Definitely testing: Charging Monstrosaur - Solid top end for red Merfolk Branchwalker - Perfect G card for my cube Siren Stormtamer - I think a very solid card that requires strong play from your opponent to play around it Snapping Sailback - I think this card is very strong. Flash allows it to get in for a quick block and then +1/+1. It needs a hard removal spell to really get rid of it (not many creatures can easily block it and burn won't really kill it). Can be chump blocked, it just gets bigger and if playing with +1/+1 lords can cause some major pain. Sky Terror - Really want to test it, not sure what to replace yet.
Red Reality Smasher is the kind of card you'd expect to already exist but somehow doesn't. I concede that Bloodfray Giant might be better in some aggro decks, but this dino might be fun in ramp and midrange. It's also so french vanilla that it's easily excludable.
Adanto Vanguard is gonna teach my playgroup to fear the T H R E A T O F A C T I V A T I O N
He's going to teach your playgroup how to blow you out in response to the activation... unless you want to lose 8 life instead.
Two removal spells for 8 life might not be the worst thing if you are that aggressive (must be real aggressive to pay the 8 life,but 4 life for two removal is perfectly acceptable to me)
The bonus about this card being a 3/3 for me is the fact that it has a +1/+1 counter on it, which I support quite a bit. There are multiple factors that make this card excel in my opinion. I'm still not 100% convinced of this card specifically. But I do think it fits really well in my colour block and although you don't get to choose which effect you get, I believe each effect is quite powerful.
Unfortunately, Marauding Looter is not what I am really looking for in my UR archetype. Tempo is definitely there, but mostly as a defensive tactic not offensive.
I almost still want to test Tishana's Wayfinder probably in place of Civic Wayfinder, its close for me. I really like the explore ability, it essentially fills into all of my GX archetypes and I can see playing this card in almost any GX deck. It doesn't do color fixing like Civic Wayfinder definitely does, however if the top card of your library is a land, but non-basic it still picks it up. If it's not a land you get a +1/+1 counter (part of my G/W or G/R) archetypes AND you get to scry. The best part of this scry for me is that you can put the card back on top or in your GY. G/x is also highly GY involved as well which is very interesting. The card definitely peaks my interests, but am not 100% convinced. Maybe this is is a replacement for Yavimaya Elder instead... we'll see. Yea, maybe Yavimaya Elder.
Anyone have anything to say about G/R in their cube?
-what are the typical decks?
-are there any issues?
-do you support any specific archetypes in these colours?
-are there any cards (mono or two coloured) that are particularly important/strong in typical R/G decks?
I actually think behind Mono-red, when G/R aggro comes together, it's exceptional. It's also a good midrange combination, because green has some fatties, utility creatures, and ramp, while red provides you with some burn.
Typically, gruul supports aggressive decks. It would be primarily red, and splashing some aggressive green cards. Green in my cube isn't inherently an aggro color, but it has some great tools for the aggressive decks.
The issues with gruul aggro decks is that there really aren't a huge amount of green aggressive creatures. We do have a few gems, like Kessig Prowler, Experiment One.. Green is primarily a support color in my cube, so it's hard for a base green aggro deck to get built. It's hard for me to justify putting in 3/2's for 2, like Terrain Elemental.. since they can access those in red and it's so contradictory to what I like green to be doing. As they keep printing more cheap aggressive green creatures, I may revisit it.
I would say this is similar to my experience, GR is very much an aggro/midrange deck that when comes together is very powerful. The green support creatures can be very heavy hitters and make the top end of your deck very powerful in the midrange game.
Topplegeist has been pretty-to-very good for me. I think a 1/1 evasive creature with upside is much closer to cubable than people give it credit for.
Furthermore, I think the total lifetime damage output in an average game of this card when compared to an elite vanguard (higher damage, lower lifespan) is close enough that the etb makes up the difference when played on later turns.
Topplegeist makes hands with multiple 1 drops better (or, better than most double 1 drop hands), instead of occasionally awkward.
Tooth collector, has been around average, and I don't run skinner. I just saw a lot of discarding and otherwise filling of the graveyard, so I figured I'd mention the three best delirium cards.
/
Infiltrator il-kor I prefer to latch seeker, honestly. Blue twos aren't exactly full of *aggro* support.
