Basic Information Cube Size: 450 cards Breakdown: 63 WUBRG, 40 Multicolor, 50 Artifact, 45 Lands Standard or Theme: Standard Snow Lands: No Average Number of Players: 2 player quilt most of the time How Often Drafted: 2-3 Times a week
Card Selection Proxies: Yes Powered: No Portal: Yes "Un" Cards: No Banned Cards for Power-Level: Unpowered... So yes? Banned Cards for Time Constraints: No Banned Cards for "fun" factor: No
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer: No Sideboards?: Yes Color Balance: Yes Gold Balance: Yes Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: Yes Color Triggers as Gold: Yes Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
Hello everyone, I am Pringlesman. I have been curating a cube for a little over five years now and it is really the last thing that is tethering me to this money pit we call Magic. I started a cube to keep a playerbase that was losing interest in magic interested to the game. And it has been a huge success.
This is the fourth iteration of the project and I'm sure at some point I will build another cube. In this iteration I have decided to artificially limit the number of planeswalkers available. And as such I only play one planeswalker in each of the five colors and one in my artifact section. I was finding that even with large amounts of non-basic hates the mana bases that 2 sets of duals and fetchlands provide allowed for players to draft 4 color good stuff decks featuring an excess of planeswalkers and I did not like how the games were going as a result. Since making the change I have found that game states are more to my liking.
I also cut the power 9 and most of it's powerful friends (Mana Drain and Library). The decrease in auto picks is a welcome sight and my cube has had much fewer blowouts as a result.
White is my favorite color in magic and 4 of my 5 favorite cards are white (all of which are in my cube). The primary role of white in my cube is to support aggressive strategies in the classic "I play ton of small creatures" strategy. Tokens become more prevelent as the whites decks go from aggressive to midrange. with the more midrange specific decks
I don't include many control specific cards outside of the Wall of Denial, three sweepers and a few finishers. I don't see someone building a white based control deck in my cube but it is likely to have it as a second color.
I am in general happy how the color operates in my cube.
In this version of my cube I have tried to push blue towards a more tempo role and less of a draw go, I play my finisher and kill you type strategy. Which accounts for some of the stranger flyers in my cube. I am unsure at this point in time if I should instead double down on the tempo strategy including more 2 and 3 drop creatures or if I should move more towards the traditional role of the color.
Out of all 5 of my colors I am probably least happy with how blue operates in my cube.
I have to thank Kojiro for his episode in which he talked about pox in cube. In the past I have not liked drafting black but since I've done the change I probably have drafted the color more often than I haven't.
I think I'm pretty close to having the "right" build of black for my playgroup. The color just has so much to offer to my drafters. I am most happy with how this color has been working in my cube. And I think most of the cards have consistently seen play once drafted.
Red is the most consistant color in my cube. All red cards kind of do the same thing. Which while is a very powerful thing, it isn't the most dynamic color to play. I have included a few archetype cards like Sneak Attack and Goblin Welder in my cube and that has helped to stir things up.
I disagree with Kranny when it comes to the fundamental role that green can have in a cube. I think green can function as both an aggressive color and a ramp color at the same time. Aggressive decks are ok with giving up a turn 1 two power dude to have a mana dude to play a high power threat on turn 2.
Green midrange decks tend to be the other half of the White token decks. And RGu ramp has become the favorite of one of my players.
I do no run a tradional guild section. i do not have man fixing compete with multicolored spells because I think on a fundamental level any playable dual land excedes in supporting a color pair when compared to a multicolored card.
While building this version of my cube I was suprised to see how low the curve was. I don't have a single 5 drop in this section.
I really think multicolor was the section hit hardest by my planeswalkers rules. I was hoping with the new Ravnica block I would have four cards per color combination I am happy with but a few colors are still lacking.
Stuff
Unlike the mono-colored sectiosn artifacts don't exist in cube to fuel a deck in the same way that you build a color with archetypes in mind. Rather individual cards exist in the colorless section to strengthen or even create it's own archetype. As such it is hard to have a cohesive plan whenit comes to artifacts.
Artifacts have been interesting since I've dropped power. Since I dropped Crypt/Lotus/Ring/Moxen I have so much more room to tinker around in this sections.
Artifact Creatures-Trimming needs to happen here. Wotc has not been very cooperative with creating cards to fill this section. I feel like it is still probably best to jam a few extra less than par creatures in this section to provide more non-committal creatures to other decks.
Manafacts- In an earlier draft of this list I played only 7 manafacts. With that I found that only the green decks could realistically consider casting 6+ drops. I've since added two more and I'll see how that works for me.
Equipment-I find the swords to be frustrating. They take up a ton of space and they have led to more non-games then I would like to admit. They are also a little slow for agro decks and are work better with midrange strategies. We really need another Bone Splitter or two. I am keeping them in, but they don't leave a ton of room for other effects.
Misscilanious-I run fewer colorless sweepers in my cube than most. I have elected to not run most ratchet bomb effects.
Fetch lands are frustrating. On one hand they allow me to have more consistent mana bases, but some time it feels like they can lead to decks with too consistent of mana bases. Being able to fetch a Tundra off a Misty Rainforest sometimes lets decks go into 5 color mode more often than I would like. But my current group of drafters aren't huge into the 4 and 5 color decks and enjoy running 1-3 color decks that rely on synergy more than brute power.
I chose to run 4 Mishra's Factories. I talked about doing it for years and finally just did it one day. It allows me to have man lands without having to commit a further 5 slots to the Worldwake duals.
I am probably running a bit too much non basic hate in my land section, but I really want to punish greedy mana bases for when they arise.
Thoughts on the list without imput
Potential Changes/cuts/card comments
White
Icatian Javelineers: After you get past the core white one drops, quality drops sharply. In reality I want another 1 white 1 drop. Icatian seems the best of what is available. I don't care for the tappers. A Squire seems plausable. I've never liked the land search guy. I could easily be persuaded to sswitch to any of these cards.
Cloistered Youth: This card is a little meh. And I'm always happy in cutting double faced cards.
Fiend Hunter/Flickerwisp: I don't care for either of these guys.
Geist-Honored Monk/Emeria Angel: I have been very happy with these cards.
Harm's Way: I know most cubes don't run this card. But I have found it quite good. It leeds to some good 2 for 1's. And cube is lacking hard in combat tricks. This one does some fun things and puts some damage prevention/redirection into white. An effect that is lacking.
Shrine of Loyal Legions: This is not it's red counterpart by far. I wouldn't mind seeingit go.
Terminus: Card is good, but I would be ok with nixing the entire miracle mechanic from my cube.
Blue
Delver of Secrets: Why isn't this good the way I want it to be? I don't want to take it out otherwise blue loses it's only aggressive one drop, but still one aggressive one drop is probably not doing much to facilitate the aggressive decks I want.
Pestermite: Has not met up with Kiki-Jiki yet. Even if I cut pestermite I still have the combo with restoration agnel. But I do want to include as many decent flash flyers as possible.
Man-o-War: If wotch just printed a functional reprint of this card every set I don't think i would ever stop playing any of them.
Stormbound Geist is week, I would not mind cutting it.
Willbender: It is a bit of a pet card of mine. But I think it's the only decent misdirection effection. Mostly because I don't think Misdirection is that good. But I could be persuaded to give it another go.
Waterfront Bouncer: This has been good in my pauper cube. I wouldn't mind giving it another go. Maybe cut Silent Departure?
Meloku: I cut this after agreeing to a Kranny podcast. Though I think I want one more finisher in my cube and I think this is the next best one I'm not playing.
Black
Bloodline Keeper: I haven't included this yet. Msotly because I keep forgetting to order it and double face cards are a bit tricky to proxy. Probably will trade it with Desecration Demon or Clique.
Desecratioon Demon: I haven't seen this played since I put it in my cube. THough I can't remember if ithas wound its way onto one of our quilts yet.
Puppeteer Clique: Hasn't done much. I haven't seen it in action in a pox deck yet. I am waiting to see that happen before I make a decision one way or another.
Terror: I miss this card. I know it's not good enough, but I like it.
X-spells. I think 4 is too many. I'm leaning towards cutting Profane Command.
Red
All my creatures have been pretty good thus far. I don't have anything bad to say about any of them. In fact I don't really have any complaints about my red section in general.
Wildfire/Burning: Just curious about people who play both of these. Do you include two so you are more likely to see one in a draft or do the wildfire decks want two copies of this card? I've never seen a Wildfire deck that blew my pants off.
