I've been playtesting the new cards these days on several drafts and believe me if I say Colossal Skyturtle is the mythic uncommon from this set. That creature was a winner in every match, always relevant with any of its modes.
Good in ramp, but awesome in reanimator, where any of its abilities to go to the graveyard are bonkers creating advantage for you. And kills really fast. My friends were impressed.
Animate Dead to Pelakka Wurm, they killed it, then channel the turtle with its Regrowth ability to bring back Animate Dead, replaying the turtle to kill by air, or the Pelakka again, for example.
The channel crab was also good for reanimator, the ward is useful if you play it early to protect itself from removal.
Been a few sets since I’ve had a chance to put together an update write-up. Wanted to get my early thoughts down before I got my hands on the cards at the prerelease this weekend. Overall, a rather impressive haul from a set that I wasn't expecting much from initially.
White Spirited Companion <- Search Party Captain
Good doggo 11/10 Blade-Blizzard Kitsune <- Aerial Responder
Probably would be interested in a 2/2 double-strike for 2W already, and the Kitsune is that with some minor but fun upside (an on-color target to pair with my favorite Ninjustu enabler: Faerie Guidemother). Double-strike is a great keyword and specifically works well with +1/+1 counter and equipment archetypes in white. Nothing against the powerful Aerial Responder, but with too many creatures at 1WW the Responder is the least interesting of the bunch. Touch the Spirit Realm <- Faith's Fetters
As someone who avoids functional reprints, it’s great to see a Banishing Light variant with some interesting tradeoffs (looking at you Borrowed Time).
Blue Moon-Circuit Hacker <- Ninja of the Deep Hours
Not a strict upgrade, but pretty close considering the Ninjustu hit has the same effect at half the cost and the Hacker has a hard-cast mode that isn’t a complete disaster. The Modern Age <- Merfolk Looter
Sad to see the classic Merfolk Looter go, but getting an immediate loot trigger and ending with a relevant flying body I expect will often outweigh the Merfolk’s ability to loot repeatably. Acquisition Octopus (testing) <- Alirios, Enraptured Stealer of Secrets certainly wouldn’t be playable on it’s own, but staple on a free Rogue's Gloves and now things get interesting. Alirios is a fine card, if overly defensive, but it doesn’t support any archetypes outside of flicker which is something I have begun to transition away from. Behold the Unspeakable <- Blue Dragon
If I squint, this card starts to look a little bit too much like Mulldrifter to ignore. I actually like the first chapter’s ability as something relatively unique; one play pattern some might overlook (since it looks inherently defensive) is how powerful the -2/-0 effect becomes if you are already ahead, often enabling an alpha strike with very little fear of a crackback. Mirrorshell Crab <- Mysterious Tome
Always in the market for beefy, self-binning creatures in blue, as they slot into both UG Ramp and UB Reanimator. I was close to re-adding Striped Riverwinder but I’ll check out the Crab in that spot first. It probably won’t come up often, but I particularly like getting access to an ability-counter effect.
Black Okiba Reckoner Raid (testing) <- Diregraf Ghoul
No strong feelings about this one. Diregraf Ghoul has been a long time holdover from attempts at pushing black aggro, so it’s time to try something a little spicier in its slot. Nezumi Prowler <- Grim Wanderer
I really like how many different play patterns there are with the Prowler, and I expect there to be a lot of power in that versatility. Gravelighter <- Umbral Juke
Gotta love it when the swaps are this easy. I had just replaced Plaguecrafter with Fell Stinger, so it’s nice to see a (better) version of that effect coming back in.
Red Rabbit Battery <- Boots of Speed Simian Sling <- Goblin Morningstar Bronzeplate Boar (testing) <- Bolt Hound
I like all three of the red Reconfigure creatures enough to test, though I will say I think Rabbit Battery is the best and most likely to stay in my cube long-term. These cards continue to expand support for the RW equipment archetype, which feels like it has reached a critical mass of quality enablers. Quick aside here to complain about the fact that we got zero Reconfigure cards in white. Booo. Twinshot Sniper <- Ardent Elementalist
The better the card the less I usually have to say, so this one will be short. Ironhoof Boar (testing) <- Gargadon
Some very powerful modality here; the body is definitely overcosted but the combat trick is actually a really good rate (see Brute Strength). Seems at home in red midrange decks and particularly good in Gruul. Unlike Bloodrush that we’ve seen in the past, the Channel ability isn’t limited to attacking creatures so it can even help trade up on defense in a pinch. Tempered in Solitude <- Light Up the Stage
So glad that this isn’t restricted to Samurai and Warriors like the rest of the ‘exalted’ mechanics in this set. Solitude seems like a fantastic source of card advantage in red. Attacking alone is a real restriction, one which should create interesting decisions and sequencing but will also prevent the card from having too much of a snowball effect. Once you hit your third card off of this you’ve got to be pretty happy, and that doesn’t seem difficult in your average game.
