Cube Size: 450 Breakdown: 60 Each Color, 27 Gold, 57 Colorless, 66 Land Standard or Theme: Standard Average Number of Players: 6-10 (4x 11 cards boosters for 6 players, 3x 15 cards boosters otherwise) How Often Drafted: 1-2 times a month, occasionally sealed (90 cards) or Winchester Draft Deckstats Link:Konfusius' Cube Average CMC: 2.90 Location: Bern, Switzerland
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer: Standard Sideboards?: Yes, but no sideboard specific cards in cube Cards Sorted As Played/As Written: As Played
I first became aware of cube drafting when reading about the Invitational Cube. The final impulse to build my own came from what Evan Erwin wrote about cube drafting and how fun it is and from DerBK who mentioned building his own cube in a non-magic related forum. The first draft whith my own cube was in May 2009.
I started to build my first list by adapting Evan's Cube. When I finally found the cube forum here at mtgsalvation, I used this as a resource as well - and the information that one can find here is invaluable. My choice of cards was heavily inspired by the cubes of Usman and wtwlf123. Recently I started to move blue away from the control-only niche, if you are interested in that kind of stuff have a look at Kojiro's Cube, he takes it farther than most and also likes some discussion in his cube thread! The latest change is dropping green aggro support, power and fast mana. Green is now more focused on ramp, while colorless ramp is not as readily available as before.
As of 2010-03-04 my cube is powered.
As of 2011-02-17 my cube contains snow and portal cards (still no P3K, though).
As of 2011-06-08 my cube contains no snow cards anymore.
As of 2011-07-29 my cube is unpowered, fast mana and portal cards are banned.
As of 2012-05-17 my cube contains portal cards (no Horsemanship references, though).
The Red Akroma is not a color-shifted card like Damnation and Calciderm. It's completely different from the White one.
Also, congrats on the cube list. The card selection is probably the best on the forum, and the list and balance are both fantastic. I think you and Usman now have the two best cube lists on the forum.
Very nice. I run a very similar cube that's a tad bigger and my gold/hybrid section is tweaked. One thing that jumped out to me was the inclusion of filter lands and lack of shock lands. Especially with fetches this seems like a mistake to me.
All the other Tri-color cards are big swingy creatures, and Nacatl is just a 1 drop, and won't get anyone to draft that color combination.
I don't like any of the cards with an actual Naya casting cost enough to include. Wild Nacatl is a card you only want to play in GW or GR or of course Naya, and it can hit for 2 or even more for only one mana. So this makes it a Naya creature in my book and one I want to play.
The Red Akroma is not a color-shifted card like Damnation and Calciderm. It's completely different from the White one.
Also, congrats on the cube list. The card selection is probably the best on the forum, and the list and balance are both fantastic. I think you and Usman now have the two best cube lists on the forum.
Agreed, Red Akroma is not color-shifted in the same way as the others. Also, thanks for the praise!
Very nice. I run a very similar cube that's a tad bigger and my gold/hybrid section is tweaked. One thing that jumped out to me was the inclusion of filter lands and lack of shock lands. Especially with fetches this seems like a mistake to me.
Oh yes the lands. I guess I have a soft spot for the filter lands. But I agree that the shock lands are stronger. I want to see what my playgroup has to say about including proxies, then I will decide what to do with my land section (as 16 of the 18 proxies I added are lands).
Glad to see my cube comparison thread was useful. I'll have to redo it after I finish my current project.
White
-Disenchant +seal of cleansng
Not a big change, but this can be fetched by enlightened tutor.
-Rout +Honor of the pure
I know these don't fill similar roles, but white agro needs this more than white control needs rout.
-Spectral Lynx -Ranger of Eos +Soltari Champion/Calciderm
While Ranger looks good, alot of the time after you draft him you will realize you only have 1 target for him.
At this point there are much better creatures than spectral lynx. You are running enough 2 drops.
An Anthem with evasion is much better. Or alternativly a 5/5 shroud for 4 is good.
*edit* just read, why no color shifted cards? If its a thing about the borders you can always get the promo calciderm or the elves vs goblins harmonize. (Green really wants harmonize)
-Eternal Dragon +Captain of the Watch
9 power for 6 mana is better than what usally ends up being a white rampant growth.
All in all white looks good. It does like white weenie might need a bit of help though.
Blue
-Arcane Denial +Any other counterspell.
I probably shouldn't get into this debate. But counterspells that give your opponent more threats are bad.
Blue creatures
THey all look top notch. I see inkwell leviathan. I'm not a big fan of things that are only good with tinker. I found tinker too narrow when I played it.
Black
-Mesmiric Fiend
This thing looks much better on paper than he turned out for me. The 1 toughness means he dies to everything and your opponent always manages to get there important spell back.
Red
Red looks good, I'm sad to see Taurean Mauler not there (I love that bugger), but he isn't necessary.
Green
No silvos or ant queen?
Lands
-Filer +Shock
Pretty self explanitory.
-Treetop + Gaea's Cradle
Both can be argued. But I feel the mana production into big green threats is what green is wanting out of its lands.
All in all your list looks (don't take this the wrong way) Generic. I didn't really see a single card that went against the established norm.
Heh, Arcane Denial. No point in starting this debate again Personally: Remand
Blue is missing a good way to deal with permanents (especially Planeswalkers) that resolved, maybe Take Posession instead of Treachery or Repeal somewhere in there (but its a really tight list)
Treachery out is just not an option. I'd rather cut, say, Gilded Drake for something like Take Posession or Man-o'-War for Repeal.
Red is completely single minded with burn and only burn. I know red does burn best but it should target some lands and steal some creatures too!
No on Goblin Patrol, echo sucks on aggressive one drops.
I can see that you do not like echo, that is fair. Goblin Patrol is quite new to my list, I want to see how it does. I want the one drop, and I don't like Magus of the Scroll much. Oh well, they could also print a nice 1 cc red creature in Zendikar, please?
