I'd say that Talrand's invocation slows down far more common board-states effectively than sleep.
Then again I don't know how clogged your boards can get.
I always forget this is a modern cube.
It also trades with two creatures, which to me also qualifies as card advantage.
Rarely. As a sorcery, the opponent can obviously play around the 2/2's with his attacks/spells. This isn't the same as a spell that directly kills two creatures. To get card advantage out of Talrand's Invocation, you need the situation to be engineered pretty specifically.
I'd say that Talrand's invocation slows down far more common board-states effectively than sleep.
Then again I don't know how clogged your boards can get.
I always forget this is a modern cube.
By turn 4-5, a good aggro deck is going to have ~3-5 creatures with which to attack, barring any disruption. Assuming an early disruption spell from the control player (counter/bounce/removal), that's 2-4 creatures that are prevented from attacking for a turn. Talrand's Invocation is going to slow down a max of 2 creatures on that turn, and that's if the tokens aren't destroyed/bounced before they have a chance to block.
I'm going to echo the chorus of people saying that Invocation is better than Sleep at slowing down aggro and is probably one of the strongest 4-drops in blue, even in regular peasant. It's not common to see your drakes bounced since you're the one playing blue. The drake tokens allow you to block (and possibly kill!) two attackers or double block and likely only lose one, allowing you to trade up in the combat and leaving you with a remaining token the next turn.
If you want blue to handle aggro better, I'd swap out Magpie for Darkslick Drake. A 2/4 is a much stronger body and you'd have to connect twice with Magpie to get card advantage over the Drake. Water Servant is another Modern-legal option at the 4-drop slot that's great at holding down the ground and helping you stabilize.
Even if it isn't the best defensive card, it's also a very good aggressive card. Outside of lightning bolt-type cards and cloudgoats, not a lot of cards just do something relevant every time.
I've had SERIOUS success with water servant. He's way way better than he should be
Goblin Ruinblaster -----> Hellraiser Goblin As much as I want to enable land destruction, no one's playing Ruinblaster. I'd like to try out Hellraiser Goblin.
Scryb Ranger -----> Crocanura No one's playing Scryb Ranger, and it's a color hoser. Crocanura could be interesting.
Behemoth Sledge -----> Selesnya Charm I don't mind good cards, but Behemoth Sledge is uninteresting. Once it hits play, the entire game revolves around it.
Boros Elite has been really underwhelming for me and I'll be cutting it soon. It's only good when you already have a strong board presence. It's the Mogg Flunkies of White one-drops.
My cube has a higher percentage of 1- and 2-drop beaters than yours, so I'm hoping it can be turned on reliably by turn four, and often by turn three.
I don't like losing Cloudskate, it's always been a solid performer here. Maybe cut Skyline Predator or Runeboggle instead?
Skyline Predator fills a completely different role as a control deck finisher, but Runeboggle has been underwhelming so far. I'd like to see if it can shine in an aggro-tempo build, but I'll probably end up cutting it.
Then again I don't know how clogged your boards can get.
I always forget this is a modern cube.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Rarely. As a sorcery, the opponent can obviously play around the 2/2's with his attacks/spells. This isn't the same as a spell that directly kills two creatures. To get card advantage out of Talrand's Invocation, you need the situation to be engineered pretty specifically.
By turn 4-5, a good aggro deck is going to have ~3-5 creatures with which to attack, barring any disruption. Assuming an early disruption spell from the control player (counter/bounce/removal), that's 2-4 creatures that are prevented from attacking for a turn. Talrand's Invocation is going to slow down a max of 2 creatures on that turn, and that's if the tokens aren't destroyed/bounced before they have a chance to block.
If you want blue to handle aggro better, I'd swap out Magpie for Darkslick Drake. A 2/4 is a much stronger body and you'd have to connect twice with Magpie to get card advantage over the Drake. Water Servant is another Modern-legal option at the 4-drop slot that's great at holding down the ground and helping you stabilize.
