If the rest of your playgroup wants to cut a really good card that you want to keep in... here's the trick. YOU draft it, kill them with it, and then they'll want it to stay :D. I've had to use this trick on a few occasions to keep powerful (but for some reason unpopular) cards IN the cube.
Pretty much this (except that it was a case of the card going really late as opposed to being asked for it to be cut.) Mirari's Wake used to go really late until I used it well and it got more respect.
Point taken. The problem was I started playing shortly after Psychatog rotated out of standard and didn't ever play against it in extended, so I've never actually seen him go crazy. Obviously he is your finisher in a control deck, but I've just never seen him played well. Anyone have any crazy stories of Psychatog?
Hehe.. funny thing... I don't actually have Upheaval in my cube. Was thinking of removing a counterspell since I have the number of counterspells (not counting creatures) at 10. Would Condescend or Mana Leak be a good cut? I'm leaning more towards the latter because I like the fixing Scry provides. Mana leak is a staple in general, but I have the variation (Miscalculation) in as well, so that may make up for it. Thoughts?
EDIT: After reading over the comments made in Kilo's Cube, should I adjust the number of lands/ and or add more to each color to prevent the saturation of land in each draft pack? Right now I have my cube broken up like so:
Going to up my cube another 10 cards to make it a solid 415. Hopefully this will give me enough wiggle room when new sets come out (at least for the near future). I'm adding 2 to each color to try and round out their curve a bit better.
Itallics are the requirements that dictate the new card choices. Bolded are those I think best fit the criteria for the slots I need.
(Parentheses dictate cards that I found that I would like to try to include in the cube)
I would like some feedback on the choices and help on the blanks.. I scrolled through around 3-4 cubes this size and didn't see anything that fit the slot that I didn't already have. Also, I found a couple cards in other cubes that looked very good/interesting and would like to try to find a place for them, just unsure what to take out. I think Rite of Replication can probably go in blue though.
A lot of people have shown a lot of love for Kor Sanctifiers, but I just can't get behind it. I think that if it were one less mana, then it would be cube worthy. At four mana, I feel like it should have some sort of evasion. I could maybe find room for it in a much larger cube, but not here.
Harm's Way has been really good since it's inclusion in our cube. I really like this card a lot. It's versatile and fun.
We currently run Orim's Chant in our cube. It's ok on it's own and is a fine inclusion in the cube. It never really shines, though, until you imprint it on an Isochron Scepter. I'd be fine with removing Chant, if for no other reason than it just doesn't do enough on it's own.
Otherworldly Journey is ok. We ran it for a while, but eventually it got the axe. It's nice as a creature saver or creature pumper and even better when it's both. It was one of those cards that was good, but just not good enough.
Moat has been talked about extensively here on the forums. Some say it's way unfair, unfun, and just plain broken. Others say it's not so broken and is just plain good and so it deserves a slot. I'd be willing to try the card out in my cube, but we don't have one and haven't actively sought one out for inclusion. I think I'd like to see how it plays and how one sided it makes the games before forming a solid opinion on it.
As for your empty slots for white I'd suggest Silver Knight for the creature slot and Arrest for the non creature slot. The knight serves a nice role in any white aggro or midrange deck. Protection from red is very relevant. Actually, though, I think you'd be better off just going with the Paladin on this one. He'll fill the same roles that Silver Knight will and with him you also get protection from black. Arrest has been good for us in pretty much any deck that packs white. It helps aggro get through with damage and it provides control and mirange an answer to any creatures that might be posing a threat. Even if that threat isn't attacking, since Arrest shuts down abilities as well.
Blue
Time Spiral is currently on our to be added soon list. It'll go in as soon as we get our hands on one. I'm very excited to see how this card plays in the cube. A lot of people have even gone so far as to say that it's better than Time Twister since it's virtually free. Being able to draw a new hand and have mana open to play the new spells is absolutely ridiculous.
