Processor can take over a game, or you could pay a lot of life and have it blown up. It's a good card; I ran it in my cube for years. I just don't think it has held up over time. That said, I do like it more than the Strings. I just suggested two cuts to give you options.
Sophisticate vs. Strider comes down to how many nonbasics you have. I'd mostly prefer the Sophisticate I think because I like evasive critters when I play aggro.
Some of my players have been asking me to add planeswalkers, so I've found some that don't break the budget too badly. I'm trying out one per color for now:
Celestial Flare > Gideon Jura In the White Walkers MCD thread he's generally considered the second best, and he goes for less than $5. Seems worth a try!
Thieving Magpie > Jace, Architect of Thought Not exactly budget, but I've pulled a few of these in RTR block drafts. Jace, AoT doesn't seem to be the most popular blue walker for Cube, but I've played with and against it in Standard enough to want to see this in my cube. I deliberately decided against Jace, Memory Adept because it's just no fun to play against in a format of 40-card decks.
Fume Spitter > Liliana Vess Not a whole lot of choices for mono-black walkers. I was willing to shell out a bit more for the original Liliana because Sorin is just too mana and color intensive, and Liliana of the Dark Realms just isn't a very exciting planeswalker. Liliana Vess adds to the existing discard and reanimator themes in my black section, while adding the first Demonic Tutor like effect.
Browbeat > Chandra Nalaar I actually happen to have a Chandra, the Firebrand as well that could take this spot. The original Chandra's 2nd ability seems more reliably useful, and the ultimate more game breaking.
Imperiosaur > Garruk, Primal Hunter To be honest, I'd rather have the original Garruk Wildspeaker here because of the easier casting cost and ramping +1 ability, but Primal Hunter costs less than half the money. Seems like he could still do some work.
Since I'm adding planeswalkers, it's time to add some planeswalker hate.
Mostly good changes. I prefer Liliana of the Dark Realms to Liliana Vess by quite a bit actually. She comes down a turn earlier and generates card advantage one way or another. You've also added a card that's great with her, Mutilate. Mutilate is a fine Damnation stand-in and is cool if you are trying a mono-black theme.
Nalaar over Firebrand for sure. Good call.
I'm skeptical of Skullcap, but there's no harm in giving it a try.
Mostly good changes. I prefer Liliana of the Dark Realms to Liliana Vess by quite a bit actually. She comes down a turn earlier and generates card advantage one way or another.
I'm surprised to hear that, actually, as Liliana of the Dark Realms seems to be pretty unpopular in cubes (and pretty much every other format of Magic as far as I can tell) according to Cubetutor and the MCD thread on planeswalkers. I should be able to trade for a Liliana of the Dark Realms without too much trouble though, so I could give her a try if Liliana Vess doesn't pan out or whenever I'm ready to add more planeswalkers. I remember wtwlf had good things to say about the new Liliana in his set preview too, so I'm open to trying her. I hadn't even thought about the possible interactions with Mutilate.
I'm skeptical of Skullcap, but there's no harm in giving it a try.
Call it a pet card. I really loved it during Urza block draft as late game card advantage, it won me a surprising amount of games. I'm trying it out in my cube for nostalgia's sake if nothing else. If it doesn't work out I'll find something else to replace it with.
Liliana Vess does not protect herself or generate card advantage or effect the board state and costs 5 mana. I don't think I run any other cards in my cube like that. She's really durdly and takes at least a turn to get your mana's worth. Sorin Markov is better, IMO, even though he's 6 mana. I'm not in love with Liliana of the Dark Realms, but I think she's a better cube card than Vess.
Looking at your list, I think we can definitely agree that black planeswalkers that aren't Liliana of the Veil are kinda lame. Liliana Vess is the only black planeswalker I have, so she'll stay for the moment. If she doesn't perform well, I'll try Liliana of the Dark Realms when I get my hands on one, or I might do without a black planeswalker entirely.
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Selesnya Sanctuary > Temple of Plenty Brushland > Razorverge Thicket Unfortunately, the Selesnya land changes aren't 100% intentional. The bounce land and pain land have gone missing. I'm pretty sure it was an honest mistake, but still.... I'm happy to bring in Razorverge Thicket over the bounce land, but I'll be swapping the Temple out for a pain land as soon as I can.
Adarkar Wastes > Temple of Enlightenment I'm going on Eidolon's recommendation on this, although I'm tempted to take out the bounce land instead here.
Tainted Field > Temple of Silence Tainted field was great for black decks splashing white, but not the other way around so it's gotta go.
