It just came to my attention that no one has officially gutted your list yet.
I'm going to take on that responsibility.
My goal is to bring your attention to cards that you're running that are outclassed by other cards. I'm trying to omit cards that are playable that could be considered pet cards. I'll try not to suggest pricey cards (although I suggest you start running proxies).
Some of the suggestions are more in the 540+ range... I just wanted to give you options, and to show you some of the awesome cards you could be running instead of what you are.
I know that you say "Given the choice between a really powerful but boring card, and a slightly less powerful, but much more interesting and "interactive" card, I will always choose the latter," I implore you to reconsider. Just look at your white section. If someone built a white weenie deck, it would be full of "interesting" creatures that might bring their opponent down to 10 life before they are steamrolled. There is nothing wrong with playing with the best cards and leaving a little wiggle room for interesting cards.
WW
needs to be less focused on cute interactions with creatures, and more focused on beefier creatures.
...Given the choice between a really powerful but boring card, and a slightly less powerful, but much more interesting and "interactive" card, I will always choose the latter...
I can see where you're coming from, and used to be very much of the same mind. I also run a fair number of cards I and my fellows find interesting.
Once I added the "boring" cards, however, I found they could still make for interesting decks, and also interesting matches. An aggro deck is often composed of many boring cards, but creates an interesting tension when you have to get your control opponent dead before he stabilises. Similarly the more controlling or combo decks become more fun when they have to race against the aggro player to take control of the game.
The other "boring" group of cards that add to the expense of building the cube are the fixing lands, but they do allow you to have more fun by casting your exciting spells in time.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Wow, thanks for all the comments my peoples! Responses below.
@rantipole: Neither wtwlf nor eidolon are running Reflecting Pool at 450, so I don't feel too weird for cutting it. As others have said, it only helps you "fix" in cases where you need two+ mana of one type. That hasn't been much of an issue, since I'm not sure you want to run Soltari Priest and Dauthi Slayer in the same deck, anyhow.
@eidolon: I don't like the variance on Reckless Waif. The Obelisk is slow but has the potential to take over games. If it ends up in too many sideboards, I'll certainly cut it. As you implied, I am testing Raven's Crime as a first turn reanimation enabler.
@wtwlf: I like Blaze effects less and less in cube. In red's best deck something like RSZ will often top out as a four mana bolt at sorcery speed. I think Smash to Smithereens and Zo-Zu will apply much more pressure within the overall aggro game plan, but we'll have to see how they perform.
@duckpants: Thanks a bunch for your lengthy suggestions! A handful of the cards you suggested are already on my list, but I'll double check to make sure the OP reflects that. I'm working to acquire many of the cards you listed through trades and incremental purchases. One $5 card is no big deal, but when you start talking about getting ten $5-$10 card in each color, it really starts to add up. My playgroup and I are not fans of proxies. The only ones we've considered running are for the ABU duals, in which case it would be a sort of creative outlet, too.
In addition, we don't run functional reprints as we feel that they detract a little from the highlander spirit of cube. So that's why our list doesn't include a Savannah Lions, Mistral Charger, etc. (I would swap out Elite Vanguard for the lions in a hearbeat if I could get my hands on a beta copy!)
Some comments on a couple of the cards you mentioned...
1. eidolon has had success with Nearheath Pilgrim, so I want to try him out.
2. Griselbrand and Massacre Wurm are in as reanimation targets, and Raven's Crime as a reanimation enabler.
3. Damnation is a $25 card.
4. Thoughtseize is a $35 card.
5. Fervent Cathar is great at pushing through damage the turn he comes down. I'm not sure I prefer Hell's Thunder to him in the three drop slot.
6. I want to try out Burn at the Stake as a curve topper in aggro. If it doesn't seem to work, I'll cut it.
7. How come Fireslinger is run more than Cunning Sparkmage? Sparkmage is active the same turn as the 'slinger and doesn't ping you when it pings.
8. I'm trying to even out my guild section to four fixers/four spells per, but it's a work in progress as I try to acquire fetches and shocklands through trades.