Upheaval is a card that I'm unsure of. I've seen a lot of praise for it around the boards, but I'm still not convinced. I think it's a lot like Moat for me. I'd have to see it in action to really form an opinion on it. With that said, I wouldn't be against including in in my own cube for testing.
I think Serendib Efreet would be a fine choice for your blue creature slot. For your non creature, it really just depends on what you feel you need. If you want more card draw, you might include something like Compulsive Research. If you want more counters, you might think about Hinder as an option. There's also the option of something like Turnabout or Sleep. Both have been really good for us, especially Sleep. It basically gives you two free open attacks. Sometimes that's enough to get you the win. When it doesn't do that, it at least forces your opponent to not attack. Again, sometimes that's enough to get you the win.
Red
I'm not sure how I feel about Fork. I think I'd rather have something else here. In the end it's your cube and if Fork is what you feel like it needs, then that's what you need to include. I just don't think I like the spell. I'd definitely rather have Aftershock than Fork. It's another card who's versatility keeps it in our cube. Plus, being able to "destroy target creature" is a rarity in red.
As for a 3CC creature, why not give Gathan Raiders a try? Some people run it as an artifact creature, but I keep it in my red section. It fits nicely in any red deck out there. For that matter, it'll fit nicely in just about any deck, no matter what color it is.
Wall of Roots and Great Sable Stag would both be excellent additions. I love the wall in midrange and control. Stag's uncounterability is rarely useful, but it has it's moments. Protection from black, though, is very relevant. I'd also recommend Albino Troll if you're looking to help out aggro.
Changes: Prison Term --> Arrest: I think the splashable casting cost Arrest possesses will allow it to be played in more decks resulting in a higher pick for the slot in general. Rite of Replication --> Time Spiral: Clone effects are cool. It just so happens that taking extra turns for free is more so.
Still looking for a slot for Harm's Way and Upheaval. I've perused my list and can't find anything that isn't glaringly out of place...
EDIT: Desertion --> Upheaval: I have plenty of counterspells in the cube, so I figured I could add one of the best blue cards ever made.
Just doing a quick look through your cube list, these are the cards that stood out to me --
Academy Rector: I've usually only seen this guy in lists that rock Yawgmoth's Bargain and other enchantments that are truly busted, where getting them into play early will result in a quick win. Looking through all of your colors, the best enchantment I saw was Future Sight, so I'm curious as to how this guy plays. Does the player who has him just play him as a pseudo-wall? Do they usually go out of their way to find sac outlets? This guy just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle of having him in your cube, let alone your deck.
Parallax Wave: How early does this guy get drafted in general? Does it just play as a Falter? How often is it used defensively and offensively? I've been wondering if this card is worth trying out, so I'm curious to know how you guys find it.
Plated Geopede: Is how good he is in the early game worth how bad he is in the late game? I've done a few Zendikar drafts where he's obviously been fantastic, but I'm weary about how he'll work in the cube.
Entomb: Do you really want to push reanimator this much? It seems too narrow, especially for a relatively small cube.
Glory of Warfare: This seems like a very interesting choice. Has it been good for you?
Stuffy Doll: Not a card that I've seen around these forums much, but has always seemed to have potential. Has it been good enough for you guys to recommend it to others?
Cutting Desertion can't be the correct call....that card is pretty ridiculous. Body Double, Intuition, or Willbender are all cards I could see leaving to make room for that card. They're all fine, but usually not nearly the blowout that Desertion is.
Just doing a quick look through your cube list, these are the cards that stood out to me --
Academy Rector: I've usually only seen this guy in lists that rock Yawgmoth's Bargain and other enchantments that are truly busted, where getting them into play early will result in a quick win. Looking through all of your colors, the best enchantment I saw was Future Sight, so I'm curious as to how this guy plays. Does the player who has him just play him as a pseudo-wall? Do they usually go out of their way to find sac outlets? This guy just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle of having him in your cube, let alone your deck.
