I'd cut a couple of the 4cc guys to make way for more 2cc or 3cc guys. This will help to make aggro more viable, plus I think a couple of those guys are sub par. I'd cut Changeling Berserker and Lava Hounds to make room for Fire Imp and Skirk Marauder.
I'd also drop Manic Vandal for Keldon Vandals. The echo is sometimes a pain, but hitting for four damage a turn makes it reasonable.
And I'd cut Ancient Hydra to make room for Firemaw Kavu.
I'd cut Flame Slash for Chain Lightning I assume that's not in for monetary reasons.
How often do you return Punishing Fire to your hand? I'm running Sudden Shock instead, but could be convinced to swap it for this one.
Flames of the Blood Hand could come out for Pillage. I don't care for burn spells that can't act as removal. I'd much rather have the versatile land destruction spell here.
I never cared for Grab the Reins, but there's not much else you're not already running that I can suggest you replace it with. Maybe Whipflare from NPH.
Black:
Cut Festering Goblin and add Fume Spiter. I could see running the gobbo in addition to Fume Spitter, but Fumer Spitter is just better.
I'd cut Mesmeric Fiend for Child of Night. I really don't like Mesmeric Fiend at all. For us it was usually just not a very powerful effect. It normally just delayed the inevitable instead of preventing it. Child of Night has been really good for us in black based aggro decks.
I run Skittering Skirge over Stromgald Crusader, but I could see an argument being made for both. If nothing else, I'd think about cutting Wretched Anurid for the Skirge. I still run Wretched Anurid, but it's been a significant source of damage to myself more often that I'd like. You might also think about Fledgling Djinn in that slot.
You should really find room for Crypt Rats. Wrath effects are few and far between at this rarity level and Crypt Rats is one of the better ones. I love that little guy. You might consider cutting Skittering Horror or Chittering Rats to make room for him.
Another card I really like that you aren't running is Ogre Marauder. He's another really good one for black aggro decks. I like him more than Arrogant Bloodlord as well as the two guys I just mentioned.
I don't understand the love for Marsh Flitter. I've seen it in a few peasant lists and it just doesn't appeal to me. If it gave you 1/1 flying faerie tokens, I could see, but 1/1 goblin dorks are just not impressive. I'd much rather have something like Keening Banshee in that slot.
You're also not running Predatory Nightstalker, which is a card I like a lot. I don't really see a high cc cut for it, though. Maybe you could lose Surrakar Marauder for it?
I'd highly recommend Inquisition of Kozilek. It's be surprisingly great here. There's almost never a lack of targets for it, especially if you can play it early. I'd suggest cutting Smother for it.
Ashes to Ashes was always too detrimental to us. Blowing up two dudes is awesome, but sometimes there's only one dude and it's a dead card in your hand. I'd recommend Sudden Death or the new card from NPH called Dismember in this slot.
Incremental Blight is probably ok as a 3 for 1, but I would highly recommend getting Pestilence in your list. Again, Wrath effects are few and far between and Pestilence is quite possibly the best one available for C/U lists.
Goldmeadow Stalwart: He never costs more than one mana because I've errata'd the card to remove the additional cost. I figured that aggro needed the help and a 2/2 for 1 isn't anything too special these days.
Other White cuts: I can get behind all of them except cutting blinding mage for lone missionary. I will definitely test it out, but I'm not entirely convinced by the card.
Red:
All of those sound good.
Punishing Fire: Too be honest, this doesn't really get returned often. I don't know which one is better (sudden shock v. punishing fire) but I would be willing to test it out. How relevant have you found the split second to be?
Grab the Reins vs. Whipflare: Red is primarily an aggro color, so while pyroclasm is fine in my cube, I do not want to add another pyro effect because it doesn't jive well with what red does in my cube.
Black:
I agree with pretty much everything. I like the fledgling djinn more than the other cards because of its 1B casting cost and I will definitely be picking one up ASAP. Same goes for the Ogre Marauder. That card is sweet!