Latch seeker and the infiltrator attack on the same turn, but infiltrator is sometimes harder to kill. Your opponent can't use instant speed removal on turn 3 to kill it unlike latch seeker and cant use sorcery speed removal to take it down at all before it gets in for 3.
Also, when in topdeck mode, a 3/1 unblockable for 5 isnt that much worse than a 3/1 unblockable for 3.
I happily run both, but infiltrator is sometimes just ridiculous.
Ill find a way to test topplegeist and il-kor, see how they turn out
Basilica Guards - Cards actually very solid in a couple different decks, super great in the drain life BW deck, works well in white control slow decks. Its very much an archetype support card for me, but the card does work.
Mana Drain - It's very strong, very strong, but honestly not unbeatable. This has been added more recently and I am keeping an eye on it.
Psionic Blast - I don't play cards based on color pie. This card is great and I can't imagine it being cut anytime soon.
Control Magic - Great card, I don't mind the redundancy here yet, if anything would remove mind control before this for sure.
Bone Shredder - This card is actually great in my cube. I play a lot of GY cards and using this as a removal and then bring it back again and again is great.
Hymn to Tourach - I don't have a problem with strong cards in my cube, they can be difficult to beat, but this card hasn't caused a complete non-game for a long time, and having it happen every once in a while isn't too much of an issue to me. I think you can come back from getting hit by a solid Hymn.
Rage Forger - Roughly 9-10+ creatures with +1/+1 counters or ability to get counters just from red in my cube, pairing that up with W/G can make a very strong RX counters deck, having about 8+ cards in a color to support an archetype seems strong enough to me. Honestly haven't played with it yet though, its something I am testing with the large amount of +1/+1 counter support that has been thrown at us in the last few sets.
Renegade Map - Great fixing, when you don't play any rare lands this is just as good if not better than tapped lands in certain situations. Sure slow, but same with all other fixing in peasant.
Behemoth Sledge/Loxodon Warhammer - Loxodon is definitely a P1P1 card in my cube, agreed it is extremely strong. My philosophy about these cards and how to handle them may be a little different then most. I don't care for playing disenchant/artifact removal cards. In my opinion those are a waste of a slot in a deck and something you usually don't main deck. I think most colors have ways to deal with these cards, white has good creature removal and a couple of effects to handle the artifacts themselves, blue has counter spells and bounce creatures, red has a ton of removal and generally an extremely fast clock that may be too slow for something like the hammer, black has tons and tons of removal and some discard, green typically has to just go over the top of it with very large creatures. There are games where these cards will win the game for you, but I keep an eye on it and if it ever gets completely out of hand I will probably take them out.
Surprised that Grafted Wargear wasn't also mentioned with these, I think this card is just as strong if not stronger sometimes due to the 0 equip cost.
Maybe I tend to try and keep my power level just a little higher than most, but I like the diverse and strong decks that can be made in my cube and honestly haven't had major issues with cards, except curse of predation (a card that in my opinion is bonkers, completely busted and overpowered) and maybe ghostly prison too which I don't think is unbeatable, but makes games stall out too frequently for my taste and has been removed recently. I do keep an eye on most of the strong cards you have listed here and I agree they are very strong and can be back breaking, I just don't think they have gotten to the point of banning/removal yet.
Edit: Lead by Example - Somehow missed this card when going through, there are a variety of +1/+1 counter cards, I like this one because it's a nice instant trick. Adding a permanent two power and two toughness to your board for two mana is quite nice at instant speed. I do think overall power level of counters support is not as strong as other cards, but the combos can be brutal
Definitely testing:
Charging Monstrosaur - Solid top end for red
Merfolk Branchwalker - Perfect G card for my cube
Siren Stormtamer - I think a very solid card that requires strong play from your opponent to play around it
Snapping Sailback - I think this card is very strong. Flash allows it to get in for a quick block and then +1/+1. It needs a hard removal spell to really get rid of it (not many creatures can easily block it and burn won't really kill it). Can be chump blocked, it just gets bigger and if playing with +1/+1 lords can cause some major pain.
Sky Terror - Really want to test it, not sure what to replace yet.
