This is my 18th installment of the "top 20" set preview articles! Just like the previous reviews, it will be in a spoiled top X countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in. I got a lot of positive feedback on the format from the last few articles, so I’m going to keep the “what I like” and “what I don’t like” sections.
Keep in mind (just like the others) that this is a set preview. Similar to draft predictions in professional sports, this list is an educated guess at best. Some cards I value highly in here may turn out to not last long in the cube. Other cards that are lower down on the list (or even missed entirely!) could (well, very likely may) turn out to be great cards. Even Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round! Again, this is not intended to be gospel, set in stone or written as a review for posterity. This is simply written to be an enjoyable guess at cards I like for cubes, and hopefully it'll allow some cube managers to evaluate cards they may have otherwise overlooked and/or put some cards in perspective that may've been overhyped. Nothing more.
Eldritch Moon is a fantastic cube set. Not only does it have a ton of playable cards for traditionally structured cubes, but it has a bunch of fun and flavorful cards that can break into the cube from other angles. The list of “honorable mentions” would be too long to reasonably discuss, and all 20 cards in my list could realistically see play in small/medium-sized cubes. Which means that there absolutely cards missing from this list that are going to be great cube inclusions! So don’t fret if your favorite flavorful card from EMN didn’t make my list ...there’s just not enough room to discuss every cool card that might see cube play from this set.
What I Like: The 5/4 flying body for 5 mana is a good starting point for a body that can generate more threats. Most “spells matters” army generators come with less-than-ideal main bodies to make up for the fact that they can produce a lot more power. It’s also nice to note that this counts your other Wizard creatures when calculating when it can flip ...which actually means something in blue; a color that already features a lot of playable Wizards. It churns out 1/1 bodies for each instant/sorcery you play (like Pyromancer) but once this creature transforms, it makes them all into 3/2 fliers! That’s a lot of power and a relatively easy transformation cost for a blue creature.
What I Don't Like: Historically, casting cost has mattered so much on these kinds of creatures, based on the very nature of how they work. The earlier you can get the body to the board, the easier it is to maximize out on its potential value. And since this costs 5-mana, you’re looking at turn 6+ to start accumulating your Wizard collection, which means it won’t be until the very late game where this crashes in alongside a bunch of 3/2 wizards. Additionally, it has a harder time passing the removal test than most of us would like at 5 mana, since casting this alongside another spell in the same turn gets pretty expensive. There’s a good chance that when this is played on curve, the opponent will take their first opportunity to kill it ...perhaps before you get any bodies from it at all.
Verdict: I think this is a good 5cc creature option in blue; a section that’s surprisingly shallow. There’s a good chance this is just straight playable in lists that are 630-720 in size, and certainly worth considering in smaller cubes if you support a spells matters archetype.
What I Like: When protecting an advantaged board, sometimes simply delaying a stabilizing spell for one more turn is all you need. This can often be that card for you. And there are a lot of situations that can arise where a simple Unsummon can look great for you, despite not being worth a card itself (early reanimated/cheated monsters, etc). There’s a lot of value in getting those two options rolled into a 2cc spell.
What I Don't Like: Unlike a counterspell like Arcane Denial, this spell can’t simply say “NO” to a critical spell you can’t afford to let them resolve (even if delayed). And unlike the premier tempo counters like Remand and Memory Lapse, this spell is fundamentally card disadvantage (in both its modes). A cheap high-impact spell like Balance or something can simply be recast in the same window you try and bounce it, leaving you in just a bad a position as you were without it.
Verdict: I think this is a flexible tempo counter that can be valuable in blue decks trying to apply pressure. I don’t think it replaces any of the staple tempo counters or bounce spells most smaller cubes run, but it might be a nice card to add in at larger sizes to complement the existing suite of cards. I’d probably find room for some extended testing at 630, and I would expect to be able to find room at 720.
What I Like: This is a high variance card, but when it hits, it hits hard. If you can squeeze this into the curve on T4 by dropping a 3cc creature to it, the trigger will be likely to snag two full cards while it’s on the stack, and then give you a 5/5 body on the board. It can be particularly potent when the card(s) you remove are answers they might’ve had to the bigger body. When this hits both halves of the discard trigger, it feels pretty dirty.
What I Don't Like: The variance on this creature is all over the place. There were a surprising number of cases where this only hit one of its two discard halves during testing, and felt pretty fair in those windows. And there were also instances of full whiffs, when the opponent was playing a really aggressive deck or had an explosive start. It also happens to be near impossible to cast when you don’t have a medium-costed body to drop to it, and a really bad creature in a topdeck war.
Verdict: I originally anticipated this creature to be something I was going to be really happy to cube with. But after seeing it in action, it had a little too big of a range in expected value for my playgroup. With a deep sacrifice/aristocrats theme, I could see this squeezing into smaller lists. But at face-value, it may be relegated to cubes that are 630 or bigger (or excluded altogether depending on your group’s tolerance for variance).
What I Like: This creature does a lot of stuff for you for 1 mana. It can be a threat generator by cranking out 2/2 Zombies, it can be a discard outlet to feed your yard, and it can be a late-game card advantage engine by tapping down your team to draw cards. I witnessed a game in testing where it totally took over the game, making bodies and interacting with other Zombie cards to draw a lot of cards.
What I Don't Like: It’s slow and a little mana-intensive for the way it impacts the board. It takes 2 turns and 3 total mana before you can get a body out if it that means something, and even that is just a 2/2 attacking on T3 at the earliest. It has a really hard time in aggro decks for that reason, and will play more as a midrange value creature than anything else.
Verdict: I was hoping that the overall impact of the card would outweigh its lack of speed, but it ultimately proved a bit too slow for my current list. Cubes that are 630 or bigger probably have a need for a decent 1cc black utility creature, and this will slot perfectly into cubes of any size featuring a Zombie subtheme.
What I Like: Unlike grindy advantage variants llike Pod, this is a more powerful 1-shot effect that can give you a big boost in a single window. Upgrading a 4cc utility creature to a Titan is fantastic, and not being restricted on the color of creature is very useful in this format. Any deck working with a specific suite of creatures that the deck is built-around, like Kiki decks, Meliria decks or even Braids decks would be happy to have this card as an extra tutor.
What I Don't Like: It really needs the right deck and the right window to function correctly, and you need to be really careful around countermagic (which hurts, because that might be the kind of matchup that you need your green midrange support cards to shine their brightest in). It showed promise in early (albeit limited) testing results, but not enough so to displace my current suite of green support cards.
Verdict: This card is the nuts in creature-centric combo shells. Sacrificing a Bloodghast to get my Braids was so sweet. But my cube was lacking in creature shells that have interactions like that, so Evolution fell short for my particular list. But there are a lot of cube lists that can afford to run this at any size because of how strong an enabler it is for a range of creature combo decks. But at face value, this is probably a 630+ kind of card.
What I Like: It’s a 2/2 that can become a 4/4 for 2 mana, and it has a really powerful connection trigger (and the trample to help make it happen). It’s really one of the more powerful triggers you can get; feeding your ‘yard, providing powerful card selection and enabling its own Delirium. Most Delirium cards are too narrow in the cube because they require other enablers to make them work, but this guy feeds itself so it eliminates a good part of the problem.