Comments on a couple of cards that are coming up repeatedly:
Crib Swap: I think this card is very underrated. Temporal Isolation doesn't handle creatures with activated abilities, and there are corner cases where it'll create a wall for your Soltari dude. Neither that nor Scepter of Dominance, Prison Term, Arrest, etc. handle creatures with triggered abilities -- highly relevant with Braids, Sheoldred, Bloodgift Demon, and any number of other creatures in the cube; those three also come into play at sorcery speed, which can be relevant. The fact that Swap exiles can also be quite relevant, and I don't see the vanilla 1/1 as a big issue. (If you're going to lose because the opponent now has a vanilla 1/1 instead of their best creature, you were going to lose regardless.) But if you guys can suggest another 2-3 mana white instant that eliminates problem creatures so handily, I would be happy to hear about it. For the time being, I intend to cut Pacifism and Rebuke before this card.
Keldon Vandals: I cut this card because with the addition of Smash to Smithereens I felt that I was going a little overboard with artifact hate in red. My list is unpowered and currently lacks Jitte, four of the five Swords, Batterskull, and Wurmcoil Engine, so I don't feel that I need so much artifact destruction for the time being. I also don't like echo on creatures without haste. I think the extra 2R you're theoretically spending during your next upkeep prevents the Vandals from being a "cheap two for one." Its 1 toughness means it dies to 1/3 of an Arc Lighting, 1/2 of a Forked Bolt, pingers, etc. It also dies without trading in combat against all of white's first/double strikers, and trades with 1/4 of a Lingering Souls, a Crib Swap token, etc. I definitely don't think it's categorically superior to Oxidda Scrapmelter in unpowered lists, and I'm surprised Oxidda isn't run more often. With all that said, I'll add it back in instead of Relentless Assault for the time being.
Final notes: Are we allowed to talk about where to buy cards on MTGS, or no?
And a question that is hopefully thought-provoking instead of braindead: In a cube with only three fetches, no Vampiric Tutor, no Enlightened Tutor, no Imperial Seal, etc... in other words, in a cube without many shuffling effects, mightn't Serum Visions be better than Brainstorm?
Valid point about the Vandals. Even in an unpowered cube with all the Swords and Jitte, I think costing 1 less is important and the four power is really scary even though the one toughness and the echo sucks. Without all those high value targets, the need for artifact destruction goes down a lot, and maybe you really don't need as many artifact destruction spells as other cubes.
I dislike the drawback on Crib Swap because it costs three mana, I'd probably put up with that if it were cheaper (well, probably not). Sure you don't stop abilities with the other cards I mentioned, but I think giving them a creature is bad in most decks (in aggro you want to clear the way so you can attack, in control you want to stop the beatdown). But maybe this is again the lack of high quality equipment? I don't know, and if it works for you just keep it
7. How come Fireslinger is run more than Cunning Sparkmage? Sparkmage is active the same turn as the 'slinger and doesn't ping you when it pings.
Mana cost. Fireslinger comes down a turn earlier so your turn 3 can be spent on something that will bring pressure more quickly. Sure, sparkmage starts pinging on the same turn, but he only enables your 1-2cc dudes to get through while hosing your 3cc drop.
Final notes: Are we allowed to talk about where to buy cards on MTGS, or no?
I think so. There isn't anything in the forum rules forbidding it. I usually compare prices from strikezone, starcity, and the sales thread on MOTL. Alternatively, I am selling my cube and going all proxy, so you could chat with me.
And a question that is hopefully thought-provoking instead of braindead: In a cube with only three fetches, no Vampiric Tutor, no Enlightened Tutor, no Imperial Seal, etc... in other words, in a cube without many shuffling effects, mightn't Serum Visions be better than Brainstorm?
No. It isn't fetches that make brainstorm bonkers, it's the fact that you take the worst 2 cards from your hand and what you already drew and put them back on top. It helps out cards like Scroll Rack, Primeval Titan, and other cards that need certain cards to be in your deck... not to mention I've been hosed more than a few times by thoughtseizeing or duressing and having them respond with a brainstorm. ouch.
Yeah, only cutting Terramorphic because of my no functional reprints rule.
