This project feels similar to when I built my cube for the first time. It's new, and exciting territory that is allowing me to build and refine a completely new format. The Artifact Cube has been a long time in the making and and I am happy to have it finished. I only have about 20 drafts with it so far, but have invested quite possibly hundreds of hours of discussing it, scouring shops and trade binders for interesting cards, and an embarassing amount of time on magiccards.info and Gatherer researching it. I am very happy to finally have it fully built and sleeved, and to be able to post it here for my fellow friends and cubers to discuss!
I am hopeful there will be a whole bunch of questions and comments, so please don't hold back. I know off the bat there are a few things I should get out there to explain my reasoning for actually building the darn thing, so I'll see what I can do to articulate my goals with my fingers aching from sorting and typing up this list!
Artifacts are the best. No truly, they're just the bee's knees. They're far and away my favorite card type, and I have always loved formats heavy in artifacts. Yes, I even enjoyed playing in Mirrodin Type 2. That being said, I first got the idea for an artifact cube when we were looking through my binder trying to find dark horse cards for cube. We came across Serum Tank of all cards. I mentioned that I wish it had a lower activation cost or simply didn't need counters to be added/removed to make it work. I mentioned it to a friend who had a C/U cube and he said it wouldn't be any good. I said that I was going to build an artifact cube so that my foil copy could have a home, and here we are about one year later with a complete list! I think I may be getting ahead of myself, so let me backtrack a bit.
At first I would just pick up any neat foil cards that had anything to do with artifacts. After construction was complete I found myself with quite literally hundreds of cards sitting in the on-deck binder and it's barely seen the light of day! Many of them are total trash artifacts, and others are probably good enough but I haven't realized it yet. Others are completely and utterly busted, but I'll get to that in a moment.
What I wanted to do with this cube is to create a draft format that is very powerful that incorporates the best of Magic's artifacts and limited strategies, and puts them in a draft format built for 6-8 players. Think of it as a super, awesome, turbo-charged MD5, or Scars draft. That being said, I am sure there are a lot of cards you're scratching your head as to why I haven't included them. In case you weren't paying attention when I first mentioned it, I have spent a large portion of the past 6 months' lunch breaks looking at Gatherer and magiccards.info. I have queried quite literally hundreds of different strings in hopes of finding some card I haven't seen before. I will say that I AM human, so I am sure there are cards I've missed, but for the most part, I think I have the best possible list to start off with.
Keep in mind, this format isn't about power, though it feels very powerful. It's about creating an exciting format for our group to play. It's about being able to open up a pack and slam down a first-pick Myr Incubator, Ezuri's Brigade, Argivian Archeologist, Godo, Bandit Warlord, or some other odd cards which would likely never see the light of day in a normal cube or any other format for that matter!
Now on to the actual construction. Did you know that most of the good red and green artifact-theme cards in red or green destroy artifacts? Did you know that they do it REALLY well? The first iteration of the cube was a total mess. I would make some random packs using deckstats and it was total crap. I would open packs with 4-6 artifacts and stuff like Pulverize, Shatterstorm, Deed, Primetive Justice, Crumble, Oxidize, etc. etc. In a format where you're trying to land 4-7 mana artifact creatures to win the game, those spells are WAY too efficient.
Did you know that most of white and black's artifact-themed cards SUCK? Well, white's a bit better, but you pretty much had one strategy to build around and that was it. I did some serious thinking about what I was going to do to balance it. Was I just going to make the cube built for a 6-man and only include the purest artifact cards in the cube? How will people remove Hoard-Smelter Dragons then? How will they be able to kill a friggin Yawgmoth's Demon? I will tell you there are appx 3 answers in the whole friggin' cube for non-artifact weenies, and I felt like this was really hindering my ability to create the best drafting environment. I decided I wanted to include some limited cards which aren't necessarily artifact-themed, but wouldn't go so far outside the design parameters as to mess up the environment. I added a few bouncelands and utility lands to help with fixing a bit. Black got some Terror effects and 187 creatures. Red got a little burn and a couple weenies which are good with equipment. White got a few good control spells to help push U/W and Esper control. Green got some utility cards like Rancor and E. Witness. Blue got...well, blue, hehe, blue has like 75 cards on deck, so it's going to be just fine as far as I'm concerned.
Now you may be asking yourself, where is XYZ card? Here's a few reasons why it's not in the list:
It's way too good. Cards that fall into this category are the P9, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Tezzeret (potentially going to be added, but I need more data), Chaos Orb, Pernicious Deed, Shatterstorm (and other destroy all artifact variants), Kataki, etc. I also would put super-efficient artifact removal like Shatter, Manic Vandal, Organgutan and others here as well. I tried to put a few effects in each color, but I cannot justify having more than a handful of them or else drafting would be absolutely not fun at all. Remember, it's about balance!
It's not really in theme. Elspeth Tirel, Vindicate, Nicol Bolas, etc. I love these cards, but I don't think they're needed right away, and they could prove to be too good in their own right. I certainly am aware of their absence as they sit in my binder, but for now they're purposely out so as not to skew my initial draft results.
It's not really necessary. Nev's Disk, Akroma's Vengeance, and other board sweepers fall into this category. I will hold off until I've got a dozen or so drafts under my belt to see if they're needed. I am 99% sure I want to add Day of Judgement or another wrath effect, but I simply don't have enough data.
It's crap. Not much to say here. Just because it says artifact on it and it's a black card, doesn't mean it should replace Nekrataal because he doesn't interact with artifacts. Though I suppose this is a good time to mention that most of blacks removal has been picked on purpose in that some of it hits arts and some of it doesn't.
Another fun part of the draft experience that I haven't quite figured out for sure how it's going to work is the addition of artifact lands. Right now each drafter is able to pick up to three artifact lands (Darksteel Citadel, Great Furnace, etc.) and add it to their deck after the draft. Others have suggested making it the 16th card in each pack which could be interesting. I've also discussed including 5-pack vouchers in the packs which allows a user to take 5 of them from the land box.
One thing I am absolutely sure of is that I have probably built something incorrectly or overlooked some card. That's where you all come in! I have a ton of respect for the members of this board and have really grown to appreciate the community. That's why I have taken the many hours it has taken to put this together to broadcast to you guys first!
Enjoy!
Basic Information Cube Size:~390 Breakdown: Approx 40 each color, 25 land, 25 multicolor, and 150 artifacts Standard or Theme: Snow Lands: No Average Number of Players:This is a variant cube and it's barely been played yet! I'm hoping to get one big draft and one small draft per week with about 6-8 players max. When we get more than 8 players we won't be able to play it, unfortunately.
Card Selection Proxies:No Powered:No Portal:Yes "Un" Cards: Yes Banned Cards for Power-Level:Yes Banned Cards for Time Constraints:No Banned Cards for "fun" factor:No
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer:Standard Sideboards?:Yes Color Balance:It's not an exact science as I am tweaking the numbers a bit, but I would like it to be <1% difference between each color. Gold Balance:No Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold:Not at this time, but eventually. Perfectly Balanced CMC:No
Made a few changes before FNM based on feedback from you all and a couple guys in our group. I also added a few cards which were omitted from the original list on accident.
Seeing cards like Vedalken Æthermage and Kagemaro and Drana feel odd, I'll cut the color section to be devoid of cards like that and expand artifact section a little more. Artifact section should be the main pool here.
Overall, great job. I really some of the color cards in here. I think that Shatter can have a place in this cube, through, when the main threat from your opponents should be an artifact. I'm also dissapointed not to see a shatterstorm.
You banned P9 and sol ring and such, but you left in tolarian academy?
Hmm... Has it not been that good?
It remains to be seen. I figured I could rotate in a few of the better cards every now and again during testing to see how they fare. I have a feeling it's too good, but we'll see.