Liliana Vess > Liliana of the Dark Realms It wasn't hard to trade for Liliana of the Dark Realms, so I've decided I'm taking Rantipole's advice on this one based mostly on the fact that she'll have a more immediate impact on the board than the original.
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Blue Air Servant > Djinn of Wishes I don't think anyone's been excited about Air Servant, and there are already plenty of tap effects. This came with a lot of bulk rares, it seems like it's nearly a strict improvement. Snap > Snakeform Finally, a playable Simic Hybrid!
Black Dauthi Jackal > Drown in Sorrow Does black need another sweeper, and if so, is this one good enough? It seems to be popular in Peasant lists, we'll see if it makes the cut here. Jackal's been OK, but it's one of the weaker 3-drops. Too slow for aggro and not too useful for any other kind of deck. Read the Bones > Dark Tutelage Yet another bulk rare lot find. Budget replacement for Bob/Phyrexian Arena. Ogre Marauder > Lifebane Zombie
Red Splatter Thug > Burst Lightning Red definitely needs more burn than that particular 3-drop. Shock > Lightning Bolt I've been wanting to make this change for a while, finally got a bolt. Slagstorm > Wildfire This is the single change I'm least sure about. Slagstorm was the only non-scaling and non-splashable red sweeper, but I'm wondering if I have enough support to make Wildfire playable in my cube. I have a good amount of artifact mana, but Ember Swallower is the only red creature with a toughness higher than 5 in the entire cube. Rantipole, if you're reading this I'd love to hear what you think.
Colorless Temple of Enlightenment > Adarkar Wastes I'm following wtlf's advice from the This or That thread, and not taking out the pain land or karoo for a scry land here. The scry probably isn't worth the tempo loss or virtual card advantage, but I can't help thinking there's got to be room for scry lands somehow, especially in the blue guilds. When Journey Into Nyx comes out and the cycle is complete, I might replace the Vivid and Tri-lands with scry lands. Stalking Stones > Phyrexian Revoker Stalking Stones went around late and sat in sideboards. Too fragile as a control finisher, too slow for any other kind of deck. Wayfarer's Bauble > Mind Stone Trading fixing for faster ramp that replaces itself in a pinch.
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450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
You will likely find Sacred Mesa slow and unwieldy but it's a decent budget option.
I'd run Snakeform as a Simic card.
I like Read the Bones better than Dark Tutelage and Underworld Connections.
I vastly prefer Wildfire to Slagstorm. Wildfire is actually my favorite red card in the cube. It does need support to be successful but it's really fun to have around. I'd look to add one more red finisher (I don't think Inferno Titan is expensive any more)and make sure that each color (especially blue) has at least two the can survive the Wildfire. Remember that planeswalkers and some enchantments and artifacts can be good finishers for the Wildfire deck.
I like Steppe Lynx more than Champion, but there's no harm in running both if you want to support Humans.dec in aggro.
Thanks for the feedback, Ranti. I do count Snakeform as a Simic hybrid. In my initial build every guild had 2 hybrids and/or split cards except for Simic, so I'd put an extra card in blue and green to make up for that. That's why I removed a blue card for Snakeform instead of a Simic gold card.
I'm surprised that you're suggesting Read the Bones over Underworld Connections. For the cost, a repeatable draw engine seems better than the chance to scry on a one-shot draw spell. I am probably going to be adding Night's Whisper soon, for a similar effect at one mana cheaper minus scry.
Thanks for the advice about Wildfire support. Looking at my list, white has no mono-colored creatures that can survive a Wildfire, and red only has Ember Swallower. I like your suggesting of Inferno Titan, I'll see if I can trade for that this weekend, and I have a Sun Titan that's just sitting in my binder. Any other good ideas for white or black finishers that won't break the bank? There are surprisingly few playable red creatures with toughness of 5 or more that cost less than 6. Ideally, I'd love to add a Thundermaw Hellkite if I can find one for trade but that might be a while.
Remember that planeswalkers and some enchantments and artifacts can be good finishers for the Wildfire deck.
I have a Sulfuric Vortex and a Koth on the way, and I already have a Phyrexian Processor that could fill this role. Any other ideas for enchantments and artifacts for this?
I like Steppe Lynx more than Champion, but there's no harm in running both if you want to support Humans.dec in aggro.
Steppe Lynx seemed like the obvious cut here because it was the only non-human 1 drop, but I'll admit I didn't have it in the cube long enough to give the poor kitty a chance. Any suggestions on something else to cut in that spot?
