MTG Salvation

Adding: Solitude, Lose Focus, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Flametongue Yearling, Ignoble Hierarch, Abundant Harvest, Grist, the Hunger Tide, Damn.
Testing: Timeless Dragon, Prismatic Ending, Subtlety, Grief, Fury.
Maybe testing: Dauthi Voidwalker, Kaldra Compleat, Tourach, Dread Cantor.

What a crazy set!

These are my current prerelease rankings based on how long I think the cards will be in my 540 card powered Cube. I may modify the list after I've had a few days to fully digest the complete set. We aggressively test new cards & uncover some real gems because of this fact. I have concerns about the bottom few but overall this is one of the best sets ever for Cube.

Here are the *28* cards:

Ignoble Hierarch
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Grist, the Hunger Tide
Grief
Bone Shards
Solitude
Damn
Prismatic Ending
Subtlety
Lose Focus
Timeless Dragon
Flay Essence
Master of Death
Dauthi Voidwalker
Tourach, Dread Cantor
Silverbluff Bridge
Vile Entomber
Fury
Tireless Provisioner
Flametongue Yearling
Svyelun of Sea and Sky
Cabal Initiate
Archon of Cruelty
Esper Sentinel
Geyadrone Dihada
Rakdos Headliner
Foundation Breaker
Barbed Spike

My Cube: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/kingneb

As MH1, this set shakes all cubes a lot. I am running a 540 Powered list and I am finding quite difficult to decide what to take out for the cards from this set. Nevertheless, I'll have to decide soon.

I'll list the cards in the order I believe they will resist the test of time in my cube.

1. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer - extended art
2. Ignoble Hierarch - retro art
3. Grist, the Hunger Tide - extended art
4. Damn - retro art
5. Urza's Saga - sketch art
6. Tourach, Dread Cantor - retro art
7. Abundant Harvest - Mystical Archive art
8. Solitude - extended art
9. Grief - extended art
10. Fury - extended art
11. Timeless Dragon - retro art


That counts for 2 white, 2 black, 0 blue, 2 red, 2 green (yes, I play Noble Hierarch and Ignoble Hierarch in a green spot since they will always make any green deck and do not push people in the direction of the shards colors), 1 Orzhov, 1 Golgari, 1 Land.
I'm glad to not add any blue cards to the already over-filled blue slots. I am looking at Lose Focus but I'd rather play other counterspells for now (Memory lapse mystical archive art is dope and it works greatly in tempo decks and Arcane Denial is a beast with draw denial strategies).

A decent sized update for my powered cube. It's funny, since the pandemic, I haven't actually played my cube in over a year. All these changes are theoretical in my head swaps. My goal is to reduce seeing the same cards perpetually never making the maindeck.

Urza's Saga - Gemstone Mine
Ignoble Hierarch - Arbor Elf
Grief - Abyssal Persecutor
Flametongue Yearling - Torch Fiend
Grist, the Hunger Tide - Loleth Troll
Ragavan - Falkenrath Gorger
Damn - Snuff Out
Dauthi Voidwalker - Flesh Carver
Archon of Cruelty - Sheoldred
Fury - Sin Prodder?

Portal Hole? - Faith's Fetters

I'm testing:

Esper Sentinel
Solitude
Timeless Dragon
Damn (As a white card)
Hard Evidence
Subtlety
Lose Focus
Dress Down
Dauthi Voidwalker
Grief
Archon of Cruelty
Bone Shards
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Flametongue Yearling
Breya's Apprentice
Fury
Ignoble Hierarch
Endurance
Foundation Breaker
Master of Death
Priest of Fell Rites
Grist, the Hunger Tide
Liquimetal Torque
Ornithopter of Paradise
Urza's Saga

Set is amazing! Reinvigorated my interest in cube. Can't wait to get the old playgroup together and fling cardboard.
These are the cards I'm testing ranked by % that the card will survive my cube for 1-2 years+

100%
Ignoble Hierarch
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Grist, The Hunger Tide
Solitude
Grief
Damn
Lose Focus
Urza's Saga

90%+
Fury
Dauthi, Voidwalker
Flametongue Yearling

75%+
Subtlety

25%-50%
Profane tutor
Prismatic Ending
Bone Shards
Persist

10-25%
Archon of Cruelty
Timeless Dragon
Abundant Harvest

10-%
Timeless Witness
Liquimetal Torque
Kalda Compleat

In case I ever refer back to see what I was interested in at the end of this spoiler season.



