Gut, True Soul Zealot - I haven't been thrilled with Witty Roastmaster, and Gut looks like it will play better (and do something more interesting than Roastmaster) in similar decks.
Amethyst Dragon - I still have my doubts about this one, since Pyrotechnics and Volcanic Dragon aren't good enough on their own. However, since @calibretto and @TyranidBill mentioned it, Shower of Coals has been hard to enable. It often does only 2 damage per target, not 4, so swapping it out for Explosive Crystal isn't much of a downgrade since you also get access to the dragon side. Plus 4R is a little easier to cast than 3RR.
I'm also planning to buy the five "thriving" gates and a lot (approximately 39) other cards from this set that don't have the Initiative mechanic. I think Initiative is a more interesting (and hopefully better balanced) mechanic than Monarch, but like Venture and Day/Night, I don't want my players having to track that kind of stuff. I'm also passing on the backgrounds and anything that specifically deals with Commanders.
There are some solid enough cards, but nothing that I feel I have to run, except maybe the lands.
Considering: Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant - Not super powerful in a vacuum, but has potential and cross-synergy with four of my archetypes Bonecaller Cleric - More reanimator support Amethyst Dragon - Two cards I don't run, but the flexibility of getting one or both from the same card may be too good to pass up. Blessed Hippogriff - Flexible card to protect one creature and then get extra damage through
And the five Thriving Gates (I'll probably straight up add them and increase my card count by 5): Black Dragon Gate Citadel Gate Cliffgate Manor Gate Sea Gate
Pondering over my cube changes since I am tempted to make the jump to 540.
Winter Eladrin is worth noting. Unlike Exclusion Mage (run in ~28% of cubes in the 2021 MTGS Average Peasant Cube) it can target your own creatures. Man-o'-War is still typically better since it can bounce itself, but Winter Eladrin is a Faerie, Elf, and Wizard which gives it some minor tribal bonuses (thanks to Windrider Wizard and Imperious Perfect).
I was super excited for a 2nd Commander Legends set since the 1st one was both fun to draft and great for Peasant cube. I was slightly disappointed that this set played up the Commander aspects more, between the Goad cards, the Backgrounds, Myriad, and even more Commander-specific cards. That said, everything else was pretty sweet and I think they did an excellent job making some interesting cards under 3 mana, which was my main complaint about the first Commander Legends set. I will also play just about anything in my Cube if it is strong enough, so let us breakdown some of the weird concepts present here:
Adventures- Most of the adventure cards I like are cheap creatures for which the adventure becomes a Kicker variant- pay more to get more. Almost all of the Adventures here work the other way, get some narrow effect early on the way to a more expensive creature. While there were some interesting cards, I only have 1 making this list.
The Initiative- A (very slightly) depowered version of Monarch that I think will be fun to play with. As much as I love the aggro pathway of "Secret Entrance" --> "Forge" --> "Trap!" through the Undercity, it does not provide any true card advantage until turn 4+, so it may be easier to fight off. I also appreciate them starting the Initiative granting cards at 4 mana, to prevent games from getting out of hand quickly.
There are a ton of interesting cards I saw in the full spoiler, but just like Commander Legends I, here is my Too Early Top 25(!) for Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate. I have a 512 card cube with 6 guild spells and it is maximized for power. I like quite a few cards no one has yet talked about and I am super excited to discuss them here.
25) Halsin, Emerald Archdruid and 24) Cadira, Caller of the Small- Strange as it may sound, Green is one of the the weaker colors for token making in my cube, but does have a few good repeatable effects. Combining Halsin with any of them packs a lot of punch, as getting a 4/4 creature for a single mana per turn can dominate the board. Once you add Cadira's white mana to the mix, the token making capacity explodes. I particularly appreciate the trample on Cadira, since it is easier to sneak in combat damage to players and double your tokens.
23) Mahadi, Emporium Master- I think this card is a little too conditional and specific in its power for me. The treasure tokens only get created on your end step, so you eliminate the chump block and sacrifice gameplay options. While treasures are nice, you still have to turn those into a board presence, instead of something more immediate like damage or +1/+1 counters.
22) Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat- Livaan versus Guttersnipe is a pretty interesting argument. Livaan is a little more sturdy with 3 toughness, which is nice on an engine creature like this. Guttersnipe contributes directly to dealing damage instead of relying on the combat step, but Livaan can represent more damage on bigger spells. Of the two, I prefer Guttersnipe for hitting players directly.
21) Guildsworn Prowler- Quick shout outs to both Mold Folk and Zhentarim Bandit for providing even more interesting 1B creatures. I selected Prowler here because I think the combination of being able to trade up easily on defense and getting a card whenever it dies elsewhere makes it simple to get more than 2 mana of value.
20) Passageway Seer- Lifelink is a great creature ability for +1/+1 counters, which means this synergizes really well with its own ability and the "Forge" room of the Undercity dungeon. Seer does not do great protecting the Initiative, but really rewards you for keeping it.
19) Rescuer Chwinga- Speaking of Adventure spells, the quick comparison here is Shepherd of the Flock. I prefer the 3/1 body and the cheaper Rescue, but Flash gives this card different opportunities to be strong.
18) Basilisk Gate- This immediately stood out to me as the first colorless repeatable pump available on a land. While it is certainly not "good" on rate, having some extra versatility on a colorless land is nice. Sometimes you might even get +2/+2 out of it as well.
17) Amethyst Dragon- While both halves are overpriced for what we want to pay, this is nice to have together in one package. While some of the other uncommon dragons in this set have mis-matched adventures, I think divided damage plus big flier plays well together in plenty of decks. Even though those decks may not be traditional red.
16) Bonecaller Cleric- A card I will probably test out, as I am still hunting for more reanimator support. The individual components are nothing to write home about, but having different options based on the game state is nice.
15) Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward- Strangely, the card I compared this to is Ivy Lane Denizen. Like Abdel Adrian, Ivy Lane Denizen has a few infinite combos in Peasant (Scurry Oak, Herd Baloth, Kitchen Finks persist) and supports an archetype (with +1/+1 counters). That said, Ivy Lane Denizen is a bit weak outside of those contexts and I feel Abdel Adrian will meet the same fate in Peasant.
Will You Be Good Today?
14) Sarevok, Deathbringer and 13) Iron Mastiff- Both these cards put a lot of pressure on your opponent to make the right plays unless they want to take massive damage. Sarevok gives the opponent a pretty simple way to avoid losing X life a turn, which is to point removal at your permanents. That plus the ability to use their own sacrifice effects gives the opponent a lot of control over Sarevok's upside. With that said, the potential exists for an opponent to lose 3 life right away, especially if they were already scrambling to play defense. Iron Mastiff avoids all that back-and-forth gameplay by being dependent on the roll of the dice. The downside is real, but 55% of the time Mastiff hits the opponent for 4 immediately and then makes them also block an attacking 4/4.
12) Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant- An interesting card that depends a lot on your ability to be aggressive and go-wide to meet its high upside. Luckily, white is already pretty good at both of those things. If your opponent can stave the +1/+1 counters off for a while, you end up with an underwhelming 3/2 flier at 3W. In those cases, it helps that Lulu synergizes well with blink and sacrifice effects.
11) Undercellar Sweep- A card that I have no idea how to evaluate. A five-mana enchantment which does nothing on an empty board, but holds the promise of two free 1/1 attackers every turn for the rest of the game. Takes the Initiative to begin a powerful venture through the Undercity, but offers no protection on its first turn. I *think* a 4W enchantment that says you get two extra 1/1 attackers every turn would be a pretty good deal on its own, and the Initiative is likely upside since the tokens can eventually both help take back and protect the Initiative over time. Could be unplayable or the 3rd best card in the set.
