Still have to figure out what to do with the 15-20 cards that can't be foiled.
Alters on the ones that probably won't be getting cut anytime soon. That's what I did.
Re Frost Breath: I think the card is fantastic. I think of the card as a Timewalk in the early game and a late game haymaker. White decks more typically use the effect to get blockers out of the way and push through more damage; blue decks are more prone to using it to stem the bleeding in the first few turns. I actually find that the fact that blue has access to things like Undo, Rushing River, etc make Frost Breath better, just for redundancy's sake. There are a lot of times I'd rather have Frost breath over Undo because you can hold open mana and it's slightly easier to cast.
I feel this is the beginning to a really sick control deck. I think other people drafting red is fine, as I'd only be grabbing easy to splash, high-impact red spells for this type of deck. Calcite Snapper and Flood will do a lot to stall the board so just a splash of red removal should be fine and it's fairly likely we could wheel the UR bounceland.
Edit: Apparently I missed Errant in P2. That's probably the pick, but Brainstorm would be solid as well.
1. I don't underestimate Levelers on principle and happen to love Knight of Cliffhaven. I just don't think Wavewatch is actually any good, but I do understand the allure.
2. I know how control works, but thanks for clearing that up. Just because control decks are typically slower doesn't mean I think Wavewatch makes the cut. Yes, it is slow like control. No, I don't think it's good enough.
Really, it's not that I think it's terrible. It's just that I don't know what I'd cut for it. It doesn't do anything so well that it bumps anything as of yet.
I have no interest in Wavewatch, but I am more into the tempo aspect of blue in Pauper cube. I wouldn't mind running a control-only card if I felt like it excelled at that job, but a non-flying wall doesn't cut it for me. And it's 12 mana to get to a creature that can attack(barring equipment), which is too great for my tastes.
Agreed on 5oul's viewpoints on Wild Guess and Dangerous Wager.
I think the bat is kind of meh. I don't think I'll be trying it.
I do kind of like the knight though. It's not amazing, but I do like having two bodies in a racing situation, especially if you have even one playable equipment. Having said that, I don't know what I'd cut for it right now.
Obv, Searing Spear makes the cut.
I am most excited about Sentinel Spider. I have a crappy 5 drop to cut for it anyway, and this card actually solves a problem for green. With either ability, it would be okay, but with both it's pretty outstanding.
It's less about Wingcrafter being "really bad" and more about Branching Bolt being really good. That's one of the few interactions where Wingcrafter actively works for your opponent.
And as far as the most valuable Branching Bolt goes, I still haven't seen one to beat when my opponent killed my Guardian of the Guildpact and 2/3 Knight of Cliffhaven, and then swung for the win.
I currently have Pathbreaker Wurm in my cube, but I have yet to see it played. As Rubin said, the curve toppers in Green are typically pretty bad, so it gave me some wiggle room to try it. It's no doubt at its best in RG midrange, but we'll see. It's most certainly the least exciting card from AVR to make it in the cube.
So pleased everyone is having similar experiences with Wingcrafter. I was pumped from the moment I saw it on the spoiler. What's the best thing you guys have seen it paired it with? I think mine is still Blastoderm.
I've been using Reaping the Graves for quite a while and I'm very pleased with it. It's not as good if it's your topdeck and you're just looking to get something back on the board, but it's pretty amazing if you're interacting quite a bit. It really shines in UB and RB.
I actually like Frostling more than Bloodfire Dwarf. I cut the dwarf a long time ago and have not missed it, but I somehow forgot about Frostling. I kind of do want to play it, but I don't know what I'd cut for it at this point.
I, on the other hand, am so glad to be cutting this card from my cube. Unkicked, it's obviously terrible. Once kicked, it does provide card advantage, but it is so incredibly slow. It's not as though B is shy on removal. Keep in mind that I once had it in a UB deck in which I Ninjutsu'd it out and recast it; even then it felt like the worst card in my deck.
If it were:
Much Better3B
Creature - Insect
Kicker 1B
Flying
When ~ etb, if it was kicked, destroy target creature.
