What cards do people consider Sacred Cows in cube management?
Specifically, these are cards that are nearly ubiquitous that may be reaching a point where their time is passed.
A card doesn't have to be bad to be a Sacred Cow, it just needs to be significantly worse than its reputation suggests.
My Proposed Sacred Cows:
I edited this list so that it corresponds to cards in the 450 CubeTutor average cube that I view as sacred cows, but again, views will differ.
Staple Cards: These cards and Highly Touted and In Most Cubes Umezawa's Jitte - can dominate creature based battles, but it has a higher pick percentage than Demonic Tutor, Mana Vault and Mind Twist, which is crazy to me. Wurmcoil Engine - great card but way overhyped. Ultimately still just an expensive dumb beater that has a higher pick % than Tinker, Recurring Nightmare and Grim Monolith, to name a few. Batterskull: again, good card but pricey and pick % higher than cards like True-Name Nemesis, Strip Mine and Channel.
All the swords: Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Body and Mind, Sword of Feast and Famine. Costs 5 to play and equip, a very inefficient play easy that gets blown out by removal or a chump block. Brainstorm - depending on fetch density, this could be amazing, but usually worse than Ponder and Preordain. Maze of Ith - not a bad card, but more of a sideboard option in Vintage. I'd rather be developing my mana and drop a turn 3 Gideon of the Trials to stay on pace for T5 Mystic Confluence or Fractured Identity. Regrowth - pretty unexciting card to me compared to something spicy like Yawgmoth's Will or Demonic Tutor. In green cards like Eternal Witness do the job better and in a more repeatable fashion
Fringe Cards: These cards are fringe, but I still think played too much. Artifact: Duplicant Nevinyrral's Disk
I significantly edited the list so that it specifically only includes cards the cards in the CubeTutor average 450 cube that I thought of as sacred cows, so that should be less controversial. By definition the CubeTutor 450 is the most common 450 cards. http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/893
I do consider these cards to be sacred cows, but I understand it could be a controversial and certainly subjective list.
Are there any cards you consider to be sacred cows or do you think it's a misnomer and there's not really such a thing, just different preferences?
Thank you. I think using the cube tutor averages (instead of my list) will help to identify cards that might be sacred cows vs cards that are simply preferred by certain playgroups.
I don't know how many of those cards are truly "sacred cows" and how many of them are just cards that fit the playstyles and preferences of the groups that play them. It can be really hard to differentiate between the two.
I run some cards in my cube that are unique to my list (or have grown out of favor with other groups) because they're cards that we have success with still, cards that we enjoy playing and/or they help to make my cube experience unique. In fact, I would encourage every cube manager to find some inclusions that help to make their cube uniquely theirs, especially if it increases the enjoyment that your primary playgroup gets from drafting the list.
However,
Maze of Ith
Sword of Fire and Ice
Umezawa's Jitte
Wurmcoil Engine
Pernicious Deed
Ajani Vengeant
Enlightened Tutor
Flickerwisp
Brainstorm
Yavimaya Elder
Deranged Hermit
Are cards that are on your list of "sacred cows" that I think are outstanding cube cards. And there's others you have listed there that can be really important depending on what kinds of archetypes you support (like Show and Tell and Eureka, etc).
Besides those, I also happen to think all of the other Swords, Spectral Procession, Baneslayer Angel, Specter/Nighthawk and Master of the Wild Hunt are all sweet cards that we continue to win with.
I think Sacred Cows are cards that are held to be above criticism. The confusion comes from the fact that the idea of Sacred Cows is typically invoked in cases where someone is debating the status of said Sacred Cows.
With the above in mind, I don't think any of the cards you list qualify for SC status. I think it refers to cards like Wrath of God, Armageddon, Mind Twist and so on. All of which I think are mediocre or worse Cube cards in super high powered Cubes (but I digress).
As an example of changing perceptions, Baneslayer Angel probably once qualified but its day has long past.
As an example of a card that is probably contentious, how about Brimaz, King of Oreskos. My small group just never feels that is where white decks want to be.
I think Sacred Cows are cards that are held to be above criticism. The confusion comes from the fact that the idea of Sacred Cows is typically invoked in cases where someone is debating the status of said Sacred Cows.
With the above in mind, I don't think any of the cards you list qualify for SC status. I think it refers to cards like Wrath of God, Armageddon, Mind Twist and so on. All of which I think are mediocre or worse Cube cards in super high powered Cubes (but I digress).
As an example of changing perceptions, Baneslayer Angel probably once qualified but its day has long past.
As an example of a card that is probably contentious, how about Brimaz, King of Oreskos. My small group just never feels that is where white decks want to be.
Thanks Marl.
I could see how Wrath of God, Armageddon and Brimaz could be viewed as sacred cows. I have Brimaz as the 2nd best white 3 drop creature behind Monastery Mentor and ahead of the likes of Blade Splicer and Thalia, Heretic Cathar. However, there are a couple Gideon 3 mana planeswalkers that are also on par.
Wurmcoil Engine - great card but way overhyped. Ultimately still just an expensive dumb beater that has a higher pick % than Tinker, Recurring Nightmare and Grim Monolith, to name a few.
This actually makes sense because Tinker / Recurring Nightmare lose a ton of value if you don't see them in pack 1 and it's easy to throw in a Wurmcoil Engine into multiple decks in any part of the draft.
User Proposed Sacred Cows:
Mind Twist
Wrath of God
Armageddon
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Wrath of God is a fundamental card for control. Not exactly the highest card in my P1P1 pecking order (although Armageddon is pretty up there), but it's still extremely necessary if you want decks to have any form of board control.
Mindtwist is simply the best black card, IMO. Mindtwist for 3 on turn 3 has ended so many games and is currently the #1 black card in the 3-0 archives with Demonic and Vampiric Tutor trailing behind it.
Maze of Ith - not a bad card, but more of a sideboard option in Vintage. I'd rather be developing my mana and drop a turn 3 Gideon of the Trials to stay on pace for T5 Mystic Confluence or Fractured Identity.