Bonfire of the Damned: For some reason despite wanting to cut the other Miracle cards, I am ok with bonfire of the damned.
Green
Basking Rootwalla: The worse of all my one drops.
Fyndhorn Elves: Dear wotc. You paid someone to make a new art for this card. Fricken print it so I can get a foil one.
Rampant Growth: Good but not amazing. Thinking about switching it to Utopia Sprawl
Overrun. I am 99% sure I am cutting this after I see it win it's next game.
Is it bad that I want to try playing Prey Upon?
Multicolor
Happy with UW
I could cut both Forbidden Alchemy and Shadowmage without batting an eye.
I've been happy with Boggart Ram-Gang and I'm happy I gave it a second chance.
If I cut Spike Jester I have no RB monocolored cards.
I could see cutting Loam Lion.
I like Vindicate, I like Lingering Souls. I don't like any other BW card ever printed.
Happy with BG. Wish you could discard any card to troll though.
UG has been good. Simic charm has been better than I thought.
I wouldn't mind cutting Lighhouse.
I'm happy with RW
Artifact
I could cut Juggernaut no problem. Has anyone tried Perilous Myr as of late?
I will cut Lightning Greeves as soon as Wotc prints another playable equipment.
Memory Jar probably isn't long for this world.
Contagion Clasp has been good.
Lands
I like having both Wilds and Expanse.
I love me some Mishra's Factorys. I don't think I'm going back to having one.
I wouldn't mind cutting the lesser wastelands. But I'm happy enough with Ghost Quarter and Tec Edge for the time. Dust Bowl should probably get cut.
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Well, this feels weird, I always thought you had a list up.
Anyways, on your thoughts,
I like Cloistered Youth, a lot. 3/3 for 2 mana is just good.
I agree with Man-o-War comment. I love that kind of card.
I think Meloku is the absolutely best blue finisher in the cube. I'll recommend adding it back for sure.
Waterfront Bouncer probably should go back in. Silent Departure is a good cut. But I think I like Departure more than, say, Wake Thrasher Ninja of Deep Hours, or Riftwing Cloudskate.
Wildfire/Xinye. I'm one of people that run both. I run both so that the deck can come together easier. It's also a pretty powerful card. Just view it as 2 Wrath in red, if anything (and yes, it's not the same.).
I agree that Fyndhorn Elves need new art entirely.
I think Prey Upon is ok. it's removal in green. A lot of people probably don't like it though.
Well, this feels weird, I always thought you had a list up.
Anyways, on your thoughts,
I like Cloistered Youth, a lot. 3/3 for 2 mana is just good.
I agree with Man-o-War comment. I love that kind of card.
I think Meloku is the absolutely best blue finisher in the cube. I'll recommend adding it back for sure.
Waterfront Bouncer probably should go back in. Silent Departure is a good cut. But I think I like Departure more than, say, Wake Thrasher Ninja of Deep Hours, or Riftwing Cloudskate.
Wildfire/Xinye. I'm one of people that run both. I run both so that the deck can come together easier. It's also a pretty powerful card. Just view it as 2 Wrath in red, if anything (and yes, it's not the same.).
I agree that Fyndhorn Elves need new art entirely.
I think Prey Upon is ok. it's removal in green. A lot of people probably don't like it though.
You don't like Sorin, Lord of Innistrad?
I've had lists up from time to time. But I haven't updated one in over a year and this cube's genesis had nothing to do with my old one.
They made new Fyndhorn Elves art for the modo cube. They just haven't done anything with it.
I should have said I don't like any BW cards besides soul/vindicate that I am willing to play. Only playing the 6 total walkers.
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Within your design constraints, this looks like a nice, well-rounded list.
Some comments:
White
Agree with OP_Forever about Cloistered Youth, I'm a fan.
Fiend Hunter is a bit hit or miss, but you can't go wrong with Flickerwisp. It beats for 3 in the air which is par for an aggressive 3-drop, it enables ETB shenanigans and I cannot describe the feeling of flickering the fatty your opponent reanimated from your 'yard. Definitely keep that.
Midnight Haunting looks cool. Goes onto my options list. Shrine of Loyal Legions looks awkward though. You seem to have quite the token theme going on. You might want to consider running Ajani Goldmane as your white walker, seems like a better fit for your list than Elspeth. Maybe even Marshal's Anthem?
Keep Harm's Way if your group likes it, it's a solid enough card. Any particular reason why you don't cube Faith's Fetters? Not a fan of lifegain?
Delver is just not for cube, I'd get rid of it. If you want an aggressive 1-drop in blue, I'd go for Cloudfin Raptor instead. I share your love for Man-o'-War type creatures, we've even had good results with Mist Raven.
I can also recommend Coralhelm Commander and Fettergeist, solid creatures that are good both aggressively and defensively. Dungeon Geists is also a very solid creature alongside the bounce creatures.
Pretty awesome that you run Silent Departure, I've always liked that card and have been tempted to cube it. How's it been doing for you?
For the planeswalker slot, I think I'd pick Tezzeret the Seeker or if you don't support the artifact theme, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. The Mind Sculptor looks completely overpowered in your list.
Black
I wouldn't go out of my way to get a Bloodline Keeper, doesn't seem very powerful to me (although probably better in your environment than it'd be in ours). Not a fan of Desecration Demon either.
If you want to cut an x-spell, for the love of all that is holy cut Black Sun's Zenith and not Profane Command. That actually sounds like a fine cut at this size.
I can recommend Fleshbag Marauder, I now consider it the best edict effect. You might want to look into Cemetery Reaper, I think it would be great for your cube.
I'd go on but sometimes real life happens - gotta run! Congrats on your cube and a nice thread.
Wildfire builds will usually run both it and Burning of Xinye here, if they manage to pick up both. It makes the deck more consistent. It only works if you have 4-5 mana rocks though, and enough split damage burn spells.
I really disliked the miracle mechanic when it came out, and in fact I still don't like it, but I've come around to liking Bonfire of the Damned. It's a powerful card in red control for its normal cost and utterly INSANE when miracled.
Green
We like mana dorks much more than the sorcery spells, so we run Avacyn's Pilgrim and Elves of Deep Shadow instead. Them being creatures is incredibly relevant for green decks.
If you have room for another 5-drop (incidentally, Genesis wasn't very good for us but it might be better in your environment), Wolfir Silverheart is pretty nuts. In the super fatty department, we like Terastodon a lot - it packs a big punch and gets rid of whatever permanent bugs you most (usually a sword, a control magic, a planeswalker, you name it). Also, Hornet Queen rules - great with token support cards, works with Imperial Recruiter and Reveillark, fun with bounce, and just a fantastic card overall. Highly recommended.
We run Eureka which is hilarious, generates great stories and is not overpowered. I appreciate that it's not for every play group though.
Fiend Hunter and Terminus are my next cuts in white, any suggestions?
Not sure how much I like Marshal's Anthem.
I have never been a fan of Faith's Fetters. I think 4 casting cost removal isn't something I want in cube. Fetter's biggest plus is the fact that it can hit planeswalkers. Something that isn't needed much with only 6 total walkers.
Blue
Waterfront Bouncer is going in. I'm thinking about cutting Delver for it.
I like Riftwing Cloudskate, but I like Fredo's suggestion of Mist Raven, I think I will make that switch.
Meloku probably will be going in as soon as I find a cut I like.
Wake Thrasher and Ninja of the Deep have been good in the tempo based strategies. Thrasher hits ilke a truck and it is always nice to return your ETB effect guys with Ninja while drawing a card at the same time.
Coralhelm looks good. I will have to find room for him.
Black
Is fleshbag that good, I could consider adding it. Reusable edicts with Volrath's Stronghold seem nice.
Cemetery Reaper was a card I played a while ago. I liked it but it kind of fell by the wayside.
Red
Goblin Bombardment looks AMAZING. I haven't been this excited to cube with a card in a long time. I don't think my red heavy decks want to play it. But by White, Green, and black decks (Oh it will be sexy with reasembling skeleton) would splash for it. And any card that makes the Plateau, Badlands, and Taiga more attractive is a good thing.
Green
I like mixing in some sorcery speed mana ramp witht he creature based ramp. I don't want the green player to be Armageddoned by an earthquake for one.
Wolfir Silverheart looks good. I'm not sure if I'm ready to cut Genesis. But that is a card whos time is probably going to come soon.
Hornet Queen seems like a good add with my token focus.