Goldmeadow Stalwart: He never costs more than one mana because I've errata'd the card to remove the additional cost. I figured that aggro needed the help and a 2/2 for 1 isn't anything too special these days.
I can get behind all of them except cutting blinding mage for lone missionary. I will definitely test it out, but I'm not entirely convinced by the card.
I used to run Master Decoy and Rathi Trapper because I loved tappers so much. The thing about those guys is that outside of control, they don't do much. Of course it's ok to run cards that only go into one specific archetype, but I think having Goldmeadow Harrier is probably enough. It's been fine for us. Plus Lone Missionary goes into a lot of the same decks that want the tapper and he's great for aggro too. And there's always the possibility of being able to abuse him with things like Flickerwisp and Momentary Blink or even Crystal Shard or other bounce spells.
Punishing Fire: Too be honest, this doesn't really get returned often. I don't know which one is better (sudden shock v. punishing fire) but I would be willing to test it out. How relevant have you found the split second to be?
It's probably about as relevant as the life gain clause on Punishing Fire. It's nice to be able to take out pumpable creatures or creatures with activated abilities without worrying about any activations out of them. Sudden Shock is fine, but as soon as we get another 2cc three damage spell (if ever), it's coming right out.
Grab the Reins vs. Whipflare: Red is primarily an aggro color, so while pyroclasm is fine in my cube, I do not want to add another pyro effect because it doesn't jive well with what red does in my cube.
Fair enough. I'm thinking of adding Whipflare into my list, but I'm not 100% on that yet. Grab the Reins never impressed us, though. I wish it let me attack with the stolen creature if I entwined it. That was always so disappointing.
I agree with pretty much everything. I like the fledgling djinn more than the other cards because of its 1B casting cost and I will definitely be picking one up ASAP. Same goes for the Ogre Marauder. That card is sweet!
@ Calibretto- I'll try out the missionary then. Its not like Blinding mage has ever been anything but mediocre in cube. Yeah, Punishing fire just feels like a hold over in the case that Wizards prints another 2 for 3 (I don't think its out of the realm of possibilities). When I first read Grab the Reins I thought for some reason that you could attack as well. It was so disappointing when I found out how it actually worked. I could the card doing decent in U/r counterburn though as it can 2 for 1 your opponent and potentially dome him for 3-5. If it really performs subpar, I'll consider taking it out.
I recently added Diabolic Servitude to my cube but I haven't really got a chance to play with it. If you were to pick up early in p1, is a strong enough card to build the rest of your deck around? I feel like it could be very similar to Recurring Nightmare ( in terms of power level) in peasant cube.
I cut Diabolic Servitude from my C/U cube. I just didn't feel like it was powerful enough at this level. If you pick it up early and get into a reanimator strategy it's ok, but at C/U, there's not really many fatties that you want to be reanimating. I just didn't feel that it was as good as the other reanimation spells, so it eventually got the axe. I can see how it would seem like it would be as powerful as Recurring Nightmare at this rarity, but it just wasn't. Nightmare's strength is the fact that it's basically impossible to remove and it allows you to chain ETB guys to thoroughly ruin your opponent's day. Servitude makes you exile the creature when it dies, so there are no chances of ETB shenanigans. It's a fine spell, but it's definitely cuttable and far from Recurring Nightmare power level.
You've almost got the whole thing listed! Just green and multicolor to go. Here are my thoughts on blue, colorless, and lands.
Blue:
I don't like Spire Golem as much as some of the other affinity for lands golems. This may just be peasant cube, but still a 2/4 flyer is not all that impressive. You might consider Stratozeppelid instead. It gives you another splashable finisher. It doesn't block very well, but it gets into the red zone like a champion.
I really like Wall of Frost and Air Servant. I'm not sure why I haven't considered those cards before. I'm not really seeing anything in my list that I'd want to remove for them, though. How big is this cube? I feel like you're running a few more cards that I am.
You're missing Preordain, which I like more than Think Twice.