Maze of Ith blanks a lot of huge creatres / equipment / vehicles. It never sits in the sideboard of my control decks.
Ajani Vengeant - Nahiri is better than the staple planeswalker IMHO.
They're two totally different cards. Nahiri is niche and her niche doesn't lend well to Boros colors, IMO.
Show and Tell
This might be cube dependent, but I consider Show and Tell to be one of the four pillars / primary enablers for Cheaty Face combo alongside Oath of Druids / Eureka / Sneak Attack. It's an absolute staple if you support this deck, IMO.
Char
Char is pretty straight forward and gives red decks a lot of reach + removal to problematic 4 toughness creatures / 4 loyalty planeswalkers.
Deranged Hermit - the new Deep Forest Hermit is miles better but still not a top 20 green card.
In terms of pure results, it's currently the #8 most represented green card in the Xmage 3-0 Archives
Well it definitely will spark disagreement--doesn't mean it need be contentious (at least not in the "heated" sense of the word).
My take on the cards you've listed...
Mind Twist - I'm on the verge of cutting this and I run a pretty lean unpowered list, but this card is as unfun as it is powerful and it really isn't situational like Armageddon. Early on in my cube black heavy decks won or lost on the back of this card alone. Through years of improvements to my cube and better card quality in general I can safely cut this and be less concerned about its impact on the strength of the color as a whole.
Wrath of God/Armageddon - These are staples. I define Sacred Cow as a card whose time has passed, but nostalgia has driven us to continue favoring it though better options exist (Genesis is always the card I think of with this term). These are not that. I don't run Ravages of War alongside Armageddon because I don't want to see a deck running both or see one or the other with any more frequency than I already do (also Ravages is costly). Wraths are incredibly important checks against very aggressive creature based decks.
Brimaz doesn't really belong in the same category as these other cards. He's very pushed and probably will remain in powerful cubes for decades, but he doesn't decide games with the regularity of any of the former cards.
All of your listed dominant cards are staples. From your fringe list I agree that Disk, Ashiok, Deed, Redcap, Procession, Fetters, Paladin, Frost Titan, Looter, Gifts, Feeder, Artist, Elder, and Beast Within are all too weak for a powerful (not necessarily powered) small-medium list. They're still fine for lists of 540 or greater. The rest I think are still quite good in small-medium lists.
From your own cube I would consider the following to be Sacred Cows:
Reveillark - Let's not have this discussion again here, but I'm still on the Reveillark is overrated train. Karakas - For now I think this is belongs on this list. Legendary creatures seem to be gaining more and more ground in cube though so I would expect that Karakas will one day be a staple. The whole Storm Archetype - I'm not going to nitpick certain cards (there are several), but in my experience Storm is a 2nd tier archetype much like blink or green aggro. Tasigur, the Golden Fang - I have wanted to cut this for a while and finally got to do so with the latest updates. Requiring specific other colors for the ability plus putting the choice in your opponent's hand (almost always a death knell for cubeability IMO) makes this card super overrated in my book. Buried Alive - I would run more creatures with discard abilities before I ran something like this. Niche is fine for 1 mana (Entomb) not so great at three. Abbot of Keral Keep - Red has several better 2 CC options in my opinion. Searing Blaze - Double CC cost, must have a creature target, and it is a bad top deck. This was one of my babies too for awhile, but I had to concede there are better options. Nissa, Vastwood Seer - I've thought this card was bad from day 1 and I stand by that. Basic forest to hand is underwhelming, the flip trigger is somewhat high, and the PW isn't that great. Garruk, Primal Hunter - I love card draw in green too and also ran this for a long while. Still Nissa, Worldwaker is just a lot better in terms of fitting into Green's gameplan and a bit easier to cast. Life from the Loam - I feel like while my opponent is durdling with this card I am winning the game. It's a great constructed card, but I don't think it holds up in cube. Plow Under - This card was way too situational in my experience. It's about as consistent as the miracle cards (Bonfire/Entreat) which I think are borderline. I know some people swear by this one, but it was not for me and I think you need to be at 540 minimum to run it. Blightning - Now there's a blast from the past. There are some way better Rakdos options now IMO. Blightning isn't even top 6 at this point. Ancient Grudge - I wouldn't lose a guild slot to this card. Based on your Izzet section you don't appear to have PW caps. So I would run Xenagos alongside Wrenn and Six The Signets - I've recently become a Talisman convert. I think the signets were preferred by many because it was a complete cycle, now talismans are too. Gerrard's Verdict - Good card but now outclassed. I see you have Lingering Souls in your white section. I would consider this Orzhov, especially if you has Ancient Grudge in Gruul. Ice-Fang Coatl (if you don't run snow lands) - Otherwise I think Hydroid Krasis goes here. Crucible of Worlds - I'm in the minority here, but I also find this to be a durdly play. I just haven't seen lands matter really...er...matter in cube. Lodestone Golem - Card did nothing in my experience.
Gerrard's Verdict - Good card but now outclassed. I see you have Lingering Souls in your white section. I would consider this Orzhov, especially if you has Ancient Grudge in Gruul.
Outclassed by what? You can't compare Gerrard's Verdict to Lingering Souls or other Orzhov cards becuase they serve completely different functions. I play Gerrard's Verdict because in the market for unconditional 2-cmc discard value spells and Gerrard's Verdict is the second best card in that category after Hymn to Tourach.
Somebody could easily say something like Sorin, Solemn Visitor / Anguished Unmaking >>> Gerrard's Verdict as an Orzhov card. But what if if my cube needs a 2-cmc value card more than it needs another 4-cmc walker / 3-cmc removal spell? I'm already playing Elspeth / Gideon / Serra / Sorin, Lord of Innistrad and Oblivion Ring / Banishing Light / Council's Judgment / Hero's Downfall / Never // Return in Orzhov colors, but I only got one Hymn to Tourach type spell at 2-cmc.