Parallax Wave: How early does this guy get drafted in general? Does it just play as a Falter? How often is it used defensively and offensively? I've been wondering if this card is worth trying out, so I'm curious to know how you guys find it.
I just recently added Academy Rector and it has been used to great success. You don't even need a bomby enchantment, just chump blocking and getting an Oblivion Ring is a perfectly fine play. Parallax Wave is amazing, you can use it in aggro to clear out all their blockers, usually for multiple turns. In control it works great as a stall tactic and can get really ugly with Eternal Witness. An autoinclude in even small cubes IMO. The others you listed I don't have any cube experience with but I know people are going to stick up for Entomb as it has more applications than just being used in reanimator (compared with Buried Alive for example).
I love me some Academy Rector. He's in the perfect color (and just got better with the addition of Journey to Nowhere) because there is so much white removal in the form of enchantments (O-Ring). My two favorite things to fetch up upon death are Moat (not run here) and Debtor's Knell (which is).
Cutting Desertion can't be the correct call....that card is pretty ridiculous. Body Double, Intuition, or Willbender are all cards I could see leaving to make room for that card. They're all fine, but usually not nearly the blowout that Desertion is.
I agree with Darkmindtone. Adding in Upheaval is absolutely the correct choice, no matter what you cut. However, I think that the cube would be better off with Desertion still in, and cutting either Body Double or Intuition.
Quote from Phantizle »
I love me some Academy Rector. He's in the perfect color (and just got better with the addition of Journey to Nowhere) because there is so much white removal in the form of enchantments (O-Ring). My two favorite things to fetch up upon death are Moat (not run here) and Debtor's Knell (which is).
Agreed here as well. The rector has tons of targets to grab. My two personal favorites are Yawgmoth's Bargain and Form of the Dragon.
Cutting Desertion can't be the correct call....that card is pretty ridiculous. Body Double, Intuition, or Willbender are all cards I could see leaving to make room for that card. They're all fine, but usually not nearly the blowout that Desertion is.
Agreed. I'd rather see something like Body Double go than Desertion.
Just doing a quick look through your cube list, these are the cards that stood out to me --
Academy Rector: I've usually only seen this guy in lists that rock Yawgmoth's Bargain and other enchantments that are truly busted, where getting them into play early will result in a quick win. Looking through all of your colors, the best enchantment I saw was Future Sight, so I'm curious as to how this guy plays. Does the player who has him just play him as a pseudo-wall? Do they usually go out of their way to find sac outlets? This guy just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle of having him in your cube, let alone your deck.
As you can tell from the other posts, Academy Rector is great even w/o some of the bomby enchantments like Form of the Dragon and Yawgmoth's Bargain. He's even better when your opponent doesn't know which enchantments your packing, which makes them wary to attack into him.
Quote from Leeum »
Parallax Wave: How early does this guy get drafted in general? Does it just play as a Falter? How often is it used defensively and offensively? I've been wondering if this card is worth trying out, so I'm curious to know how you guys find it.
I've always loved this card. I cut it when I went down to 360, but added it back when I went up to 405 after hearing Wizards changed the errata on this card back to original function. Now you can exile creatures forever by removing counters to exile, then disenchanting/capsizing it before the exiles resolve.
I haven't had experience with the other sphinx, but this one is great. He gives you a viable threat that's very difficult to remove and has evasion.
Quote from Leeum »
Plated Geopede: Is how good he is in the early game worth how bad he is in the late game? I've done a few Zendikar drafts where he's obviously been fantastic, but I'm weary about how he'll work in the cube.
I know there was a discussion about the Geopede in Wtwlf's cube thread about his validity in cube. It's my opinion that if I can pay 2 mana and get even 6 damage (usually playing lands consistently for the first 4-5 turns in agro) then it was worth its spot, not to mention that it serves as a chump later on.
