Thanks for the reply, and the kind words! Sorry about the long delay, I just saw the comment now.
As far as artifacts and lands to avoid, there's not much. I mean, as long as you guys have fun with the cards and the cube is an enjoyable experience, you're doing it right. I would caution against overdoing lands that enter the battlefield tapped though, if you want aggressive decks to be playable in more than one color.
Cheers, and happy cubing!
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Jan 25, 2019wtwlf123 posted a message on Cube Design PhilosophyIt's always good to get comments on 9-year-old articles! Glad you enjoyed it.Posted in: Articles
Land is not included when determining your ACMC. But other cards, like Force of Will, might beb considered a 5 if you use their printed costs, but are actually a 0 in practice. Make sure you adjust your CMCs to what their expected costs are when calculating things. And all cards that are truly variable can get factored in as true X's, which neither help nor hurt your curve.
Cheers, and happy cubing! - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
My cube was built to provide a feel of "classic" Magic. From a player that has been playing since Revised, I wanted to have a cube that reminded me of "old school" Magic.
So, I built this cube to be as good as it can be with limitations on card Age. This Cube goes from Alpha to Onslaught Block. NOTHING from after Onslaught Block (so no cards with the new card faces).
Cube Information
Basic Info
Cube Size: 415 Cards
Breakdown: 54 Each Color, 50 Artifacts, 30 Multicolor, 65 Land
Standard or Theme Cube: Theme - Classic Cards Only
Snow Lands: No
Average # Players: Four
How Often Drafted: 2-3 Times Weekly
Card Selection
Powered?: Yes
Portal?: No
"Un-" Cards: No
Banned Cards for Power-Level: No
Banned Cards for Time Constraints: No
Banned Cards for "Fun" factor: No
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: Standard
Sideboards?: No
Even Color Balance: Yes
Perfect Creature/Non-Creature Balance: No
Gold Balance: Yes
Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: Varies
Color Triggers as Gold: Varies
Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
Cube CMC: 2.873
Here's a complete list of the cards in the cube, broken down by color, and then organized by casting cost.
It's currently a 415 card cube. Most colors have the creature/non-creature selections pretty close to balanced, except for blue (which has more spells and less creatures) and green (which has more creatures and less spells).
Ideas / Constructive Criticism is WELCOME... that's why I'm posting it here. For all of you old-school Magic players, this cube has a really nostalgic feel to it. As I make changes to the cube, the updates will be posted here as well. For everybody that is looking to build a cube that only uses 'older' cards, feel free to use this cube as a base.
Enjoy!
Classic Cube (415)
White
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Land Tax
1 Orim's Chant
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Longbow Archer
1 Silver Knight
1 Soltari Monk
1 Soltari Priest
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Spectral Lynx
1 Whipcorder
1 White Knight
1 Balance
1 Disenchant
1 Pacifism
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Mobilization
1 Mystic Crusader
1 Paladin en-Vec
1 Pianna, Nomad Captain
1 Soltari Champion
1 Arrest
1 Exile
1 Glorious Anthem
1 Story Circle
1 Wing Shards
1 Academy Rector
1 False Prophet
1 Radiant's Dragoons
1 Armageddon
1 Cataclysm
1 Humility
1 Moat
1 Parallax Wave
1 Worship
1 Wrath of God
1 Karmic Guide
1 Mageta the Lion
1 Reveillark
1 Serra Angel
1 Miraculous Recovery
1 Rout
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Catastrophe
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Decree of Justice
1 Sacred Mesa
Blue
1 Misdirection
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Gilded Drake
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Arcane Denial
1 Boomerang
1 Counterspell
1 Impulse
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Miscalculation
1 Snap
1 Time Walk
1 Ophidian
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Willbender
1 Capsize
1 Complicate
1 Dissipate
1 Forbid
1 Frantic Search
1 Psionic Blast
1 Repulse
1 Show and Tell
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Rainbow Efreet
1 Serendib Djinn
1 Thieving Magpie
1 Tradewind Rider
1 Control Magic
1 Deep Analysis
1 Dismiss
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Opposition
1 Morphling
1 Bribery
1 Desertion
1 Future Sight
1 Time Warp
1 Treachery
1 Time Spiral
1 Upheaval
1 Palinchron
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Stroke of Genius
Black
1 Snuff Out
1 Carnophage
1 Sarcomancy
1 Dark Ritual
1 Duress
1 Entomb
1 Innocent Blood
1 Reanimate
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Black Knight
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Skittering Skirge
1 Wretched Anurid
1 Animate Dead
1 Bitterblossom
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Exhume
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Sinkhole
1 Terror
1 Bone Shredder
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Skittering Horror
1 Undead Gladiator
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Corpse Dance
1 Dark Banishing
1 Necromancy
1 Necropotence
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Stupor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Juzam Djinn
1 Nekrataal
1 Phyrexian Scuta
1 Persecute
1 The Abyss
1 Thrashing Wumpus
1 Decree of Pain
1 Hatred
1 Living Death
1 Visara the Dreadful
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Spirit of the Night
1 Mind Twist
Red
1 Goblin Patrol
1 Goblin Welder
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Kird Ape
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Chain Lightning
1 Firebolt
1 Firestorm