What I Don't Like: The cube is so saturated with 2/1 and 2/2 creatures that it will take a few removal spells to keep this creature on the battlefield so he can reach his 4/4 form. That, and the competition in the Golgari section is so deep that he has a rough time breaking through the competition.
Verdict: This creature is better than it looks, but can still have a hard time against creature-heavy decks. It will have a hard time cracking into the top 4 of its respective guild section, but if you’re running 5 or more Golgari cards, he could very well be one of them. Might make it into cubes in the 540-630 range.
A flexible black “creature” that fits multiple spots on the curve.
What I Like: The card scales up the curve, and is a pretty decent investment at each place it lands. At 3 mana, it gives you a 2/2 and gives a creature -1/-1, making it function as a Fire Imp variant of sorts. At 5 mana, it gives you 4 power worth of zombies, and gives something -2/-2, so it functions like another Skinrender. The 7-mana mode creates a mini-army of Zombies (6 power, 3 bodies) and gives you a full -3/-3 on something, which is pretty good. I like cards with this flexibility, and it works into a small Zombie subtheme pretty well.
What I Don't Like: While all the modes on it are decent, none are spectacular. And since it’s a spell that functions as a creature, I can’t abuse the body with reanimation triggers and Recurring Nightmare and the like, which is kinda a bummer.
Verdict: This tested pretty well, but ultimately just fell short for us. I could see it seeing play in some 540 lists, and in most that are 630 or bigger.
A Mistbind Clique variant with some added utility.
What I Like: Flash. Flash absolutely makes and breaks this mechanic, since you can use it to respond to a number of your opponent’s game actions that may have cost you the creature you sacrifice to the Elder anyways. Flash makes Emerge so flexible that you can find a huge variety of uses for this in most phases of the turn. During the upkeep this can perform its Mistbind Clique function, tapping down your opponents resources to preserve an advantageous board state. At the beginning of combat, it can tap down the opponent’s team to preserve your life total and/or open up a window for a crack-back attack. Before blockers, this can trash your opponent’s combat math and kill off an attacking creature. Before damage, this can replace a creature that was about to be killed in combat, and bind up their other cards to prevent any post-combat main phase plays. In response to removal, it can “save” a creature and fizzle a targeted removal spell. It just does so much stuff thanks to the Flash.
What I Don't Like: Despite all the flexibility that Flash gives a creature with Emerge, it still fundamentally needs a board presence in order to be brought down. Blue decks (even tempo ones) are light on creatures, and we saw several instances where even in the right deck, it just didn’t help us rebuild after a sweeper, and didn’t have a creature we wanted to sacrifice to get it down to the table.
Verdict: This creature is good. And in constructed where you can line up the curves and the creature counts perfectly to ensure maximum playable value from the Elder, he’ll be a complete monster. But in the cube, we sometimes found windows where it either couldn’t be played or wasn’t desirable to resolve it. If my cube was any bigger, I’d probably slam this creature in there and be pretty stoked to have it. But I just couldn’t find the right cut for it (at the moment). I think this is playable in a lot of 540 lists, and certainly worth it in anything bigger than that.
What I Like: A 2/3 flying flash for 3 mana that can (temporarily?) counter a spell of CMC ≤4 when it drops. Great stats, does a lot of cool stuff, and has a powerful trigger that can delay the resolution of a critical spell long enough for you to take over and/or win the game. It also has amazing interactions with Crystal Shard and Erratic Portal, since you can bounce it back to your hand with the counter trigger on the stack, putting its LTB trigger on first, fizzling, and then exiling their spell permanently. It can also counter uncounterable spells, since it technically exiles them. Can be relevant on occasion against Decay and Verdict.
What I Don't Like: Why did this have to be another 3cc Azorius tempo creature? It competes directly with Geist and Mage, and I think falls into a close 3rd place behind those two creatures. Otherwise, no complaints. This creature is good.
Verdict: Diversifying my Azorius section is the only thing that’s going to keep it out of the cube. On its own merits, it’s probably a top 4 card in that guild. But for the betterment of non-tempo Azorius decks, I’m personally putting this card as the #5 card in the guild. Should see play in most 540 cubes, and would be a largely criminal exclusion from sections with 6+ cards in them.
What I Like: 4-power, flying, lifelink and first strike for 4 mana is a good deal. There are a lot of decks that will be happy to have this little stat monster, and a lot of matchups where it can completely dominate combat against anything at or around its casting cost.
What I Don't Like: In the matchup where the lifelink is the most critical (red aggro/burn decks) this creature's weakness is exposed the most. It is vulnerable to toughness-based removal, so red (and to a lesser extent black) has a lot of answers that can kill her on the cheap. And the Meld “flavor text” is just so ugly!
Verdict: When her low-toughness doesn’t matter, this card is really strong. It just dominates combat and immediately puts the opponent in a situation where they feel pressured to answer her quickly. I think this is testable at 450, and is pretty much a snap-include for cubes 540 or bigger.
What I Like: This creature is amazing. Not only is it just a strictly-better Savannah Lions in green, but it also mitigates a lot of problems that aggro decks face in general regarding their saturation of aggressive early threats. 1) 2-power 1-drops eventually get outclassed. But this creature becomes a significant threat later on, mitigating that issue. 2) 2-power 1-drops are generally bad late-game topdecks. This gets around that too, because the transform ability gives it late-game relevance. 3) Aggro decks don’t have much to spend mana on at the end of their curve. Again, this creature gives you a curve-topper without having to dedicate a slot to a card that’s dead in the early game.
What I Don't Like: It’s green, so a lot of cube managers won’t be able to bask in its glory.
Verdict: The only reason this is ranked anything other than #1 for the set is because of the limited range of green aggro. If you support that theater, this is a slam-dunk auto-include at any size. If you don’t, it’s simply not playable. I think that most 360 cubes and some 450 cubes probably exclude green aggro because of a lack of room. But whenever that breakover point comes in, this card immediately makes the cut.
What I Like: Wild Mongrel is a good card, and so this will be too. Even the threat of being able to activate the ability is often enough to prevent the opponent from wanting to get involved with these kinds of creatures in combat. And while this one can’t color-shift to dodge Terrors and protection effects, it can block flying creatures. So it’s got that going for it, which is nice. Splashable 2cc unconditional discard outlets are welcome when they have an ability that makes them combat relevant.
What I Don't Like: Nothing to dislike, really. I often like to attack with my Mongrel variants, so an offensive keyword like Trample might’ve been cooler than Reach, but that’s a minor nitpick.
Verdict: I think that Mongrel is still great. It has fallen out of favor for some groups, so they likely won’t play this one either. But I’m stoked to have it. I’d try and find room for it at 450 if I was still playing that size, otherwise it’ll fit comfortably for me at 540+.
What I Like: Liliana kills a surprising number of creatures in the cube with her {+1} ability. When you add up all the creatures, cards that produce creatures and cards that can become creatures, her {+1} ability kills ~42% of the creatures in my cube. Of the ones she misses, she makes half of those remaining ones 0 power. That’s a pretty useful repeatable ability to have on a 3cc ‘walker, especially since it increases her loyalty all the while. And even though the {-2} ability isn’t amazing, it is still (more) card advantage that you can get from your 3cc investment. It can be really important for decks that have themes built around specific creatures too, like Braids or Feldon decks. And her ultimate is attainable (and strong). It seems out of reach, but her {+1} ability is surprisingly effective at both killing bodies and neutering attackers in this format. That ability backed up by even 1 or 2 removal spells might just be enough to get you there.