As for LD, there is Pillage, Aftershock and Avelanche Riders. I cut all the straight LD cards as I did not like the emerging LD archetype much (though I was the one playing it, most of the time :D).
Steal some creatures? That is exactly what Word of Seizing does! I don't want to add Threaten or Act of Treason, at least Word of Seizing has split second and can target any permanent and not just creatures.
I just don't see the appeal of Albino Troll. It kills your tempo, you cannot use the ability the turns after you cast it and I don't really see a deck that would play it consistently.
B. Rootwalla should be Twinblade Slasher who's miles better and an elf to boot.
Wall of Blossoms could be Wirewood Herald for a more aggressive option but still comboriffic
I can see cutting Albino Troll for Mire Boa, as I am really happy with River Boa. Still, I think Albino Troll is a great creature as well and it hits harder :).
The Rootwalla is the weaker creature on the board, but the stronger in hand (against discard, with discard effects of your own, Survival of the Fittest comes to mind). That's why he is in and not the Twinblades.
Wirewood Herald seems narrow, I want my cards to be good on their own.
Lotus Bloom shouldn't be in the list, really, its a combo card and it's slow. You have all the good artifact acceleration available. Maybe Prismatic Lens?
Epochrasite turned out to be underperforming in a cube and many cubers share that opinion.
Lotus Bloom stands for some sick turn 4 plays. There might be artifacts that are more consistantly good, but it is so nice to cast a turn 4 Catastrophe (or even better Armageddon, but I never lived that dream) off it in an aggro deck.
Epochrasite, yes I wanted to cut it several times but for various reasons I have not yet done so. I will, one day, because it is underperforming.
Goblin Legionnaire is missing. It isn't great as it used to be but it's still a shock on a bear and better than Duergar Hedge-Mage.
Electrolyze over Gelectrode in UR?
I value Disenchant on a stick quite highly (and Shatter and Demystify for that matter) so I will not include Goblin Legionnaire over the Hedge-Mage.
As for Electrolyze vs. Gelectrode I am not sure and it was one of the hardest cuts when I reduced the multicolor section from 55 to 45 cards. I have seen Gelectrode deal silly amounts of damage in UR Counterburn. Electrolyze is all you could ask for in a UR spell. For now I chose the Gelectrode, but if somebody cares to speak in favor (and in detail!) for Electrolyze I might reconsider.
-Eternal Dragon +Captain of the Watch
9 power for 6 mana is better than what usally ends up being a white rampant growth.
Well, I've never seen anyone suggest dropping THAT before, and I can't really agree with it. Eternal Dragon is one of the few 4CC+ creatures that not only do you not hate seeing in your opening hand, you actually like seeing it there. I scoff at your rampant growth anaology because in cube we play with Duals and Shocks making Dragon a fixing machine.
He's great if you're splashing white.
He's great if you're maining white.
He's great if you're playing midrange.
He's great if you're playing contol.
He's great if you're playing reanimator.
He's great if they have a ton of sweepers.
He's great if they have a lot of spot removal.
He's great if you're mana/color screwed.
He's great if you're mana flooded.
He's even pretty great when hardcasted.
Captain of the Watch offers a slightly higher power upside with none of the versitility or recurrsion. While i think the card is cubeworthy, I think the worst 2-drop should be cut (or Cloudgoat Ranger if curve integrity needs to be maintained) for it.
I agree. Eternal Dragon is a card that never feels bad to have in your hand at any time during the game. At WORST it fetches a Plains, or a dual. But it can be so much more, especially once you're in topdeck mode, getting that dragon back is a solid plan.
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"Everybody dies, Tracey. Someone's carrying a bullet for you right now, doesn't even know it. The trick is to die of old age before it finds you."
Glad to see my cube comparison thread was useful. I'll have to redo it after I finish my current project.
It is really interesting. We should probably have the process semi-automatic so that cube designers can hand in their lists on a regular basis (because cube comparison of cubes over time would be really interesting).
White
-Disenchant +seal of cleansng
Not a big change, but this can be fetched by enlightened tutor.
-Rout +Honor of the pure
I know these don't fill similar roles, but white agro needs this more than white control needs rout.
-Spectral Lynx -Ranger of Eos +Soltari Champion/Calciderm
While Ranger looks good, alot of the time after you draft him you will realize you only have 1 target for him.
At this point there are much better creatures than spectral lynx. You are running enough 2 drops.
An Anthem with evasion is much better. Or alternativly a 5/5 shroud for 4 is good.
*edit* just read, why no color shifted cards? If its a thing about the borders you can always get the promo calciderm or the elves vs goblins harmonize. (Green really wants harmonize)
-Eternal Dragon +Captain of the Watch
9 power for 6 mana is better than what usally ends up being a white rampant growth.
All in all white looks good. It does like white weenie might need a bit of help though.
No color shifted cards is just my special twist. I mean everyone runs Calciderm, Harmonize and Damnation because they are the strongest at what they do in their colors. I want my Blastoderm to be green, my Concentrate to be blue and my *** to be white. It is a design choice.
I like instant speed on Disenchant, but Seal of Cleansing has its pros as well (you can pay early for it and have them play around it which is as good as if they played it and got it disenchanted).
Some more love for white aggro, huh? I should consider this, Honor of the Pure might push monocolor as well. On the other hand, we are only 6 players most of the time so it is harder to go monocolor. But I might add Parallax Wave as suggested by argus.
Soltari Champion is already in and it has been good (because of what you say makes him good). Spectral Lynx is nice in BW aggro-discard. As for Ranger of Eos, I want it to be good and because it has a splashable mana cost I think it can be good in WG or WR or even WW if it all comes together.
Eternal Dragon is a new addition, I want to see how it performs. If I cut it again it will be for a 3 or 4 cc creature, I think.
Blue
-Arcane Denial +Any other counterspell.
I probably shouldn't get into this debate. But counterspells that give your opponent more threats are bad.
Blue creatures
THey all look top notch. I see inkwell leviathan. I'm not a big fan of things that are only good with tinker. I found tinker too narrow when I played it.