Quote from Leeum »
Entomb: Do you really want to push reanimator this much? It seems too narrow, especially for a relatively small cube.
To be honest this hasn't gotten much play. It's on my shortlist of cards I may cut. There are plenty of discard outlets present that serve other purposes as well that does, as you said, make this seem a little narrow.
Quote from Leeum »
Glory of Warfare: This seems like a very interesting choice. Has it been good for you?
I really like this card. I does what you want at the right times. Obviously it stacks well with the other "anthem" effects and serves as a finisher most of the time.
Quote from Leeum »
Stuffy Doll: Not a card that I've seen around these forums much, but has always seemed to have potential. Has it been good enough for you guys to recommend it to others?
Another card I can't say enough about. It's the ultimate chumpblocker, has random synergy with certain cards in the cube (Suffocating Blast I'm looking at you) and puts a clock on the game with it's ping ability.
Cutting Desertion can't be the correct call....that card is pretty ridiculous. Body Double, Intuition, or Willbender are all cards I could see leaving to make room for that card. They're all fine, but usually not nearly the blowout that Desertion is.
Yah I know, Desertion is great... I just wanted to cut something around the same cc as Upheaval, and Desertion isn't as good as the other Non creature cards at that cc. I think cutting Body Double is the correct choice though, thanks Darkmindtone (and others who responded).
That seems like two complete upgrades to me. On another note, I remember seeing Parallax Wave talked about in another thread when the errata was brought up. I could've sworn that it didn't work like that. I could definitely be wrong. I hope it does work like that. So, the counter removal stacks? And you respond to each removal with another removal and then respond to the final one by removing Wave from play somehow via bouncing or destroying it? If that's how it works, then I definitely gotta think about getting that in my cube asap.
Parallax Cards
These cards got power-level errata many years ago to stop shenanigans.
Shenanigan #1 was repeatedly activating the exile ability of Parallax Tide or Parallax Wave in response to itself (pulling off all the fade counters to exile stuff), then causing the Parallax enchantment to leave the battlefield in response to that. The leaves-the-battlefield ability would trigger and resolve (returning nothing from exile), then the activated abilities would resolve (exiling stuff forever). It's the same trick you can pull with Faceless Butcher or Oblivion Ring, except times five.
Shenanigan #2 involved turning Parallax Wave into a creature with Opalescence and using its ability to exile itself. Its leaves-the-battlefield ability would then trigger and return Parallax Wave to the battlefield, now with a full complement of fade counters. Note that Shenanigan #2 is, in fact, a great way to implement Shenanigan #1.
You couldn't do these things with Parallax Nexus (it has an "only any time you could cast a sorcery" restriction), but it went along for the errata ride with its two siblings.
The power-level errata is going away, so it's shenanigan time once again.
Angel of Despair --> Desolation Angel
Gelectrode --> Ideas? (UR sucks, though this card is ok.)
Temporal Spring --> Voidslime
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Hearth Kami, Greater Gargadon, Fireslinger (Gargadon is great)
Gathan Raiders --> Keldon Vandals (Don't like this at all as Raiders are flexible and powerful. Add Vandals in for Minotaur below)
Ruinous Minotaur --> Ball Lightning, Sulfur Elemental
Need to cut one of the following 5cc cards to lower the curve a bit -
Acidic Slime
Ant Queen
Deranged Hermit
Genesis Kodama of North Tree - Triple green kills it for me. Ant Queen would be my second choice.
Thornling
The triple green hasn't ever been a problem for me because it's in a color that is inherently good at ramping/fixing mana. That said, Kodama would've been my second choice. Now I need to find a good green creature for it's empty slot...
Ant Queen --> Mire Boa
@ Phantizle - I'm not a fan of the Kami after M10, especially since I don't run P9.
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Greater Gargadon
Hmmm, should Vandals or Sulfur replace the Minotaur. I have alot of artifact removal, but Sulfur as a card seems unique.