Green Kappa Tech-Wrecker <- Outland Liberator
This personal taste, but I appreciate the card design where you have the option to cash something in to get your Naturalize effect, as opposed to the high variance of either getting a “free” 2-for-1 or wasting the trigger (more Cathar Commando/Thrashing Brontodon, less Reclamation Sage/Trygon Predator). Leonardo’s ability is much closer to the former, and generally seems like it will have some interesting play patterns due to Ninjustu. I wish the Liberator was only the front half of the card, but the repeatable Naturalize on the transformed side can feel unnecessarily oppressive in certain matchups. Blossom Prancer <- Owlbear Vigilance Reach is generally going to be a worse keyword than trample, but that seems like a reasonable tradeoff for a significantly better ETB trigger.
Edit: It has been brought to my attention that the Prancer has Reach and not Vigilance, though I think those two are fairly comparable so it doesn't change my evaluation much. Greater Tanuki <- Edge of Autumn
Weighing in on the great Tanuki vs Tusker debate, and I’m coming down on the side of the Racoon Dog. I understand the Tusker’s primary appeal is its cycling mode, but the rate of 7 mana for a vanilla 6/5 is so far below the curve these days that the creature side is barely worth the card. I had previously swapped Krosan Tusker out for Greater Sandwurm and have not looked back. Roaring Earth <- Search for Tomorrow
This card reminds me of Ominous Seas (a very fun card that I still cube with) as a powerful and nearly game-warping effect if cast on curve, but also with a very relevant topdeck mode once you’ve already expended your resources. Have I mentioned yet how much I like Channel as a mechanic? Search ended up being a little too redundant with Rift Sower, and I prefer the creature.
Gold Colossal Skyturtle <- Gretchen Titchwillow
Almost certainly knew this would be my favorite card from the set when it was spoiled, though that’s probably the Simic mage in me talking. I’ve primarily leaned my UG section towards ramp as an archetype, but there has never been an actual ramp payoff in the vein of a Simic Sky Swallower… until now! And the channel modes make this arguably better than the Sky Swallower which is kind of nuts. Get in here big fella! Invigorating Hot Spring <- Rhythm of the Wild
As said by others, this is pretty close to being a straight upgrade. I particularly like that the modified support works with both equipment themes in red and +1/+1 counter themes in green.
Colorless High-Speed Hoverbike <- Ebony Fly
Glad to see we got at least one new playable vehicle (Imperial Recovery Unit was on my radar but didn’t make the cut) and this seems like a solid improvement on the previous borderline Sky Skiff. Ebony Fly gets booted as the last standing die-roll card. Circuit Mender <- Filigree Familiar
Hey, this time we can actually use the term “strict upgrade”. Towashi Guide-Bot (testing) <- Tezzeret's Gambit
Understatted for the mana cost, but it works out fairly well that “modified” creatures synergize best with the Naya colors, which are the color pairs hurting most for forms of card advantage. Another quick aside to complain about the fact that we got zero "modified-matters" cards in white, the color best suited to support it (at least in C/Ube). Walking Skyscraper <- Prophetic Prism
Always on the lookout for big colorless finishers and this definitely fits the bill. I quite like this form of temporary hexproof, as you can comfortably tap out casting this to stabilize the ground but it doesn’t completely lock your opponent out from interaction once you start trying to beat down.
I took another look at the entire set and realized I had somehow missed Touch the Spirit Realm. As someone with a heavy emphasis on flicker and ETB, it's got my attention. I like the versatility as removal/protection/flicker. Being able to target artifacts even opens it up to combat tricks against equipment decks. I don't know how I missed it, but this is a definite include for my cube.
Well, I'm moving again, and again it's with a magic player. So I might be back around these parts more often.
It is nice to see a couple of old reliable posters still here that I can plagiarize lists of potential cards from.
In the meanwhile, I should just emphasize a couple points:
My bad. For some reason I was unfamiliar with the existence of that card. That said, they're all very similar - minor difference between all three which are probably negligible.
I wouldn't say planar incision's ability to get you the trigger immediately or mid-combat is a minor difference. There are a lot of situations where now is much better than almost-now.