I dislike the drawback on Crib Swap because it costs three mana, I'd probably put up with that if it were cheaper (well, probably not). Sure you don't stop abilities with the other cards I mentioned, but I think giving them a creature is bad in most decks (in aggro you want to clear the way so you can attack, in control you want to stop the beatdown).
Here's a little more on my thinking: I want three to four single target removal spells in white. Naturally, two go to Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile, which I haven't acquired yet. The question is what 1-2 cards should fill the other slots. I think Condemn is pretty good since it costs W and there aren't too many creatures that neither attack nor block, but obviously waiting around til that (maybe) happens is annoying. I think Crib Swap is probably worst against aggro, since replacing their Mistral Charger or whatever with a 1/1 is very underwhelming for 2W; then again the same thing is true for more straightforwardly great removal like Doom Blade, too. But I think Swap can be quite good for aggro or control. Aggro can turn a burly mid-range creature like Chameleon Colossus or Vorapede into a puny 1/1. Sure, it's technically still a blocker, but it's no longer a threat; it's a chump. It won't even trade with your Isamaru or whatever. Control can do the same against mid-range, or turn aggro's curve topper -- e.g. Blistering Firecat or Hero of Bladehold -- into a harmless baby.
Swords, Path and Journey are three already. Condemn is a defensive card because it only hits attackers, but it is a good defensive card. I prefer Temporal Isolation or Pacifism as the fourth card, because it gets rid of blockers as well. But yea, if you test Crib Swap you can try to keep track how often Temporal Isolation would have been better.
Lol, forgot Journey. And clearly I haven't read Condemn in a little while. Pacifism prevents blocking, but not at instant speed like Temporal Isolation.
@duckpants:
Fireslinger comes down a turn earlier so your turn 3 can be spent on something that will bring pressure more quickly. Sure, sparkmage starts pinging on the same turn, but he only enables your 1-2cc dudes to get through while hosing your 3cc drop.
I think this is true in theory, but I'm not sure it's true in practice. For instance, wtwlf runs the following red drops in the three slot.
I would say only the phoenix is a truly aggro card, since the 'cat only makes the three slot as a morph. Also the sparkmage has an intangible surprise factor associated with him, since people will seldom play a one-toughness guy when a 'slinger is already on the board.
I think Sleep compares unfavorably to Frost Breath since it costs U extra and is, crucially, a sorcery. Azure Mage doesn't do much early game given blue's normal game plan, and by late game I have more powerful spells to cast. Think Twice simply doesn't shine in a limited format when compared to Ponder, Preordain, etc.
I know I'm still running some marginal cards in blue, but some will have to stay in for the time being since many blue cube staples are rather expensive.
Replacing Rampant Growth with Farseek in anticipation of new shocklands. I feel like we have plenty of ramp now, so replacing Fertile Ground with Nantuko Vigilante.
P.S. I really don't like Sword of Vengeance. Its casting and equip costs make it unwieldy in aggro decks. I want to replace it with another equipment but can't afford any more Swords of X + Y, Jitte, etc. Would you replace SoV with Silvok Lifestaff, Infiltration Lens, or Blazing Torch? (These are simply cheap to cast/equip equipment I have lying around.)
Thank you as always for your suggestions!
Edit: Just realized the addition of Mortify put me over eight cards in my Orzhov section. I'm loath to leave one vivid land in, so I'll run with 449 'til I get a new multicolor card in a guild that isn't yet filled. Cutting Unburial Rites because it's slow.
We decided to cut Oxidda Scrapmelter in lieu of Fervent Cathar or Archwing Dragon, because we felt that we're running more than enough artifact hate in red for the time being -- especially considering that we still lack many of the most powerful artifacts in cube. Also made the following changes recently:
Viashino Slaughtermaster ---> Steam Vents. My first instinct was to cut a tri-land, but I want to be conservative about cutting fixing until I pick up more shocks and fetches. I don't see a viable Jund aggro deck in our cube and our equipment situation isn't that great, making VS look pretty mediocre.
Mortarpod --->Jinxed Choker. Going to give this "colorless Sulfuric Vortex" a chance after reading some good reviews.
