MTG Salvation

Small change:

Rampaging Baloths was cut for Woodfall Primus.

Quote from wtwlf123

Small change:

Rampaging Baloths was cut for Woodfall Primus.

I like it ... Woodfall Primus is the best high cost green fattie. Something great to ramp to and/or cheat into play.

Good change. The Primus is a cube superhero, and should be prioritised above Baloths. Rampaging Baloths is capable of some sick pressure though and should remain in consideration for a green fatty slot.

If Kodama of the North Tree's shroud hasn't been so valuable time and time again, I'd agree with you. I've gotten more bang for my buck with Kodama than I have with the Baloths.

I agree with wtwlf here. Shroud is a ridiculous ability for a good creature to have; especially if that creature is a fatty that's beating your face in while you're staring at your burn and removal spells in your hand. He's good.

Another very small change:

Arrest is out and replaced by Kor Skyfisher.

Woodfall Primus is super fun, once my friend Kiki-Jiki'd it turn six, good thing it was a mutliplayer game though, he still won but he had crazy board control turn six.

In my opinion Vendilion Clique > Time Warp

Updated OP with cleaner cube list. Will update with pictures soon, as soon as the last of the pimped cards come rolling in. It's about 98% pimped now... still waiting on a few more cards to come in.

Another small update. I got Vendilion Clique back in the cube (and took out Time Warp) and put Keldon Marauders back in the cube (and took out Goblin Sharpshooter).

I'm going to do another small update soon, and I wanted to ask a few questions for those of you that have been running the aggressive landfall guys. How have Steppe Lynx and Plated Geopede been thus far? Are they worth running? How often is the Lynx a dead card late? I'd be adding those guys in with some additional support cards for 'em too (like Crucible of Worlds and maybe Undiscovered Paradise). Let me know what you think.

I've had decent experience with Geopede (had it in for a few weeks, forgot to update my cube section with it.) Generally, I feel that when it's swung twice, it's done its job, as early red creatures want to get their damage in and let burn do the rest.

Quote from eidolon »

I can only recommend the Geopede.

Is this because he's the one you've tried and had success with, or is this because you've tried Lynx first-hand and it's been bad.

Quote from wtwlf123

Is this because he's the one you've tried and had success with, or is this because you've tried Lynx first-hand and it's been bad.

My guess would be that with this:

Quote from eidolon »

I can only recommend the Geopede.

eidolon did not say anything about the Lynx, because in german the 'only' in this position is a way to say that you really recommend the Geopede.

I recently added the Geopede as well, and it was played. I'll watch it and see, but it seems ok.

I do not know about the Lynx, without the landfall it is just a Kobold. But I have not tried it so I cannot speak from experience.

I think I'm going to try it out. With both Loam and (soon to be) Crucible, combined with 10 fetchlands, Land Tax, Kor Skyfisher, (soon to be) Undiscovered Paradise, 10 bouncelands, and lots of other landfall enablers, I think it should be consistent enough in the right aggro build to be more than playable. In a deck without any extra support for the Lynx, it'll be worse than Savannah Lions... but in the right deck, it can be better. If the Lynx turns out to be really bad, I can always replace it with something else. I at least want to give him a chance to prove himself though.

I'm going to try the Geopede for sure. With burn & equipment, the first strike is relevant all the time, and I like his casting cost. The aggro landfall update will happen shortly.

Geopede caught on instantly here. I didn't try playing the lynx, but I cannot really see a way that he will be good enough between all of white's one drops, they'd all be miles ahead of him.

I'm really looking for a 6th white 1-drop, and I know the other 5 are leagues ahead of him. The only 2 other contenders are Icatian Javelineers and Goldmeadow Harrier (and maybe Akrasan Squire)... but I want to try the Steppe Lynx first before putting a white 1-drop back in that I've already cut for being sub par. I need to see his performance for myself.

I, too, can say I support adding the Geopede to the cube. He's been excellent here as a splash or R/x aggro. You just can't block him profitably.

I'm still a bit skeptical about adding Steppe Lynx. Please let me know how it goes with that card.

Funny enough, I already added Undiscovered Paradise, but it hasn't been in any drafts yet, so I won't be able to tell you how it performs. I do have high hopes for it though.

I had Undiscovered Paradise in the cube before Landfall existed, and it was good even then. It's a great support land for 3+ color aggro, and worked really well with Winter Orb. Now that I can use it to trigger all my Landfall guys too, I'm sure it'll be even better.

Quote from wtwlf123

I'm really looking for a 6th white 1-drop, and I know the other 5 are leagues ahead of him. The only 2 other contenders are Icatian Javelineers and Goldmeadow Harrier (and maybe Akrasan Squire)... but I want to try the Steppe Lynx first before putting a white 1-drop back in that I've already cut for being sub par. I need to see his performance for myself.

My vote is for Goldmeadow Harrier. I really like this card. It works well as an aggro enabler and it works as a quick control card.

White has such superb aggro creatures that the Lynx just doesn't feel as it is on par with the others. The Harrier adds more then the Lynx in my opinion.

We cut Undiscovered Paradise as it slowed us down too much, but that was before Zendikar. It is great how everything is connected as Landfall might just be what could make us consider Undiscovered Paradise again.