It’s Bal Good
10) Sailors' Bane- I am pretty torn between this and Cryptic Serpent. Cryptic is easier to cast in a few different decks while being at its best for Spells Matter focused builds. Sailors' Bane trades that ease of casting in several decks for raw power and has a tailor-made role in Dimir reanimator, especially given the recent abundance of good card cycling in blue. Between Consider, The Modern Age, Thirst for Discovery and Scattered Thoughts, blue has more and more good ways to stock the graveyard than ever before. For me, the real question comes down to how well the Spells deck can cast Sailors' Bane. If Bane is frequently cast on turn 5 or 6, I think it will overtake Cryptic Serpent in my Cube.
9) Oji, the Exquisite Blade- A card that does a good job between "solid value creature" and "powerful blink engine." I am typically not a fan of value for value's sake in Peasant, but there is a lot of power trapped in the second ability, especially given the Oji can target itself and repeat the gain 2 + scry 2 no matter what else is going on.
8) Rug of Smothering- I might be crazy for this, but I love the potential to finally give Peasant a good version of effects like Eidolon of the Great Revel. I thought about grouping this with Sarevok and Iron Mastiff earlier, but I think this effect is harder for opponents to play around, because they eventually have to play spells. Peasant is not chock full of Wraths and Planeswalkers and other powerful spells that can take over a game starting at 4 mana, so you either limit an opponent to playing a single spell per turn cycle or you pile on the life loss. Obviously, the effect hits you as well, but I assume most aggro decks are fine trading their ~2 life loss for an opponent's ~3 life loss per turn cycle. And while a three toughness artifact creature is plenty vulnerable, it also has evasion and holds equipment and +1/+1 counters pretty well.
7) Hammers of Moradin and 6) Greatsword of Tyr- The gold standard for this type of effect has to be Ahn-Crop Crasher, with its haste ability providing so much upside to counter the downside of preventing blocks only once every other turn. Hammers of Moradin is the first 3-power, 3-mana white creature to unconditionally turn off a blocker every attack, which is huge compared to other white creatures. It does, unfortunately, lack haste. However, Greatsword of Tyr might come closest to reaching the ideal of Ahn-Crop Crasher by being able to grant its effect on the turn you cast it. 1WW to give a +1/+1 counter and tap a blocker on the turn you cast Greatsword is a big deal. The downside is having no impact without a creature attacking which is balanced out by being harder to destroy and moving around when needed.
Baldur's Great
5) Winter Eladrin- Lost in the full spoiler release is this creature which is almost entirely better than Man-o-War for our purposes. Cannot bounce itself if you need that effect, but is also not forced to on an empty board. Also gets pumped by Imperious Perfect! While Man-o-War is a staple of Peasant, there are enough other variants around (Frost Trickster and Exclusion Mage) that having the 2nd copy is not as exciting enough to be above #5.
4) Beckoning Will-o-Wisp- Fits in excellently with white's aggressive decks, while also being a 2/3 flying attacker on its lonesome. The upside of contributing to attacks the turn it hits the battlefield is a trend for most of the top cards in this set.
3) Feywild Caretaker- My absolute favorite Initiative card in this set which does absolutely everything you could ask for. Just to start, you fetch a basic and put a 3/4 creature plus a 1/1 flier on the board, immediately stabilizing against attackers. Starting the next turn with the Initiative means you might get a 3/3 flier to attack with or scry 2. Even if the flier had to chump, you still get an extra advantage on your upkeep plus a new 1/1 flier on your end step. And if you cannot hold the Initiative through all that, you might be able to steal it back with the 1/1 flier. I think the most likely scenario is Feywild Caretaker immediately turning the game in your favor and piling on the advantage with extra 1/1 fliers and room triggers from the Undercity.
2) The Citadel Gate cycle- Another excellent land cycle for Peasant fixing. As previously discussed, each Gate will fix for both colors in 40% of two-color decks and is plenty reasonable as a tap land outside of those 40% of decks. With these Gates, I think 360 cubes are definitely at the point where they do not need fixed Guild duals any longer. Even my more multi-color focused Cube is one more five-card land cycle away from dropping down to 1 Guild land instead of 2.
1) Gut, True Soul Zealot- A strong #1 choice given everything this does in red-based aggro decks. Upgrades a smaller creature into a beefy 4/1 menace attacker as soon as turn 3. Turns non-creature artifacts into extra bodies, enables sacrifice rewards, and even gives later creatures a version of haste. I would be plenty happy sacrificing a Flametongue Kavu on turn 4 to instead have a 4/1 menace creature attacking right away instead of waiting for the 4/2 next turn. An 2nd consecutive stellar 3-drop red Goblin to come from Commander Legends sets.
White: Beckoning Will-o'-Wisp: 2/3 flyer that pumps your team the turn you play it, long live white 3 drops with single pips! Blessed Hippogriff: will replace Fight as One Hammers of Moradin: I would like to play this card so much, but the myriad text is huge, as opposed to the choose a background Undercellar Sweep: looks great, introducing the initiative and getting 2 1/1's every turn to get it back incentivizes combat, which I'm all about You're Confronted by Robbers: white got a You See a Pair of Goblins that can just as easily win the game tapping 3 creatures
Blue: Alora, Merry Thief: probably not very good much looks fun, I'll try it out Feywild Caretaker: this fells like cheating, could be too strong for my environment, 5 mana 4/5 worth of stats, one flying, draw a land, and if you don't get through the token will be a 3/3 flyer with another 1/1 friend. Best initiative card easily Sword Coast Serpent: could be a tad underpower but it incentivizes a simic ramp deck, and this will be a 6/6 unblockable Young Blue Dragon: get in my cube, so cute. once again, i think it's great in simic
Black: Arms of Hadar: one more mana for an always ascended and easier to cast Golden Demise, maybe too good against aggro Guildsworn Prowler: will probably replace Eternal Taskmaster Vicious Battlerager: I feel like a lot of attention is going to Passageway Seer, but this is just impossible to race. 1/5 is huge, getting through to get initiative will be tough, and then blocking loses you 5 life but keeps initative, but not blocking loses you 5 life in the trap room anyway.
Red: Amethyst Dragon: cards that are good in gruul are always welcome Bloodboil Sorcerer: initiative in red, yes please. the sack ability is in theme with what red is trying to do in my cube, and you don't care if they attack and get a land Gut, True Soul Zealot: this is not getting enough hype. I think it will be a staple in peasant cubes that don't mind the background line of text. You got a 2/1 for 1? Now it's a 4/1 menace. You got a treasure, clue, food token, mana dork you don't need anymore or just draw it late game, random 2 mana attacking creature, Spirited Companion? Now it's a 4/1 menace. Triggers sack stuff, 4 power stuff, token stuff. Works the same turn you play it, works sacking creatures you just played, it's a must kill. I absolutely love the card, would be excellent creating a 3/1 menace, but this is just nuts. Inspired Tinkering: Escape to the Wilds at uncommon and mono color. Gives you 3 tokens and mana right away. Good in big red, gruul, izzet, rakdos sack Young Red Dragon: petition to swap this art with Amethyst Dragon, the latter is very much playable but extremely unpleasant to look at, as this young dragon is cute but very much bland in effect
As FunkyDragon stated - good set, but nothing outside of the lands are instant staples. Avoiding dice rolling, venturing, and initiative out of personal preference. The adventure cards in this set seem less pushed then Eldraine, which is a bit disappointing as I like their flexiblity.