I'm not saying outclassed in terms of its particular effect. I mean Orzhov, the guild, has better options. If you need it to fill a need within your own particular cube then by all means run it. I still think that the card fits the definition of sacred cow in that many cubes run this classic card in place of stronger, newer existing options for the guild. Maybe some people are looking to double up on a 2CC discard spell (though this has miles of separation from Hymn to Tourach - early game random discard is devastating). As I said though the card is still good and I think it is fine in medium lists running at least 5 guild cards not including the lands/talismans/etc.
Well it definitely will spark disagreement--doesn't mean it need be contentious (at least not in the "heated" sense of the word).
My take on the cards you've listed...
Mind Twist - I'm on the verge of cutting this and I run a pretty lean unpowered list, but this card is as unfun as it is powerful and it really isn't situational like Armageddon. Early on in my cube black heavy decks won or lost on the back of this card alone. Through years of improvements to my cube and better card quality in general I can safely cut this and be less concerned about its impact on the strength of the color as a whole.
Wrath of God/Armageddon - These are staples. I define Sacred Cow as a card whose time has passed, but nostalgia has driven us to continue favoring it though better options exist (Genesis is always the card I think of with this term). These are not that. I don't run Ravages of War alongside Armageddon because I don't want to see a deck running both or see one or the other with any more frequency than I already do (also Ravages is costly). Wraths are incredibly important checks against very aggressive creature based decks.
Brimaz doesn't really belong in the same category as these other cards. He's very pushed and probably will remain in powerful cubes for decades, but he doesn't decide games with the regularity of any of the former cards.
All of your listed dominant cards are staples. From your fringe list I agree that Disk, Ashiok, Deed, Redcap, Procession, Fetters, Paladin, Frost Titan, Looter, Gifts, Feeder, Artist, Elder, and Beast Within are all too weak for a powerful (not necessarily powered) small-medium list. They're still fine for lists of 540 or greater. The rest I think are still quite good in small-medium lists.
From your own cube I would consider the following to be Sacred Cows:
Reveillark - Let's not have this discussion again here, but I'm still on the Reveillark is overrated train. Karakas - For now I think this is belongs on this list. Legendary creatures seem to be gaining more and more ground in cube though so I would expect that Karakas will one day be a staple. The whole Storm Archetype - I'm not going to nitpick certain cards (there are several), but in my experience Storm is a 2nd tier archetype much like blink or green aggro. Tasigur, the Golden Fang - I have wanted to cut this for a while and finally got to do so with the latest updates. Requiring specific other colors for the ability plus putting the choice in your opponent's hand (almost always a death knell for cubeability IMO) makes this card super overrated in my book. Buried Alive - I would run more creatures with discard abilities before I ran something like this. Niche is fine for 1 mana (Entomb) not so great at three. Abbot of Keral Keep - Red has several better 2 CC options in my opinion. Searing Blaze - Double CC cost, must have a creature target, and it is a bad top deck. This was one of my babies too for awhile, but I had to concede there are better options. Nissa, Vastwood Seer - I've thought this card was bad from day 1 and I stand by that. Basic forest to hand is underwhelming, the flip trigger is somewhat high, and the PW isn't that great. Garruk, Primal Hunter - I love card draw in green too and also ran this for a long while. Still Nissa, Worldwaker is just a lot better in terms of fitting into Green's gameplan and a bit easier to cast. Life from the Loam - I feel like while my opponent is durdling with this card I am winning the game. It's a great constructed card, but I don't think it holds up in cube. Plow Under - This card was way too situational in my experience. It's about as consistent as the miracle cards (Bonfire/Entreat) which I think are borderline. I know some people swear by this one, but it was not for me and I think you need to be at 540 minimum to run it. Blightning - Now there's a blast from the past. There are some way better Rakdos options now IMO. Blightning isn't even top 6 at this point. Ancient Grudge - I wouldn't lose a guild slot to this card. Based on your Izzet section you don't appear to have PW caps. So I would run Xenagos alongside Wrenn and Six The Signets - I've recently become a Talisman convert. I think the signets were preferred by many because it was a complete cycle, now talismans are too. Gerrard's Verdict - Good card but now outclassed. I see you have Lingering Souls in your white section. I would consider this Orzhov, especially if you has Ancient Grudge in Gruul. Ice-Fang Coatl (if you don't run snow lands) - Otherwise I think Hydroid Krasis goes here. Crucible of Worlds - I'm in the minority here, but I also find this to be a durdly play. I just haven't seen lands matter really...er...matter in cube. Lodestone Golem - Card did nothing in my experience.
Hi BlackWaltz, thanks for the reply! I think I actually agree with you on a number of these. I have a hundred or so full art snow basics available from Modern Horizons so Ice-Fang Coatl was hard to pass up.
I actually find your list really interesting because a lot of these correspond to the lowest ranked cards in my cube according to the 2018 cubetutor rank project. In fact, 9 out of the 10 worst ranked cards in my cube are cards you directly or indirectly mentioned.
Here's the 40 worst ranked cards in my cube - you can see a lot of these are on your list and fall outside the 360 card range as their CubeTutor rank is over 360. Some other cards you mentioned didn't make the bottom 40 but are still outside the top 360 cards, for example Reveillark (389).
As you might expect, Storm is something of a pet archetype in my cube that I provide a lot of support for so that it can come together. Most cubes don't support storm.
I do think looking at the ranking of the cards in your cube is a good way to see what cards you might be overvaluing and what cards are non-standard - for me this list definitely suggests some candidates and has helped with making cuts in the past.
I don't think cubetutor's list of most played cards is a good way to identify cuts from your cube. Not only is the data tremendously flawed, but nobody knows how cards perform in your cube better than the manager and playgroup of that list.
Additionally, I don't think there's much value (if any) to actually identifying "sacred cows". Who cares if they're played by fewer cube lists? Who cares if they have a long tenure? If they're good for your group and they continue to perform, you should continue to play them. Period.
I'm not saying outclassed in terms of its particular effect. I mean Orzhov, the guild, has better options.