If the Lynx turns out to be bad, I'll cut it for a different 1-Drop. I've removed all three of those other 1-drop options from my cube(s) in the past due to under-performance. The Harrier may go back in if the Lynx is bad, but I had visions of a crucible-fetch-Lynx beating for 4 every turn... for W. If he proves too inconsistent, or my fears of him being an 0/1 for half the game come to fruition, then he'll be gone. I just want to test it. However, the Lynx may prove to be great. Like other 1-Drops that can swing for 2, I think he's superior to Squire in that he'll do so more than once. Plus, the opportunity to bash for 4 off of a fetch land on turn 2 is possible (hell, even probable now that there's 10 of 'em in the cube) and that's well worth the W. He's worse than a Lions in the aggro mirror because it can't trade on defense (but then again, that 3rd toughness is nice when it's attacking). Against control, it should function about the same as a (4th) Issy clone... which I'm fine with.

I don't really care for the lynx. I haven't tried him out in the cube, but I don't foresee him being all that great, even with so many landfall enablers. I'd much rather have Goldmeadow Harrier. That card has been in our cube since it came out and hasn't let us down yet. I like it because it can go into anything. If (when) you're let down by the lynx, then my vote would be to put the harrier back in.

Goldmeadow Harrier is just one of those cards that has to go in every cube. It fits in any white deck there is.

How has Kor Skyfisher been treating you?

Harrier was good, but not great. He's the best white 1-drop that wasn't good enough to make the initial cut when the cubes combined, but there's a good chance he'll go back in if the Lynx is no good.

Kor Skyfisher hasn't come up yet. I'll be sure and let you guys know how he performs once he's drafted a few times.

Another update today. This one is going to have some controversial changes in it, and I'll do my best to explain 'em.


White

Parallax Wave is a good card. Hell, it's a great card even. However, it's been lacking in draftability as of late. The aggro decks are drafting splashable spot removal and the control decks are drafting fast removal and board sweepers. Wave is neither. Plus, my 1 drops are lacking and my 4-drops are booming. Going to give the Lynx a trial run, but the change from Wave to 1-drop aggro critter is permanent.

Red

Slith Firewalker has been fine for us. I'm trying out the aggro landfall guys, and the Geopede is more splashable. If he's bad, the 'walker will come back.

Sudden Shock was far and away the worst burn spell. I want more splashable LD spells. Adding in Stone Rain (and Ice Storm for green) was a way for me to do this. I've been missing Stone Rain since the merger when it was cut, and I think it's back for good now.

Green

Krosan Grip has been good at removing artifacts and enchantments. However, the split second hasn't been of any real relevance yet. I'm going to cut it for Ice Storm, because I'm trying to improve aggro's tempo disruption against control, and the storm is splashable LD.

Now, I don't want to remove a naturalize effect from the cube without replacing it with something else. Overrun is coming out for Viridian Zealot. The Zealot didn't make the cut into the combined cube, but I don't really know why. I didn't want to 'overdo' the naturalize-on-a-stick guys, but I've since realized that there's no such thing. He was damaged by M10, but not rendered unplayable. He was good in my 'modern' cube, and I'm going to give him a whorl here.

Why cut Silvos? He hasn't been doing so well. Green has it's power in the mid-range creatures that function as spells. Silvos is NOT that guy. Mold Shambler is exactly that guy. An unimpressive body, sure... but I can kill Planeswalkers and lands with it (in addition to being another naturalize-on-a-stick). I'm forcing green tempo disruption with all the playable LD cards green has to offer. Ice Storm, Creeping Mold, Acidic Slime, Plow Under, Mold Shambler and Woodfall Primus.

Artifact

The Rack is out. It hasn't done anything at all. Crucible of Worlds is ciming in. I think it'll be great. Works with too many cards to count, and can create some broken combos.

Land

City of Traitors is out. I love that card to death, but it's the worst of my 15 colorless nonbasics right now, and I'm going to try out Undiscovered Paradise again. It's a fantastic aggro mana-fixer, it's fantastic with Winter orb and Vinelasher Kudzu, and it's busted with Landfall. I'll see how it plays.

..........

Hope you all enjoy the most controversial update of 2009.

I know. Not everybody will be pleased with the changes all around, but a 4-drop needed to go, and this was the only one I could even remotely justify.

Fair enough, but I can't get behind cutting the City of Traitors, especially not for Undiscovered Paradise. It may be good with Vinelasher Kudzu, but Kudzu was nowhere near good enough for my Cube... and I run twice as many green cards as you! It's not really much more busted with landfall when compared to, for example, the bouncelands. I don't want the Paradise for any aggro deck unless I'm running three or more colours, and even then I might not run it. I know the card has spiked in value but it's just not worth it IMO. It sets you back a turn of mana development - not having my two mana on turn 2 makes me sad with aggro.

That's the only obvious mistake, the other changes make sense for your set-up. I prefer Krosan Grip versus Zealot perhaps but if the SS hasn't been relevant enough for you then it's all good. I don't think that the Lynx is good enough with or without the Paradise but agree that Wave is sadly the right cut for a one-drop.