Shatterstorm is probably okay, but I really need to understand what my current artifact removal looks like. Are artifacts clogging the board? Are cards like Guardian Beast problematic? Keep in mind that this is a work in progress, so absolutely nothing is set in stone!
This looks like it would be a ton of fun to draft and play! Great job on a first run at it, man!
I've only skimmed over the list, but one thing I noticed is an abundance of creatures that like to be equipped and a (seemingly) small amount of equipments. Specifically, why no Bonesplitter?
when i started reading the list, i realized i was grinning. i really want to play this! maybe i'll proxy the list up and try it out... but that's a lot of proxies.
it seems like removal is really low, and high cost guys who fail the terminate test real hard are high (or at least higher than usual in any kind of cube). i'm assuming this is deliberate but i thought i'd mention it.
why terror? it seems pretty bad in this context. why not doom blade?
i think tezzeret the seeker is probably safe but if your testing showed him to be too strong i can't argue. i haven't played the list. i'd really like to play him in this cube, though.
with such a small amount of multicolor, i don't see the reason for including esper stormblade. he's going to be a jhessian lookout almost 100% of the time. and skyclaw thrash seems fun but bad.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
Nice, very nice. I've been meaning to make and artifact cube as well though I've been super busy with updating my regular and tribal cubes (to say nothing of real life obligations). Just looking over your initial here's some suggestions I'd make:
White:
-Kor Duelist and Kitesail Apprentice > Auriok Glavemaster. I think the flying and double strike bonuses will be better than the mere first strike. If you can only include one, I'd lean on Duelist just cause it can be more explosive.
-I'm surprised at the absence of cards like Ethersworn Canonist and Scourglass. This isn't a mono-artifact cube, I feel these cards still have a lot of power while upping your artifact count.
Black:
-Weak cards I'm inclined to cut: Terror (you already have a bunch of this effect on a stick so I think the variety offered by Doom Blade is needed), Irradiate (inconsistent removal is inconsistent), Xenic Poltergeist + Phyrexian Gremlins + Emissary of Despair (mehtastic to these three though I suppose the last may not be so bad). Moriok Scavenger is fine though it disappointing that it is strictly worse than similar cards already in the cube.
-Drana and Kagemaro are strong but seem kind of random. Especially since they are rarely good enough for regular cube and you have a glut of black five drops. I'm sure you can find better replacements.
-Strong spells I'm inclined to include: Wrench Mind and Shattered Dreams.
Red:
-I really like what you've done with red. The sacrifice theme is well represented throughout the color.
-Still there is room for improvement. Goblin Tinkerer seems straight up weak. Hyperion Blacksmith is fine if out of color and Orcish Mechanics is probably better than Barrage Ogre because it is cheaper.
-Red has like a million good artifact removal spells so you shouldn't have trouble finding one to your liking. As you are going over spells, don't forget about Trash for Treasure, Kuldotha Rebirth and Stone Idol Trap.
Just notice that you don't have Tezzeret right now, that card seem like a MUST in artifact cube!
I know, I know! For now I’m going to keep him out so we can just get a feel for what it’s like to draft the environment. Having potentially busted cards in the initial list might skew results of otherwise great cards the first couple runs at it. With this in mind, I’m probably going to remove Tolarian Academy as it seems like it could be one of the worst offenders.
Be aware that this doesn’t mean I am never going to include broken cards. Who knows how fast this format is? Maybe it’ll end up that I’m swinging with Ravagers for lethal on turn 4 or Attacking with Hasty Megatogs on turn 5 for exactzies. With another two artifact sets coming out and so many cards on deck, I highly doubt my list will look anything like it does today several months from now! Thanks for the comment
This looks like it would be a ton of fun to draft and play! Great job on a first run at it, man!
I've only skimmed over the list, but one thing I noticed is an abundance of creatures that like to be equipped and a (seemingly) small amount of equipments. Specifically, why no Bonesplitter?
Thanks for the compliment, bro!
Good catch on no Bonesplitter! That’s got to get in there right away. I’d like to get more equipment as I think they’ll be picked high and often, so I want to have a good mix. Any other equipment you don’t see on the list which you think could be good enough?
when i started reading the list, i realized i was grinning. i really want to play this! maybe i'll proxy the list up and try it out... but that's a lot of proxies.
Thanks a lot, man. It remains to be seen how good it is, but building it was a blast, and going over it with my teammates last night and showing them all the fun, old cards I have in the list was awesome. Still not a lot of real drafting with it yet, but I am taking it to FNM tonight and I am doing nothing but test it all night.
it seems like removal is really low, and high cost guys who fail the terminate test real hard are high (or at least higher than usual in any kind of cube). i'm assuming this is deliberate but i thought i'd mention it.
You are right, and yes it is deliberate. Guys who fail the Terminate test get much better scores when the number of removal is lower ;-)
When I originally built the list it was laughably easy to destroy artifacts. I had literally every Disenchant Magic had to offer and it just didn’t seem right to have someone invest 5-8 mana on a big artifact creature only to have an opponent invalidate it with one of their many instant-speed Disenchant effects. Without a lot of Counterspells and creatures with shroud, I had to make some difficult decisions to not include the most efficient of the removal.
It’s part of the reason I like cards like Fountain Watch and Guardian Beast. I will also be adding Spectral Guardian. I want to give someone with a dedicated artifact deck some extra defense against efficient artifact removal. It’s also the reason I’ve added non-artifact removal cards as getting rid of those creatures was virtually impossible without them.
why terror? it seems pretty bad in this context. why not doom blade?
I specifically chose Terror because of its drawback. I think Doom Blade is a little ahead of the curve, but I’ll test and see how often Terror is blanked. I really wanted to run both. We’ll see how it plays out.
You and Calibretto are totally right here. I already have Darksteel Axew. Any other suggestions?
i think tezzeret the seeker is probably safe but if your testing showed him to be too strong i can't argue. i haven't played the list. i'd really like to play him in this cube, though.
See explanation above. I think you’re probably right, but again, I know this list is not optimal and Tezzeret is obviously good enough. I just want to give other cards a whirl before I start adding the obvious staples back especially since blue is probably going to do just fine without him, Tinker, Academy, etc.
with such a small amount of multicolor, i don't see the reason for including esper stormblade. he's going to be a jhessian lookout almost 100% of the time. and skyclaw thrash seems fun but bad.
Good call on Stormblade. I’ll look at trimming up the multicolor.
Nice, very nice. I've been meaning to make and artifact cube as well though I've been super busy with updating my regular and tribal cubes (to say nothing of real life obligations). Just looking over your initial here's some suggestions I'd make:
White:
-Kor Duelist and Kitesail Apprentice > Auriok Glavemaster. I think the flying and double strike bonuses will be better than the mere first strike. If you can only include one, I'd lean on Duelist just cause it can be more explosive.
Good point. I’ll definitely look at making that swap!
-I'm surprised at the absence of cards like Ethersworn Canonist and Scourglass. This isn't a mono-artifact cube, I feel these cards still have a lot of power while upping your artifact count.
Canonist was in the original list but got cut because I wasn’t sure he was any good. You’re right that he could stand to be tested. Scourglass didn’t seem good enough with so many artifacts.
Some of those cards are certainly good enough and could definitely be added to the list and others are overkill. With a finite cube size there are only so many of those effects I can add before it actually hurts the cube. With more testing we’ll know how many we should add or remove.
-A few cards have synergy but their power level seems really low overall. Treasure Hunter and Argivian Archeologist seem like strictly worse versions of some cards you already have in this cube. Leonin Squire and Auriok Salvagers are more narrow but better when active.