Currently my Orzhov section is the following:
- Vindicate
- Lingering Souls
- Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
- Gerrard's Verdict
Please tell me what my better options are and exactly why they are better than a 2-cmc card that results in a 2 for 1, which is fairly uncommon for cards of that cmc.
I'm not saying outclassed in terms of its particular effect. I mean Orzhov, the guild, has better options.
Currently my Orzhov section is the following:
- Vindicate
- Lingering Souls
- Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
- Gerrard's Verdict
Please tell me what my better options are and exactly why they are better than a 2-cmc card that results in a 2 for 1, which is an extremely rare effect.
However, personally I agree that I prefer Gerrard's Verdict to those options but it's an unconventional opinion.
I officially maintain color and guild balance but cheat a little bit by putting Lingering Souls in white and Phyrexian Metamorph in artifacts for example.
Anyway, there hasn't been a single card that's gotten more than one vote as a "Sacred Cow"
Edit: This is not a thread about the cubetutor rankings but in the same fashion that 3-0 deck archives are invoked I may sometimes invoke data from that project when I find the results interesting. They were based 100 million + cubetutor picks as well as over 5,500 votes from this forum on ~1600 different cards so I enjoy referencing it as a baseline that may disagree with my own thoughts or biases.
FWIW the cards you referenced have pretty low ranks:
Waterfront Bouncer: Rank #728
Voice of Resurgence: Rank #517
War-Name Aspirant: Rank #1598
Duskwatch Recruiter: Rank #421
Please tell me why you are taking my personal opinion on a card's value so seriously. I like Anguished Unmaking over Verdict and if I didn't have PW caps Sorin Solemn Visitor would probably go before it too. If you value it more, than great, I'm glad you have had success with it and I wish you many fun cubing experiences with it.
Edit: Also want to state my agreement with wtwlf that cubetutor isn't a good metric for evaluating cards for your cube. My personal methodology is to analyze the card myself, then look to some of the opinions I value most and whose cube philosophies and construction are similar to my own, playtest, follow-up on others results, and finally see if the card has lasted in other's cubes (this last one is big, I can't tell you how many cards quietly slip out of favor and when you catch on to this trend for a card you have to take some time to reevaluate the card yourself). A few of the cards that slipped out of lists pretty quietly over the last year include: Waterfront Bouncer, Voice of Resurgence, War-Name Aspirant, and Duskwatch Recruiter.
Please tell me why you are taking my personal opinion on a card's value so seriously. I like Anguished Unmaking over Verdict and if I didn't have PW caps Sorin Solemn Visitor would probably go before it too. If you value it more, than great, I'm glad you have had success with it and I wish you many fun cubing experiences with it.
I'm not taking it personally, I just want the following logic explained because to me it makes zero sense saying a card is outclassed by other cards that have completely different functionalities.
I'm not saying outclassed in terms of its particular effect. I mean Orzhov, the guild, has better options.
I was pretty clear that I was not saying there is a card that fulfills Verdict's particular function better (at least not an Orzhov card), but that, IMO, the guild has cards that are more desirable in what they do and work better in B/W decks. YMMV.
Man, this thread. Can someone tell me what the purpose of identifying "sacred cows" in cube is? And, honestly, how does identifying such cards promote healthy discussion and debate? The definition of a sacred cow literally says it's something people aren't open to taking criticism on. So if you create a thread and make a claim that a specific card is a sacred cow, I can't help but wonder why that even matters. You're just making a list of cards that you think are worse than some other people think they are.
I just don't see the value in this discussion at all. This only serves to bring attention to dissenting opinions on specific cards. One person explains why they think there are better options in a specific slot. Someone else explains why that card specifically serves a function they want or need in their cube. Then the first person just says, 'Oh cool, good for you guys, keep on cubing.' What was the point of this exchange? No one is convincing anyone of anything. There's no single card discussion happening debating the merits of a card.
Offering up an opinion when someone asks about a card's performance or how it compares to some other card is healthy discussion. Sometimes it's even healthy debate. Making a list of cards that people run and calling them "sacred cows" just seems like opening yourself up to a thread full of "well, actually..."
Maybe I define "sacred cow" differently. As cube designers, we should be open to entertaining criticisms even on cards we consider staples--not that it has to mean we will be persuaded. I think we all have looked at someone else's cube list at one time and thought "why are they running this still?" or something similar. There's nothing wrong with having this discussion and pointing out what cards you feel this way about. I invite people to do the same with my cube (http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/34371).
There's nothing wrong with the nature of the thread, it is how people handle criticism that can lead to problems. Assuming the criticisms were constructive to begin with (constructive does not have to mean correct--I mean criticisms given in good faith and without phrasing that is condescending or sarcastic) there's no reason to be defensive or rude in response.
There are examples of the right way to respond and the wrong way within this very thread. I don't say this to call out anyone, but rather because it is demonstrative of my point.
Is that open to debate on different definitions, though? A sacred cow is something that people tend to hold in such high regard that any criticism of it tends to fall on deaf ears or get immediately brushed off. Just because you might think a card that sees play in a multitude of lists hasn't stood the test of time, doesn't mean it qualifies as a sacred cow. And certainly a popular card that's too powerful for your specific environment doesn't qualify.
It just seems to be more productive to discuss cards individually and ask in an SCD or a cube thread what the pay off for still running the card is than to just post a mostly arbitrary opinionated list that stands no chance of having a consensus agreement or even generating a meaningful discussion. It's much better to go into someone's cube list thread who seems to be having success with storm and ask them about the archetype in their list than to just add that archetype to a sacred cows thread and expect defenders of it to not be even mildly offended by the claim. Instead of getting a response from someone on the defensive, you're more likely to get a response from someone who's happy to offer information and help.