I'm going to suggest cutting Essence Scatter for Arcane Denial. I don't really care for the counters that can only target specific stuff. I think Exclude is the only one I run, and that's just because it cantrips. Arcane Denial does give your opponent a bit of card advantage, but most of the time it's worth it. Plus I'd rather just have the more flexible counter.
You could try Into the Roil for Narcolepsy. Into the Roil is an excellent bounce spell that'll replace itself in the late game. It'll go into most of the same decks that Narcolepsy will go into and serve a similar role. It's great tempo.
I'd cut Persuasion for Binding Grasp. Grasp will cost you a couple mana per turn, but it gets you the creature a bit earlier and pumps its toughness a bit. It's not strictly better, but I like it. And it's splashable, which I feel can be important.
I'd cut Traumatic Visions for either Sleep or Frantic Search. I don't like Visions because a 5cc counter is pretty bad. Sure sometimes you pay five for a Force of Will and it's ok, but that spell is good because of the free option. Basic land cycling is ok, but outside of Shards limited, I don't think I'd ever want to play with Traumatic Visions. I'd highly recommend Sleep. In a midrange or aggressive deck, it's damn near a Time Walk. Tap them down, get in for some damage and basically guarantee that you'll get in for some more damage next turn as well. It's been excellent for us. I like Frantic Search as well. If Sleep doesn't look appealing to you, then I would recommend using it instead. It's still better than Traumatic Visions and free card selection is pretty good.
Colorless:
I'd lose Flayer Husk for Chimeric Idol. The two mana equip cost on the Husk just makes him seem not worth it. It's fine, but nothing special. Chimeric Idol, on the other hand, can be an absolute beating. He's completely immune to sorcery speed creature removal and burn. His cost seems a bit prohibitive on first glance, but he really doesn't set you back any at all. He's great. I play him in both of my cubes.
I don't care for Darksteel Sentinel either. An indestrucible 3/3 with flash is nice, but not for six mana. At least, not in the cube. I'd go for Bottle Gnomes in that slot. Gnomes is great for midrange and control decks to defend against early aggro assaults. Plus he can sac for three life in a pinch. He's an extremely solid dude.
Necrogen Censer isn't the house in cube that it can be in Scars limited. You don't really have a lot of ways to add charge counters to it, so without a reset button like Blink or similar, it ends up being a dead artifact on the board. Four damage can be a lot, but I'd much rather have something that's going to have a lasting effect on the game. I'd replace it with Icy Manipulator. This is another card that's good enough for both of my cubes. It's so classic. I'm actually surprised that you weren't already running it.
You really need to get Sensei's Divining Top in there somewhere. The card is just so good. I've heard "I don't think I can beat Top" uttered more times than I can remember from members of my group. It's just such a powerful effect. I'd cut Adventuring Gear to make room for it. Landfall is nice, but there's just not as many ways to abuse it here as there are in Zendikar limited. It's fine, but Top is way better.
And lastly for this section, I'd cut Pyrite Spellbomb to make room for Loxodon Warhammer. I'm still running the red spellbomb for now, but it's nowhere near the powerhouse that Warhammer is. It's such a ridiculous equipment.
Lands:
For lands, there's only a few changes I'd make. I don't really like the Zendikar color aligned lands. At a certain size, I think Halimar Depths and Teetering Peeks become playable, but I think Bojuka Bog is pretty terrible in cube. I'd replace them with Treetop Village, Mirrodin's Core, and Ghitu Encampment. The two man lands are just really solid. They're safe from sorcery speed removal and are right at home in a lot of decks. Mirrodin's Core is probably my favorite land at the uncommon level. This thing is ridiculous at it's ability to fix mana. I've contemplated several times on including it in my rare cube, but I just can't find the room for it. Usually by the time you need to use it for a color, you've got a good three or four counters on it. And it's not a huge deal at all to just put a counter on at EOT if you've left it up.
I finally got Green and Multicolor up. I realize that Multicolor needs a ton of work, but thats why I am posting it. I want to add some more info on archetypes/ make the post less of an eye sore but I've been busy lately. Also, I need to get a list of Wants/Exchanges.
