> Made a few changes to lower and flatten the power band. I think there are still a few outliers. Removal is tough to assess.
> Removed lands. I think I will just have 10 Teramorphic Expanses in the basic lands box.
> Removed nearly all of the aggro-exclusive one drops. These cards seem far too narrow for a cube like this.
Question:
How do you make sure there are distinct AGGRO and CONTROL archetypes in these kinds of micro-cubes? Right now I have Blue and Black as my control colours. Aggressive decks can use their disruptive tools as well. I'd like to have the decks fit pretty solidly into either aggro/tempo or control and few mindrangey decks that do not include Green. What do aggressive decks look like in cubes with no 2/1s for 1?
I am building out a list for a budget travel 90 card cube and I would love feedback. I haven't put this cube together in the flesh yet, but I plan to shortly.
Just putting some sealed decks together, it seems like there are some cool decks to be had, but you basically need to use all of the playables in a colour to have a valid deck. Any tips for addressing this? Do you ever do 30 card decks? Do you try to run a lot of spells that have a home in aggro and control? Tell me your secrets!
Other than that I would much appreciate any general comments or criticims.
So generally I think people here are looking for a little bit more structure in a question than just: "make me a sick control deck in these colours." For reference, you can use a simple search function to come up with any number of baseline control decks to make changes off of.
For a control deck, there are a few elements that are usually going to be in every deck. Sweepers, spot removal, counterspells, draw, finishers. This applies mostly to the draw-go style of control deck compared to the tap-out style, but I think this is what most people are thinking of when they think of a classic control deck. Once you come up with the things that you want in the deck, a decent decklist comes together as easily as putting decent cards in these categories into a list.
I guess I have experience building both UW and UR control decks, but not tri-color. I guess you need to decide whether or not the third color is worth it. Lightning Bolt obviously makes at least a splash quite attractive. I like to have a sideboard anti-agro package of Pyroclasm and Arc Lightning. However, I tend to find that a stable mana-base is worth more, as white and red tend to supply more-or-less the same types of cards (board sweepers, spot removal, some decent finishers).
I wouldn't be so quick to say Mentor the Meek is stronger than Skullclamp. 4 clamps mean I don't think I would like to play against this deck at the kitchen table.
You need some beefier one drops. These aggro decks really run on one mana 2/x's. The dudes that you have chosen, Raging Goblin and Fireslinger, just are not aggressive enough (although Fireslinger could be used to trigger bloodthirst). You can play wimpy one drops, but only if they add utility.
I would also replace the Faithless Looting with another two drop (any aggressive dude will do, I like Ember Hauler). You aren't really here to grind out card advantage or quality, you want all of your cards to contribute to the game plan: kill your opponent.
This deck does not belong in multiplayer, so I would also drop the Taureen Mauler. Blood Ogre is pretty cool in the stomping category. Spur Grappler works if you do not want to cast burn on your opponent's turn.
Without fetches it's a little tricky, but with a way to shuffle dead cards off the top (Squadron Hawks is also neat), Brainstorm basically becomes Ancestral Recall.
However, with only the CipT fetches, Preordain might just be the better choice. Test it out!
I would consider running a Trinket Mage toolbox. Connecting with Zuran Orb + Balance is obviously nutters powerful, so I assume you want to be hitting that on the reg. With the toolbox, you could drop Zuran Orb down to one, get easy access to your Elixer of Immortality, and also have access to a whole range of other tool-box-ables. Pick and chose what works best based on your playstyle/metagame.
A mana fixing/fetching package with Ancients Den and Seat of the Synod.
Dispeller's Capsule; to replace the Disenchants, in some matches it is great to have at hand, but by only running one you can lower the risk of it becoming a dead card.
Mana development package of Sol Ring and/or Everflowing Chalice
Pithing Needle and Graffdigger's Cage could go in the sideboard for shutting down certain strategies.
He does, however, interfere with the desire to have no creatures in play when Balance hits, so your milage may vary.
I don't think that you can really get the feeling of playing an aggressive deck unless you are packing a suite of one drops that can actually make your opponent hurt. Tattermunge Maniac, Jackal Pup, and Bonesplitter would be a good, inexpensive array of ways to start your clock on turn one.
I would also be keen on dropping the pyromancer in favour of another two drop. Fireslinger would work if you really want to get your ping on, but I would likely go for Ember Hauler or Stormblood Berserker.
Obviously it is totally up to you and your friend what deck you build, but this is a sample of where I would be looking to move that list.
In my green decks (especially one that if more aggro than midrange, which this may orr may not be) I like to have all my ramp at the same CMC so I know which turn I am going to have definite mana adantage. Overgrown Battlement really isn't going to do a lot for you here if you are looking to bash faces in. Perhaps swap it out for a 1 drop accelerant. I like the package of Arbor Elf and Wild Growth.
With all your accelerants at one, and a pretty good chance of plopping one down on the first turn, you can effectively ignore the two drop slot in favour of gnarly 3 drops. Leatherback is awesome, another awesome green stompin' card is Call of the Herd. A 3/3 body isn't anything to write home about, but tthe duo tends to net me some card advantage most times it is played, or at least lets me play around wraths.
I think another important thing to decide on when putting something like this together is the power of colourless and multicoloured cards compared to the WUBRG section. When we play, powerful artifacts are generally snatched up in the first few picks, while people tend to shy away from taking early multicoloured cards. Obviously this makes sense, since artifacts can be played in any deck and multicolour cards are quite a bit less flexible.