Well, at the prerelease I got to play very few of the cards I've included from this set in my cube. I was in UW and didn't even get a Wingcrafter, so I don't think the prerelease really affected my judgement.
Anyway, as for what cards from the new set have performed, Seraph of Dawn has been very good. I have yet to see her strapped with Volshok Morningstar, but Bonesplitter was more than enough to make her nearly impossible to race.
The best thing Wingcrafter has been paired with so far is Blastoderm, which is nothing to sneeze at, but I'm still wanting to see the WC into Ninja start.
Overall, I think this set has been pretty solid for Pauper cubes.
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Alters on the ones that probably won't be getting cut anytime soon. That's what I did.
Re Frost Breath: I think the card is fantastic. I think of the card as a Timewalk in the early game and a late game haymaker. White decks more typically use the effect to get blockers out of the way and push through more damage; blue decks are more prone to using it to stem the bleeding in the first few turns. I actually find that the fact that blue has access to things like Undo, Rushing River, etc make Frost Breath better, just for redundancy's sake. There are a lot of times I'd rather have Frost breath over Undo because you can hold open mana and it's slightly easier to cast.
P2: Brainstorm
P3: Calcite Snapper
P4: Flood
P5: Magma Burst
I feel this is the beginning to a really sick control deck. I think other people drafting red is fine, as I'd only be grabbing easy to splash, high-impact red spells for this type of deck. Calcite Snapper and Flood will do a lot to stall the board so just a splash of red removal should be fine and it's fairly likely we could wheel the UR bounceland.
Edit: Apparently I missed Errant in P2. That's probably the pick, but Brainstorm would be solid as well.
This is the order I put them in as well, but perhaps with a little more of a gap between them.
2. I know how control works, but thanks for clearing that up. Just because control decks are typically slower doesn't mean I think Wavewatch makes the cut. Yes, it is slow like control. No, I don't think it's good enough.
Really, it's not that I think it's terrible. It's just that I don't know what I'd cut for it. It doesn't do anything so well that it bumps anything as of yet.
I gladly run both Undo and Frost Breath.
I think the bat is kind of meh. I don't think I'll be trying it.
I do kind of like the knight though. It's not amazing, but I do like having two bodies in a racing situation, especially if you have even one playable equipment. Having said that, I don't know what I'd cut for it right now.
Obv, Searing Spear makes the cut.
I am most excited about Sentinel Spider. I have a crappy 5 drop to cut for it anyway, and this card actually solves a problem for green. With either ability, it would be okay, but with both it's pretty outstanding.
It's less about Wingcrafter being "really bad" and more about Branching Bolt being really good. That's one of the few interactions where Wingcrafter actively works for your opponent.
And as far as the most valuable Branching Bolt goes, I still haven't seen one to beat when my opponent killed my Guardian of the Guildpact and 2/3 Knight of Cliffhaven, and then swung for the win.
I, on the other hand, am so glad to be cutting this card from my cube. Unkicked, it's obviously terrible. Once kicked, it does provide card advantage, but it is so incredibly slow. It's not as though B is shy on removal. Keep in mind that I once had it in a UB deck in which I Ninjutsu'd it out and recast it; even then it felt like the worst card in my deck.
If it were:
Much Better 3B
Creature - Insect
Kicker 1B
Flying
When ~ etb, if it was kicked, destroy target creature.
3/2
it would remain in my cube.
As far as the release went, my top play was using Defy death to return Restoration Angel to play, blinking my Mist Raven to bounce an opponent's creature enchanted with Commander's Authority. It was baller.
Anyway, as for what cards from the new set have performed, Seraph of Dawn has been very good. I have yet to see her strapped with Volshok Morningstar, but Bonesplitter was more than enough to make her nearly impossible to race.
The best thing Wingcrafter has been paired with so far is Blastoderm, which is nothing to sneeze at, but I'm still wanting to see the WC into Ninja start.
Overall, I think this set has been pretty solid for Pauper cubes.