I'd drop Mtenda Lion in favor of Jungle Lion. He can't block, but he's still solid. Being completely dead against blue decks makes Mtenda Lion a poor substitute.
Silhana Ledgewalker is ok, but he was never really that impressive for us. I find that he's best when you can reliably drop some sort of pump spell on him and, in the cube, that's just not the case. I like Thornweald Archer in this slot (despite how much the name makes me think I'm slurring the word "Thornweird"). The Archer is just aggressive enough and he's got two very relevant abilities.
I think I'd rather have Uktabi Orangutan as another copy of Viridian Shaman, than either Phantom Tiger or Cradle Guard. There's also Leatherback Baloth as a non echo replacement for Cradle Guard.
I like either Might of Old Krosa or Giant Growth more than Search for Tomorrow. I feel like the combat trick is more relevant, plus there are serveral other better spells than SfT that you're already including.
You should also try to make room for Regrowth here. I'd probably cut Nettle Sentinel from your 1-drop dudes to open up a slot for it. It's such an iconic spell for green and it's pretty powerful to boot.
Any advice I'd give you on your multicolor section is going to be to make look more like mine. I feel like that's being boastful and presumptuous, but I feel like my multicolor section is just about right where I want it. I do plan on moving cards like Momentary Blink, Kird Ape, and Loam Lion over to their respective multicolor sections, but I think other than that, it looks about right for a cube of that size. The only other multicolor change I'm considering at the moment is to remove Shambling Remains for Blightning.
White:
Creatures:
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
1 Mother of Runes
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Goldmeadow Stalwart
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Akrasan Squire
1 Icatian Javelineers
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Stormfront Pegasus
1 Wall of Omens
1 Soltari Priest
1 White Knight
1 Ronom Unicorn
1 Blade of the Sixth Pride
1 Leonin Skyhunter
1 Mistral Charger
1 Soltari Monk
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Ballyknock Cohort
1 Flickerwhisp
1 Spectral Procession
1 Kemba's Skyguard
1 Kor Hookmaster
1 Stonecloaker
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
// 4 CMC
1 Celestial Crusader
1 Guardian of the Guildpact
1 Calciderm
1 Battle Screech
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Razor Golem
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Serra Angel
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Condemn
1 Path to Exile
1 Harm's Way
1 Mana Tithe
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Otherwordly Journey
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Arrest
1 Griffin Guide
1 Miraculous Recovery
1 Swell of Courage
Creatures:
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Twinblade Slasher
1 Nettle Sentinel
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Wild Dogs
1 Basking Rootwalla
1 Wild Nactl
1 Mtenda Lion
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Albino Troll
1 Beastbreaker of Bala Ged
1 River Boa
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Wall of Roots
1 Mire Boa
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Silhana Ledgewalker
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Phantom Tiger
1 Eternal Witness
1 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Civic Wayfinder
1 Imperious Perfect
1 Cradle Guard
1 Phantom Centaur
1 Yavimaya Ants
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Cudgel Troll
1 Briarhorn
1 Blastoderm
1 Thornscape Battlemage
1 Sprout Swarm
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Bestial Menace
1 Deadwood Treefolk
1 Mold Shambler
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Rancor
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Cultivate
1 Boar Umbra
1 Centaur Glade
Creatures:
1 Goblin Patrol
1 Jackal Pup
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Goblin Wardriver
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Plated Geopede
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Ember Hauler
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Goblin Shortcutter
1 Fireslinger
1 Vulshok Sorcerer
1 Gathan Raiders
1 Manic Vandal
1 Cunning Sparkmage
1 Lava Hounds
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Keldon Champion
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Fireblast
1 Forked Bolt
