells capable of killing just about every creature in cube... when it gets triggered. Creatures die a lot in any case, plus if you are playing this you are probably playing other black kill spells or sacrifice. Anchors - Supports -
Ulcerate - 2.5
This will kill a decent number of creatures in most cubes, or finish something after blocks are declared. 3 life can hurt though. You want this card if you want push aggro mana efficiency to the limit, but is playable elsewhere.
Anchors -
Supports -
Undying Evil - 3.5
Cheap enough that you can leave the mana open when you need it to restore a creature to the board. +1/+1 makes it more than just a regen, plus the ability to re-use comes into play abilities shouldn't be overlooked. Anchors - Supports -
Unearth - 3.5 Description - Solid for aggro, but also playable in a variety of decks. Solid due to efficient use of mana to get a creature back on the board, plus the ability to cycle if you are in top-deck mode and don't have a relevant target. Anchors - Supports -
Vendetta - 2.5 Description -Better against small guys, but being able to kill larger ones in exchange for more isn't really a downside. Anchors - Supports -
Vile Rebirth - 1 Description - If you are looking for the exile from graveyard effect, this one gives you some extra value in the form of a 2/2 at instant speed for B. Anchors - Supports -
Unplayables Sacrifice - Acceleration isn't worth a creature and a card. Even if the creature is about to die, you have to wait for the perfect opportunity. Sadistic Glee - No immediate impact, and open to 2 for 1. Scare Tactics - Not worth the cost of a card. Shadowfeed - Just bad. Shattered Dreams - Way too narrow for cube. Shrieking Affliction - Has no early relevance, and most players are likely to hold onto at least 1 card as a bluff. By the time you play this on an empty hand, your opponent is likely to just hold onto a couple of lands. Too conditional to get going or get value. Shrouded Lore - Way too conditional to get what you want. Sicken - Too narrow. Sinister Possession - You would rather have a kill spell than this. Skull Fracture - Costs too much for 2 cards. Songs of the Damned - Hard to take advantage of in cube environment. Harder to load your graveyard, and even if you do not an abundant number of ways to abuse the mana. Soul Stair Expedition - While cheap, other effects that get your creatures back more consistently are preferred. Soul Strings - It could have some play in an aggro deck to reload after some early trades, but once you start paying more than a few mana you may as well have Death Denied. Soulshriek - Too conditional to be reliable. Stabbing Pain - It can lock down a bigger creature for a turn, but not a strong enough effect to matter. Stir the Grave - While flexible you are paying retail for the creature. Tainted Strike - Could be a way to make a big creature if you are chump blocking... but then you would prefer something else. Taste of Blood - Bad. Tendrils of Despair - Too situational and costs too much. Thrull Retainer - Does not do enough. Torture - Way too slow. Touch of Darkness - Useless. Unholy Strength - Nah. Vampire's Bite - Doesn't do enough. Vampiric Link - Doesn't do enough to warrant a spot. Viper's Kiss - It only kills x/1's and they can still attack and block. Nope. Virulent Wound - Bad. Volrath's Motion Sensor - For a power perspective, 1 mana for non-guaranteed 3 damage is pretty bad. You would only play it for 'fun' reasons. Weakness - Bad. Withering Hex - Far too parasitic. Wretched Banquet - Narrow application means you are rarely going to kill what you want. Wring Flesh - Would rather have Disfigure most of the time, or pay an extra mana for an upgrade. Virulent Swipe - Not good enough.
Skull Fracture: bad. Not worth the mana for 2 cards (we get to play Hymn to Tourach after all)
Stop That: 5 star card, I wouldn't be able to keep 2 cards in my hand with that in the game. (Really it can range from 0.5-3 though )
Tortured Existance gets a LOT better with dredgers, to the point that it's a key part of a fringe pauper deck. The rating is fine though.
Tragic Slip is at least a 3. Creatures die a lot, and black has a lot of ways to make things die.
Ulcerate is also probably a 3, but not one every cube wants.
Vendetta is about 0.5 above Ulcerate. It's better against smaller guys and being able to kill larger ones in exchange for more life isn't really downside.
Vile Rebirth as a 1.5-2.0 kinda card. It's going to be a couple of turns before you usually get to cast this, and vanilla 2/2's aren't the most amazing thing in the format. Could be cute on an ice cream scepter though.
Virulent Swipe - tentative 1.0? The first time you use it it could easily be a 2for1 on yourself (though not necessarily) but the second time you might get some damage though.
