Artifact
, Remove a component counter from Component Pouch: Add two mana of different colors.
: Roll a d20.
1-9: Put a component counter on Component Pouch.
10-20: Put two component counters on Component Pouch.
45% Chance of 1 counter, 55% chance of 2 counters. Essentially ETBs tapped, but next turn always taps for 2 colored mana of your choice, and can always bank more counters on off turns or off untaps with Ral Zarek/Tezzeret the Seeker/Kiora's Follower. Compares pretty favorably to Worn Powerstone imo, and our playgroup is already excited for the swap. We were also really hoping for a good dice-rolling card, and this fits that bill too. Any other thoughts on this card?
This looks a lot worse than Worn Powerstone to me, since I can only reliably use it half as often. Am I missing something?
It's easier to recharge than Basalt Monolith at least. Overall, I think this is pretty decent. Generally worse than Coalition Relic / Worn Powerstone, but it's arguably better than Basalt Monolith. I like it more than Skyclave Relic.
This makes colored mana, so you can actually play it in midrange and control decks as a worse Coalition Relic, unlike Powerstone. In ramp you still aren't usually using all your mana every turn, so I think you'll have plenty of time to charge up your Pouch, and you still get the benefit from the fixing that Powerstone can't provide. Not a lock for a swap, but can't wait to at least try rolling some dice.
But in all seriousness, 3 mana to add 2 mana isn't that bad of a deal - but this charging really puts me off.
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Seems pretty solid to me.
Making colored mana is a big deal over powerstone. Probably doesn't fully make up for it being usable inconsistently, but it's close depending on the cube.
Component Pouch
Artifact
, Remove a component counter from Component Pouch: Add two mana of different colors.
: Roll a d20.
1-9: Put a component counter on Component Pouch.
10-20: Put two component counters on Component Pouch.
45% Chance of 1 counter, 55% chance of 2 counters. Essentially ETBs tapped, but next turn always taps for 2 colored mana of your choice, and can always bank more counters on off turns or off untaps with Ral Zarek/Tezzeret the Seeker/Kiora's Follower. Compares pretty favorably to Worn Powerstone imo, and our playgroup is already excited for the swap. We were also really hoping for a good dice-rolling card, and this fits that bill too. Any other thoughts on this card?
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!
It's easier to recharge than Basalt Monolith at least. Overall, I think this is pretty decent. Generally worse than Coalition Relic / Worn Powerstone, but it's arguably better than Basalt Monolith. I like it more than Skyclave Relic.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
But in all seriousness, 3 mana to add 2 mana isn't that bad of a deal - but this charging really puts me off.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
Making colored mana is a big deal over powerstone. Probably doesn't fully make up for it being usable inconsistently, but it's close depending on the cube.
Last Updated 02/07/24
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