I really like Salvagers and Squire and are sitting in front of me in the on-deck binder. There are only so many cards we can have in the list, and they just happened to not be in the initial list. I believe Treasure Hunter and Archeologist are fantastic and there good in multiple strategies. And, I mean, how cool is Archeologist
I made a gigantic order at an online vendor for every colored spell with the word artifact on it. I literally own all of them now, hehe. I had an opportunity to put them in the list, but again, I am working with a finite cube size so a lot of cards won’t make the list.
Many cards were chosen because their counterparts are simply too good (Tinker), but understand that blue has an unreal number of cards which are good enough for the list. I can’t just put the best of them in because blue would be so unbalanced that the other colors would suffer greatly for it. I do like getting Fabricate in the mix among others you’ve listed.
Black:
-Weak cards I'm inclined to cut: Terror (you already have a bunch of this effect on a stick so I think the variety offered by Doom Blade is needed), Irradiate (inconsistent removal is inconsistent), Xenic Poltergeist + Phyrexian Gremlins + Emissary of Despair (mehtastic to these three though I suppose the last may not be so bad). Moriok Scavenger is fine though it disappointing that it is strictly worse than similar cards already in the cube.
Black has a very slim selection of cards which are in theme and good enough. I think those cards are probably fine, but will definitely get bumped out as we get another artifact set. We’ll see how it plays out.
-Drana and Kagemaro are strong but seem kind of random. Especially since they are rarely good enough for regular cube and you have a glut of black five drops. I'm sure you can find better replacements.
This was as play to give a little boost to black while also giving the cube a wrath effect. I have very fixed sweepers to promote people running the board with mediocre to good artifact creatures. If it were easier, the drafts would be about picking up the Damnations, Disks, Wraths, Vengeances, etc.
Geth and Conjurer are awesome adds. Thanks! Not sure about Lich or the others.
Red:
-I really like what you've done with red. The sacrifice theme is well represented throughout the color.
Thanks!
-Still there is room for improvement. Goblin Tinkerer seems straight up weak. Hyperion Blacksmith is fine if out of color and Orcish Mechanics is probably better than Barrage Ogre because it is cheaper.
-Red has like a million good artifact removal spells so you shouldn't have trouble finding one to your liking. As you are going over spells, don't forget about Trash for Treasure, Kuldotha Rebirth and Stone Idol Trap.
Trash for Treasure does seem to fit the theme and should be good enough, good catch! I like Tinkerer as he can hit multiple small artifacts early, and pick up a piece of equipment later to get bigger artifacts, or kamikaze himself to nab a Bosh if necessary.
Very good point. I thought Stomphowler might be a little too strong with so many 187 creatures in green, but I definitely get that running Emissary over him is a huge downgrade. Lifesmith should probably be in with so few ways to gain life. Good calls.
Don’t forget that players can add up to 3 artifact lands to their decks after the draft. There are also several cards which turn cards into artifacts, so he has the potential to be pretty insane. Spuzzem is a card I have never played with. It felt like more fixed and reusable artifact removal, but we’ll see if he’s good enough.
-Add artifact removal spells to taste. Tel-Jilad Defiance is a nice combat trick.
Interesting. I suppose it’d be much better here than in Scar’s limited, and I’m always happy to have it in my MD there.
I'll comment on the other sections when I get the time. Still, what you have here is a very strong base. Great job!
Thank you, and thanks a bunch for the awesome post!
acquire, argivan restoration, and artificer's intuition seem like musts. especially acquire, which will never be as good as it will be in this cube. and to me, that's the point of making an artifact cube. but i like every card here.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
acquire, argivan restoration, and artificer's intuition seem like musts. especially acquire, which will never be as good as it will be in this cube. and to me, that's the point of making an artifact cube. but i like every card here.
Yeah, the more I think about Intuition and Acquire, the more I like them. At first I didn't think Intuition would be strong enough, but I think there are enough cards to make it work. Acquire seems balanced enough to make the cut as well.
Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm going to make some updates prior to FNM and hopefully get some awesome drafts in tonight
Just finished drafting the artifact cube. We got six drafts in and all I can say is holy friggin' crap is it ever fun! I received amazing feedback from all the players who participated in each draft, and everyone including the bystanders seemed to really like seeing all the unique cards and the awesome synergies that unfolded as the different artifact blocks collided.
There were definitely some cards which were waaaaaay to good and others which are not good enough. Academy is so broken in half it's not even remotely fair and Tezzeret is just slightly below it in power level. Other cards which I thought would be insane like Acquire and Thada Adel turned out to be very solid, but nowhere near broken. I am glad I gave them a chance! A couple unexpected cards which I thought could be kept in check which were way too good were Gorilla Shaman and Draana. It absolutely breaks my heart to say it because I really thought all the artifact removal would keep it in check, but Jitte is probably too good as well.
I think I had a pretty good mix of removal, creatures, artifacts and lands, and there were already archetypes developing! The white weenie deck is completely awesome, and R/G aggro is a total beating. Already my brain is swimming with ideas to improve it. I am totally drained for energy right now, so I'm hitting the hay, but thought I'd pop in here to let you guys know how the prelim drafts went. Expect some updates to the list tomorrow!
My bad, I somehow skimmed over Cube History section. I suppose that explains some of the choices and absences. It's true, you don't want too many spells oppressive to your main theme. Don't be afraid to include a little strong hate though. None of the Mirrodin sets have shyed away from it. Everything in moderation and all that. Glad to hear the the first runs well smoothly. I'm sure you'll update the lists tomorrow. In the interim I''l just comment on the rest:
Artifact Creatures:
-No Ornithopter or Memnite? Did you already find these to be unplayable/low impact? I would have probably included to see how they fare and them take them out if they are too crappy. They seem like they could be fun.
-Do you need all 10 replicas? The SoM B, R and G replicas are all better than their Mirrodin counterparts. Just pick and choose the 5 best.
-All that being said, most of these choices are great.
Utility/Mana Artifacts + Equipment + Land: -Only Skeleton Shard? Crystal Shard (or Erratic Portal) seem great here and Granite + Pearl Shards aren't the worst cards ever.
-You need more equipment but all the ones you already have are awesome. Mana artifacts are fine too.
-As you seem to have discovered, Academy is too good by the standards you have set in this Cube. By the way, only allied color bouncelands? I assume that's space related.
Made a ton of updates including the swaps I made before we drafted last night. Those updates are in the change log in the second post, and the OP has been updated with all changes. Here are the changes I made based on our draft experiences last night.
There was an abundance of artifact removal in our drafts last night which means I need to tone it back a little. Green was the worst offender by a long shot. On a similar note the undisputed MVP of our drafts last night was Scarwood Bandits. That guy is just nuts!
I removed several cards for being too good. Gorilla Shaman is way too efficient and Tolarian Academy was simply ridiculous. I made some swaps suggested by you guys including the removal of some Replicas and Grid monitor in favor of more mana fixing. The bouncelands were very underwhelming and I think people will be more than happy to snag the tri-lands early and often.
I added Graveborn Muse to be the king of the Nim (Zombies) and to give black a way to generate some CA.
Hopefully I'll be going to my LGS tomorrow for a few drafts and might even get to fit some Winston drafting in today. I've also decided on my final rule for the artifact lands. In a normal draft with 6-8 people, each pack gets one random artifact land (awesome suggestion, guys), and in the case of Winston drafting or something like Rochester, each player can pick up to 3 artifact lands.
@Crocodile: thanks for the great suggestions. You clearly have an eye for detail!
I always wanted Thran Forge to have a use, but I guess Coating is better almost always.
Transmagrant seems like a nice include for sure, changing guys into artifacts seems like an interesting thing to play around with.
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I always wanted Thran Forge to have a use, but I guess Coating is better almost always.
Transmagrant seems like a nice include for sure, changing guys into artifacts seems like an interesting thing to play around with.
