I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Hey fellow cube enthusiasts, I have a really exciting announcement! After all my years of content creation, I have my first sponsored professional partnership! I have been offered partnerships in the past, but I have never been willing to attach my name to any particular company or product before. I need to make sure that the company, the people behind it, and (most importantly) the quality of the product are something that I would be proud partnering with before joining up.
I encourage you to visit https://ambrgrading.com/ and learn about the company, the product, and the people involved. I’ve bought, sold, and traded countless slabbed/graded cards over the years, and nothing has approached the quality of what Ambr Grading is offering. I’ve held cards slabbed by Ambr Grading in my hands. The product is freaking amazing.
I’ve known the CPO of Ambr Grading for over 30 years, and he’s someone I trust to be honest, hardworking, and dedicated to his craft. And after meeting the rest of the Ambr Grading team in person, I can say that they’re all great guys that have both the customer and the product at the center of each decision they make.
Ambr Grading will also be hosting podcasts in the future, where they (and guests like myself and other TCG experts) will be discussing any and all things TCG related. I’ll be sharing those podcasts when they drop. In addition, there are also informative articles (check out the blog: https://ambrgrading.com/blog) related to card collecting and TCG authentication.
I’m super stoked to see where this partnership moves in the future, and please remember to visit https://ambrgrading.com/ (and take a look at the kickstarter video/links there) to check out what they have to offer!
Thank you so much for all your work in helping make cube one of the most awesome format ever!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Hi, wtwlf123. My friends and I are beginners of vintage cube, we follow this cube list and having a lot of fun drafting. Thanks al lot for your cube list. However since we have drafted several times, some confusion came to us.
1. Is mono red aggro playable in this cube? It feels like no one wants these 1drop 21 red cards except monkey, or other mono red cards like Kari Zev. We just feel that they were so weak comparing to other cards and the whole mono red aggro is weaker than other archetypes. Or maybe these cards can be played in other archetypes like wr aggro or rg midrange? Do you think these archetypes are as powerful as other archetypes such as sneak attack deck or mono w aggro?
2. Whats these 1 drop zombies for? And many of them are crawler and cannot block. Black aggro or maybe sacrifice deck? But we think that some cards like Knight of the Ebon Legion (M20) is much better aggro card. As for sacrifice deck, it seems that there are not so much sacrifice payoff in this cube list. So we do not know what are these 1 drop zombies for.
It would be great help if anyone can share draft deck that use these cards like 1 drop 21 red cards or 1 drop black zombies. We are really confisued about what decks can these cards fit in.
In the end I want to express the gratitude of my friends and I for your contribution and hard work in this cube list. We do have a lot of fun. Thanks a lot for your time if you can solve our confusion.
1. Yes, red aggro is great. We win with mono red aggro and R/x aggro (boros, rakdos, and even gruul) all the time. It's one of the most played and most successful decks in the cube. All of those decks play the full suite of 2/1 creatures for 1 mana.
2. The 1-drop zombies are for black aggro and for black stax. I just went undefeated in a draft event last weekend with mono black that had both carnophage and diregraf ghoul in it. Here's a link to the deck: https://twitter.com/wtwlf123/status/1477034449447514113 . Unlike Knight, these aggro creatures can bash for 2 on their own in the early game without any additional stipulations/mana investments, and they enable gravecrawler.
I started working with the folks at www.ambrgrading.com as a co-host of The TCG Compass Podcast! It's a mostly weekly discussion on Trading Card Games (TCG) and the people who love them.
The first two episodes are up, and I'm co-hosting Episode 2: My Favorite Things, where Daniel and I discuss our favorite Magic cards, our favorite non-Magic TCG cards, and our favorite TCG formats! (Hint, mine's CUBE!)
The posdcast link can be found in my sig, on my Twitter account, in the OP of this thread, and... HERE: https://ambrgrading.com/tcgcompass.
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
In my recent game play, I realized these variants could be very strong 2-3 CMC plays where X = 1, 2 to help decks, especially artifact/ storm/ lands etc. have an effective turn 2 plays (which these decks often struggle to curve effectively), but also have an effective sweeper in the late game (which these decks desperately need). I found this is becoming more and more important as the average CMC of colors are curving down - for example, Green has the required density to play only 1 CMC mana dorks and are cutting cards like Cultivate etc.
I been less impressed by Languish recently as it's not effective against fatties, slow unlike Toxic Deluge and isn't as flexible (in curve) as Earthquake.
