MTG Salvation

Scion is really not that much of a win-more card. Of course, it's a card that is by definition better when you're winning, but that doesn't mean it's not a good card. Overrun is a win-more card and we'd cube that in a heartbeat if it was a common.

I think it's certainly good enough, but we'll see I guess. The comparison point is a 3/3 and I think it's going to be significantly better than that on average.

I think I'd rather have a 3/1 than either armorer or the cavalry. Having a 2 drop trade with everything is honestly ok, and being able to deal 3 to the face or to an attacker is important.

I'd like to say that I've tried 450 and 360 and 360 has been much more fun for me. The power level of commons when trying to fill up 450 really does become quite low - I have that problem even at 360!

I think that a land-themed cube would have to be a rare cube. Too many of the cards that synergise with lands are uncommon or rare for that to be possible in pauper.

I do like stinkweed imp and suggest it in place of the scorpion. It's a good card, but the synergies with it are all kind of weak in pauper cube so we cut it a while back.

While I like snap, I think that by far its most broken was not in draw-go control decks - we're talking about a card that's been in a huge number of ridiculous combo decks. But yeah, neither of those are supported that well in this cube. It's also very good in blue tempo decks, which are good in pauper.

Carrion Feeder: I don't like this card much - the decks that want a beater that can't block don't want to have a 1 drop that just sits around for ages until it does anything good

Blightning: Very powerful card, great in aggressive decks and even good in controlling ones (it was played in Jund a lot)

War-Torch Goblin: This card doesn't suck, but it's a trick that they can see from a million miles away so is a lot worse than it looks.

Sewn-Eye Drake: good in BR, pretty terrible in UB. I'd count it as a BR card personally, but there is much better competition. If you count it as a grixis card, it gets destroyed by Shadow Guildmage (both in power level and in an actual game)

Wild Might: It's not that bad, but it's best case scenario is just above curve (Titanic Growth, a card that isn't particularly close to cubable) and it turns into a complete dud after a certain point. Additionally it's very bad to use on blockers in general

Thrill of the Hunt: Very powerful, but so are other GW cards.

Indomitable Will: Seems a bit weak to me. I don't think I'd even play a mono coloured Common Bond

Stab Wound: A powerful and interesting effect. I do think it has less raw power than black's most efficient removal spells (I just cut it with this set) but it's certainly a good card.

Kor Hookmaster: Like the card a lot, but recognise it's not super powerful. However, white's not that powerful in general so I think it deserves a spot. Great utility in aggressive decks.

Elephant Ambush: Like it quite a bit. A 4 mana 3/3 flash isn't terrible and you will probably eventually get another elephant.

Havenwood Wurm: Mediocre, but so are the other green finishers. I like it enough for now, but if they keep printing cards as good as Nessian Asp and Sentinel Spider at the top end of green's mana curve then it might not last.

I actually like Grim Harvest more than Death Denied. Raise dead for 1b at instant speed isn't even that bad if you have no plan of actually recovering it over and over again, but you can't say the same for 1bb. I should probably try Death denied again, but like the ability that Grim Harvest has of totally taking over a game after both players start topdecking, even if you don't have a huge graveyard. The downside is, of course, that it's a lot more mana intensive.

I like Witches enough, but it's awkward that it doesn't fit into black aggro at all, where it would otherwise shine because of all the 1 toughness creatures that that deck runs. If you want that slot to support control, go ahead.

@Runner: you clearly appreciate the power of Thrill of the Hunt, why play sundering growth over it?

Drooling ogre is seriously bad. If you both have artifacts, it'll stray from your side for a turn unable to block and come back summoning sick, unable to attack. I think that's enough of a drawback on a 2 mana 3/3. The fact that it will get stolen and you won't have anything to bring it back relatively often (I'd say certainly more than a quarter of games), in which case it's just disastrously bad, means that I really don't think the risk pays off.

Quote from Runner5678

Definitely all true. The main reason I made the disfigure to Eyeblight's switch. It'll be hard to see the results because it's such a small change, but I like the theory behind it.

I think I have a similar removal spread as you once you count counters and deathtouchers.

Talking about power level, disfigure is a lot better, early game interaction is key for all decks. Talking about having the right balance when it comes to removal, I think I'd rather take out removal spells than just run worse ones.

Quote from jonboyjon

How cuttable are these colorless cards?

I'm thinking of making these changes:

Cut:
Mind Stone
Armillary Sphere
Wayfarer's Bauble
Pilgrim's Eye
Prismatic Lens

Move from colored to colorless:
Porcelain Legionnaire
Spined Thopter
Vault Skirge
Pith Driller
Slash Panther

Mind stone is the best card there, and I like the lens too. Though I do like moving the phyrexian mana creatures to colourless. Since when was Spined Thopter ever played more in blue decks?

I like the idea of a marshmist titan + gray merchant theme, but I don't think you have to go overboard with the double cost guys. I'd rather have a good 1B card than a bad BB card even in that deck

Quote from Runner5678

The Phyrexian guys should be colorless and you don't need more multi cards really. They reduce options in drafting and some aren't all that impressive.

I also like Flayer Husk and I like Scimitar too. Vault Skirge was never very impressive for me.

All three cards are mediocre but good enough to include. I like Vault Skirge and Scimitar the most out of the three - a 1/1 flier is a fine one drop for any aggressive deck but a 1/1 on the ground even with an upside is more marginal.

I really like borderposts and hate gold cards for pauper cube. We need fixing and borderposts are actually really fine fixing. Gold cards are hard to cast and make drafting more awkward as the last picks are almost always gold cards

Quote from ntDars

Last night I FINALLY realized why Waterfront Bouncer was a Blue staple thanks to AL; he turns every dead land card draw into an Unsummon.

GG

Yeah, the bouncer is very strong in nearly all blue decks. He's an easy card to cut in deckbuilding until you see the work that it does in play nearly every game.

If you run enough pump spells, you really don't have to have that many poison threats - I think it could possibly be supported if you wanted both your creatures to be sparser and your noncreatures to be worse.

Quote from Prince_Reyson

If I were to do this, I would choose Blightwidow over the Wolf, that card was excellent even as the only infect creature in a deck during its limited format. I wouldn't want to play 3 mana 2/2 wither defender that can draw a card when it trades in my deck, but I would want to play a 2/4 reach defender wither. That said, I wouldn't play any of them for the reasons you listed.

I for certain wouldn't run either of those cards.

Quote from Al_Z_Heimer

That's the plan for Silhana Ledgewalker. ^^

Btw. I think that Sacred Wolf could become good enough. now. It may have too less toughness, but with the 2 regenerate/totem armor auras or Flying from one of the blue auras, it's a huge threat.


Edit: To the blue aura topic: How good is Traveler's Cloak? I mean "landwalk of your choice" = "unblockable" and with a cantrip, it could still be traded in response, but could it be worth the risk? I think it's maybe better than the new Aqueous Form.

That's an interesting card, but I don't think it's good enough. Aqueous form is only potentially good (again, it's just potential) because it's so cheap and the scry triggers could easily actually add up to more than drawing a card. Chances are neither is good enough.

I was super excited when looting came out, but now I don't run it at all. It shines in decks that can make use of discarding cards and has seen play across almost all constructed formats for that reason, but that just isn't the case in pauper cube. Unfortunately, it just isn't good enough.