Flame Blitz is the secret coolest card of the set.

Interesting list Mergatroid - I didn't know Goblin Anarchomancer was even a card! If I were to move Storm into RUG, which this set seems to be pushing as a possibility, I think it could be reasonably good. It helps that the card works on any R or G spell - could help just any old RG ramp deck on the side. I've been thinking of making some changes in my Gruul section ... I think I'll give it a test!

I'm eager for some testing reports! What's been good? Any stories to share?
I'm hosting an event on 6/20 and want to know what to waste my money on.

People always talk about cubeable combat tricks, solitude is a great one, the flash and life link 3/2 body are great, it got evoked about as much as it got hardcast in my blue/white control deck today. Gained a bunch of life over the course of the night, which is never a bad thing for a removal spell.
Fury just feels like a better flame tongue Kavu, it was played in a gruul midrange deck today and while it’s evoke really helped the aggro matchup, the hardcast put pressure on my control deck at least.

Grist unfortunately didn’t get played
Grief was important both in protecting combo pieces as well as just evoking on a power turn to make sure the real threat didn’t get countered.

Happy with what I’ve pulled so far and added to the cube, can’t wait for all stars like damn and ragavan.

My post in comment 15 had some early feedback.

I love aggressively testing new cards and it has been a blast with this set.

Gonna be awhile before I have testing feedback. Bought a set box because this is supposed to be one of the best value sets and I figured I can pull much of what I need and then sell/trade to get most of the rest - don't think that's going to happen with this box. No fetches and none of the Evoke cycle. It wasn't a complete bust by any means. One pack actually made up about 1/2 of the value of the whole box containing a Sword of Hearth and Home, Old style Damn, and a Foil Ignoble Hierarch. Also pulled Archon of Cruelty, a Foil Lose Focus, and a sketch Abundant Harvest. Also pulled Cabal Coffers which was neat.

My additions and cuts from this set are discussed here.

Man, what an f'n great set for cube! Expensive, though. Sheesh!

Here's where I'm at for my 565.

Prismatic Ending --> Winds of Abandon
Solitude --> Gideon Blackblade
Lose Focus --> Condescend
Subtlety --> Jace, Mirror Mage
Cabal Initiate --> Heir of Falkenrath
Dauthi Voidwaker --> Zulaport Cutthroat
Grief --> Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Archon of Cruelty --> Tombstalker
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer --> Stromkirk Noble
Flametongue Yearling --> Abbot of Keral Keep
Fury --> Arc Lightning
Foundation Breaker --> Acidic Slime
Timeless Witness --> Den Protector
Abundant Harvest --> Cultivate
Grist, the Hunger Tide --> Vraska, Golgari Queen
Ignoble Hierarch --> Hellkite Overlord
Liquimetal Torque --> Ratchet Bomb
Kaldra Compleat --> Black Vise
Urza's Saga --> Shadow Spear

And my 720 add-on (which includes storm, combo support, Un cards and Conspiracies)

Timeless Dragon --> Fumigate
Tourach, Dread Cantor --> Callous Bloodmage
Unmarked Grave --> Go for the Throat
Master of Death --> Psychatog
Damn --> Desolation Angel

And finally my peasant cube.

Barbed Spike --> Fearless Fledgling
Lose Focus --> Condescend
Archfiend of Sorrows --> Goremand
Legion Vanguard --> Bloodthrone Vampire
Blazing Rootwalla --> Lightning Mauler
Dragon Rage Channeler --> Goblin Banneret
Flametongue Yearling --> Bloodrage Brawler
Scurry Oak --> Imperious Perfect
Tireless Provisioner --> Iwamori of the Open Fist
Abundant Harvest --> Search for Tomorrow
Ornithopter of Paradise --> Guardian Idol

RIP my wallet.

Picked up everything except Ragavan....not paying $70.00+ for a red 1 drop - even arguably the best one ever printed. Might not be the greatest thing to wish for, but if Ragavan got hit with a banhammer, that'd be fine by me.