Did you mean to write that Domestication could be a temporary removal spell? It only sacrifices itself, so it is never actually a removal spell.
Does Sleep push Ensnare to zero? You don't have instant speed, and you don't have the free option. But if you want to tap down their team, Ensnaring on their end step for free doesn't seem better than just untapping and sleeping them.
Like, I'm definitely expecting to win more games with it in my deck than I would with Coastal Discovery, Choking Tethers, Cumber Stone, Youthful Scholar, Soratami Savant... most (not all) of the 1's on this page, actually.
Ensnare... I'm almost more inclined to give it a 0 upon reflection. The upsides over Sleep are marginal. The upside mainly is that you can curve out and then cast it on their end step for 'free', attack past their team, and still play something else during your main phase (which you can't do with Sleep). But Sleep just seems better in nearly every other situation, and if those creatures aren't untapping for another turn that is probably just as good as casting something else. Using the bounced islands as another resource or landfall triggers seems pretty marginal.
Fuel For the Cause - This was optimistic. I'm always looking for reasons to play cards, but even if you care about proliferate effects there are better options (Thrummingbird and Skyship Plunderer) than a 4 mana counterspell.
Last Thoughts - Both the Concentrate and the Coastal Piracy comparisons are fair. However, on an evasive creature this CAN draw you 2 cards the turn you play it. Still too conditional I guess, and the comments about Piracy's resilience and therefore long term effectiveness are relevant.
Domestication - Yeah, I misread this as sacrificing the creature, not the enchantment. Worse than I had initially thought, but still fine.
Krovikan Whispers - I think I generally underestimate how good 'bad' Control Magic's can still be. I suppose a 2 is probably reasonable? I suppose this could be aimed more at blue aggro decks; they want the game to end before the cumulative upkeep matters and are probably less worried about losing a bit of life if the creature dies in a trade while keeping up pressure.
Ensnare... I'm almost more inclined to give it a 0 upon reflection. The upsides over Sleep are marginal. The upside mainly is that you can curve out and then cast it on their end step for 'free', attack past their team, and still play something else during your main phase (which you can't do with Sleep). But Sleep just seems better in nearly every other situation, and if those creatures aren't untapping for another turn that is probably just as good as casting something else. Using the bounced islands as another resource or landfall triggers seems pretty marginal.
These are my thoughts as well. How valuable is the instant speed vs. sleep when you still wait to their end-step? Sure, you get to develop your board the following turn, but if you curved out then you are down 1-2 lands. And since sleep works for two turns, don't you kinda "get back" that advantage the next turn? I dunno.
EDIT: I guess ensnare's value goes up if there are several Overrun type effects in your cube, since you can "counter" an alpha strike. That's kinda good actually. Although still situational. (And it doesn work on Rally the Peasants and other instant-speed pumps).
I wonder if Blustersquall has been classified too highly, but compared to Ensare at least you can cast Blustersquall from a top deck and attack, instead of waiting a turn with Ensnare. But in any case, I err on the side of inclusion, so Ensnare can stay at 1.
Well, I do now. I missed that nuance, it's not particularly intuitive.
The rest of the blue spells, it's a few extra entries than usual but thought I'd get them all done.
4 - Staple - Cards with enough base power that your cube is less powerful from their omission. They are cards that are likely to never rotate out of your cube unless you ban them for being too good. 3 - Strong - These are solid cards that get the job done. Their exclusion is probably an indicator that you are actively not supporting a popular deck / archetype / effect. 2 - Playable - These are good cards, but they are either interchangeable (e.g. lots of removal, aggressive red 2-drops) or are build-around cards that need a little support to be good (Favorable Winds). 1 - Niche - These cards aren't usually considered great, but might be included to support some obscure archetypes, specific interactions, or if going deep on a particular type of deck / archetype / effect. Unplayable - There isn't a reason to play these over other options, except in extreme cases where you are intentionally depowering an effect.