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I haven't had the time to respond in detail. Check my cube on Cube Tutor and you can see what things I'm running that survive Wildfire. Vortex is really an aggro card; I'd be leery of using it in Wildfire. Wildfire decks are usually UR, GR, or WR, very rarely BR, although Grixis control with Wildfire isn't uncommon. Sun Titan should be in your cube whether you run Wildfire or not. Processor can be decent in Wildfire, but you have to make big tokens or have enough mana after Wildfire to activate it. Crater Hellion is a budget card that creates its own miniWildfire.
Jace vs. Vraska is out! There are a bunch of cards I've been able to add to my cube from this. Other changes are from
Samurai of the Pale Curtain > Requiem Angel I'm cutting back on WW 2 drops, and this also gives me a white finisher that can survive Wildfire, and it also adds to the token theme in white. It's even splashable. At worst, this is a placeholder for Sun Titan. I chose to cut Samurai over Knight of Meadowgrain because the reanimator decks seem to be having enough trouble coming together without a random hate bear hosing that strategy.
You're right, that something will be Sun Titan. My wife's claimed the one in the binder for an EDH deck, so Requiem Angel it is until I get a titan. In the meantime, it's a placeholder.
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It's been a good week for trades and a bulk lot has arrived.
The biggest change is in lands. I'm one Stomping Grounds away from the full cycle of shock lands, and one Creeping Tar Pit away from having the full cycle of Worldwake manlands. I decided not to wait to add what I have, and if I can't trade for them plus the ever-elusive Blackcleave Cliffs this weekend I'll be putting in an order for them.
I've decided to give the Scry lands a try in the blue guilds over bounce lands. The Dimir and Simic bounce lands are in the bottom 20 picks for the entire cube, and I'm sure the scry effect will be welcome for most Azorius drafters too. Plus, I know my players absolutely love Scry lands so much that they run off color Scrys in retail draft and constructed decks.
Dynacharge > Koth of the Hammer $4 planeswalker that boosts red aggro available in foil? Yes, please! Stonewright > Pillage Including hybrids, red still has 9 1-drops. Stonewright had its moments, but was inconsistent.
Some of my players were generous enough to help chip in for some nice, opaque sleeves to re-sleeve the entire cube. Now that I'm no longer using penny sleeves I can finally try out some double-faced cards.
With these 4 lands, my mana base is about as good as it's likely to get until WoTC reprints fetchlands, or they come out with a new cycle of duals that's an improvement over what I have: Full cycles of pain lands, check lands, and shock lands, plus Worldwake man lands for the allied guilds and a mixed cycle of fast lands for Rakdos, Selesnya, and Gruul, Scry lands for all the blue guilds plus Boros and Orzhov. My last bounce lands are in Golgari and Izzet, I'll swap those for Temples when Journey into Nyx comes out. Ideally, I'd like to get filter lands for Orzhov, Boros, and Golgari but they're expensive and I don't think I've ever seen them up for trade in anyone's binders in my area.
With the addition of man lands, allied guilds now all have access to 5 duals, enemy guilds have 4. It's a bit imbalanced, but it reflects the history of Magic.
I've been really excited to see the effect that the new and improved mana base has had on the choices people make when drafting my cube in the "Draft the Above Person's Cube" thread. I'm seeing all kinds of 4 color shenanigans and 2 color aggro decks that look like they could really work. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this weekend's paper cube draft goes!
The rest of these changes are pretty obvious improvements based recent acquisitions.
Opt > Mystical Tutor Obvious improvement. Opt wasn't bad, just a bit low impact.
Blightning > Murderous Redcap I was looking for a Redcap for a while, but it wasn't easy to decide which Rakdos card to cut for it. I've decided to cut Blightning over Terminate or Cerberus because there is already plenty of discard in the black section, and Terminate is the most efficient spot removal in either color. Cerberus stays because he's a popular with certain players in my draft group, and I aim to please.
In other cube related news, I've recently ordered a swanky wine case for the cube. If it's a good fit, pics will follow soon!
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Some minor tweaks, mostly. Most of what I'm adding here are generally considered cube staples, so I don't think most of these replacements require much explanation.
Hollow Specter > Cemetery Reaper Having to pay even 1 extra mana to get the discard effect ended up making Hollow Specter a lot clunkier than I'd expected. I'm mostly trying this for a new token generator, but the tribal synergies with the other zombies and zombie token makers is gravy. Should be fun to try. Lord of the Void > Grave Titan I don't think anyone ever managed to get Lord of the Void into play. The casting cost was just too rough.