Well the definition you found of Sacred Cow: "something people aren't open to taking criticism on" and the 1st definition I found on google "Something that is often unreasonably immune from criticism or opposition" are already a bit different, so yeah, I'd say we can come to different conclusions depending on how we are looking at the term. Your definition implies that people will by default react badly to the suggestion of something being suggested as a sacred cow and my take is that it is an opportunity to engage in a spirited (but again, not hostile or defensive) discussion about cards we may take for granted. We have definitely had some "Sacred Cows" in the past--again Genesis comes to mind--and I don't mind taking the opportunity to question our assumptions on an individual or widespread level. If someone told me Boros Aggro was terrible, I would disagree, but not be offended, and we would be able to present the merits objectively and anecdotally and decide for ourselves as we already do. I don't see why Storm, Gerrard's verdict, or any other card/archetype should be different. Being passionate about the game is great, but maybe a little emotional detachment to our personal cube philosophies might allow for broader discussion.
There's nothing wrong with having this discussion and pointing out what cards you feel this way about. I invite people to do the same with my cube (http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/34371).
This thread hasn't gone quite the way I hoped, but maybe I can help here!
First of all, here's some cool cards you aren't playing to consider:
Cards to Consider:
Here's a few cool cards you aren't playing, that you might want to consider.
I'm assuming you are unpowered, but budget could still be an issue for some of these:
Specifically, these are cards that are nearly ubiquitous that may be reaching a point where their time is passed.
A card doesn't have to be bad to be a Sacred Cow, it just needs to be significantly worse than its reputation suggests.
User Proposed Sacred Cows:
Staple Cards: These cards and Highly Touted and In Most Cubes
Mind Twist
Wrath of God
Armageddon
Fringe Cards:
Reveillark
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Plow Under
Crucible of Worlds
Karakas
The Signets
The whole Storm Archetype
Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Buried Alive
Abbot of Keral Keep
Searing Blaze
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Life from the Loam
Blightning
Ancient Grudge
Gerrard's Verdict
Ice-Fang Coatl
Lodestone Golem
My Proposed Sacred Cows:
I edited this list so that it corresponds to cards in the 450 CubeTutor average cube that I view as sacred cows, but again, views will differ.
Staple Cards: These cards and Highly Touted and In Most Cubes
Umezawa's Jitte - can dominate creature based battles, but it has a higher pick percentage than Demonic Tutor, Mana Vault and Mind Twist, which is crazy to me.
Wurmcoil Engine - great card but way overhyped. Ultimately still just an expensive dumb beater that has a higher pick % than Tinker, Recurring Nightmare and Grim Monolith, to name a few.
Batterskull: again, good card but pricey and pick % higher than cards like True-Name Nemesis, Strip Mine and Channel.
All the swords: Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Body and Mind, Sword of Feast and Famine. Costs 5 to play and equip, a very inefficient play easy that gets blown out by removal or a chump block.
Brainstorm - depending on fetch density, this could be amazing, but usually worse than Ponder and Preordain.
Maze of Ith - not a bad card, but more of a sideboard option in Vintage. I'd rather be developing my mana and drop a turn 3 Gideon of the Trials to stay on pace for T5 Mystic Confluence or Fractured Identity.
Regrowth - pretty unexciting card to me compared to something spicy like Yawgmoth's Will or Demonic Tutor. In green cards like Eternal Witness do the job better and in a more repeatable fashion
Fringe Cards: These cards are fringe, but I still think played too much.
Artifact:
Duplicant
Nevinyrral's Disk
Multicolor:
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Pernicious Deed
Murderous Redcap
Huntmaster of the Fells
White:
Secure the Wastes
Spectral Procession
Faith's Fetters
Baneslayer Angel
Flickerwisp
Silverblade Paladin
Blue:
Frost Titan
Merfolk Looter
Gifts Ungiven
Show and Tell - very risky play, compare to safer options like Sneak Attack, Through the Breach and Arcane Artisan.
Black:
Carrion Feeder
Blood Artist
Hypnotic Specter
Vampire Nighthawk
Red:
Char
Green:
Yavimaya Elder
Beast Within
Master of the Wild Hunt
Deranged Hermit - the new Deep Forest Hermit is miles better but still not a top 20 green card.
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc
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My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
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Sorry for the offense...
I significantly edited the list so that it specifically only includes cards the cards in the CubeTutor average 450 cube that I thought of as sacred cows, so that should be less controversial. By definition the CubeTutor 450 is the most common 450 cards.
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/893
I do consider these cards to be sacred cows, but I understand it could be a controversial and certainly subjective list.
Are there any cards you consider to be sacred cows or do you think it's a misnomer and there's not really such a thing, just different preferences?
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc
I don't know how many of those cards are truly "sacred cows" and how many of them are just cards that fit the playstyles and preferences of the groups that play them. It can be really hard to differentiate between the two.
I run some cards in my cube that are unique to my list (or have grown out of favor with other groups) because they're cards that we have success with still, cards that we enjoy playing and/or they help to make my cube experience unique. In fact, I would encourage every cube manager to find some inclusions that help to make their cube uniquely theirs, especially if it increases the enjoyment that your primary playgroup gets from drafting the list.
However,
Maze of Ith
Sword of Fire and Ice
Umezawa's Jitte
Wurmcoil Engine
Pernicious Deed
Ajani Vengeant
Enlightened Tutor
Flickerwisp
Brainstorm
Yavimaya Elder
Deranged Hermit
Are cards that are on your list of "sacred cows" that I think are outstanding cube cards. And there's others you have listed there that can be really important depending on what kinds of archetypes you support (like Show and Tell and Eureka, etc).
Besides those, I also happen to think all of the other Swords, Spectral Procession, Baneslayer Angel, Specter/Nighthawk and Master of the Wild Hunt are all sweet cards that we continue to win with.
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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!
With the above in mind, I don't think any of the cards you list qualify for SC status. I think it refers to cards like Wrath of God, Armageddon, Mind Twist and so on. All of which I think are mediocre or worse Cube cards in super high powered Cubes (but I digress).
As an example of changing perceptions, Baneslayer Angel probably once qualified but its day has long past.
As an example of a card that is probably contentious, how about Brimaz, King of Oreskos. My small group just never feels that is where white decks want to be.
Thanks Marl.