Going to test:
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant: Supports multiple archetypes (aggro, +1/+1, fliers). I could see this not working out, but otherwise seems interesting. Greatsword of Tyr: Great aggro card with +1/+1 counter support built in. Beckoning Will-o'-Wisp: White likes to attack and this card helps it attack better. Also pumps itself and does not require attacking to pump your other creatures. A pretty redundant effect. Blessed Hippogriff: Both sides of the cards seem good. On par with the power level of the Eldraine adventure cards.
Wild Magic Surge: Red's higher-risk Beast Within. Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat: I like this as a unique part of the spellslinger archetype. Gut, True Soul Zealot: Just a great card. I get that it does nothing on an empty board, but the fact it does not need to attack to trigger is strong. Amethyst Dragon: Red mid-range in my cube has really been lacking. While the dragon has its flaws, I think it is better than the alternatives.
Kagha, Shadow Archdruid: Mill/Dredge is a large enough part of my cube that this seems worth testing. Probably requires too much setup.
The Gate Lands: More Thriving Lands is a good thing. Noble's Purse: Seems good for fixing and better than some of the alternatives.
Close, but currently no:
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward: Great for reanimator combo, not really great anywhere else. Oji, the Exquisite Blade: Nice because it supports blink and U/W spells. At 4 mana, I am not sure how reliably the blink cause can be triggered. Bonecaller Cleric: Weird play pattern. 2 mana 2/1 is just ok and 6 mana to reanimate is not great. Without some sort of evasion, I don't see this getting to attack early and then trading it in later. Mahadi, Emporium Master: Interacts well with Mayhem Devil. Otherwise, my cube does not really have a payoff for the treasure generation. Winter Eladrin: If I want a second Man-o-War, this is it.
Finally able to post my thoughts on the set here now that I am home.
Overall? I agree that it is too deep on Commander-only and multiplayer mechanics. I still really loathe venturing and thus Initiative, even if I see its power level. And dice. The d20 mechanic also sucks, and I even removed the more powerful dice cards like Clay Golem from my CU/be recently because I the mechanic is just so bad for MtG. That said, there is a good number of cards listed below.
Likely Testing: Beckoning Will-o'-Wisp: The base stats are passable and me likey group pumps on sticks. Crystal Dragon: White still struggles with big creatures and +1 mana to Serra Angel for a helpful early mode feels nice. Githzerai Monk: Mass taps on a stick - with flash - feel like they must be good, and the body is still half-decent. Greatsword of Tyr: A very interesting way to get this effect with 'haste' in white. Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant: Another decent body with a repeatable mass pump effect. But might prove too cute. Alora, Merry Thief: Nice cross-synergy on a stick with decent stats. Sapphire Dragon: Conditional counters into finishers, even if both are slightly overcosted? Still a very good deal. Bonecaller Cleric: I think that the value is there, even (and perhaps especially) outside dedicated reanimator. I would still compare this to Monstrous. Guildsworn Prowler: Excellent value thanks to Deathtouch. I am surprised to have seen so little interest in this. Amethyst Dragon: Similar to the blue one. Removal with a decent finisher to back it up is nothing to sniff at. Insufferable Balladeer: This basically takes out a blocker for two rounds. For 2 mana. Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat: That this is a Prowess rather than a spellsliger trigger than the ability to target other creatures make this the best variant of this thus far in my opinion. Reckless Barbarian: It does not require tapping and a 2/2 is still decent in red. Two-Handed Axe: Combat trick into a pretty unique piece of equipment. Wilson, Refined Grizzly: Lovely keyword soup. Yum-yum. Noble's Purse: Interesting variant on Sphere of the Suns. Rug of Smothering: I agree on this being a kind of Eidolon of the Great Revel for Peasant.
The new Thriving Gates: Uninteresting but proven good.
Interesting: Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward: I agree with the comparison to Ivy Lane Denizen. Too much of a one-trick combo enabler that works with a bunch of similar cards. Banishment: We got a Detention Sphere. Probably less upside than other 4 mana O-ring variants. Blessed Hippogriff: Good but kind of uninteresting and going from 3 mana to 4 mana feels like a big jump for this kind of effect. Ellyn Harbreeze, Busybody: Interesting way of doing CA in white but a little too parasitic for that mana investment. Rescuer Chwinga: Making that a may is kinda interesting but removes combo potential. Candlekeep Inspiration: It is cute but does not increase your board presence in a deck where you only really get board presence if you draw specific enablers. There are better finishers for spellslingers. Irenicus's Vile Duplication: Interesting clone effect. Actually even better in spellslingers because it is a sorcery. Mystery Key: 3 mana and a hit for 3 cards is not bad at all. Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher: Still a lot of mana to use on other things. But still perhaps a bit situational for the mana investment. Winter Eladrin: Just basically another Man-O-War, better than the others. Sarevok, Deathbringer: This being symmetrical might be a little too dangerous. If it was only conditional, it would be excellent. Stirge: Early creatures that replace themselves are always of some interest. Viconia, Drow Apostate: Nice value on a passable body but a little too unreliable. Zhentarim Bandit: Certainly interesting but the stats make it unlikely to generate much value. Carefree Swinemaster: Pretty good token generator, all told. Dread Linnorm: This effect does a lot of things and looks better tagged onto a decent creature. Erinis, Gloom Stalker: Interesting kind of ramp and GY value on a good body. Halsin, Emerald Archdruid: Still a bit too conditional for a 4 mana initial investment but strong. Split the Spoils: Great value - if you have enough suitable cards in the GY. Cadira, Caller of the Small: The potential for exponential growth is hard to ignore. Oji, the Exquisite Blade: Plays two parts for purposes of blink decks. Bronze Walrus: Scry 2 on ETB tagged onto a mana myr is not bad at all. Dire Mimic: I hear that mimics were good in their native environment and a 5/5 on turn 3 or as a surprise blocker can certainly still hurt.
How do people feel about Inspired Tinkering? It seems really solid in non aggro red decks. It draws 3 cards and can ramp you to 8/9 next turn.
More favorably than when it was first spoiled. I tend to evaluate red in the context of aggro and 5 CMC is a pretty rough. I agree that outside of aggro (control or R/G midrange) it is quite good. As richard09 noted, it compares well to Escape to the Wilds.
I also really like that with 3 treasure you should still be able to cast most of your reactive spells (Counterspell, Lightning Bolt, etc.), so you never go entirely shields down the opponent's turn after casting.
After reviewing the set a few more times, Alora, Merry Thief has grown on me. Guaranteed damage and a way to reset ETBs. I'll definitely be giving it a try.
Say it ain't so, n00b, say it ain't so. During my many years of lurking, you were always one of my go-to's. Always on the same page... But now? My faith is shaken. =]
Winter Eladrin may be slightly better than Man-o'-War, but Man-o'-War is such a classic, iconic card. It'll take a lot more than some new, non-jellyfish creature types and "up to one" to sway me.
I was definitely hesitant about the swap. I resisted swapping Man-o'-War for Exclusion Mage a few years ago because bouncing your own guys is interesting value and obviously the jelly is iconic, but when a card comes out that's this close to being strictly better, I felt like it was time to kill the sacred cow.
I don't post much these days but I read pretty much every post in the peasant threads and you've really hit the ground running in terms of post quality btw so welcome.