Levitation - 1 (0?) Description - There are going to be some scenarios where this is great (drop it, alpha strike over the top), but it's fairly situational on the board state. Wonder isn't the same (you can't immediately alpha strike), but that card is better if you are behind as it at least gives you a blocker first if that is what you need. Anchors - Supports -
Mystical Teachings - 1 Description - It supports a pretty narrow band of decks, but you'd play it in a flash / go deck, or just a Dimir control deck looking to find its instant speed removal and grind the 2 for 1 later in the game. Anchors - Supports - Flash / Go
Pull From The Deep - 1 Description - It's a narrow support card for the spells matters deck. It's conditional on having the right targets in the graveyard, but at least you are getting 2 business spells for your mana. Anchors - Spells Matters Supports -
Ray of Command - 3 (2?) Description - Solid combat trick on defense while being a reasonable aggro card. Stealing an attacking creature and blocking another is excellent, particularly if they trade. Sometimes you are only facing a single creature or the stats don't line up, but you'll usually find a trade. You can always use it offensively like any Threaten effect, but the instant speed really gives it room to breathe in a lot of decks. Anchors - Supports -
Rewind - 1 Description - On paper Rewind looks great; counter a spell without it costing you anything. But you do have to keep 4 mana open, and then for the 'free' aspect to matter, you have to be able to spend that 4 mana on something else. It's a fine card for flash / go decks to counter something and then cast an instant speed threat, but it can be awkward in decks not designed to take advantage of the free mana. Anchors - Supports -
Sleep - 2 Description - Can act as a finisher in aggressive or midrange decks. If the alpha strike doesn't get them, the followup often will. It's bad when you are behind, but at least it can act as a Fog in a pinch. Anchors - Supports -
Summoner's Bane - ??? Description - Is this good enough to warrant playing a 4 mana counterspell? Anchors - Supports -
Talrand's Invocation - 4 Description - Great bodies for what you are paying, and by being a sorcery supports spells matters decks while putting bodies on the board. You would play it in the majority of blue decks. Anchors - Supports -
Tezzeret's Gambit - 2 (3? I like this card but maybe I'm high on it) Description - Most consider this a colorless card. Divination is usually not considered great, but the proliferate can help support some themes while giving card draw to colors that get little. Anchors - Supports - +1/+1 counters
Tricks of the Trade - 1 Description - It suffers from the usual 2 for 1 risks from auras, but the upside of putting your opponent on a decent clock may be worth it. Blue is not usually the colour for 'pants' decks, but this can be a way to bleed that deck into blue, but it can also be good on saboteurs, with blue being a primary colour for that archetype. If you are playing all the top-tier instant speed removal, then this is probably not worth cubing. Anchors - Supports - Saboteurs
Turnabout - 2 Description - The ultimate modal spell. It's most likely to do a poor impression of Sleep, but as this is instant you can ensure their entire team is tapped down if cast end of turn (they can't play extra blockers).It does have a few other uses; you can tap down their land during their upkeep, or untap your team after they attack. The rest are corner cases. Anchors - Supports -
Wash Out - ??? Description - Is this maybe an ok hoser? Anchors - Supports -
Zephid's Embrace - 2 Description - If you want a blue power pumping aura, this is a solid option. The combination of abilities makes it hard to deal with; flying reduces the creatures your opponents can throw in its path, if the creature had any decent stats to begin with the stats boost further reduces the likelihood they can effectively block or attack into it, and the shroud means they can't use spot removal either. Similarly, if you are currently behind the shroud means your blocker can sit back and wait without fear of being blown out by spot removal. Anchors - Supports -
Lay Bare - Too low impact compared to other counterspells.
Learn From the Past - For the most part, this is a 4 mana do nothing. Yes, it doesn't cost a card and you are likely to get some improved card quality, but it will matter a lot less than you might think, especially if you have to take a turn off to cast it.
Legerdemain - Just play Control Magic or a variant instead.
Mystic Meditation - More decks will have creatures to discard, but Thirst for Knowledge is a better filter spell that digs this deep, especially given it's instant speed, or you could play Concentrate.
Ransack - It's card disadvantage. There might be times when you can make them draw 3 lands in a row or similar so the card quality is equivalent to them being down 1 or more cards too, but without consistency it isn't worth it.
Repel - If you are paying this much, it is rare you aren't bouncing the creature outside of combat, so Whisk Away is going to be better.
Scatter Arc - It's certainly worse than Exclude, which is cheaper and will have more targets. Some noncreature spells can be quite powerful, but holding up 4 mana just in case doesn't seem worth it.
Scattering Stroke - It's a 4 mana counterspell with no guaranteed upside.
Sight Beyond Sight - Too low impact; just get your cards straight away with Glimmer of Genius.
Skywise Teachings - There is too much set up. It costs you 6 mana before you get your first djinn, and only if you have the spell to cast… and 2 mana left over when you cast it.
Temporal Eddy - At this mana cost, the target is usually going to be a creature, so you are better off with the cheaper versions like Anchor to the Aether.
Thwart - 4 mana is a lot. Free is nice, but three islands is also a lot. A cheaper soft counter is probably going to be better in a vast majority of scenarios.
Treasure Trove - I like repeat card draw, but you by the time you've paid 16 mana, you could have just cast Jace's Ingenuity, or played Honden of Seeing Winds.
Unity of Purpose - It's too conditional for a 4 mana spell. If you don't have 2 creatures to put counters on, you are very sad.
Not a lot of commentary, so I'll just make a judgment call on some of the questionables above.
Let's get Kaladesh in the mix. Slightly different order this time; when it comes to updating the front page, it's easier to do it by colour and creature / noncreature, so I'll go up to the cmc where we are up to for each colour. I'm probably a bit optimistic about some of these artifact matters cards (the artifact section in the peasant archetypes thread still needs a massive overhaul) and some of these may be unplayable. I havented included it yet, but I ordered Ovalchase Daredevil which is still narrow, but I'm more inclined to cube that over Dhund Operative and Embraal Bruiser. So maybe I'm answering my own question. Eh, I'll see what you guys think.
4 - Staple - Cards with enough base power that your cube is less powerful from their omission. They are cards that are likely to never rotate out of your cube unless you ban them for being too good. 3 - Strong - These are solid cards that get the job done. Their exclusion is probably an indicator that you are actively not supporting a popular deck / archetype / effect. 2 - Playable - These are good cards, but they are either interchangeable (e.g. lots of removal, aggressive red 2-drops) or are build-around cards that need a little support to be good (Favorable Winds). 1 - Niche - These cards aren't usually considered great, but might be included to support some obscure archetypes, specific interactions, or if going deep on a particular type of deck / archetype / effect. Unplayable - There isn't a reason to play these over other options, except in extreme cases where you are intentionally depowering an effect.
