I'm interested in putting together a tribal cube that is supplemented with custom cards, and have some friends who are interested in playing/testing it. Some number of decisions need to be made regarding direction before I can actually get started with the whole project. Right now, I'm fishing for ideas and input to jump into development with.
In this thread, any suggestions regarding a tribal cube are welcome (though, I promise I've read through quite a few older threads and "ancient" Lorwyn articles on the WotC library), but I'll also likely be trying to steer the conversation towards more specific things. You might also find me poking my head into other threads for ideas, like the Print This Wizards (so I can put it in my cube) thread.
In the future, I'll have inserted a spoiler here cataloging the various polls and forms I've created, seeking quantified input. You're welcome to participate, even if they're dated. If you identify yourself (with your name if I personally know you, or your username), I may even follow up with a forum/Facebook message, asking about your input!
In the meantime, I have this Google Form live. Hopefully we can get some discussion about the questions posed in that forum in this very thread!
So: I want to have a race and class "tribe" for every color pair, and have bleeding between most of the colors for all the races and classes. I feel like including so many different tribes will help discourage trying to pick all the elves, which is a trap a lot of tribal cubes fall into. Changelings and color bleeding will help decks utilize their tribal interactions, but I want to fight against the cube falling into the game of cluttered, boring board states.
If I could make everyone in the cube forum give me a reply to this thread, right now, it'd be justifications for their answers to my forum, and discussion about other people's answers they mention in this thread. Help make that happen!
Thanks. (I messaged ExpiredRascals, but I didn't realize there was a custom set forum. I still feel like this thread is relevant to the Cube Forum, but when I actually start drafting the cube's cards, I could do work in the Custom Set Creation forum if that's preferred.)
Hello Zovc! I've been watching this project with interest and have a question. Are you against having half the color pairs be tribal, and the other half be other archetypes? If you really liked MM draft, then this may be the way to go. I think it still gives the drafting format that tribal feel, but it doesn't devolve the drafting experience into "pick race/class and stick with it", which is what I'm afraid this set up might do. It's ultimately up to you, but I'm a big supporter of the alternate route
That's a fairly good suggestion. I realized that Boros and Orzhov both have fairly obvious classes more than they do races. (Soldiers and Clerics, duh!) But I feel like the other enemy pairs are a little less clear cut.
Izzet is pretty easily Wizards, but what about Golgari and Simic?
I think in the way I'd do it, class/race would be the same thing. You pick either one and make it for that color pair, not both. If for Azorius, you had them be Human Knights for example, thats actually MORE seclusive than just making them Humans or Knights. If you want to go the race and class route, I'd suggest each color pair having a race, and then each shard/wedge having a class. That way theres an interconnectivity between the different guilds and its not just pick a race/class and go. I was actually thinking itd be cool to have the 5 race/classes of w/e seemed the most buildable, and then have humans as the 5 color race that would have tools in any color if they so wanted to.
I was thinking you suggestion was that the races should be the allied pairs and the classes should be the enemy pairs (or the other way around).
That way, as an example:
RG as Orcs, RB as Vampires;
RW as Soldiers, UR as Wizards;
If you were building a primarily red deck, You'd be looking for synergy between Goblins, Vampires, Soldiers, and Wizards. Any Goblin/Vampire Soldier/Wizards would be fortunate picks for you, as they'd ideally be able to trigger a more of your tribal interactions.
If you ended up building a UR Wizard deck, you'd incidentally be cutting some of other players' synergies with Goblins, Vampires, and Soldiers, among other things.
And you mentioned archetypes in your results, I was hoping to have that in addition to the tribes. Like, perhaps a sort of Invisible Stalker "Bant Pants" deck is buildable with evasive Merfolk and Birds. Perhaps Zombies and Cleric cards incidentally lend themselves to a Stax or Graveyard Toolbox style deck. I want strategies that are non-tribal to be viable, but for at least some of their all stars to be good picks for tribes as well.