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Seal of Fire
1 Shock
1 Dwarven Blastminer
1 Dwarven Miner
1 Fireslinger
1 Incinerate
1 Volcanic Hammer
1 Ball Lightning
1 Blistering Firecat
1 Ghitu Slinger
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Arc Lightning
1 Carbonize
1 Hammer of Bogardan
1 Pillage
1 Stone Rain
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Urza's Rage
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Words of War
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Ravenous Baboons
1 Skizzik
1 Aftershock
1 Ancient Hydra
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Crater Hellion
1 Rorix Bladewing
1 Wildfire
1 Form of the Dragon
1 Disintegrate
1 Earthquake
1 Fireball
1 Ghitu Fire
1 Kaervek's Torch
1 Starstorm
1 Tectonic Break
Green
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Ghazban Ogre
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Rogue Elephant
1 Skyshroud Elite
1 Wild Dogs
1 Berserk
1 Giant Growth
1 Rancor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Albino Troll
1 Quirion Dryad
1 River Boa
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Wall of Roots
1 Werebear
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Life from the Loam
1 Naturalize
1 Rampant Growth
1 Regrowth
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Call of the Herd
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Thornscape Battlemage
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Elephant Guide
1 Harrow
1 Blastoderm
1 Erhnam Djinn
1 Ifh-Biff Efreet
1 Phantom Centaur
1 Ravenous Baloth
1 Spike Weaver
1 Might of Oaks
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Genesis
1 Overrun
1 Plow Under
1 Silvos, Rogue Elemental
1 Penumbra Wurm
1 Verdant Force
1 Hurricane
Artifact
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Zuran Orb
1 Black Vise
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 The Rack
1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Fire Diamond
1 Grim Monolith
1 Marble Diamond
1 Mind Stone
1 Moss Diamond
1 Powder Keg
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sky Diamond
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Winter Orb
1 Cathodion
1 Chimeric Idol
1 Metalworker
1 Forcefield
1 Ring of Gix
1 Tangle Wire
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Juggernaut
1 Masticore
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Su-Chi
1 Erratic Portal
1 Grafted Skullcap
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Jester's Cap
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Smokestack
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Memory Jar
1 Triskelion
Gold
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Teferi's Moat
1 Psychatog
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Undermine
1 Terminate
1 Blazing Specter
1 Void
1 Fires of Yavimaya
1 Stormbind
1 Shivan Wurm
1 Mystic Enforcer
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Gerrard's Verdict
1 Vindicate
1 Desolation Angel
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Goblin Legionnaire
1 Goblin Trenches
1 Fire // Ice
1 Suffocating Blast
1 Prophetic Bolt
1 Jungle Barrier
1 Mystic Snake
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Spiritmonger
Land
1 City of Traitors
1 Dust Bowl
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Wasteland
1 City of Brass
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Undiscovered Paradise
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Kor Haven
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Treetop Village
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Bayou
1 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Taiga
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bad River
1 Flood Plain
1 Grasslands
1 Mountain Valley
1 Rocky Tar Pit
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Brushland
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Shivan Reef
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Underground River
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Mossfire Valley
1 Shadowblood Ridge
1 Skycloud Expanse
1 Sungrass Prairie
1 Caldera Lake
1 Pine Barrens
1 Salt Flats
1 Scabland
1 Skyshroud Forest
PIMP FACTOR
Note: As of right now, the cube is 100% "Pimped"... as follows:
Alpha - Alliances (pre Japanese cards) -- Original, Promo Foil or Altered Art versions
Mirage - Saga (post Japanese printing) -- Japanese, Promo Foil or Altered Art versions
Legacy - Scourge (post Foil printing) -- Foil or Altered Art versions
Basic Lands -- APAC Lands, EURO Lands, Arena Lands and GURU Lands (all the available promo basic lands with the "old card face").
That is in my top FIVE overall pics. Did it get cut because it was too good? The Diamond has been outstanding in our cube.
Yawgmoth's Bargain has a permanent home in my cube. It combines really well with Words of War (which is the most underrated card in the cube draft world IMO). Bargain is one of my favorite targets with Academy Rector and it's great with Seismic Assault. I regularly Show and Tell the Bargain into play, and then go on to win. If your cube contains cards like Necropotence, Dark Confidant, Phyrexian Arena and Graveborn Muse then it may seem underwhelming, but IMO... it's not. It has been anything but underwhelming in our cube.
It's cool to see how different cards interract with different people's cubes (and the playstyles of the players withing the groups). Bargain would't ever get cut out of my group's cube, so it's cool to see how different certain cubes and styles are from one another.
I don't really use any combos other than Channel / Fireball, Recurring Nightmare / Palinchron. Storm seems to narrow in limited to me...
Yes. Akroma's Vengeance is the nuts (cycling is Pro) and Orim's Thunder is a more effective 2 for 1 than Return to Dust IMO (which may only have 1 legit target when it's played anyways...):-/