Dhund Operative - 1 Description - 3/2 deathtouch for 2 is great, but you really need strong artifact support in your cube to make this worth it. Anchors - Artifact Matters Supports -
Embraal Bruiser - 1 Description - Black doesn't get a lot of 3/1's for 2 at peasant. The 1 toughness means you either need to clear the way seeing as it dies to anything, so it probably only warrant inclusion if you are trying to support a black artifact theme. Anchors - Artifact Matters Supports -
Fretwork Colony - 2 Description - It is definitely aggro oriented, and cast on curve it can get big quickly. It comes with some risk though, and against a developed board you might not be able to afford the life loss. 1 life a turn isn't huge, but your opponent responding with a tapper or Pacifism will also wreck your plans, and it can't even chump if you are behind. Anchors - Aggro Supports - +1/+1 counters
Thriving Rats - 1 Description - It's a 2/3 attacker for 2. Shambling Ghoul is an obvious comparison; this can block immediately if you need it to, but assuming you have no profitable attacks and aren't going to lose the game this turn, Shambling Ghoul can untap and block as a 2/3, which is probably more relevant. You probably only want this instead if you are going heavy on energy, or you have lots of +1/+1 lords. Anchors - Supports - Energy, +1/+1 counters
Weaponcraft Enthusiast - 1 Description - You need to be dedicated to go wide or sacrifice strategies where the extra bodies mean something; you don't include this in your deck with the intention of casting it as a 2/3. Anchors - Supports - Sacrifice, +1/+1 counters
Maulfist Squad - 1 Description - A 4/2 menace for 4 isn't setting the world on fire, but isn't a terrible baseline. Having the option of 2 bodies if the board demands it or you want sacrificial lambs is nice, plus the servo can support some artifact matters themes. Not a standout, but the combination of those synergies can make it worth cubing if you support them. Anchors - Supports - +1/+1 counters, artifact matters, sacrifice
Ovalchase Daredevil - 1 Description - The base stats means that when it is on the board, it can trade with a decent amount of stuff. You wouldn't play it on that basis alone, but if you've got enough support, after it trades you can then get that threat back. It isn't going to be consistent, but it triggers off ETB, not casting, so it triggers off cards with investigate, and combos with cards like Sensei's Divining Top. Anchors - Artifact Matters Supports -
Harsh Scrutiny - 2Despise and Ostracize down to 0. Description - This effect isn't too splashy and you might sometimes whiff, but generally decent card due to the choice. Anchors - Supports -
Rush of Vitality - 1 Description - An ok trick. The small power boost might not help you upgrade much, but your creature is almost guaranteed to survive, the lifelink and indestructibility is relevant, especially if you are on the back foot. Can be used on an evasive creature in a pinch to get some life gain needed to race, or to counter most black and red removal against key creatures. Anchors - Supports -
Subtle Strike - 1 Description - The combination can give you a few lines of play during combat, and even in some cases removing a 1 toughness blocker before swinging in. If you have +1/+1 counter reward cards, this might be your black combat trick of choice. Anchors - Supports - +1/+1 counters
Fortuitous Find - 1 Description - It's generally going to be weaker than Death's Duet as creatures are more reliable and plentiful, but you might include this to support an artifact deck in black. Anchors - Artifact Matters Supports -
Foundry Screecher - The only reason I can think of to cube this is to give you an aggro 3 power flyer with artifact support that other black aggro decks don't want, which doesn't seem worth it over just playing actual 3 power evasive 3 drops.
I am unsure about Ovalchase Daredevil, but if you want to give artifacts a chance, then fine. I think I'd rather have the Maulfist Squad over it though. At 4/2 you are just so likely to trade down, but at least menace helps with that.
Underhanded Designs is bad, as per _i0. Thriving Rats doesn't seem worth it until if and when Energy becomes a real thing in cube.
I think I like Subtle Strike best of the unplayables, killing a utility-dude or an aggro X/1 and getting some value is decent. Also potential for 2-for-1 with setup. How are we doing for +1/+1 counters in black by the way?
Some formatting comments: Cardlink to Shambling Ghoul is recommended, even though it is a well-known entity.
I suggest you keep the mention of OStrasize and Despise in the commentary on Harsh Scrutiny (which is mispelled). Not sure if this is breaking with how redundancy has been treated in the past, but a comment like "__&__ are worse, but still decent cards if redundancy is desired". Or does this mean that we "should" have stuff like that for every conceivable burn spell/spell with a strictly worse option. Hmm.
For some reason the mouse-over on Prakhata Club Security doesn't work for me, although I can't see a misspelling. Perhaps there is an extra space between the [c]-tags or something..?
Thriving Rats - Is a 2/3 attacker for 2 really that bad, even if it is unexciting? It's far below the likes of Thrill-Kill Assassin or Dauthi Horror, but I wonder if aggro (at least in cube) couldn't do with a few 2/3's for 2.
I'll up Subtle Strike to 1, and drop Rush of Vitality to the same.
I'm not sure about raising Fretwork Colony; cards that are only good exactly on curve, or close enough, I don't think most of us would cube. Aggro cards obviously get worse the later they are played, but this seems worse than most.
I like Ovalchase Daredevil compared to the others mainly because the others almost demand an aggro start that includes an artifact. Ovalchase is a bit more grindy, and you have time to find your artifacts to get more benefit in the late game. Still narrow of course, but more likely to find time to get your triggers.
I only mentioned Ostracize and Despise as they are currently ranked as 2's, and should be dropped as a result of a better version being released; I can't see anyone wanting to play the strictly worse versions. They won't be mentioned in the Harsh Scrutiny entry once I put it on the front page (but I'll note in Ostracize and Despise that Harsh Scrutiny is the better version). I suspect if someone was looking for redundancy, they'd look at other 1 mana discard options rather than the strictly worse ones.
