So, I have not been able to cube since Ixalan. Does anyone have any experiences of how the cards have been playing out? I am particularly interested in experiences with Siren Stormtamer since that is probably the most borderline inclusion for me.
Blog post up! I've wanted to do this anyway, so yeah.
tl;dr: handful of solid additions, nothing to go crazy about.
Interesting. However, this bit about keeping either side by itself on Merfolk Branchwalker seems odd:
Same with a 1G 2/1 etb: look at the top card, if it's a land put it into your hand, otherwise you may put it into your graveyard.
After all, that is exactly what the Branchwalker is - expect that if you get a nonland, you also get a counter. Thus, if you would happily play this card, you should be playing Branchwalker even more happily.
So, I have not been able to cube since Ixalan. Does anyone have any experiences of how the cards have been playing out? I am particularly interested in experiences with Siren Stormtamer since that is probably the most borderline inclusion for me.
I haven't loved torment, it's always the thing that you want least to happen that's going to happen, and I don't think either are suitable for a peasant cube. I'd play Honden over both.
I get your reasoning but I would definitely side with Torment of Scarabs over Honden of Night's Reach. By the time an opponent has no (relevant) cards to discard, Honden sits useless. Torment is at least still contributing something at that point, even if an opponent is likely to pay life to avoid losing a key card. Plus, triggering in their upkeep is so much better than triggering in yours, even if the punisher type choice does eat at this benefit.
Sordid Squidthumper admittedly seems a bit borderline, and I agree with n00b's assessment that Coalition Honor Guard is closer to Spellskite since it will be taking control of any auras and survive most burn. Still, as blue's 1-drop creatures go, it definitely fits comfotably in the tier below Cloudfin Raptor and Enclave Cryptologist. The key bit is how it will still eat removal something more noteworthy while pinging away at an opponent. Actually, the fact that some of the strongest cards in the format are curses should play in its favour since it even protects the player.
Right, this set is worse than the last few that we have had by a wide margin, mostly due to the parasitic nature of the tribal interactions and because the meta is clearly being depowered for a change. My thoughts are...
Under Consideration: Siren Stormtamer: The most likely inclusion of these but blue is tough. Adanto Vanguard: 4 life is not nothing but it also protects itself outside of combat. This is important given my support for auras. Chart a Course: Only if I find room. Storm Fleet Aerialist: If Raid is triggered, it is great.
Field of Ruin (land):
Taps for C.
2 and tap: destroy target nonbasic, both players search for basic.
I think I will play this: it acts as a kind of splash-enabling land searcher and I run Library of Alexandria and Maze of Ith which demand answers to be available. Plus, I have a single fluid land slot in any case.
Raiders' Wake is unlikely to get in but it could be nice. Too bad Raid triggers prevent using it as a grindy finisher.
In my case, I support tokens in red but not the sac archetype so there is less upside to Mogg War Marshal's multiple bodies. However, since I also support double strikers and more generally, power matters, my CU/be has quite a few more equipment and aura cards than average, I imagine. As such, I think Raptor Hatchling is a better fit for my CU/be since its really high ceiling is relatively easily enabled and it still covers most of the bases Mogg War Marshal is currently fitting. That being said, in cubes that support the sacrifice archetype, Mogg War Marshal is the most bodies you get for the least investment.
I kind of agree with Majikian that Chart a Course is a bit too similar to Night's Whisper to get me *that* excited. Though, I do have to admit that the discard could also come in handy with all the GY synergies and archetypes I run. It is solid.
Since no one has brought up Thundering Spineback (I think), here are my 2 cents: When the cost to create the token was still thought to be 3G, it seemed interesting but like an unlikely addition. Now that the cost is being listed as 5G... Get out of my sight. These effects should only be expensive on cards that are themselves cheap to play in the early game (e.g. Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage). If I have to pay 7 mana for the privilege of being able to create additional value, even minimal value had better not be hogging all the mana for a turn per activation.
Ranging Raptors does have great combo potential but I do not think its baseline is good enough to warrant its inclusion when those comboes are not that easy to support in a draft. It does still have the opportunity to search for multiple lands regardless but that feels too much like a punisher situation where the opponent controls what you get. I like the card but not for Peasant.
Mogg War Marshal was card of the day recently and people mentioned how it was not that big a staple. I think I agree and that I will replace it with Raptor Hatchling. The hatchling's baseline as a Brindle Shoat (that is vulnerable to black removal but produces a token with Trample) is good enough since it acts as a defensive creature and supports tokens. When you combo with it, the payoff is also more satisfying, even if you will need a way to boost its toughness as well.
Chart a Course is a nice design even if I know blue is much too tight to fit it.