What I Don't Like: Black is filled with great 3cc utility cards, both in spell and creature form. So while this Liliana is good, it doesn’t exactly fill a needed role for black, nor is it the Elspeth/Gideon clone in black that a lot of cube managers have been looking for.
Verdict: It originally looked underwhelming, but it’s been playing great in practice. I’m pretty sure this gets some extended testing time at 450, and probably stays there. If not, 540 is easily within her range for permanent inclusion.
What I Like: This creature is just all around great. The cast trigger is brutal, and for those that haven’t had the pleasure of playing with Mindslaver effects, they can just be nasty effects when they resolve. At the very least, they make a suicide attack into Emrakul, so it should kill a creature if nothing else. But it does so much more than that. Casting their removal on their own cards, sacrificing/discarding cards to their own activated abilities, and just generally making bad decisions can really put them in a bind. Sure, they get an “extra turn” ...but it’s not one they wanted. And a 13/13 flying, trample, protection from instants is nothing to scoff at. Even when reanimated, it can go the distance in two swings. And it’s usually available at a reasonable cost too. With 4-5 different card types in the ‘yard in the late game, you can drop this for 8-9 mana, and it should win you the game.
What I Don't Like: There are just some answers that the opponent can have that the Mindslaver effect doesn’t get around, like Wrath effects. And in decks with multiple Wrath outs to Emrakul, the extra turn clause actually gives them an extra drawn card towards that out. A minor drawback, but it can be relevant in the control mirror.
Verdict: It has been really good in testing. Useful in super-ramp, dedicated control and even fatty-cheating/reanimator decks just for the giant body. It’s probably slightly worse than the new Ulamog, so I’m not sure at what size you want a 2nd giant colorless fatty with a cast trigger. If that’s 450, play this there. If not, find room for it at 540+.
What I Like: Song of the Dryads is a good cube card. Now, it’s slightly better than this because it can hit artifacts/enchantments too, but it also gives the opponent access to green mana (which is more likely to matter than the colorless mana they get from this). But blue doesn’t get effects like this. It’s straight creature/’walker removal, and it also turns various lands into Wastes; an important thing for blue control to have access to in the era of powerful manlands. It answers three permanent types that can give fits to blue mages, so we’ll be happy to have this around.
What I Don't Like: I wish this was just a colorshifted Song of the Dryads, though it would’ve made it an even bigger color pie violation than it already is.
Verdict: This card may not be the most exciting thing out there, but it’s good at its job. Need an answer to creatures, ‘walkers and manlands? Look no further. Nice to have access to this kind of versatile removal in blue, even with the drawback. I think this is a pretty easy include, even at 450. Cuts are hard, but this card is plain good.
What I Like: Several useful modes on this card, all are priced well since you can Escalate them together. 4 damage to a creature deals with a lot of creatures that can survive red’s typical burn suite. 3 damage to a player is decent reach and can also blast ‘walkers when the need arises. And the discard/draw ability is a nice ability to be able to add-on to a card that can reach card parity on its own. It can fuel the graveyard or try and upgrade in card quality. And important to note that it’s target player ...so after bounce spells or tutor effects, you might be able to get important cards out of the defending player’s hand. But even in big burn mode, 7 damage for 4 mana is a nice split, and I think the flexibility will allow this spell to put in some work.
What I Don't Like: A splashable cost would’ve been nice, especially in the instances where you need the card to get cast on T3.
Verdict: This card is probably good enough for inclusion at 450, and it might actually see some testing in smaller cubes too. It’s nice to have flexibility built-in to your burn spells. And it also gives red another nice spell that can contribute to red’s more interesting decks, that might involve Feldon, Daretti or Welder.
What I Like: This card is half Looter il-Kor and half Pack Rat. Not as reliable as a looter as the il-Kor, and not as threatening as a Pack Rat, but it does a decent job at both roles. There’s a surprising few 1-power blockers that arrive on the board in the early game. Most are in token form, and show up in the mid-late game ...so there is a good opportunity to connect with the Infiltrator early on and get some loots in. And the creature-making ability is good for several reasons. First, it allows you to turn a loot trigger into straight card advantage by paying 2 mana to make a body, and secondly ...because it triggers off any discard, not just its own. So even in instances where you can’t Skulk through your opponent’s critters, you can still activate other discard effects, trigger the Infiltrator’s creature-making ability and recover free cards that would’ve otherwise just been lost bodies. Particularly potent with Survival, Squee and the other discard outlets that might find themselves into a tempo shell where Infiltrator can shine.
What I Don't Like: If you don’t draw other discard outlets and the opponent has an early blocker that can stonewall it, it won’t get to do much of anything for you. It plays best in specific shells that can make the Skulk more reliable and/or has alternative discard strategies to maximize its value.
Verdict: I would want to at least test this at 450, and maybe even smaller. It has been testing really well for me at 540, so it seems like a card that I’d play even if my cube was smaller. Probably the card in this set I’m making the biggest reach with, but I just don’t want it to go unnoticed. There are a lot of games where this creature feels really overpowered.
What I Like: This creature outpaces the damage of most other attacking 3-drops, and also has a 2/3 body which allows it to attack into many congested boards that other creatures have to hold back on. For 3 mana, you have a creature that attacks for 4 across 3 bodies with the first attack, and then 6 more across 5 bodies the following turn. It supports the various token and anthem archetypes, and also gets bolstered by several effects from inside red. Just nuts with cards like Purphoros.
What I Don't Like: Not much not to like, really. I mean, it would be cool if it made Goblins for interactions with Rabblemaster and Siege-Gang ...but those are minor nitpicks. That, and it has some of that useless Meld flavor text too.
Verdict: I think there needs to be room found at 360 to give this an extended trial run at the very least. If there just isn’t room for whatever reason, it needs to be played at 450+ for sure, and probably for a long while.
What I Like: 2-power and evasion for 2 mana, a splashable cost, and a useful ability. It’s an unassuming creature at first, but it’s pretty much exactly what white aggro decks want. It’s an efficient evasive beater on curve that counters your opponent’s first Wrath.
What I Don't Like: Nothing. The competition looks steep, but you can find a cut for this.
Verdict: This creature is great. Should see play even at 360, and pretty easily so. It’s just efficient and effective, and exactly what most of our white creature decks are looking for.
What I Like: This specific breed of disruption is at its best when the rest of your white weenie deck is at its worst. It shines strongly in the midrange machup, where the opponent can resolve on-curve beaters that outclass your attackers, and quickly pressure you with bodies you can’t block either. Forcing creatures to enter tapped ensures that the opponent doesn’t have creatures available to block with right away, so every time you pass with this effect on the board, you know that combat will look advantageous for you again on the following turn. It allows you to more effectively distribute removal and bounce spells, since you can target the creatures you know will be able to block by next turn, and it also shuts down some abilities like Haste, and really neuters others like Lifelink. Compounding that disruption with the nonbasic land hate and it can really be devastating for the opponent. If they do happen to get hit with both the nonbasic land disruption in a turn where they needed to resolve a body to stonewall you, they’ll be dead by the time they can resolve it and block with it. And both abilities work fantastically with the 3-power first-striking body. 3 power and first strike is huge in this format, and those stats will put it a full turn (or two) ahead of the opponent’s blockers by itself. Plus the enter tapped clause puts you another turn ahead of their blockers. And the nonbasic hate can put you ahead tempo-wise too. It’s just an engine for disruption, in a matchup that can always use the help.