Oh, Fretwork Colony can be good outside of its optimal window because of its inevitability. I know cards like Carnophage can block, giving them that little benefit, but the primary drawback of Fretwork Colony remains the same and its board presence rises each turn which can be good even when it is played later in the game, for example, to start breaking board stalls (even though playing it on a stalled board presents a risk, of course).
Nah, a 2/3 body that can't block well is pretty bad for every deck. Unless you'll reliably have extra energy around or you care that its power comes from a +1/+1 counter... it's blergh.
Colony has some of the worst late-game utility of any aggro 2, but it's also going to sometimes turn into a late-game 7/7 with no extra work required which is just insane. I think it's definitely on par with Blind Creeper or Wretched Anurid, which are both currently 2's (yeah I said it should be a 1 earlier, but I just now looked back at our current 2-drop black creatures )
I like Fretwork Colony at 2. Nobody's going to be excited to play it, but it's an ok card.
As for Ovalchase Daredevil, artifact as an archetype works best with an aggressive slant in my experience. So Daredevil doesn't help that deck. Bruiser and Operative fit right into it on the other hand and are therefore far more likely to do actual work in a game.
I didn't re-read Fretwork Colony and went by memory, I thought the lifeloss scaled with the counters. Helps if you read the cards. So yeah, this is better than I'd thought.
guitarspider, are you talking in a Kaladesh block experience, or peasant cube? I'm still trying to figure out how to make an artifact archetype really work in cube, and I'm not confident that black aggro is the best way to go about it (but I could be wrong).
I mean most aren't auto includes but if you wanted dimir artifacts as a archetype it isnt hard to slot these in when paired with other baubles and such.
I may look back at making dimir my artifact archetype in my cube.
guitarspider, are you talking in a Kaladesh block experience, or peasant cube? I'm still trying to figure out how to make an artifact archetype really work in cube, and I'm not confident that black aggro is the best way to go about it (but I could be wrong).
I'm talking peasant cube. Ulka has listed a few good cards you can include in black, blue and red also have a couple of good cards. I can compile a list based on my experience for the archetype thread if that helps.
Basically, the decent/good artifact lords (Thopter Engineer, Chief of the Foundry, Golem Artisan) and the synergy cards (Trophy Mage, Ensoul Artifact, Reclusive Artificer, Ramroller) all fit into or help an aggressive deck. It's not lights out aggro, but still. Artifact creates tend to fall of rather quickly in the higher mana ranges, but there are some good aggressive artifact creatures up to 4 mana. Add the vehicles and some support, like Springleaf Drum, to that mix and you've got a decent deck. It can be inconsistent, but the vehicles and the equipment help with that.
Most of the creatures that play well in other decks and still support artifacts are red (which is very aggressive anyway). Blue still gets Whirler Rogue and Black has a couple as well, so Grixis aggro artifacts can be a thing. It's the only artifact archetype that I've seen work consistently in peasant cube, unless you're going all out for an artifact cube. White has a couple of older artifact cards as well of course, but they don't add up to much.
A lot of those artifact matters cards mentioned in the posts above that have already been rated sat in the unplayable pile. Maybe the introduction of a few more aggro-oriented cards here could push those up to 1 as well as part of an overall archetype; cards that aren't good in general, but support that niche deck. Almost any card can be good depending on the other 359 (or more) cards that you surround it with, so it can be hard finding that dividing line, particularly for cards that don't have strictly better versions.
For now at least, I'll leave the aggro artifact creatures above as 1's, and we can revisit the others later.
4 - Staple - Cards with enough base power that your cube is less powerful from their omission. They are cards that are likely to never rotate out of your cube unless you ban them for being too good. 3 - Strong - These are solid cards that get the job done. Their exclusion is probably an indicator that you are actively not supporting a popular deck / archetype / effect. 2 - Playable - These are good cards, but they are either interchangeable (e.g. lots of removal, aggressive red 2-drops) or are build-around cards that need a little support to be good (Favorable Winds). 1 - Niche - These cards aren't usually considered great, but might be included to support some obscure archetypes, specific interactions, or if going deep on a particular type of deck / archetype / effect. Unplayable - There isn't a reason to play these over other options, except in extreme cases where you are intentionally depowering an effect.