Oh, right - Nest Invader *is* a thing. That reminder just made Wily Goblin seem that much worse. Gah the card is awful.
Yup, Storm Fleet Aerialist seems very playable. Funnily enough, it is made better by the fact that we also get Siren Stormcaller since that way you have more blue attackers to enable Raid on turn 2 instead if having to entirely rely on other colours for 1-drops.
Also, on the topic of Storm Fleet Arsonist: Really? Allowing the opponent to rid themselves of the worst card they have on the board at the point where you are playing a 5-drop in a deck that reliably enables Raid is abysmal. The fact that triggering the ability is actually conditional on your existing board presence just makes it so much worse. I know the sets need toe depowered occasionally, but some of the cards we have been seeing from Ixalan are just such terrible designs. Even if many of the cards in the last few sets would not have made it to CUbe for power level reasons or because they were too conditional, at least those sets had surprisingly few real stinkers outside the obvious limited chaff at common.
Well, whatever anyone thinks about Wanted Scoundrels... I am pretty sure that we can all agree that Wily Goblin is just an insult on every level, right? Obviously, you could argue that the Scoundrels are worse at a meta-level because the card can act as a trap but seriously, is this the power level we should be expecting from our red creatures now? (Yes, yes - if it was a 2/1 for 1R, it would border on broken. However, a 2/1 for RR should be the least we can ask for.)
Giving away two mana seems a bit much and there's no case with possible upside like the red 4/3 minotaur that discards - giving away two mana is always bad.
I am not going to say that Wanted Scoundrels is a great card but this is kind of untrue: there is the case where it does not die, in which case you just have a 4/3 for 2. Now, obviously, it would be more more limited in terms of its potential to trade or attack when the blockers could kill it. I just want to highlight that the difference between an ETB trigger and a death trigger is kind of relevant, especially when they can easily lose their optimal timing for a tempo boost like this if they do not answer the Scoundrels in a turn or two. The problem with the comparison to Wretched Anurid is that that thing can legitimately lose you 5+ life since it also counts opponents' creatures. Even with an aggro deck, those are amounts that will start affecting your chances to win, whereas you can still easily recuperate from the opponent playing something above curve in Peasant since most big plays are creatures.
I was thinking among similar lines. Spells that target you *or* a creature you control are not marginal by any means, and the baseline stats are (barely) good enough. It definitely helps that blue's 1-drops, especially creatures, are so very, very shallow.
Edit: Huh, funny: Drover of the Mighty and the mana slivers are still the only green 2-drops that can simply tap for mana of any colour unconditionally. Obviously, not going to play it regardless.
Oh, Marauding Looter actually seems interesting. I like it. I might even consider replacing Bloodwater Entity with it. That was mostly intended to be rebuying key spells like Rise from the Tides but its colour restriction is actually problematic for that since those decks work just as well outside Izzet and related tricolour combinations.
Rampaging Gladiodon: 3RG for 5/5 Trample that pings all other creatures when it enters the battlefield.
At some level, I know that is a pretty strong effect. On the other hand, it just feels so insultingly minor on a 5-drop. Things are definitely not helped by the fact that the effect being symmetrical for Enrage-purposes makes this card incompatible with all but very few decks since it kills your mana dorks and smaller aggressive creatures.
It was already posted in the previous page and as was stated there, the Battleship remains bad. A 4/6 Vigilance creature for 5 would be nice but kind of eh. It being a vehicle with Crew 2 makes it pretty much unplayable. I still run Qal Sisma Behemoth which shares some similarities but which is also 2 mana cheaper to play and uses mana rather than other creatures to become active. Most do not bother with it either.
The Merfolk is not worth a Simic slot by a far shot. The dinosaur... Well, at least it is interesting. However, it also costs 6, requires additional conditions to be met for its effect, and supports decks which tend to have lower curves.
There is also Pillars of Genesis: 2-mana 5C mana rock... for creatures of specified type. They could at least have it provide colourless mana as well. As is, the card is purely parasitic.
Interesting. However, this bit about keeping either side by itself on Merfolk Branchwalker seems odd:
After all, that is exactly what the Branchwalker is - expect that if you get a nonland, you also get a counter. Thus, if you would happily play this card, you should be playing Branchwalker even more happily.
I get your reasoning but I would definitely side with Torment of Scarabs over Honden of Night's Reach. By the time an opponent has no (relevant) cards to discard, Honden sits useless. Torment is at least still contributing something at that point, even if an opponent is likely to pay life to avoid losing a key card. Plus, triggering in their upkeep is so much better than triggering in yours, even if the punisher type choice does eat at this benefit.
Definite Inclusions:
Charging Monstrosaur: Hoarding Dragon, we hardly knew ye'.