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What do you think about:
Judge's Familiar in blue? I am not sure where you stand on Hybrids. I found this guy to be what I want in a blue 1-drop. I'm also on the fence with Delver. His upside is SOOO good but I don't think you see that consistency enough unless you're forcing mono-blue stuff or UR aggro. Everywhere else you run into a ton of creatures, making him a crappy 1/1 for U.
I have always though about having Familiar + Cursecatcher be my blue 1-drops. They can be aggressive OR controlling. They morph to whatever shell you put them in.
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I love your blue creature mix. I am curious how Pestermite and Wake Thrasherhold up. If I make blue more aggressive, are they worth slots? I think I'll pass on Stormbound Geist. Aether Adept is a card I adore but I never find room for her. She's always the more cost-prohibitive Man-O-War and lesser Capsize (in my list, not yours). Capsize slips into more lists and buyback is a legitimate trait to have.
My currently blue 3 drops:
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Man-o'-War
Phyrexian Metamorph
Sea Gate Oracle ----> cut for Pest/Wake?
Serendib Efreet
Vendilion Clique
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I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
Wake Thrasher has been good. He swings for 4 on turn 4. Which is always a good start. And he just goes up from there as the game progresses. You just have to accept the fact he pretty much has the Phantasmal Image clause on him.
If you are moving blue towards more aggressive I would play AEther Adept over Sea Gate Oracle first. (In fact I would do this regardless). A card that said "Sorcery, bounce a creature, put a 2/2 token into play" would be played in every cube. She might be a harder to cast Man-o-war, but man-o-war is really fricken good. Capsize is too slow for my cube.
Cursecatcher seems like a good potential add.
I would count Judge's Familiar as a Azorious card. So is it better/worse than Azorious Charm?
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Wake Thrasher has been good. He swings for 4 on turn 4. Which is always a good start. And he just goes up from there as the game progresses. You just have to accept the fact he pretty much has the Phantasmal Image clause on him.
If you are moving blue towards more aggressive I would play AEther Adept over Sea Gate Oracle first. (In fact I would do this regardless). A card that said "Sorcery, bounce a creature, put a 2/2 token into play" would be played in every cube. She might be a harder to cast Man-o-war, but man-o-war is really fricken good. Capsize is too slow for my cube.
Cursecatcher seems like a good potential add.
I would count Judge's Familiar as a Azorious card. So is it better/worse than Azorious Charm?
Azorious Charm is a unique effect. it's apple to oranges with familiar. Judge's Familiar promotes fish (U-based disruption aggro) AND control. Az-charm almost exclusively a tempo play.
Cursecatcher is nice because, like Thalia, he hurts the opponent's natural curve. Although CC only hits non-creature spells, there are enough interactions in the cube at any given moment to negate his 1/1 frame. He's a limited force spike with legs. Not a bad thing by any means.
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I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
White
+Doomed Traveler
+Precinct Captain
+Seal of Cleansing
-Icatian Javelineers
-Fiend Hunter
-Shrine of Loyal Legions
Blue
+Cursecatcher
+Coralhelm Commander
+Meloku the Clouded Mirror
-Delver of Secrets
-Willbender
-Opposition
Black
+Fleshbag Marrauder
-Desecration Demon
Red
+Goblin Bombardment
+Young Pyromancer
-Reckless Waif
-Reckless Charge
Green
+Wolfir Avenger
+Wolfir Silverheart
-Genesis
-Overrun
Multi
+Judge's Familiar
+Voice of Resurgence
-Azorious Charm
-Loam Lion
Icatian was never as good as I wanted it to be. Fiend Hunter was bad in application. Shrine never did much.
Doomed Traveler and Precinct Captain go into both aggressive and token decks, so thats good. Seal is just to have another disenchant in the cube.
Blue
Delver never flips. I am very sad to see Willbender go. Opposition will come back some time.
Cursecatcher should be the first of the blue 1 drops in my blue section. I am interesed in how coralhelm commander will work out. And Meloku is Meloku.
Black
Desecration Demon was never that good. And Fleshbag comes highly recommended.
Red
Reckless Waif was the worst of all my one drops. Reckless Charge gets moved to my ondeck binder.
We will see if Young Pyromancer suffers from Delver of Secret type problems. But it should be decent.
Goblin Bombardment seems awesome in my RW and RB decks.
Green
I've liked Avenger in peasent.
Genesis is an engine card, but it tends to be too expensive.
Multi
Judge's familiar should be another cursecatcher.
Voice should be better for the WG agro decks than Loam Lion. And Voice goes into more decks.
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Judge's Familiar seems like a lame addition imo. Have you considered Lavinia of the Tenth? It has been fairly sweet the couple of times we've drafted it. It was super beats when combined with Resto Angel. Even the protection from red was relevant in a couple of games.
Otherwise, pretty solid changes (except for the removal of Opposition imo, but fair enough).
The mana vault was Juju's half on an artist exchange we did. He got that Mystical Tutor from me that he posted ab it ago.
I also got a foil Tithe Drinker, Foil Vampire Lacerator, Foil Doomed Traveler, and a Soltari Champion. But I didn't take a picture of them because they aren't that pimp.
I got this a bit ago, haven't posted a picture of it yet.
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1) Balance - Conditional card, need some set-up, can destroy games like few other cards.
2) Bloodbraid Elf - Card avantage and tempo advantage on an aggressively costed creature.
3) Mulldrifter - Every mode on this creature is fair, but the fact that it can be abused with blink and the versatily pushes it.
With Theros coming out soon I decided to look at my cube holistically and identify which cards are getting close to the chopping block.
White
This is the "loosest" my white section has ever felt to me. I like all of my two drops currently and with theores I think I will be finally happy with my white 1 drops.
Doomed Traveler After you get past the core white one drops there is a sudden decrease in quality. I have included Doomed Traveler to fill out the curve a bit more. With the printing of Soldier of the Pantheon I am left with the decision to cut the traveler or to further bolster my one drops.
Flickerwisp Oh how I wish this card had flash. Granted then it would just be a mini-restoration angel. But most of the time I want to use my blink/self bounce effects to have a creature dodge removal.
Mana Tithe: I know everyone else is in love with this card, but it has never done much.
Honor of the Pure/Glorious Anthem Aggressive decks would rather have cards that deal damage in of themselves or are an equipment. The new white weapon will take up one of the slots (probably honor of the pure) haven't decided what to add in for the other one yet.
Windbrisk Heights Card is normally just too much work. Granted this is the best of my white chopping block.
Blue
One of the problems with most of my blue chopping block isthat it is mainly filled by creatures. So if I just cut all of these cards and add in spells I will have the worse blue creature curve possible. As wotc continues to push creature power creep I will eventually be able to fill in this section better.
Cursecatcher: I wanted to add in some blue one drops to help the tempo strategies in blue. But to be frank one 1-drop isn't enough. I think I have to hold off on cursecatcher till I have a few more cards for this stage in the cube. I'm not sure if this card falls into the category of not good enough or just not enough support to help it out.
Pestermite: I included this just to go infinite with Kiki-jiki. It finally happened in a game. Besides that one un-interesting interaction the card doesn't do enough. So I'm cutting it.
Mist Raven: While I do love me a man-o-war, 4 drop man-o-wars aren't good enough.
Ninja of the Deep Hour: I really do like this card. I might keep it a bit longer than I should.
Frost Titan This will become an AEtherling in the near future.
Silent Departure Yet another blue tempo card that isn't good enough.
Black
I am mostly happy with black. I have a few cards i've been wanting to play so it won't be hard to fill in these slots.
Nether Traitor: Just really wasn't necessary for the pox decks. I don't need creatures this dedicated to that strategy. It feels like Drakmor Salvage in that respect.
Fleshbag Marauder: I heard good things, while not a bad card I think I can get better.
Puppeter CliqueEnds up undrafted way more often than drafted.
Contagion I know some like this card but it hasn't been all that good.
Red
Red is probably the tightest section in my cube.
Searing Blaze The weakest of my red burn spells. And it's still pretty decent.
Wildfire: I have never had a successful wildfire deck in my cube. I have been playing this card since version one of my original list and I can't remember a single time I've ever been impressed with it. Granted my red section is dedicated very strongly to the red aggressive decks.
Green Basking Rootwalla: As much as I love saying the work Rootwalla the small madness shenanigans aren't worth it.
Tithe Drinker: Why is it so hard for wotc to print good wb spells that cost less than a billion mana? Desolation Angel, Angel of Despair, that new exile a dude thing, Debtor's Knell. This is probably becoming a mortify again.