Aether Theorist - 1 Description - As a base, a 1/3 for 2 that can scry is an acceptable filtering card, but it bears similarities with Sigiled Starfish and Omenspeaker; the immediacy of Omenspeaker is likely better. The Starfish is better in a long game, but the point of power on Aether Theorist might help hold off 2/1's or help with double blocking in some match-ups. Ultiamtely, the inclusion of other energy cards in your cube is likely the determining factor. Anchors - Supports - Energy
Glint-Nest Crane - 1 Description - It's easy to ignore this on the basis of the artifact clause, but a 1/3 flyer for 2, while not being exciting, might be a metagame choice for defensive decks to slow down aggro decks. The artifact rider is almost flavour text; even in an artifact deck it isn't going to hit often. Anchors - Supports - Artifact Matters
Long-Finned Skywhale - 2 Description - It's decent aggro support. In decks that don't care about blocking, 4 power evasion for 4 mana is fine. The double blue hurts a bit. Anchors - Supports -
Glimmer of Genius - 2 Description - Solid card draw. Combo of scry and draw 2 at instant speed means you are likely to get business spells (or lands if you building towards a big play). The energy is just bonus at that point. Anchors - Supports - Flash / Go
Kujar Seedsculptor - 2 Description - The base of a 2/3 for 2 is alreay decent stats (ignoring corner cases of Shock or whatever dealing with it while the trigger is on the stack). Leaving behind a 1/2 is not great, but putting that counter somewhere else can sometimes be a better bet, whether so you can attack with that point of power immediately, put it on something evasive, or something like Spikeshot Goblin. Anchors - Supports - +1/+1 counters
Longtusk Cub - 2 Description - A fine 2-drop. It might be hard to get through later in the game, but if it goes unopposed early in the game, it can end up being difficult to deal with. In the early game, it can even prevent attacks from coming your way, as your opponent may not want to let it through. Best in aggro / tempo decks that can clear a path. Anchors - Supports - Energy
Servant of the Conduit - 2 Description - A reasonable fixer and accelerator. While 1 mana accelerators are preferred, a 2/2 is much better than a 1/1 once you reach the late game, and this fixes while most 1-mana versions are single colour. Anchors - Supports -
Terrain Elemental - 2 Description - Solid stats for the cost if you are pushing green aggro. It might make it into other green decks, but you don't need to cube it if you don't care about green aggro. Anchors - Supports -
Fairgrounds Trumpeter - 1 Description - It's a reward card for the +1/+1 counter theme, but a bit deeper than some other options, as this only belongs in that deck. It can be fine in that deck though. Anchors - +1/+1 counters Supports -
Thriving Rhino - 2 Description - It ends up being a 3/4 attacker for 3, and is a decent option if you want to support green aggro. Obviously gets better if you have other energy cards in your cube, but fine enough on its own. Anchors - Supports - +1/+1 counter, energy
Dramatic Reversal - There are some scenarios where this will do stuff (surprise blockers, accelerate with the likes of Thran Dynamo, convoke), but not consistently enough.
Era of Innovation - Too narrow for cube, even with an artifact theme.
Disappearing Act - If you want to use the 'drawback' to your advantage, you would play Familiar's Ruse instead.
Did you mean to write that Domestication could be a temporary removal spell? It only sacrifices itself, so it is never actually a removal spell.
Does Sleep push Ensnare to zero? You don't have instant speed, and you don't have the free option. But if you want to tap down their team, Ensnaring on their end step for free doesn't seem better than just untapping and sleeping them.
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
Like, I'm definitely expecting to win more games with it in my deck than I would with Coastal Discovery, Choking Tethers, Cumber Stone, Youthful Scholar, Soratami Savant... most (not all) of the 1's on this page, actually.
Dream Tides down to 1 based on i0's comments.
Ensnare... I'm almost more inclined to give it a 0 upon reflection. The upsides over Sleep are marginal. The upside mainly is that you can curve out and then cast it on their end step for 'free', attack past their team, and still play something else during your main phase (which you can't do with Sleep). But Sleep just seems better in nearly every other situation, and if those creatures aren't untapping for another turn that is probably just as good as casting something else. Using the bounced islands as another resource or landfall triggers seems pretty marginal.
Fortune's Favor can go to 1.
Glimmer of Genius - I haven't added Kaladesh cards to the rotation yet. I'll finish up these blue cards, then get the Kaladesh cards up to date.
Frozen Aether down to 0.
Fuel For the Cause - This was optimistic. I'm always looking for reasons to play cards, but even if you care about proliferate effects there are better options (Thrummingbird and Skyship Plunderer) than a 4 mana counterspell.
Last Thoughts - Both the Concentrate and the Coastal Piracy comparisons are fair. However, on an evasive creature this CAN draw you 2 cards the turn you play it. Still too conditional I guess, and the comments about Piracy's resilience and therefore long term effectiveness are relevant.
Domestication - Yeah, I misread this as sacrificing the creature, not the enchantment. Worse than I had initially thought, but still fine.
Krovikan Whispers - I think I generally underestimate how good 'bad' Control Magic's can still be. I suppose a 2 is probably reasonable? I suppose this could be aimed more at blue aggro decks; they want the game to end before the cumulative upkeep matters and are probably less worried about losing a bit of life if the creature dies in a trade while keeping up pressure.
These are my thoughts as well. How valuable is the instant speed vs. sleep when you still wait to their end-step? Sure, you get to develop your board the following turn, but if you curved out then you are down 1-2 lands. And since sleep works for two turns, don't you kinda "get back" that advantage the next turn? I dunno.
EDIT: I guess ensnare's value goes up if there are several Overrun type effects in your cube, since you can "counter" an alpha strike. That's kinda good actually. Although still situational. (And it doesn work on Rally the Peasants and other instant-speed pumps).
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
The rest of the blue spells, it's a few extra entries than usual but thought I'd get them all done.
4 - Staple - Cards with enough base power that your cube is less powerful from their omission. They are cards that are likely to never rotate out of your cube unless you ban them for being too good.
3 - Strong - These are solid cards that get the job done. Their exclusion is probably an indicator that you are actively not supporting a popular deck / archetype / effect.
2 - Playable - These are good cards, but they are either interchangeable (e.g. lots of removal, aggressive red 2-drops) or are build-around cards that need a little support to be good (Favorable Winds).
1 - Niche - These cards aren't usually considered great, but might be included to support some obscure archetypes, specific interactions, or if going deep on a particular type of deck / archetype / effect.
Unplayable - There isn't a reason to play these over other options, except in extreme cases where you are intentionally depowering an effect.
Levitation - 1 (0?)
Description - There are going to be some scenarios where this is great (drop it, alpha strike over the top), but it's fairly situational on the board state. Wonder isn't the same (you can't immediately alpha strike), but that card is better if you are behind as it at least gives you a blocker first if that is what you need.