Overall these are really good changes. I saw a lot of cards in your red section I'd cut before Hammer of Purphoros. My first cuts would probably be Aftershock, Goblin Wardriver, Flame Javelin, and Final Fortune.
Hi Ranti, it's good to hear from you. I see that you're running Hammer, how has it been working in your cube? I found Hammer is at a bit of an awkward spot on the curve for an aggressive red heavy deck. It doesn't do anything on turn 3, and 3 out of the 5 4-drops in my red section already have haste as well as 2 out of my red section's 3 5-drops. Mid-range and controllish red decks want it even less because they won't want to be blowing up their own lands till much later. I'm also not running Crucible of Worlds or Life from the Loam, which get mileage from lands in the graveyard, and I am running Countryside Crusher, which is kind of a nonbo with Hammer. It didn't have much chance to see play, though, so I'd like to hear how it worked for you.
I'd definitely love to know why you'd cut those other four cards. It's always easier to think of new cards to include than cards to cut!
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I'm not in love with Hammer, and honestly, I've barely cubed since adding it (school consumes almost all of my free time now). However, cards that grant global haste are rare in cube and this one has the added benefit of making (hasty) dudes if you need them. You don't need Crucible or Loam (but they do enable shenanigans) to use that ability. You just need extra lands.
I'd cut the other cards for the following reasons:
Aftershock: Too high a price to pay for 1-for-1 removal. We used to have to run this cube, but the competition has gotten too good.
Flame Javelin: Costs 4 mana too often and that's too fair by cube standards.
Goblin Wardriver: Just unimpressive and not worth the double R in the casting cost.
Final Fortune: Too variable and too easy to lose to your own card. Not my style at all.
Sorry to hear you haven't had time to cube lately, you post often enough here that I'm sure you really miss it. I hope your schedule clears up soon, and thanks for taking the time to read my updates and give me your feedback.
Your points are well taken on Flame Javelin and Goblin Wardriver. I've been feeling like the red non-creature section is a bit monotonous with burn, Javelin is probably the least efficient. I think you're probably also right about Wardriver, and I've been wanting to cut some mono-colored spells to make room for more of the better hybrids. Now that you mention cutting it, I think Wardriver seems like a good cut to make room for Burning-Tree Emissary.
I know Aftershock is not particularly popular on this forum, and as a 4cmc sorcery I'll admit it's clunky. It's there because it's one of the most versatile removal spells available in red, but if I ever get my hands on a Chaos Warp and my wife doesn't snag it first for an EDH deck that'll probably replace it.
You might be surprised to hear how popular Final Fortune is in my draft group! It's a risky, swingy card but it's a trick that's hard for an opponent to plan around against a red deck. Plus, when it wins games it's the stuff of legends. It's not for every cube or every player, but it's a really fun and powerful budget rare. I'll keep it in until the novelty wears off for my draft cube, and even then it'll probably come back from time to time.
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Out > In
Bloodcrazed Neonate > Pyrewild Shaman
Puppet Strings > Silver-Inlaid Dagger
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Sophisticate vs. Strider comes down to how many nonbasics you have. I'd mostly prefer the Sophisticate I think because I like evasive critters when I play aggro.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Celestial Flare > Gideon Jura In the White Walkers MCD thread he's generally considered the second best, and he goes for less than $5. Seems worth a try!
Thieving Magpie > Jace, Architect of Thought Not exactly budget, but I've pulled a few of these in RTR block drafts. Jace, AoT doesn't seem to be the most popular blue walker for Cube, but I've played with and against it in Standard enough to want to see this in my cube. I deliberately decided against Jace, Memory Adept because it's just no fun to play against in a format of 40-card decks.
Fume Spitter > Liliana Vess Not a whole lot of choices for mono-black walkers. I was willing to shell out a bit more for the original Liliana because Sorin is just too mana and color intensive, and Liliana of the Dark Realms just isn't a very exciting planeswalker. Liliana Vess adds to the existing discard and reanimator themes in my black section, while adding the first Demonic Tutor like effect.
Browbeat > Chandra Nalaar I actually happen to have a Chandra, the Firebrand as well that could take this spot. The original Chandra's 2nd ability seems more reliably useful, and the ultimate more game breaking.
Imperiosaur > Garruk, Primal Hunter To be honest, I'd rather have the original Garruk Wildspeaker here because of the easier casting cost and ramping +1 ability, but Primal Hunter costs less than half the money. Seems like he could still do some work.
Since I'm adding planeswalkers, it's time to add some planeswalker hate.