Juggernaut: I'm going to be sad to see the lightning rod go.
One of the Masticores: Three is a little over doing it. Razormane is my personal favorite. And I think Molten Tail is better than the original gangsta.
The five swords: These cards are very powerful. We mostly quilt draft around here and no one is ever willing to "unlock" one of these guys. They lead to a ton of feel bad games, they aren't very skill intensive. They fit into almost every deck. The only reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet is because I don't have 5 equipments that will fill the GIANT void the swords would leave. I also haven't found a strong justification for cutting some of these while leaving others in.
Lands
I'm pretty happy with my land section. If I had to cut a land it would be ghost quarter.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
That's the remarkable thing about life. It's never so bad that it can't get worse
Calvin and Hobbes Cube Tutor
The only two cards from your white section I question cutting are Mana Tithe and Flickerwisp. I've found Flickerwisp to be really versatile. Don't underestimate the value of removing a blocker or resetting your own planeswalkers and Tangle Wire. Also, I've used it to remove Control Magic/Treachery quite a few times. In white at this size, I'd probably also cut Angel of Serenity and Geist-Honored Monk for something lower on the curve, like Mana Tithe and Flickerwisp.
Wildfire is my favorite red card, so I can't get behind cutting it. However, if your group doesn't like that deck it's expendable.
Daxos of Meletis <- Judge's Familar
Steam Augury <-Desolate Lighthouse
Sin Collector <- Tithe Drinker
This is thus far my planned changes for my cube. I really don't know what to cut from red for Lightning Strike. Which is really awkward because I also want to jam Reckless Charge into red.
Since I am in the process of unfoililng my cube it felt like a resonable time to look over my list and see if I needed to have any broad sweeping changes to my list. And to be honest I feel like my blue is sub-par.
For refrence, this is what my current blue section looks like.
Ug, what a mess. The problem with my blue section stems from my previous atempt to try to introduce Blue Tempo into my cube. This led me to including such luck laster cards as Cursecatcher, Coralhelm Commander, and Silent Departure. I was unable to get the tempo strategy to work, so I have cut some of the worse tempo cards. Which has left me with some horrible hybrid between a standard "good stuff" and tempo section. After such a drastic change in my design I should of instead rebuilt blue from the ground up.
And here lies my problem, I don't know what I want blue to do. I don't want blue to go back to being good stuff.color. Blue tempo does seem to meld the best with my other color sections. But I either don't know how to build the color combination or we don't quite have the tools for it yet. And I'm unsure if I want to support the artifact deck. I don't want to re-include tinker. And I don't want to run things that are super gimmicky like Master Transmuter.
I'm also not sure how close to the bone I have to cut if I remove blue tempo. A card like Man-o-War makes it, but a card like cursecatcher would obviously not make it. But what about stuff in the middle like Standstill?
I'm also planning on tightening up my other sections in the next coming days. Green will most likely lose most of it's agro cards like Jungle Lions. I'm not sure if I'm going to cut the RG agro cards like Kird Ape from my list. But if I do Boggart Ram Gang will be reclassified as red and Dryad Millitant will be reclassified as white. I'm also pretty sure Berserk is becoming Mutagenic Growth.
Since I'm un-foiling I will be losing my judge Exalted Angel. (one of my favorite magic cards). And with that I think I'm cutting Exalted Angel completely from the cube. Probably for Archangel of Thrune. If I remove agro from green and add Millitant to white, I will probably add in Ranger of Eos. I know if I remove tempo from blue I am still keeping Geist, but I'm not sure about Daxos.
Black and Red I'm mostly happy with. Most of my B/U and R/U cards are fine. Though I'm pretty sure that Forbidden Alchemy is getting cut for something else, I just don't know what yet.
I tend to change a few cards every week, for the most updated list check
this spreadsheet
Draft it here.
Basic Information
Cube Size: 450 cards
Breakdown: 63 WUBRG, 40 Multicolor, 50 Artifact, 45 Lands
Standard or Theme: Standard
Snow Lands: No
Average Number of Players: 2 player quilt most of the time
How Often Drafted: 2-3 Times a week
Card Selection
Proxies: Yes
Powered: No
Portal: Yes
"Un" Cards: No
Banned Cards for Power-Level: Unpowered... So yes?
Banned Cards for Time Constraints: No
Banned Cards for "fun" factor: No
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: No
Sideboards?: Yes
Color Balance: Yes
Gold Balance: Yes
Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: Yes
Color Triggers as Gold: Yes
Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
Hello everyone, I am Pringlesman. I have been curating a cube for a little over five years now and it is really the last thing that is tethering me to this money pit we call Magic. I started a cube to keep a playerbase that was losing interest in magic interested to the game. And it has been a huge success.
This is the fourth iteration of the project and I'm sure at some point I will build another cube. In this iteration I have decided to artificially limit the number of planeswalkers available. And as such I only play one planeswalker in each of the five colors and one in my artifact section. I was finding that even with large amounts of non-basic hates the mana bases that 2 sets of duals and fetchlands provide allowed for players to draft 4 color good stuff decks featuring an excess of planeswalkers and I did not like how the games were going as a result. Since making the change I have found that game states are more to my liking.
I also cut the power 9 and most of it's powerful friends (Mana Drain and Library). The decrease in auto picks is a welcome sight and my cube has had much fewer blowouts as a result.
I don't include many control specific cards outside of the Wall of Denial, three sweepers and a few finishers. I don't see someone building a white based control deck in my cube but it is likely to have it as a second color.
I am in general happy how the color operates in my cube.
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Icatian Javelineers
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Student of Warfare
Two CMC
2 Accorder Paladin
2 Cloistered Youth
2 Knight of Glory
2 Knight of Meadowgrain
2 Kor Skyfisher
2 Leonin Relic-Warder
2 Lone Missionary
2 Soltari Monk
2 Soltari Priest
2 Soltari Trooper
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Wall of Omens
3 Blade Splicer
3 Fiend Hunter
3 Flickerwisp
3 Kor Sanctifiers
3 Mirran Crusader
3 Mirror Entity
3 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Silverblade Paladin
3 Soltari Champion
Four CMC
4 Emeria Angel
4 Hero of Bladehold
4 Restoration Angel
4 Sublime Archangel
5 Baneslayer Angel
5 Cloudgoat Ranger
5 Geist-Honored Monk
5 Reveillark
Six Plux
6 Exalted Angel
6 Sun Titan
7 Angel of Serenity
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Land Tax
2 Honor of the Pure
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Seal of Cleansing
3 Glorious Anthem
3 Oblivion Ring
Instant
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Harm's Way
1 Mana Tithe
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Disenchant
3 Midnight Haunting
0 Windbrisk Heights
Planeswalker
4 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Sorcery
2 Balance
3 Spectral Procession
4 Armageddon
4 Day of Judgment
4 Ravages of War
4 Wrath of God
6 Terminus
Blue is blue. And as normal it is quite a house.
In this version of my cube I have tried to push blue towards a more tempo role and less of a draw go, I play my finisher and kill you type strategy. Which accounts for some of the stranger flyers in my cube. I am unsure at this point in time if I should instead double down on the tempo strategy including more 2 and 3 drop creatures or if I should move more towards the traditional role of the color.
Out of all 5 of my colors I am probably least happy with how blue operates in my cube.
1 Cursecatcher
1 Enclave Cryptologist
Two CMC
2 Coralhelm Commander
2 Looter il-Kor
2 Merfolk Looter
2 Phantasmal Image
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Spellstutter Sprite
Three CMC
3 Æther Adept
3 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
3 Man-o'-War
3 Pestermite
3 Serendib Efreet
3 Stormbound Geist
3 Vendilion Clique
3 Wake Thrasher
4 Dungeon Geists
4 Glen Elendra Archmage
4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Sower of Temptation
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
Five CMC
5 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
5 Mulldrifter
5 Riftwing Cloudskate
6 Consecrated Sphinx
6 Frost Titan
3 Crystal Shard
3 Vedalken Shackles
Enchantment
2 Standstill
4 Control Magic
5 Treachery
Instant
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Stifle
2 Counterspell
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Daze
2 Impulse
2 Mana Leak
2 Memory Lapse
2 Miscalculation
2 Remand
3 Psionic Blast
3 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Cryptic Command
4 Fact or Fiction
5 Force of Will
0 Condescend
0 Repeal
0 Faerie Conclave
0 Shelldock Isle
Planeswalker
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Sorcery
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Silent Departure
3 Compulsive Research
4 Deep Analysis
5 Bribery
6 Upheaval
I think I'm pretty close to having the "right" build of black for my playgroup. The color just has so much to offer to my drafters. I am most happy with how this color has been working in my cube. And I think most of the cards have consistently seen play once drafted.