I'm going to test Dire Mimic. I think it will be good in flash, control, and even aggro decks, as it's a 5/5 on turn 3. Nice to block and win games. And if you need the mana, it's like a one-shot Rampant Growth.
Yes, reminds to Stuffed Bear but Mimic has flash, hits harder, and acts also as a treasure token if you need it. There are good upsides here to be tested, at least.
I got a chance to draft of this set recently, Gut, True Soul Zealot is the real deal as predicted. Greatsword of Tyr was also strong. Kagha, Shadow Archdruid and Druidic Ritual were strong for me, but it did require having a good amount of self-mill. I thought Dread Linnorm did well surprisingly well as a pump/protection/surprise blocker spell + beefy creautre.
Way behind on keeping up with all the releases lately. At least I was able to get my update/write-up in before Dominaria United info starts dropping… *checks notes* …tomorrow.
Hopefully this is helpful to anyone else that’s behind on their updates, or maybe just gives a fresh perspective on an overlooked card.
In <- Out
White Blessed Hippogriff <- Feat of Resistance
I’ve been in the market for a good 1-mana indestructible trick (not a fan of the non-Human clause on Fight as One) and the Hippogriff seems to be playing well in Alchemy Horizons (access to the Alchemy Horizon’s: Baldur’s Gate data from Arena is one of the benefits of writing this so late). I like Feat overall, but it’s my last Protection card and it will be nice to not have to worry about explaining “DEBT” to newer players.
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant <- Odric's Outrider
A fairly straightforward swap as they fill a similar role in the sacrifice deck, but Lulu seems more interesting, slightly more powerful, and also supports blink and flyers.
Githzerai Monk <- Oketra's Attendant
Attendant has been a pretty solid card overall, but it doesn’t have the best home in White. It would probably play better in, oh I dunno, maybe blue? The Monk is a very unique effect and a great way to close out games from a board stall, something I’m always happy to have more of in the cube.
Greatsword of Tyr <- Citizen's Crowbar Greatsword looks like a fantastic aggressive card with cross-support for equipment and +1/+1 counters. I really like the design of the Crowbar overall, but I’m trying to cut down on the number of 1-of tokens.
Banishment <- Cast Out
Another sidegrade, but I think I prefer the anti-token upside of Banishment over cycling which I’ve found gets used very infrequently.
Blue Alora, Merry Thief <- Wingshield Agent Alora is an interesting card that I think is worth testing; it plays well in UWg blink and UB saboteur decks which are both secondary archetypes I try to support. Notably, combos very well with Ninjutsu.
Sailors' Bane <- Screaming Swarm
A juiced up Cryptic Serpent, Ward 4 begins to function close to hexproof and the mana discount looking at exile means it doesn’t feel bad running this next to Delve in a graveyard/reanimator deck. Screaming Swarm’s abilities end up playing too slow which makes it mostly a 6-mana Air Elemental.
Stunning Strike <- Witness Protection
The ever-rotating “blue enchantment removal” slot, but Stunning Strike does seem like a step above the rest. The “remove from combat” clause really makes this interesting, as it can be cast after the declare attackers step, and in some circumstances can be used as a combat trick (e.g. double-blocking). However my eye does twitch a bit at the “isn't legendary” text.
Young Blue Dragon <- Mind Control
As I hinted in talking about Oketra's Attendant, Young Blue Dragon is mostly a color-shifted version and I expect the combination of effects to play even better in blue, such as the adventure half providing a free “spell” trigger. Mind Control is a veteran as one of the oldest cards in the cube; it’s powerful but doesn’t support any specific themes and has been described as a “feel bad” enough times to finally move on.
Black Bonecaller Cleric <- Dread Return
I’m not necessarily sold on the Cleric on power-level, but as someone who’s removed most of the top-tier reanimation spells for power or complexity reasons I’ve been in the market for some new reanimate effects and I feel this is worth a test.
Guildsworn Prowler <- Vengeful Strangler Guildsworn Prowler has been playing well in Alchemy Horizons and I’m not surprised, this card looks great in aggro and sacrifice decks, and it even blocks well in a pinch which is something you can’t get from the Strangler. I’ve found DFCs are fun to play with in small doses, but long term I’ll be happy to trim a few of the more replaceable ones.
Vrock <- Vampire Sovereign
Probably a slight step down in strict power level (Vrock really could use that fourth point of toughness), but much more of an archetype signpost / payoff. Threatening up to six damage a turn, I’m hoping the bird will help the grindier sacrifice decks close out the game quickly. Also: funny name.
Arms of Hadar <- Incremental Blight
A really powerful one-side wrath effect, not much to say other than I’m surprised this didn’t garner more attention. Perhaps people are wary, as mentioned above, that it might be too oppressive to aggro, but I’m willing to test it.
Red Gut, True Soul Zealot <- Bogardan Dragonheart
I’m actually concerned that Gut may end up being too powerful in my environment, but that’s not going to stop me wanting to see those 4/1 menace skeletons in action. While Dragonheart is notably weaker, I do like its play patterns overall and could see swapping this back if Gut is as busted as I think it will be.
Amethyst Dragon <- Red Dragon
As someone who has been trying to support bigger/slower red decks (as evidenced by the fact that I was already running Red Dragon), I absolutely love that red has some more powerful top-end in the form of Amethyst Dragon. I'm in the camp that on power this will end up being a high pick and I’d go as far as to say it could be an archetype-defining card at the Peasant level.
Inspired Tinkering <- Twinshot Sniper
Another banger in red, happy to get more fun spells that aren’t just burn. I don’t think much needs to be said past the comparison to Escape to the Wilds, unless you’ve never played with Escape to the Wilds in which case I’ll just say that it’s a card that plays much better than it looks. Twinshot Sniper is strong but generic, and has felt dangerously oppressive to aggressive strategies. It may return if I decide to support more of an artifact theme.
Green Undercellar Myconid <- Tireless Provisioner Undercellar Myconid caught my eye from the spoiler, and its strong performance in Alchemy Horizons convinced me to give the little fungus a test. Provisioner has been fine, but it’s another unique token producer (food) and performs a similar role as the Myconid.
Erinis, Gloom Stalker <- Eccentric Farmer Erinis is one of the cards I’m most excited for (dare I say the peasant Ramunap Excavator?). A great rate for the body already, and it shouldn’t be difficult to get value with this particularly paired with B or U.
Druidic Ritual <- Rise of the Ants Ritual looks like the best version of that type of effect we’ve seen printed so far, possibly even good enough to see play outside dedicated self-mill decks.
Minthara, Merciless Soul <- Markov Purifier
I’ve had some trouble giving WB a distinct identity from BR, as the 'sacrifice' deck tends to blur between the two. Minthara (with Hidden Stockpile) supports the 'Revolt' style deck which can lean more into W flicker and B treasure than the BR deck. Unfortunately I worry that Minthara is a little low on the power-level side, and if it underperforms I’ll be tempted to mock-up a paper version that mirrors the alchemy card Minthara of the Absolute (no ward, two more toughness, trigger happens immediately but once per turn).
Kagha, Shadow Archdruid <- Acolyte of Affliction
I really like the design of Kagha, providing a payoff for self-mill is very unique and helps give BG decks something to build towards beyond just generic “graveyard” value.
Rug of Smothering <- Guildless Commons
Not quite sold on this cute little Rug, but it’s a unique enough effect at this rarity that I think it merits a test.