Wring Flesh - I'd expect there are about a hundred cards I'd play in black before I ran this.
I'd drop the 1 mana decent kill spells to 2 or 2.5 depending, slip slightly better than the rest, stop that a 0, undying evil could be .5 lower if someone agrees, and skeletal scrying I'd suggest to drop a tad.
Depending on how you are 2 for 1'd, I'd assume Virulent Swipe is unplayable; if opponent responds by removing the target, I'd assume it won't resolve and won't rebound.
Adjusted some of the kill spells, which I'm assuming will generate the most debate.
n00b, your assessment of Vile Rebirth would indicate we over-evaluated Diregraf Ghoul as it is also a vanilla 2/2 (with a drawback no less). The difference is, how long will it be until we can play this? The mana efficiency is the main draw; I could see this filling out a curve on turns 2-4 and help to sequence plays to ensure you maximise your mana each turn, plus the instant surprise is nice. I'd like to give this a try now that i am talking it up, but I would have to determine whether to replace another 2/x for B (have 4 at 360), or some other effect. However, have dropped it to 2 based on your assessment as I'm making assumptions.
I do tend to lean on the 'best case' side at times. It may be a matter of redundancy; I'd probably include it in a deck with the other 1 mana 2/x's, because even if I had Vile Rebirth in the opener, I've probably got one of those other cards to lead with. But drafting all of them where that redundancy means it won't matter so much? Probably not going to happen very frequently. So you've talked me out of it.
Looking at this card from a completely different angle, we rated Cremate a 1 (I think) as it can get you the exile from graveyard effect; would you prefer a card or a body if it was a case of including the effect?
On to the blues. I'm not much of a blue mage; there are probably some of these that are unplayable, but maybe they have their own little niche (playable in certain decks or archetypes, even though most cubes never pursue those lines of play).
Cloudfin Raptor - 3 Description - Nice as an early drop for aggro decks to go over the top when you can follow it with a steady stream of creatures. Not a great top deck, but neither are most 1-drops. May have a place in more creature-oriented control decks, with some possible fringe benefits from effects like blink / bounce. Anchors - Supports - Aggro
Cursecatcher - 1 Description - Judge's Familiar is strictly better, but this card can be ok if you don't want to dedicate a multi-colour / hybrid spot for it. While it has a control element, it works better in aggro/midrange decks against control decks. Anchors - Supports -
Dakra Mystic - 2.5 Description - Can help with filtering card quality on both sides of the table. Has minor synergy with graveyard matters themes. Anchors - Supports -
Delver of Secrets - 2 Description - You have to push Delver of Secrets to make it worthwhile, and ensure you have enough targets in your deck. Gets marginally better the more scry or similar effects are in your cube. Anchors - Supports - Spells Matter
Drifter il-Dal - 1.5 Description - Can be good in blue aggro, but needs sufficient support of other aggro cards in blue. Anchors - Supports - Aggro
Drowned Rusalka - 1 Description - This card is functional, but not terribly exciting. It's a nice thing to have on the table to get some incremental value, but not worth going out of your way to draft. Minor graveyard matters support, as it is cheap and can always cycle itself as early as turn 2 to get a relevant target in the yard. Anchors - Supports - Graveyard Matters themes
Drowner Initiate - 2
Description - This is ideally suited for a mill deck, but can also support a blue-based graveyard matters deck. If you aren't supporting at least 1 archetype that can benefit from this, it doesn't belong in your cube. Anchors - Mill Supports - Graveyard Matters themes
Enclave Cryptologist - 3 Description - This guy slots into almost any blue deck that likes to play things slow. While fragile, there isn't much investment to start card filtering, and not a huge investment to turn that into true card advantage. Shame he can't trade with anything. Anchors - Supports - Control, graveyard matters, reanimator
Faerie Impostor - 2 Description - Cheap cost probably means you can replay the bounced card. Lack of flash removes some options, so use of this card is relegated to ETB effects or saving creatures from random negative enchantments. Anchors - Supports -
Flying Men/Zephyr Sprite - 1 Description - Pretty unexciting, but may have a place as a 1-drop in a Skies deck with something like Favourable Winds, or in pants deck. Jace's Phantasm has some marginal upside over this. Anchors - Supports - Skies, Pants
I give cloudfin raptor a 3.5-4? You literally have no options that are even close to as good as it for blue 1 drops in aggro, but if you aren't supporting blue aggro it doesn't have business with you.