1 Burst Lightning
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Rift Bolt
1 Firebolt
1 Arc Trail
1 Magma Jet
1 Pyroclasm
1 Searing Blaze
1 Volcanic Hammer
1 Lash Out
1 Incinerate
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Staggershock
1 Arc Lightning
1 Flame Javelin
1 Molten Rain
1 Sulfurous Blast
1 Lightning Blast
1 Aftershock
1 Kaervek's Torch
1 Rolling Thunder
1 Fireball
Creatures:
1 Festering Goblin
1 Carnophage
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Wretching Anurid
1 Nezumi Cutthroat
1 Surrakar Marauder
1 Black Knight
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Stromgald Crusader
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Child of Night
1 Skittering Horror
1 Chittering Rats
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Arrogant Bloodlord
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Blind Zealot
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Phyrexian Rager
1 Marsh Flitter
1 Howling Banshee
1 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
1 Skinrender
1 Sengir Vampire
1 Shriekmaw
1 Snuff Out
1 Duress
1 Disfigure
1 Vendetta
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Animate Dead
1 Sign in Blood
1 Doom Blade
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Last Gasp
1 Night's Whisper
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Infest
1 Diabolic Servitude
1 Barter in Blood
1 Incremental Blight
1 Contagion
1 Enslave
Creatures:
1 Enclave Cryptologist
1 Errant Ephemeron
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Shaper Parasite
1 Spire Golem
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Pestermite
1 Willbender
1 Calcite Snapper
1 Aether Adapt
1 Man-o'-War
1 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Thieving Magpie
1 Air Servant
1 Mulldrifter
1 Air Elemental
1 Jetting Glasskite
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Force Spike
1 Essence Scatter
1 Mana Leak
1 Counterspell
1 Impulse
1 Narcolepsy
1 Memory Lapse
1 Remand
1 Think Twice
1 Miscalculation
1 Crystal Shard
1 Exclude
1 Repulse
1 Forbid
1 Compulsive Research
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Dismiss
1 Deep Analysis
1 Careful Consideration
1 Control Magic
1 Mind Control
1 Persuasion
1 Force of Will
1 Capsize
1 Confiscate
1 Repeal
1 Condescend
Creatures:
1 Flayer Husk
1 Perilous Myr
1 Spined Thopter
1 Ulamog's Crusher
1 Bonesplitter
1 Adventuring Gear
1 Aether Vial
1 Trusty Machette
10 Signets
1 Mask of Memory
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mind Stone
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Serrated Arrows
10 Bouncelands
5 Alara Taplands
5 Zendikar Refuges
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Halimar Depths
1 Quicksand
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Teetering Peeks
1 City of Brass
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Rupture Spire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Urza's Factory
1 Faerie Conclave
U/W
1 Deft Duelist
1 Kiss of the Amesha
B/W
1 Restless Apparition
1 Blind hunter
1 Unmake
U/B
1 Agony Warp
1 Psychatog
U/G
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Winged Coatl
1 Snakeform
G/W
1 Watchwolf
1 Loam Lion
1 Kitchen Finks
R/G
1 Kird Ape
1 Colossal Might
1 Bloodbraid Elf
R/B
1 Ashenmoor Gouger
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Bituminous Blast
G/B
1 Necrogenesis
1 Putrefy
1 Consume Strength
R/W
1 Lightning Helix
1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
1 Skyknight Legionnare
U/R
1 Fire/Ice
1 Electrolyze
1 Gelectrode
5/22/11:
White:
-1 Blinding Mage
-1 Voice of All
-1 Prismatic Strands
+1 Porcelain Legionnaire
Green:
-1 Arbor Elf
-1 Search for Tomorrow
-1 Harrow
+1 Elves of Deep Shadow
Red:
-1 Changeling Berserker
-1 Flame Slash
-1 Punishing Fire
-1 Flames of the Blood Hand
-1 Grab the Rains
+1 Fire Imp
Black:
-1 Mesmeric Fiend
-1 Reassembling Skeleton
-1 Smother
-1 Terror
-1 Makeshift Mannequin
+1 Child of Night
+1 Blind Zealot
+1 Dismember
Blue:
-1 Wall of Frost
-1 Clone
-1 Traumatic Visions
+1 Spire Golem
Artifact:
-1 Pyrite Spellbomb
-1 Coldsteel Heart
-1 Wayfayer's Bauble
-1 Darksteel Sentinel
-1 Necrogen Censer
+1 Shrine of Burning Rage
+1 Spined Thopter
"On deck Cards"
coming soon
1 Knight of the Meadowgrain
1 Land Tax
1 Sylvan Library
1 Regrowth
1 Ogre Marauder
1 Fledgling Djinn
1 Preordain
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Loxodon Warhammer
X Bunch of Multicolor Cards
Allow me to make a few suggestions:
White:
How often does Goldmeadow Stalwart cost 3W?