1 Carnophage
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Gravecrawler
1 Putrid Imp
1 Vampire Lacerator
Two CMC
2 Blood Scrivener
2 Bloodghast
2 Dark Confidant
2 Dauthi Horror
2 Gatekeeper of Malakir
2 Nether Traitor
2 Oona's Prowler
2 Pack Rat
2 Reassembling Skeleton
2 Vampire Hexmage
3 Dauthi Marauder
3 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Geralf's Messenger
3 Hypnotic Specter
3 Liliana's Specter
3 Vampire Nighthawk
Four CMC
4 Braids, Cabal Minion
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Nekrataal
4 Skinrender
5 Puppeteer Clique
5 Shriekmaw
Six Plus
6 Grave Titan
7 Griselbrand
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Sarcomancy
2 Animate Dead
2 Bitterblossom
3 Necropotence
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Recurring Nightmare
4 Nether Void
Instant
1 Dark Ritual
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Diabolic Edict
2 Doom Blade
2 Go for the Throat
2 Ultimate Price
3 Dismember
5 Contagion
0 Volrath's Stronghold
Planeswalker
3 Liliana of the Veil
Sorcery
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Reanimate
1 Thoughtseize
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Hymn to Tourach
2 Sinkhole
2 Smallpox
3 Pox
4 Consuming Vapors
4 Damnation
0 Black Sun's Zenith
0 Death Cloud
0 Mind Twist
0 Profane Command
Red is the most consistant color in my cube. All red cards kind of do the same thing. Which while is a very powerful thing, it isn't the most dynamic color to play. I have included a few archetype cards like Sneak Attack and Goblin Welder in my cube and that has helped to stir things up.
1 Goblin Guide
1 Goblin Welder
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Stromkirk Noble
Two CMC
2 Ash Zealot
2 Ember Hauler
2 Gore-House Chainwalker
2 Hellspark Elemental
2 Kargan Dragonlord
2 Keldon Marauders
2 Lightning Mauler
2 Plated Geopede
2 Stormblood Berserker
2 Torch Fiend
2 Young Pyromancer
3 Ball Lightning
3 Chandra's Phoenix
3 Hell's Thunder
3 Imperial Recruiter
3 Manic Vandal
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Zo-Zu the Punisher
Four CMC
4 Avalanche Riders
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Hellrider
4 Hero of Oxid Ridge
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Siege-Gang Commander
5 Thundermaw Hellkite
Six Plus
6 Inferno Titan
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
Enchantment
2 Goblin Bombardment
3 Sulfuric Vortex
4 Sneak Attack
Instant
1 Burst Lightning
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Incinerate
2 Magma Jet
2 Searing Blaze
2 Searing Spear
3 Char
3 Staggershock
6 Fireblast
4 Koth of the Hammer
Sorcery
1 Chain Lightning
1 Faithless Looting
1 Firebolt
2 Arc Trail
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Arc Lightning
3 Flames of the Firebrand
3 Molten Rain
3 Pillage
3 Rift Bolt
3 Wheel of Fortune
6 Wildfire
0 Bonfire of the Damned
0 Devil's Play
0 Earthquake
Green midrange decks tend to be the other half of the White token decks. And RGu ramp has become the favorite of one of my players.
1 Arbor Elf
1 Basking Rootwalla
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Experiment One
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Jungle Lion
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Wolfbitten Captive
Two CMC
2 Fauna Shaman
2 Lotus Cobra
2 River Boa
2 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Strangleroot Geist
2 Tarmogoyf
2 Wall of Blossoms
2 Wall of Roots
2 Wild Mongrel
3 Eternal Witness
3 Ohran Viper
3 Troll Ascetic
3 Uktabi Orangutan
3 Viridian Shaman
3 Wolfir Avenger
3 Yavimaya Elder
Four CMC
4 Master of the Wild Hunt
4 Thrun, the Last Troll
4 Vengevine
4 Wickerbough Elder
Five CMC
5 Acidic Slime
5 Deranged Hermit
5 Indrik Stomphowler
5 Thragtusk
5 Vorapede
5 Wolfir Silverheart
6 Primeval Titan
7 Krosan Tusker
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
8 Woodfall Primus
4 Birthing Pod
Enchantment
1 Rancor
2 Survival of the Fittest
2 Sylvan Library
Instant
1 Berserk
1 Worldly Tutor
2 Naturalize
0 Gaea's Cradle
0 Treetop Village
Planeswalker
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Sorcery
2 Explore
2 Life from the Loam
2 Rampant Growth
2 Regrowth
3 Call of the Herd
3 Cultivate
3 Kodama's Reach
4 Natural Order
5 Plow Under
0 Green Sun's Zenith
While building this version of my cube I was suprised to see how low the curve was. I don't have a single 5 drop in this section.
I really think multicolor was the section hit hardest by my planeswalkers rules. I was hoping with the new Ravnica block I would have four cards per color combination I am happy with but a few colors are still lacking.
Stuff
3 Detention Sphere
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Judge's Familiar
4 Supreme Verdict
Dimir
2 Baleful Strix
2 Far//Away
3 Forbidden Alchemy
3 Shadowmage Infiltrator
Rakdos
4 Murderous Redcap
1 Rakdos Cackler
2 Rakdos Shred-Freak
2 Spike Jester
Gruul
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Boggart Ram-Gang
2 Flinthoof Boar
1 Kird Ape
1 Dryad Militant
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Voice of Resurgence
Orzhov
3 Lingering Souls
2 Tithe Drinker
0 Vault of the Archangel
3 Vindicate
Golgari
1 Deathrite Shaman
2 Lotleth Troll
3 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Pernicious Deed
Simic
3 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
3 Shardless Agent
2 Simic Charm
3 Trygon Predator
0 Desolate Lighthouse
3 Electrolyze
2 Fire//Ice
2 Izzet Charm
Boros
2 Boros Charm
3 Boros Reckoner
1 Figure of Destiny
2 Lightning Helix
Unlike the mono-colored sectiosn artifacts don't exist in cube to fuel a deck in the same way that you build a color with archetypes in mind. Rather individual cards exist in the colorless section to strengthen or even create it's own archetype. As such it is hard to have a cohesive plan whenit comes to artifacts.
Artifacts have been interesting since I've dropped power. Since I dropped Crypt/Lotus/Ring/Moxen I have so much more room to tinker around in this sections.
Artifact Creatures-Trimming needs to happen here. Wotc has not been very cooperative with creating cards to fill this section. I feel like it is still probably best to jam a few extra less than par creatures in this section to provide more non-committal creatures to other decks.
Manafacts- In an earlier draft of this list I played only 7 manafacts. With that I found that only the green decks could realistically consider casting 6+ drops. I've since added two more and I'll see how that works for me.
Equipment-I find the swords to be frustrating. They take up a ton of space and they have led to more non-games then I would like to admit. They are also a little slow for agro decks and are work better with midrange strategies. We really need another Bone Splitter or two. I am keeping them in, but they don't leave a ton of room for other effects.
Misscilanious-I run fewer colorless sweepers in my cube than most. I have elected to not run most ratchet bomb effects.
1 Signal Pest
2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Juggernaut
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Masticore
4 Molten-Tail Masticore
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Precursor Golem
5 Razormane Masticore
6 Duplicant
6 Triskelion
6 Wurmcoil Engine
7 Myr Battlesphere
8 Sundering Titan
Equipments
1 Bonesplitter
1 Skullclamp
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Grafted Wargear
3 Sword of Body and Mind
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Sword of Fire and Ice
3 Sword of Light and Shadow
3 Sword of War and Peace
5 Batterskull
0 Chrome Mox
0 Everflowing Chalice
0 Mox Diamond
1 Mana Vault
2 Grim Monolith
2 Mind Stone
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Coalition Relic
5 Gilded Lotus
Miscellaneous
1 Black Vise
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Ankh of Mishra
2 Contagion Clasp
2 Scroll Rack
2 Winter Orb
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Mimic Vat
3 Tangle Wire
4 Icy Manipulator
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
4 Smokestack
5 Memory Jar
7 Karn Liberated
Fetch lands are frustrating. On one hand they allow me to have more consistent mana bases, but some time it feels like they can lead to decks with too consistent of mana bases. Being able to fetch a Tundra off a Misty Rainforest sometimes lets decks go into 5 color mode more often than I would like. But my current group of drafters aren't huge into the 4 and 5 color decks and enjoy running 1-3 color decks that rely on synergy more than brute power.