Shambling Remains > Dreadbore
Creeping Mold > Bramblecrush
Reckless Spite > Mutilate
Warren Pilferers > Dance of the Dead
Alabaster Mage > Nearheath Pilgrim
Rubblebelt Maaka > Zealous Conscripts
Phyrexian War Beast > Grafted Skullcap
Quicksilver Dragon > Sphinx of Jwar Isle
Brushstrider > Caller of the Claw I wasn't thrilled with Brushstrider or Dryad Sophisticate, so I've decided to add to the flash sub-theme in green. If the average case scenario with this turns out to be an instant-speed Wakedancer I'll be happy.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Nalaar over Firebrand for sure. Good call.
I'm skeptical of Skullcap, but there's no harm in giving it a try.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Safir Alliance | Hoennverse
Custom Sets
“Mind”: Preliminary Design | “Body”: Preliminary Design | “Spirit”: Preliminary Design
I'm surprised to hear that, actually, as Liliana of the Dark Realms seems to be pretty unpopular in cubes (and pretty much every other format of Magic as far as I can tell) according to Cubetutor and the MCD thread on planeswalkers. I should be able to trade for a Liliana of the Dark Realms without too much trouble though, so I could give her a try if Liliana Vess doesn't pan out or whenever I'm ready to add more planeswalkers. I remember wtwlf had good things to say about the new Liliana in his set preview too, so I'm open to trying her. I hadn't even thought about the possible interactions with Mutilate.
Call it a pet card. I really loved it during Urza block draft as late game card advantage, it won me a surprising amount of games. I'm trying it out in my cube for nostalgia's sake if nothing else. If it doesn't work out I'll find something else to replace it with.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Selesnya Sanctuary > Temple of Plenty
Brushland > Razorverge Thicket Unfortunately, the Selesnya land changes aren't 100% intentional. The bounce land and pain land have gone missing. I'm pretty sure it was an honest mistake, but still.... I'm happy to bring in Razorverge Thicket over the bounce land, but I'll be swapping the Temple out for a pain land as soon as I can.
Adarkar Wastes > Temple of Enlightenment I'm going on Eidolon's recommendation on this, although I'm tempted to take out the bounce land instead here.
Tainted Field > Temple of Silence Tainted field was great for black decks splashing white, but not the other way around so it's gotta go.
Boros Garrison > Clifftop Retreat
Gruul Turf > Rootbound Crag
Now I just need to get my hands on a Blackcleave Cliffs!
Last but not least....
Liliana Vess > Liliana of the Dark Realms It wasn't hard to trade for Liliana of the Dark Realms, so I've decided I'm taking Rantipole's advice on this one based mostly on the fact that she'll have a more immediate impact on the board than the original.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
White
Icatian Javelineers > Steppe Lynx
Heliod's Emissary > Sacred Mesa Elmer's been outclassed for a while now. White aggro is already notoriously strong in my cube, so I'm replacing the elk with a control finisher.
Blue
Air Servant > Djinn of Wishes I don't think anyone's been excited about Air Servant, and there are already plenty of tap effects. This came with a lot of bulk rares, it seems like it's nearly a strict improvement.
Snap > Snakeform Finally, a playable Simic Hybrid!
Black
Dauthi Jackal > Drown in Sorrow Does black need another sweeper, and if so, is this one good enough? It seems to be popular in Peasant lists, we'll see if it makes the cut here. Jackal's been OK, but it's one of the weaker 3-drops. Too slow for aggro and not too useful for any other kind of deck.
Read the Bones > Dark Tutelage Yet another bulk rare lot find. Budget replacement for Bob/Phyrexian Arena.
Ogre Marauder > Lifebane Zombie
Red
Splatter Thug > Burst Lightning Red definitely needs more burn than that particular 3-drop.
Shock > Lightning Bolt I've been wanting to make this change for a while, finally got a bolt.
Slagstorm > Wildfire This is the single change I'm least sure about. Slagstorm was the only non-scaling and non-splashable red sweeper, but I'm wondering if I have enough support to make Wildfire playable in my cube. I have a good amount of artifact mana, but Ember Swallower is the only red creature with a toughness higher than 5 in the entire cube. Rantipole, if you're reading this I'd love to hear what you think.
Green
Kalonian Tusker > Troll Ascetic
Garruk's Packleader > Wickerbough Elder As far as I know, no one ever drew a single card off of Packleader in the entire time he was in the cube.
Nessian Asp > Indrik Stomphowler Nessie's been outclassed for a while now.