I'd cut White Knight and Blinding Mage for Knight of Meadowgrain and Lone Missionary.
I'd cut Prismatic Strands for Ghostly Prison.
Red:
I'd cut a couple of the 4cc guys to make way for more 2cc or 3cc guys. This will help to make aggro more viable, plus I think a couple of those guys are sub par. I'd cut Changeling Berserker and Lava Hounds to make room for Fire Imp and Skirk Marauder.
I'd also drop Manic Vandal for Keldon Vandals. The echo is sometimes a pain, but hitting for four damage a turn makes it reasonable.
And I'd cut Ancient Hydra to make room for Firemaw Kavu.
I'd cut Flame Slash for Chain Lightning I assume that's not in for monetary reasons.
How often do you return Punishing Fire to your hand? I'm running Sudden Shock instead, but could be convinced to swap it for this one.
Flames of the Blood Hand could come out for Pillage. I don't care for burn spells that can't act as removal. I'd much rather have the versatile land destruction spell here.
I never cared for Grab the Reins, but there's not much else you're not already running that I can suggest you replace it with. Maybe Whipflare from NPH.
Black:
Cut Festering Goblin and add Fume Spiter. I could see running the gobbo in addition to Fume Spitter, but Fumer Spitter is just better.
I'd cut Mesmeric Fiend for Child of Night. I really don't like Mesmeric Fiend at all. For us it was usually just not a very powerful effect. It normally just delayed the inevitable instead of preventing it. Child of Night has been really good for us in black based aggro decks.
I run Skittering Skirge over Stromgald Crusader, but I could see an argument being made for both. If nothing else, I'd think about cutting Wretched Anurid for the Skirge. I still run Wretched Anurid, but it's been a significant source of damage to myself more often that I'd like. You might also think about Fledgling Djinn in that slot.
You should really find room for Crypt Rats. Wrath effects are few and far between at this rarity level and Crypt Rats is one of the better ones. I love that little guy. You might consider cutting Skittering Horror or Chittering Rats to make room for him.
Another card I really like that you aren't running is Ogre Marauder. He's another really good one for black aggro decks. I like him more than Arrogant Bloodlord as well as the two guys I just mentioned.
I don't understand the love for Marsh Flitter. I've seen it in a few peasant lists and it just doesn't appeal to me. If it gave you 1/1 flying faerie tokens, I could see, but 1/1 goblin dorks are just not impressive. I'd much rather have something like Keening Banshee in that slot.
You're also not running Predatory Nightstalker, which is a card I like a lot. I don't really see a high cc cut for it, though. Maybe you could lose Surrakar Marauder for it?
I'd highly recommend Inquisition of Kozilek. It's be surprisingly great here. There's almost never a lack of targets for it, especially if you can play it early. I'd suggest cutting Smother for it.
Terror should come out for Go For The Throat. Total upgrade.
Ashes to Ashes was always too detrimental to us. Blowing up two dudes is awesome, but sometimes there's only one dude and it's a dead card in your hand. I'd recommend Sudden Death or the new card from NPH called Dismember in this slot.
Incremental Blight is probably ok as a 3 for 1, but I would highly recommend getting Pestilence in your list. Again, Wrath effects are few and far between and Pestilence is quite possibly the best one available for C/U lists.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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Goldmeadow Stalwart: He never costs more than one mana because I've errata'd the card to remove the additional cost. I figured that aggro needed the help and a 2/2 for 1 isn't anything too special these days.