Boomerang ---> Withdraw. This is another card that nobody seems to run around here except in pauper lists, but I've heard some good things. The BCS on Boom is great, obviously, but so is Withdraw's -- and I think Withdraw will be better on average.
Hey eidolon, I agree that Mutilate is quite sub-optimal as far as sweepers go, and I'm going to get a BSZ as soon as I can. My OP list was pretty out-of-date, e.g. I'm no longer running Royal Assassin; I've just updated it so it matches exactly with what I'm currently running. I cracked a box of RTR with some friends yesterday and added:
Hey guys, black hasn't been so hot lately, and I was thinking of adding in a Mind Twist my friend has. It's a dangerous card, but I'm wondering if you guys think we should "unban" it. Note that we're unpowered and also don't play Sol Ring. We are also thinking of cutting Mana Vault as we add MT, in order to avoid the most broken early game potential with the card.
It's still way too broken even without fast mana and it's not going to make black better since due to the casting cost any deck can just take it and easily splash it. I think there are other ways you can make black better besides adding Mind Twist.
I forgot to comment on the white removal spells. I already don't like Condemn much, but I can see that if you don't want to spend the money on a Path to Exile it is probably OK. Rebuke and Crib Swap just seem bad, though. What about Temporal Isolation, Scepter of Dominance or Prison Term?
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
I don't cube Red Sun's Zenith in my 450, but I like it more than Smash to Smithereens and Zo-Zu the Punisher.
Similarly, I don't run Reflecting Pool, but I'd play it over Obelisk of Alara.
The rest of the update looks pretty good.
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I'm going to take on that responsibility.
My goal is to bring your attention to cards that you're running that are outclassed by other cards. I'm trying to omit cards that are playable that could be considered pet cards. I'll try not to suggest pricey cards (although I suggest you start running proxies).
Some of the suggestions are more in the 540+ range... I just wanted to give you options, and to show you some of the awesome cards you could be running instead of what you are.
I know that you say "Given the choice between a really powerful but boring card, and a slightly less powerful, but much more interesting and "interactive" card, I will always choose the latter," I implore you to reconsider. Just look at your white section. If someone built a white weenie deck, it would be full of "interesting" creatures that might bring their opponent down to 10 life before they are steamrolled. There is nothing wrong with playing with the best cards and leaving a little wiggle room for interesting cards.
WW
needs to be less focused on cute interactions with creatures, and more focused on beefier creatures.
Cut:
Add:
UU
Get rid of the 'tap target creature' spells and replace them with stuff that will actually help with the game (instead of fog for a turn or 2)
Cut:
Add:
BB
just a little fluff that needs to be replaced with more solid performers
Cut:
Add:
RR
Same as BB... just stuff that is outclassed.
Cut:
Add:
GG
More green aggro guys. More efficient creatures > more green spells
Cut:
Add:
XX
Too many randoms. There are soo many good artifacts you're not running!
Cut:
Add:
WUBRG
make them all consistent... 4 fixers, 4 non-fixers
Cut:
Add:
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I can see where you're coming from, and used to be very much of the same mind. I also run a fair number of cards I and my fellows find interesting.
Once I added the "boring" cards, however, I found they could still make for interesting decks, and also interesting matches. An aggro deck is often composed of many boring cards, but creates an interesting tension when you have to get your control opponent dead before he stabilises. Similarly the more controlling or combo decks become more fun when they have to race against the aggro player to take control of the game.
The other "boring" group of cards that add to the expense of building the cube are the fixing lands, but they do allow you to have more fun by casting your exciting spells in time.
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"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
@rantipole: Neither wtwlf nor eidolon are running Reflecting Pool at 450, so I don't feel too weird for cutting it. As others have said, it only helps you "fix" in cases where you need two+ mana of one type. That hasn't been much of an issue, since I'm not sure you want to run Soltari Priest and Dauthi Slayer in the same deck, anyhow.
@eidolon: I don't like the variance on Reckless Waif. The Obelisk is slow but has the potential to take over games. If it ends up in too many sideboards, I'll certainly cut it. As you implied, I am testing Raven's Crime as a first turn reanimation enabler.