The good thing about the Leviathan is that it is not only a Tinker/Tooth and Nail target, but also a reanimation target. I can really recommend running this big bad beater!
Black
-Mesmiric Fiend
This thing looks much better on paper than he turned out for me. The 1 toughness means he dies to everything and your opponent always manages to get there important spell back.
Again, WB aggro-discard. They usually get their spell back, sooner or later. But often you can delay a bord sweeper or push trough a discard spell, and that can be all you need.
All in all your list looks (don't take this the wrong way) Generic. I didn't really see a single card that went against the established norm.
It's in the cards that are not on the list that this cube is special :D. But yes, it is inherently a generic cube because of the way I built it (with tools such as the cube comparison thread and the power ranking). Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback!
W
->Orim's Chant: I somehow have a bit of an antipathy against this card, but other players seem to have made good experiences with it, since it appears in many lists.
->Wing Shards: give it a try. this card was amazing for us:
it is probably my white removal of choice after Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile.
-it is good against single problem creatures like Simic Sky Swallower or Darksteel Colossus
-your opponent actually plays spells pre-/mid- combat more often than you might think:
-haste creatures
-pump spells
-auras
-removal
-card draw (to get removal or stuff)
-suspended cards
-counter
-discard
-Karmic Guide: if you are ok with white getting reanimation, this one is pretty good
-Captain of the Watch : since the token.dec has almost every time an anthem effect online when you cast it, you gain power 13 worth on creatures for 6 mana + a bonus for all other soldiers you might have on the board.
I might cut Orim's Chant. I did consider Wing Shards and the reason I do not run it is that it is not a removal aggro would want.
I don't run reanimation as a white theme because it is already the dominant black theme. So no to Karmic Guide and Miraculous Recovery. Reveillark is in, though, because it can hit hard and you don't want it to go to the graveyard (if you play against it, that is).
Captain of the Watch is good, but i already have Cloudgoat Ranger and that one can even fly!
U
-Arcane Denial: there was already plenty of discussion about that card. I prefer having softcounters (Remand, Memory Lapse) instead.
-Compulsive Research : great for reanimtor, finding your early land drops and even better in the lategame, when you are holding an excessive land
-Clone/Sakashima the Impostor : those 2 gave me more value than any other 4 mana creature. note, that Sakashima can actually copy a legend and let bot of them survive.
I have Thirst for Knowledge which is close to Compulsive Research but at instant speed. I also have Vesuvan Shapeshifter, and it clones the morphs just a wee bit better. I don't think I have room for more of those effects.
B
-Doom Blade was extremely valuable for us, but there is nothing in your list that could be cut imo
-Mesmeric Fiend: somehow this card was suboptimal all the time for me
-Black Knight: I never missed it, after I removed it from my list, so I guess it was a good idea
-Skittering Horror on the other hand can do plenty of damage in an aggressive deck
Always hard for me to fit in new cards, and already there is a new set coming! Anyway, I concentrate my Terror/Doom Blade effects on ETB (enters the battlefield) creatures, but if I see a spell in black I want to cut I can see Doom Blade beeing a good addition. The Mesmeric Fiend is good in WB aggro-discard (or at least has been for me).
Smash to Smithereens has usually a target and it deals 3 to the face, all for 2 mana. So it is good most of the times. Now Keldon Vandals have the potential to be even better, depending on the board, but more often than not I'd rather just play the 2 mana instant.
Volcanic Fallout is an answer to Rude Awakening, Pyroclasm is not.
Words of War is not only good in UR, you just can't abuse it as much in other decks. It is still an uncounterable shock.
Direct damage is a good thing for red. The red echo goblin is in for a test, then we will see.
Well, Pouncing Jaguar could be Twinblade Slasher. Rootwalla is good because of various discard effects. Kodama's Reach is great, I know. Just so hard to find room for all the great stuff. Cloudthresher got just recently added; now he has to perform, because Silvos or Ant Queen would love to take his place. Deadwood Treefolk does not hit hard enough for my taste.
(U/R)
-Momentary Blink: actually there are only few UW creatures with a etb /cip effect that is worth 2 mana and a card
-Grand Arbiter Augustin IV is a huge tempo boost, especially, whith card draw and counters (now Mana Leak reads: U: counter target spell, unless it's controler pays 4)
-Void is a potent untargeted removal spell that can easily trade 4:1 and better
-Duergar Hedge-Mage: would you suggest it over Spitemare?
-Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: I would encourage you to try out Spellblast Dragon instead. we were unhappy with Niv's cc and the other dragon dealt more damage most of the time.
-Wild Nacatl seems very weak compared with the other 4 tricolor cards in this section. (even if it is still an incredible card)
I'm not sure how much I like Blink with the new rules, but I used to like it a lot with the old rules. So as long as I am not too disappointed it stays in. I never had Void in the cube, so I should probably try it once. Or not, idk. There are so many cards for RB.
Duergar Hedge-Mage is a Disenchant on a stick, that's why it made the fourth spot (the other 3 WR cards seem obvious choices to me).
Spellblast Dragon is an interesting looter variant, but it can just be blocked. Niv-Mizzet deals damage just for drawing cards, and he draws cards (that is, he draws into more draw, more damage or counters to make him do so on and on).
Wild Nacatl has not to face the others in hand-to-hand combat
Words of War is not only a good card in UR. It's fantastic in every deck that has red avaiable, with draw spells or not.
Kjeldoran Outpost is the right call... I think it's the best W-based nonbasic.
Niv-Mizzet is MUCH better than Spellblast Dragon. That's the right call there too.
Don't cut Eternal Dragon... it's too good. It gives you reach and it plainscycles.
Triskelion is still amazing. Don't let anyone talk you out of it because they're afraid of M10. It doesn't really have an effect on it at all.
Duergar Hedge-Mage is miles ahead of Spitemare.
Both Pouncing Jaguar and Goblin Partol are great cards, and I wouldn't cut either of them.