If only it was one mana cheaper to play or activate it'd probably be good enough.
Yeah, basically. It was pretty sick seeing him come down on turn 2 and blow up an artifact land without breaking a sweat. There was one match my opponent played him on turn 3 after playing Liquid Metal Coating on turn two and he blew up my artifact land then activated Coating on one of my basics and blew it up the turn he played the Shaman. At that point there was literally nothing my deck had to stop him. He was pretty insane in the late game as well and just proved to be a little too efficient and throws off the balance too much for my liking. If the power level continues to creep -- as I expect it will with two more artifact sets coming -- then I'll add him back.
Good list, man. I put together one of my own just before Scars and I'll definitely be consulting this thread for input. That being said:
- Why Brass Gnat over Brass Man? Seems like you don't get as much value out of the pseudo-vigilance with a 1/1 body that you get from a 1/3.
- No UG section here? Trygon Predator is the nuts for repeatable artifact destruction. I don't think it's on the same level as Gorilla Shaman, is it?
P.S. A few small nitpicks otherwise, like Trash for Treasure currently sitting in the green spell section or Skinthinner being listed as a 2-drop. Carry on, dude.
On a similar note the undisputed MVP of our drafts last night was Scarwood Bandits. That guy is just nuts!
In that case, has Aladdin been considered? I'd imagine you'd be familiar with the card from your research. The powerful effect (at least in this Cube) seems balanced by the high casting- and activation- costs relative to the mediocre body, and it gives red something to do other than blowing up artifacts and burning stuff.
Good list, man. I put together one of my own just before Scars and I'll definitely be consulting this thread for input. That being said:
Cool, I'd definitely be interested to hear how you would do things differently.
- Why Brass Gnat over Brass Man? Seems like you don't get as much value out of the pseudo-vigilance with a 1/1 body that you get from a 1/3.
Since the format is slightly slower, I like the evasion on Gnat over the defense on Brass Man, but I considered just running them both.
- No UG section here? Trygon Predator is the nuts for repeatable artifact destruction. I don't think it's on the same level as Gorilla Shaman, is it?
I don't know how I feel about predator yet. I think he might be slightly too good. Based on our drafts so far, repeatable removal is proving to be insane (Glissa, Scarwood Bandits, etc.), and he comes down earlier. I love him in regular cube, but it remains to be seen how much value he adds to the artifact draft.
P.S. A few small nitpicks otherwise, like Trash for Treasure currently sitting in the green spell section or Skinthinner being listed as a 2-drop. Carry on, dude.
Fixed. Good looking out and thanks for the suggestions!
In that case, has Aladdin been considered? I'd imagine you'd be familiar with the card from your research. The powerful effect (at least in this Cube) seems balanced by the high casting- and activation- costs relative to the mediocre body, and it gives red something to do other than blowing up artifacts and burning stuff.
Yes, he was. I have a nice crispy AN copy I am dying to use, but I don't know how much red needs it or whether it's too good. I am looking at adding a bit more removal spells which can stop creatures like Glissa from just taking over the game. After my drafts this weekend I am inclined to keep him out for now. Thanks for the post!
Welcome to the Artifact Cube Thread!
This project feels similar to when I built my cube for the first time. It's new, and exciting territory that is allowing me to build and refine a completely new format. The Artifact Cube has been a long time in the making and and I am happy to have it finished. I only have about 20 drafts with it so far, but have invested quite possibly hundreds of hours of discussing it, scouring shops and trade binders for interesting cards, and an embarassing amount of time on magiccards.info and Gatherer researching it. I am very happy to finally have it fully built and sleeved, and to be able to post it here for my fellow friends and cubers to discuss!
I am hopeful there will be a whole bunch of questions and comments, so please don't hold back. I know off the bat there are a few things I should get out there to explain my reasoning for actually building the darn thing, so I'll see what I can do to articulate my goals with my fingers aching from sorting and typing up this list!
At first I would just pick up any neat foil cards that had anything to do with artifacts. After construction was complete I found myself with quite literally hundreds of cards sitting in the on-deck binder and it's barely seen the light of day! Many of them are total trash artifacts, and others are probably good enough but I haven't realized it yet. Others are completely and utterly busted, but I'll get to that in a moment.
What I wanted to do with this cube is to create a draft format that is very powerful that incorporates the best of Magic's artifacts and limited strategies, and puts them in a draft format built for 6-8 players. Think of it as a super, awesome, turbo-charged MD5, or Scars draft. That being said, I am sure there are a lot of cards you're scratching your head as to why I haven't included them. In case you weren't paying attention when I first mentioned it, I have spent a large portion of the past 6 months' lunch breaks looking at Gatherer and magiccards.info. I have queried quite literally hundreds of different strings in hopes of finding some card I haven't seen before. I will say that I AM human, so I am sure there are cards I've missed, but for the most part, I think I have the best possible list to start off with.
Keep in mind, this format isn't about power, though it feels very powerful. It's about creating an exciting format for our group to play. It's about being able to open up a pack and slam down a first-pick Myr Incubator, Ezuri's Brigade, Argivian Archeologist, Godo, Bandit Warlord, or some other odd cards which would likely never see the light of day in a normal cube or any other format for that matter!
Now on to the actual construction. Did you know that most of the good red and green artifact-theme cards in red or green destroy artifacts? Did you know that they do it REALLY well? The first iteration of the cube was a total mess. I would make some random packs using deckstats and it was total crap. I would open packs with 4-6 artifacts and stuff like Pulverize, Shatterstorm, Deed, Primetive Justice, Crumble, Oxidize, etc. etc. In a format where you're trying to land 4-7 mana artifact creatures to win the game, those spells are WAY too efficient.
Did you know that most of white and black's artifact-themed cards SUCK? Well, white's a bit better, but you pretty much had one strategy to build around and that was it. I did some serious thinking about what I was going to do to balance it. Was I just going to make the cube built for a 6-man and only include the purest artifact cards in the cube? How will people remove Hoard-Smelter Dragons then? How will they be able to kill a friggin Yawgmoth's Demon? I will tell you there are appx 3 answers in the whole friggin' cube for non-artifact weenies, and I felt like this was really hindering my ability to create the best drafting environment. I decided I wanted to include some limited cards which aren't necessarily artifact-themed, but wouldn't go so far outside the design parameters as to mess up the environment. I added a few bouncelands and utility lands to help with fixing a bit. Black got some Terror effects and 187 creatures. Red got a little burn and a couple weenies which are good with equipment. White got a few good control spells to help push U/W and Esper control. Green got some utility cards like Rancor and E. Witness. Blue got...well, blue, hehe, blue has like 75 cards on deck, so it's going to be just fine as far as I'm concerned.
Now you may be asking yourself, where is XYZ card? Here's a few reasons why it's not in the list:
Another fun part of the draft experience that I haven't quite figured out for sure how it's going to work is the addition of artifact lands. Right now each drafter is able to pick up to three artifact lands (Darksteel Citadel, Great Furnace, etc.) and add it to their deck after the draft. Others have suggested making it the 16th card in each pack which could be interesting. I've also discussed including 5-pack vouchers in the packs which allows a user to take 5 of them from the land box.
One thing I am absolutely sure of is that I have probably built something incorrectly or overlooked some card. That's where you all come in! I have a ton of respect for the members of this board and have really grown to appreciate the community. That's why I have taken the many hours it has taken to put this together to broadcast to you guys first!
Enjoy!
Basic Information
Cube Size:~390
Breakdown: Approx 40 each color, 25 land, 25 multicolor, and 150 artifacts
Standard or Theme:
Snow Lands: No
Average Number of Players:This is a variant cube and it's barely been played yet! I'm hoping to get one big draft and one small draft per week with about 6-8 players max. When we get more than 8 players we won't be able to play it, unfortunately.