What I Don't Like: White’s 3cc creatures are already great, so this isn’t a card that we were desperate to have. But it’s not a matter of if you can find room for it, it’s a matter of which other good creature will you cut to upgrade it to Thalia!
Verdict: Savage beats, and a really powerful series of effects.
As always, thanks for reading and please feel free to leave comments below!
Great assessment as always! I look forward to your reviews of sets in Cube terms almost as much as new sets/cards themselves since I feel like our design philosophies overlap a lot. When I saw Kessig Prowler I figured that was a slam dunk top 3 pick for the set.
I think I'd have tamiyo on the list over docent and I think wharf infiltrator is the most overrated card in a long time but that's pretty much it, great list as always. ( for people that don't count noble hierarch as bant I'd say she's a clear #1 bant card)So many staples from this set.
Agreed on Tamiyo. If I still played a cube with a 3-color section, I'd make a point of moving Noble Hierarch into green to make room for it. The card is extraordinarily powerful; being able to defend itself against two threats instead of just one puts it in a completely different class from most planewalkers, and it feels completely unbeatable when you're ahead.
Thanks again for the list, wtwlf! Got any honorable mentions?
@simpygdog: The Infiltrator has been a total boss. Admittedly overrated because I really like it, but it's been playing well, so why not? I'm not a huge fan of the new Tamiyo, but to each their own. This set is full of fun and flavorful cards, so everybody can probably find at least 1 card they really like that didn't make my list.
@TheKorko: Ya, Prowler would've been my #1 if I wasn't trying to accurately represent where green aggro falls in other readers' pecking orders.
@Fireman: So many honorable mentions. Larger cubes will probably like the 1R burn spell (boring, but efficient), the green emerge creature hits hard, the Niblis taps stuff for days, Tamiyo is fun for some Bant sections, the red spells matters card-drawer is cool ...there's a lot of goodies all over the place.
Prowler should probably be #1 for all Cubes, but I understand why you felt like you needed to put it where you did. Also not totally sure Thalia is better than Garrison and Spirit? That is a minor nitpick, and you may end up being right.
This is the best Cube content on the internet - you should really have a writing gig for a website. Maybe once I am able to monetize my website... (not allowed to link on Salvation for some reason... cough, cough).
You won't get any argument from me about Prowler. I love green aggro. But for folks that don't (and there's a lot of 'em) it'll just sit out. And Spirit was a real consideration for #1 because it's the easiest card to fit into the smallest cube size, but ultimately Thalia's raw power pushed her over the top.
Thanks for the write up! I appreciate the effort and gain a lot of insight from your analysis.
This set seems to have something for everyone. Great aggro creatures, effective planeswalkers, new removal, and even modal spells. Was there anything you think was missing or would have liked to see now that you have given it a whirl?
What I Don't Like: Nothing to dislike, really. I often like to attack with my Mongrel variants, so an offensive keyword like Trample might’ve been cooler than Reach, but that’s a minor nitpick.
Being a snake is something to dislike, Ophiomancer is not pleased. I've definitely lost games where my Lotus Cobra snakeblocked my Ophiomancer.
I'm surprised that Wharf Infiltrator is ranked higher than Imprison in the Moon, Liliana,and Emrakul but otherwise I find no faults. OTOH, what was the last set that gave us two blue cards for small cubes? Lorwyn? I can't believe this set delivers two new cards to cube's tightest color.
I'm sad about the art on Constrictor. I hope we get a Terese Nielson promo.
I may try out new Tamiyo as I'm not really thrilled with Soulfire or Hordechief and am looking for a tricolor replacement. I may just run Sarkahn Unbroken again. Not sure.
Great review once again. I must admit i F5'ed for it several days.
My personal additions are everything from your top 9 except Imprisoned in the Moon that doesn't impress me. And I will be adding Eldritch Evolution as I like the archetype and I also have Birthing Pod in my cube.
Excellent write-up. Your experience and analysis is always appreciated.
Wharf Infiltrator is the one that sticks out to me the most but I think you justified its placement well enough. Personally, I might've put it just behind Liliana or Kessig Prowler (which, by the way, I appreciate the ranking based on green aggro's unpopularity in most sub-540 lists). Otherwise, rankings and analysis look great. My honorable mention would probably have to go to the moon lady herself, Tamiyo.
@Clancy: You're welcome! And I agree that this set has a lot for everybody.
@Monkey: Agreed on Prowler, but I had to place it where I did to be inclusive of other cube design strategies.
@Sunshine: Thanks for the detailed write-up. There's a lot to like about this set, so the exact order and placement of cards will naturally shift from one cube manager to the next.
@Steve: Only seen that happen once, and it was with Mirror Entity. That is indeed a minor nitpick.
@Rant: Yep, I went far out on a thin limb with Infiltrator. It's most assuredly ranked too high, but I have really enjoyed the card so far. And yes, the snake's art stinks.
@Bonda: Ya, if you're supporting a full Pod theme already, EE is a slam dunk for you. Imprisoned in the Moon has been a handy spell to have around for a lot of blue decks though. Walkers can be one of midrange's most common ways to pull back into a game against control, and manlands can win games on their own against slower blue decks. Having an answer to both of those things (oh, and also all creatures too) is just great.
@Bo5dey: Ya, if you have a true Bant gold slot open, Tamiyo is a safe inclusion there.
I'm surprised that Wharf Infiltrator is ranked higher than Imprison in the Moon, Liliana,and Emrakul but otherwise I find no faults. OTOH, what was the last set that gave us two blue cards for small cubes? Lorwyn? I can't believe this set delivers two new cards to cube's tightest color.
I'm sad about the art on Constrictor. I hope we get a Terese Nielson promo.
I may try out new Tamiyo as I'm not really thrilled with Soulfire or Hordechief and am looking for a tricolor replacement. I may just run Sarkahn Unbroken again. Not sure.
Cheers,
rant
Origins gave us Jace VP and Whirler Rogue which can hold its own in small cubes.
YES! i was waiting for the preview since they fully spoiled the set! Great job as usual
cant believe this is the 18th installment. Feels like just yesterday we were just talking about your classic cube and why Desolation Angel was such a sweet card.
Consider me one of the ones who waited for your previews. I always like how one can just lazily look at the top cards, but if there is time, one can read it "countdown" style for some excitement.
I definitely agree with most of the list. A notable exception would be Kessig Prowler, for reasons already discussed.
In my 450, I will add Thalia and Selfless Spirit. Kessig Prowler and Collective Defiance are both likely to be in. I want to put in Emmy to
give my players a great splashy card, but will wait this out.
Again, great reviews! This has put so much value to these forums.
Great work as always, I really appreciate you taking the time to proxy these cards and test them so quickly after sets get spoiled before you put these out. It's great to hear your thoughts on these cards backed up with in-play experience before they've even been printed. Also, I'm planning on including cards 1-10, so we're definitely on the same page.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
@JinxedIdol: No Hanweir Garrison? That creature is pretty savage.
@sunshinesoldier: I like every comment that responds to my article. It was simply missed. And I thanked you for your detailed write-up in my response.
@SpikeRogue: As I mentioned above, ordering for this set can be very playgroup dependent. But if your 450+ is playing the exact top 10, I think my assessment was pretty close! Happy cubing!
Ya, they can. Those are pretty good blue cards, lol.
Khans also gave us Dig and Cruise, which is also a pretty recent set.
OK. That makes sense. I don't cube Cruise or Rogue, but I would if I went up to 540. For my cube, it's been forever since I got two blue cards out of one set.
I could see maybe passing on Cruise if you're draw suite is otherwise deep, but Rogue has been a great card. Cuts from blue are excruciating at that size though ...it's a tough call. Maybe over Willbender if you're willing to scale down the Morph package at all?
This is my 18th installment of the "top 20" set preview articles! Just like the previous reviews, it will be in a spoiled top X countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in. I got a lot of positive feedback on the format from the last few articles, so I’m going to keep the “what I like” and “what I don’t like” sections.
Keep in mind (just like the others) that this is a set preview. Similar to draft predictions in professional sports, this list is an educated guess at best. Some cards I value highly in here may turn out to not last long in the cube. Other cards that are lower down on the list (or even missed entirely!) could (well, very likely may) turn out to be great cards. Even Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round! Again, this is not intended to be gospel, set in stone or written as a review for posterity. This is simply written to be an enjoyable guess at cards I like for cubes, and hopefully it'll allow some cube managers to evaluate cards they may have otherwise overlooked and/or put some cards in perspective that may've been overhyped. Nothing more.
Eldritch Moon is a fantastic cube set. Not only does it have a ton of playable cards for traditionally structured cubes, but it has a bunch of fun and flavorful cards that can break into the cube from other angles. The list of “honorable mentions” would be too long to reasonably discuss, and all 20 cards in my list could realistically see play in small/medium-sized cubes. Which means that there absolutely cards missing from this list that are going to be great cube inclusions! So don’t fret if your favorite flavorful card from EMN didn’t make my list ...there’s just not enough room to discuss every cool card that might see cube play from this set.
Without further ado, I can start the countdown!
Docent of Perfection // Final Iteration
A giant Delver variant!
What I Like: The 5/4 flying body for 5 mana is a good starting point for a body that can generate more threats. Most “spells matters” army generators come with less-than-ideal main bodies to make up for the fact that they can produce a lot more power. It’s also nice to note that this counts your other Wizard creatures when calculating when it can flip ...which actually means something in blue; a color that already features a lot of playable Wizards. It churns out 1/1 bodies for each instant/sorcery you play (like Pyromancer) but once this creature transforms, it makes them all into 3/2 fliers! That’s a lot of power and a relatively easy transformation cost for a blue creature.
What I Don't Like: Historically, casting cost has mattered so much on these kinds of creatures, based on the very nature of how they work. The earlier you can get the body to the board, the easier it is to maximize out on its potential value. And since this costs 5-mana, you’re looking at turn 6+ to start accumulating your Wizard collection, which means it won’t be until the very late game where this crashes in alongside a bunch of 3/2 wizards. Additionally, it has a harder time passing the removal test than most of us would like at 5 mana, since casting this alongside another spell in the same turn gets pretty expensive. There’s a good chance that when this is played on curve, the opponent will take their first opportunity to kill it ...perhaps before you get any bodies from it at all.
Verdict: I think this is a good 5cc creature option in blue; a section that’s surprisingly shallow. There’s a good chance this is just straight playable in lists that are 630-720 in size, and certainly worth considering in smaller cubes if you support a spells matters archetype.
Unsubstantiate
A flexible tempo counter.
What I Like: When protecting an advantaged board, sometimes simply delaying a stabilizing spell for one more turn is all you need. This can often be that card for you. And there are a lot of situations that can arise where a simple Unsummon can look great for you, despite not being worth a card itself (early reanimated/cheated monsters, etc). There’s a lot of value in getting those two options rolled into a 2cc spell.
What I Don't Like: Unlike a counterspell like Arcane Denial, this spell can’t simply say “NO” to a critical spell you can’t afford to let them resolve (even if delayed). And unlike the premier tempo counters like Remand and Memory Lapse, this spell is fundamentally card disadvantage (in both its modes). A cheap high-impact spell like Balance or something can simply be recast in the same window you try and bounce it, leaving you in just a bad a position as you were without it.
Verdict: I think this is a flexible tempo counter that can be valuable in blue decks trying to apply pressure. I don’t think it replaces any of the staple tempo counters or bounce spells most smaller cubes run, but it might be a nice card to add in at larger sizes to complement the existing suite of cards. I’d probably find room for some extended testing at 630, and I would expect to be able to find room at 720.
Distended Mindbender
A big discard effect on legs.
What I Like: This is a high variance card, but when it hits, it hits hard. If you can squeeze this into the curve on T4 by dropping a 3cc creature to it, the trigger will be likely to snag two full cards while it’s on the stack, and then give you a 5/5 body on the board. It can be particularly potent when the card(s) you remove are answers they might’ve had to the bigger body. When this hits both halves of the discard trigger, it feels pretty dirty.
What I Don't Like: The variance on this creature is all over the place. There were a surprising number of cases where this only hit one of its two discard halves during testing, and felt pretty fair in those windows. And there were also instances of full whiffs, when the opponent was playing a really aggressive deck or had an explosive start. It also happens to be near impossible to cast when you don’t have a medium-costed body to drop to it, and a really bad creature in a topdeck war.
Verdict: I originally anticipated this creature to be something I was going to be really happy to cube with. But after seeing it in action, it had a little too big of a range in expected value for my playgroup. With a deep sacrifice/aristocrats theme, I could see this squeezing into smaller lists. But at face-value, it may be relegated to cubes that are 630 or bigger (or excluded altogether depending on your group’s tolerance for variance).
Cryptbreaker
A fun black utility 1-drop.
What I Like: This creature does a lot of stuff for you for 1 mana. It can be a threat generator by cranking out 2/2 Zombies, it can be a discard outlet to feed your yard, and it can be a late-game card advantage engine by tapping down your team to draw cards. I witnessed a game in testing where it totally took over the game, making bodies and interacting with other Zombie cards to draw a lot of cards.
What I Don't Like: It’s slow and a little mana-intensive for the way it impacts the board. It takes 2 turns and 3 total mana before you can get a body out if it that means something, and even that is just a 2/2 attacking on T3 at the earliest. It has a really hard time in aggro decks for that reason, and will play more as a midrange value creature than anything else.
Verdict: I was hoping that the overall impact of the card would outweigh its lack of speed, but it ultimately proved a bit too slow for my current list. Cubes that are 630 or bigger probably have a need for a decent 1cc black utility creature, and this will slot perfectly into cubes of any size featuring a Zombie subtheme.
Eldritch Evolution
An exciting 3cc utility spell.
What I Like: Unlike grindy advantage variants llike Pod, this is a more powerful 1-shot effect that can give you a big boost in a single window. Upgrading a 4cc utility creature to a Titan is fantastic, and not being restricted on the color of creature is very useful in this format. Any deck working with a specific suite of creatures that the deck is built-around, like Kiki decks, Meliria decks or even Braids decks would be happy to have this card as an extra tutor.