I could see how Wrath of God, Armageddon and Brimaz could be viewed as sacred cows. I have Brimaz as the 2nd best white 3 drop creature behind Monastery Mentor and ahead of the likes of Blade Splicer and Thalia, Heretic Cathar. However, there are a couple Gideon 3 mana planeswalkers that are also on par.
For me, Mind Twist is the 2nd best black card after Demonic Tutor.
I actually think Mind Twist is best in powered cubes with tons of fast mana like Moxen, Sol Ring,Mana Crypt and Black Lotus.
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc
This actually makes sense because Tinker / Recurring Nightmare lose a ton of value if you don't see them in pack 1 and it's easy to throw in a Wurmcoil Engine into multiple decks in any part of the draft.
Wrath of God is a fundamental card for control. Not exactly the highest card in my P1P1 pecking order (although Armageddon is pretty up there), but it's still extremely necessary if you want decks to have any form of board control.
Mindtwist is simply the best black card, IMO. Mindtwist for 3 on turn 3 has ended so many games and is currently the #1 black card in the 3-0 archives with Demonic and Vampiric Tutor trailing behind it.
Maze of Ith blanks a lot of huge creatres / equipment / vehicles. It never sits in the sideboard of my control decks.
They're two totally different cards. Nahiri is niche and her niche doesn't lend well to Boros colors, IMO.
This might be cube dependent, but I consider Show and Tell to be one of the four pillars / primary enablers for Cheaty Face combo alongside Oath of Druids / Eureka / Sneak Attack. It's an absolute staple if you support this deck, IMO.
Char is pretty straight forward and gives red decks a lot of reach + removal to problematic 4 toughness creatures / 4 loyalty planeswalkers.
In terms of pure results, it's currently the #8 most represented green card in the Xmage 3-0 Archives
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My take on the cards you've listed...
Mind Twist - I'm on the verge of cutting this and I run a pretty lean unpowered list, but this card is as unfun as it is powerful and it really isn't situational like Armageddon. Early on in my cube black heavy decks won or lost on the back of this card alone. Through years of improvements to my cube and better card quality in general I can safely cut this and be less concerned about its impact on the strength of the color as a whole.
Wrath of God/Armageddon - These are staples. I define Sacred Cow as a card whose time has passed, but nostalgia has driven us to continue favoring it though better options exist (Genesis is always the card I think of with this term). These are not that. I don't run Ravages of War alongside Armageddon because I don't want to see a deck running both or see one or the other with any more frequency than I already do (also Ravages is costly). Wraths are incredibly important checks against very aggressive creature based decks.
Brimaz doesn't really belong in the same category as these other cards. He's very pushed and probably will remain in powerful cubes for decades, but he doesn't decide games with the regularity of any of the former cards.
All of your listed dominant cards are staples. From your fringe list I agree that Disk, Ashiok, Deed, Redcap, Procession, Fetters, Paladin, Frost Titan, Looter, Gifts, Feeder, Artist, Elder, and Beast Within are all too weak for a powerful (not necessarily powered) small-medium list. They're still fine for lists of 540 or greater. The rest I think are still quite good in small-medium lists.
From your own cube I would consider the following to be Sacred Cows:
Reveillark - Let's not have this discussion again here, but I'm still on the Reveillark is overrated train.
Karakas - For now I think this is belongs on this list. Legendary creatures seem to be gaining more and more ground in cube though so I would expect that Karakas will one day be a staple.
The whole Storm Archetype - I'm not going to nitpick certain cards (there are several), but in my experience Storm is a 2nd tier archetype much like blink or green aggro.
Tasigur, the Golden Fang - I have wanted to cut this for a while and finally got to do so with the latest updates. Requiring specific other colors for the ability plus putting the choice in your opponent's hand (almost always a death knell for cubeability IMO) makes this card super overrated in my book.
Buried Alive - I would run more creatures with discard abilities before I ran something like this. Niche is fine for 1 mana (Entomb) not so great at three.
Abbot of Keral Keep - Red has several better 2 CC options in my opinion.
Searing Blaze - Double CC cost, must have a creature target, and it is a bad top deck. This was one of my babies too for awhile, but I had to concede there are better options.
Nissa, Vastwood Seer - I've thought this card was bad from day 1 and I stand by that. Basic forest to hand is underwhelming, the flip trigger is somewhat high, and the PW isn't that great.
Garruk, Primal Hunter - I love card draw in green too and also ran this for a long while. Still Nissa, Worldwaker is just a lot better in terms of fitting into Green's gameplan and a bit easier to cast.
Life from the Loam - I feel like while my opponent is durdling with this card I am winning the game. It's a great constructed card, but I don't think it holds up in cube.
Plow Under - This card was way too situational in my experience. It's about as consistent as the miracle cards (Bonfire/Entreat) which I think are borderline. I know some people swear by this one, but it was not for me and I think you need to be at 540 minimum to run it.
Blightning - Now there's a blast from the past. There are some way better Rakdos options now IMO. Blightning isn't even top 6 at this point.
Ancient Grudge - I wouldn't lose a guild slot to this card. Based on your Izzet section you don't appear to have PW caps. So I would run Xenagos alongside Wrenn and Six
The Signets - I've recently become a Talisman convert. I think the signets were preferred by many because it was a complete cycle, now talismans are too.
Gerrard's Verdict - Good card but now outclassed. I see you have Lingering Souls in your white section. I would consider this Orzhov, especially if you has Ancient Grudge in Gruul.
Ice-Fang Coatl (if you don't run snow lands) - Otherwise I think Hydroid Krasis goes here.
Crucible of Worlds - I'm in the minority here, but I also find this to be a durdly play. I just haven't seen lands matter really...er...matter in cube.
Lodestone Golem - Card did nothing in my experience.
Outclassed by what? You can't compare Gerrard's Verdict to Lingering Souls or other Orzhov cards becuase they serve completely different functions. I play Gerrard's Verdict because in the market for unconditional 2-cmc discard value spells and Gerrard's Verdict is the second best card in that category after Hymn to Tourach.