I'd give dakra mystic and delver each 2.5s for now and drifter il dal a 1.5
The classification for 4 is staple, so nearly any deck that is in those colours would want it/play it, which doesn't match the rest of your comment for Cloudfin Raptor. That said, would it still not serve a purpose in a more controlling build? Early play followed by a few guys with big butts who can stall the ground while this guy goes over the top? Or even a flicker/bounce deck? I really need to add that to my cube.
Has drifter not been that good for you Leelue? I recall you testing it a while ago, and thought it may have been better.
VariSami, thanks for the pick-up, I'll drop Flying Men to the unplayable section. I thought there might have been something out there that I had overlooked.
I... vaguely recall testing that guy. Or talking about testing it? It's a long time ago that I thought about that card.
Not being able to play the rest of your guys on curve essentially relegate this card to Rogue elephant status (play at the end of the curve). The downsides outweigh the upside of being unblockable imo.
Well then the raptor is a 3.5. It is a staple inclusion if you ever plan on having islands and attackers on the same side of the board, but a few people still reserve blue to mostly control for whatever reason.
I have in dire straits run the raptor in controlling builds, but it requires a bunch of work. One, it has to be played early. Two, you need to actually have a consistent stream of creatures. Three, stalling on the ground has to actually be viable in the matchup/environment. Core set limited style control decks are not particularly viable in my cube (gum up the ground, stick a flier, beat with it).
Am I the only person who gets annoyed every time you refer to a female creature with male pronouns? I think I must have OCD or something.
Cloudfin Raptor is probably a 2.5 with strong potential upside. Leelue will rate it 3.5 but don't trust him, he supports blue aggro! Delver of Secrets is a 2, and a trap. Don't play include it, don't play it! People will do both however because of its constructed pedigree. Drifter Il-Dal (you misspelled the name) is cool, but I wonder how worth it the drawback is. Has anybody tested it? Drowned Rusalka is unplayable trash, for a card and 2 mana I could cast Impulse. Enclave Cryptologist, as a looter has synergy with Reanimator and graveyard strategies. Faerie Imposter is whatever rating Delver is. Probably a better card in limited though.
Leelue, maybe you just talked about the drifter. I recall it coming up at some point. See your points on Cloudfin, though I suspect you push aggro harder than anyone else (at least in blue).
Squirrelly, would you score it a 1? Or should they actually be higher; they don't really take a lot of support, they just don't do a lot (though Jace's Phantasm gets more mileage in a blue black control deck that counters/kills/discards everything). I will update Cursecatcher.
n00b, didn't even realise I had done that. Must have picked it up somewhere as a more generic term. 2 sounds right for Delver; you have to support it with enough spells in your cube to make it matter. Or are you saying don't even play it in a spells matters deck? In which case maybe it is worse?
Drowned Rusalka has some differences over Impulse. Impulse is better by a large margin in a general sense, but Rusalka can be used multiple times with other creatures, and you get to choose to put stuff in your yard if it matters to your gameplan. It isn't good by any means, but I think it justifies giving it a nod over unplayable.
It's probably fine in a spells matter deck but I feel like other cards which like spells (pyromancer, gelectrode, guttersnipe) are more likely to be value sooner than delver (played on curve, you probably still have a trigger or two in your hand after casting it, whereas you're at the mercy of topdecks to find the flip and the body is almost irrelevant before that happens). Ultimately however, I haven't played it a lot in limited so it could be better than I give it credit for. I just play it a lot in constructed and the difference in power between the two formats makes me dislike it more than I probably should.
I also made that post before I saw this page, so go me for calling Leelue's madness.
I call female cards males specifically because it annoys people who take this kind of thing seriously.
Actually I usually just don't care enough to go back into my memory to remember such a detail. If the name doesn't clue me in, defaulting to male is usually just correct
Updated previous post. Added Flying Men back in as a 1. Updated a number of the descriptions.
I haven't updated Dakra Mystic yet. Has anyone had experience with this guy? Even just in its native limited format? Seems like an interesting effect, I'm just not sure how much mileage you get out of it.
Flying Men type cards are also outclassed by Triton Shorestalker and the new DTK megamorph. Perfect evasion > ability to block flyers, by a large margin.
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Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
But paralyze has a niche and isn't just a downgrade.
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
Glad to generate some interesting discussion. I think this quote is very relevant. I recall Leelue (I think) saying that if it was all about power in a vacuum, our red sections would contain 50 burn spells.