Card Selection
Proxies:No
Powered:No
Portal:Yes
"Un" Cards: Yes
Banned Cards for Power-Level:Yes
Banned Cards for Time Constraints:No
Banned Cards for "fun" factor:No
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer:Standard
Sideboards?:Yes
Color Balance:It's not an exact science as I am tweaking the numbers a bit, but I would like it to be <1% difference between each color.
Gold Balance:No
Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold:Not at this time, but eventually.
Perfectly Balanced CMC:No
1 Auriok Glavemaster
1 Auriok Transfixer
1 Court Homuculus
1 Glint Hawk
Two CMC
1 Auriok Edgeright
1 Auriok Sunchaser
1 Auriok Steelshaper
1 Gold Myr
1 Leonin Den-Guard
1 Metallurgeon
1 Myrsmith
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sunspear Shikari
1 Argivian Archeologist
1 Flickerwisp
1 Kemba, Kha Regent
1 Skyhunter Cub
1 Treasure Hunter
Four CMC
1 Auriok Salvagers
1 Indomitable Archangel
1 Leonin Abunas
1 Loxodon Punisher
1 Magus of the Disk
1 Sanctum Gargoyle
1 Taj-Nar Swordsmith
1 Fountain Watch
1 Razor Hippogriff
1 Archon of Justice
1 Stonehewer Giant
Six Plus
1 Razor Golem
1 Sun Titan
1 Dispeller's Capsule
1 Glint Hawk Idol
1 Origin Spellbomb
1 Scepter of Dominance
1 Thunder Totem
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Stasis Cocoon
1 Tempered Steel
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Dispense Justice
1 Purge
1 Oblation
Sorcery
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Rootwater Diver
1 Vedalken Certrarch
Two CMC
1 Aphetto Alchemist
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Riddlesmith
1 Sage of Lat-Nam
1 Silver Myr
1 Stern Proctor
1 Thought Courier
1 Vedalken Engineer
Three CMC
1 Bouncing Beebles
1 Esperzoa
1 Grand Architect
1 Lumingrid Sentinel
1 Master of Etherium
1 Neurok Replica
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1 Trinket Mage
1 Wizard Replica
1 Argent Sphinx
1 Faerie Mechanist
1 Kukemasa Pirates
1 Lumengrid Auger
1 Master Transmuter
1 Vedalken Archmage
Five CMC
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
Six Plus
1 Chromescale Drake
1 Memnarch
1 Sharding Sphinx
1 Somber Hoverguard
1 Spire Golem
1 Qumulox
1 Broodstar
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Vedalken Shackles
Enchantment
1 Copy Artifact
1 Domineer
1 Steal Artifact
1 Condescend
1 Desertion
1 Stoic Rebuttal
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Acquire
1 Fabricate
1 Thoughtcast
Land
1 Academy Ruins
1 Disciple of the Vault
Two CMC
1 Glaze Fiend
1 Leaden Myr
1 Painsmith
1 Salvage Slasher
1 Vampire Hexmage
Three CMC
1 Doomed Necromancer
1 Emissary of Despair
1 Fleshgrafter
1 Moriok Replica
1 Moriok Rigger
1 Nim Lasher
1 Phyrexian Gremlins
1 Phyrexian Rager
1 Skinthinner
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Guardian Beast
1 Moriok Scavenger
1 Nekrataal
1 Nim Shambler
1 Nim Shrieker
1 Skinrender
Five CMC
1 Dross Golem
1 Kagemaro, First to Suffer
1 Nim Devourer
1 Phyrexian Plaguelord
1 Shriekmaw
1 Vermiculous
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Salvage Titan
1 Yawgmoth Demon
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Phyrexian Totem
1 Scepter of Fugue
1 Skeleton Shard
1 Gate to Phyrexia
1 Oubliette
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
Instant
1 Ghastly Demise
1 Irradiate
1 Nameless Inversion
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Befoul
1 Ribbons of Night
1 Goblin Gaveleer
1 Goblin Welder
1 Krark-Clan Shaman
1 Spikeshot Elder
Two CMC
1 Atog
1 Goblin Tinkerer
1 Embersmith
1 Hearth Kami
1 Iron Myr
1 Skirk Marauders
1 Stingscourger
1 Ferrovore
1 Goblin Replica
1 Hyperion Blacksmith
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Krark-Clan Stoker
1 Orcich Mechanics
Four CMC
1 Bloodshot Trainee
1 Oxidda Scrapmelter
1 Blade-Tribe Berserkers
1 Krark-Clan Engineers
1 Volshok War Boar
1 Covetous Dragon
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Kuldotha Phoenix
1 Vulshok Battlemaster
Six Plus
1 Bosh, Iron Golem
1 Furnace Dragon
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Hoardsmelter Dragon
1 Megatog
1 Oxidda Golem
1 Foriysian Totem
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
Enchantment
1 Furnace Celebration
Instant
1 Electrostatic Bolt
1 Galvanic Blast
1 Magma Jet
1 Shrapnel Blast
1 Aftershock
1 Chain Lightning
1 Pillage
1 Breath of Darigaaz
1 Keldon Necropolis
1 Brown Ouphe
1 Scavenger Folk
1 Birds of Paradise
Two CMC
1 Argothian Pixies
1 Carapace Forger
1 Citanul Druid
1 Copper Myr
1 Lifesmith
1 Slyvan Ranger
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Tel-Jilad Chosen
1 Viridian Zealot
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Gaea's Avenger
1 Ouphe Vandals
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Yavimaya Elder
Four CMC
1 Ezuri's Brigade
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Glissa Sunseeker
1 Mold Shambler
1 Scarwood Bandits
1 Tel-Jilad Outrider
1 Viridian Lorebearers
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Acidic Slime
1 Molder Beast
1 Molder Slug
1 Yavimaya Scion
Six Plus
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Roaring Slagwurm
1 Tangle Golem
1 Horizon Spellbomb
1 Weatherseed Treefolk
Enchantment
1 Hidden Guerrillas
1 Lignify
1 Rancor
1 Viridian Revel
1 Baloth Cage-Trap
1 Slice in Twain
1 Tel-Jilad Justice
Sorcery
1 Harmonize
1 Cultivate
1 Restock
1 Glassdust Hulk
1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
1 Ethersworn Shieldmage
1 Filigree Angel
1 Fieldmist Borderpost
Blue/Black
1 Sphinx Summoner
1 Mask of Riddles
1 Mistvein Borderpost
1 Puppet Conjurer
1 Sarcatog
1 Veinfire Borderpost
1 Void
Red/Green
1 Firespout
1 Firewild Borderpost
Green/White
1 Wildfield Borderpost
1 Glare of Subdual
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Behemoth Sledge
1 Skyclaw Thrash
Black/Green
1 Putrefy
1 Maelstrom Pulse
White/Black
1 Darklit Gargoyle
Tri-Color+
1 Crime//Punishment
1 Who//What//When//Where//Why
1 Ethersworn Adjucator
1 Thopter Foundry
1 Thornscape Battlemage
1 Memnite
One CMC
1 Brass Gnat
1 Arcbound Worker
Two CMC
1 Arcbound Ravager
1 Runed Servitor
1 Arcbound Slith
1 Perilous Myr
1 Myr Retriever
1 Epochcrasite
1 Steel Overseer
1 Jhoira's Toolbox
Three CMC
1 Palladium Myr
1 Rust Tick
1 Phyrexian Ironfoot
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Etched Champion
1 Junk Diver
1 Metalworker
1 Scarecrone
1 Scuttlemutt
1 Arcbound Reclaimer
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Extruder
1 Lodestone Myr
1 Su-Chi
1 Masticore
1 Grid Monitor
1 Arcbound Crusher
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Mindless Automaton
Five CMC
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Precursor Golem
1 Darksteel Juggernaut
1 Golem Artisan
1 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Duplicant
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Triskelion
1 Steel Hellkite
Seven Plus
1 Clockwork Dragon
1 Myr Enforcer
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Brittle Effigy
1 Voltaic Key
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Pithing Needle
1 Ashnod's Transmogrant
Two CMC
1 Liquidmetal Coating
1 Pit Trap
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Darksteel Brute
1 Energy Chamber
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Relic Barrier
1 Powder Keg
1 Contagion Clasp