Anchors -
Supports -
Mystical Teachings - 1
Description - It supports a pretty narrow band of decks, but you'd play it in a flash / go deck, or just a Dimir control deck looking to find its instant speed removal and grind the 2 for 1 later in the game.
Anchors -
Supports - Flash / Go
Pull From The Deep - 1
Description - It's a narrow support card for the spells matters deck. It's conditional on having the right targets in the graveyard, but at least you are getting 2 business spells for your mana.
Anchors - Spells Matters
Supports -
Ray of Command - 3 (2?)
Description - Solid combat trick on defense while being a reasonable aggro card. Stealing an attacking creature and blocking another is excellent, particularly if they trade. Sometimes you are only facing a single creature or the stats don't line up, but you'll usually find a trade. You can always use it offensively like any Threaten effect, but the instant speed really gives it room to breathe in a lot of decks.
Anchors -
Supports -
Rewind - 1
Description - On paper Rewind looks great; counter a spell without it costing you anything. But you do have to keep 4 mana open, and then for the 'free' aspect to matter, you have to be able to spend that 4 mana on something else. It's a fine card for flash / go decks to counter something and then cast an instant speed threat, but it can be awkward in decks not designed to take advantage of the free mana.
Anchors -
Supports -
Sleep - 2
Description - Can act as a finisher in aggressive or midrange decks. If the alpha strike doesn't get them, the followup often will. It's bad when you are behind, but at least it can act as a Fog in a pinch.
Anchors -
Supports -
Summoner's Bane - ???
Description - Is this good enough to warrant playing a 4 mana counterspell?
Anchors -
Supports -
Talrand's Invocation - 4
Description - Great bodies for what you are paying, and by being a sorcery supports spells matters decks while putting bodies on the board. You would play it in the majority of blue decks.
Anchors -
Supports -
Tezzeret's Gambit - 2 (3? I like this card but maybe I'm high on it)
Description - Most consider this a colorless card. Divination is usually not considered great, but the proliferate can help support some themes while giving card draw to colors that get little.
Anchors -
Supports - +1/+1 counters
Tricks of the Trade - 1
Description - It suffers from the usual 2 for 1 risks from auras, but the upside of putting your opponent on a decent clock may be worth it. Blue is not usually the colour for 'pants' decks, but this can be a way to bleed that deck into blue, but it can also be good on saboteurs, with blue being a primary colour for that archetype. If you are playing all the top-tier instant speed removal, then this is probably not worth cubing.
Anchors -
Supports - Saboteurs
Turnabout - 2
Description - The ultimate modal spell. It's most likely to do a poor impression of Sleep, but as this is instant you can ensure their entire team is tapped down if cast end of turn (they can't play extra blockers).It does have a few other uses; you can tap down their land during their upkeep, or untap your team after they attack. The rest are corner cases.
Anchors -
Supports -
Wash Out - ???
Description - Is this maybe an ok hoser?
Anchors -
Supports -
Zephid's Embrace - 2
Description - If you want a blue power pumping aura, this is a solid option. The combination of abilities makes it hard to deal with; flying reduces the creatures your opponents can throw in its path, if the creature had any decent stats to begin with the stats boost further reduces the likelihood they can effectively block or attack into it, and the shroud means they can't use spot removal either. Similarly, if you are currently behind the shroud means your blocker can sit back and wait without fear of being blown out by spot removal.
Anchors -
Supports -
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
Let's get Kaladesh in the mix. Slightly different order this time; when it comes to updating the front page, it's easier to do it by colour and creature / noncreature, so I'll go up to the cmc where we are up to for each colour. I'm probably a bit optimistic about some of these artifact matters cards (the artifact section in the peasant archetypes thread still needs a massive overhaul) and some of these may be unplayable. I havented included it yet, but I ordered Ovalchase Daredevil which is still narrow, but I'm more inclined to cube that over Dhund Operative and Embraal Bruiser. So maybe I'm answering my own question. Eh, I'll see what you guys think.
4 - Staple - Cards with enough base power that your cube is less powerful from their omission. They are cards that are likely to never rotate out of your cube unless you ban them for being too good.
3 - Strong - These are solid cards that get the job done. Their exclusion is probably an indicator that you are actively not supporting a popular deck / archetype / effect.
2 - Playable - These are good cards, but they are either interchangeable (e.g. lots of removal, aggressive red 2-drops) or are build-around cards that need a little support to be good (Favorable Winds).
1 - Niche - These cards aren't usually considered great, but might be included to support some obscure archetypes, specific interactions, or if going deep on a particular type of deck / archetype / effect.
Unplayable - There isn't a reason to play these over other options, except in extreme cases where you are intentionally depowering an effect.
Dhund Operative - 1
Description - 3/2 deathtouch for 2 is great, but you really need strong artifact support in your cube to make this worth it.
Anchors - Artifact Matters
Supports -
Embraal Bruiser - 1
Description - Black doesn't get a lot of 3/1's for 2 at peasant. The 1 toughness means you either need to clear the way seeing as it dies to anything, so it probably only warrant inclusion if you are trying to support a black artifact theme.
Anchors - Artifact Matters
Supports -
Fretwork Colony - 2
Description - It is definitely aggro oriented, and cast on curve it can get big quickly. It comes with some risk though, and against a developed board you might not be able to afford the life loss. 1 life a turn isn't huge, but your opponent responding with a tapper or Pacifism will also wreck your plans, and it can't even chump if you are behind.
