MTG Salvation

Plaguecrafter is the only home-run card I can see excluded from this list. I'm almost 100% on board with the top half of the picks you made.

I too am a Plaguecrafter diehard, but there are a lot of highlights to cover in this review and I understand why you’re lower on it. I expect there to be several cards on and off that list that we’re underrating, but there’s so much good stuff in this set that there’s no way we can be sure exactly what will get there.

Thanks again for these reviews; I think they’re a big part of what has kept this community together for so long. Happy cubing!

Hey wtwlf, can you help me evaluate a card like Risk Factor in your cube?

I know letting your opponent choose is bad, but even the worst case scenario for this card seems good in a powered red aggro deck.

Quote from Cythare »

I'll admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how many cubeable cards there were in this set for me, given that multicolor-heavy sets tend to be more miss than hit due to competition. I'm planning to add the Top 8 cards you have listed here. I'm hoping that Connive//Concoct will earn its spot, as it's been a while since I've had a noncreature permanent in Dimir (I don't run Signets, but would if I made the jump to 540).

Thanks as always for your set review!

I hope so too. Limited testing with it so far, but all positive. It's odd, because the abilities are so different, but it's been cast equal halves Connive and equal halves Concoct, so it's versatile at the very least.

Quote from rpgking4 »

Plaguecrafter is the only home-run card I can see excluded from this list. I'm almost 100% on board with the top half of the picks you made.

Glad you agree with the top half of the list. I don't think Plaguecrafter's any good, but that's just my $0.02.

Quote from TheTennesseeFireman »

I too am a Plaguecrafter diehard, but there are a lot of highlights to cover in this review and I understand why you’re lower on it. I expect there to be several cards on and off that list that we’re underrating, but there’s so much good stuff in this set that there’s no way we can be sure exactly what will get there.

Thanks again for these reviews; I think they’re a big part of what has kept this community together for so long. Happy cubing!

You're most welcome! Thanks for the kind words.

Quote from Sky.Rokit »

Hey wtwlf, can you help me evaluate a card like Risk Factor in your cube?

I know letting your opponent choose is bad, but even the worst case scenario for this card seems good in a powered red aggro deck.

I know letting your opponent choose is bad...

...letting your opponent choose is bad...

...bad...

See, you secretly knew why all along.

Dawn of Hope feels on the cusp of cubeable--is it too slow to make the cut?

The fact it has a (durdly sometimes) built-in engine certainly doesn't hurt things. Card draw options for white are typically a good thing. Now, I'm not currently running Mastery of the Unseen but this new one feels a little better.

Has anyone tested it out?

Dawn of Hope is certainly solid, but I think you need at least a small lifelink theme in order for it to be great. If the only way you have to reliably gain life is the tokens it makes, I think it's too narrow.

Great review. Most people seem to agree on the staples of this set. I will be running #s 1-7 and 9 in my 720 unpowered.

My small disagreements are that Aurelia seems slightly undervalued, and Connive/Concoct seems overvalued. I get that the value in Connive/Concoct is the versatility, but in 2018 the power level of this card is very low for the multi section. Also I would not run Plaguecrafter in my Cube, but it seems better than a few of the ranking 10-20 cards.

Thanks for commenting. Yes, Aurelia is definitely good. Just not sure how needed she is or how she fits into the current requirements of the guild.

Connive // Concoct has been testing quite well. It always seems to be useful, and can do a wide array of different things.

I just don't think Plaguecrafter is any good. I'd rather just run a removal spell that can kill any creature/planeswalker I want to if I'm spending 3 mana on that effect. It loses the zombie interaction that Fleshbag Marauder has, while also making the edict less consistent. If my opponent has a good creature and a good planeswalker out, I just made my edict effect worse. Outside of the situations where they have 1 'walker and no creatures, it's just a worse effect. And in those windows, I'd rather just have a Ruinous Path. So no, I don't think the card is better than even the worst cards on this list. But again, that's just my $0.02.

Quote from Swarles_Barkley »

Great topic as always. This is my go-to resource for updating the Cube to the new set. You're an institution.

Wow, thanks! That means a lot. Cheers.

Im testing find or finality, as find is a greate rate for 2 cards, especially in a color pair full of value creatures and creatures that trade. Finality is an expensive Boardwipe that can very easily leave you with the only threat on the board to win an attrition game, which are the things BG usually finds itself doing.

I was lucky enough to get tajic, trophy and cratermaker, and i just need a knight and whisperer to complete my grn adds

Find // Finality looks ...okay, but I can't see it stacking up to the absurd competition in the section.

Best of luck finding the rest of your adds quickly!

Cheers, and happy cubing.

Do you think Collected Company will be playable in the cube?

What I really like about Preview cards 1, 3 and 4 is it makes combat alot more interesting. I've noticed alot of creature mirrors devolve into who has the bigger creature. Adding decisions to combat step, without narrow/ weak cards like Giant Growth seems like a huge plus.

Some folks have had success with Company in their cubes, but it was never very good for me.

Good point about the combat relevancy!

Thanks for posting.