What I Don't Like: It really needs the right deck and the right window to function correctly, and you need to be really careful around countermagic (which hurts, because that might be the kind of matchup that you need your green midrange support cards to shine their brightest in). It showed promise in early (albeit limited) testing results, but not enough so to displace my current suite of green support cards.
Verdict: This card is the nuts in creature-centric combo shells. Sacrificing a Bloodghast to get my Braids was so sweet. But my cube was lacking in creature shells that have interactions like that, so Evolution fell short for my particular list. But there are a lot of cube lists that can afford to run this at any size because of how strong an enabler it is for a range of creature combo decks. But at face value, this is probably a 630+ kind of card.
Grim Flayer
A powerful Golgari 2-drop.
What I Like: It’s a 2/2 that can become a 4/4 for 2 mana, and it has a really powerful connection trigger (and the trample to help make it happen). It’s really one of the more powerful triggers you can get; feeding your ‘yard, providing powerful card selection and enabling its own Delirium. Most Delirium cards are too narrow in the cube because they require other enablers to make them work, but this guy feeds itself so it eliminates a good part of the problem.
What I Don't Like: The cube is so saturated with 2/1 and 2/2 creatures that it will take a few removal spells to keep this creature on the battlefield so he can reach his 4/4 form. That, and the competition in the Golgari section is so deep that he has a rough time breaking through the competition.
Verdict: This creature is better than it looks, but can still have a hard time against creature-heavy decks. It will have a hard time cracking into the top 4 of its respective guild section, but if you’re running 5 or more Golgari cards, he could very well be one of them. Might make it into cubes in the 540-630 range.
Dark Salvation
A flexible black “creature” that fits multiple spots on the curve.
What I Like: The card scales up the curve, and is a pretty decent investment at each place it lands. At 3 mana, it gives you a 2/2 and gives a creature -1/-1, making it function as a Fire Imp variant of sorts. At 5 mana, it gives you 4 power worth of zombies, and gives something -2/-2, so it functions like another Skinrender. The 7-mana mode creates a mini-army of Zombies (6 power, 3 bodies) and gives you a full -3/-3 on something, which is pretty good. I like cards with this flexibility, and it works into a small Zombie subtheme pretty well.
What I Don't Like: While all the modes on it are decent, none are spectacular. And since it’s a spell that functions as a creature, I can’t abuse the body with reanimation triggers and Recurring Nightmare and the like, which is kinda a bummer.
Verdict: This tested pretty well, but ultimately just fell short for us. I could see it seeing play in some 540 lists, and in most that are 630 or bigger.
Elder Deep-Fiend
A Mistbind Clique variant with some added utility.
What I Like: Flash. Flash absolutely makes and breaks this mechanic, since you can use it to respond to a number of your opponent’s game actions that may have cost you the creature you sacrifice to the Elder anyways. Flash makes Emerge so flexible that you can find a huge variety of uses for this in most phases of the turn. During the upkeep this can perform its Mistbind Clique function, tapping down your opponents resources to preserve an advantageous board state. At the beginning of combat, it can tap down the opponent’s team to preserve your life total and/or open up a window for a crack-back attack. Before blockers, this can trash your opponent’s combat math and kill off an attacking creature. Before damage, this can replace a creature that was about to be killed in combat, and bind up their other cards to prevent any post-combat main phase plays. In response to removal, it can “save” a creature and fizzle a targeted removal spell. It just does so much stuff thanks to the Flash.
What I Don't Like: Despite all the flexibility that Flash gives a creature with Emerge, it still fundamentally needs a board presence in order to be brought down. Blue decks (even tempo ones) are light on creatures, and we saw several instances where even in the right deck, it just didn’t help us rebuild after a sweeper, and didn’t have a creature we wanted to sacrifice to get it down to the table.
Verdict: This creature is good. And in constructed where you can line up the curves and the creature counts perfectly to ensure maximum playable value from the Elder, he’ll be a complete monster. But in the cube, we sometimes found windows where it either couldn’t be played or wasn’t desirable to resolve it. If my cube was any bigger, I’d probably slam this creature in there and be pretty stoked to have it. But I just couldn’t find the right cut for it (at the moment). I think this is playable in a lot of 540 lists, and certainly worth it in anything bigger than that.
Spell Queller
Another great Azorius tempo creature.
What I Like: A 2/3 flying flash for 3 mana that can (temporarily?) counter a spell of CMC ≤4 when it drops. Great stats, does a lot of cool stuff, and has a powerful trigger that can delay the resolution of a critical spell long enough for you to take over and/or win the game. It also has amazing interactions with Crystal Shard and Erratic Portal, since you can bounce it back to your hand with the counter trigger on the stack, putting its LTB trigger on first, fizzling, and then exiling their spell permanently. It can also counter uncounterable spells, since it technically exiles them. Can be relevant on occasion against Decay and Verdict.
What I Don't Like: Why did this have to be another 3cc Azorius tempo creature? It competes directly with Geist and Mage, and I think falls into a close 3rd place behind those two creatures. Otherwise, no complaints. This creature is good.
Verdict: Diversifying my Azorius section is the only thing that’s going to keep it out of the cube. On its own merits, it’s probably a top 4 card in that guild. But for the betterment of non-tempo Azorius decks, I’m personally putting this card as the #5 card in the guild. Should see play in most 540 cubes, and would be a largely criminal exclusion from sections with 6+ cards in them.
Gisela, the Broken Blade
A mini-Baneslayer!
What I Like: 4-power, flying, lifelink and first strike for 4 mana is a good deal. There are a lot of decks that will be happy to have this little stat monster, and a lot of matchups where it can completely dominate combat against anything at or around its casting cost.
What I Don't Like: In the matchup where the lifelink is the most critical (red aggro/burn decks) this creature's weakness is exposed the most. It is vulnerable to toughness-based removal, so red (and to a lesser extent black) has a lot of answers that can kill her on the cheap. And the Meld “flavor text” is just so ugly!
Verdict: When her low-toughness doesn’t matter, this card is really strong. It just dominates combat and immediately puts the opponent in a situation where they feel pressured to answer her quickly. I think this is testable at 450, and is pretty much a snap-include for cubes 540 or bigger.
Kessig Prowler // Sinuous Predator
An amazing green 2-power 1-drop.
What I Like: This creature is amazing. Not only is it just a strictly-better Savannah Lions in green, but it also mitigates a lot of problems that aggro decks face in general regarding their saturation of aggressive early threats. 1) 2-power 1-drops eventually get outclassed. But this creature becomes a significant threat later on, mitigating that issue. 2) 2-power 1-drops are generally bad late-game topdecks. This gets around that too, because the transform ability gives it late-game relevance. 3) Aggro decks don’t have much to spend mana on at the end of their curve. Again, this creature gives you a curve-topper without having to dedicate a slot to a card that’s dead in the early game.
What I Don't Like: It’s green, so a lot of cube managers won’t be able to bask in its glory.
Verdict: The only reason this is ranked anything other than #1 for the set is because of the limited range of green aggro. If you support that theater, this is a slam-dunk auto-include at any size. If you don’t, it’s simply not playable. I think that most 360 cubes and some 450 cubes probably exclude green aggro because of a lack of room. But whenever that breakover point comes in, this card immediately makes the cut.
Noose Constrictor
A new Wild Mongrel!