Other White cuts: I can get behind all of them except cutting blinding mage for lone missionary. I will definitely test it out, but I'm not entirely convinced by the card.
Red:
All of those sound good.
Punishing Fire: Too be honest, this doesn't really get returned often. I don't know which one is better (sudden shock v. punishing fire) but I would be willing to test it out. How relevant have you found the split second to be?
Grab the Reins vs. Whipflare: Red is primarily an aggro color, so while pyroclasm is fine in my cube, I do not want to add another pyro effect because it doesn't jive well with what red does in my cube.
Black:
I agree with pretty much everything. I like the fledgling djinn more than the other cards because of its 1B casting cost and I will definitely be picking one up ASAP. Same goes for the Ogre Marauder. That card is sweet!
Ah... well that's fair enough. You just put Isamaru, Hound of Konda in your C/U cube.
I don't play with errata, so that wouldn't help me.
I used to run Master Decoy and Rathi Trapper because I loved tappers so much. The thing about those guys is that outside of control, they don't do much. Of course it's ok to run cards that only go into one specific archetype, but I think having Goldmeadow Harrier is probably enough. It's been fine for us. Plus Lone Missionary goes into a lot of the same decks that want the tapper and he's great for aggro too. And there's always the possibility of being able to abuse him with things like Flickerwisp and Momentary Blink or even Crystal Shard or other bounce spells.
It's probably about as relevant as the life gain clause on Punishing Fire. It's nice to be able to take out pumpable creatures or creatures with activated abilities without worrying about any activations out of them. Sudden Shock is fine, but as soon as we get another 2cc three damage spell (if ever), it's coming right out.
Fair enough. I'm thinking of adding Whipflare into my list, but I'm not 100% on that yet. Grab the Reins never impressed us, though. I wish it let me attack with the stolen creature if I entwined it. That was always so disappointing.
Ogre Marauder is the nuts. For sure.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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I recently added Diabolic Servitude to my cube but I haven't really got a chance to play with it. If you were to pick up early in p1, is a strong enough card to build the rest of your deck around? I feel like it could be very similar to Recurring Nightmare ( in terms of power level) in peasant cube.
You've almost got the whole thing listed! Just green and multicolor to go. Here are my thoughts on blue, colorless, and lands.
Blue:
I don't like Spire Golem as much as some of the other affinity for lands golems. This may just be peasant cube, but still a 2/4 flyer is not all that impressive. You might consider Stratozeppelid instead. It gives you another splashable finisher. It doesn't block very well, but it gets into the red zone like a champion.
I really like Wall of Frost and Air Servant. I'm not sure why I haven't considered those cards before. I'm not really seeing anything in my list that I'd want to remove for them, though. How big is this cube? I feel like you're running a few more cards that I am.
You're missing Preordain, which I like more than Think Twice.
I'm going to suggest cutting Essence Scatter for Arcane Denial. I don't really care for the counters that can only target specific stuff. I think Exclude is the only one I run, and that's just because it cantrips. Arcane Denial does give your opponent a bit of card advantage, but most of the time it's worth it. Plus I'd rather just have the more flexible counter.
You could try Into the Roil for Narcolepsy. Into the Roil is an excellent bounce spell that'll replace itself in the late game. It'll go into most of the same decks that Narcolepsy will go into and serve a similar role. It's great tempo.
I'd cut Persuasion for Binding Grasp. Grasp will cost you a couple mana per turn, but it gets you the creature a bit earlier and pumps its toughness a bit. It's not strictly better, but I like it. And it's splashable, which I feel can be important.
I'd cut Traumatic Visions for either Sleep or Frantic Search. I don't like Visions because a 5cc counter is pretty bad. Sure sometimes you pay five for a Force of Will and it's ok, but that spell is good because of the free option. Basic land cycling is ok, but outside of Shards limited, I don't think I'd ever want to play with Traumatic Visions. I'd highly recommend Sleep. In a midrange or aggressive deck, it's damn near a Time Walk. Tap them down, get in for some damage and basically guarantee that you'll get in for some more damage next turn as well. It's been excellent for us. I like Frantic Search as well. If Sleep doesn't look appealing to you, then I would recommend using it instead. It's still better than Traumatic Visions and free card selection is pretty good.