1 Culling Scales
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Tangle Wire
1 Crystal Ball
1 Chimeric Idol
1 Staff of Domination
1 Serum Tank
1 Nuisance Engine
1 Ring of Gix
Four CMC
1 Lux Cannon
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Tawnos's Coffin
1 Helm of Posession
1 Power Matrix
1 Eldrazi Monument
Six Plus
1 Myr Incubator
1 Obelisk of Alara
1 Contagion Engine
X CMC
1 Chimeric Mass
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Bonesplitter
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Darksteel Axe
1 Skullclamp
1 Trusty Machete
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Vulshok Morningstar
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mask of Memory
1 Cranial Plating
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Mox Diamond
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Mox Opal
Two CMC
1 Boros Signet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Gruul Signet
1 Golgari Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Azorius Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Grim Monolith
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Guardian Idol
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Talisman of Indulgance
1 Talisman of Unity
1 Talisman of Impulse
1 Coalition Relic
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Worn Powerstone
Four CMC
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Savage Lands
1 Crumbling Sanctuary
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Mirrodin's Core
1 Glimmervoid
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Terramorphic Expanse
Utility
1 Stalking Stones
1 Dread Statuary
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Blinkmoth Well
1 Urza's Factory
1 Gargoyle Castle
1 Blinkmoth Nexus
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OUT
- Bleakcloven Vampires
- Scepter of Fugue
- Oust
- Esper Battlemage
- Ouphe Vandals
- Verduran Emissary
- Esper Stormblade
- Arsenal Thresher
- Sphinx of the Steel Wind
- Smokestack
IN
+ Geth, Lord of the Vault
+ Puppet Conjurer
+ Hallowed Burial
+ Auriok Salvagers
+ Auriok Sunchaser
+ Lumengrid Auger
+ Acquire
+ Trash for Treasure
+ Crime//Punishment
+ Erratic Portal
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Ring of Gix
+ Bonesplitter
Gorilla Shaman -> Bloodshot Trainee
Nothing -> Tuktuk the Explorer
Rishadan Port -> Mistvein Borderpost
5 Ally Bouncelands -> 5 Alara Tri-lands
Tolarian Academy -> Nothing
Uktabi Kong -> Restock
Viridian Shaman -> Farhaven Elf
Floral Spuzzem -> Viridian Revel
Tanglewalker -> Lifesmith
Reshape -> Transmute Artifact
Nothing -> Override
Scrounge -> Graveborn Muse
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief -> Phyrexian Plaguelord
Nothing -> Scepter of Fugue
Fang Skulkin -> Darksteel Brute
Cathodian -> Guardian Idol
Auriok Replica -> Memnite
Nim Replica -> Trusty Machete
Soldier Replica -> Ashnod's Transmogrant
Grid Monitor -> Talisman of Progress
Predator Flagship -> Talisman of Indulgence
Mindslaver -> Talisman of Dominance
Contagion Engine -> Talisman of Unity
Phyrexian Processor -> Talisman of Impulse
OUT -> IN
Puppet Strings -> Kill Switch
Mizzium Transreliquat -> Lux Cannon
Needlebug -> Extruder
Broodstar -> Bouncing Beebles
Rebuking Ceremony -> Ouphe Vandals
Synod Artificer -> Nothing
Lumengrid Drake -> Riftwing Cloudskate
Ethersworn Adjudicator -> Moved to Multicolor
Transmute Artifact -> Reshape -> Fabricate
Puppet Conjurer -> Move to Multicolor
Xenic Poltergeist -> Phyrexian Rager
Mephitic Ooze - Scepter of Fugue
Nothing -> Oubliette
Nothing -> Ribbons of Night
Oxidda Daredevil -> Keldon Necropolis
Krark-Clan Grunt -> Ghitu Slinger
Trash for Treasure -> Breath of Darigaaz
Nothing -> Sylvan Ranger
Thornscape Battlemage -> Moved to Multicolor
Nothing -> Forgotten Ancient
Nothing -> Lignify
Creeping Mold -> Slice in Twain
Sanctum Plowbeast -> Filigree Angel
Tidehollow Sculler -> Nothing
Evolving Wilds -> Nothing
Academy Ruins -> Moved to Blue
Gold Myr -> Moved to White
Copper Myr -> Moved to Green
Silver Myr -> Moved to Blue
Leaden Myr -> Moved to Black
Iron Myr -> Moved to Red
Cathodian -> Bottle Gnomes
Wizard Replica -> Moved to Blue
Auriok Replica -> Nothing
Nim Replica -> Nothing
Goblin Replica -> Moved to Red
Soldier Replica -> Nothing
Moriok Replica -> Moved to Black
Neurok Replica -> Moved to Blue
Sylvok Replica > Moved to Green
Extruder -> Kuldotha Forgemaster
Grid Monitor - Pithing Needle
Arcbound Wanderer - Ashnod's Transmogrant
Arcbound Fiend - Darksteel Brute
Dross Golem -> Moved to Black
Razor Golem -> Moved to White
Oxidda Golem -> Moved to Red
Spire Golem -> Moved to Blue
Tangle Golem -> Moved to Green
Memnarch -> Moved to Blue
Bosh, Iron Golem -> Moved to Red
Glint Hawk Idol -> Moved to White
Vedalken Shackles -> Moved to Blue
Skeleton Shard -> Moved to Black
Horizon Spellbomb - Moved to Green
Pyrite Spellbomb - Moved to Red
Origin Spellbomb - Moved to White
Aether Spellbomb - Moved to Blue
Chimeric Sphere -> Oblivion Stone
Umezawa's Jitte -> Nothing
Weatherseed Totem -> Moved to Green
Foriysian Totem -> Moved to Red
Thunder Totem -> Moved to White
Phyrexian Totem -> Moved to Black
Chronotog Totem -> Moved to Blue
IN
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Overall, great job. I really some of the color cards in here. I think that Shatter can have a place in this cube, through, when the main threat from your opponents should be an artifact. I'm also dissapointed not to see a shatterstorm.
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Hmm... Has it not been that good?
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Shatterstorm is probably okay, but I really need to understand what my current artifact removal looks like. Are artifacts clogging the board? Are cards like Guardian Beast problematic? Keep in mind that this is a work in progress, so absolutely nothing is set in stone!
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I'm OP_Forever. I'll be putting this in my signature for a while so everyone know I change my nickname.
I've only skimmed over the list, but one thing I noticed is an abundance of creatures that like to be equipped and a (seemingly) small amount of equipments. Specifically, why no Bonesplitter?
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it seems like removal is really low, and high cost guys who fail the terminate test real hard are high (or at least higher than usual in any kind of cube). i'm assuming this is deliberate but i thought i'd mention it.
why terror? it seems pretty bad in this context. why not doom blade?
is yawgmoth demon really that good, even here?
man, beating with esperzoa is going to be awesome.
why no hoarding dragon?
agree with calibretto, needs more equipment stat. bonesplitter, trusty machete, maybe even darksteel axe, etc. i'd get those numbers up higher for sure.
i think tezzeret the seeker is probably safe but if your testing showed him to be too strong i can't argue. i haven't played the list. i'd really like to play him in this cube, though.
with such a small amount of multicolor, i don't see the reason for including esper stormblade. he's going to be a jhessian lookout almost 100% of the time. and skyclaw thrash seems fun but bad.
anyway, nice job. really enjoyed looking it over.