Somebody could easily say something like Sorin, Solemn Visitor / Anguished Unmaking >>> Gerrard's Verdict as an Orzhov card. But what if if my cube needs a 2-cmc value card more than it needs another 4-cmc walker / 3-cmc removal spell? I'm already playing Elspeth / Gideon / Serra / Sorin, Lord of Innistrad and Oblivion Ring / Banishing Light / Council's Judgment / Hero's Downfall / Never // Return in Orzhov colors, but I only got one Hymn to Tourach type spell at 2-cmc.
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Hi BlackWaltz, thanks for the reply! I think I actually agree with you on a number of these. I have a hundred or so full art snow basics available from Modern Horizons so Ice-Fang Coatl was hard to pass up.
I actually find your list really interesting because a lot of these correspond to the lowest ranked cards in my cube according to the 2018 cubetutor rank project. In fact, 9 out of the 10 worst ranked cards in my cube are cards you directly or indirectly mentioned.
Here's the 40 worst ranked cards in my cube - you can see a lot of these are on your list and fall outside the 360 card range as their CubeTutor rank is over 360. Some other cards you mentioned didn't make the bottom 40 but are still outside the top 360 cards, for example Reveillark (389).
As you might expect, Storm is something of a pet archetype in my cube that I provide a lot of support for so that it can come together. Most cubes don't support storm.
I do think looking at the ranking of the cards in your cube is a good way to see what cards you might be overvaluing and what cards are non-standard - for me this list definitely suggests some candidates and has helped with making cuts in the past.
Rank Card CubeTutor Rank
1 Heartbeat of Spring MONO_GREEN ENCHANTMENT 1374
2 Gerrard's Verdict ORZHOV SORCERY 1297
3 Seething Song MONO_RED INSTANT 986
4 Lion's Eye Diamond COLOURLESS ARTIFACT 822
5 Buried Alive MONO_BLACK SORCERY 814
6 Cabal Ritual MONO_BLACK INSTANT 811
7 Blightning RAKDOS SORCERY 686
8 Coercive Portal COLOURLESS ARTIFACT 665
9 Mind's Desire MONO_BLUE SORCERY 660
10 Ancient Stone Idol COLOURLESS ARTIFACT_CREATURE 659
11 Ancient Grudge GRUUL INSTANT 629
12 Garruk, Primal Hunter MONO_GREEN PLANESWALKER 624
13 Tendrils of Agony MONO_BLACK SORCERY 616
14 Imperial Recruiter MONO_RED CREATURE 593
15 Lodestone Golem COLOURLESS ARTIFACT_CREATURE 575
16 Turnabout MONO_BLUE INSTANT 558
17 Custodi Lich MONO_BLACK CREATURE 550
18 Firedrinker Satyr MONO_RED CREATURE 542
19 Dread Wanderer MONO_BLACK CREATURE 539
20 High Tide MONO_BLUE INSTANT 529
21 Brain Freeze MONO_BLUE INSTANT 526
22 Baral, Chief of Compliance MONO_BLUE CREATURE 515
23 Searing Blaze MONO_RED INSTANT 504
24 Knight of Autumn SELESNYA CREATURE 501
25 Retrofitter Foundry COLOURLESS ARTIFACT 495
26 Manglehorn MONO_GREEN CREATURE 494
27 Recruiter of the Guard MONO_WHITE CREATURE 490
28 Raging Ravine GRUUL LAND 485
29 Dauntless Bodyguard MONO_WHITE CREATURE 483
30 Mirari's Wake SELESNYA ENCHANTMENT 479
31 Manamorphose MONO_RED INSTANT 477
32 Saheeli, the Gifted IZZET PLANESWALKER 476
33 Soldier of the Pantheon MONO_WHITE CREATURE 468
34 Goblin Cratermaker MONO_RED CREATURE 467
35 Horizon Canopy SELESNYA LAND 463
36 Accorder Paladin MONO_WHITE CREATURE 461
37 Nahiri, the Harbinger BOROS PLANESWALKER 441
38 Boros Signet BOROS ARTIFACT 440
39 Abbot of Keral Keep MONO_RED CREATURE 437
40 Life from the Loam MONO_GREEN SORCERY 436
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc
Additionally, I don't think there's much value (if any) to actually identifying "sacred cows". Who cares if they're played by fewer cube lists? Who cares if they have a long tenure? If they're good for your group and they continue to perform, you should continue to play them. Period.
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!
Currently my Orzhov section is the following:
- Vindicate
- Lingering Souls
- Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
- Gerrard's Verdict
Please tell me what my better options are and exactly why they are better than a 2-cmc card that results in a 2 for 1, which is fairly uncommon for cards of that cmc.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
I really like your Orzhov section FWIW. I think the 1st three are staples. I think a few other considerations would be Tidehollow Sculler, Anguished Unmaking, Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Ashen Rider (for reanimator / Recurring Nightmare), Sorin, Grim Nemesis and Sin Collector, all of which are more popular than Verdict according to cubetutor data.
However, personally I agree that I prefer Gerrard's Verdict to those options but it's an unconventional opinion.
I officially maintain color and guild balance but cheat a little bit by putting Lingering Souls in white and Phyrexian Metamorph in artifacts for example.
Anyway, there hasn't been a single card that's gotten more than one vote as a "Sacred Cow"
Edit: This is not a thread about the cubetutor rankings but in the same fashion that 3-0 deck archives are invoked I may sometimes invoke data from that project when I find the results interesting. They were based 100 million + cubetutor picks as well as over 5,500 votes from this forum on ~1600 different cards so I enjoy referencing it as a baseline that may disagree with my own thoughts or biases.
FWIW the cards you referenced have pretty low ranks:
Waterfront Bouncer: Rank #728
Voice of Resurgence: Rank #517
War-Name Aspirant: Rank #1598
Duskwatch Recruiter: Rank #421
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc
Edit: Also want to state my agreement with wtwlf that cubetutor isn't a good metric for evaluating cards for your cube. My personal methodology is to analyze the card myself, then look to some of the opinions I value most and whose cube philosophies and construction are similar to my own, playtest, follow-up on others results, and finally see if the card has lasted in other's cubes (this last one is big, I can't tell you how many cards quietly slip out of favor and when you catch on to this trend for a card you have to take some time to reevaluate the card yourself). A few of the cards that slipped out of lists pretty quietly over the last year include: Waterfront Bouncer, Voice of Resurgence, War-Name Aspirant, and Duskwatch Recruiter.