I'm wondering what was your reasoning for cutting them? I'm very keen on mana curve/ consistency than anything else when evaluating cube cards.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
I still like the effects, it's just a matter of real estate. The damage redirection rule hurt Rolling Earthquakes, and since we have access to cards like Fiery Confluence now, these kinds of effects feel slightly less critical. But I like the redundancy that Earthquake/Tremors add to Moat shells, and I miss that particular application.
Hi wtwlf123! I haven't had a chance to play or update my cube for a few years sadly. However, now some friends want to borrow my cube for a multi-format tournament they're gonna hold, so I am trying to get with the times. Your cube is of course source numero uno, and thanks for putting in the continous work with updating, refining, writing articles, giving advice and feedback etc - you really make the cubing environment great.
Quick specific question to your current iteration of the cube. I am quite a fan of seeing Wild Growth/Utopia Sprawl in the list, but I am struggling a bit with seeing "what changed" to make these playable. I'm not really noticing any new cards that interact with these in any specific ways. Am I overlooking something? When looking for discussion I found a 10-year old post where you wrote that you prefer dorks over these and wouldn't play them if you didn't run out of dorks. So is the answer that you simply ran out of dorks to add? Are they playing better than Elves of Deep Shadow/Avacyn's Pilgrim?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Cubing in Oslo, Norway --- contact me if you want to join in!
Nothing has really changed, except the speed of the cube has made 1cc ramp even more desirable than ever. So in that sense, I guess I "ran out of dorks". 1cc ramp is just good, and I already play all the Llanowar Elves I want to. I like them more than the mana dorks that have a drawback or tap for colorless, but not more than the creatures that unconditionally produce colored mana. I do play Pilgrim (in ). Selvala's Stampede is a card that wants green ramp but doesn't necessarily want mana dorks, so that's one new(ish) card that has increased their value.
Hi wtwlf123! A few years back I found your cube online and I just straight out copied it. I don't play that much, but I still update it once or twice a year according to your current list. Just wanted to thank you for all the fun!
I used to play mainly sealed deck, because we were 2 people most of the time, but recently we started doing impulse/glimpse/sight drafts and it is so much better. I still want play sealed deck, to change it up sometimes or when introducing new players. How many cards would you recommend for each player based on your current list? Do you have any other recommendations?
Thanks for all that you do wtwlf123. I'm very experienced with MTGO and Arena cubes but new to making a paper Cube. I've been reading as much as I can about the topic given my particular Cube needs and thought I would ask you here: is your cube suitable, in your mind, for 2 players? I ask because I will be playing with only one other person 99% of the time. Money would not be an issue as I would proxy it. My main considerations are: 1) I want to play with power to bring back feelings of nostalgia 2) Have a varied experience (with no Storm mechanic) over and over, and 3) Have the cube make sense in a 2-player setting. I've read online that a lot of 2-player cubes tend to be pretty small (I've seen seen 180 card ones) but from your articles, I've gleaned that you think larger cubes are almost always best. I really appreciate any guidance.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
How strong is Tovolar's Huntmaster and how often does it flip?
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
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!
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/articles-podcasts-and-guides/824436-set-p-review-my-top-20-innistrad-crimson-vow-vow
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!
I encourage you to visit https://ambrgrading.com/ and learn about the company, the product, and the people involved. I’ve bought, sold, and traded countless slabbed/graded cards over the years, and nothing has approached the quality of what Ambr Grading is offering. I’ve held cards slabbed by Ambr Grading in my hands. The product is freaking amazing.
I’ve known the CPO of Ambr Grading for over 30 years, and he’s someone I trust to be honest, hardworking, and dedicated to his craft. And after meeting the rest of the Ambr Grading team in person, I can say that they’re all great guys that have both the customer and the product at the center of each decision they make.
Ambr Grading will also be hosting podcasts in the future, where they (and guests like myself and other TCG experts) will be discussing any and all things TCG related. I’ll be sharing those podcasts when they drop. In addition, there are also informative articles (check out the blog: https://ambrgrading.com/blog) related to card collecting and TCG authentication.
I’m super stoked to see where this partnership moves in the future, and please remember to visit https://ambrgrading.com/ (and take a look at the kickstarter video/links there) to check out what they have to offer!
As always, cheers, and happy cubing!
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!
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Thanks Rant!
I'm super stoked about the partnership. The product really is top-notch.
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!
Thank you so much for all your work in helping make cube one of the most awesome format ever!
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
You're most welcome. And thanks for the congratulations.
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!