I would stick to removal that aggro can use too, making Wing Shards unplayable in a cube this size.
Don't let 'em talk you out of Arcane Denial. It plays better than it reads, and the drawback is well worth the draw and the cost reduction. It's like someone saying that Blastoderm is bad because it has fading. "Why would I run this creature that has fading?! It's just going to die in a few turns... it must be bad. It doesn't provide reach or anything man, just cut it! Fading creatures are the opposite of what you want in a creature!" And then you play it and you're like... Oh... that's pretty good... never mind. Same deal with the Denial. It looks bad on paper, and it looks like it's the opposite of what you'd want from a counterspell, but in reality, it performs like a champion and the "drawback" isn't so bad.
The only change listed in the comments above that I can get behind is removing the filter lands for the shock lands. Other than that, your list is water-tight man.
Vampire Lacerator makes me want to give black an aggro update (that is, I want to include it and Sarcomancy as well). I can see Skeletal Vampire leave as the Batman is good but rather expensive. The second cut is not that easy, probably Braids, Cabal Minion.
Sorin Markov should get a spot as well, but it is hard to cut something from my black non-creature spells. Maybe Slaughter Pact. Still, I don't even have Yawgmoth's Bargain in and that feels wrong.
The Enemy Fetchlands are going in for the Vivid Lands, or I might just add them and go to 405 cards. I am ok with lots of non-basic lands and as of now 5-color has not been rampant in my cube.
As you can see, there are quite a few points where I have to make up my mind. Input is welcome.
I don't really like your blue changes nor several of the black ones. The rest are good.
I would rather have Man-o'-war and Draining Whelk than the sphinx and complicate. Not that complicate isn't good, but I'd find something else to pull for it instead.
In black, you should really look for a way to keep Barter in Blood and the Clique. Barter in Blood is a really strong mass removal spell that potentially gets around indestructibility.
I like most of the changes too... although I'd keep Man-o'-War and Life From the Loam in the cube. I also think I'd rather have Ronom Unicorn than the 2/1 flying. I like the rest of the changes.
The shocklands are a huge upgrade... especially with the addition of the enemy fetches.
I'd cut Ravenous Baloth or Cloudthresher before I'd cut All Suns' Dawn. The potential card advantage of the Dawn is savage. It's near the top of the list of cards my cube is missing.
In your blue, I think you could lose any of the following to add cards: Waterfront Bouncer, Teferi, Complicate, Stroke of Genius, and Desertion. Now I like all those cards, but I don't consider them essential. I like the stuff you are adding more, although Desertion vs. Draining Whelk is really, really close. I have Crystal Shard in my artifact section because you don't actually need blue to play it. I did once run it in a BW deck to take advantage of Nekrataal and Reveillark and it worked out nicely.
Thank you for the input. Pestermite is a pet card probably, but I just can't see it leave right now. All Suns' Dawn is a card that is at its best in a 3+ color deck, and I do not want to push these, they are good enough.
I think blue has enough creature finishers, there is also Oona and because almost no one plays mono there are various options in other colors (Akroma, Simic Sky Swallower and the like). Also, I like Morphling more than the Sphinx.
and maybe get rid of Gelectrode for Electrolyze, but Gelectrode is also one of my pet cards. And maybe add Life from the Loam in the place of one of the low cc green creatures.
Thank you for the input. Pestermite is a pet card probably, but I just can't see it leave right now.
I think Pestermite is the cut instead of Gilded Drake. Pet cards are fine until you get to the point where you are keeping them in over significantly better cards.
Cube Size: 450
Breakdown: 60 Each Color, 27 Gold, 57 Colorless, 66 Land
Standard or Theme: Standard
Average Number of Players: 6-10 (4x 11 cards boosters for 6 players, 3x 15 cards boosters otherwise)
How Often Drafted: 1-2 times a month, occasionally sealed (90 cards) or Winchester Draft
Deckstats Link: Konfusius' Cube
Average CMC: 2.90
Location: Bern, Switzerland
Card Selection
Proxies: Yes, Original Dual Lands, Ravages of War, Burning of Xynie, Imperial Seal, The Abyss, Karakas and Imperial Recruiter
Powered: No
Portal: Yes, but no Horsemanship references
Snow: No
"Un" Cards: No
Banned Cards: Yes, Calciderm, Mana Tithe, Psionic Blast, Damnation, Blood Knight and Harmonize are banned for flavor reasons; power (Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Timetwister, Black Lotus, Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, Mana Drain and Library of Alexandria) and fast mana (Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault and Grim Monolith) are banned because of the disproportionate impact they have on games. Double faced cards are banned because I don't like them (Cloistered Youth, Ludevic's Test Subject, Instigator Gang, Reckless Waif, Garruk Relentless). Channel. Black Vise.
Errata: No, all cards are played according to their oracle wording
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: Standard
Sideboards?: Yes, but no sideboard specific cards in cube
Cards Sorted As Played/As Written: As Played
I first became aware of cube drafting when reading about the Invitational Cube. The final impulse to build my own came from what Evan Erwin wrote about cube drafting and how fun it is and from DerBK who mentioned building his own cube in a non-magic related forum. The first draft whith my own cube was in May 2009.
I started to build my first list by adapting Evan's Cube. When I finally found the cube forum here at mtgsalvation, I used this as a resource as well - and the information that one can find here is invaluable. My choice of cards was heavily inspired by the cubes of Usman and wtwlf123. Recently I started to move blue away from the control-only niche, if you are interested in that kind of stuff have a look at Kojiro's Cube, he takes it farther than most and also likes some discussion in his cube thread! The latest change is dropping green aggro support, power and fast mana. Green is now more focused on ramp, while colorless ramp is not as readily available as before.
As of 2010-03-04 my cube is powered.
As of 2011-02-17 my cube contains snow and portal cards (still no P3K, though).
As of 2011-06-08 my cube contains no snow cards anymore.
As of 2011-07-29 my cube is unpowered, fast mana and portal cards are banned.