Anchors - Aggro
Supports - +1/+1 counters
Thriving Rats - 1
Description - It's a 2/3 attacker for 2. Shambling Ghoul is an obvious comparison; this can block immediately if you need it to, but assuming you have no profitable attacks and aren't going to lose the game this turn, Shambling Ghoul can untap and block as a 2/3, which is probably more relevant. You probably only want this instead if you are going heavy on energy, or you have lots of +1/+1 lords.
Anchors -
Supports - Energy, +1/+1 counters
Weaponcraft Enthusiast - 1
Description - You need to be dedicated to go wide or sacrifice strategies where the extra bodies mean something; you don't include this in your deck with the intention of casting it as a 2/3.
Anchors -
Supports - Sacrifice, +1/+1 counters
Maulfist Squad - 1
Description - A 4/2 menace for 4 isn't setting the world on fire, but isn't a terrible baseline. Having the option of 2 bodies if the board demands it or you want sacrificial lambs is nice, plus the servo can support some artifact matters themes. Not a standout, but the combination of those synergies can make it worth cubing if you support them.
Anchors -
Supports - +1/+1 counters, artifact matters, sacrifice
Ovalchase Daredevil - 1
Description - The base stats means that when it is on the board, it can trade with a decent amount of stuff. You wouldn't play it on that basis alone, but if you've got enough support, after it trades you can then get that threat back. It isn't going to be consistent, but it triggers off ETB, not casting, so it triggers off cards with investigate, and combos with cards like Sensei's Divining Top.
Anchors - Artifact Matters
Supports -
Harsh Scrutiny - 2 Despise and Ostracize down to 0.
Description - This effect isn't too splashy and you might sometimes whiff, but generally decent card due to the choice.
Anchors -
Supports -
Rush of Vitality - 1
Description - An ok trick. The small power boost might not help you upgrade much, but your creature is almost guaranteed to survive, the lifelink and indestructibility is relevant, especially if you are on the back foot. Can be used on an evasive creature in a pinch to get some life gain needed to race, or to counter most black and red removal against key creatures.
Anchors -
Supports -
Subtle Strike - 1
Description - The combination can give you a few lines of play during combat, and even in some cases removing a 1 toughness blocker before swinging in. If you have +1/+1 counter reward cards, this might be your black combat trick of choice.
Anchors -
Supports - +1/+1 counters
Fortuitous Find - 1
Description - It's generally going to be weaker than Death's Duet as creatures are more reliable and plentiful, but you might include this to support an artifact deck in black.
Anchors - Artifact Matters
Supports -
Underhanded Designs is four mana removal (in two payments) with huge downside. Even with an artifact theme is vastly rather have, say, Oblivion Strike
Fretwork Colony is a very solid aggro threat on T2 and useless at everything else. Probably worth a 1.
Underhanded Designs is bad, as per _i0. Thriving Rats doesn't seem worth it until if and when Energy becomes a real thing in cube.
I think I like Subtle Strike best of the unplayables, killing a utility-dude or an aggro X/1 and getting some value is decent. Also potential for 2-for-1 with setup. How are we doing for +1/+1 counters in black by the way?
Some formatting comments: Cardlink to Shambling Ghoul is recommended, even though it is a well-known entity.
I suggest you keep the mention of OStrasize and Despise in the commentary on Harsh Scrutiny (which is mispelled). Not sure if this is breaking with how redundancy has been treated in the past, but a comment like "__&__ are worse, but still decent cards if redundancy is desired". Or does this mean that we "should" have stuff like that for every conceivable burn spell/spell with a strictly worse option. Hmm.
For some reason the mouse-over on Prakhata Club Security doesn't work for me, although I can't see a misspelling. Perhaps there is an extra space between the [c]-tags or something..?
Cubetutor Peasant'ish-Funbox
Project: Khans of Tarkir Cube (cubetutor)
Underhanded Design can go down to unplayable.
I'll up Subtle Strike to 1, and drop Rush of Vitality to the same.
I'm not sure about raising Fretwork Colony; cards that are only good exactly on curve, or close enough, I don't think most of us would cube. Aggro cards obviously get worse the later they are played, but this seems worse than most.
I like Ovalchase Daredevil compared to the others mainly because the others almost demand an aggro start that includes an artifact. Ovalchase is a bit more grindy, and you have time to find your artifacts to get more benefit in the late game. Still narrow of course, but more likely to find time to get your triggers.
I only mentioned Ostracize and Despise as they are currently ranked as 2's, and should be dropped as a result of a better version being released; I can't see anyone wanting to play the strictly worse versions. They won't be mentioned in the Harsh Scrutiny entry once I put it on the front page (but I'll note in Ostracize and Despise that Harsh Scrutiny is the better version). I suspect if someone was looking for redundancy, they'd look at other 1 mana discard options rather than the strictly worse ones.
Fixed a few of the spelling errors etc.
Colony has some of the worst late-game utility of any aggro 2, but it's also going to sometimes turn into a late-game 7/7 with no extra work required which is just insane. I think it's definitely on par with Blind Creeper or Wretched Anurid, which are both currently 2's (yeah I said it should be a 1 earlier, but I just now looked back at our current 2-drop black creatures )
As for Ovalchase Daredevil, artifact as an archetype works best with an aggressive slant in my experience. So Daredevil doesn't help that deck. Bruiser and Operative fit right into it on the other hand and are therefore far more likely to do actual work in a game.
guitarspider, are you talking in a Kaladesh block experience, or peasant cube? I'm still trying to figure out how to make an artifact archetype really work in cube, and I'm not confident that black aggro is the best way to go about it (but I could be wrong).