@wtwlf: I like Blaze effects less and less in cube. In red's best deck something like RSZ will often top out as a four mana bolt at sorcery speed. I think Smash to Smithereens and Zo-Zu will apply much more pressure within the overall aggro game plan, but we'll have to see how they perform.
@duckpants: Thanks a bunch for your lengthy suggestions! A handful of the cards you suggested are already on my list, but I'll double check to make sure the OP reflects that. I'm working to acquire many of the cards you listed through trades and incremental purchases. One $5 card is no big deal, but when you start talking about getting ten $5-$10 card in each color, it really starts to add up. My playgroup and I are not fans of proxies. The only ones we've considered running are for the ABU duals, in which case it would be a sort of creative outlet, too.
In addition, we don't run functional reprints as we feel that they detract a little from the highlander spirit of cube. So that's why our list doesn't include a Savannah Lions, Mistral Charger, etc. (I would swap out Elite Vanguard for the lions in a hearbeat if I could get my hands on a beta copy!)
We also don't like bizarre color-shifted spells like Mana Tithe and Psionic Blast.
Some comments on a couple of the cards you mentioned...
1. eidolon has had success with Nearheath Pilgrim, so I want to try him out.
2. Griselbrand and Massacre Wurm are in as reanimation targets, and Raven's Crime as a reanimation enabler.
3. Damnation is a $25 card.
4. Thoughtseize is a $35 card.
5. Fervent Cathar is great at pushing through damage the turn he comes down. I'm not sure I prefer Hell's Thunder to him in the three drop slot.
6. I want to try out Burn at the Stake as a curve topper in aggro. If it doesn't seem to work, I'll cut it.
7. How come Fireslinger is run more than Cunning Sparkmage? Sparkmage is active the same turn as the 'slinger and doesn't ping you when it pings.
8. I'm trying to even out my guild section to four fixers/four spells per, but it's a work in progress as I try to acquire fetches and shocklands through trades.
Comments on a couple of cards that are coming up repeatedly:
Crib Swap: I think this card is very underrated. Temporal Isolation doesn't handle creatures with activated abilities, and there are corner cases where it'll create a wall for your Soltari dude. Neither that nor Scepter of Dominance, Prison Term, Arrest, etc. handle creatures with triggered abilities -- highly relevant with Braids, Sheoldred, Bloodgift Demon, and any number of other creatures in the cube; those three also come into play at sorcery speed, which can be relevant. The fact that Swap exiles can also be quite relevant, and I don't see the vanilla 1/1 as a big issue. (If you're going to lose because the opponent now has a vanilla 1/1 instead of their best creature, you were going to lose regardless.) But if you guys can suggest another 2-3 mana white instant that eliminates problem creatures so handily, I would be happy to hear about it. For the time being, I intend to cut Pacifism and Rebuke before this card.
Keldon Vandals: I cut this card because with the addition of Smash to Smithereens I felt that I was going a little overboard with artifact hate in red. My list is unpowered and currently lacks Jitte, four of the five Swords, Batterskull, and Wurmcoil Engine, so I don't feel that I need so much artifact destruction for the time being. I also don't like echo on creatures without haste. I think the extra 2R you're theoretically spending during your next upkeep prevents the Vandals from being a "cheap two for one." Its 1 toughness means it dies to 1/3 of an Arc Lighting, 1/2 of a Forked Bolt, pingers, etc. It also dies without trading in combat against all of white's first/double strikers, and trades with 1/4 of a Lingering Souls, a Crib Swap token, etc. I definitely don't think it's categorically superior to Oxidda Scrapmelter in unpowered lists, and I'm surprised Oxidda isn't run more often. With all that said, I'll add it back in instead of Relentless Assault for the time being.
Final notes: Are we allowed to talk about where to buy cards on MTGS, or no?
And a question that is hopefully thought-provoking instead of braindead: In a cube with only three fetches, no Vampiric Tutor, no Enlightened Tutor, no Imperial Seal, etc... in other words, in a cube without many shuffling effects, mightn't Serum Visions be better than Brainstorm?
Edit: Just realized I was still running Terramorphic Expanse. Cutting that and leaving Reflecting Pool in for now.