As of 2012-05-17 my cube contains portal cards (no Horsemanship references, though).
I wish to thank:
Pringlesman for the first cube comparison
eidolon232 for the highly advanced cube comparison we have now
Silent Edge for the Cube Power Rankings
Phantizle and Shalazar for the Project Rank Everything
DerBK for the countless things he has done as our mod
The MTG Salvation Cube Forum Community for being the great people they are
Thanks for providing feedback:
wtwlf123, quitequieter, calibretto, eidolon232, Fredo, Donald, duckpants, Sexyindiancurry, rantipole, HotShot, Lanxal, DerBK, kojiro, hardb0dy, cuttups, Darkmindtone, Altaurus321, Theogony_IX, Nof, Goodking, Phantizle, Goldelux, TakeABow, Strange, killem2, Betote, metamind, Pringlesman, B@ttle_R@ge, Power Conduit, Magic-Jiffen, Sylar teh evil, Blimpy, Hicham, tomchaps, kcolloran, SimTiki, argus, xfollowthereaperx, bwian, Juju, Chimaera, bondafong, OP_Forever, Humpty_Dumpty, The Scientist, Bullywug_King, MrDumpkins, yugular
1 Doomed Traveler
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Judge's Familiar
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Soldier of the Pantheon
1 Student of Warfare
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Daring Skyjek
1 Fencing Ace
1 Imposing Sovereign
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Precinct Captain
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Wall of Omens
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Flickerwisp
1 Lingering Souls
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Soltari Champion
1 Spectral Procession
1 Academy Rector
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Restoration Angel
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Reveillark
1 Sun Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Land Tax
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Balance
1 Honor of the Pure
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Revoke Existence
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Spear of Heliod
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Armageddon
1 Day of Judgment
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Parallax Wave
1 Ravages of War
1 Wrath of God
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Catastrophe
1 Enclave Cryptologist
1 Coralhelm Commander
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Omenspeaker
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Man-o'-War
1 Pestermite
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Trinket Mage
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
1 Morphling
1 Mulldrifter
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Palinchron
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 AEther Spellbomb
1 Condescend
1 Counterspell
1 Daze
1 Far // Away
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Miscalculation
1 Remand
1 Standstill
1 Forbid
1 Frantic Search
1 Jace Beleren
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Tinker
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Control Magic
1 Cryptic Command
1 Deep Analysis
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Opposition
1 Time Spiral
1 Upheaval
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Gravecrawler
1 Sarcomancy
1 Tormented Hero
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Viscera Seer
1 Bitterblossom
1 Bloodghast
1 Dark Confidant
1 Inkfathom Infiltrator
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Pack Rat
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Ophiomancer
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Xathrid Necromancer
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Nekrataal
1 Skinrender
1 Shriekmaw
1 Tombstalker
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Dark Ritual
1 Entomb
1 Imperial Seal
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Raven's Crime
1 Reanimate
1 Thoughtseize
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Exhume
1 Go for the Throat
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Sinkhole
1 Smallpox
1 Curse of Shallow Graves
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Toxic Deluge
1 The Abyss
1 Living Death
1 Unburial Rites
1 Mind Twist
1 Goblin Guide
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Stromkirk Noble
1 Ash Zealot
1 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Gore-House Chainwalker
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Rakdos Shred-Freak
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
1 Imperial Recruiter
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Hellrider
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Burst Lightning
1 Chain Lightning
1 Faithless Looting
1 Firebolt
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Reckless Charge
1 Arc Trail
1 Goblin Bombardment
1 Incinerate
1 Lightning Strike
1 Magma Jet
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Searing Blaze
1 Searing Spear
1 Pillage
1 Seismic Assault
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Sneak Attack
1 Splinter Twin
1 Burning of Xinye
1 Jokulhaups
1 Wildfire
1 Form of the Dragon
1 Devil's Play
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Dryad Militant
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Experiment One
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Jungle Lion
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Viridian Zealot
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Wall of Roots
1 Eternal Witness
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Vengevine
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Acidic Slime
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Thornling
1 Thragtusk
1 Vorapede
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Hornet Queen
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Curse of Predation
1 Birthing Pod
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Natural Order
1 Plow Under
1 Primal Command
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Baleful Strix
1 Duskmantle Seer
1 Psychatog
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Flinthoof Boar
1 Xenagos, the Reveler
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Voice of Resurgence
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Vindicate
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Assemble the Legion
1 Boros Charm
1 Mystic Snake
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Ral Zarek
1 Deadbridge Chant
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Batterskull
1 Precursor Golem
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Sundering Titan
1 Silver-Inlaid Dagger
1 Skullclamp
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Mox Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Guardian Idol
1 Izzet Signet
1 Mind Stone
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Pristine Talisman
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Noxious Revival
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Dismember
1 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Winter Orb
1 Blasting Station
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Jinxed Choker
1 Mimic Vat
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Tangle Wire
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Smokestack
1 Trading Post
1 Memory Jar
1 Karn Liberated
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Bayou
1 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Taiga
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Blood Crypt
1 Breeding Pool
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Watery Grave
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Raging Ravine
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Twilight Mire
1 Shivan Reef
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 City of Brass
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Karakas
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Shelldock Isle
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Treetop Village
1 Gavony Township
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Slayers' Stronghold
Unusual cards:
Recommended cards:
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
All the other Tri-color cards are big swingy creatures, and Nacatl is just a 1 drop, and won't get anyone to draft that color combination.
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Also, congrats on the cube list. The card selection is probably the best on the forum, and the list and balance are both fantastic. I think you and Usman now have the two best cube lists on the forum.
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I didn't notice that when I went through the lists... I would support this change 100%.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
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I don't like any of the cards with an actual Naya casting cost enough to include. Wild Nacatl is a card you only want to play in GW or GR or of course Naya, and it can hit for 2 or even more for only one mana. So this makes it a Naya creature in my book and one I want to play.
Agreed, Red Akroma is not color-shifted in the same way as the others. Also, thanks for the praise!
