MTG Salvation

This thread is to list spoiled cards from THB that you are either including for sure or you are testing/watching. This is also a thread for posting early testing results. Please include the size of your cube, if it is powered/unpowered, and any other considerations that might impact your choices (e.g. you run multiple fetches, commander cube, etc.). As always you can post your list and update as the spoiler is completed or just post when it is done.

In
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is rather narrow outside of a dedicated artifact shell. I think this Ashiok variant is a better fit for more decks. Spamming 2/3 tokens, bounce plus exile discard, and an ultimate that free-casts your opponent cube spells...yes please.

Testing
Heliod, Sun-Crowned- Looks like it a good potential replacement for Mirror Entity, Hallowed Spiritkeeper, or perhaps even Recruiter of the Guard (which hasn't blown me away). 5 Devotion in white shouldn't be too hard to come by and the combo with Walking Ballista is powerful but not overpowered.
Nadir Kraken - The blue 3CC creature slot is definitely an area that could use improvement and this goes big and wide simultaneously and really lends itself to control strategies, counter/draw, opposition, and more. Paying 1 for a permanent +1/+1 pump and a 1/1 token is a steal. Being able to do it repeatedly is even better. Time to cut Serendib Efreet.
Woe Strider - This guy does so many different things. Two bodies, free sac outlet, recursion, comes back larger. Black three drops have gotten better but I still think I could find a cut for this if it tests well enough.
Ash Phoenix - This is probably the best Phoenix variant we have gotten since Rekindling Phoenix. It is definitely an upgrade over Chandra's Phoenix. The pump + recursion and haste is a potent combination that can add up to a lot of damage over the course of a game.

Watching
Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - I'm happy to see blink get more support but a lot of blue decks don't have a heavy board presence so I'm not sure how relevant the devotion-creature clause will be here. Also 4 mana to tap a creature is alot. I think there will be some two-color decks that will run creatures who really take advantage of her ability on turn 5, but most two color decks will struggle even more to get the devotion trigger.
Storm's Wrath - I think this card would have a lot more mileage in my cube if I supported Wildfire.dec or a big red deck but the identity of red in my cube is more burn/aggro-centric. If this hit non-red walkers I'd be much more interested.
The First Iroan Games - This card is awesome value for 3 mana. One 1/1 body, 3 +1/+1 counters and draw two cards (and gold)? There's a lot of hoop jumping, but each saga enables the next hoop and it is important to remember this card won't be played in a vacuum. Often it will be turning your two drop into a 5 power threat and then giving you a free divination...IN GREEN. A wrath hoses this card awfully hard though and a gold for the final phase of the sage is a flavor win but a cube fail. Ultimately I just don't see this being consistent enough.
Klothys, God of Destiny - I've heard this card compared to Sulfuric Vortex but Vortex this is not. The ability you get is dependant upon what is available to exile and losing the players can't gain life clause drastically reduces how effective the ability is. Also by the time you get the devotion on this guy his 4/5 body may not be so imposing, indestructible or not.

Still lots of set yet to be revealed, but it is looking like this will be a lighter set for cube then the past three (WAR, MH1, and ELD). I'm totally okay with this as I'm still trying to pick up certain ELD staples. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates the breather for the wallet.

So far it's Thassa, Woe Strider, Nadir Kraken, and Ash Phoenix. Of the bunch I can see Woe Strider and Ash Phoenix sticking around longest.

There's still 100 cards to go, so things could certainly get better next week, but right now, this set's not looking too impressive for cube. Don't get me wrong. I think this set looks like a welcome relief from the last standard we had and I can't wait to dive into a new limited format. For cube, though, I'm on actual nothing I want to include in my 555 powered list. The Kraken and Elspeth are both interesting, and might make the cut in my low power list, but unless they're sleepers that turn out to be super underestimated, they probably won't make the leap over to my powered cube. Chainweb Aracnir looks pretty sweet for peasant cubes, but I think that's the only card I've read so far that I've immediately thought about including in a cube.

I agree with calibretto. As it stands, nothing is going in my 465 powered list. I'm watching Elspeth, Storm's Wrath, and the Phoenix. I wish Purphoros could make it because another Sneak Attack would be welcome but it just doesn't get there. Hopefully, there's a pleasant surprise lurking in the unspoiled cards.

Cheers,
rant

Sadly nothing overly interesting so far. I would like to test Nadir Kraken and Dryad of Ilysian Grove.