Colorless:
I'd lose Flayer Husk for Chimeric Idol. The two mana equip cost on the Husk just makes him seem not worth it. It's fine, but nothing special. Chimeric Idol, on the other hand, can be an absolute beating. He's completely immune to sorcery speed creature removal and burn. His cost seems a bit prohibitive on first glance, but he really doesn't set you back any at all. He's great. I play him in both of my cubes.
I don't care for Darksteel Sentinel either. An indestrucible 3/3 with flash is nice, but not for six mana. At least, not in the cube. I'd go for Bottle Gnomes in that slot. Gnomes is great for midrange and control decks to defend against early aggro assaults. Plus he can sac for three life in a pinch. He's an extremely solid dude.
Necrogen Censer isn't the house in cube that it can be in Scars limited. You don't really have a lot of ways to add charge counters to it, so without a reset button like Blink or similar, it ends up being a dead artifact on the board. Four damage can be a lot, but I'd much rather have something that's going to have a lasting effect on the game. I'd replace it with Icy Manipulator. This is another card that's good enough for both of my cubes. It's so classic. I'm actually surprised that you weren't already running it.
You really need to get Sensei's Divining Top in there somewhere. The card is just so good. I've heard "I don't think I can beat Top" uttered more times than I can remember from members of my group. It's just such a powerful effect. I'd cut Adventuring Gear to make room for it. Landfall is nice, but there's just not as many ways to abuse it here as there are in Zendikar limited. It's fine, but Top is way better.
And lastly for this section, I'd cut Pyrite Spellbomb to make room for Loxodon Warhammer. I'm still running the red spellbomb for now, but it's nowhere near the powerhouse that Warhammer is. It's such a ridiculous equipment.
Lands:
For lands, there's only a few changes I'd make. I don't really like the Zendikar color aligned lands. At a certain size, I think Halimar Depths and Teetering Peeks become playable, but I think Bojuka Bog is pretty terrible in cube. I'd replace them with Treetop Village, Mirrodin's Core, and Ghitu Encampment. The two man lands are just really solid. They're safe from sorcery speed removal and are right at home in a lot of decks. Mirrodin's Core is probably my favorite land at the uncommon level. This thing is ridiculous at it's ability to fix mana. I've contemplated several times on including it in my rare cube, but I just can't find the room for it. Usually by the time you need to use it for a color, you've got a good three or four counters on it. And it's not a huge deal at all to just put a counter on at EOT if you've left it up.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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Silhana Ledgewalker is ok, but he was never really that impressive for us. I find that he's best when you can reliably drop some sort of pump spell on him and, in the cube, that's just not the case. I like Thornweald Archer in this slot (despite how much the name makes me think I'm slurring the word "Thornweird"). The Archer is just aggressive enough and he's got two very relevant abilities.
I think I'd rather have Uktabi Orangutan as another copy of Viridian Shaman, than either Phantom Tiger or Cradle Guard. There's also Leatherback Baloth as a non echo replacement for Cradle Guard.
I like either Might of Old Krosa or Giant Growth more than Search for Tomorrow. I feel like the combat trick is more relevant, plus there are serveral other better spells than SfT that you're already including.
You should also try to make room for Regrowth here. I'd probably cut Nettle Sentinel from your 1-drop dudes to open up a slot for it. It's such an iconic spell for green and it's pretty powerful to boot.
Any advice I'd give you on your multicolor section is going to be to make look more like mine. I feel like that's being boastful and presumptuous, but I feel like my multicolor section is just about right where I want it. I do plan on moving cards like Momentary Blink, Kird Ape, and Loam Lion over to their respective multicolor sections, but I think other than that, it looks about right for a cube of that size. The only other multicolor change I'm considering at the moment is to remove Shambling Remains for Blightning.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.