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
Sarcomancy - 3
Description - On it's own, it is decent for aggro decks based on stats for cost. Unlike similar black cards, this one doesn't have a drawback while the creature is in play, but once it leaves play. So if the token is quickly taken out that can be a bummer. However, if you are playing Sarcomancy you are probably playing other black aggro cards which happen to be zombies, mitigating the drawback somewhat. Incidental gating/bounce/sac-for-effect is also nice, though the card is good enough without going out of your way.
Anchors - Aggro
Supports -
Skeletal Scrying - 2.5
Description - Solid for control decks. More conditional than something like Night's Whisper or Ambition's Cost, but by the time you want to cast it you probably have the resources in the yard. Being instant also really helps.
Anchors -
Supports -
Stop That - 1
Description -Could be ok if you are ok with un cards. It's cheap enough that if you only catch your opponent out once it's a nice two for one. If you only get one activation, it isn't worth it.
Anchors -
Supports -
Suffer the Past - 1
Description -Drain Life variant that doesn't hit creatures? Nah. Clears graveyards? Nah. But if you want a graveyard clearing effect that has some other upside, at least you get that so it isn't a dead card when graveyard clearing doesn't matter.
Anchors -
Supports -
Tortured Existence - 2
Description -It can get your best creatures back form the yard, but having to discard another creature means you are at a card disadvantage as you have to invest in putting this on the board. Gets a lot better with dredgers or other ways to get more creatures in the yard for more selection.
Anchors -
Supports - Dredge
Tragic Slip - 3
Description - One of the few 1 mana black spells capable of killing just about every creature in cube... when it gets triggered. Creatures die a lot in any case, plus if you are playing this you are probably playing other black kill spells or sacrifice.
Anchors -
Supports -
Ulcerate - 2.5
This will kill a decent number of creatures in most cubes, or finish something after blocks are declared. 3 life can hurt though. You want this card if you want push aggro mana efficiency to the limit, but is playable elsewhere.
Anchors -
Supports -
Undying Evil - 3.5
Cheap enough that you can leave the mana open when you need it to restore a creature to the board. +1/+1 makes it more than just a regen, plus the ability to re-use comes into play abilities shouldn't be overlooked.
Anchors -
Supports -
Unearth - 3.5
Description - Solid for aggro, but also playable in a variety of decks. Solid due to efficient use of mana to get a creature back on the board, plus the ability to cycle if you are in top-deck mode and don't have a relevant target.
Anchors -
Supports -
Vendetta - 2.5
Description -Better against small guys, but being able to kill larger ones in exchange for more isn't really a downside.
Anchors -
Supports -
Vile Rebirth - 1
Description - If you are looking for the exile from graveyard effect, this one gives you some extra value in the form of a 2/2 at instant speed for B.
Anchors -
Supports -
Sacrifice - Acceleration isn't worth a creature and a card. Even if the creature is about to die, you have to wait for the perfect opportunity.
Sadistic Glee - No immediate impact, and open to 2 for 1.
Scare Tactics - Not worth the cost of a card.
Shadowfeed - Just bad.
Shattered Dreams - Way too narrow for cube.
Shrieking Affliction - Has no early relevance, and most players are likely to hold onto at least 1 card as a bluff. By the time you play this on an empty hand, your opponent is likely to just hold onto a couple of lands. Too conditional to get going or get value.
Shrouded Lore - Way too conditional to get what you want.
Sicken - Too narrow.
Sinister Possession - You would rather have a kill spell than this.
Skull Fracture - Costs too much for 2 cards.
Songs of the Damned - Hard to take advantage of in cube environment. Harder to load your graveyard, and even if you do not an abundant number of ways to abuse the mana.
Soul Stair Expedition - While cheap, other effects that get your creatures back more consistently are preferred.
Soul Strings - It could have some play in an aggro deck to reload after some early trades, but once you start paying more than a few mana you may as well have Death Denied.
Soulshriek - Too conditional to be reliable.
Stabbing Pain - It can lock down a bigger creature for a turn, but not a strong enough effect to matter.
Stir the Grave - While flexible you are paying retail for the creature.
Tainted Strike - Could be a way to make a big creature if you are chump blocking... but then you would prefer something else.
Taste of Blood - Bad.
Tendrils of Despair - Too situational and costs too much.
Thrull Retainer - Does not do enough.
Torture - Way too slow.
Touch of Darkness - Useless.