Considering some things, but not 100% sold on most of it:

White:
Blade Splicer -> Heliod, Sun Crowned

Black:
Flesh Carver -> Woe Strider

Red:
Hanweir Garrison -> Ash Phoenix
Burning of Xinye -> Storm's Wrath

Green:
Yavimaya Elder(???) -> Dryad of Ilysian Grove

Multicolor:
Edric, Spymaster of Trest -> Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath

I'm also considering Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis and might also take Nadir Kraken for a spin, but am unexcited about any potential cuts for them.

For my 425 mostly peasant (the big cube is not currently under construction, and maybe I should stop calling the little one mostly peasant, as it's really just another b-lister now.)

Cards I'll add (if and as I get them):

Ajani's Chosen -> Archon of Sun's Grace
Sunhome Stalwart -> Eidolon of Obstruction
Queen's Commission -> Omen of the Sun
Bazaar Trademage (bad results) -> Nadir Kraken
Impulse -> Omen of the Sea
Thieving Magpie -> Shimmerwing Chimera
Master of Predicaments -> Thryx, the Sudden Storm (this is a placeholder slot anyway)
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp -> Serpent of Yawning Depths (this might be an unfun card, and I'll probably not get one, since it isn't in the base set)
Piper of the Swarm -> Aphemia, the Cacophony
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty -> Erebos's Intervention or maybe Elspeth's Nightmare
Catacomb Dragon -> Gravebreaker Lamia
Undertaker (sad) -> Mire Triton (allowing below)
Gorging Vulture -> Woe Strider (which allows Viscera Seer -> Pilfering Imp)
Orcish Cannoneers -> Anax, Hardened in the Forge
Skewer the Critics -> Omen of the Forge
Nylea's Emissary -> Arasta of the Endless Web
Champion of Rhonas -> Renata, Called to the Hunt
Slaughterhorn -> Setessan Champion
Flaxen Intruder -> Chainweb Aracnir
Lovestruck Beast -> Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
Roar of the Wurm -> The First Iroan Games
Garruk's Horde -> Treeshaker Chimera
Hedron Archive -> Nyx Lotus
Key to the City -> Soul-Guide Lantern (maybe)
Coiling Oracle -> Enigmatic Incarnation (just to try it)

Most of the mythics are too much for my power level, but these I would test if I opened them:
Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis
Kiora Bests the Sea God
Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
Ox of Agonas
Nylea, Keen-Eyed
Calix, Destiny's Hand


Edit: More spoilers have come since then--
Leafcrown Dryad -> Destiny Spinner
Divest -> Agonizing Remorse
Miraculous Recovery -> Elspeth Conquers Death

Quote from Cythare »

Flesh Carver -> Woe Strider

You may be on to something. My worry is that escape might not matter. I might test alongside if this is cheap.

The phoenix is definitely playable in small cubes if yoi have a graveyard theme for Red. Flashback spells, Unearth creatures, discard outlets like Firestorm. Mine went the token direction (Rabblemasters, Purphoros) so right now this is not a good fit.

Same with the Red Wrath Storm’s Wrath. Control is not in red usually except for Wildfire builds, which this can act as a fourth Wildfire. Therefore probably not in my 450 but in 540 or more.


So all in all no update for me also. I kind of expected given Constellation and Devotion themes, which are too linear for cube. Would like to have Escape, but naturally it was safely powered for gameplay purposes.

In
Seeker of the Way -> Eidolon of Obstruction
Crystal Shard -> Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
Gifted Aetherborn -> Mire Triton

Testing
Shrine of Burning Rage -> Anax, Hardened in the Forge: I may end up replacing Shrine with Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin instead.

Watching
Heliod, Sun-Crowned: I would need to shift around a few cards to include this, but I could see eventually adding it.

Only two cards I'm really interested in.
Will test Nadir Kraken and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove

Also going to change to the new Nyx basics!

Well, full spoiler is up and this is probably one of the more disappointing sets from a cube standpoint. Unfortunately, the enchantment and devotion synergies just don't line up with what typical cubes are trying to support. With that said, though, there are certainly some interesting and unique cards that probably deserve at least some testing even if there are no slam dunk 360 staples.

I have about as many additions to my cube from this set as I typically do from a new set. Though, I do feel slightly disappointed because the original Theros gave us Purphoros, God of the Forge and Gray Merchant of Asphodel -- 2 cards that completely changed the identity of their colors in my cube. None of the additions from this set look like they'll have as big of an impact. I guess what I was really hoping from this set was another devotion pay-off in black, but nothing really delivered on that. A 2/1 for B with escape or could recur if your devotion to black was high enough would have been awesome. Still, Thassa looks like a nice addition for me. And although I'm not adding Heliod, at least not immediately, Heliod does look nice for cubes that want to include him.

