these explanations don't make much sense to me. how were they "blown out" when they used him aggressively? what is it about the card that made it easier for them to lose than if they just curved out with separate aggressive cards? and playing a card when you're "real far behind" and losing doesn't seem to speak to the value of the card, especially a two drop. what two drop do you play when you're far behind that wins you the game?
If my two drops suck on 2 then I want them to be decent rips in the late game. Using him aggressively sucked because wrath was a blowout against control and removal spells made combat impossible against aggro decks. The guys you're making off the rats are only on curve against other cube cards on about the third activation, and that means your opponent isn't reacting to what you're doing at all. The only time I can see this guy being good is against weak opposition who can't tell how the board/game state is developing and work to counteract it. I guess he's a good pluck in the games where both players are mana flooded for a while, but those situations are not the only spot where I want my two drop to be ok
I'm surprised to hear Pack Rat doesn't do well. I actually think he's 360 staple.
the one time someone said he was a good draw was when they had 8 lands in play, 2 lands in the grip, and no board. They lost that game easily because they hadn't done anything for so long, and were so far behind. Every time someone tried to aggressively use him, they got blown out, and every time someone had to play him on like 5 and make another one they were real far behind. He just wasn't good.
The deck was a bit clogged at four, but other than that played pretty well. Drag Mangler wasn't great in the deck, but I wasnt about to cut a zombie. Helm of Possession was extremely good, and led to a few wins. Pack Rats was terrible, not only in this deck, but every deck it got drafted in last night, no one liked him. He's getting axed soon.
I'm thinking it's more for the green decks with a bunch of mana dorks, or the more midrange decks. It seems very good with tokens and persist, and creature battles.
I wouldn't classify Boggart RG as hybrid for the same reason I wouldn't classify Oona as hybrid -- they're both not good enough to play if you don't have both colors.
I hope you mean if you're R/x not green, cuz if you're not playing gang in mono red you're doing it wrong.
Appetite has been pretty good in my cube. I recommend trying it out. Also, make sure you're not stupid and cast it on turn 1. You have to time it correctly and make sure you figure out how the games going or you're going to think it sucks.
Just scrolling through your list real quick and wanted to hear a few of your thoughts:
-Platinum Emporium: How has this card performed? I'm always thinking about the large artifact creatures as there are numerous ways to both cheat them out or accelerate them into play quickly. I didn't like Platinum Angel years ago when I tried it, but this card seems like it has potential since you can't get blown out by a Char or FTK like the Angel could.
-Kodama of the North Tree but no Genesis: I like Kodama, but there have been a ton of good 5's printed lately it seems, so finding room has been difficult. I assume you eventually cut Genesis, which I can understand as he's a little clunky and slow a lot of times, but at the same time, sometimes he just destroys matchups that come down to the grind.
-Mana Reflection: I saw Kranny was trying this, and have been meaning to ask how it's been. Has it functioned reasonably as a second copy of Wake, or has the additional mana just been a bit too much?
-Genesis Wave but no Rude Awakening: Don't get me wrong, I'm not as huge on Rude Awakening as I was years ago, but the card still seems better most of the time then Wave since it'll often just kill the opponent on the spot for the mana it'll take to have a decent Genesis Wave.
-Bazaar of Baghdad: Has this card been useful enough in enough strategies to warrant the slot? I've been working to pseudo-push Graveyard strategies and am interested if it would be in my best interest to work towards acquiring one of these soon, thoughts (plus it would really power up Life from the Loam which feels hard to get going most drafts around here)?
Platinum Emperion is in because I have a friend who almost always tries to draft reanimator, or tinker/reanimator combo when available. Also, since I almost never draft at events, mostly just at my apt, or friends houses, sideboards are allowed. So while he may not always make the cut in those decks, hes a great sideboard option.
Kodama of the North Tree is a card that I used to love back in the day. That may have kept him in my cube for far too long, but every time I almost remove him he wins the game for my opponent or for me and buys himself more time. I've always hated Genesis. I first built my cube around 2 1/2 yrs ago, and Genesis didnt last very long. He's very expensive to use, and the cards are so good anymore, that its just pretty easy to play your normal game plan and trump them having to sink a bunch of mana into him. I feel like the games where he's exceptional are when both players just get flooded into the late game, and I feel like those are the exception not the rule. Also, when I asked my friends how they felt about him, noone was sorry to see him ago.