I dislike the drawback on Crib Swap because it costs three mana, I'd probably put up with that if it were cheaper (well, probably not). Sure you don't stop abilities with the other cards I mentioned, but I think giving them a creature is bad in most decks (in aggro you want to clear the way so you can attack, in control you want to stop the beatdown). But maybe this is again the lack of high quality equipment? I don't know, and if it works for you just keep it
Brainstorm is not really good without shuffle effects. I like scry a lot. Give Serum Visions a try! I recommend Crystal Ball as well, btw.
eidolon232 convinced me that Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds go in every deck. I run both now but no Reflecting Pool.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Shows how long they've been in my cube... They were both $10 cards when I got them.
Mana cost. Fireslinger comes down a turn earlier so your turn 3 can be spent on something that will bring pressure more quickly. Sure, sparkmage starts pinging on the same turn, but he only enables your 1-2cc dudes to get through while hosing your 3cc drop.
This would also be the response to the Keldon Vandals / Oxidda Scrapmelter argument.
I like your point about crib swap, but I'd only run it after condemn, stp, temporal isolation, prison term, faith's fetters, and arrest.
I think so. There isn't anything in the forum rules forbidding it. I usually compare prices from strikezone, starcity, and the sales thread on MOTL. Alternatively, I am selling my cube and going all proxy, so you could chat with me.
No. It isn't fetches that make brainstorm bonkers, it's the fact that you take the worst 2 cards from your hand and what you already drew and put them back on top. It helps out cards like Scroll Rack, Primeval Titan, and other cards that need certain cards to be in your deck... not to mention I've been hosed more than a few times by thoughtseizeing or duressing and having them respond with a brainstorm. ouch.
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Here's a little more on my thinking: I want three to four single target removal spells in white. Naturally, two go to Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile, which I haven't acquired yet. The question is what 1-2 cards should fill the other slots. I think Condemn is pretty good since it costs W and there aren't too many creatures that neither attack nor block, but obviously waiting around til that (maybe) happens is annoying. I think Crib Swap is probably worst against aggro, since replacing their Mistral Charger or whatever with a 1/1 is very underwhelming for 2W; then again the same thing is true for more straightforwardly great removal like Doom Blade, too. But I think Swap can be quite good for aggro or control. Aggro can turn a burly mid-range creature like Chameleon Colossus or Vorapede into a puny 1/1. Sure, it's technically still a blocker, but it's no longer a threat; it's a chump. It won't even trade with your Isamaru or whatever. Control can do the same against mid-range, or turn aggro's curve topper -- e.g. Blistering Firecat or Hero of Bladehold -- into a harmless baby.
Anyways, if it doesn't work, I'll cut it.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
@duckpants:
I think this is true in theory, but I'm not sure it's true in practice. For instance, wtwlf runs the following red drops in the three slot.
I would say only the phoenix is a truly aggro card, since the 'cat only makes the three slot as a morph. Also the sparkmage has an intangible surprise factor associated with him, since people will seldom play a one-toughness guy when a 'slinger is already on the board.
Out
In
I think Sleep compares unfavorably to Frost Breath since it costs U extra and is, crucially, a sorcery. Azure Mage doesn't do much early game given blue's normal game plan, and by late game I have more powerful spells to cast. Think Twice simply doesn't shine in a limited format when compared to Ponder, Preordain, etc.
I know I'm still running some marginal cards in blue, but some will have to stay in for the time being since many blue cube staples are rather expensive.
Cheers,
rant
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Multicolor
I'm finally cutting the five Vivid lands for Mortify, Sphinx of the Steel Wind, Yavimaya Coast, Battlefield Forge, and Llanowar Wastes. Death to ETB tapped lands!
Blue
Cutting Master Thief for Meloku the Clouded Mirror, and Claustrophobia for Narcolepsy (funny how they're both named after disorders.)
Red
Traded away my Bonfire of the Damned, not because it's bad but because our cube needs better fixing (picking up some shocklands). Replacing it with a Barbarian Ring. I need to make a cut for Hero of Oxid Ridge. Do you guys think Aftershock, Archwing Dragon, Fervent Cathar, Burn at the Stake, or Oxidda Scrapmelter should come out?
