I'm currently Cubing Lunarch Veteran myself, and I can say, it hasn't been that impressive. It is probably the worst 1 mv card in my white slot at the moment. That said, I have no lifegain archetype.
I had a really weird card come up for discussion for a friend’s Vintage Tiny Leaders cube that is also legal for us: Jeweled Amulet.
The simple version of the card is that you can store one mana of a specific type onto a Jeweled Amulet to be used later. You can only store one mana at a time via charge counter (unless you proliferate more counters).
I am usually down on these short-term, non-permanent mana boosts, but this is kinda reusable. I figure the most frequent usage would be spending a mana on turn 1 to accelerate to 3 or 4 mana a turn early.
Anyone think this wacky Ice Age card is worth a shot?
I see Jeweled Amulet ran in powered lists and even tried it for a go in my own powered list. First - the card is pretty good. It's a pretty powerful mana ramper, especially if you have it in your opener. HOWEVER - It's a word salad and my players (myself included) often had to really give it a good read to truly understand how it worked. That's why I ultimately ended up cutting it.
One of my goals is to allow for an attrition deck in WB. While I love cross-pollinators like everyone else, I sometimes dedicate certain slots to narrower cards when I want to support a particular deck. To that end, I had been running Daxos, Blessed by the Sun as a support piece for the WB attrition deck. However, in practice Daxos didn't quite work. The biggest issue was that the WW mana cost asked a lot of a deck that tended to be evenly split between W and B. Additionally, because the deck tended to be evenly split AND relied heavily on spells that generate tokens instead of actual creatures, the WB player's devotion to W was too small for Daxos to reliably block well.
Your post reminded me that Lunarch Veteran exists, which give the WB attrition player the same incremental lifegain I wanted from Daxos without the mana issues. It also eliminates the need to track devotion and happens to be 2 pieces of cardboard if the deck needs sacrifice fodder or a chump blocker.
We've only had one draft since the switch, so I can't say definitively whether this worked, but that was the rationale.
Just leaving this post here to remind me to make a post/thread about cards I was wrong about
Just let me know when it's scheduled for so I can take the day off from work.
EDIT: Fun sidenote, in my MTGO'ing with my buddy, I built a pretty nasty mono blue deck. Messed him up real good. Any mono colored decks see play in your cubes?
The most commonly played mono-color decks in my cube group are white weenie and mono red aggro. They're usually drafted by the players who are new to magic and/or new to draft. That said, in our most recent draft, my pool at the end of the draft was almost entirely mono-blue with the option to splash some UW cards (Migratory Route, Cloudblazer, and Reflector Mage), some black removal spells, or Balmor, Battlemage Captain.
I've drafted mono-black (my favorite color in Magic) multiple times - still not sure why my drafters allow that. It usually ends up as a removal-fest with all the greatest hits like Ravenous Chupacabra, Shriekmaw, Orc Sureshot, Infernal Grasp, etc. along with some life drain/life gain from Blood Artist, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, or Vampire Sovereign. And when I'm extra lucky, I get a Skull Collector to go with them (bit of a pet card, I know, but it's really good with the aforementioned options).
I never aim to go mono-color - always prefer to try two-color - but sometimes it all comes together, and who am I to say no?
Does their be one colour decks see play in when you're cubes?
Monored shows up and smashes everyone every once in a while. Last month someone put together a scarily efficient monogreen deck that was about a... 3 out of 7 on the aggro-attrition spectrum with Song of Freyalise, Case of the Trampled Garden, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, and stuff for goreclaw to dump into play.
At the end of 2023, 56 of us (myself included) were running Icy Manipulator. For context, that's on par with Mother of Runes and Guttersnipe. Is Icy Manipulator still *that* good? How has it performed for y'all recently? Even though my playgroup has drafted my cube pretty regularly over that last 2 years, I'm not sure I've ever seen someone resolve it, let alone take over a game with it.
Bonus question: how has Pacification Array been if you're one of the 14 who ran it near the end of 2023?
Bonus question: how has Pacification Array been if you're one of the 14 who ran it near the end of 2023?
Pacification Array has been an absolute midrange/control all star. It gives synergistic mid-range decks some time to set up and the small investment up front is worth the 2 mana activation. I pick it highly in most decks, minus aggro decks.