Looks like my one addition will be Shatter the Sky. I'll probably cut Gideon of the Trials for it.

Cheers,
rant

I can see how smaller Cubes got almost nothing out of this set, but 720 is happy with the haul.


Here are my changes:


White
+Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis
+Shatter the Sky
-Timely Reinforcements
-Conclave Tribunal

Blue
+Nadir Kraken
+Thassa’s Intervention
-Flash
-Disallow

Black
+Nightmare Shepherd
-Night’s Whisper

Red
+Irreverent Revelers
+Phoenix of Ash
+Purphoros’s Intervention
+Storm’s Wrath
-Robber of the Rich
-Manic Vandal
-Seasoned Pyromancer
-Glorybringer

Green
+Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
-Manglehorn

All the cards I plan to test and the likelyhood that they will stick for a year +.

90%+
Heliod, Sun Crowned
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
Pheonix of Ash

50-75%
Uro, Titan's of nature wrath
Agonizing Remorse

25-50%
Purphoros' Intervention
Nadir Kraken
Thassa's Intervention

10-25%
Shadowspear

10%-
Thassa, Deep Dwelling
Elspeth's Sun nemesis

Watch list:
Tarnika, Akroan Veteran
Woe Strider
Storm's Wrath
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse
Nightmare Shepard
Erebos' Intervention
Klothys, God of destiny
Kiora bests the sea god
Mire Triton
The first iroan games
Bronzehide Lion

I am pretty sure I will go with and test:
Eidolon of Obstruction
Shatter the Sky
Woe Strider
Irreverent Revelers
Storm's Wrath
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove

Watchlist:
Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Nightmare Shepherd
Phoenix of Ash
Labyrinth of Skophos

Close misses:
The Birth of Meletis
Nadir Kraken
Tectonic Giant
Arasta of the Endless Web
Shadowspear

No slam dunks for me.

Testing:

WHITE - Eidolon of Obstruction, Heliod, Sun-Crowned (I want more combo enablers that aren't broken, and he's interesting with persist guys + sac outlets for non-infinite value combos, and of course walking ballista)

RED - Phoenix of Ash (I may keep this just so all the red 3's aren't army in a can guys, although I think it's probably worse), Storm's Wrath (this probably won't be good enough, but I like that it gives red some chance against multiple walkers and lets UR controlling decks have an efficient wrath)

MC - Polukranos, Unchained (may finally kill lotleth troll, a pet card of mine)

WATCHING - Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, Woe Strider

I finished my top 20 article for this set, here:

https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/articles-podcasts-and-guides/815990-set-p-review-my-top-20-theros-beyond-death-cards

set has been pretty bad overall. I think ashcloud phoenix is the only card that has a real chance at staying in the cube for any length of time.

I think Shatter the Sky is a solid Wrath variant and I'm happy to keep cubing it. The best part is it allowed me to free up space in Azorius by cutting Supreme Verdict without a net loss of sweepers.

Cheers,
rant

From THB I still have the following:

Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Solid generic Dimir walker option. Gives U/B a strong control oriented walker that isn't reliant on the artifact archetype.
Phoenix of Ash - Everything we ever wanted from Chandra's Phoenix.
Shatter the Sky - Mono-color 4 CC wrath allowed me to free up an Azorious slot by taking out Supreme Verdict.
Woe Strider - Does a little bit of everything. Fantastic sac outlet.

I think Uro, Heliod, and Thassa are worthy of inclusion in many lists as well though they are currently outside of mine.

We have Shatter the Sky and Woe Strider in, and will be testing out Shadowspear and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath.

THB foils were so cheap that I was able to actually buy every single foil on my add list on the first go. That was pretty sweet. Unfortunately for me, I tend to put off ordering my cube updates until the foils are available on TCG Direct, and that was about a month or so ago. We've not gotten to cube with the new cards really at all due to the current shelter in place predicament.

Uro has enough buzz around it now, that I'm probably gonna try to pick one up. Other than that, I opened the new Elspeth at prerelease, so we got a couple cubes in with her and she was ultimately fine. Not quite a staple, but we weren't unhappy with her. Buying back a planeswalker turns out to be pretty good.