White:
-Kor Duelist and Kitesail Apprentice > Auriok Glavemaster. I think the flying and double strike bonuses will be better than the mere first strike. If you can only include one, I'd lean on Duelist just cause it can be more explosive.
-I'm surprised at the absence of cards like Ethersworn Canonist and Scourglass. This isn't a mono-artifact cube, I feel these cards still have a lot of power while upping your artifact count.
-Were cards like Disenchant or Revoke Existence, Kor Sanctifiers, Orim's Thunder, Circle of Protection: Artifacts, Sphere of Purity and Razor Barrier considered too good or something? Their exclusion seems odd.
-A few cards have synergy but their power level seems really low overall. Treasure Hunter and Argivian Archeologist" target="blank">Argivian Archeologist seem like strictly worse versions of some cards you already have in this cube. Leonin Squire and Auriok Salvagers are more narrow but better when active.
Blue:
-I get that cards like Rootwater Diver, Sacromite Myr and Esper Battlemage are synergistic but they seem too low on the power scale for my opinion. Kukemasa Pirates also seems suspect (maybe better in real gameplay) and I'm sure you could find a better tutor than Vedalken Aethermage. Skill Borrower, Arcum Dagsson, Lumengrid Augur and Vedalken Archmage may all be stronger inclusions.
-The blue spells I feel is too weak are Override (too inconsistent) and Reshape (why use this when we can use Tinker). Space is obviously a concern. The inclusion of some of the following cards seem wise and apt to say nothing of standard, not OP staples like Mana Leak: Fabricate, Halt Order, Acquire, Argivian Restoration and Artificer's Intuition.
Black:
-Weak cards I'm inclined to cut: Terror (you already have a bunch of this effect on a stick so I think the variety offered by Doom Blade is needed), Irradiate (inconsistent removal is inconsistent), Xenic Poltergeist + Phyrexian Gremlins + Emissary of Despair (mehtastic to these three though I suppose the last may not be so bad). Moriok Scavenger is fine though it disappointing that it is strictly worse than similar cards already in the cube.
-Drana and Kagemaro are strong but seem kind of random. Especially since they are rarely good enough for regular cube and you have a glut of black five drops. I'm sure you can find better replacements.
-Strong creatures I'm included to include: Puppet Conjourer (very synergistic with a ton of cards in here), Phylactery Lich and Geth, Lord of the Vault.
-Strong spells I'm inclined to include: Wrench Mind and Shattered Dreams.
Red:
-I really like what you've done with red. The sacrifice theme is well represented throughout the color.
-Still there is room for improvement. Goblin Tinkerer seems straight up weak. Hyperion Blacksmith is fine if out of color and Orcish Mechanics is probably better than Barrage Ogre because it is cheaper.
-Red has like a million good artifact removal spells so you shouldn't have trouble finding one to your liking. As you are going over spells, don't forget about Trash for Treasure, Kuldotha Rebirth and Stone Idol Trap.
Green:
-Lifesmith and Indrik Stomphowler (MUCH better than Verduran Emissary) are striking omissions.
-Tanglewalker (not enough artifact lands) and Floral Spuzzem (mehhhhhhhhhhhh) are no-gos IMO.
-Add artifact removal spells to taste. Tel-Jilad Defiance is a nice combat trick.
I'll comment on the other sections when I get the time. Still, what you have here is a very strong base. Great job!
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I know, I know! For now I’m going to keep him out so we can just get a feel for what it’s like to draft the environment. Having potentially busted cards in the initial list might skew results of otherwise great cards the first couple runs at it. With this in mind, I’m probably going to remove Tolarian Academy as it seems like it could be one of the worst offenders.
Be aware that this doesn’t mean I am never going to include broken cards. Who knows how fast this format is? Maybe it’ll end up that I’m swinging with Ravagers for lethal on turn 4 or Attacking with Hasty Megatogs on turn 5 for exactzies. With another two artifact sets coming out and so many cards on deck, I highly doubt my list will look anything like it does today several months from now! Thanks for the comment
Thanks for the compliment, bro!
Good catch on no Bonesplitter! That’s got to get in there right away. I’d like to get more equipment as I think they’ll be picked high and often, so I want to have a good mix. Any other equipment you don’t see on the list which you think could be good enough?
Thanks a lot, man. It remains to be seen how good it is, but building it was a blast, and going over it with my teammates last night and showing them all the fun, old cards I have in the list was awesome. Still not a lot of real drafting with it yet, but I am taking it to FNM tonight and I am doing nothing but test it all night.
You are right, and yes it is deliberate. Guys who fail the Terminate test get much better scores when the number of removal is lower ;-)
When I originally built the list it was laughably easy to destroy artifacts. I had literally every Disenchant Magic had to offer and it just didn’t seem right to have someone invest 5-8 mana on a big artifact creature only to have an opponent invalidate it with one of their many instant-speed Disenchant effects. Without a lot of Counterspells and creatures with shroud, I had to make some difficult decisions to not include the most efficient of the removal.
It’s part of the reason I like cards like Fountain Watch and Guardian Beast. I will also be adding Spectral Guardian. I want to give someone with a dedicated artifact deck some extra defense against efficient artifact removal. It’s also the reason I’ve added non-artifact removal cards as getting rid of those creatures was virtually impossible without them.
I specifically chose Terror because of its drawback. I think Doom Blade is a little ahead of the curve, but I’ll test and see how often Terror is blanked. I really wanted to run both. We’ll see how it plays out.
I believe he is, but we’ll have to test it to find out!
It’s there, you must have just missed it!
You and Calibretto are totally right here. I already have Darksteel Axew. Any other suggestions?
See explanation above. I think you’re probably right, but again, I know this list is not optimal and Tezzeret is obviously good enough. I just want to give other cards a whirl before I start adding the obvious staples back especially since blue is probably going to do just fine without him, Tinker, Academy, etc.
Good call on Stormblade. I’ll look at trimming up the multicolor.
Thanks for the comments!
Good point. I’ll definitely look at making that swap!
Canonist was in the original list but got cut because I wasn’t sure he was any good. You’re right that he could stand to be tested. Scourglass didn’t seem good enough with so many artifacts.
Some of those cards are certainly good enough and could definitely be added to the list and others are overkill. With a finite cube size there are only so many of those effects I can add before it actually hurts the cube. With more testing we’ll know how many we should add or remove.
I really like Salvagers and Squire and are sitting in front of me in the on-deck binder. There are only so many cards we can have in the list, and they just happened to not be in the initial list. I believe Treasure Hunter and Archeologist are fantastic and there good in multiple strategies. And, I mean, how cool is Archeologist
Good points. I will do my best to see which of them I can wedge into the list. Good feedback.
I made a gigantic order at an online vendor for every colored spell with the word artifact on it. I literally own all of them now, hehe. I had an opportunity to put them in the list, but again, I am working with a finite cube size so a lot of cards won’t make the list.
Many cards were chosen because their counterparts are simply too good (Tinker), but understand that blue has an unreal number of cards which are good enough for the list. I can’t just put the best of them in because blue would be so unbalanced that the other colors would suffer greatly for it. I do like getting Fabricate in the mix among others you’ve listed.
Black has a very slim selection of cards which are in theme and good enough. I think those cards are probably fine, but will definitely get bumped out as we get another artifact set. We’ll see how it plays out.
This was as play to give a little boost to black while also giving the cube a wrath effect. I have very fixed sweepers to promote people running the board with mediocre to good artifact creatures. If it were easier, the drafts would be about picking up the Damnations, Disks, Wraths, Vengeances, etc.