Unholy Strength - Nah.
Vampire's Bite - Doesn't do enough.
Vampiric Link - Doesn't do enough to warrant a spot.
Viper's Kiss - It only kills x/1's and they can still attack and block. Nope.
Virulent Wound - Bad.
Volrath's Motion Sensor - For a power perspective, 1 mana for non-guaranteed 3 damage is pretty bad. You would only play it for 'fun' reasons.
Weakness - Bad.
Withering Hex - Far too parasitic.
Wretched Banquet - Narrow application means you are rarely going to kill what you want.
Wring Flesh - Would rather have Disfigure most of the time, or pay an extra mana for an upgrade.
Virulent Swipe - Not good enough.
Stop That: 5 star card, I wouldn't be able to keep 2 cards in my hand with that in the game. (Really it can range from 0.5-3 though )
Tortured Existance gets a LOT better with dredgers, to the point that it's a key part of a fringe pauper deck. The rating is fine though.
Tragic Slip is at least a 3. Creatures die a lot, and black has a lot of ways to make things die.
Ulcerate is also probably a 3, but not one every cube wants.
Vendetta is about 0.5 above Ulcerate. It's better against smaller guys and being able to kill larger ones in exchange for more life isn't really downside.
Vile Rebirth as a 1.5-2.0 kinda card. It's going to be a couple of turns before you usually get to cast this, and vanilla 2/2's aren't the most amazing thing in the format. Could be cute on an ice cream scepter though.
Virulent Swipe - tentative 1.0? The first time you use it it could easily be a 2for1 on yourself (though not necessarily) but the second time you might get some damage though.
Wring Flesh - I'd expect there are about a hundred cards I'd play in black before I ran this.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
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
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Depending on how you are 2 for 1'd, I'd assume Virulent Swipe is unplayable; if opponent responds by removing the target, I'd assume it won't resolve and won't rebound.
Adjusted some of the kill spells, which I'm assuming will generate the most debate.
n00b, your assessment of Vile Rebirth would indicate we over-evaluated Diregraf Ghoul as it is also a vanilla 2/2 (with a drawback no less). The difference is, how long will it be until we can play this? The mana efficiency is the main draw; I could see this filling out a curve on turns 2-4 and help to sequence plays to ensure you maximise your mana each turn, plus the instant surprise is nice. I'd like to give this a try now that i am talking it up, but I would have to determine whether to replace another 2/x for B (have 4 at 360), or some other effect. However, have dropped it to 2 based on your assessment as I'm making assumptions.
Ultimately I'm not really an expert on the card since the only time I played it was M14 limited (where it was an alright 23rd card).
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Like... 80% of the value of a one drop is playing the card on turn one. Ashcoat bear is well below playable and this card is conditional.
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
Looking at this card from a completely different angle, we rated Cremate a 1 (I think) as it can get you the exile from graveyard effect; would you prefer a card or a body if it was a case of including the effect?
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
Cloudfin Raptor - 3
Description - Nice as an early drop for aggro decks to go over the top when you can follow it with a steady stream of creatures. Not a great top deck, but neither are most 1-drops. May have a place in more creature-oriented control decks, with some possible fringe benefits from effects like blink / bounce.
Anchors -
Supports - Aggro
Cursecatcher - 1
Description - Judge's Familiar is strictly better, but this card can be ok if you don't want to dedicate a multi-colour / hybrid spot for it. While it has a control element, it works better in aggro/midrange decks against control decks.
Anchors -
Supports -
Dakra Mystic - 2.5
Description - Can help with filtering card quality on both sides of the table. Has minor synergy with graveyard matters themes.
Anchors -
Supports -
Delver of Secrets - 2
Description - You have to push Delver of Secrets to make it worthwhile, and ensure you have enough targets in your deck. Gets marginally better the more scry or similar effects are in your cube.
Anchors -
Supports - Spells Matter
Drifter il-Dal - 1.5
Description - Can be good in blue aggro, but needs sufficient support of other aggro cards in blue.
Anchors -
Supports - Aggro
Drowned Rusalka - 1
Description - This card is functional, but not terribly exciting. It's a nice thing to have on the table to get some incremental value, but not worth going out of your way to draft. Minor graveyard matters support, as it is cheap and can always cycle itself as early as turn 2 to get a relevant target in the yard.
Anchors -
Supports - Graveyard Matters themes
Drowner Initiate - 2
Description - This is ideally suited for a mill deck, but can also support a blue-based graveyard matters deck. If you aren't supporting at least 1 archetype that can benefit from this, it doesn't belong in your cube.