Oh yes the lands. I guess I have a soft spot for the filter lands. But I agree that the shock lands are stronger. I want to see what my playgroup has to say about including proxies, then I will decide what to do with my land section (as 16 of the 18 proxies I added are lands).
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
White
-Disenchant +seal of cleansng
Not a big change, but this can be fetched by enlightened tutor.
-Rout +Honor of the pure
I know these don't fill similar roles, but white agro needs this more than white control needs rout.
-Spectral Lynx -Ranger of Eos +Soltari Champion/Calciderm
While Ranger looks good, alot of the time after you draft him you will realize you only have 1 target for him.
At this point there are much better creatures than spectral lynx. You are running enough 2 drops.
An Anthem with evasion is much better. Or alternativly a 5/5 shroud for 4 is good.
*edit* just read, why no color shifted cards? If its a thing about the borders you can always get the promo calciderm or the elves vs goblins harmonize. (Green really wants harmonize)
-Eternal Dragon +Captain of the Watch
9 power for 6 mana is better than what usally ends up being a white rampant growth.
All in all white looks good. It does like white weenie might need a bit of help though.
Blue
-Arcane Denial +Any other counterspell.
I probably shouldn't get into this debate. But counterspells that give your opponent more threats are bad.
Blue creatures
THey all look top notch. I see inkwell leviathan. I'm not a big fan of things that are only good with tinker. I found tinker too narrow when I played it.
Black
-Mesmiric Fiend
This thing looks much better on paper than he turned out for me. The 1 toughness means he dies to everything and your opponent always manages to get there important spell back.
Red
Red looks good, I'm sad to see Taurean Mauler not there (I love that bugger), but he isn't necessary.
Green
No silvos or ant queen?
Lands
-Filer +Shock
Pretty self explanitory.
-Treetop + Gaea's Cradle
Both can be argued. But I feel the mana production into big green threats is what green is wanting out of its lands.
All in all your list looks (don't take this the wrong way) Generic. I didn't really see a single card that went against the established norm.
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Cube Tutor
I will probably cut Chant in the near future, it seems a bit narrow indeed.
Treachery out is just not an option. I'd rather cut, say, Gilded Drake for something like Take Posession or Man-o'-War for Repeal.
I can see that you do not like echo, that is fair. Goblin Patrol is quite new to my list, I want to see how it does. I want the one drop, and I don't like Magus of the Scroll much. Oh well, they could also print a nice 1 cc red creature in Zendikar, please?
As for LD, there is Pillage, Aftershock and Avelanche Riders. I cut all the straight LD cards as I did not like the emerging LD archetype much (though I was the one playing it, most of the time :D).
Steal some creatures? That is exactly what Word of Seizing does! I don't want to add Threaten or Act of Treason, at least Word of Seizing has split second and can target any permanent and not just creatures.
I can see cutting Albino Troll for Mire Boa, as I am really happy with River Boa. Still, I think Albino Troll is a great creature as well and it hits harder :).
The Rootwalla is the weaker creature on the board, but the stronger in hand (against discard, with discard effects of your own, Survival of the Fittest comes to mind). That's why he is in and not the Twinblades.
Wirewood Herald seems narrow, I want my cards to be good on their own.
Lotus Bloom stands for some sick turn 4 plays. There might be artifacts that are more consistantly good, but it is so nice to cast a turn 4 Catastrophe (or even better Armageddon, but I never lived that dream) off it in an aggro deck.
Epochrasite, yes I wanted to cut it several times but for various reasons I have not yet done so. I will, one day, because it is underperforming.
I value Disenchant on a stick quite highly (and Shatter and Demystify for that matter) so I will not include Goblin Legionnaire over the Hedge-Mage.
As for Electrolyze vs. Gelectrode I am not sure and it was one of the hardest cuts when I reduced the multicolor section from 55 to 45 cards. I have seen Gelectrode deal silly amounts of damage in UR Counterburn. Electrolyze is all you could ask for in a UR spell. For now I chose the Gelectrode, but if somebody cares to speak in favor (and in detail!) for Electrolyze I might reconsider.
I like me some non-basic lands. It's about 10% mana fixing lands in my cube, and the lands often see play. No reason to cut them
Thanks for the detailed feedback!
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Well, I've never seen anyone suggest dropping THAT before, and I can't really agree with it. Eternal Dragon is one of the few 4CC+ creatures that not only do you not hate seeing in your opening hand, you actually like seeing it there. I scoff at your rampant growth anaology because in cube we play with Duals and Shocks making Dragon a fixing machine.
He's great if you're splashing white.
He's great if you're maining white.
He's great if you're playing midrange.
He's great if you're playing contol.
He's great if you're playing reanimator.
He's great if they have a ton of sweepers.
He's great if they have a lot of spot removal.
He's great if you're mana/color screwed.
He's great if you're mana flooded.
He's even pretty great when hardcasted.
Captain of the Watch offers a slightly higher power upside with none of the versitility or recurrsion. While i think the card is cubeworthy, I think the worst 2-drop should be cut (or Cloudgoat Ranger if curve integrity needs to be maintained) for it.
"Everybody dies, Tracey. Someone's carrying a bullet for you right now, doesn't even know it. The trick is to die of old age before it finds you."
My
540> 360 Powered CubeIt is really interesting. We should probably have the process semi-automatic so that cube designers can hand in their lists on a regular basis (because cube comparison of cubes over time would be really interesting).
No color shifted cards is just my special twist. I mean everyone runs Calciderm, Harmonize and Damnation because they are the strongest at what they do in their colors. I want my Blastoderm to be green, my Concentrate to be blue and my *** to be white. It is a design choice.
I like instant speed on Disenchant, but Seal of Cleansing has its pros as well (you can pay early for it and have them play around it which is as good as if they played it and got it disenchanted).
Some more love for white aggro, huh? I should consider this, Honor of the Pure might push monocolor as well. On the other hand, we are only 6 players most of the time so it is harder to go monocolor. But I might add Parallax Wave as suggested by argus.