I'm not taking it personally, I just want the following logic explained because to me it makes zero sense saying a card is outclassed by other cards that have completely different functionalities.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
I just don't see the value in this discussion at all. This only serves to bring attention to dissenting opinions on specific cards. One person explains why they think there are better options in a specific slot. Someone else explains why that card specifically serves a function they want or need in their cube. Then the first person just says, 'Oh cool, good for you guys, keep on cubing.' What was the point of this exchange? No one is convincing anyone of anything. There's no single card discussion happening debating the merits of a card.
Offering up an opinion when someone asks about a card's performance or how it compares to some other card is healthy discussion. Sometimes it's even healthy debate. Making a list of cards that people run and calling them "sacred cows" just seems like opening yourself up to a thread full of "well, actually..."
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There's nothing wrong with the nature of the thread, it is how people handle criticism that can lead to problems. Assuming the criticisms were constructive to begin with (constructive does not have to mean correct--I mean criticisms given in good faith and without phrasing that is condescending or sarcastic) there's no reason to be defensive or rude in response.
There are examples of the right way to respond and the wrong way within this very thread. I don't say this to call out anyone, but rather because it is demonstrative of my point.
Is that open to debate on different definitions, though? A sacred cow is something that people tend to hold in such high regard that any criticism of it tends to fall on deaf ears or get immediately brushed off. Just because you might think a card that sees play in a multitude of lists hasn't stood the test of time, doesn't mean it qualifies as a sacred cow. And certainly a popular card that's too powerful for your specific environment doesn't qualify.
It just seems to be more productive to discuss cards individually and ask in an SCD or a cube thread what the pay off for still running the card is than to just post a mostly arbitrary opinionated list that stands no chance of having a consensus agreement or even generating a meaningful discussion. It's much better to go into someone's cube list thread who seems to be having success with storm and ask them about the archetype in their list than to just add that archetype to a sacred cows thread and expect defenders of it to not be even mildly offended by the claim. Instead of getting a response from someone on the defensive, you're more likely to get a response from someone who's happy to offer information and help.
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
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This thread hasn't gone quite the way I hoped, but maybe I can help here!
First of all, here's some cool cards you aren't playing to consider:
Cards to Consider:
Here's a few cool cards you aren't playing, that you might want to consider.
I'm assuming you are unpowered, but budget could still be an issue for some of these:
As constructive suggestions have been requested in this case, I cross referenced your cube with my numerical rankings and found the odd cards out.
Here are the 40 lowest ranked cards in your cube (I excluded a few NAs for cards that just came out) :
Cards to possibly reconsider:
From my own personal preference, Warkite Marauder, Crystalline Crawler, Molten-Tail Masticore,Exalted Angel, Serendib Efreet, Kor Skyfisher and Tombstalker (how about Tasigur, the Golden Fang ?) stand out.
That being said, these cards could be great in your cube and it's all really personal preference :).
Thalia's Lancers MONO_WHITE CREATURE #N/A
Warkite Marauder MONO_BLUE CREATURE #N/A
Jadelight Ranger MONO_GREEN CREATURE #N/A
Vial Smasher the Fierce RAKDOS CREATURE #N/A
Crystalline Crawler COLOURLESS ARTIFACT_CREATURE #N/A
Yasova Dragonclaw MONO_GREEN CREATURE 1605
Molten-Tail Masticore COLOURLESS ARTIFACT_CREATURE 1595
Seal of Cleansing MONO_WHITE ENCHANTMENT 1506
Gnarled Scarhide MONO_BLACK ENCHANTMENT_CREATURE 1260
Kalonian Hydra MONO_GREEN CREATURE 1209
Catastrophe MONO_WHITE SORCERY 1173
Reality Smasher COLOURLESS CREATURE 1085
Exalted Angel MONO_WHITE CREATURE 1001
Flames of the Firebrand MONO_RED SORCERY 924
Tombstalker MONO_BLACK CREATURE 905
Hallowed Spiritkeeper MONO_WHITE CREATURE 857
Life // Death GOLGARI SORCERY 855
Thought-Knot Seer COLOURLESS CREATURE 832
Noose Constrictor MONO_GREEN CREATURE 826
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner MONO_BLUE CREATURE 802
Skymarcher Aspirant MONO_WHITE CREATURE 784
Collective Defiance MONO_RED SORCERY 770
Imposing Sovereign MONO_WHITE CREATURE 769
Serendib Efreet MONO_BLUE CREATURE 752
Carnophage MONO_BLACK CREATURE 750
Mirror Entity MONO_WHITE CREATURE 728
Jackal Pup MONO_RED CREATURE 713
Kor Skyfisher MONO_WHITE CREATURE 684
Spear of Heliod MONO_WHITE ENCHANTMENT_ARTIFACT 681
Asylum Visitor MONO_BLACK CREATURE 673
Bomat Courier MONO_RED ARTIFACT_CREATURE 663
Ancient Stone Idol COLOURLESS ARTIFACT_CREATURE 659
Leonin Warleader MONO_WHITE CREATURE 656
Xenagos, the Reveler GRUUL PLANESWALKER 652
Never // Return MONO_BLACK SORCERY 650
Gisela, the Broken Blade MONO_WHITE CREATURE 647
Pia Nalaar MONO_RED CREATURE 637
Anguished Unmaking ORZHOV INSTANT 623
Selvala's Stampede MONO_GREEN SORCERY 611
360 card powered Chicago cube:
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/e7r
2020 Numerical Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/817969-2020-numerical-cube-power-rankings
2018 CubeTutor Power Rankings:
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/cube-card-and-archetype/803301-cubetutor-power-rankings-2018-by-color-and-cmc