I'm also planning to buy the five "thriving" gates and a lot (approximately 39) other cards from this set that don't have the Initiative mechanic. I think Initiative is a more interesting (and hopefully better balanced) mechanic than Monarch, but like Venture and Day/Night, I don't want my players having to track that kind of stuff. I'm also passing on the backgrounds and anything that specifically deals with Commanders.
Considering:
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant - Not super powerful in a vacuum, but has potential and cross-synergy with four of my archetypes
Bonecaller Cleric - More reanimator support
Amethyst Dragon - Two cards I don't run, but the flexibility of getting one or both from the same card may be too good to pass up.
Blessed Hippogriff - Flexible card to protect one creature and then get extra damage through
And the five Thriving Gates (I'll probably straight up add them and increase my card count by 5):
Black Dragon Gate
Citadel Gate
Cliffgate
Manor Gate
Sea Gate
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Winter Eladrin is worth noting. Unlike Exclusion Mage (run in ~28% of cubes in the 2021 MTGS Average Peasant Cube) it can target your own creatures. Man-o'-War is still typically better since it can bounce itself, but Winter Eladrin is a Faerie, Elf, and Wizard which gives it some minor tribal bonuses (thanks to Windrider Wizard and Imperious Perfect).
My 2-Player Signed Legacy Cube
My Lord of the Rings Cube
Adventures- Most of the adventure cards I like are cheap creatures for which the adventure becomes a Kicker variant- pay more to get more. Almost all of the Adventures here work the other way, get some narrow effect early on the way to a more expensive creature. While there were some interesting cards, I only have 1 making this list.
The Initiative- A (very slightly) depowered version of Monarch that I think will be fun to play with. As much as I love the aggro pathway of "Secret Entrance" --> "Forge" --> "Trap!" through the Undercity, it does not provide any true card advantage until turn 4+, so it may be easier to fight off. I also appreciate them starting the Initiative granting cards at 4 mana, to prevent games from getting out of hand quickly.
There are a ton of interesting cards I saw in the full spoiler, but just like Commander Legends I, here is my Too Early Top 25(!) for Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate. I have a 512 card cube with 6 guild spells and it is maximized for power. I like quite a few cards no one has yet talked about and I am super excited to discuss them here.
25) Halsin, Emerald Archdruid and 24) Cadira, Caller of the Small- Strange as it may sound, Green is one of the the weaker colors for token making in my cube, but does have a few good repeatable effects. Combining Halsin with any of them packs a lot of punch, as getting a 4/4 creature for a single mana per turn can dominate the board. Once you add Cadira's white mana to the mix, the token making capacity explodes. I particularly appreciate the trample on Cadira, since it is easier to sneak in combat damage to players and double your tokens.
23) Mahadi, Emporium Master- I think this card is a little too conditional and specific in its power for me. The treasure tokens only get created on your end step, so you eliminate the chump block and sacrifice gameplay options. While treasures are nice, you still have to turn those into a board presence, instead of something more immediate like damage or +1/+1 counters.
22) Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat- Livaan versus Guttersnipe is a pretty interesting argument. Livaan is a little more sturdy with 3 toughness, which is nice on an engine creature like this. Guttersnipe contributes directly to dealing damage instead of relying on the combat step, but Livaan can represent more damage on bigger spells. Of the two, I prefer Guttersnipe for hitting players directly.
21) Guildsworn Prowler- Quick shout outs to both Mold Folk and Zhentarim Bandit for providing even more interesting 1B creatures. I selected Prowler here because I think the combination of being able to trade up easily on defense and getting a card whenever it dies elsewhere makes it simple to get more than 2 mana of value.
20) Passageway Seer- Lifelink is a great creature ability for +1/+1 counters, which means this synergizes really well with its own ability and the "Forge" room of the Undercity dungeon. Seer does not do great protecting the Initiative, but really rewards you for keeping it.
19) Rescuer Chwinga- Speaking of Adventure spells, the quick comparison here is Shepherd of the Flock. I prefer the 3/1 body and the cheaper Rescue, but Flash gives this card different opportunities to be strong.
18) Basilisk Gate- This immediately stood out to me as the first colorless repeatable pump available on a land. While it is certainly not "good" on rate, having some extra versatility on a colorless land is nice. Sometimes you might even get +2/+2 out of it as well.
17) Amethyst Dragon- While both halves are overpriced for what we want to pay, this is nice to have together in one package. While some of the other uncommon dragons in this set have mis-matched adventures, I think divided damage plus big flier plays well together in plenty of decks. Even though those decks may not be traditional red.
16) Bonecaller Cleric- A card I will probably test out, as I am still hunting for more reanimator support. The individual components are nothing to write home about, but having different options based on the game state is nice.
15) Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward- Strangely, the card I compared this to is Ivy Lane Denizen. Like Abdel Adrian, Ivy Lane Denizen has a few infinite combos in Peasant (Scurry Oak, Herd Baloth, Kitchen Finks persist) and supports an archetype (with +1/+1 counters). That said, Ivy Lane Denizen is a bit weak outside of those contexts and I feel Abdel Adrian will meet the same fate in Peasant.
Will You Be Good Today?
14) Sarevok, Deathbringer and 13) Iron Mastiff- Both these cards put a lot of pressure on your opponent to make the right plays unless they want to take massive damage. Sarevok gives the opponent a pretty simple way to avoid losing X life a turn, which is to point removal at your permanents. That plus the ability to use their own sacrifice effects gives the opponent a lot of control over Sarevok's upside. With that said, the potential exists for an opponent to lose 3 life right away, especially if they were already scrambling to play defense. Iron Mastiff avoids all that back-and-forth gameplay by being dependent on the roll of the dice. The downside is real, but 55% of the time Mastiff hits the opponent for 4 immediately and then makes them also block an attacking 4/4.
12) Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant- An interesting card that depends a lot on your ability to be aggressive and go-wide to meet its high upside. Luckily, white is already pretty good at both of those things. If your opponent can stave the +1/+1 counters off for a while, you end up with an underwhelming 3/2 flier at 3W. In those cases, it helps that Lulu synergizes well with blink and sacrifice effects.
11) Undercellar Sweep- A card that I have no idea how to evaluate. A five-mana enchantment which does nothing on an empty board, but holds the promise of two free 1/1 attackers every turn for the rest of the game. Takes the Initiative to begin a powerful venture through the Undercity, but offers no protection on its first turn. I *think* a 4W enchantment that says you get two extra 1/1 attackers every turn would be a pretty good deal on its own, and the Initiative is likely upside since the tokens can eventually both help take back and protect the Initiative over time. Could be unplayable or the 3rd best card in the set.
It’s Bal Good
10) Sailors' Bane- I am pretty torn between this and Cryptic Serpent. Cryptic is easier to cast in a few different decks while being at its best for Spells Matter focused builds. Sailors' Bane trades that ease of casting in several decks for raw power and has a tailor-made role in Dimir reanimator, especially given the recent abundance of good card cycling in blue. Between Consider, The Modern Age, Thirst for Discovery and Scattered Thoughts, blue has more and more good ways to stock the graveyard than ever before. For me, the real question comes down to how well the Spells deck can cast Sailors' Bane. If Bane is frequently cast on turn 5 or 6, I think it will overtake Cryptic Serpent in my Cube.
9) Oji, the Exquisite Blade- A card that does a good job between "solid value creature" and "powerful blink engine." I am typically not a fan of value for value's sake in Peasant, but there is a lot of power trapped in the second ability, especially given the Oji can target itself and repeat the gain 2 + scry 2 no matter what else is going on.
