So my wife and I have thought he lets make a cube why not drafting is tons of fun. Her favorite plane is Innistrad so while she didn't say it I know thats the one she would like to make first for sure but after that I have no clue where to go from there. There is so much info out there and it all feels like a ton that I have no clue where to start at other than we have the theme/plane its set on down. I know that Size of the cube matter for a lot of people and I hear/ read that you should have a split of 3/2/1 for rarity but do you have to? Can a single of each card be just as good or does that make it a completely different type of cube? Any help anyone can toss my way would be hugely appreciated.
While it's long, I feel it's a good starting point for figuring out where to go, and what options are available. Yes, I wrote it so I might be a bit biased lol but at the same time, I wrote it because I was in your shoes once and having even a part of the guide would be helpful.
Without going through all that, I would ignore rarity and stick with a strict singleton rule. It's not only (subjectively) the best way to approach the format, but it's the way most people do and therefore information on the internet you find can be more easily applied to what you're doing.
@greywyn I have been messing around with cubetutor the interface feels a bit wonky but thats mainly cause I am not used to it yet and I need to play around with it more. I have also seen the profs videos all on cubes so far lots of info in there gonna have to watch them a few times to get the hang of it all.
@Salmo wow you where not kidding that thing is hecka long. I am still reading/rereading sections of it and its been a very helpful guide so far. I am thinking I need to find a cube I like to start as my base and then stick to singleton rule 360 card cube of the plane and themes I like then see what works and what doesn't and then improve it from there.
Yeah brevity is not my strong suit lol but thanks for reading, and I'm glad it's helpful!
I also agree that is generally the best method for starting if you don't have a specific idea for what you want to do i.e. 'I want to do a pauper cube' or 'I want a cube that breaks the singleton rule'. Eventually you'll figure out what you like and don't like, add and adjust, and before you know it you'll have your own cube that is more yours than the original version's. And even if you never make a change, who cares? It's cube! Most likely the list you copied is awesome, so you'll have an awesome time.
And of course, feel free to ask any question anywhere!
The best way to start (IMO) is to just put together the cards you like into a rough cube. This will give you a rough basis to work from, it's much easier to refine a cube than plan one from scratch.
Rough guidelines would be:
-Balance colours; for example 50 of each colour.
-Decide creature/non-creature balance; you will probably want to go for a 50/50 split at first then adjust them as you see fit, I tend to run more creatures than spells in most colours.
-Lands; don't skimp on mana fixing lands, 3 cycles in each pair plus some 5 colour and utility lands.
-Basic lands; Make sure you have about 20 of each basic land.
-Artifacts; Mana fixing, creatures and general utility. Maybe 30 all together, but its up to you
-Sleeves; They make shuffling easier, and you will be doing a lot of shuffling Buy more than you think you need, like 3 or 4 extra packs, this way you can expand your cube or replace busted sleeves at a moments notice.
-Dice, glass beads, pens & paper and tokens; You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you always keep these things with your cube as you will need them every time you draft. PRO-TIP: A roach book makes for a great way to record conspiricies or other cards with memory issues, they are the perfect size and save you tearing up larger pages.
A lot more in-depth guides can be found in the Articles section of the Cube Forum, but if you follow those rules you will end up with something that will work for drafting and let you get a feel for Cube.
Once you play a game or two with this basic cube you will start to develop an idea of what you like and what changes you want to make. Just building with what you have really helps to narrow down card choices but if you do plan to make a few purchases $30 will go a longway, I would recommend Spike Rouge's Cube cards that cost less than $2 USD Thread. You would be surprised how many cube staples you can pick up for under $2, as he says in thethread "These cards aren't just cheap, they've beaten out some tough competition to earn slots in many of the tightest cube lists in the cube community, so I'm happy to recommend them as good value that should be efficient, powerful, and/or versatile enough to be worth a slot in your cube for years to come."
So my wife and I have thought he lets make a cube why not drafting is tons of fun. Her favorite plane is Innistrad so while she didn't say it I know thats the one she would like to make first for sure but after that I have no clue where to go from there. There is so much info out there and it all feels like a ton that I have no clue where to start at other than we have the theme/plane its set on down. I know that Size of the cube matter for a lot of people and I hear/ read that you should have a split of 3/2/1 for rarity but do you have to? Can a single of each card be just as good or does that make it a completely different type of cube? Any help anyone can toss my way would be hugely appreciated.
That’s probably the best place to start. Have fun!
edit: You might also want to watch this video -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNDBTRG6keM
And the same guy also has beginner, intermediate and advanced videos on cube construction, most likely visible upon viewing the one linked to above.
http://turnonemagic.com/abasicguidetocube/
While it's long, I feel it's a good starting point for figuring out where to go, and what options are available. Yes, I wrote it so I might be a bit biased lol but at the same time, I wrote it because I was in your shoes once and having even a part of the guide would be helpful.
Without going through all that, I would ignore rarity and stick with a strict singleton rule. It's not only (subjectively) the best way to approach the format, but it's the way most people do and therefore information on the internet you find can be more easily applied to what you're doing.
Welcome to cubing!
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
@Salmo wow you where not kidding that thing is hecka long. I am still reading/rereading sections of it and its been a very helpful guide so far. I am thinking I need to find a cube I like to start as my base and then stick to singleton rule 360 card cube of the plane and themes I like then see what works and what doesn't and then improve it from there.
I also agree that is generally the best method for starting if you don't have a specific idea for what you want to do i.e. 'I want to do a pauper cube' or 'I want a cube that breaks the singleton rule'. Eventually you'll figure out what you like and don't like, add and adjust, and before you know it you'll have your own cube that is more yours than the original version's. And even if you never make a change, who cares? It's cube! Most likely the list you copied is awesome, so you'll have an awesome time.
And of course, feel free to ask any question anywhere!
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
Rough guidelines would be:
-Balance colours; for example 50 of each colour.
-Decide creature/non-creature balance; you will probably want to go for a 50/50 split at first then adjust them as you see fit, I tend to run more creatures than spells in most colours.
-Lands; don't skimp on mana fixing lands, 3 cycles in each pair plus some 5 colour and utility lands.
-Basic lands; Make sure you have about 20 of each basic land.
-Artifacts; Mana fixing, creatures and general utility. Maybe 30 all together, but its up to you
-Sleeves; They make shuffling easier, and you will be doing a lot of shuffling Buy more than you think you need, like 3 or 4 extra packs, this way you can expand your cube or replace busted sleeves at a moments notice.
-Dice, glass beads, pens & paper and tokens; You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you always keep these things with your cube as you will need them every time you draft. PRO-TIP: A roach book makes for a great way to record conspiricies or other cards with memory issues, they are the perfect size and save you tearing up larger pages.
A lot more in-depth guides can be found in the Articles section of the Cube Forum, but if you follow those rules you will end up with something that will work for drafting and let you get a feel for Cube.
Once you play a game or two with this basic cube you will start to develop an idea of what you like and what changes you want to make. Just building with what you have really helps to narrow down card choices but if you do plan to make a few purchases $30 will go a longway, I would recommend Spike Rouge's Cube cards that cost less than $2 USD Thread. You would be surprised how many cube staples you can pick up for under $2, as he says in thethread "These cards aren't just cheap, they've beaten out some tough competition to earn slots in many of the tightest cube lists in the cube community, so I'm happy to recommend them as good value that should be efficient, powerful, and/or versatile enough to be worth a slot in your cube for years to come."
www.cubetutor.com is a great place to manage your cube as well as see what other people have made, for example here are some Innistrad based cubes.