1. Is mono red aggro playable in this cube? It feels like no one wants these 1drop 21 red cards except monkey, or other mono red cards like Kari Zev. We just feel that they were so weak comparing to other cards and the whole mono red aggro is weaker than other archetypes. Or maybe these cards can be played in other archetypes like wr aggro or rg midrange? Do you think these archetypes are as powerful as other archetypes such as sneak attack deck or mono w aggro?
2. Whats these 1 drop zombies for? And many of them are crawler and cannot block. Black aggro or maybe sacrifice deck? But we think that some cards like Knight of the Ebon Legion (M20) is much better aggro card. As for sacrifice deck, it seems that there are not so much sacrifice payoff in this cube list. So we do not know what are these 1 drop zombies for.
It would be great help if anyone can share draft deck that use these cards like 1 drop 21 red cards or 1 drop black zombies. We are really confisued about what decks can these cards fit in.
In the end I want to express the gratitude of my friends and I for your contribution and hard work in this cube list. We do have a lot of fun. Thanks a lot for your time if you can solve our confusion.
1. Yes, red aggro is great. We win with mono red aggro and R/x aggro (boros, rakdos, and even gruul) all the time. It's one of the most played and most successful decks in the cube. All of those decks play the full suite of 2/1 creatures for 1 mana.
2. The 1-drop zombies are for black aggro and for black stax. I just went undefeated in a draft event last weekend with mono black that had both carnophage and diregraf ghoul in it. Here's a link to the deck: https://twitter.com/wtwlf123/status/1477034449447514113 . Unlike Knight, these aggro creatures can bash for 2 on their own in the early game without any additional stipulations/mana investments, and they enable gravecrawler.
I'm glad you're enjoying the cube!
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!
The first two episodes are up, and I'm co-hosting Episode 2: My Favorite Things, where Daniel and I discuss our favorite Magic cards, our favorite non-Magic TCG cards, and our favorite TCG formats! (Hint, mine's CUBE!)
The posdcast link can be found in my sig, on my Twitter account, in the OP of this thread, and... HERE: https://ambrgrading.com/tcgcompass.
Enjoy!
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!
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
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!
Maybe try to find room for Angel of Mercy?
Thanks!
Angel is a beautiful card, and probably my favorite aesthetically ...but I just can't cube it, lol.
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!
I've noticed you dropped Rolling Earthquake / Earthquake / Subterranean Tremors from your cut from 720 to 450 and I never got around to testing these cards.
In my recent game play, I realized these variants could be very strong 2-3 CMC plays where X = 1, 2 to help decks, especially artifact/ storm/ lands etc. have an effective turn 2 plays (which these decks often struggle to curve effectively), but also have an effective sweeper in the late game (which these decks desperately need). I found this is becoming more and more important as the average CMC of colors are curving down - for example, Green has the required density to play only 1 CMC mana dorks and are cutting cards like Cultivate etc.
I been less impressed by Languish recently as it's not effective against fatties, slow unlike Toxic Deluge and isn't as flexible (in curve) as Earthquake.
I'm wondering what was your reasoning for cutting them? I'm very keen on mana curve/ consistency than anything else when evaluating cube cards.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
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!
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!
Quick specific question to your current iteration of the cube. I am quite a fan of seeing Wild Growth/Utopia Sprawl in the list, but I am struggling a bit with seeing "what changed" to make these playable. I'm not really noticing any new cards that interact with these in any specific ways. Am I overlooking something? When looking for discussion I found a 10-year old post where you wrote that you prefer dorks over these and wouldn't play them if you didn't run out of dorks. So is the answer that you simply ran out of dorks to add? Are they playing better than Elves of Deep Shadow/Avacyn's Pilgrim?
Nothing has really changed, except the speed of the cube has made 1cc ramp even more desirable than ever. So in that sense, I guess I "ran out of dorks". 1cc ramp is just good, and I already play all the Llanowar Elves I want to. I like them more than the mana dorks that have a drawback or tap for colorless, but not more than the creatures that unconditionally produce colored mana. I do play Pilgrim (in ). Selvala's Stampede is a card that wants green ramp but doesn't necessarily want mana dorks, so that's one new(ish) card that has increased their value.
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!
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/articles-podcasts-and-guides/826334-set-p-review-my-top-20-streets-of-new-capenna-snc
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!
I used to play mainly sealed deck, because we were 2 people most of the time, but recently we started doing impulse/glimpse/sight drafts and it is so much better. I still want play sealed deck, to change it up sometimes or when introducing new players. How many cards would you recommend for each player based on your current list? Do you have any other recommendations?
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!