8) Rug of Smothering- I might be crazy for this, but I love the potential to finally give Peasant a good version of effects like Eidolon of the Great Revel. I thought about grouping this with Sarevok and Iron Mastiff earlier, but I think this effect is harder for opponents to play around, because they eventually have to play spells. Peasant is not chock full of Wraths and Planeswalkers and other powerful spells that can take over a game starting at 4 mana, so you either limit an opponent to playing a single spell per turn cycle or you pile on the life loss. Obviously, the effect hits you as well, but I assume most aggro decks are fine trading their ~2 life loss for an opponent's ~3 life loss per turn cycle. And while a three toughness artifact creature is plenty vulnerable, it also has evasion and holds equipment and +1/+1 counters pretty well.
7) Hammers of Moradin and 6) Greatsword of Tyr- The gold standard for this type of effect has to be Ahn-Crop Crasher, with its haste ability providing so much upside to counter the downside of preventing blocks only once every other turn. Hammers of Moradin is the first 3-power, 3-mana white creature to unconditionally turn off a blocker every attack, which is huge compared to other white creatures. It does, unfortunately, lack haste. However, Greatsword of Tyr might come closest to reaching the ideal of Ahn-Crop Crasher by being able to grant its effect on the turn you cast it. 1WW to give a +1/+1 counter and tap a blocker on the turn you cast Greatsword is a big deal. The downside is having no impact without a creature attacking which is balanced out by being harder to destroy and moving around when needed.
Baldur's Great
5) Winter Eladrin- Lost in the full spoiler release is this creature which is almost entirely better than Man-o-War for our purposes. Cannot bounce itself if you need that effect, but is also not forced to on an empty board. Also gets pumped by Imperious Perfect! While Man-o-War is a staple of Peasant, there are enough other variants around (Frost Trickster and Exclusion Mage) that having the 2nd copy is not as exciting enough to be above #5.
4) Beckoning Will-o-Wisp- Fits in excellently with white's aggressive decks, while also being a 2/3 flying attacker on its lonesome. The upside of contributing to attacks the turn it hits the battlefield is a trend for most of the top cards in this set.
3) Feywild Caretaker- My absolute favorite Initiative card in this set which does absolutely everything you could ask for. Just to start, you fetch a basic and put a 3/4 creature plus a 1/1 flier on the board, immediately stabilizing against attackers. Starting the next turn with the Initiative means you might get a 3/3 flier to attack with or scry 2. Even if the flier had to chump, you still get an extra advantage on your upkeep plus a new 1/1 flier on your end step. And if you cannot hold the Initiative through all that, you might be able to steal it back with the 1/1 flier. I think the most likely scenario is Feywild Caretaker immediately turning the game in your favor and piling on the advantage with extra 1/1 fliers and room triggers from the Undercity.
2) The Citadel Gate cycle- Another excellent land cycle for Peasant fixing. As previously discussed, each Gate will fix for both colors in 40% of two-color decks and is plenty reasonable as a tap land outside of those 40% of decks. With these Gates, I think 360 cubes are definitely at the point where they do not need fixed Guild duals any longer. Even my more multi-color focused Cube is one more five-card land cycle away from dropping down to 1 Guild land instead of 2.
1) Gut, True Soul Zealot- A strong #1 choice given everything this does in red-based aggro decks. Upgrades a smaller creature into a beefy 4/1 menace attacker as soon as turn 3. Turns non-creature artifacts into extra bodies, enables sacrifice rewards, and even gives later creatures a version of haste. I would be plenty happy sacrificing a Flametongue Kavu on turn 4 to instead have a 4/1 menace creature attacking right away instead of waiting for the 4/2 next turn. An 2nd consecutive stellar 3-drop red Goblin to come from Commander Legends sets.
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/peasantsnowcube
-- Updated with Fallout Commander
The PioneWer Peasant CUbe
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/pionewer
-- Updated with Murders at Karlov Manor
White:
Beckoning Will-o'-Wisp: 2/3 flyer that pumps your team the turn you play it, long live white 3 drops with single pips!
Blessed Hippogriff: will replace Fight as One
Hammers of Moradin: I would like to play this card so much, but the myriad text is huge, as opposed to the choose a background
Undercellar Sweep: looks great, introducing the initiative and getting 2 1/1's every turn to get it back incentivizes combat, which I'm all about
You're Confronted by Robbers: white got a You See a Pair of Goblins that can just as easily win the game tapping 3 creatures
Blue:
Alora, Merry Thief: probably not very good much looks fun, I'll try it out
Feywild Caretaker: this fells like cheating, could be too strong for my environment, 5 mana 4/5 worth of stats, one flying, draw a land, and if you don't get through the token will be a 3/3 flyer with another 1/1 friend. Best initiative card easily
Sword Coast Serpent: could be a tad underpower but it incentivizes a simic ramp deck, and this will be a 6/6 unblockable
Young Blue Dragon: get in my cube, so cute. once again, i think it's great in simic
Black:
Arms of Hadar: one more mana for an always ascended and easier to cast Golden Demise, maybe too good against aggro
Guildsworn Prowler: will probably replace Eternal Taskmaster
Vicious Battlerager: I feel like a lot of attention is going to Passageway Seer, but this is just impossible to race. 1/5 is huge, getting through to get initiative will be tough, and then blocking loses you 5 life but keeps initative, but not blocking loses you 5 life in the trap room anyway.
Red:
Amethyst Dragon: cards that are good in gruul are always welcome
Bloodboil Sorcerer: initiative in red, yes please. the sack ability is in theme with what red is trying to do in my cube, and you don't care if they attack and get a land
Gut, True Soul Zealot: this is not getting enough hype. I think it will be a staple in peasant cubes that don't mind the background line of text. You got a 2/1 for 1? Now it's a 4/1 menace. You got a treasure, clue, food token, mana dork you don't need anymore or just draw it late game, random 2 mana attacking creature, Spirited Companion? Now it's a 4/1 menace. Triggers sack stuff, 4 power stuff, token stuff. Works the same turn you play it, works sacking creatures you just played, it's a must kill. I absolutely love the card, would be excellent creating a 3/1 menace, but this is just nuts.
Inspired Tinkering: Escape to the Wilds at uncommon and mono color. Gives you 3 tokens and mana right away. Good in big red, gruul, izzet, rakdos sack
Young Red Dragon: petition to swap this art with Amethyst Dragon, the latter is very much playable but extremely unpleasant to look at, as this young dragon is cute but very much bland in effect
Green:
Cloakwood Swarmkeeper: Woodland Champion at one, even triggering only once with multiple tokens is probably much better than at two mana. I'll try it out
Halsin, Emerald Archdruid: this will probably replace Halana, Kessig Ranger, which is solid but bland. Being able to target any token is great.
Undercellar Myconid: cool little support for tokens
Multicolor:
Oji, the Exquisite Blade: i like multicolour cards being more enablers than payoffs, and this is both
Going to test:
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant: Supports multiple archetypes (aggro, +1/+1, fliers). I could see this not working out, but otherwise seems interesting.
Greatsword of Tyr: Great aggro card with +1/+1 counter support built in.
Beckoning Will-o'-Wisp: White likes to attack and this card helps it attack better. Also pumps itself and does not require attacking to pump your other creatures. A pretty redundant effect.
Blessed Hippogriff: Both sides of the cards seem good. On par with the power level of the Eldraine adventure cards.