I chose to run 4 Mishra's Factories. I talked about doing it for years and finally just did it one day. It allows me to have man lands without having to commit a further 5 slots to the Worldwake duals.
I am probably running a bit too much non basic hate in my land section, but I really want to punish greedy mana bases for when they arise.
0 Tundra
0 Underground Sea
0 Badlands
0 Taiga
0 Savannah
0 Scrubland
0 Bayou
0 Tropical Island
0 Volcanic Island
0 Plateau
Ravnica Duals
0 Hallowed Fountain
0 Watery Grave
0 Blood Crypt
0 Stomping Ground
0 Temple Garden
0 Godless Shrine
0 Overgrown Tomb
0 Breeding Pool
0 Steam Vents
0 Sacred Foundry
0 Flooded Strand
0 Polluted Delta
0 Bloodstained Mire
0 Wooded Foothills
0 Windswept Heath
0 Marsh Flats
0 Verdant Catacombs
0 Misty Rainforest
0 Scalding Tarn
0 Arid Mesa
Other Lands
0 Ancient Tomb
0 City of Brass
0 Dust Bowl
0 Evolving Wilds
0 Maze of Ith
0 Mishra's Factory
0 Mishra's Factory
0 Mishra's Factory
0 Mishra's Factory
0 Rishadan Port
0 Strip Mine
0 Tectonic Edge
0 Terramorphic Expanse
0 Wasteland
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Potential Changes/cuts/card comments
White
Icatian Javelineers: After you get past the core white one drops, quality drops sharply. In reality I want another 1 white 1 drop. Icatian seems the best of what is available. I don't care for the tappers. A Squire seems plausable. I've never liked the land search guy. I could easily be persuaded to sswitch to any of these cards.
Cloistered Youth: This card is a little meh. And I'm always happy in cutting double faced cards.
Fiend Hunter/Flickerwisp: I don't care for either of these guys.
Geist-Honored Monk/Emeria Angel: I have been very happy with these cards.
Harm's Way: I know most cubes don't run this card. But I have found it quite good. It leeds to some good 2 for 1's. And cube is lacking hard in combat tricks. This one does some fun things and puts some damage prevention/redirection into white. An effect that is lacking.
Shrine of Loyal Legions: This is not it's red counterpart by far. I wouldn't mind seeingit go.
Terminus: Card is good, but I would be ok with nixing the entire miracle mechanic from my cube.
Blue
Delver of Secrets: Why isn't this good the way I want it to be? I don't want to take it out otherwise blue loses it's only aggressive one drop, but still one aggressive one drop is probably not doing much to facilitate the aggressive decks I want.
Pestermite: Has not met up with Kiki-Jiki yet. Even if I cut pestermite I still have the combo with restoration agnel. But I do want to include as many decent flash flyers as possible.
Man-o-War: If wotch just printed a functional reprint of this card every set I don't think i would ever stop playing any of them.
Stormbound Geist is week, I would not mind cutting it.
Willbender: It is a bit of a pet card of mine. But I think it's the only decent misdirection effection. Mostly because I don't think Misdirection is that good. But I could be persuaded to give it another go.
Waterfront Bouncer: This has been good in my pauper cube. I wouldn't mind giving it another go. Maybe cut Silent Departure?
Meloku: I cut this after agreeing to a Kranny podcast. Though I think I want one more finisher in my cube and I think this is the next best one I'm not playing.
Black
Bloodline Keeper: I haven't included this yet. Msotly because I keep forgetting to order it and double face cards are a bit tricky to proxy. Probably will trade it with Desecration Demon or Clique.
Desecratioon Demon: I haven't seen this played since I put it in my cube. THough I can't remember if ithas wound its way onto one of our quilts yet.
Puppeteer Clique: Hasn't done much. I haven't seen it in action in a pox deck yet. I am waiting to see that happen before I make a decision one way or another.
Terror: I miss this card. I know it's not good enough, but I like it.
X-spells. I think 4 is too many. I'm leaning towards cutting Profane Command.
Red
All my creatures have been pretty good thus far. I don't have anything bad to say about any of them. In fact I don't really have any complaints about my red section in general.
Wildfire/Burning: Just curious about people who play both of these. Do you include two so you are more likely to see one in a draft or do the wildfire decks want two copies of this card? I've never seen a Wildfire deck that blew my pants off.
Bonfire of the Damned: For some reason despite wanting to cut the other Miracle cards, I am ok with bonfire of the damned.
Green
Basking Rootwalla: The worse of all my one drops.
Fyndhorn Elves: Dear wotc. You paid someone to make a new art for this card. Fricken print it so I can get a foil one.
Rampant Growth: Good but not amazing. Thinking about switching it to Utopia Sprawl
Overrun. I am 99% sure I am cutting this after I see it win it's next game.
Is it bad that I want to try playing Prey Upon?
Multicolor
Happy with UW
I could cut both Forbidden Alchemy and Shadowmage without batting an eye.
I've been happy with Boggart Ram-Gang and I'm happy I gave it a second chance.
If I cut Spike Jester I have no RB monocolored cards.
I could see cutting Loam Lion.
I like Vindicate, I like Lingering Souls. I don't like any other BW card ever printed.
Happy with BG. Wish you could discard any card to troll though.
UG has been good. Simic charm has been better than I thought.
I wouldn't mind cutting Lighhouse.
I'm happy with RW
Artifact
I could cut Juggernaut no problem. Has anyone tried Perilous Myr as of late?
I will cut Lightning Greeves as soon as Wotc prints another playable equipment.
Memory Jar probably isn't long for this world.
Contagion Clasp has been good.
Lands
I like having both Wilds and Expanse.
I love me some Mishra's Factorys. I don't think I'm going back to having one.
I wouldn't mind cutting the lesser wastelands. But I'm happy enough with Ghost Quarter and Tec Edge for the time. Dust Bowl should probably get cut.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Anyways, on your thoughts,
I like Cloistered Youth, a lot. 3/3 for 2 mana is just good.
I agree with Man-o-War comment. I love that kind of card.
I think Meloku is the absolutely best blue finisher in the cube. I'll recommend adding it back for sure.
Waterfront Bouncer probably should go back in. Silent Departure is a good cut. But I think I like Departure more than, say, Wake Thrasher Ninja of Deep Hours, or Riftwing Cloudskate.
Wildfire/Xinye. I'm one of people that run both. I run both so that the deck can come together easier. It's also a pretty powerful card. Just view it as 2 Wrath in red, if anything (and yes, it's not the same.).
I agree that Fyndhorn Elves need new art entirely.
I think Prey Upon is ok. it's removal in green. A lot of people probably don't like it though.
You don't like Sorin, Lord of Innistrad?
My cube
My cube on Cube tutor
I'm OP_Forever. I'll be putting this in my signature for a while so everyone know I change my nickname.
I've had lists up from time to time. But I haven't updated one in over a year and this cube's genesis had nothing to do with my old one.
They made new Fyndhorn Elves art for the modo cube. They just haven't done anything with it.
I should have said I don't like any BW cards besides soul/vindicate that I am willing to play. Only playing the 6 total walkers.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Some comments:
White
Agree with OP_Forever about Cloistered Youth, I'm a fan.
Fiend Hunter is a bit hit or miss, but you can't go wrong with Flickerwisp. It beats for 3 in the air which is par for an aggressive 3-drop, it enables ETB shenanigans and I cannot describe the feeling of flickering the fatty your opponent reanimated from your 'yard. Definitely keep that.
Midnight Haunting looks cool. Goes onto my options list. Shrine of Loyal Legions looks awkward though. You seem to have quite the token theme going on. You might want to consider running Ajani Goldmane as your white walker, seems like a better fit for your list than Elspeth. Maybe even Marshal's Anthem?
Keep Harm's Way if your group likes it, it's a solid enough card. Any particular reason why you don't cube Faith's Fetters? Not a fan of lifegain?
I prefer Hallowed Burial or Austere Command over Terminus. Timing is critical for wrath effects.
Blue
Delver is just not for cube, I'd get rid of it. If you want an aggressive 1-drop in blue, I'd go for Cloudfin Raptor instead. I share your love for Man-o'-War type creatures, we've even had good results with Mist Raven.