Colorless
Temple of Enlightenment > Adarkar Wastes I'm following wtlf's advice from the This or That thread, and not taking out the pain land or karoo for a scry land here. The scry probably isn't worth the tempo loss or virtual card advantage, but I can't help thinking there's got to be room for scry lands somehow, especially in the blue guilds. When Journey Into Nyx comes out and the cycle is complete, I might replace the Vivid and Tri-lands with scry lands.
Stalking Stones > Phyrexian Revoker Stalking Stones went around late and sat in sideboards. Too fragile as a control finisher, too slow for any other kind of deck.
Wayfarer's Bauble > Mind Stone Trading fixing for faster ramp that replaces itself in a pinch.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Steppe Lynx > Champion of the Parish I might not be giving Steppe Lynx enough of a chance here, but more than half the white creatures are human, and I'm not running the fetch lands that would let anyone abuse the landfall ability.
Archetype of Courage > Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Faith's Shield > Faith's Fetters
Test of Faith > Unexpectedly Absent Out go 2 conditional combat/removal protection tricks, in come better removal.
Kongming, 'Sleeping Dragon' > Soltari Champion Pretty much a strict upgrade for the aggro decks that want the anthem effect on a stick.
Sunblast Angel > Elspeth, Sun's Champion
White Knight > Restoration Angel Black Knight is also on his way out, soon to be replaced by Vampire Hexmage.
Winds of Rath > Wrath of God
Slum Reaper > Bone Shredder
Dark Tutelage > Underworld Connections The decks that want this kind of card draw in enchantment form instead of on a creature would probably like to have a bit more control over the loss of life.
Stingerfling Spider > Yavimaya Elder
Druid's Deliverance > Witchstalker There just aren't enough tokens in mono-green to justify keeping DD any more.
Fireslinger > Chandra, Pyromaster
Undying Rage > Hammer of Purphoros
Dreg Mangler > Abrupt Decay
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
You will likely find Sacred Mesa slow and unwieldy but it's a decent budget option.
I'd run Snakeform as a Simic card.
I like Read the Bones better than Dark Tutelage and Underworld Connections.
I vastly prefer Wildfire to Slagstorm. Wildfire is actually my favorite red card in the cube. It does need support to be successful but it's really fun to have around. I'd look to add one more red finisher (I don't think Inferno Titan is expensive any more)and make sure that each color (especially blue) has at least two the can survive the Wildfire. Remember that planeswalkers and some enchantments and artifacts can be good finishers for the Wildfire deck.
I like Steppe Lynx more than Champion, but there's no harm in running both if you want to support Humans.dec in aggro.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
I'm surprised that you're suggesting Read the Bones over Underworld Connections. For the cost, a repeatable draw engine seems better than the chance to scry on a one-shot draw spell. I am probably going to be adding Night's Whisper soon, for a similar effect at one mana cheaper minus scry.
Thanks for the advice about Wildfire support. Looking at my list, white has no mono-colored creatures that can survive a Wildfire, and red only has Ember Swallower. I like your suggesting of Inferno Titan, I'll see if I can trade for that this weekend, and I have a Sun Titan that's just sitting in my binder. Any other good ideas for white or black finishers that won't break the bank? There are surprisingly few playable red creatures with toughness of 5 or more that cost less than 6. Ideally, I'd love to add a Thundermaw Hellkite if I can find one for trade but that might be a while.
I have a Sulfuric Vortex and a Koth on the way, and I already have a Phyrexian Processor that could fill this role. Any other ideas for enchantments and artifacts for this?
Steppe Lynx seemed like the obvious cut here because it was the only non-human 1 drop, but I'll admit I didn't have it in the cube long enough to give the poor kitty a chance. Any suggestions on something else to cut in that spot?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I haven't had the time to respond in detail. Check my cube on Cube Tutor and you can see what things I'm running that survive Wildfire. Vortex is really an aggro card; I'd be leery of using it in Wildfire. Wildfire decks are usually UR, GR, or WR, very rarely BR, although Grixis control with Wildfire isn't uncommon. Sun Titan should be in your cube whether you run Wildfire or not. Processor can be decent in Wildfire, but you have to make big tokens or have enough mana after Wildfire to activate it. Crater Hellion is a budget card that creates its own miniWildfire.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Samurai of the Pale Curtain > Requiem Angel I'm cutting back on WW 2 drops, and this also gives me a white finisher that can survive Wildfire, and it also adds to the token theme in white. It's even splashable. At worst, this is a placeholder for Sun Titan. I chose to cut Samurai over Knight of Meadowgrain because the reanimator decks seem to be having enough trouble coming together without a random hate bear hosing that strategy.