Candlekeep Inspiration: Finisher for Blue spell based archetypes.
Wild Magic Surge: Red's higher-risk Beast Within.
Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat: I like this as a unique part of the spellslinger archetype.
Gut, True Soul Zealot: Just a great card. I get that it does nothing on an empty board, but the fact it does not need to attack to trigger is strong.
Amethyst Dragon: Red mid-range in my cube has really been lacking. While the dragon has its flaws, I think it is better than the alternatives.
Kagha, Shadow Archdruid: Mill/Dredge is a large enough part of my cube that this seems worth testing. Probably requires too much setup.
The Gate Lands: More Thriving Lands is a good thing.
Noble's Purse: Seems good for fixing and better than some of the alternatives.
Close, but currently no:
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward: Great for reanimator combo, not really great anywhere else.
Oji, the Exquisite Blade: Nice because it supports blink and U/W spells. At 4 mana, I am not sure how reliably the blink cause can be triggered.
Bonecaller Cleric: Weird play pattern. 2 mana 2/1 is just ok and 6 mana to reanimate is not great. Without some sort of evasion, I don't see this getting to attack early and then trading it in later.
Mahadi, Emporium Master: Interacts well with Mayhem Devil. Otherwise, my cube does not really have a payoff for the treasure generation.
Winter Eladrin: If I want a second Man-o-War, this is it.
My 2-Player Signed Legacy Cube
My Lord of the Rings Cube
Overall? I agree that it is too deep on Commander-only and multiplayer mechanics. I still really loathe venturing and thus Initiative, even if I see its power level. And dice. The d20 mechanic also sucks, and I even removed the more powerful dice cards like Clay Golem from my CU/be recently because I the mechanic is just so bad for MtG. That said, there is a good number of cards listed below.
Staple:
Gut, True Soul Zealot: That trigger and that token are just so damn good.
Likely Testing:
Beckoning Will-o'-Wisp: The base stats are passable and me likey group pumps on sticks.
Crystal Dragon: White still struggles with big creatures and +1 mana to Serra Angel for a helpful early mode feels nice.
Githzerai Monk: Mass taps on a stick - with flash - feel like they must be good, and the body is still half-decent.
Greatsword of Tyr: A very interesting way to get this effect with 'haste' in white.
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant: Another decent body with a repeatable mass pump effect. But might prove too cute.
Alora, Merry Thief: Nice cross-synergy on a stick with decent stats.
Sapphire Dragon: Conditional counters into finishers, even if both are slightly overcosted? Still a very good deal.
Bonecaller Cleric: I think that the value is there, even (and perhaps especially) outside dedicated reanimator. I would still compare this to Monstrous.
Guildsworn Prowler: Excellent value thanks to Deathtouch. I am surprised to have seen so little interest in this.
Amethyst Dragon: Similar to the blue one. Removal with a decent finisher to back it up is nothing to sniff at.
Insufferable Balladeer: This basically takes out a blocker for two rounds. For 2 mana.
Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat: That this is a Prowess rather than a spellsliger trigger than the ability to target other creatures make this the best variant of this thus far in my opinion.
Reckless Barbarian: It does not require tapping and a 2/2 is still decent in red.
Two-Handed Axe: Combat trick into a pretty unique piece of equipment.
Wilson, Refined Grizzly: Lovely keyword soup. Yum-yum.
Noble's Purse: Interesting variant on Sphere of the Suns.
Rug of Smothering: I agree on this being a kind of Eidolon of the Great Revel for Peasant.
The new Thriving Gates: Uninteresting but proven good.
Interesting:
Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward: I agree with the comparison to Ivy Lane Denizen. Too much of a one-trick combo enabler that works with a bunch of similar cards.
Banishment: We got a Detention Sphere. Probably less upside than other 4 mana O-ring variants.
Blessed Hippogriff: Good but kind of uninteresting and going from 3 mana to 4 mana feels like a big jump for this kind of effect.
Ellyn Harbreeze, Busybody: Interesting way of doing CA in white but a little too parasitic for that mana investment.
Rescuer Chwinga: Making that a may is kinda interesting but removes combo potential.
Candlekeep Inspiration: It is cute but does not increase your board presence in a deck where you only really get board presence if you draw specific enablers. There are better finishers for spellslingers.
Irenicus's Vile Duplication: Interesting clone effect. Actually even better in spellslingers because it is a sorcery.
Mystery Key: 3 mana and a hit for 3 cards is not bad at all.
Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher: Still a lot of mana to use on other things. But still perhaps a bit situational for the mana investment.
Winter Eladrin: Just basically another Man-O-War, better than the others.
Sarevok, Deathbringer: This being symmetrical might be a little too dangerous. If it was only conditional, it would be excellent.
Stirge: Early creatures that replace themselves are always of some interest.
Viconia, Drow Apostate: Nice value on a passable body but a little too unreliable.
Zhentarim Bandit: Certainly interesting but the stats make it unlikely to generate much value.
Carefree Swinemaster: Pretty good token generator, all told.
Dread Linnorm: This effect does a lot of things and looks better tagged onto a decent creature.
Erinis, Gloom Stalker: Interesting kind of ramp and GY value on a good body.
Halsin, Emerald Archdruid: Still a bit too conditional for a 4 mana initial investment but strong.
Split the Spoils: Great value - if you have enough suitable cards in the GY.
Cadira, Caller of the Small: The potential for exponential growth is hard to ignore.
Oji, the Exquisite Blade: Plays two parts for purposes of blink decks.
Bronze Walrus: Scry 2 on ETB tagged onto a mana myr is not bad at all.
Dire Mimic: I hear that mimics were good in their native environment and a 5/5 on turn 3 or as a surprise blocker can certainly still hurt.
My C/Ube on Cube Cobra
More favorably than when it was first spoiled. I tend to evaluate red in the context of aggro and 5 CMC is a pretty rough. I agree that outside of aggro (control or R/G midrange) it is quite good. As richard09 noted, it compares well to Escape to the Wilds.
I also really like that with 3 treasure you should still be able to cast most of your reactive spells (Counterspell, Lightning Bolt, etc.), so you never go entirely shields down the opponent's turn after casting.
My 2-Player Signed Legacy Cube
My Lord of the Rings Cube
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Winter Eladrin may be slightly better than Man-o'-War, but Man-o'-War is such a classic, iconic card. It'll take a lot more than some new, non-jellyfish creature types and "up to one" to sway me.
I was definitely hesitant about the swap. I resisted swapping Man-o'-War for Exclusion Mage a few years ago because bouncing your own guys is interesting value and obviously the jelly is iconic, but when a card comes out that's this close to being strictly better, I felt like it was time to kill the sacred cow.
I don't post much these days but I read pretty much every post in the peasant threads and you've really hit the ground running in terms of post quality btw so welcome.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
I still have to find a slot for Inspired Tinkering.
My Omniscience Draft Cube[/b]
My Commander Cube
My Pai Gow Cube
My Two-Headed Giant Cube
My Omniscience Draft Cube[/b]
My Commander Cube
My Pai Gow Cube
My Two-Headed Giant Cube
Hopefully this is helpful to anyone else that’s behind on their updates, or maybe just gives a fresh perspective on an overlooked card.
In <- Out
White
Blessed Hippogriff <- Feat of Resistance
I’ve been in the market for a good 1-mana indestructible trick (not a fan of the non-Human clause on Fight as One) and the Hippogriff seems to be playing well in Alchemy Horizons (access to the Alchemy Horizon’s: Baldur’s Gate data from Arena is one of the benefits of writing this so late). I like Feat overall, but it’s my last Protection card and it will be nice to not have to worry about explaining “DEBT” to newer players.