Since you have complete control over the power level of this cube, it might be worthwhile to push the comparative power of multicolour cards. It may just be me, but I feel that having to make the choice between flexible, decent cards, and specific, powerful cards is an interesting dynamic.
Rolling Thunder looks pretty strong, and I wasn't aware of Wrecking Ball before. However, given the deck it looks like we are making, I think that Gravedigger is a good choice.
Pretty good pack.
I've made some changes:
> Reduced colour intensity of a few cards.
> Made a few changes to lower and flatten the power band. I think there are still a few outliers. Removal is tough to assess.
> Removed lands. I think I will just have 10 Teramorphic Expanses in the basic lands box.
> Removed nearly all of the aggro-exclusive one drops. These cards seem far too narrow for a cube like this.
Question:
How do you make sure there are distinct AGGRO and CONTROL archetypes in these kinds of micro-cubes? Right now I have Blue and Black as my control colours. Aggressive decks can use their disruptive tools as well. I'd like to have the decks fit pretty solidly into either aggro/tempo or control and few mindrangey decks that do not include Green. What do aggressive decks look like in cubes with no 2/1s for 1?
Nice to find a group of micro-cubers!
I am building out a list for a budget travel 90 card cube and I would love feedback. I haven't put this cube together in the flesh yet, but I plan to shortly.
Just putting some sealed decks together, it seems like there are some cool decks to be had, but you basically need to use all of the playables in a colour to have a valid deck. Any tips for addressing this? Do you ever do 30 card decks? Do you try to run a lot of spells that have a home in aggro and control? Tell me your secrets!
Other than that I would much appreciate any general comments or criticims.
http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/68051
For a control deck, there are a few elements that are usually going to be in every deck. Sweepers, spot removal, counterspells, draw, finishers. This applies mostly to the draw-go style of control deck compared to the tap-out style, but I think this is what most people are thinking of when they think of a classic control deck. Once you come up with the things that you want in the deck, a decent decklist comes together as easily as putting decent cards in these categories into a list.
For example:
Spot removal - Lightning Bolt, Oblivion Ring, and Exclude do good work
Sweepers - Day of Judgement and Pyroclasm are good in different situations
Counterspells - Mana Leak and Izzet Charm
Draw Spells - Fact or Fiction Preordain
Finishers - You can use pretty much any resilient, beefy creature for this if you build the deck right. I like Sphinx of Jwar Isle or Morphling
I guess I have experience building both UW and UR control decks, but not tri-color. I guess you need to decide whether or not the third color is worth it. Lightning Bolt obviously makes at least a splash quite attractive. I like to have a sideboard anti-agro package of Pyroclasm and Arc Lightning. However, I tend to find that a stable mana-base is worth more, as white and red tend to supply more-or-less the same types of cards (board sweepers, spot removal, some decent finishers).
MY favorite WUR control deck is Team America Blink. Flametoungue Kavue, Crystal Shard, Man-O-War, Momentary Blink, and etc. This is more of a tap-out control, but you can gain some sweet card advantage.
Anyhow, it is really up to you to supply more guidance, but try to put something together?
Head on over to the cube forum and read up.
By far my favorite format!
Save money! Play with the best cards!
I would suggest (depending on yer budget)
Jackal Pup
Goblin Guide
Tattermunge Maniac
Rakdos Cackler
I would also replace the Faithless Looting with another two drop (any aggressive dude will do, I like Ember Hauler). You aren't really here to grind out card advantage or quality, you want all of your cards to contribute to the game plan: kill your opponent.
This deck does not belong in multiplayer, so I would also drop the Taureen Mauler. Blood Ogre is pretty cool in the stomping category. Spur Grappler works if you do not want to cast burn on your opponent's turn.
Ancestral Recall.
However, with only the CipT fetches, Preordain might just be the better choice. Test it out!
I don't know, I think that I would put Dark Ritual ahead of Giant Growth. In constructed esecially. Maybe I just play a lot of Sui black...
A mana fixing/fetching package with Ancients Den and Seat of the Synod.
Dispeller's Capsule; to replace the Disenchants, in some matches it is great to have at hand, but by only running one you can lower the risk of it becoming a dead card.
Mana development package of Sol Ring and/or Everflowing Chalice
Pithing Needle and Graffdigger's Cage could go in the sideboard for shutting down certain strategies.
He does, however, interfere with the desire to have no creatures in play when Balance hits, so your milage may vary.
I would also be keen on dropping the pyromancer in favour of another two drop. Fireslinger would work if you really want to get your ping on, but I would likely go for Ember Hauler or Stormblood Berserker.
Obviously it is totally up to you and your friend what deck you build, but this is a sample of where I would be looking to move that list.
4 Tattermunge Maniac
4 Jackal Pup
4 Bonesplitter
4 Ember Hauler
4 Stormblood Bersker
4 Ashenmoor Gouger
4 Incinerate
4 Brimstone Volley
2 Fireball
3 Teetering Peaks
With all your accelerants at one, and a pretty good chance of plopping one down on the first turn, you can effectively ignore the two drop slot in favour of gnarly 3 drops. Leatherback is awesome, another awesome green stompin' card is Call of the Herd. A 3/3 body isn't anything to write home about, but tthe duo tends to net me some card advantage most times it is played, or at least lets me play around wraths.
Since you have complete control over the power level of this cube, it might be worthwhile to push the comparative power of multicolour cards. It may just be me, but I feel that having to make the choice between flexible, decent cards, and specific, powerful cards is an interesting dynamic.
Dauthi Marauder is a pretty cool dude, but probably not in this deck
Pretty good pack.