Mana Reflection has been awesome. My philosophy with green lately has been, if you want to play real big, play green. Typically the green deck is the one that tries to go to 7,8 or higher quickly. I wanted to try genesis wave for this reason, and its been pretty sweet. Unfortunately I had to cut rude awakening, but the green decks so far have been looking to draft a ton of ramp, some midrange threats, and 2-3 huge threats. The green decks haven't had problems with getting their 2-3 huge threats, so I haven't really missed the awakening. Also with Mana Reflection that fact that it doubles mana, as opposed to just adding one is sometimes relevant. With Grim Monolith it makes infinite mana, for example.
Bazaar I added for my friend who loves to draft reanimator. Its obviously extremely good in that deck. I will say theres not much use for the card other than reanimator decks. There are going to be times where you open it in pack 3 and its almost a guaranteed 15th pick, but I really dont mind that because its so rare that someone drafts a deck that is scrambling for cards so a few wasted picks dont matter.
This is my cube. I try to make my decisions based on the people I regularly play with it. Also, I organize my cards based on how I feel at the time, or what makes me happiest for where a card could be. For example, W/b is a really tight section so I decided to put lingering souls in white. Also, I moved Nacatl and Kird Ape to multicolor because I wanted the room in their colors. I am only explaining this because I dont want this thread to be a huge disussion on cube color organization. Any other discussion I'd be happy to have!
Table- Gain control of target table for deckbuilding
Double Dip-If you draft this card you may later reinsert this into a pack to take an additional card
If my two drops suck on 2 then I want them to be decent rips in the late game. Using him aggressively sucked because wrath was a blowout against control and removal spells made combat impossible against aggro decks. The guys you're making off the rats are only on curve against other cube cards on about the third activation, and that means your opponent isn't reacting to what you're doing at all. The only time I can see this guy being good is against weak opposition who can't tell how the board/game state is developing and work to counteract it. I guess he's a good pluck in the games where both players are mana flooded for a while, but those situations are not the only spot where I want my two drop to be ok
the one time someone said he was a good draw was when they had 8 lands in play, 2 lands in the grip, and no board. They lost that game easily because they hadn't done anything for so long, and were so far behind. Every time someone tried to aggressively use him, they got blown out, and every time someone had to play him on like 5 and make another one they were real far behind. He just wasn't good.
1 Reassembling skeleton
1 Bloodghast
1 Dark Confidant
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Lotleth Troll
1 Pack Rats
1 Dreg Mangler
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Nekrataal
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Lashwrithe
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Smallpox
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Helm of Possession
1 Windswept Heath
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Twilight Mire
1 Forest
19 Swamp
The deck was a bit clogged at four, but other than that played pretty well. Drag Mangler wasn't great in the deck, but I wasnt about to cut a zombie. Helm of Possession was extremely good, and led to a few wins. Pack Rats was terrible, not only in this deck, but every deck it got drafted in last night, no one liked him. He's getting axed soon.
I hope you mean if you're R/x not green, cuz if you're not playing gang in mono red you're doing it wrong.
Platinum Emperion is in because I have a friend who almost always tries to draft reanimator, or tinker/reanimator combo when available. Also, since I almost never draft at events, mostly just at my apt, or friends houses, sideboards are allowed. So while he may not always make the cut in those decks, hes a great sideboard option.
Kodama of the North Tree is a card that I used to love back in the day. That may have kept him in my cube for far too long, but every time I almost remove him he wins the game for my opponent or for me and buys himself more time. I've always hated Genesis. I first built my cube around 2 1/2 yrs ago, and Genesis didnt last very long. He's very expensive to use, and the cards are so good anymore, that its just pretty easy to play your normal game plan and trump them having to sink a bunch of mana into him. I feel like the games where he's exceptional are when both players just get flooded into the late game, and I feel like those are the exception not the rule. Also, when I asked my friends how they felt about him, noone was sorry to see him ago.
Mana Reflection has been awesome. My philosophy with green lately has been, if you want to play real big, play green. Typically the green deck is the one that tries to go to 7,8 or higher quickly. I wanted to try genesis wave for this reason, and its been pretty sweet. Unfortunately I had to cut rude awakening, but the green decks so far have been looking to draft a ton of ramp, some midrange threats, and 2-3 huge threats. The green decks haven't had problems with getting their 2-3 huge threats, so I haven't really missed the awakening. Also with Mana Reflection that fact that it doubles mana, as opposed to just adding one is sometimes relevant. With Grim Monolith it makes infinite mana, for example.