Anchors - Mill
Supports - Graveyard Matters themes
Enclave Cryptologist - 3
Description - This guy slots into almost any blue deck that likes to play things slow. While fragile, there isn't much investment to start card filtering, and not a huge investment to turn that into true card advantage. Shame he can't trade with anything.
Anchors -
Supports - Control, graveyard matters, reanimator
Faerie Impostor - 2
Description - Cheap cost probably means you can replay the bounced card. Lack of flash removes some options, so use of this card is relegated to ETB effects or saving creatures from random negative enchantments.
Anchors -
Supports -
Flying Men/Zephyr Sprite - 1
Description - Pretty unexciting, but may have a place as a 1-drop in a Skies deck with something like Favourable Winds, or in pants deck. Jace's Phantasm has some marginal upside over this.
Anchors -
Supports - Skies, Pants
Aven Envoy - Just bad.
Baldvuvian Shaman - Just bad.
Caller of Gales - Better ways to grant flying.
Cathartic Adept - This is going to be too slow even if you want to push a mill theme.
Ceta Dsiciple - Doesn't do enough.
Cloud Pirates / Cloud Sprite - Strictly better cards than this.
Dreamcatcher - Bad.
Eletric Eel - Bad.
Embodiment of Spring - Too slow and not big enough butt to worry about.
Faerie Squadron - Both modes are bad.
Fledgling Osprey - Why wouldn't you just use Jace's Phantasm?
Fugitive Wizard - Vanilla badness.
Grayscaled Gharial - Almost vanilla badness.
Grixis Illusionist - Rarely relevant.
I'd give dakra mystic and delver each 2.5s for now and drifter il dal a 1.5
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
Has drifter not been that good for you Leelue? I recall you testing it a while ago, and thought it may have been better.
VariSami, thanks for the pick-up, I'll drop Flying Men to the unplayable section. I thought there might have been something out there that I had overlooked.
Not being able to play the rest of your guys on curve essentially relegate this card to Rogue elephant status (play at the end of the curve). The downsides outweigh the upside of being unblockable imo.
Well then the raptor is a 3.5. It is a staple inclusion if you ever plan on having islands and attackers on the same side of the board, but a few people still reserve blue to mostly control for whatever reason.
I have in dire straits run the raptor in controlling builds, but it requires a bunch of work. One, it has to be played early. Two, you need to actually have a consistent stream of creatures. Three, stalling on the ground has to actually be viable in the matchup/environment. Core set limited style control decks are not particularly viable in my cube (gum up the ground, stick a flier, beat with it).
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
Cloudfin Raptor is probably a 2.5 with strong potential upside. Leelue will rate it 3.5 but don't trust him, he supports blue aggro!
Delver of Secrets is a 2, and a trap. Don't play include it, don't play it! People will do both however because of its constructed pedigree.
Drifter Il-Dal (you misspelled the name) is cool, but I wonder how worth it the drawback is. Has anybody tested it?
Drowned Rusalka is unplayable trash, for a card and 2 mana I could cast Impulse.
Enclave Cryptologist, as a looter has synergy with Reanimator and graveyard strategies.
Faerie Imposter is whatever rating Delver is. Probably a better card in limited though.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Squirrelly, would you score it a 1? Or should they actually be higher; they don't really take a lot of support, they just don't do a lot (though Jace's Phantasm gets more mileage in a blue black control deck that counters/kills/discards everything). I will update Cursecatcher.
n00b, didn't even realise I had done that. Must have picked it up somewhere as a more generic term. 2 sounds right for Delver; you have to support it with enough spells in your cube to make it matter. Or are you saying don't even play it in a spells matters deck? In which case maybe it is worse?
Drowned Rusalka has some differences over Impulse. Impulse is better by a large margin in a general sense, but Rusalka can be used multiple times with other creatures, and you get to choose to put stuff in your yard if it matters to your gameplan. It isn't good by any means, but I think it justifies giving it a nod over unplayable.
I also made that post before I saw this page, so go me for calling Leelue's madness.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Actually I usually just don't care enough to go back into my memory to remember such a detail. If the name doesn't clue me in, defaulting to male is usually just correct
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
I haven't updated Dakra Mystic yet. Has anyone had experience with this guy? Even just in its native limited format? Seems like an interesting effect, I'm just not sure how much mileage you get out of it.
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