What I Like: Wild Mongrel is a good card, and so this will be too. Even the threat of being able to activate the ability is often enough to prevent the opponent from wanting to get involved with these kinds of creatures in combat. And while this one can’t color-shift to dodge Terrors and protection effects, it can block flying creatures. So it’s got that going for it, which is nice. Splashable 2cc unconditional discard outlets are welcome when they have an ability that makes them combat relevant.
What I Don't Like: Nothing to dislike, really. I often like to attack with my Mongrel variants, so an offensive keyword like Trample might’ve been cooler than Reach, but that’s a minor nitpick.
Verdict: I think that Mongrel is still great. It has fallen out of favor for some groups, so they likely won’t play this one either. But I’m stoked to have it. I’d try and find room for it at 450 if I was still playing that size, otherwise it’ll fit comfortably for me at 540+.
Liliana, the Last Hope
A new black 3cc ‘walker.
What I Like: Liliana kills a surprising number of creatures in the cube with her {+1} ability. When you add up all the creatures, cards that produce creatures and cards that can become creatures, her {+1} ability kills ~42% of the creatures in my cube. Of the ones she misses, she makes half of those remaining ones 0 power. That’s a pretty useful repeatable ability to have on a 3cc ‘walker, especially since it increases her loyalty all the while. And even though the {-2} ability isn’t amazing, it is still (more) card advantage that you can get from your 3cc investment. It can be really important for decks that have themes built around specific creatures too, like Braids or Feldon decks. And her ultimate is attainable (and strong). It seems out of reach, but her {+1} ability is surprisingly effective at both killing bodies and neutering attackers in this format. That ability backed up by even 1 or 2 removal spells might just be enough to get you there.
What I Don't Like: Black is filled with great 3cc utility cards, both in spell and creature form. So while this Liliana is good, it doesn’t exactly fill a needed role for black, nor is it the Elspeth/Gideon clone in black that a lot of cube managers have been looking for.
Verdict: It originally looked underwhelming, but it’s been playing great in practice. I’m pretty sure this gets some extended testing time at 450, and probably stays there. If not, 540 is easily within her range for permanent inclusion.
Emrakul, the Promised End
And what an end.
What I Like: This creature is just all around great. The cast trigger is brutal, and for those that haven’t had the pleasure of playing with Mindslaver effects, they can just be nasty effects when they resolve. At the very least, they make a suicide attack into Emrakul, so it should kill a creature if nothing else. But it does so much more than that. Casting their removal on their own cards, sacrificing/discarding cards to their own activated abilities, and just generally making bad decisions can really put them in a bind. Sure, they get an “extra turn” ...but it’s not one they wanted. And a 13/13 flying, trample, protection from instants is nothing to scoff at. Even when reanimated, it can go the distance in two swings. And it’s usually available at a reasonable cost too. With 4-5 different card types in the ‘yard in the late game, you can drop this for 8-9 mana, and it should win you the game.
What I Don't Like: There are just some answers that the opponent can have that the Mindslaver effect doesn’t get around, like Wrath effects. And in decks with multiple Wrath outs to Emrakul, the extra turn clause actually gives them an extra drawn card towards that out. A minor drawback, but it can be relevant in the control mirror.
Verdict: It has been really good in testing. Useful in super-ramp, dedicated control and even fatty-cheating/reanimator decks just for the giant body. It’s probably slightly worse than the new Ulamog, so I’m not sure at what size you want a 2nd giant colorless fatty with a cast trigger. If that’s 450, play this there. If not, find room for it at 540+.
Imprisoned in the Moon
Blue gets a Song of the Dryads variant.
What I Like: Song of the Dryads is a good cube card. Now, it’s slightly better than this because it can hit artifacts/enchantments too, but it also gives the opponent access to green mana (which is more likely to matter than the colorless mana they get from this). But blue doesn’t get effects like this. It’s straight creature/’walker removal, and it also turns various lands into Wastes; an important thing for blue control to have access to in the era of powerful manlands. It answers three permanent types that can give fits to blue mages, so we’ll be happy to have this around.
What I Don't Like: I wish this was just a colorshifted Song of the Dryads, though it would’ve made it an even bigger color pie violation than it already is.
Verdict: This card may not be the most exciting thing out there, but it’s good at its job. Need an answer to creatures, ‘walkers and manlands? Look no further. Nice to have access to this kind of versatile removal in blue, even with the drawback. I think this is a pretty easy include, even at 450. Cuts are hard, but this card is plain good.
Collective Defiance
A flexible utility burn spell.
What I Like: Several useful modes on this card, all are priced well since you can Escalate them together. 4 damage to a creature deals with a lot of creatures that can survive red’s typical burn suite. 3 damage to a player is decent reach and can also blast ‘walkers when the need arises. And the discard/draw ability is a nice ability to be able to add-on to a card that can reach card parity on its own. It can fuel the graveyard or try and upgrade in card quality. And important to note that it’s target player ...so after bounce spells or tutor effects, you might be able to get important cards out of the defending player’s hand. But even in big burn mode, 7 damage for 4 mana is a nice split, and I think the flexibility will allow this spell to put in some work.
What I Don't Like: A splashable cost would’ve been nice, especially in the instances where you need the card to get cast on T3.
Verdict: This card is probably good enough for inclusion at 450, and it might actually see some testing in smaller cubes too. It’s nice to have flexibility built-in to your burn spells. And it also gives red another nice spell that can contribute to red’s more interesting decks, that might involve Feldon, Daretti or Welder.
Wharf Infiltrator
A hybrid looter that can generate threats.
What I Like: This card is half Looter il-Kor and half Pack Rat. Not as reliable as a looter as the il-Kor, and not as threatening as a Pack Rat, but it does a decent job at both roles. There’s a surprising few 1-power blockers that arrive on the board in the early game. Most are in token form, and show up in the mid-late game ...so there is a good opportunity to connect with the Infiltrator early on and get some loots in. And the creature-making ability is good for several reasons. First, it allows you to turn a loot trigger into straight card advantage by paying 2 mana to make a body, and secondly ...because it triggers off any discard, not just its own. So even in instances where you can’t Skulk through your opponent’s critters, you can still activate other discard effects, trigger the Infiltrator’s creature-making ability and recover free cards that would’ve otherwise just been lost bodies. Particularly potent with Survival, Squee and the other discard outlets that might find themselves into a tempo shell where Infiltrator can shine.
What I Don't Like: If you don’t draw other discard outlets and the opponent has an early blocker that can stonewall it, it won’t get to do much of anything for you. It plays best in specific shells that can make the Skulk more reliable and/or has alternative discard strategies to maximize its value.
Verdict: I would want to at least test this at 450, and maybe even smaller. It has been testing really well for me at 540, so it seems like a card that I’d play even if my cube was smaller. Probably the card in this set I’m making the biggest reach with, but I just don’t want it to go unnoticed. There are a lot of games where this creature feels really overpowered.
Hanweir Garrison
A red mini Hero of Bladehold.
What I Like: This creature outpaces the damage of most other attacking 3-drops, and also has a 2/3 body which allows it to attack into many congested boards that other creatures have to hold back on. For 3 mana, you have a creature that attacks for 4 across 3 bodies with the first attack, and then 6 more across 5 bodies the following turn. It supports the various token and anthem archetypes, and also gets bolstered by several effects from inside red. Just nuts with cards like Purphoros.