Green
Replacing Rampant Growth with Farseek in anticipation of new shocklands. I feel like we have plenty of ramp now, so replacing Fertile Ground with Nantuko Vigilante.
Colorless
Cutting Steel Hellkite and Rusting Golem for Ring of Gix and Crystal Ball.
White
Cutting Cloudchaser Kestrel for Spectral Procession and Voiceless Spirit for Ranger of Eos.
P.S. I really don't like Sword of Vengeance. Its casting and equip costs make it unwieldy in aggro decks. I want to replace it with another equipment but can't afford any more Swords of X + Y, Jitte, etc. Would you replace SoV with Silvok Lifestaff, Infiltration Lens, or Blazing Torch? (These are simply cheap to cast/equip equipment I have lying around.)
Thank you as always for your suggestions!
Edit: Just realized the addition of Mortify put me over eight cards in my Orzhov section. I'm loath to leave one vivid land in, so I'll run with 449 'til I get a new multicolor card in a guild that isn't yet filled. Cutting Unburial Rites because it's slow.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
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Pentavus ---> Wurmcoil Engine
N/A ---> Misty Rainforest (this puts us back at 450)
Victimize ---> Dance of the Dead. Better reanimation.
Feeling of Dread ---> Celestial Colonnade
Orzhov Basilica ---> Godless Shrine
Viashino Slaughtermaster ---> Steam Vents. My first instinct was to cut a tri-land, but I want to be conservative about cutting fixing until I pick up more shocks and fetches. I don't see a viable Jund aggro deck in our cube and our equipment situation isn't that great, making VS look pretty mediocre.
Sphere of the Suns ---> Grand Coliseum
Mortarpod --->Jinxed Choker. Going to give this "colorless Sulfuric Vortex" a chance after reading some good reviews.
Boomerang ---> Withdraw. This is another card that nobody seems to run around here except in pauper lists, but I've heard some good things. The BCS on Boom is great, obviously, but so is Withdraw's -- and I think Withdraw will be better on average.
Volition Reins---> Calcite Snapper. Nine times out of ten VR will just be an expensive Control Magic. Going to try out the versatile, shroudy Snapper instead.
Ashes to Ashes ---> Living Death
Icatian Javelineers ---> Student of Warfare
Stingerfling Spider ---> Chameleon Colossus
Fervent Cathar ---> Chandra Nalaar
Thanks in advance for your feedback. It's very helpful!
Green
Out:
In:
Blue
Out: Cackling Counterpart
In: Academy Ruins
Red
Out:
In: Koth of the Hammer
Black
Out: Unearth
In: Mutilate (my wannabe Damnation)
...and some particularly nice upgrades to white.
Out:
In:
My buddies and I are cracking a box of RTR this weekend, from which we'll hopefully grab a bunch of cube cards.
- Overgrown Tomb
- Temple Garden
- Dryad Militant
- Izzet Charm
- Rakdos Shred-Freak
- Armada Wurm
- Supreme Verdict
- Chromatic Lantern
- Corpsejack Menace
(not the greatest Golgari card, so a bit of a placeholder)Is there anything you'd cut from my black section to make room for Unearth?
Simultaneous cuts: Druid's Familiar and Somberwald Sage out for Avacyn's Pilgrim and Genesis Wave. Live the dream!
Silent Departure out for Remand.
Naturalize out for Eternal Witness, since I feel like I have plenty of Naturalize type effects strapped to green bodies at the moment.
I drafted roughly the following cards for a Rakdos aggro deck recently, and I'm curious as to how you all would have built the deck:
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Reckless Charge
1 Gravecrawler
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Skullclamp
1 Bonesplitter
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Fledgling Djinn
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Pillage
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Snuff Out
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Goblin Guide
1 Stromkirk Noble
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Stormblood Berserkers
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Arc Trail
1 Arc Lightning
1 Devil's Play
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Bonehoard
1 Strip Mine
1 Searing Blaze
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Winter Orb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Fireblast
...and some off-color stuff. Thanks in advance for your help!
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!