Geth and Conjurer are awesome adds. Thanks! Not sure about Lich or the others.
Thanks!
Trash for Treasure does seem to fit the theme and should be good enough, good catch! I like Tinkerer as he can hit multiple small artifacts early, and pick up a piece of equipment later to get bigger artifacts, or kamikaze himself to nab a Bosh if necessary.
Very good point. I thought Stomphowler might be a little too strong with so many 187 creatures in green, but I definitely get that running Emissary over him is a huge downgrade. Lifesmith should probably be in with so few ways to gain life. Good calls.
Don’t forget that players can add up to 3 artifact lands to their decks after the draft. There are also several cards which turn cards into artifacts, so he has the potential to be pretty insane. Spuzzem is a card I have never played with. It felt like more fixed and reusable artifact removal, but we’ll see if he’s good enough.
Interesting. I suppose it’d be much better here than in Scar’s limited, and I’m always happy to have it in my MD there.
Thank you, and thanks a bunch for the awesome post!
I am definitely going to fit Fabricate in the mix, and yeah, I’m not sure there could be a more broken card in this cube than Tinker, hehe.
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acquire, argivan restoration, and artificer's intuition seem like musts. especially acquire, which will never be as good as it will be in this cube. and to me, that's the point of making an artifact cube. but i like every card here.
Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm going to make some updates prior to FNM and hopefully get some awesome drafts in tonight
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There were definitely some cards which were waaaaaay to good and others which are not good enough. Academy is so broken in half it's not even remotely fair and Tezzeret is just slightly below it in power level. Other cards which I thought would be insane like Acquire and Thada Adel turned out to be very solid, but nowhere near broken. I am glad I gave them a chance! A couple unexpected cards which I thought could be kept in check which were way too good were Gorilla Shaman and Draana. It absolutely breaks my heart to say it because I really thought all the artifact removal would keep it in check, but Jitte is probably too good as well.
I think I had a pretty good mix of removal, creatures, artifacts and lands, and there were already archetypes developing! The white weenie deck is completely awesome, and R/G aggro is a total beating. Already my brain is swimming with ideas to improve it. I am totally drained for energy right now, so I'm hitting the hay, but thought I'd pop in here to let you guys know how the prelim drafts went. Expect some updates to the list tomorrow!
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Artifact Creatures:
-No Ornithopter or Memnite? Did you already find these to be unplayable/low impact? I would have probably included to see how they fare and them take them out if they are too crappy. They seem like they could be fun.
-Do you need all 10 replicas? The SoM B, R and G replicas are all better than their Mirrodin counterparts. Just pick and choose the 5 best.
-Fang Skulkin is a vanilla Goblin Piker most of the time. Meh. Does mana from basics work like snow mana for Phyrexian Ironfoot? Is Grid Monitor any good?
-All that being said, most of these choices are great.
Utility/Mana Artifacts + Equipment + Land:
-Only Skeleton Shard? Crystal Shard (or Erratic Portal) seem great here and Granite + Pearl Shards aren't the worst cards ever.
-How areTawnos's Coffin" target="blank">Tawnos's Coffin and Predator Flagship working for you? The latter seems especially slow. Myr Incubator also seems pretty "all-in"-y.
-You need more equipment but all the ones you already have are awesome. Mana artifacts are fine too.
-As you seem to have discovered, Academy is too good by the standards you have set in this Cube. By the way, only allied color bouncelands? I assume that's space related.
Multicolor:
-Tidehollow Strix and Architects of Will I think would make good additions. Also no UB Borderpost?
-Don't forget the other pieces of Alara reborn Equipment. All of them except maybe the UW are playable.
OUT -> IN
Gorilla Shaman -> Bloodshot Trainee
Nothing -> Tuktuk the Explorer
Rishadan Port -> Mistvein Borderpost
5 Ally Bouncelands -> 5 Alara Tri-lands
Tolarian Academy -> Nothing
Uktabi Kong -> Restock
Viridian Shaman -> Farhaven Elf
Floral Spuzzem -> Viridian Revel
Tanglewalker -> Lifesmith
Reshape -> Transmute Artifact
Nothing -> Override
Scrounge -> Graveborn Muse
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief -> Phyrexian Plaguelord
Nothing -> Scepter of Fugue
Fang Skulkin -> Darksteel Brute
Cathodian -> Guardian Idol
Auriok Replica -> Memnite
Nim Replica -> Trusty Machete
Soldier Replica -> Ashnod's Transmogrant
Grid Monitor -> Talisman of Progress
Predator Flagship -> Talisman of Indulgence
Mindslaver -> Talisman of Dominance
Contagion Engine -> Talisman of Unity
Phyrexian Processor -> Talisman of Impulse
There was an abundance of artifact removal in our drafts last night which means I need to tone it back a little. Green was the worst offender by a long shot. On a similar note the undisputed MVP of our drafts last night was Scarwood Bandits. That guy is just nuts!
I removed several cards for being too good. Gorilla Shaman is way too efficient and Tolarian Academy was simply ridiculous. I made some swaps suggested by you guys including the removal of some Replicas and Grid monitor in favor of more mana fixing. The bouncelands were very underwhelming and I think people will be more than happy to snag the tri-lands early and often.
I added Graveborn Muse to be the king of the Nim (Zombies) and to give black a way to generate some CA.
Hopefully I'll be going to my LGS tomorrow for a few drafts and might even get to fit some Winston drafting in today. I've also decided on my final rule for the artifact lands. In a normal draft with 6-8 people, each pack gets one random artifact land (awesome suggestion, guys), and in the case of Winston drafting or something like Rochester, each player can pick up to 3 artifact lands.
@Crocodile: thanks for the great suggestions. You clearly have an eye for detail!
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Transmagrant seems like a nice include for sure, changing guys into artifacts seems like an interesting thing to play around with.
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Yeah, basically. It was pretty sick seeing him come down on turn 2 and blow up an artifact land without breaking a sweat. There was one match my opponent played him on turn 3 after playing Liquid Metal Coating on turn two and he blew up my artifact land then activated Coating on one of my basics and blew it up the turn he played the Shaman. At that point there was literally nothing my deck had to stop him. He was pretty insane in the late game as well and just proved to be a little too efficient and throws off the balance too much for my liking. If the power level continues to creep -- as I expect it will with two more artifact sets coming -- then I'll add him back.
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- Why Brass Gnat over Brass Man? Seems like you don't get as much value out of the pseudo-vigilance with a 1/1 body that you get from a 1/3.
- No UG section here? Trygon Predator is the nuts for repeatable artifact destruction. I don't think it's on the same level as Gorilla Shaman, is it?
P.S. A few small nitpicks otherwise, like Trash for Treasure currently sitting in the green spell section or Skinthinner being listed as a 2-drop. Carry on, dude.
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In that case, has Aladdin been considered? I'd imagine you'd be familiar with the card from your research. The powerful effect (at least in this Cube) seems balanced by the high casting- and activation- costs relative to the mediocre body, and it gives red something to do other than blowing up artifacts and burning stuff.
Since the format is slightly slower, I like the evasion on Gnat over the defense on Brass Man, but I considered just running them both.
I don't know how I feel about predator yet. I think he might be slightly too good. Based on our drafts so far, repeatable removal is proving to be insane (Glissa, Scarwood Bandits, etc.), and he comes down earlier. I love him in regular cube, but it remains to be seen how much value he adds to the artifact draft.
Fixed. Good looking out and thanks for the suggestions!
Yes, he was. I have a nice crispy AN copy I am dying to use, but I don't know how much red needs it or whether it's too good. I am looking at adding a bit more removal spells which can stop creatures like Glissa from just taking over the game. After my drafts this weekend I am inclined to keep him out for now. Thanks for the post!
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