Echoing Truth > Into the Roil
Delay > Remand
Prognostic Sphinx > Future Sight I don't see Future Sight in many cubes, but Prog Sphinx was probably the weakest of my blue finishers. This should be fun to try.
Drown in Sorrow > Night's Whisper
Wrecking Ogre > Crater Hellion
Leatherback Baloth > Vinelasher Kudzu Baloth kept tabling late.
Explore > Search for Tomorrow
Wasteland Viper > Ohran Viper
Reaper of the Wilds > Vraska the Unseen
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
The biggest change is in lands. I'm one Stomping Grounds away from the full cycle of shock lands, and one Creeping Tar Pit away from having the full cycle of Worldwake manlands. I decided not to wait to add what I have, and if I can't trade for them plus the ever-elusive Blackcleave Cliffs this weekend I'll be putting in an order for them.
Arcane Sanctum > Sacred Foundry
Crumbling Necropolis > Hallowed Fountain
Seaside Citadel > Temple Garden
Jungle Shrine > Steam Vents
Vivid Crag > Overgrown Tomb
Vivid Creek > Blood Crypt
Vivid Grove > Watery Grave
Vivid Marsh > Godless Shrine
Vivid Meadow > Breeding Pool
Temple of Plenty > Brushland
Ground Assault > Raging Ravine
Azorius Keyrune > Celestial Colonnade
Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage > Stirring Wildwood
Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch > Lavaclaw Reaches
I've decided to give the Scry lands a try in the blue guilds over bounce lands. The Dimir and Simic bounce lands are in the bottom 20 picks for the entire cube, and I'm sure the scry effect will be welcome for most Azorius drafters too. Plus, I know my players absolutely love Scry lands so much that they run off color Scrys in retail draft and constructed decks.
Rakdos Carnarium > Temple of Malice Placeholder for Blackcleave Cliffs.
Dimir Aqueduct > Temple of Deceit
Simic Growth Chamber > Temple of Mystery
Azorius Chancery > Temple of Enlightenment
Everflowing Chalice > City of Brass With 10 signets and a Mind Stone, Chalice seems to be an easy cut.
White
Afterlife > Crib Swap
Sacred Mesa > Kjeldoran Outpost
Honor of the Pure > Glorious Anthem
Oust > Balance
Foil > Forbid Foil was in the bottom 50 so it gets the cut. I guess once you're 3-for-1ing yourself you don't really have a substitute for Force of Will.
Vapor Snag > Cyclonic Rift
Think Twice > Oona's Grace
Black Knight > Vampire Hexmage
Beastbreaker of Bala Ged > Scavenging Ooze
Sengir Nosferatu > Desecration Demon Nosferatu was a cool card, and tough to kill, but a bit too slow. DD might not be the best black finisher out there, but I think this is an improvement.
Dynacharge > Koth of the Hammer $4 planeswalker that boosts red aggro available in foil? Yes, please!
Stonewright > Pillage Including hybrids, red still has 9 1-drops. Stonewright had its moments, but was inconsistent.
Arbor Colossus > Chameleon Colossus
Rampant Growth > Birthing Pod Birthing Pod was in a very early version of the cube, but as far as I know it wasn't drafted. I'm giving it another try now because the cube now has a lot more value creatures that should give the pod a lot more potential.
Walker of the Grove > Pelakka Wurm
Witchstalker > Courser of Kruphix
Fanatic of Xenagos > Bloodbraid Elf
Moroii > Duskmantle Seer Seer might not always be a better card, but it should definitely be a more fun and interesting card.
Basalt Monolith > Sol Ring
Juggernaut > Razormane Masticore
Dread Statuary > Triskelion
Some of my players were generous enough to help chip in for some nice, opaque sleeves to re-sleeve the entire cube. Now that I'm no longer using penny sleeves I can finally try out some double-faced cards.
Skywinder Drake > Delver of Secrets
Young Wolf > Wolfbitten Captive
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Dimir Keyrune > Creeping Tar Pit
Temple of Malice > Blackcleave Cliffs
Orzhov Basilica > Isolated Chapel
Savage Lands > Stomping Ground
With these 4 lands, my mana base is about as good as it's likely to get until WoTC reprints fetchlands, or they come out with a new cycle of duals that's an improvement over what I have: Full cycles of pain lands, check lands, and shock lands, plus Worldwake man lands for the allied guilds and a mixed cycle of fast lands for Rakdos, Selesnya, and Gruul, Scry lands for all the blue guilds plus Boros and Orzhov. My last bounce lands are in Golgari and Izzet, I'll swap those for Temples when Journey into Nyx comes out. Ideally, I'd like to get filter lands for Orzhov, Boros, and Golgari but they're expensive and I don't think I've ever seen them up for trade in anyone's binders in my area.