Marking Tezzeret's gambit as a blue card is a mistake. It's almost always cast for 3, and the upside of "Kicker, U, gain 2 life" is hardly enough to make it much more than colorless.
Well, I'm moving again, and again it's with a magic player. So I might be back around these parts more often.
It is nice to see a couple of old reliable posters still here that I can plagiarize lists of potential cards from.
Good in ramp, but awesome in reanimator, where any of its abilities to go to the graveyard are bonkers creating advantage for you. And kills really fast. My friends were impressed.
Animate Dead to Pelakka Wurm, they killed it, then channel the turtle with its Regrowth ability to bring back Animate Dead, replaying the turtle to kill by air, or the Pelakka again, for example.
The channel crab was also good for reanimator, the ward is useful if you play it early to protect itself from removal.
Good set, I love it.
My Omniscience Draft Cube[/b]
My Commander Cube
My Pai Gow Cube
My Two-Headed Giant Cube
White
Spirited Companion <- Search Party Captain
Good doggo 11/10
Blade-Blizzard Kitsune <- Aerial Responder
Probably would be interested in a 2/2 double-strike for 2W already, and the Kitsune is that with some minor but fun upside (an on-color target to pair with my favorite Ninjustu enabler: Faerie Guidemother). Double-strike is a great keyword and specifically works well with +1/+1 counter and equipment archetypes in white. Nothing against the powerful Aerial Responder, but with too many creatures at 1WW the Responder is the least interesting of the bunch.
Touch the Spirit Realm <- Faith's Fetters
As someone who avoids functional reprints, it’s great to see a Banishing Light variant with some interesting tradeoffs (looking at you Borrowed Time).
Blue
Moon-Circuit Hacker <- Ninja of the Deep Hours
Not a strict upgrade, but pretty close considering the Ninjustu hit has the same effect at half the cost and the Hacker has a hard-cast mode that isn’t a complete disaster.
The Modern Age <- Merfolk Looter
Sad to see the classic Merfolk Looter go, but getting an immediate loot trigger and ending with a relevant flying body I expect will often outweigh the Merfolk’s ability to loot repeatably.
Acquisition Octopus (testing) <- Alirios, Enraptured
Stealer of Secrets certainly wouldn’t be playable on it’s own, but staple on a free Rogue's Gloves and now things get interesting. Alirios is a fine card, if overly defensive, but it doesn’t support any archetypes outside of flicker which is something I have begun to transition away from.
Behold the Unspeakable <- Blue Dragon
If I squint, this card starts to look a little bit too much like Mulldrifter to ignore. I actually like the first chapter’s ability as something relatively unique; one play pattern some might overlook (since it looks inherently defensive) is how powerful the -2/-0 effect becomes if you are already ahead, often enabling an alpha strike with very little fear of a crackback.
Mirrorshell Crab <- Mysterious Tome
Always in the market for beefy, self-binning creatures in blue, as they slot into both UG Ramp and UB Reanimator. I was close to re-adding Striped Riverwinder but I’ll check out the Crab in that spot first. It probably won’t come up often, but I particularly like getting access to an ability-counter effect.
Black
Okiba Reckoner Raid (testing) <- Diregraf Ghoul
No strong feelings about this one. Diregraf Ghoul has been a long time holdover from attempts at pushing black aggro, so it’s time to try something a little spicier in its slot.
Nezumi Prowler <- Grim Wanderer
I really like how many different play patterns there are with the Prowler, and I expect there to be a lot of power in that versatility.
Gravelighter <- Umbral Juke
Gotta love it when the swaps are this easy. I had just replaced Plaguecrafter with Fell Stinger, so it’s nice to see a (better) version of that effect coming back in.
Red
Rabbit Battery <- Boots of Speed
Simian Sling <- Goblin Morningstar
Bronzeplate Boar (testing) <- Bolt Hound
I like all three of the red Reconfigure creatures enough to test, though I will say I think Rabbit Battery is the best and most likely to stay in my cube long-term. These cards continue to expand support for the RW equipment archetype, which feels like it has reached a critical mass of quality enablers. Quick aside here to complain about the fact that we got zero Reconfigure cards in white. Booo.
Twinshot Sniper <- Ardent Elementalist
The better the card the less I usually have to say, so this one will be short.
Ironhoof Boar (testing) <- Gargadon
Some very powerful modality here; the body is definitely overcosted but the combat trick is actually a really good rate (see Brute Strength). Seems at home in red midrange decks and particularly good in Gruul. Unlike Bloodrush that we’ve seen in the past, the Channel ability isn’t limited to attacking creatures so it can even help trade up on defense in a pinch.