Bazaar I added for my friend who loves to draft reanimator. Its obviously extremely good in that deck. I will say theres not much use for the card other than reanimator decks. There are going to be times where you open it in pack 3 and its almost a guaranteed 15th pick, but I really dont mind that because its so rare that someone drafts a deck that is scrambling for cards so a few wasted picks dont matter.
Thanks for the questions!
Badlands
Bayou
Plateau
Savannah
Scrubland
Taiga
Tropical Island
Tundra
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
Blood Crypt
Breeding Pool
Godless Shrine
Hallowed Fountain
Overgrown Tomb
Sacred Foundry
Steam Vents
Stomping Ground
Temple Garden
Watery Grave
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Wooded Foothills
Windswept Heath
Bloodstained Mire
Verdant Catacombs
Scalding Tarn
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Arid Mesa
Azorius Chancery
Boros Garrison
Dimir Aqueduct
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Izzet Boilerworks
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Rakdos Carnarium
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber
Karakas
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Tolarian Academy
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Gaea's Cradle
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Wasteland
Strip Mine
Mutavault
City of Ass
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Tectonic Edge
Reflecting Pool
Bazaar of Baghdad
Raging Ravine
Horizon Canopy
Blackcleave Cliffs
Celestial Colonnade
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Desolate Lighthouse
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Skullclamp
Bonesplitter
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Lightning Greaves
Grafted Wargear
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Lashwrithe
Batterskull
Creatures
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Etched Oracle
Masticore
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Solemn Simulacrum
Razormane Masticore
Phyrexian Revoker
Duplicant
Platinum Emperion
Sundering Titan
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Wurmcoil Engine
Molten-Tail Masticore
Precursor Golem
Steel Hellkite
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Porcelain Legionnaire
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Cursed Scroll
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Memory Lapse
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Forbid
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Fact or Fiction
Gifts Ungiven
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Force of Will
Condescend
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Ponder
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Tinker
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Tidings
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Carnophage
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Diregraf Ghoul
Gravecrawler
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Vampire Hexmage
Knight of Infamy
Liliana's Specter
Gatekeeper of Malakir
Bone Shredder
Hypnotic Specter
Dusk Urchins
Vampire Nighthawk
Geralf's Messenger
Abyssal Persecutor
Braids, Cabal Minion
Graveborn Muse
Nekrataal
Skinrender
Phyrexian Obliterator
Bloodgift Demon
Shriekmaw
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Massacre Wurm
Grave Titan
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Tombstalker
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Sorceries
Black Sun Zenith
Appetite for Brains
Inquisition of Kozilek
Duress
Sinkhole
Reanimate
Thoughtsieze
Chainer’s Edict
Demonic Tutor
Hymn to Tourach
Damnation
Living Death
Profane Command
Death Cloud
Unburial Rites
Stonewright
Goblin Patrol
Grim Lavamancer
Jackal Pup
Mogg Fanatic
Magus of the Scroll
Goblin Guide
Spikeshot Elder
Reckless Waif
Stromkirk Noble
Plated Geopede
Kargan Dragonlord
Ember Hauler
Lightning Mauler
Mogg War Marshal
Keldon Marauders
Stormblood Berserker
Torch Fiend
Frazzled Editor
Ball Lightning
Chandra's Phoenix
Zo-Zu, The Punisher
Hell's Thunder
Hero of Oxid Ridge
Avalanche Riders
Hellrider
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Keldon Champion
Siege-Gang Commander
Zealous Conscripts
Thundermaw Hellkite
Godo, Bandit Warlord
Inferno Titan
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Enchantments
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Char