I can also recommend Coralhelm Commander and Fettergeist, solid creatures that are good both aggressively and defensively. Dungeon Geists is also a very solid creature alongside the bounce creatures.
Pretty awesome that you run Silent Departure, I've always liked that card and have been tempted to cube it. How's it been doing for you?
For the planeswalker slot, I think I'd pick Tezzeret the Seeker or if you don't support the artifact theme, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. The Mind Sculptor looks completely overpowered in your list.
Black
I wouldn't go out of my way to get a Bloodline Keeper, doesn't seem very powerful to me (although probably better in your environment than it'd be in ours). Not a fan of Desecration Demon either.
If you want to cut an x-spell, for the love of all that is holy cut Black Sun's Zenith and not Profane Command. That actually sounds like a fine cut at this size.
I can recommend Fleshbag Marauder, I now consider it the best edict effect. You might want to look into Cemetery Reaper, I think it would be great for your cube.
I'd go on but sometimes real life happens - gotta run! Congrats on your cube and a nice thread.
EDIT: back for more!
Red
I think in your cube Mogg War Marshal and Goblin Bombardment would be great.
Wildfire builds will usually run both it and Burning of Xinye here, if they manage to pick up both. It makes the deck more consistent. It only works if you have 4-5 mana rocks though, and enough split damage burn spells.
I really disliked the miracle mechanic when it came out, and in fact I still don't like it, but I've come around to liking Bonfire of the Damned. It's a powerful card in red control for its normal cost and utterly INSANE when miracled.
Green
We like mana dorks much more than the sorcery spells, so we run Avacyn's Pilgrim and Elves of Deep Shadow instead. Them being creatures is incredibly relevant for green decks.
If you have room for another 5-drop (incidentally, Genesis wasn't very good for us but it might be better in your environment), Wolfir Silverheart is pretty nuts. In the super fatty department, we like Terastodon a lot - it packs a big punch and gets rid of whatever permanent bugs you most (usually a sword, a control magic, a planeswalker, you name it). Also, Hornet Queen rules - great with token support cards, works with Imperial Recruiter and Reveillark, fun with bounce, and just a fantastic card overall. Highly recommended.
We run Eureka which is hilarious, generates great stories and is not overpowered. I appreciate that it's not for every play group though.
More later...
Fiend Hunter and Terminus are my next cuts in white, any suggestions?
Not sure how much I like Marshal's Anthem.
I have never been a fan of Faith's Fetters. I think 4 casting cost removal isn't something I want in cube. Fetter's biggest plus is the fact that it can hit planeswalkers. Something that isn't needed much with only 6 total walkers.
Blue
Waterfront Bouncer is going in. I'm thinking about cutting Delver for it.
I like Riftwing Cloudskate, but I like Fredo's suggestion of Mist Raven, I think I will make that switch.
Meloku probably will be going in as soon as I find a cut I like.
Wake Thrasher and Ninja of the Deep have been good in the tempo based strategies. Thrasher hits ilke a truck and it is always nice to return your ETB effect guys with Ninja while drawing a card at the same time.
Coralhelm looks good. I will have to find room for him.
Black
Is fleshbag that good, I could consider adding it. Reusable edicts with Volrath's Stronghold seem nice.
Cemetery Reaper was a card I played a while ago. I liked it but it kind of fell by the wayside.
Red
Goblin Bombardment looks AMAZING. I haven't been this excited to cube with a card in a long time. I don't think my red heavy decks want to play it. But by White, Green, and black decks (Oh it will be sexy with reasembling skeleton) would splash for it. And any card that makes the Plateau, Badlands, and Taiga more attractive is a good thing.
Green
I like mixing in some sorcery speed mana ramp witht he creature based ramp. I don't want the green player to be Armageddoned by an earthquake for one.
Wolfir Silverheart looks good. I'm not sure if I'm ready to cut Genesis. But that is a card whos time is probably going to come soon.
Hornet Queen seems like a good add with my token focus.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
What do you think about:
Judge's Familiar in blue? I am not sure where you stand on Hybrids. I found this guy to be what I want in a blue 1-drop. I'm also on the fence with Delver. His upside is SOOO good but I don't think you see that consistency enough unless you're forcing mono-blue stuff or UR aggro. Everywhere else you run into a ton of creatures, making him a crappy 1/1 for U.
I have always though about having Familiar + Cursecatcher be my blue 1-drops. They can be aggressive OR controlling. They morph to whatever shell you put them in.
----
I love your blue creature mix. I am curious how Pestermite and Wake Thrasherhold up. If I make blue more aggressive, are they worth slots? I think I'll pass on Stormbound Geist. Aether Adept is a card I adore but I never find room for her. She's always the more cost-prohibitive Man-O-War and lesser Capsize (in my list, not yours). Capsize slips into more lists and buyback is a legitimate trait to have.
My currently blue 3 drops:
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Man-o'-War
Phyrexian Metamorph
Sea Gate Oracle ----> cut for Pest/Wake?
Serendib Efreet
Vendilion Clique
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
If you are moving blue towards more aggressive I would play AEther Adept over Sea Gate Oracle first. (In fact I would do this regardless). A card that said "Sorcery, bounce a creature, put a 2/2 token into play" would be played in every cube. She might be a harder to cast Man-o-war, but man-o-war is really fricken good. Capsize is too slow for my cube.
Cursecatcher seems like a good potential add.
I would count Judge's Familiar as a Azorious card. So is it better/worse than Azorious Charm?
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Azorious Charm is a unique effect. it's apple to oranges with familiar. Judge's Familiar promotes fish (U-based disruption aggro) AND control. Az-charm almost exclusively a tempo play.
Cursecatcher is nice because, like Thalia, he hurts the opponent's natural curve. Although CC only hits non-creature spells, there are enough interactions in the cube at any given moment to negate his 1/1 frame. He's a limited force spike with legs. Not a bad thing by any means.
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
White
+Doomed Traveler
+Precinct Captain
+Seal of Cleansing
-Icatian Javelineers
-Fiend Hunter
-Shrine of Loyal Legions
Blue
+Cursecatcher
+Coralhelm Commander
+Meloku the Clouded Mirror
-Delver of Secrets
-Willbender
-Opposition
Black
+Fleshbag Marrauder
-Desecration Demon
Red
+Goblin Bombardment
+Young Pyromancer
-Reckless Waif
-Reckless Charge
Green
+Wolfir Avenger
+Wolfir Silverheart
-Genesis
-Overrun
Multi
+Judge's Familiar
+Voice of Resurgence
-Azorious Charm
-Loam Lion
Icatian was never as good as I wanted it to be. Fiend Hunter was bad in application. Shrine never did much.
Doomed Traveler and Precinct Captain go into both aggressive and token decks, so thats good. Seal is just to have another disenchant in the cube.
Blue
Delver never flips. I am very sad to see Willbender go. Opposition will come back some time.
Cursecatcher should be the first of the blue 1 drops in my blue section. I am interesed in how coralhelm commander will work out. And Meloku is Meloku.
Black
Desecration Demon was never that good. And Fleshbag comes highly recommended.
Red
Reckless Waif was the worst of all my one drops. Reckless Charge gets moved to my ondeck binder.
We will see if Young Pyromancer suffers from Delver of Secret type problems. But it should be decent.
Goblin Bombardment seems awesome in my RW and RB decks.
Green
I've liked Avenger in peasent.
Genesis is an engine card, but it tends to be too expensive.
Multi
Judge's familiar should be another cursecatcher.
Voice should be better for the WG agro decks than Loam Lion. And Voice goes into more decks.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Otherwise, pretty solid changes (except for the removal of Opposition imo, but fair enough).
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
I also got a foil Tithe Drinker, Foil Vampire Lacerator, Foil Doomed Traveler, and a Soltari Champion. But I didn't take a picture of them because they aren't that pimp.
I got this a bit ago, haven't posted a picture of it yet.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Me too. With an HM to Arc Trail and Birds of Paradise.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
White
This is the "loosest" my white section has ever felt to me. I like all of my two drops currently and with theores I think I will be finally happy with my white 1 drops.
Doomed Traveler After you get past the core white one drops there is a sudden decrease in quality. I have included Doomed Traveler to fill out the curve a bit more. With the printing of Soldier of the Pantheon I am left with the decision to cut the traveler or to further bolster my one drops.