Soltari Champion is already in and it has been good (because of what you say makes him good). Spectral Lynx is nice in BW aggro-discard. As for Ranger of Eos, I want it to be good and because it has a splashable mana cost I think it can be good in WG or WR or even WW if it all comes together.
Eternal Dragon is a new addition, I want to see how it performs. If I cut it again it will be for a 3 or 4 cc creature, I think.
The good thing about the Leviathan is that it is not only a Tinker/Tooth and Nail target, but also a reanimation target. I can really recommend running this big bad beater!
Again, WB aggro-discard. They usually get their spell back, sooner or later. But often you can delay a bord sweeper or push trough a discard spell, and that can be all you need.
I agree, on the feeling too
No, or not yet. I don't want to high a curve, but on the other hand it is green. I might add one of these for a cheaper creature, some day.
Its just that I like Treetop so much that I can't cut it.
It's in the cards that are not on the list that this cube is special :D. But yes, it is inherently a generic cube because of the way I built it (with tools such as the cube comparison thread and the power ranking). Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback!
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
I don't run reanimation as a white theme because it is already the dominant black theme. So no to Karmic Guide and Miraculous Recovery. Reveillark is in, though, because it can hit hard and you don't want it to go to the graveyard (if you play against it, that is).
Captain of the Watch is good, but i already have Cloudgoat Ranger and that one can even fly!
I have Thirst for Knowledge which is close to Compulsive Research but at instant speed. I also have Vesuvan Shapeshifter, and it clones the morphs just a wee bit better. I don't think I have room for more of those effects.
Always hard for me to fit in new cards, and already there is a new set coming! Anyway, I concentrate my Terror/Doom Blade effects on ETB (enters the battlefield) creatures, but if I see a spell in black I want to cut I can see Doom Blade beeing a good addition. The Mesmeric Fiend is good in WB aggro-discard (or at least has been for me).
Skittering Skirge for Black Knight sounds like a deal.
Smash to Smithereens has usually a target and it deals 3 to the face, all for 2 mana. So it is good most of the times. Now Keldon Vandals have the potential to be even better, depending on the board, but more often than not I'd rather just play the 2 mana instant.
Volcanic Fallout is an answer to Rude Awakening, Pyroclasm is not.
Words of War is not only good in UR, you just can't abuse it as much in other decks. It is still an uncounterable shock.
Direct damage is a good thing for red. The red echo goblin is in for a test, then we will see.
Well, Pouncing Jaguar could be Twinblade Slasher. Rootwalla is good because of various discard effects. Kodama's Reach is great, I know. Just so hard to find room for all the great stuff. Cloudthresher got just recently added; now he has to perform, because Silvos or Ant Queen would love to take his place. Deadwood Treefolk does not hit hard enough for my taste.
But it is still quite good.
I'm not sure how much I like Blink with the new rules, but I used to like it a lot with the old rules. So as long as I am not too disappointed it stays in. I never had Void in the cube, so I should probably try it once. Or not, idk. There are so many cards for RB.
Duergar Hedge-Mage is a Disenchant on a stick, that's why it made the fourth spot (the other 3 WR cards seem obvious choices to me).
Spellblast Dragon is an interesting looter variant, but it can just be blocked. Niv-Mizzet deals damage just for drawing cards, and he draws cards (that is, he draws into more draw, more damage or counters to make him do so on and on).
Wild Nacatl has not to face the others in hand-to-hand combat
Yes I would, the Outpost produces tokens that can hit face! I think the Outpost fits in more decks than Kor Haven.
Again, thanks a lot for the feedback.
edit: Gathan Raiders, yes indeed. I might put them in place of Epochrasite, because they are colorless and not really red.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
Kjeldoran Outpost is the right call... I think it's the best W-based nonbasic.
Niv-Mizzet is MUCH better than Spellblast Dragon. That's the right call there too.
Don't cut Eternal Dragon... it's too good. It gives you reach and it plainscycles.
Triskelion is still amazing. Don't let anyone talk you out of it because they're afraid of M10. It doesn't really have an effect on it at all.
Duergar Hedge-Mage is miles ahead of Spitemare.
Both Pouncing Jaguar and Goblin Partol are great cards, and I wouldn't cut either of them.
I would stick to removal that aggro can use too, making Wing Shards unplayable in a cube this size.
Don't let 'em talk you out of Arcane Denial. It plays better than it reads, and the drawback is well worth the draw and the cost reduction. It's like someone saying that Blastoderm is bad because it has fading. "Why would I run this creature that has fading?! It's just going to die in a few turns... it must be bad. It doesn't provide reach or anything man, just cut it! Fading creatures are the opposite of what you want in a creature!" And then you play it and you're like... Oh... that's pretty good... never mind. Same deal with the Denial. It looks bad on paper, and it looks like it's the opposite of what you'd want from a counterspell, but in reality, it performs like a champion and the "drawback" isn't so bad.
The only change listed in the comments above that I can get behind is removing the filter lands for the shock lands. Other than that, your list is water-tight man.
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Journey to Nowhere is great white spot removal. Arrest or Temporal Isolation has to leave to make room.
I can see that Day of Judgment should find a place as well. I could see cutting one of Orim's Chant, Shining Shoal or even Martial Coup.
Kor Sanctifiers is in for Flickerwisp. At the same time Ronom Unicorn is out for Blade of the Sixth Pride or Mistral Charger.
Vampire Nighthawk replaces Nyxathid who failed to perform really well so far.
Vampire Lacerator makes me want to give black an aggro update (that is, I want to include it and Sarcomancy as well). I can see Skeletal Vampire leave as the Batman is good but rather expensive. The second cut is not that easy, probably Braids, Cabal Minion.
Sorin Markov should get a spot as well, but it is hard to cut something from my black non-creature spells. Maybe Slaughter Pact. Still, I don't even have Yawgmoth's Bargain in and that feels wrong.