Other switches posted above seem fine with me (I guess I'll keep Gelectrode till something better comes out.)
Been looking through the list for a couple of weak links and came up with the following:
Angel of Despair --> Desolation Angel
Gelectrode --> Ideas? (Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind***)
Temporal Spring --> Voidslime
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Hearth Kami, Greater Gargadon, Fireslinger
Gathan Raiders --> Keldon Vandals
Ruinous Minotaur --> Ball Lightning, Sulfur Elemental
Need to cut one of the following 5cc cards to lower the curve a bit -
Acidic Slime Ant Queen
Deranged Hermit
Genesis
Kodama of North Tree
Thornling
To me the weakest link here seems to be Ant Queen.. anyone else?
Suggestions in Bold. Hope it helps.
*** = I'd keep the Gelectrode in and cut the Izzet Chronarch for Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind myself. Either way, I'd find room for the card-drawing direct damage dragon. He combos with a ton of cards in the cube.
*** = I'd keep the Gelectrode in and cut the Izzet Chronarch for Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind myself. Either way, I'd find room for the card-drawing direct damage dragon. He combos with a ton of cards in the cube.
I agree with almost everything you said wtwlf123, but I've tried Niv-Mizzet and he just didn't pan out very well. He was always last picked and seemed too slow even when I tried him. I would much rather play any of the upper cc creatures in blue or red personally. I've had some varied success with Izzet Chronarch though. His ETB works perfectly in his colors allowing you to get back that Flame Jav / Cryptic Command you used the turn before. Maybe you've had different experiences?
Changes:
Angel of Despair --> Desolation Angel
Temporal Spring --> Voidslime
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Greater Gargadon
Gathan Raiders --> Keldon Vandals
Ruinous Minotaur --> Sulfur Elemental
Ant Queen --> Mire Boa
EDIT:
Just read LimFactor's cube and they had a discussion on Creakwood vs. Leech. I agree with it, so I'll make the change here as well.
Creakwood Liege --> Putrid Leech
EDIT2:
Man I should read through some of these cube threads more often lol. Another gem I had been missing found from the GMU cube thread.
Looking through my black section though, I'm not sure if there is room for Phyrexian Scuta
Pretty much this (except that it was a case of the card going really late as opposed to being asked for it to be cut.) Mirari's Wake used to go really late until I used it well and it got more respect.
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EDIT: After reading over the comments made in Kilo's Cube, should I adjust the number of lands/ and or add more to each color to prevent the saturation of land in each draft pack? Right now I have my cube broken up like so:
Each Color: 50
Multi: 55
Artifact: 50
Land: 50
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Itallics are the requirements that dictate the new card choices.
Bolded are those I think best fit the criteria for the slots I need.
(Parentheses dictate cards that I found that I would like to try to include in the cube)
White
-Need one 2-3cc creature and one 3cc non creature
Story Circle
Paladin En-Vec
(Kor Sanctifiers)
(Harm's Way)
(Orim's Chant)
(Otherworldly Journey)
(Moat)
Blue:
-Need one 3-4cc creature and one 3cc non creature
Serendib Efreet
(Time Spiral)
(Upheaval)
Red
-Need one 3cc creature and one 2cc or 4cc non creature
Fork
Black
-Need two 3cc non creatures
Green
-Need two 2-4cc creatures
Wall of Roots
Great Stable Stag
I would like some feedback on the choices and help on the blanks.. I scrolled through around 3-4 cubes this size and didn't see anything that fit the slot that I didn't already have. Also, I found a couple cards in other cubes that looked very good/interesting and would like to try to find a place for them, just unsure what to take out. I think Rite of Replication can probably go in blue though.
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Slaughter Pact and Necromancy could also work there.
Taurean Mauler is a solid red 3 CMC creature.
Aftershock is a good 4 CMC red spell.
Exclude or Repulse fits in the 3CMC blue spell.
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A lot of people have shown a lot of love for Kor Sanctifiers, but I just can't get behind it. I think that if it were one less mana, then it would be cube worthy. At four mana, I feel like it should have some sort of evasion. I could maybe find room for it in a much larger cube, but not here.
Harm's Way has been really good since it's inclusion in our cube. I really like this card a lot. It's versatile and fun.
We currently run Orim's Chant in our cube. It's ok on it's own and is a fine inclusion in the cube. It never really shines, though, until you imprint it on an Isochron Scepter. I'd be fine with removing Chant, if for no other reason than it just doesn't do enough on it's own.
Otherworldly Journey is ok. We ran it for a while, but eventually it got the axe. It's nice as a creature saver or creature pumper and even better when it's both. It was one of those cards that was good, but just not good enough.
Moat has been talked about extensively here on the forums. Some say it's way unfair, unfun, and just plain broken. Others say it's not so broken and is just plain good and so it deserves a slot. I'd be willing to try the card out in my cube, but we don't have one and haven't actively sought one out for inclusion. I think I'd like to see how it plays and how one sided it makes the games before forming a solid opinion on it.
As for your empty slots for white I'd suggest Silver Knight for the creature slot and Arrest for the non creature slot. The knight serves a nice role in any white aggro or midrange deck. Protection from red is very relevant. Actually, though, I think you'd be better off just going with the Paladin on this one. He'll fill the same roles that Silver Knight will and with him you also get protection from black. Arrest has been good for us in pretty much any deck that packs white. It helps aggro get through with damage and it provides control and mirange an answer to any creatures that might be posing a threat. Even if that threat isn't attacking, since Arrest shuts down abilities as well.
Blue
Time Spiral is currently on our to be added soon list. It'll go in as soon as we get our hands on one. I'm very excited to see how this card plays in the cube. A lot of people have even gone so far as to say that it's better than Time Twister since it's virtually free. Being able to draw a new hand and have mana open to play the new spells is absolutely ridiculous.
Upheaval is a card that I'm unsure of. I've seen a lot of praise for it around the boards, but I'm still not convinced. I think it's a lot like Moat for me. I'd have to see it in action to really form an opinion on it. With that said, I wouldn't be against including in in my own cube for testing.
I think Serendib Efreet would be a fine choice for your blue creature slot. For your non creature, it really just depends on what you feel you need. If you want more card draw, you might include something like Compulsive Research. If you want more counters, you might think about Hinder as an option. There's also the option of something like Turnabout or Sleep. Both have been really good for us, especially Sleep. It basically gives you two free open attacks. Sometimes that's enough to get you the win. When it doesn't do that, it at least forces your opponent to not attack. Again, sometimes that's enough to get you the win.
Red
I'm not sure how I feel about Fork. I think I'd rather have something else here. In the end it's your cube and if Fork is what you feel like it needs, then that's what you need to include. I just don't think I like the spell. I'd definitely rather have Aftershock than Fork. It's another card who's versatility keeps it in our cube. Plus, being able to "destroy target creature" is a rarity in red.
As for a 3CC creature, why not give Gathan Raiders a try? Some people run it as an artifact creature, but I keep it in my red section. It fits nicely in any red deck out there. For that matter, it'll fit nicely in just about any deck, no matter what color it is.
Black
Rend Flesh, Eyeblight's Ending, or Slaughter Pact are all excellent 3CC targeted removal spells for black. I also like Necromancy here. Infest is ok as well, but I don't like it's sorcery speed. We replaced it with Decree of Pain, which isn't 3CC, but you might consider it as well.
Green
Wall of Roots and Great Sable Stag would both be excellent additions. I love the wall in midrange and control. Stag's uncounterability is rarely useful, but it has it's moments. Protection from black, though, is very relevant. I'd also recommend Albino Troll if you're looking to help out aggro.
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Additions:
Story Circle
Paladin En-Vec
Serendib Efreet
Complicate - Utilizes less blue mana and has a very useful cycle effect.
