This is a project that I've been conceiving for years and for the last ~year have been working at on-and-off. Essentially, it's a guide to cube--it's impossible to cover everything, so it covers what I feel are a lot of the basics both for starting a cube and exploring ideas/theorycrafting within the format itself. I look at quite a few subjects, including:
-What a cube is
-What you can put into your cube and the options available
-The basic strengths and weaknesses of each color
-Alternative cube theory
-And a bunch of other *****
Any comments or suggestions for future iterations are appreciated, as I plan for this to be an evolving guide. My biggest issue with the resources available out there are how outdated some are, and this is only 2-3 years away from the guide's printing that the guide feels outdated. In another 2-3 years some of the guides out there will seem like they're talking about a completely different format.
Even though there is more I feel like I could add, it's nice to have a finished product and to finally stop saying "i'm working on this guide..." and just have the guide instead.
Excellent work! I will also be reading this in the slow parts of the work day. Congratulations for finally finishing this! I just copied it into a Word doc to look and this is 74 pages of information. Amazing job!
Amazing work, Salmo! I really wish something like this had been out there when I first started building my cube. My own experiences confirm the overwhelming majority of what you wrote here, but I do have a suggestion, and a nitpick. First, the suggestion:
Because this guide is as long as it is, you might want to add a table of contents at the beginning with links to the different sections in it. That will make it easier for readers to refer back to specific information later after reading it for the first time. I'm not sure if the site that hosts your blog supports this, but if it does it would be really useful.
Second, on the Pauper/Peasant section:
The lack of Wrath of God effects is absolutely a hallmark of rarity-restricted cubing, but there are actually a lot of sweeper options available in red like Breath of Darigaaz, Slice and Dice, Pyrohemia, and Firespout. Combined with Pestilence and Infest effects in black, as well as 2-for-1 removal spells like Ashes to Ashes and Barter in Blood, Rakdos sweeper control is actually an archetype unto itself. These fixed-damage sweepers are unplayable in rare cubes, but I've found they work quite well in my Peasant cube, and make control decks a real force to be reckoned with. It does, however, mean that control tends to be anchored in Izzet or Dimir instead of Azorius once rares are removed from the equation.
That said, you've done excellent work in putting this guide together, and I'd consider this required reading for anyone who's serious about building a new cube from scratch.
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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.
Amazing work, Salmo! I really wish something like this had been out there when I first started building my cube. My own experiences confirm the overwhelming majority of what you wrote here, but I do have a suggestion, and a nitpick. First, the suggestion:
Because this guide is as long as it is, you might want to add a table of contents at the beginning with links to the different sections in it. That will make it easier for readers to refer back to specific information later after reading it for the first time. I'm not sure if the site that hosts your blog supports this, but if it does it would be really useful.
Second, on the Pauper/Peasant section:
The lack of Wrath of God effects is absolutely a hallmark of rarity-restricted cubing, but there are actually a lot of sweeper options available in red like Breath of Darigaaz, Slice and Dice, Pyrohemia, and Firespout. Combined with Pestilence and Infest effects in black, as well as 2-for-1 removal spells like Ashes to Ashes and Barter in Blood, Rakdos sweeper control is actually an archetype unto itself. These fixed-damage sweepers are unplayable in rare cubes, but I've found they work quite well in my Peasant cube, and make control decks a real force to be reckoned with. It does, however, mean that control tends to be anchored in Izzet or Dimir instead of Azorius once rares are removed from the equation.
That said, you've done excellent work in putting this guide together, and I'd consider this required reading for anyone who's serious about building a new cube from scratch.
First, thanks! That means a lot. One of the main reasons I created this was because there was nothing that existed like this--and what existed is/was horribly outdated or not as in-depth as this--so to hear that is 1000% validating for the time and effort I put into this.
Second, I do plan on, at some point in the future with the next iteration, to convert it to a PDF and do the whole nine yards. I was frankly too lazy/wanting to just get it up so I didn't have to think about it anymore, and going forward from here I'm going to tweak it the same way text books are tweaked with different versions (though it'll still be free, unlike most text books lol).
Third, that's good, and something I should be adding in there. I covered pestilence slightly, and the next time I sit down to work on it I'm going to add those bits.
Finally, and again, thanks for reading and the sentiments, it truly means a lot.
Man, this is absolutely fantastic. I didn't read everything (because it's so freaking long and extensive ;P), but did skim over the whole thing and I'm impressed at how well-written it is.
You mind if I link to it on my peasant cube blog? Properly credited of course, and on an outgoing link. It's not like it gets a lot of traffic (and I don't post very regularly), but I'd love to point more people to your article in any way possible.
Of course, and more so I really appreciate it! If you have any insight on anything else I could add about peasant/pauper, shoot me a PM or post it here.
Hi everyone,
This is a project that I've been conceiving for years and for the last ~year have been working at on-and-off. Essentially, it's a guide to cube--it's impossible to cover everything, so it covers what I feel are a lot of the basics both for starting a cube and exploring ideas/theorycrafting within the format itself. I look at quite a few subjects, including:
-What a cube is
-What you can put into your cube and the options available
-The basic strengths and weaknesses of each color
-Alternative cube theory
-And a bunch of other *****
Any comments or suggestions for future iterations are appreciated, as I plan for this to be an evolving guide. My biggest issue with the resources available out there are how outdated some are, and this is only 2-3 years away from the guide's printing that the guide feels outdated. In another 2-3 years some of the guides out there will seem like they're talking about a completely different format.
Even though there is more I feel like I could add, it's nice to have a finished product and to finally stop saying "i'm working on this guide..." and just have the guide instead.
Either way, cheers and happy cubing!
--Sam
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Because this guide is as long as it is, you might want to add a table of contents at the beginning with links to the different sections in it. That will make it easier for readers to refer back to specific information later after reading it for the first time. I'm not sure if the site that hosts your blog supports this, but if it does it would be really useful.
Second, on the Pauper/Peasant section:
The lack of Wrath of God effects is absolutely a hallmark of rarity-restricted cubing, but there are actually a lot of sweeper options available in red like Breath of Darigaaz, Slice and Dice, Pyrohemia, and Firespout. Combined with Pestilence and Infest effects in black, as well as 2-for-1 removal spells like Ashes to Ashes and Barter in Blood, Rakdos sweeper control is actually an archetype unto itself. These fixed-damage sweepers are unplayable in rare cubes, but I've found they work quite well in my Peasant cube, and make control decks a real force to be reckoned with. It does, however, mean that control tends to be anchored in Izzet or Dimir instead of Azorius once rares are removed from the equation.
That said, you've done excellent work in putting this guide together, and I'd consider this required reading for anyone who's serious about building a new cube from scratch.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
First, thanks! That means a lot. One of the main reasons I created this was because there was nothing that existed like this--and what existed is/was horribly outdated or not as in-depth as this--so to hear that is 1000% validating for the time and effort I put into this.
Second, I do plan on, at some point in the future with the next iteration, to convert it to a PDF and do the whole nine yards. I was frankly too lazy/wanting to just get it up so I didn't have to think about it anymore, and going forward from here I'm going to tweak it the same way text books are tweaked with different versions (though it'll still be free, unlike most text books lol).
Third, that's good, and something I should be adding in there. I covered pestilence slightly, and the next time I sit down to work on it I'm going to add those bits.
Finally, and again, thanks for reading and the sentiments, it truly means a lot.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
Of course, and more so I really appreciate it! If you have any insight on anything else I could add about peasant/pauper, shoot me a PM or post it here.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic