I've never tried Caravan, but I prefer Chromatic Lantern to it. I see this ranking reversed by many other cubers. I think the ability to make all your lands tap for any color is relevant often enough. Lantern allows Sneak Attack and other splashes more easily and allows for 3+ color decks more often. It also lets you get extra mileage off ofRishadan Port, Maze of Ith, and Ancient Tomb off the top of my head.
That all said, I think Caravan seems really solid and I think it's fine to run in a 360 list. Any 540+ list should strongly consider it.
I agree. There are 5-color decks that LOVE lantern. Caravan was just meh everywhere.
We also most likely have another vehicle coming soon (Weatherlight anyone?)
In terms of cube design, I would probably play Caravan before Lantern. There isn't a big enough upside to me in running a 3 mana artifact that fixes all your lands, instead of running a cheaper artifact which taps for any color of mana, along with lands which can do so to count as your fixing.
Do you ever worry that lands with powerful abilities could become problematic due to the limited number of cards that interact with them, compared to other card types?
It's a pretty decent card, it's suffered a bit as the speed of the cube has increased but it's also a great tool for grinding away and if you're running Eldrazi it can help there too. One of those 'day 1' cards that still sees a good amount of play.
volraths stronghold is very good. I've played a few games where stronghold is just such a beating with a black ETB deck. maybe even more potent with the addition of ravenous chupacabra. and it can just be unbeatable in the late game. i've wondered if maybe I should replace it with something less potent in my unpowered cube but it seems alright most of the time.
I love Volrath’s Stronghold for my midrange decks. It’s great with value creatures like Chupacabra and is one of my favorite things to fetch with Primeval Titan. It’s definitely done work in helping me not lose due to being unable to draw a card too.
The scalability is nice, the +1+1 counters part is real and can be a lot better than something like Languish, and drawing it again is really good when your opponent reloads. However, it takes a lot of mana to kill anything above an X/2 all things considered, and with the options of Damnation/Toxic Deluge/Languish now in play
I am constantly bringing cards in and out of my cube:
-I wanted another white 6 that wasn't Linvala, so I tried Captain of the Watch, it was pretty underwhelming especially when it just felt like a slower CGR
-Thought blue could use more card draw, so I tried Careful Consideration and it's not bad, drawing 4 and discarding 3 at instant speed isn't a bust for a lot of decks, pretty underrated IMO
-Loved the name Jokulhaups, so I ran it and it was great. It's beast in the Rx planeswalkers decks, usually Grixis or some pairing within those colors.
-Death Cloud was touted by some people, and since there have been more recursive black creatures I figured curve topping with a Death Cloud for 1-3 would be nice (also someone (rightfully) talked ***** about it and then I got to beat him with it, so it's stayed for that reason)
-Xanthrid Necromancer can be good, and I have it back in due to starting to really push the pox deck again as I think we're almost to the critical mass of 'Dark Confidant'-creatures, and eventually it could actually be ridiculous once humans becomes a better deck. For now, it has pretty varying success, but with the black deck trying to be more focused as that type of deck he has been a bit better than it was when he came out.
-Pyreheart Wolf has been better as Purphoros has been more popular, but I cut it because ultimately it sucks in all other red decks. Good against removal though.
-Increasing Devotion is actually a bomb. We ran it when DKA first came out and then we took it out because white does not lack 5s, but it makes a lot of bodies which can now do a decent amount more than when it came out. (Maybe that last part is an exaggeration, but it feels better.)
-Surrak, the Hunt Caller was met with a lot of 'no's, and I cut it for a second due to a switch-around at the time (tangent: green aggro, never again!), but once he came back he was stellar. He was what I wanted out of Samut, Voice of Dissent, except in one color and costing 4.
In addition, I have a 'flex slot' in my guilds where I constantly rotate cards. I hate the idea of great cube cards not being cubed (I'm also the type that has a hard time walking by pet stores with all the puppies in the window) but I don't want to increase my cube arbitrarily just so I can run more guild cards, so instead I'm letting 'staples' rotate in and out in favor of other cards that are not being played solely because things like Vindicate or Dack Fayden exist and there are that much fewer slots to compete for. I'm not cutting cards like Vindicate or Dack Fayden, but whatever is in the 3rd/4th slot goes into the on-deck binder for a later month.
I think that BSZ has lost a lot of its value since the printings of both Toxic Deluge and Languish. Cubes have to be pretty big to want this now.
Cards are constantly being rotated in and out of the cube. New cards get printed, updates occur, and the context of the environment changes. Every change impacts the cube on multiple levels, and those impacts can change the value of cards that have previously rotated out (not to mention the evaluation of all the cards currently in the cube). The cube is a living format, and it's continually evolving.
Black Sun's Zenith is a fine card, but black has the most premium board wipes. My favorite is Toxic Deluge. Even at 720 I'm not sure I'd run this Zenith.
Cards definitely come in and out. Sometimes a card gets cut simply because it doesn't synergize well enough, but as new cards get added, older cards might become good with them. I love reevaluating fringe cubeable cards when new cards change the dynamic.
It's a nice token engine, and provides green with removal, which is scarce to be found in that color. And he has a nice splashable casting cost. And the flipped side provides some useful utility effects as well. I still like this Garruk quite a bit.
Buried Alive is okay. It's good for setting up a big Living Death, but it can't set up the broken early reanimation shenanigans, so it wound up getting cut.
Buried Alive is fun, but it doesn't do enough early enough.
I don't know that I have a worst fear. My grandfather and mother's worst fears were, interestingly enough, being buried alive. Both specifically wanted to be cremated.
Ayli is a fine creature, but finding room in is hard.
I don't support a true Aristocrats theme in my cube, but there's a healthy Stax deck that can be drafted with all the good cards for that archetype that are in the cube independently.
a 2/3 deathtouch for 2 is a fine baseline if it was a mono coloured creature. The first sac ability makes it playable as a gold card.
I've never been even close to activating the second ability but being able to turn chump blockers into lifegain or force their removal spells on bigger targets to gain you life is great.
I've been trying it lately, she's pretty good and suffers being BW. It's hard to justify including her over the top billers, but she is good enough to get a spot when she hits the table.
I go back and forth. I re-introduced it heavily after the last few years brought us some more recursive 1 drops and confidant-style 2 drops in black, in a power cube it can do a lot worse when so many decks are pumping out tons of artifact mana. We need 1 more thoughtseize.
I ran Ayli for a while now, but she will be replaced with the next update. She is a solid creature, but her abilities rarely matter and I've grown bored with her. And while the aristocrats theme in my cube can work in WB, it's more a BG or BR archetype.
Which answers the second the question: Yes, I run an aristocrats. It's a bit on the too cute side of archetypes, but it's not a trap and so much fun when it comes together.
I agree. There are 5-color decks that LOVE lantern. Caravan was just meh everywhere.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
In terms of cube design, I would probably play Caravan before Lantern. There isn't a big enough upside to me in running a 3 mana artifact that fixes all your lands, instead of running a cheaper artifact which taps for any color of mana, along with lands which can do so to count as your fixing.
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569
Volrath's Stronghold
Do you ever worry that lands with powerful abilities could become problematic due to the limited number of cards that interact with them, compared to other card types?
We play with cards like Black Lotus, so no
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Black Sun's Zenith
Have you ever brought back in a card that was once cut for not being good enough, either for nostalgia or to give it another chance?
I am constantly bringing cards in and out of my cube:
-I wanted another white 6 that wasn't Linvala, so I tried Captain of the Watch, it was pretty underwhelming especially when it just felt like a slower CGR
-Thought blue could use more card draw, so I tried Careful Consideration and it's not bad, drawing 4 and discarding 3 at instant speed isn't a bust for a lot of decks, pretty underrated IMO
-Loved the name Jokulhaups, so I ran it and it was great. It's beast in the Rx planeswalkers decks, usually Grixis or some pairing within those colors.
-Death Cloud was touted by some people, and since there have been more recursive black creatures I figured curve topping with a Death Cloud for 1-3 would be nice (also someone (rightfully) talked ***** about it and then I got to beat him with it, so it's stayed for that reason)
-Xanthrid Necromancer can be good, and I have it back in due to starting to really push the pox deck again as I think we're almost to the critical mass of 'Dark Confidant'-creatures, and eventually it could actually be ridiculous once humans becomes a better deck. For now, it has pretty varying success, but with the black deck trying to be more focused as that type of deck he has been a bit better than it was when he came out.
-Pyreheart Wolf has been better as Purphoros has been more popular, but I cut it because ultimately it sucks in all other red decks. Good against removal though.
-Increasing Devotion is actually a bomb. We ran it when DKA first came out and then we took it out because white does not lack 5s, but it makes a lot of bodies which can now do a decent amount more than when it came out. (Maybe that last part is an exaggeration, but it feels better.)
-Surrak, the Hunt Caller was met with a lot of 'no's, and I cut it for a second due to a switch-around at the time (tangent: green aggro, never again!), but once he came back he was stellar. He was what I wanted out of Samut, Voice of Dissent, except in one color and costing 4.
In addition, I have a 'flex slot' in my guilds where I constantly rotate cards. I hate the idea of great cube cards not being cubed (I'm also the type that has a hard time walking by pet stores with all the puppies in the window) but I don't want to increase my cube arbitrarily just so I can run more guild cards, so instead I'm letting 'staples' rotate in and out in favor of other cards that are not being played solely because things like Vindicate or Dack Fayden exist and there are that much fewer slots to compete for. I'm not cutting cards like Vindicate or Dack Fayden, but whatever is in the 3rd/4th slot goes into the on-deck binder for a later month.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
Cards are constantly being rotated in and out of the cube. New cards get printed, updates occur, and the context of the environment changes. Every change impacts the cube on multiple levels, and those impacts can change the value of cards that have previously rotated out (not to mention the evaluation of all the cards currently in the cube). The cube is a living format, and it's continually evolving.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Cards definitely come in and out. Sometimes a card gets cut simply because it doesn't synergize well enough, but as new cards get added, older cards might become good with them. I love reevaluating fringe cubeable cards when new cards change the dynamic.
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Garruk, Relentless
If you had to learn to use a weapon, other than a gun, which would you choose and why?
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I'd like to learn to shoot a bow.
Cheers,
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Buried Alive
What is your worst fear, if you don't mind sharing?
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I don't know that I have a worst fear. My grandfather and mother's worst fears were, interestingly enough, being buried alive. Both specifically wanted to be cremated.
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Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
Do you actively support an 'aristocrats' theme in your cube? Does it perform well?
I don't support a true Aristocrats theme in my cube, but there's a healthy Stax deck that can be drafted with all the good cards for that archetype that are in the cube independently.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
I've never been even close to activating the second ability but being able to turn chump blockers into lifegain or force their removal spells on bigger targets to gain you life is great.
I go back and forth. I re-introduced it heavily after the last few years brought us some more recursive 1 drops and confidant-style 2 drops in black, in a power cube it can do a lot worse when so many decks are pumping out tons of artifact mana. We need 1 more thoughtseize.
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
Which answers the second the question: Yes, I run an aristocrats. It's a bit on the too cute side of archetypes, but it's not a trap and so much fun when it comes together.
Mutavault
Is there a card you don't currently run that you would consider running if it had a different or additional creature type of your choice?
There's probably a dozen black creatures that might become good enough if they were zombies.
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My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!