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Sorceries
Faithless Looting
Arc Trail
Chain Lightning
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Reckless Charge
Volcanic Hammer
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Pillage
Burning of Xinye
Wildfire
Devil's Play
Rolling Earthquake
Banefire
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Obliterate
Forked Bolt
Pillar of Flame
Noble Hierarch
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Elves of Deep Shadow
Llanowar Elves
Joraga Treespeeker
Arbor elf
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Ulvenwald Tracker
Fauna Shaman
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Tarmogoyf
Scavenging Ooze
Wall of Roots
Lotus Cobra
Skinshifter
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Strangleroot Geist
Devoted Druid
Nest Invader
Eternal Witness
Troll Ascetic
Yavimaya Elder
Wood Elves
Somberwald Sage
Thornscape Battlemage
Wolfir Avenger
Thrun, the Last Troll
Beacon of Creation
Master of the Wild Hunt
Oracle of Mul Daya
Vengevine
Wickerbough Elder
Yeva, Nature's Herald
Acidic Slime
Thornling
Deranged Hermit
Indrik Stomphowler
Kodama of the North Tree
Wolfir Silverheart
Vorapede
Thragtusk
Primeval Titan
Gaea's Revenge
Avenger of Zendikar
Woodfall Primus
Terrastadon
Planeswalkers
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Garruk, Primal Hunter
Garruk Relentless
Artifacts
Birthing pod
Enchantments
Exploration
Survival of the Fittest
Sylvan Library
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Instants
Beast Within
Sorceries
Natural Order
Farseek
Regrowth
Life from the Loam
Kodama’s Reach
Cultivate
Harmonize
Plow Under
Primal Command
Tooth and Nail
Green Sun's Zenith
Genesis Wave
Search for Tomorrow
Rampant Growth
Stunted Growth
Isamaru, Hound of Konda
Savannah Lions
Steppe Lynx
Student of Warfare
Elite Vanguard
Mother of Runes
Weathered Wayfarer
Stoneforge Mystic
Loyal Cathar
Cloistered Youth
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
Wall of Omen
Accorder Paladin
Leonin Relic-Warder
Soltari Trooper
Mirran Crusader
Mentor of the Meek
Spectral Procession
Flickerwisp
Blade Splicer
Silverblade Paladin
Soltari Champion
Midnight Haunting
Lingering Souls
Hero of Bladehold
Wall of Reverance
Hokori, Dust Drinker
Sublime Archangel
Emeria Angel
Restoration Angel
Glimmerpoint Stag
Cloudgoat Ranger
Karmic Guide
Reveillark
Baneslayer Angel
Increasing Devotion
Exalted Angel
Yosei, The Morning Star
Sun Titan
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Iona, Shield of Emeria
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Planeswalkers
Ajani Goldmane
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Gideon Jura
Enchantments
Journey to Nowhere
Oblivion Ring
Glorious Anthem
Honor of the Pure
Faith’s Fetters
Parallax Wave
Instants
Condemn
Enlightened Tutor
Swords to Plowshares
Disenchant
Momentary Blink
Path to Exile
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Armageddon
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Day of Judgment
Decree of Justice
Sunlance
Wrath of God
Hallowed Burial
Ravages of War
Rout
White-Blue
Geist of Saint Traft
Venser, the Sojourner
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Plumeveil
Absorb
White-Black
Stillmoon Cavalier
Vindicate
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
Tidehollow Sculler
Angel of Despair
White-Red
Duergar Hedge-Mage
Ajani Vengeant
Lightning Helix
Figure of Destiny
White-Green
Sigarda, Host of Herons
Kitchen Finks
Knight of the Reliquary
Qasali Pridemage
Mirari’s Wake
Behemoth Sledge
Blue-Black
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Wydwen, the Biting Gale
Baleful Strix
Recoil
Havengul Lich
Blue-Red
Fire//Ice
Electrolyze
Prophetic Bolt
Izzet Chronarch
Blue-Green
Trygon Predator
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Mystic Snake
Simic Sky Swallower
Shardless Agent
Black-Red
Falkenrath Aristocrat
Murderous Redcap
Olivia Voldaren
Fulminator Mage
Rare-B-Gone
Sarkhan the Mad
Black-Green
Life // Death
Putrefy
Pernicious Deed
Maelstrom Pulse
Red-Green
Tattermunge Maniac
Huntmaster of the Fells
Boggart Ram-Gang
Bloodbraid Elf
Kird Ape
Tri-Color
Bant Charm
Rhox War Monk
Dromar’s Charm
Sphinx of the Steel Wind
Cruel Ultimatum
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Broodmate Dragon
Hit / Run
Wild Nacatl
Table- Gain control of target table for deckbuilding
Double Dip-If you draft this card you may later reinsert this into a pack to take an additional card