Flickerwisp Oh how I wish this card had flash. Granted then it would just be a mini-restoration angel. But most of the time I want to use my blink/self bounce effects to have a creature dodge removal.
Emeria Angel A fairly mediocre 4 drop.
Mana Tithe: I know everyone else is in love with this card, but it has never done much.
Honor of the Pure/Glorious Anthem Aggressive decks would rather have cards that deal damage in of themselves or are an equipment. The new white weapon will take up one of the slots (probably honor of the pure) haven't decided what to add in for the other one yet.
Windbrisk Heights Card is normally just too much work. Granted this is the best of my white chopping block.
Blue
One of the problems with most of my blue chopping block isthat it is mainly filled by creatures. So if I just cut all of these cards and add in spells I will have the worse blue creature curve possible. As wotc continues to push creature power creep I will eventually be able to fill in this section better.
Cursecatcher: I wanted to add in some blue one drops to help the tempo strategies in blue. But to be frank one 1-drop isn't enough. I think I have to hold off on cursecatcher till I have a few more cards for this stage in the cube. I'm not sure if this card falls into the category of not good enough or just not enough support to help it out.
Coralhelm Commander: Just wasn't good enough.
Pestermite: I included this just to go infinite with Kiki-jiki. It finally happened in a game. Besides that one un-interesting interaction the card doesn't do enough. So I'm cutting it.
Mist Raven: While I do love me a man-o-war, 4 drop man-o-wars aren't good enough.
Ninja of the Deep Hour: I really do like this card. I might keep it a bit longer than I should.
Frost Titan This will become an AEtherling in the near future.
Silent Departure Yet another blue tempo card that isn't good enough.
Black
I am mostly happy with black. I have a few cards i've been wanting to play so it won't be hard to fill in these slots.
Nether Traitor: Just really wasn't necessary for the pox decks. I don't need creatures this dedicated to that strategy. It feels like Drakmor Salvage in that respect.
Fleshbag Marauder: I heard good things, while not a bad card I think I can get better.
Puppeter CliqueEnds up undrafted way more often than drafted.
Contagion I know some like this card but it hasn't been all that good.
Red
Red is probably the tightest section in my cube.
Searing Blaze The weakest of my red burn spells. And it's still pretty decent.
Wildfire: I have never had a successful wildfire deck in my cube. I have been playing this card since version one of my original list and I can't remember a single time I've ever been impressed with it. Granted my red section is dedicated very strongly to the red aggressive decks.
Green
Basking Rootwalla: As much as I love saying the work Rootwalla the small madness shenanigans aren't worth it.
Wolfir Silverheart: Kind of meh.
Multicolor
[crad]Judge's Familiar[card]: I wanted this and Cursecatcher to be the start of the blue 1 drop aggressive drops.
Forbidden Alchemy: I don't really support reanimator as a strategy.
Tithe Drinker: Why is it so hard for wotc to print good wb spells that cost less than a billion mana? Desolation Angel, Angel of Despair, that new exile a dude thing, Debtor's Knell. This is probably becoming a mortify again.
Desolate Lighthouse I think Steam Augury will be better.
Artifact
Memory Jar: Doesn't get drafted often.
Juggernaut: I'm going to be sad to see the lightning rod go.
One of the Masticores: Three is a little over doing it. Razormane is my personal favorite. And I think Molten Tail is better than the original gangsta.
The five swords: These cards are very powerful. We mostly quilt draft around here and no one is ever willing to "unlock" one of these guys. They lead to a ton of feel bad games, they aren't very skill intensive. They fit into almost every deck. The only reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet is because I don't have 5 equipments that will fill the GIANT void the swords would leave. I also haven't found a strong justification for cutting some of these while leaving others in.
Lands
I'm pretty happy with my land section. If I had to cut a land it would be ghost quarter.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
The only two cards from your white section I question cutting are Mana Tithe and Flickerwisp. I've found Flickerwisp to be really versatile. Don't underestimate the value of removing a blocker or resetting your own planeswalkers and Tangle Wire. Also, I've used it to remove Control Magic/Treachery quite a few times. In white at this size, I'd probably also cut Angel of Serenity and Geist-Honored Monk for something lower on the curve, like Mana Tithe and Flickerwisp.
Wildfire is my favorite red card, so I can't get behind cutting it. However, if your group doesn't like that deck it's expendable.
I think Tithe Drinker should become Gerard's Verdict, Tidehollow Sculler, or Stillmoon Cavalier instead of Mortify. Obzedat, Ghost Council is another really good option.
I'd cut Razormane first of the masticores. I'd look to be sure I had enough answers to the Swords rather than cut any of the Swords.
I like your cuts to blue, black, and green.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Soldier of the Pantheon<- Honor of the Pure
Spear of Heliod <- Glorious Anthem
Thassa, God of the Sea <- Stormbound Geist
Omenspeaker <- Silent Departure
AEtherling <- Frost Titan
Waterfront Bouncer <- Coralhelm Commander
Contamination <- Necropotence
hero's Downfall <- Contagion
Tormented hero <- Fleshbag Marauder
Lightning Strike <-???
Purphoros, God of the Forge <- Wildfire
Firedrinker Satyr <- Searing Blaze
Sylvan Caryatid <Basking Rootwalla
Boon Satyr <- Wolfir Silverheart
Daxos of Meletis <- Judge's Familar
Steam Augury <-Desolate Lighthouse
Sin Collector <- Tithe Drinker
This is thus far my planned changes for my cube. I really don't know what to cut from red for Lightning Strike. Which is really awkward because I also want to jam Reckless Charge into red.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor
Since I am in the process of unfoililng my cube it felt like a resonable time to look over my list and see if I needed to have any broad sweeping changes to my list. And to be honest I feel like my blue is sub-par.
For refrence, this is what my current blue section looks like.
1 Cursecatcher
1 Enclave Cryptologist
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Omenspeaker
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Spellskite
1 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Aether Adept
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Man-o'-War
1 Pestermite
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Wake Thrasher
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Mist Raven
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
1 Mulldrifter
1 Aetherling
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Instant (19)
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Stifle
1 Counterspell
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Daze
1 Impulse
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Miscalculation
1 Remand
1 Psionic Blast
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Cryptic Command
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Force of Will
1 Condescend
1 Repeal
Sorcery (7)
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Compulsive Research
1 Deep Analysis
1 Bribery
1 Upheaval
1 Standstill
1 Control Magic
1 Treachery
Artifact (2)
1 Crystal Shard
1 Vedalken Shackles
Land (2)
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Shelldock Isle
1 Daxos of Meletis
1 Detention Sphere
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Supreme Verdict
Ug, what a mess. The problem with my blue section stems from my previous atempt to try to introduce Blue Tempo into my cube. This led me to including such luck laster cards as Cursecatcher, Coralhelm Commander, and Silent Departure. I was unable to get the tempo strategy to work, so I have cut some of the worse tempo cards. Which has left me with some horrible hybrid between a standard "good stuff" and tempo section. After such a drastic change in my design I should of instead rebuilt blue from the ground up.
And here lies my problem, I don't know what I want blue to do. I don't want blue to go back to being good stuff.color. Blue tempo does seem to meld the best with my other color sections. But I either don't know how to build the color combination or we don't quite have the tools for it yet. And I'm unsure if I want to support the artifact deck. I don't want to re-include tinker. And I don't want to run things that are super gimmicky like Master Transmuter.
I'm also not sure how close to the bone I have to cut if I remove blue tempo. A card like Man-o-War makes it, but a card like cursecatcher would obviously not make it. But what about stuff in the middle like Standstill?
I'm also planning on tightening up my other sections in the next coming days. Green will most likely lose most of it's agro cards like Jungle Lions. I'm not sure if I'm going to cut the RG agro cards like Kird Ape from my list. But if I do Boggart Ram Gang will be reclassified as red and Dryad Millitant will be reclassified as white. I'm also pretty sure Berserk is becoming Mutagenic Growth.
Since I'm un-foiling I will be losing my judge Exalted Angel. (one of my favorite magic cards). And with that I think I'm cutting Exalted Angel completely from the cube. Probably for Archangel of Thrune. If I remove agro from green and add Millitant to white, I will probably add in Ranger of Eos. I know if I remove tempo from blue I am still keeping Geist, but I'm not sure about Daxos.
Black and Red I'm mostly happy with. Most of my B/U and R/U cards are fine. Though I'm pretty sure that Forbidden Alchemy is getting cut for something else, I just don't know what yet.
Calvin and Hobbes
Cube Tutor