Now red, out goes Rift Bolt, in comes Burst Lightning.
Goblin Guide replaces Goblin Patrol.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker does not see play most of the time, Goblin Ruinblaster should.
Hellkite Charger is in as well, for Bogardan Hellkite or Kumano, Master Yamabushi.
Lotus Cobra seems good too, Albino Troll or Llanowar Elves are possible cuts here.
The Enemy Fetchlands are going in for the Vivid Lands, or I might just add them and go to 405 cards. I am ok with lots of non-basic lands and as of now 5-color has not been rampant in my cube.
As you can see, there are quite a few points where I have to make up my mind. Input is welcome.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
- Arrest
+ [CARD]Journey to Nowhere
[/CARD]
- Orim's Chant
+ Day of Judgment
- Flickerwisp
+ Kor Sanctifiers
- Ronom Unicorn
+ Stormfront Pegasus
Blue
- Man-o'-War
+ [CARD]Sphinx of Jwar Isle
[/CARD]
- Draining Whelk
+ Complicate
Black
- Nyxathid
+ Vampire Nighthawk
- Skeletal Vampire
+ Vampire Lacerator
- Puppeteer Clique
+ Sarcomancy
- Mesmeric Fiend
+ Yawgmoth's Bargain
- Slaughter Pact
+ Doom Blade
- Barter in Blood
+ Sorin Markov
Red
- Rift Bolt
+ [CARD]Burst Lightning
[/CARD]
- Pulse of the Forge
+ Urza's Rage
- Countryside Crusher
+ Goblin Guide
- Bogardan Hellkite
+ Hellkite Charger
- Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+ Goblin Ruinblaster
- Kumano, Master Yamabushi
+ [CARD]Crater Hellion
[/CARD]
Green
- Elephant Guide
+ Berserk
- Life from the Loam
+ Kodama's Reach
- Masked Admirers
+ Briarhorn
Artifact
- Epochrasite
+ Juggernaut
- Aether Vial
+ Black Vise
Multicolor
- Momentary Blink
+ Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
- Shambling Remains
+ Blightning
Land
- Vivid Lands
+ Zendikar Fetchlands
- Filterlands
+ Shocklands (well, all but Godless Shrine as I do not have one, so the BW land is Caves of Koilos for now)
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
I would rather have Man-o'-war and Draining Whelk than the sphinx and complicate. Not that complicate isn't good, but I'd find something else to pull for it instead.
In black, you should really look for a way to keep Barter in Blood and the Clique. Barter in Blood is a really strong mass removal spell that potentially gets around indestructibility.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
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The shocklands are a huge upgrade... especially with the addition of the enemy fetches.
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Now, my blue gives me some troubles. I agree that my last change in blue might not actually be for the best. I want Man-o'-War and Draining Whelk back, and I want Serendib Efreet as well. I recently got Vedalken Shackles that should go in. I can do without Sphinx of Jwar Isle and I am considering to cut Gilded Drake and Waterfront Bouncer.
With recent discussions about colored artifacts I could also move Crystal Shard to blue and add Erratic Portal.
So I need 1 or 2 spells that I can cut from blue (at least one should be a counterspell). Ideas?
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
In your blue, I think you could lose any of the following to add cards: Waterfront Bouncer, Teferi, Complicate, Stroke of Genius, and Desertion. Now I like all those cards, but I don't consider them essential. I like the stuff you are adding more, although Desertion vs. Draining Whelk is really, really close. I have Crystal Shard in my artifact section because you don't actually need blue to play it. I did once run it in a BW deck to take advantage of Nekrataal and Reveillark and it worked out nicely.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
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Here is what I did:
Blue
- Gilded Drake
- Waterfront Bouncer
- Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
- Sphinx of Jwar Isle
- Complicate
- Stroke of Genius
+ Man-o'-War
+ Draining Whelk
+ Serendib Efreet
+ Condescend
+ Vedalken Shackles
+ Into the Roil
Red
- [CARD]Slith Firewalker
[/CARD]
+ Plated Geopede
Green
- Moment's Peace
- Albino Troll
+ Lotus Cobra
+ Mire Boa
Land
- Caves of Koilos
+ Godless Shrine
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
The list on cube cobra
Read my blog on cube - Latest post June 2nd 2022
The list on cube cobra
Read my blog on cube - Latest post June 2nd 2022
Gilded Drake made room for Vedalken Shackles, and I do not want too many Control Magic effects. And I think that Stroke of Genius is really good, but also really expensive, and I like both Jushi Apprentice and Mystical Tutor (and all the other blue cards in my list) more.
I think blue has enough creature finishers, there is also Oona and because almost no one plays mono there are various options in other colors (Akroma, Simic Sky Swallower and the like). Also, I like Morphling more than the Sphinx.
For me it is between Draining Whelk, Palinchron and the Sphinx of Jwar Isle in this slot, and it is the Whelk I like most at the moment.
My next update will remove 10 fixing lands for 10 utility lands and lower the curve of green. Say, something like this:
- Karoos or Original Duals (if I choose not to play proxies anymore)
+ Reflecting Pool
+ Gemstone Mine
+ Rishadan Port
+ Dust Bowl
+ City of Traitors
+ Windbrisk Heights or Kor Haven
+ Faerie Conclave or Academy Ruins
+ Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
+ Ghitu Encampment
+ Gaea's Cradle or Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
- Tooth and Nail
- Rude Awakening
- Ravenous Baloth
- Kodama's Reach
+ Fyndhorn Elves
+ Wild Dogs
+ Twinblade Slasher
+ Albino Troll
- Platinum Angel
+ Bottle Gnomes
- Lotus Bloom
+ Lotus Petal or Gilded Lotus
and maybe get rid of Gelectrode for Electrolyze, but Gelectrode is also one of my pet cards. And maybe add Life from the Loam in the place of one of the low cc green creatures.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
I think Pestermite is the cut instead of Gilded Drake. Pet cards are fine until you get to the point where you are keeping them in over significantly better cards.
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