Tempered in Solitude <- Light Up the Stage
So glad that this isn’t restricted to Samurai and Warriors like the rest of the ‘exalted’ mechanics in this set. Solitude seems like a fantastic source of card advantage in red. Attacking alone is a real restriction, one which should create interesting decisions and sequencing but will also prevent the card from having too much of a snowball effect. Once you hit your third card off of this you’ve got to be pretty happy, and that doesn’t seem difficult in your average game.
Green
Kappa Tech-Wrecker <- Outland Liberator
This personal taste, but I appreciate the card design where you have the option to cash something in to get your Naturalize effect, as opposed to the high variance of either getting a “free” 2-for-1 or wasting the trigger (more Cathar Commando/Thrashing Brontodon, less Reclamation Sage/Trygon Predator). Leonardo’s ability is much closer to the former, and generally seems like it will have some interesting play patterns due to Ninjustu. I wish the Liberator was only the front half of the card, but the repeatable Naturalize on the transformed side can feel unnecessarily oppressive in certain matchups.
Blossom Prancer <- Owlbear
VigilanceReach is generally going to be a worse keyword than trample, but that seems like a reasonable tradeoff for a significantly better ETB trigger.Edit: It has been brought to my attention that the Prancer has Reach and not Vigilance, though I think those two are fairly comparable so it doesn't change my evaluation much.
Greater Tanuki <- Edge of Autumn
Weighing in on the great Tanuki vs Tusker debate, and I’m coming down on the side of the Racoon Dog. I understand the Tusker’s primary appeal is its cycling mode, but the rate of 7 mana for a vanilla 6/5 is so far below the curve these days that the creature side is barely worth the card. I had previously swapped Krosan Tusker out for Greater Sandwurm and have not looked back.
Roaring Earth <- Search for Tomorrow
This card reminds me of Ominous Seas (a very fun card that I still cube with) as a powerful and nearly game-warping effect if cast on curve, but also with a very relevant topdeck mode once you’ve already expended your resources. Have I mentioned yet how much I like Channel as a mechanic? Search ended up being a little too redundant with Rift Sower, and I prefer the creature.
Gold
Colossal Skyturtle <- Gretchen Titchwillow
Almost certainly knew this would be my favorite card from the set when it was spoiled, though that’s probably the Simic mage in me talking. I’ve primarily leaned my UG section towards ramp as an archetype, but there has never been an actual ramp payoff in the vein of a Simic Sky Swallower… until now! And the channel modes make this arguably better than the Sky Swallower which is kind of nuts. Get in here big fella!
Invigorating Hot Spring <- Rhythm of the Wild
As said by others, this is pretty close to being a straight upgrade. I particularly like that the modified support works with both equipment themes in red and +1/+1 counter themes in green.
Colorless
High-Speed Hoverbike <- Ebony Fly
Glad to see we got at least one new playable vehicle (Imperial Recovery Unit was on my radar but didn’t make the cut) and this seems like a solid improvement on the previous borderline Sky Skiff. Ebony Fly gets booted as the last standing die-roll card.
Circuit Mender <- Filigree Familiar
Hey, this time we can actually use the term “strict upgrade”.
Towashi Guide-Bot (testing) <- Tezzeret's Gambit
Understatted for the mana cost, but it works out fairly well that “modified” creatures synergize best with the Naya colors, which are the color pairs hurting most for forms of card advantage. Another quick aside to complain about the fact that we got zero "modified-matters" cards in white, the color best suited to support it (at least in C/Ube).
Walking Skyscraper <- Prophetic Prism
Always on the lookout for big colorless finishers and this definitely fits the bill. I quite like this form of temporary hexproof, as you can comfortably tap out casting this to stabilize the ground but it doesn’t completely lock your opponent out from interaction once you start trying to beat down.
Formerly hedgehogger
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
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It is nice to see a couple of old reliable posters still here that I can plagiarize lists of potential cards from.
In the meanwhile, I should just emphasize a couple points:
I wouldn't say planar incision's ability to get you the trigger immediately or mid-combat is a minor difference. There are a lot of situations where now is much better than almost-now.
Marking Tezzeret's gambit as a blue card is a mistake. It's almost always cast for 3, and the upside of "Kicker, U, gain 2 life" is hardly enough to make it much more than colorless.
Even in the unlikely case where you get to hit twice, "U, Draw two cards, then discard a card" is better than "1U, Draw two cards".
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
Welcome back.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.