I've had SERIOUS success with water servant. He's way way better than he should be
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Goblin Cohort
1 Goblin Wardriver
1 Hellhole Flailer
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Nekrataal
1 Pyreheart Wolf
1 Ravenous Rats
1 Reckless Waif
1 Skinrender
1 Skitter of Lizards
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Torch Fiend
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Mask of Memory
1 Skullclamp
Burn
1 Blightning
1 Brimstone Volley
1 Fireball
1 Incinerate
1 Staggershock
Lands
1 Ghitu Encampment
8 Mountain
1 Savage Lands
6 Swamp
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Izzet Charm
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Magma Jet
1 Mana Leak
1 Searing Spear
Creatures
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Cloudfin Raptor
1 Enclave Cryptologist
1 Fire Servant
1 Gelectrode
1 Gorehorn Minotaurs
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Plated Geopede
1 Tower Geist
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Confiscate
1 Crystal Shard
1 Forked Bolt
1 Mind Control
1 Mind Stone
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Sleep
1 Trusty Machete
1 Evolving Wilds
8 Island
7 Mountain
1 Beast Within
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Intangible Virtue
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Midnight Haunting
1 Overrun
1 Shrine of the Loyal Legions
1 Sprout Swarm
1 Urza's Factory
Creatures
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Calciderm
1 Dawnglare Invoker
1 Juggernaut
1 Knight of Glory
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Lyev Skyknight
1 Pestermite
1 Plumeveil
1 Seraph of Dawn
1 Blinding Beam
1 Boomerang
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Ponder
1 Revoke Existence
1 Spell Snare
1 Syncopate
1 Temporal Isolation
Lands
3 Forest
3 Island
7 Plains
1 Sejiri Refuge
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Demonic Taskmaster
1 Dimir Keyrune
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Fettergeist
1 Homicidal Seclusion
Creatures
1 Aether Adept
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Smog Elemental
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Barter in Blood
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Despise
1 Dimir Charm
1 Domestication
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Mental Misstep
1 Night's Whisper
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Repeal
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Tragic Slip
1 Undying Evil
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Azorius Guildgate
3 Island
1 Mirrodin's Core
1 Seaside Citadel
7 Swamp
1 Vivid Creek
Knight of Glory -----> Boros Elite
I'm still trying to ramp up aggro in the cube, and I'm also getting rid of color hosers.
Riftwing Cloudskate -----> Ninja of the Deep Hours
This change fits well into a potential tempo build for blue.
Sleep -----> Talrand's Invocation
Sleep is underperforming, and we like our token creatures.
Knight of Infamy -----> Blind Creeper
Same reasons for the white change.
Goblin Ruinblaster -----> Hellraiser Goblin
As much as I want to enable land destruction, no one's playing Ruinblaster. I'd like to try out Hellraiser Goblin.
Scryb Ranger -----> Crocanura
No one's playing Scryb Ranger, and it's a color hoser. Crocanura could be interesting.
Gift of Orzhova -----> Syndic of Tithes
Enchant creatures without some 2-for-1 action just don't cut it.
Behemoth Sledge -----> Selesnya Charm
I don't mind good cards, but Behemoth Sledge is uninteresting. Once it hits play, the entire game revolves around it.
Loxodon Warhammer -----> Vulshok Morningstar
Same as Sledge.
Skullclamp -----> Pierce Strider
Same as Sledge.
EDIT
oh god no, just swap it out for [CARD]Complicate[CARD] first. Then find another cut for cloudskae (especially since the skate helps ninja)
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
My cube has a higher percentage of 1- and 2-drop beaters than yours, so I'm hoping it can be turned on reliably by turn four, and often by turn three.
Skyline Predator fills a completely different role as a control deck finisher, but Runeboggle has been underwhelming so far. I'd like to see if it can shine in an aggro-tempo build, but I'll probably end up cutting it.
Thanks!
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article