Aftershock
Gathan Raiders - Not my ideal card (I also think of him as an artifact creature) but he'll fill the slot till something better comes to mind. He does does add a bit to the reanimation enablers though.
Slaughter Pact
Necromancy - Great with my reanimation theme, thanks!
Wall of Roots
Great Stable Stag
Changes:
Prison Term --> Arrest: I think the splashable casting cost Arrest possesses will allow it to be played in more decks resulting in a higher pick for the slot in general.
Rite of Replication --> Time Spiral: Clone effects are cool. It just so happens that taking extra turns for free is more so.
Still looking for a slot for Harm's Way and Upheaval. I've perused my list and can't find anything that isn't glaringly out of place...
EDIT:
Desertion --> Upheaval: I have plenty of counterspells in the cube, so I figured I could add one of the best blue cards ever made.
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Academy Rector: I've usually only seen this guy in lists that rock Yawgmoth's Bargain and other enchantments that are truly busted, where getting them into play early will result in a quick win. Looking through all of your colors, the best enchantment I saw was Future Sight, so I'm curious as to how this guy plays. Does the player who has him just play him as a pseudo-wall? Do they usually go out of their way to find sac outlets? This guy just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle of having him in your cube, let alone your deck.
Parallax Wave: How early does this guy get drafted in general? Does it just play as a Falter? How often is it used defensively and offensively? I've been wondering if this card is worth trying out, so I'm curious to know how you guys find it.
Sphinx of Jwar Isle: This just seems really mediocre to me. I've found the other Sphinx from Zendikar (Sphinx of Lost Truths) to be much better.
Plated Geopede: Is how good he is in the early game worth how bad he is in the late game? I've done a few Zendikar drafts where he's obviously been fantastic, but I'm weary about how he'll work in the cube.
Entomb: Do you really want to push reanimator this much? It seems too narrow, especially for a relatively small cube.
Glory of Warfare: This seems like a very interesting choice. Has it been good for you?
Stuffy Doll: Not a card that I've seen around these forums much, but has always seemed to have potential. Has it been good enough for you guys to recommend it to others?
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I just recently added Academy Rector and it has been used to great success. You don't even need a bomby enchantment, just chump blocking and getting an Oblivion Ring is a perfectly fine play. Parallax Wave is amazing, you can use it in aggro to clear out all their blockers, usually for multiple turns. In control it works great as a stall tactic and can get really ugly with Eternal Witness. An autoinclude in even small cubes IMO. The others you listed I don't have any cube experience with but I know people are going to stick up for Entomb as it has more applications than just being used in reanimator (compared with Buried Alive for example).
I agree with Darkmindtone. Adding in Upheaval is absolutely the correct choice, no matter what you cut. However, I think that the cube would be better off with Desertion still in, and cutting either Body Double or Intuition.
Agreed here as well. The rector has tons of targets to grab. My two personal favorites are Yawgmoth's Bargain and Form of the Dragon.
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Agreed. I'd rather see something like Body Double go than Desertion.
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As you can tell from the other posts, Academy Rector is great even w/o some of the bomby enchantments like Form of the Dragon and Yawgmoth's Bargain. He's even better when your opponent doesn't know which enchantments your packing, which makes them wary to attack into him.
I've always loved this card. I cut it when I went down to 360, but added it back when I went up to 405 after hearing Wizards changed the errata on this card back to original function. Now you can exile creatures forever by removing counters to exile, then disenchanting/capsizing it before the exiles resolve.
I haven't had experience with the other sphinx, but this one is great. He gives you a viable threat that's very difficult to remove and has evasion.
I know there was a discussion about the Geopede in Wtwlf's cube thread about his validity in cube. It's my opinion that if I can pay 2 mana and get even 6 damage (usually playing lands consistently for the first 4-5 turns in agro) then it was worth its spot, not to mention that it serves as a chump later on.