With the addition of man lands, allied guilds now all have access to 5 duals, enemy guilds have 4. It's a bit imbalanced, but it reflects the history of Magic.
I've been really excited to see the effect that the new and improved mana base has had on the choices people make when drafting my cube in the "Draft the Above Person's Cube" thread. I'm seeing all kinds of 4 color shenanigans and 2 color aggro decks that look like they could really work. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this weekend's paper cube draft goes!
The rest of these changes are pretty obvious improvements based recent acquisitions.
Opt > Mystical Tutor Obvious improvement. Opt wasn't bad, just a bit low impact.
Underworld Connections > Phyrexian Arena
Entomber Exarch > Necromancy Exarch wasn't bad in the early days of the cube when it was slower. It provided options and card advantage, but it's a bit slow now.
Hurricane > Garruk Wildspeaker
Blightning > Murderous Redcap I was looking for a Redcap for a while, but it wasn't easy to decide which Rakdos card to cut for it. I've decided to cut Blightning over Terminate or Cerberus because there is already plenty of discard in the black section, and Terminate is the most efficient spot removal in either color. Cerberus stays because he's a popular with certain players in my draft group, and I aim to please.
In other cube related news, I've recently ordered a swanky wine case for the cube. If it's a good fit, pics will follow soon!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Silver-Inlaid Dagger > Trusty Machete More consistent.
Grafted Skullcap > Bottled Cloister Skullcap is getting some play, the effect is appreciated, but for anything outside of a reanimator deck, Cloister should be strictly better.
Veteran Armorer > Mistral Charger
Doomed Traveler > Isamaru, Hound of Konda
Requiem Angel > Sun Titan
Hollow Specter > Cemetery Reaper Having to pay even 1 extra mana to get the discard effect ended up making Hollow Specter a lot clunkier than I'd expected. I'm mostly trying this for a new token generator, but the tribal synergies with the other zombies and zombie token makers is gravy. Should be fun to try.
Lord of the Void > Grave Titan I don't think anyone ever managed to get Lord of the Void into play. The casting cost was just too rough.
Hammer of Purphoros > Sulfuric Vortex
Crater Hellion > Inferno Titan
Search for Tomorrow > Kodama's Reach
Nessian Wilds Ravager > Rampaging Baloths I'm actively trying to eliminate any 5+ CMC creature that doesn't pass the Terminate test. This kind of does, but only if you cast it off curve.
Lavinia of the Tenth > Venser, the Sojourner
Progenitor Mimic > Mystic Snake
Evil Twin > Shadowmage Infiltrator
Prophet of Kruphix > Kiora, the Crashing Wave
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
I'd definitely love to know why you'd cut those other four cards. It's always easier to think of new cards to include than cards to cut!
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I'd cut the other cards for the following reasons:
Aftershock: Too high a price to pay for 1-for-1 removal. We used to have to run this cube, but the competition has gotten too good.
Flame Javelin: Costs 4 mana too often and that's too fair by cube standards.
Goblin Wardriver: Just unimpressive and not worth the double R in the casting cost.
Final Fortune: Too variable and too easy to lose to your own card. Not my style at all.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
Your points are well taken on Flame Javelin and Goblin Wardriver. I've been feeling like the red non-creature section is a bit monotonous with burn, Javelin is probably the least efficient. I think you're probably also right about Wardriver, and I've been wanting to cut some mono-colored spells to make room for more of the better hybrids. Now that you mention cutting it, I think Wardriver seems like a good cut to make room for Burning-Tree Emissary.
I know Aftershock is not particularly popular on this forum, and as a 4cmc sorcery I'll admit it's clunky. It's there because it's one of the most versatile removal spells available in red, but if I ever get my hands on a Chaos Warp and my wife doesn't snag it first for an EDH deck that'll probably replace it.
You might be surprised to hear how popular Final Fortune is in my draft group! It's a risky, swingy card but it's a trick that's hard for an opponent to plan around against a red deck. Plus, when it wins games it's the stuff of legends. It's not for every cube or every player, but it's a really fun and powerful budget rare. I'll keep it in until the novelty wears off for my draft cube, and even then it'll probably come back from time to time.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.