While its definitely possible to have all that, its going to muddle up the drafting experience I think. The more things you have going on in each color (4 different races/classes plus different archetypes), the more likely people may just end up with meh decks. I'd rather see a color that caters to 2-3 races/classes and an archetype, because it gives you more room to breathe creatively and sends a more clear signal to the drafters of whats possible in the cube.
For instance, say tokens was G/W. Now, any token maker in those colors plays into that, regardless of whether they make soldier/human/beast tokens. Its just easier imo to tie together the different sections when its not so clear cut thematically.
In this thread, any suggestions regarding a tribal cube are welcome (though, I promise I've read through quite a few older threads and "ancient" Lorwyn articles on the WotC library), but I'll also likely be trying to steer the conversation towards more specific things. You might also find me poking my head into other threads for ideas, like the Print This Wizards (so I can put it in my cube) thread.
In the future, I'll have inserted a spoiler here cataloging the various polls and forms I've created, seeking quantified input. You're welcome to participate, even if they're dated. If you identify yourself (with your name if I personally know you, or your username), I may even follow up with a forum/Facebook message, asking about your input!
In the meantime, I have this Google Form live. Hopefully we can get some discussion about the questions posed in that forum in this very thread!
So: I want to have a race and class "tribe" for every color pair, and have bleeding between most of the colors for all the races and classes. I feel like including so many different tribes will help discourage trying to pick all the elves, which is a trap a lot of tribal cubes fall into. Changelings and color bleeding will help decks utilize their tribal interactions, but I want to fight against the cube falling into the game of cluttered, boring board states.
If I could make everyone in the cube forum give me a reply to this thread, right now, it'd be justifications for their answers to my forum, and discussion about other people's answers they mention in this thread. Help make that happen!
Thanks.
(I messaged ExpiredRascals, but I didn't realize there was a custom set forum. I still feel like this thread is relevant to the Cube Forum, but when I actually start drafting the cube's cards, I could do work in the Custom Set Creation forum if that's preferred.)
My cube list on CubeTutor.
Both are very much under construction. Please stop by and talk about it!
(CubeTutor & MTGS)
360 Peasant Cube!
Custom Cube
RWU Miracles RWU
Izzet is pretty easily Wizards, but what about Golgari and Simic?
My cube list on CubeTutor.
Both are very much under construction. Please stop by and talk about it!
Golgari - Zombies?
Simic - Merfolk / Oozes
(CubeTutor & MTGS)
360 Peasant Cube!
Custom Cube
RWU Miracles RWU
That way, as an example:
RG as Orcs, RB as Vampires;
RW as Soldiers, UR as Wizards;
If you were building a primarily red deck, You'd be looking for synergy between Goblins, Vampires, Soldiers, and Wizards. Any Goblin/Vampire Soldier/Wizards would be fortunate picks for you, as they'd ideally be able to trigger a more of your tribal interactions.
If you ended up building a UR Wizard deck, you'd incidentally be cutting some of other players' synergies with Goblins, Vampires, and Soldiers, among other things.
And you mentioned archetypes in your results, I was hoping to have that in addition to the tribes. Like, perhaps a sort of Invisible Stalker "Bant Pants" deck is buildable with evasive Merfolk and Birds. Perhaps Zombies and Cleric cards incidentally lend themselves to a Stax or Graveyard Toolbox style deck. I want strategies that are non-tribal to be viable, but for at least some of their all stars to be good picks for tribes as well.
My cube list on CubeTutor.
Both are very much under construction. Please stop by and talk about it!
For instance, say tokens was G/W. Now, any token maker in those colors plays into that, regardless of whether they make soldier/human/beast tokens. Its just easier imo to tie together the different sections when its not so clear cut thematically.
(CubeTutor & MTGS)
360 Peasant Cube!
Custom Cube
RWU Miracles RWU