I mean most aren't auto includes but if you wanted dimir artifacts as a archetype it isnt hard to slot these in when paired with other baubles and such.
I may look back at making dimir my artifact archetype in my cube.
I'm talking peasant cube. Ulka has listed a few good cards you can include in black, blue and red also have a couple of good cards. I can compile a list based on my experience for the archetype thread if that helps.
Basically, the decent/good artifact lords (Thopter Engineer, Chief of the Foundry, Golem Artisan) and the synergy cards (Trophy Mage, Ensoul Artifact, Reclusive Artificer, Ramroller) all fit into or help an aggressive deck. It's not lights out aggro, but still. Artifact creates tend to fall of rather quickly in the higher mana ranges, but there are some good aggressive artifact creatures up to 4 mana. Add the vehicles and some support, like Springleaf Drum, to that mix and you've got a decent deck. It can be inconsistent, but the vehicles and the equipment help with that.
Most of the creatures that play well in other decks and still support artifacts are red (which is very aggressive anyway). Blue still gets Whirler Rogue and Black has a couple as well, so Grixis aggro artifacts can be a thing. It's the only artifact archetype that I've seen work consistently in peasant cube, unless you're going all out for an artifact cube. White has a couple of older artifact cards as well of course, but they don't add up to much.
A lot of those artifact matters cards mentioned in the posts above that have already been rated sat in the unplayable pile. Maybe the introduction of a few more aggro-oriented cards here could push those up to 1 as well as part of an overall archetype; cards that aren't good in general, but support that niche deck. Almost any card can be good depending on the other 359 (or more) cards that you surround it with, so it can be hard finding that dividing line, particularly for cards that don't have strictly better versions.
For now at least, I'll leave the aggro artifact creatures above as 1's, and we can revisit the others later.
4 - Staple - Cards with enough base power that your cube is less powerful from their omission. They are cards that are likely to never rotate out of your cube unless you ban them for being too good.
3 - Strong - These are solid cards that get the job done. Their exclusion is probably an indicator that you are actively not supporting a popular deck / archetype / effect.
2 - Playable - These are good cards, but they are either interchangeable (e.g. lots of removal, aggressive red 2-drops) or are build-around cards that need a little support to be good (Favorable Winds).
1 - Niche - These cards aren't usually considered great, but might be included to support some obscure archetypes, specific interactions, or if going deep on a particular type of deck / archetype / effect.
Unplayable - There isn't a reason to play these over other options, except in extreme cases where you are intentionally depowering an effect.
Aether Theorist - 1
Description - As a base, a 1/3 for 2 that can scry is an acceptable filtering card, but it bears similarities with Sigiled Starfish and Omenspeaker; the immediacy of Omenspeaker is likely better. The Starfish is better in a long game, but the point of power on Aether Theorist might help hold off 2/1's or help with double blocking in some match-ups. Ultiamtely, the inclusion of other energy cards in your cube is likely the determining factor.
Anchors -
Supports - Energy
Glint-Nest Crane - 1
Description - It's easy to ignore this on the basis of the artifact clause, but a 1/3 flyer for 2, while not being exciting, might be a metagame choice for defensive decks to slow down aggro decks. The artifact rider is almost flavour text; even in an artifact deck it isn't going to hit often.
Anchors -
Supports - Artifact Matters
Long-Finned Skywhale - 2
Description - It's decent aggro support. In decks that don't care about blocking, 4 power evasion for 4 mana is fine. The double blue hurts a bit.
Anchors -
Supports -
Glimmer of Genius - 2
Description - Solid card draw. Combo of scry and draw 2 at instant speed means you are likely to get business spells (or lands if you building towards a big play). The energy is just bonus at that point.
Anchors -
Supports - Flash / Go
Kujar Seedsculptor - 2
Description - The base of a 2/3 for 2 is alreay decent stats (ignoring corner cases of Shock or whatever dealing with it while the trigger is on the stack). Leaving behind a 1/2 is not great, but putting that counter somewhere else can sometimes be a better bet, whether so you can attack with that point of power immediately, put it on something evasive, or something like Spikeshot Goblin.
Anchors -
Supports - +1/+1 counters
Longtusk Cub - 2
Description - A fine 2-drop. It might be hard to get through later in the game, but if it goes unopposed early in the game, it can end up being difficult to deal with. In the early game, it can even prevent attacks from coming your way, as your opponent may not want to let it through. Best in aggro / tempo decks that can clear a path.
Anchors -
Supports - Energy
Servant of the Conduit - 2
Description - A reasonable fixer and accelerator. While 1 mana accelerators are preferred, a 2/2 is much better than a 1/1 once you reach the late game, and this fixes while most 1-mana versions are single colour.
Anchors -
Supports -
Terrain Elemental - 2
Description - Solid stats for the cost if you are pushing green aggro. It might make it into other green decks, but you don't need to cube it if you don't care about green aggro.
Anchors -
Supports -
Fairgrounds Trumpeter - 1
Description - It's a reward card for the +1/+1 counter theme, but a bit deeper than some other options, as this only belongs in that deck. It can be fine in that deck though.
Anchors - +1/+1 counters
Supports -
Thriving Rhino - 2
Description - It ends up being a 3/4 attacker for 3, and is a decent option if you want to support green aggro. Obviously gets better if you have other energy cards in your cube, but fine enough on its own.
Anchors -
Supports - +1/+1 counter, energy