Raptor Hatchling: After some consideration, I will cut another card but this will be tested.
Merfolk Branchwalker: I am just not that great a fan of Terrain Elemental.
Field of Ruin: Specifically due to an open slot and the special features of my cube.
Under Consideration:
Siren Stormtamer: The most likely inclusion of these but blue is tough.
Adanto Vanguard: 4 life is not nothing but it also protects itself outside of combat. This is important given my support for auras.
Chart a Course: Only if I find room.
Storm Fleet Aerialist: If Raid is triggered, it is great.
Other Nods:
Shipwreck Looter
Tempest Caller
Raiders' Wake
Seekers' Squire
Wanted Scoundrels
Fire Shrine Keeper
Rigging Runner
Atzocan Archer
Emergent Growth
Ranging Raptors
Verdant Rebirth
Snapping Sailback
Marauding Looter
Taps for C.
2 and tap: destroy target nonbasic, both players search for basic.
I think I will play this: it acts as a kind of splash-enabling land searcher and I run Library of Alexandria and Maze of Ith which demand answers to be available. Plus, I have a single fluid land slot in any case.
Raiders' Wake is unlikely to get in but it could be nice. Too bad Raid triggers prevent using it as a grindy finisher.
I kind of agree with Majikian that Chart a Course is a bit too similar to Night's Whisper to get me *that* excited. Though, I do have to admit that the discard could also come in handy with all the GY synergies and archetypes I run. It is solid.
Since no one has brought up Thundering Spineback (I think), here are my 2 cents: When the cost to create the token was still thought to be 3G, it seemed interesting but like an unlikely addition. Now that the cost is being listed as 5G... Get out of my sight. These effects should only be expensive on cards that are themselves cheap to play in the early game (e.g. Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage). If I have to pay 7 mana for the privilege of being able to create additional value, even minimal value had better not be hogging all the mana for a turn per activation.
Mogg War Marshal was card of the day recently and people mentioned how it was not that big a staple. I think I agree and that I will replace it with Raptor Hatchling. The hatchling's baseline as a Brindle Shoat (that is vulnerable to black removal but produces a token with Trample) is good enough since it acts as a defensive creature and supports tokens. When you combo with it, the payoff is also more satisfying, even if you will need a way to boost its toughness as well.
Chart a Course is a nice design even if I know blue is much too tight to fit it.
Yup, Storm Fleet Aerialist seems very playable. Funnily enough, it is made better by the fact that we also get Siren Stormcaller since that way you have more blue attackers to enable Raid on turn 2 instead if having to entirely rely on other colours for 1-drops.
Also, on the topic of Storm Fleet Arsonist: Really? Allowing the opponent to rid themselves of the worst card they have on the board at the point where you are playing a 5-drop in a deck that reliably enables Raid is abysmal. The fact that triggering the ability is actually conditional on your existing board presence just makes it so much worse. I know the sets need toe depowered occasionally, but some of the cards we have been seeing from Ixalan are just such terrible designs. Even if many of the cards in the last few sets would not have made it to CUbe for power level reasons or because they were too conditional, at least those sets had surprisingly few real stinkers outside the obvious limited chaff at common.
I am not going to say that Wanted Scoundrels is a great card but this is kind of untrue: there is the case where it does not die, in which case you just have a 4/3 for 2. Now, obviously, it would be more more limited in terms of its potential to trade or attack when the blockers could kill it. I just want to highlight that the difference between an ETB trigger and a death trigger is kind of relevant, especially when they can easily lose their optimal timing for a tempo boost like this if they do not answer the Scoundrels in a turn or two. The problem with the comparison to Wretched Anurid is that that thing can legitimately lose you 5+ life since it also counts opponents' creatures. Even with an aggro deck, those are amounts that will start affecting your chances to win, whereas you can still easily recuperate from the opponent playing something above curve in Peasant since most big plays are creatures.
Edit: Huh, funny: Drover of the Mighty and the mana slivers are still the only green 2-drops that can simply tap for mana of any colour unconditionally. Obviously, not going to play it regardless.
At some level, I know that is a pretty strong effect. On the other hand, it just feels so insultingly minor on a 5-drop. Things are definitely not helped by the fact that the effect being symmetrical for Enrage-purposes makes this card incompatible with all but very few decks since it kills your mana dorks and smaller aggressive creatures.
The Merfolk is not worth a Simic slot by a far shot. The dinosaur... Well, at least it is interesting. However, it also costs 6, requires additional conditions to be met for its effect, and supports decks which tend to have lower curves.
There is also Pillars of Genesis: 2-mana 5C mana rock... for creatures of specified type. They could at least have it provide colourless mana as well. As is, the card is purely parasitic.