What I Don't Like: Not much not to like, really. I mean, it would be cool if it made Goblins for interactions with Rabblemaster and Siege-Gang ...but those are minor nitpicks. That, and it has some of that useless Meld flavor text too.
Verdict: I think there needs to be room found at 360 to give this an extended trial run at the very least. If there just isn’t room for whatever reason, it needs to be played at 450+ for sure, and probably for a long while.
Selfless Spirit
The Mistral Charger I actually wanted.
What I Like: 2-power and evasion for 2 mana, a splashable cost, and a useful ability. It’s an unassuming creature at first, but it’s pretty much exactly what white aggro decks want. It’s an efficient evasive beater on curve that counters your opponent’s first Wrath.
What I Don't Like: Nothing. The competition looks steep, but you can find a cut for this.
Verdict: This creature is great. Should see play even at 360, and pretty easily so. It’s just efficient and effective, and exactly what most of our white creature decks are looking for.
Thalia, Heretic Cathar
Powerful disruption on a powerful body.
What I Like: This specific breed of disruption is at its best when the rest of your white weenie deck is at its worst. It shines strongly in the midrange machup, where the opponent can resolve on-curve beaters that outclass your attackers, and quickly pressure you with bodies you can’t block either. Forcing creatures to enter tapped ensures that the opponent doesn’t have creatures available to block with right away, so every time you pass with this effect on the board, you know that combat will look advantageous for you again on the following turn. It allows you to more effectively distribute removal and bounce spells, since you can target the creatures you know will be able to block by next turn, and it also shuts down some abilities like Haste, and really neuters others like Lifelink. Compounding that disruption with the nonbasic land hate and it can really be devastating for the opponent. If they do happen to get hit with both the nonbasic land disruption in a turn where they needed to resolve a body to stonewall you, they’ll be dead by the time they can resolve it and block with it. And both abilities work fantastically with the 3-power first-striking body. 3 power and first strike is huge in this format, and those stats will put it a full turn (or two) ahead of the opponent’s blockers by itself. Plus the enter tapped clause puts you another turn ahead of their blockers. And the nonbasic hate can put you ahead tempo-wise too. It’s just an engine for disruption, in a matchup that can always use the help.
What I Don't Like: White’s 3cc creatures are already great, so this isn’t a card that we were desperate to have. But it’s not a matter of if you can find room for it, it’s a matter of which other good creature will you cut to upgrade it to Thalia!
Verdict: Savage beats, and a really powerful series of effects.
As always, thanks for reading and please feel free to leave comments below!
-Cheers, and happy cubing.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979
Thanks again for the list, wtwlf! Got any honorable mentions?
Cubetutor Link
@TheKorko: Ya, Prowler would've been my #1 if I wasn't trying to accurately represent where green aggro falls in other readers' pecking orders.
@Fireman: So many honorable mentions. Larger cubes will probably like the 1R burn spell (boring, but efficient), the green emerge creature hits hard, the Niblis taps stuff for days, Tamiyo is fun for some Bant sections, the red spells matters card-drawer is cool ...there's a lot of goodies all over the place.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
This is the best Cube content on the internet - you should really have a writing gig for a website. Maybe once I am able to monetize my website... (not allowed to link on Salvation for some reason... cough, cough).
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
This set seems to have something for everyone. Great aggro creatures, effective planeswalkers, new removal, and even modal spells. Was there anything you think was missing or would have liked to see now that you have given it a whirl?
Thanks
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I'm OP_Forever. I'll be putting this in my signature for a while so everyone know I change my nickname.
Being a snake is something to dislike, Ophiomancer is not pleased. I've definitely lost games where my Lotus Cobra snakeblocked my Ophiomancer.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
I'm surprised that Wharf Infiltrator is ranked higher than Imprison in the Moon, Liliana,and Emrakul but otherwise I find no faults. OTOH, what was the last set that gave us two blue cards for small cubes? Lorwyn? I can't believe this set delivers two new cards to cube's tightest color.
I'm sad about the art on Constrictor. I hope we get a Terese Nielson promo.
I may try out new Tamiyo as I'm not really thrilled with Soulfire or Hordechief and am looking for a tricolor replacement. I may just run Sarkahn Unbroken again. Not sure.
Cheers,
rant
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My personal additions are everything from your top 9 except Imprisoned in the Moon that doesn't impress me. And I will be adding Eldritch Evolution as I like the archetype and I also have Birthing Pod in my cube.
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Wharf Infiltrator is the one that sticks out to me the most but I think you justified its placement well enough. Personally, I might've put it just behind Liliana or Kessig Prowler (which, by the way, I appreciate the ranking based on green aggro's unpopularity in most sub-540 lists). Otherwise, rankings and analysis look great. My honorable mention would probably have to go to the moon lady herself, Tamiyo.
Modern:
Dredge | Restore Balance | Titanshift
My [360][Unpowered][Modern-Frame] Cube
@Clancy: You're welcome! And I agree that this set has a lot for everybody.
@Monkey: Agreed on Prowler, but I had to place it where I did to be inclusive of other cube design strategies.
@Sunshine: Thanks for the detailed write-up. There's a lot to like about this set, so the exact order and placement of cards will naturally shift from one cube manager to the next.
@Steve: Only seen that happen once, and it was with Mirror Entity. That is indeed a minor nitpick.
@Rant: Yep, I went far out on a thin limb with Infiltrator. It's most assuredly ranked too high, but I have really enjoyed the card so far. And yes, the snake's art stinks.
@Bonda: Ya, if you're supporting a full Pod theme already, EE is a slam dunk for you. Imprisoned in the Moon has been a handy spell to have around for a lot of blue decks though. Walkers can be one of midrange's most common ways to pull back into a game against control, and manlands can win games on their own against slower blue decks. Having an answer to both of those things (oh, and also all creatures too) is just great.
@Bo5dey: Ya, if you have a true Bant gold slot open, Tamiyo is a safe inclusion there.
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Origins gave us Jace VP and Whirler Rogue which can hold its own in small cubes.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Khans also gave us Dig and Cruise, which is also a pretty recent set.
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My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
cant believe this is the 18th installment. Feels like just yesterday we were just talking about your classic cube and why Desolation Angel was such a sweet card.
anyways.. thanks for the write up and keep it up.
AznO
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My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
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"Personally I love high-riak, low-reqars gambles. Life's best with a decent amount of riak. And f*** reqars."
You're welcome! This set has a lot of fun cards in it, and I think it'll have a big impact on a lot of lists.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
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My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
I definitely agree with most of the list. A notable exception would be Kessig Prowler, for reasons already discussed.
In my 450, I will add Thalia and Selfless Spirit. Kessig Prowler and Collective Defiance are both likely to be in. I want to put in Emmy to
give my players a great splashy card, but will wait this out.
Again, great reviews! This has put so much value to these forums.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
@sunshinesoldier: I like every comment that responds to my article. It was simply missed. And I thanked you for your detailed write-up in my response.
@SpikeRogue: As I mentioned above, ordering for this set can be very playgroup dependent. But if your 450+ is playing the exact top 10, I think my assessment was pretty close! Happy cubing!
My 630 Card Powered Cube
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OK. That makes sense. I don't cube Cruise or Rogue, but I would if I went up to 540. For my cube, it's been forever since I got two blue cards out of one set.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!