Very likely/maybe testing:
Adanto Vanguard
Chart a Course
Rigging Runner
Ranging Raptors
Verdant Rebirth
Two removal spells for 8 life might not be the worst thing if you are that aggressive (must be real aggressive to pay the 8 life,but 4 life for two removal is perfectly acceptable to me)
Sailback is a flash 4/4 that can get bigger and can support +1/+1 counters
I support flash, counters, and GY in my cube, so likely both staying in
Charging Monstrosaur
4R - 5/5 Trample Haste
Adanto Vanguard
1W - 1/1 when ~ attacks gets +2/+0
Pay 4 life: ~ becomes indestructable
River Sneak
1U - 1/1 unblockable
gets +1/+1 when another merfolk enters the battlefield
Unfortunately, Marauding Looter is not what I am really looking for in my UR archetype. Tempo is definitely there, but mostly as a defensive tactic not offensive.
I almost still want to test Tishana's Wayfinder probably in place of Civic Wayfinder, its close for me. I really like the explore ability, it essentially fills into all of my GX archetypes and I can see playing this card in almost any GX deck. It doesn't do color fixing like Civic Wayfinder definitely does, however if the top card of your library is a land, but non-basic it still picks it up. If it's not a land you get a +1/+1 counter (part of my G/W or G/R) archetypes AND you get to scry. The best part of this scry for me is that you can put the card back on top or in your GY. G/x is also highly GY involved as well which is very interesting. The card definitely peaks my interests, but am not 100% convinced. Maybe this is is a replacement for Yavimaya Elder instead... we'll see. Yea, maybe Yavimaya Elder.
I would say this is similar to my experience, GR is very much an aggro/midrange deck that when comes together is very powerful. The green support creatures can be very heavy hitters and make the top end of your deck very powerful in the midrange game.
Ill find a way to test topplegeist and il-kor, see how they turn out
Mana Drain - It's very strong, very strong, but honestly not unbeatable. This has been added more recently and I am keeping an eye on it.
Psionic Blast - I don't play cards based on color pie. This card is great and I can't imagine it being cut anytime soon.
Control Magic - Great card, I don't mind the redundancy here yet, if anything would remove mind control before this for sure.
Bone Shredder - This card is actually great in my cube. I play a lot of GY cards and using this as a removal and then bring it back again and again is great.
Hymn to Tourach - I don't have a problem with strong cards in my cube, they can be difficult to beat, but this card hasn't caused a complete non-game for a long time, and having it happen every once in a while isn't too much of an issue to me. I think you can come back from getting hit by a solid Hymn.
Rage Forger - Roughly 9-10+ creatures with +1/+1 counters or ability to get counters just from red in my cube, pairing that up with W/G can make a very strong RX counters deck, having about 8+ cards in a color to support an archetype seems strong enough to me. Honestly haven't played with it yet though, its something I am testing with the large amount of +1/+1 counter support that has been thrown at us in the last few sets.
Renegade Map - Great fixing, when you don't play any rare lands this is just as good if not better than tapped lands in certain situations. Sure slow, but same with all other fixing in peasant.
Behemoth Sledge/Loxodon Warhammer - Loxodon is definitely a P1P1 card in my cube, agreed it is extremely strong. My philosophy about these cards and how to handle them may be a little different then most. I don't care for playing disenchant/artifact removal cards. In my opinion those are a waste of a slot in a deck and something you usually don't main deck. I think most colors have ways to deal with these cards, white has good creature removal and a couple of effects to handle the artifacts themselves, blue has counter spells and bounce creatures, red has a ton of removal and generally an extremely fast clock that may be too slow for something like the hammer, black has tons and tons of removal and some discard, green typically has to just go over the top of it with very large creatures. There are games where these cards will win the game for you, but I keep an eye on it and if it ever gets completely out of hand I will probably take them out.
Surprised that Grafted Wargear wasn't also mentioned with these, I think this card is just as strong if not stronger sometimes due to the 0 equip cost.
Maybe I tend to try and keep my power level just a little higher than most, but I like the diverse and strong decks that can be made in my cube and honestly haven't had major issues with cards, except curse of predation (a card that in my opinion is bonkers, completely busted and overpowered) and maybe ghostly prison too which I don't think is unbeatable, but makes games stall out too frequently for my taste and has been removed recently. I do keep an eye on most of the strong cards you have listed here and I agree they are very strong and can be back breaking, I just don't think they have gotten to the point of banning/removal yet.
Edit: Lead by Example - Somehow missed this card when going through, there are a variety of +1/+1 counter cards, I like this one because it's a nice instant trick. Adding a permanent two power and two toughness to your board for two mana is quite nice at instant speed. I do think overall power level of counters support is not as strong as other cards, but the combos can be brutal