Lulu, Loyal Hollyphant <- Odric's Outrider
A fairly straightforward swap as they fill a similar role in the sacrifice deck, but Lulu seems more interesting, slightly more powerful, and also supports blink and flyers.
Githzerai Monk <- Oketra's Attendant
Attendant has been a pretty solid card overall, but it doesn’t have the best home in White. It would probably play better in, oh I dunno, maybe blue? The Monk is a very unique effect and a great way to close out games from a board stall, something I’m always happy to have more of in the cube.
Greatsword of Tyr <- Citizen's Crowbar
Greatsword looks like a fantastic aggressive card with cross-support for equipment and +1/+1 counters. I really like the design of the Crowbar overall, but I’m trying to cut down on the number of 1-of tokens.
You're Confronted by Robbers <- Release the Dogs
Who Let the Dogs Out? is another good card but with a unique (and absurdly expensive) token. I’m hoping the added modality of tapping down plus being instant speed makes up for the loss of a body.
Banishment <- Cast Out
Another sidegrade, but I think I prefer the anti-token upside of Banishment over cycling which I’ve found gets used very infrequently.
Blue
Alora, Merry Thief <- Wingshield Agent
Alora is an interesting card that I think is worth testing; it plays well in UWg blink and UB saboteur decks which are both secondary archetypes I try to support. Notably, combos very well with Ninjutsu.
Irenicus's Vile Duplication <- Trickster's Talisman
The Talisman was cute but Duplication just seems better overall for my cube. Sorcery means it plays well with the spells deck, and it can go pseudo-infinite with Shipwreck Dowser, Eternal Witness, et al.
Sailors' Bane <- Screaming Swarm
A juiced up Cryptic Serpent, Ward 4 begins to function close to hexproof and the mana discount looking at exile means it doesn’t feel bad running this next to Delve in a graveyard/reanimator deck. Screaming Swarm’s abilities end up playing too slow which makes it mostly a 6-mana Air Elemental.
Stunning Strike <- Witness Protection
The ever-rotating “blue enchantment removal” slot, but Stunning Strike does seem like a step above the rest. The “remove from combat” clause really makes this interesting, as it can be cast after the declare attackers step, and in some circumstances can be used as a combat trick (e.g. double-blocking). However my eye does twitch a bit at the “isn't legendary” text.
Young Blue Dragon <- Mind Control
As I hinted in talking about Oketra's Attendant, Young Blue Dragon is mostly a color-shifted version and I expect the combination of effects to play even better in blue, such as the adventure half providing a free “spell” trigger. Mind Control is a veteran as one of the oldest cards in the cube; it’s powerful but doesn’t support any specific themes and has been described as a “feel bad” enough times to finally move on.
Black
Bonecaller Cleric <- Dread Return
I’m not necessarily sold on the Cleric on power-level, but as someone who’s removed most of the top-tier reanimation spells for power or complexity reasons I’ve been in the market for some new reanimate effects and I feel this is worth a test.
Guildsworn Prowler <- Vengeful Strangler
Guildsworn Prowler has been playing well in Alchemy Horizons and I’m not surprised, this card looks great in aggro and sacrifice decks, and it even blocks well in a pinch which is something you can’t get from the Strangler. I’ve found DFCs are fun to play with in small doses, but long term I’ll be happy to trim a few of the more replaceable ones.
Vrock <- Vampire Sovereign
Probably a slight step down in strict power level (Vrock really could use that fourth point of toughness), but much more of an archetype signpost / payoff. Threatening up to six damage a turn, I’m hoping the bird will help the grindier sacrifice decks close out the game quickly. Also: funny name.
Arms of Hadar <- Incremental Blight
A really powerful one-side wrath effect, not much to say other than I’m surprised this didn’t garner more attention. Perhaps people are wary, as mentioned above, that it might be too oppressive to aggro, but I’m willing to test it.
Ghost Lantern <- Reaper's Talisman
Didn’t manage to get in much testing with Reaper's Talisman, but Ghost Lantern seems more relevant to the archetypes in my cube (graveyard, sacrifice).
Red
Gut, True Soul Zealot <- Bogardan Dragonheart
I’m actually concerned that Gut may end up being too powerful in my environment, but that’s not going to stop me wanting to see those 4/1 menace skeletons in action. While Dragonheart is notably weaker, I do like its play patterns overall and could see swapping this back if Gut is as busted as I think it will be.
Amethyst Dragon <- Red Dragon
As someone who has been trying to support bigger/slower red decks (as evidenced by the fact that I was already running Red Dragon), I absolutely love that red has some more powerful top-end in the form of Amethyst Dragon. I'm in the camp that on power this will end up being a high pick and I’d go as far as to say it could be an archetype-defining card at the Peasant level.
Inspired Tinkering <- Twinshot Sniper
Another banger in red, happy to get more fun spells that aren’t just burn. I don’t think much needs to be said past the comparison to Escape to the Wilds, unless you’ve never played with Escape to the Wilds in which case I’ll just say that it’s a card that plays much better than it looks. Twinshot Sniper is strong but generic, and has felt dangerously oppressive to aggressive strategies. It may return if I decide to support more of an artifact theme.
Green
Undercellar Myconid <- Tireless Provisioner
Undercellar Myconid caught my eye from the spoiler, and its strong performance in Alchemy Horizons convinced me to give the little fungus a test. Provisioner has been fine, but it’s another unique token producer (food) and performs a similar role as the Myconid.
Erinis, Gloom Stalker <- Eccentric Farmer
Erinis is one of the cards I’m most excited for (dare I say the peasant Ramunap Excavator?). A great rate for the body already, and it shouldn’t be difficult to get value with this particularly paired with B or U.
Druidic Ritual <- Rise of the Ants
Ritual looks like the best version of that type of effect we’ve seen printed so far, possibly even good enough to see play outside dedicated self-mill decks.
Multicolor
Oji, the Exquisite Blade <- Migratory Route
Oji seems like a very fun tool for the UW blink decks, always a fan of the enabler + payoff gold cards.
Mahadi, Emporium Master <- Fireblade Artist
It was difficult finding the cut in Rakdos but Fireblade Artist ultimately felt the most replaceable. Mahadi I expect to have interesting play patterns in both RB sacrifice and RBx control.
Minthara, Merciless Soul <- Markov Purifier
I’ve had some trouble giving WB a distinct identity from BR, as the 'sacrifice' deck tends to blur between the two. Minthara (with Hidden Stockpile) supports the 'Revolt' style deck which can lean more into W flicker and B treasure than the BR deck. Unfortunately I worry that Minthara is a little low on the power-level side, and if it underperforms I’ll be tempted to mock-up a paper version that mirrors the alchemy card Minthara of the Absolute (no ward, two more toughness, trigger happens immediately but once per turn).
Kagha, Shadow Archdruid <- Acolyte of Affliction
I really like the design of Kagha, providing a payoff for self-mill is very unique and helps give BG decks something to build towards beyond just generic “graveyard” value.
Colorless
Noble's Purse <- Coldsteel Heart
Sphere of the Suns was always close to playable and this is significantly better. Let the synergies flow!
Rug of Smothering <- Guildless Commons
Not quite sold on this cute little Rug, but it’s a unique enough effect at this rarity that I think it merits a test.
Formerly hedgehogger