To be honest this hasn't gotten much play. It's on my shortlist of cards I may cut. There are plenty of discard outlets present that serve other purposes as well that does, as you said, make this seem a little narrow.
I really like this card. I does what you want at the right times. Obviously it stacks well with the other "anthem" effects and serves as a finisher most of the time.
Another card I can't say enough about. It's the ultimate chumpblocker, has random synergy with certain cards in the cube (Suffocating Blast I'm looking at you) and puts a clock on the game with it's ping ability.
Yah I know, Desertion is great... I just wanted to cut something around the same cc as Upheaval, and Desertion isn't as good as the other Non creature cards at that cc. I think cutting Body Double is the correct choice though, thanks Darkmindtone (and others who responded).
Body Double --> Desertion
Entomb --> Yawgmoth's Bargain
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That seems like two complete upgrades to me. On another note, I remember seeing Parallax Wave talked about in another thread when the errata was brought up. I could've sworn that it didn't work like that. I could definitely be wrong. I hope it does work like that. So, the counter removal stacks? And you respond to each removal with another removal and then respond to the final one by removing Wave from play somehow via bouncing or destroying it? If that's how it works, then I definitely gotta think about getting that in my cube asap.
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Angel of Despair --> Desolation Angel
Gelectrode --> Ideas?
Temporal Spring --> Voidslime
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Hearth Kami, Greater Gargadon, Fireslinger
Gathan Raiders --> Keldon Vandals
Ruinous Minotaur --> Ball Lightning, Sulfur Elemental
Need to cut one of the following 5cc cards to lower the curve a bit -
Acidic Slime
Ant Queen
Deranged Hermit
Genesis
Kodama of North Tree
Thornling
To me the weakest link here seems to be Ant Queen.. anyone else?
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Greater Gargadon should be in the cube, but I would also try to find room for the Kami.
In UR, you do not run Niv-Mizzet currently. I would not cut Gelectrode, though, it can deal a lot of damage in an UR deck!
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Gelectrode --> Ideas? (UR sucks, though this card is ok.)
Temporal Spring --> Voidslime
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Hearth Kami, Greater Gargadon, Fireslinger (Gargadon is great)
Gathan Raiders --> Keldon Vandals (Don't like this at all as Raiders are flexible and powerful. Add Vandals in for Minotaur below)
Ruinous Minotaur --> Ball Lightning, Sulfur Elemental
Need to cut one of the following 5cc cards to lower the curve a bit -
Acidic Slime
Ant Queen
Deranged Hermit
Genesis
Kodama of North Tree - Triple green kills it for me. Ant Queen would be my second choice.
Thornling
Ant Queen --> Mire Boa
@ Phantizle - I'm not a fan of the Kami after M10, especially since I don't run P9.
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Greater Gargadon
Hmmm, should Vandals or Sulfur replace the Minotaur. I have alot of artifact removal, but Sulfur as a card seems unique.
Other switches posted above seem fine with me (I guess I'll keep Gelectrode till something better comes out.)
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Suggestions in Bold. Hope it helps.
*** = I'd keep the Gelectrode in and cut the Izzet Chronarch for Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind myself. Either way, I'd find room for the card-drawing direct damage dragon. He combos with a ton of cards in the cube.
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Changes:
Angel of Despair --> Desolation Angel
Temporal Spring --> Voidslime
Ashling the Pilgrim --> Greater Gargadon
Gathan Raiders --> Keldon Vandals
Ruinous Minotaur --> Sulfur Elemental
Ant Queen --> Mire Boa
EDIT:
Just read LimFactor's cube and they had a discussion on Creakwood vs. Leech. I agree with it, so I'll make the change here as well.
Creakwood Liege --> Putrid Leech
EDIT2:
Man I should read through some of these cube threads more often lol. Another gem I had been missing found from the GMU cube thread.
Looking through my black section though, I'm not sure if there is room for Phyrexian Scuta
Thanks everyone for the responses
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