I would bet actual money that Icy Manipulator is a top 3 most overrated card in the community. If not the most. I would assume your cube must be purposely inefficient (more than mine is) to still be paying that much for that little.
I also couldn't imagine paying that much into pacification array while my opponent goes 1 drop -> 2 drop -> 1+2 drop. I think I have more 1 drops in my list proportionately than most people though
That's exactly why being 1 mana is so important. Icy Manipulator is too expensive nowadays since creatures are so much more powerful than they used to be.
1)
I've been learning how to use the data from 17lands to inform me about cards I wrote off. It turns out that decades of playing Magic might bias you against certain effects without realizing that power creep and clever design force one to change their heuristics. Most notably, this manifested itself in a new appreciation for combat tricks. I never would have considered something like Luxurious Libation before. Combat tricks are also very fun, for some reason, so it's nice to know that they're probably both performing well and making games feel dramatic.
2)
I've recently gotten really into artifact tokens. Really really. The management of clues/treasures/maps/food provide so many layers of emergent gameplay and intricate decision making, and I think these have been the most stimulating games of magic I've ever played. No exaggeration. And I've heard other people say similar things (found a playgroup, finally! And they're all very good!)
Sokenzan Smelter is probably the scariest new card to benefit from all this, but cloakwood swarmkeeper/woodland champion are in the running. Tough Cookie is an amazing magic card without help, but he's regularly animating double 4/4s to win the game. I can't help but feel happy that the last few cards I listed in this artifact synergy section were green, which really gets the message across that this isn't just a boros or izzet affair. It's permeated everything.
3)
Boros and Orzhov tokens continue to be a little too good, and I continue to only take baby steps to deal with it. Still don't feel comfortable putting in efficient and consistent 2 for ones which will prey upon "fair" decks as collateral damage. Cunning sparkmage and Fireslinger make their returns in order to help, and have been better than expected. Fear, Fire, Foes! was a lot of fun but ultimately too good. Seismic wave just took its place, but might meet the same fate. On a cube-wide scale, I've gone out of my way to make lifegain a bigger factor in card eval, leading to things like splendor mare getting the last white spot. Hell, I even tried out Turn into a Pumpkin for a good while.
The best player in our group will do nothing but force some sort of blue-based, redless control deck. He has a blast week in and week out, doing things like bouncing eternal witness and sicarian infiltrator on the same saddling of Rambling Possum. Even if his record is probably worse than average. It's nice to see the machines people call me over to watch them lose to. Losing can be fun, and I think that our power level and cardpool is very good at facilitating that.
4)
I recently noticed that almost all the cards in my cube were printed after 2010. Power creep has gotten so wild lately, and the printing of uncommons in commander products is only ballooning that figure. Which is to say, I've taken a chance on retesting both curse of predation and curse of shallow graves. I have been keeping track on their win-loss rates when drawn, and right now they're at a combined 7-3.
Simic is ramp-focused in my Uncommon Cube and my gold cards are Planar Genesis, Tatyova, Benthic Druid and Colossal Skyturtle. Tatyova is just a huge powerhouse and really pulls people into Simic (or even 4-5 colour strategies) and I love how the skyturtle is also played in Golgari or Dimir graveyard-focused decks. Planar Genesis is new and I'm testing it out but I think it'll be a nice glue piece where it can ramp you early or find more threats if you play it in the late game.
There is the new card Boggart Trawler if you want something that is full on graveyard hate (although not at instant speed so I guess it isn't as hateful as can be). I would be hesitant to go full scorched earth policy with cards like Lantern of the Lost or Relic of Progenitus and would instead want to try more things like Reito Sentinel or maybe even Watchers of the Dead.
What are the best graveyard hate cards? I am getting a little concerned that there really isn't any answer to my cube's graveyard shenanigans
Mardu Woe-Reaper - There are a lot of Warriors running about. Dawnbringer Cleric - Mini toolbox of options. Stonecloaker - Serves multiple purposes - flying archetype, bounce/protection, and gravehate. Helps that it has flash and can be used in response to reanimation. Armored Scrapgorger
After going about a year without updating my cube, it seems like I'm not alone in working on what's without a doubt the biggest overhaul I've ever done (between how crazy MH3 is and other strategies becoming more viable over time).
My biggest rework is finally pulling the trigger on including artifact synergies. As Leelue mentioned above, there's a good density of artifact tokens available across all five colors, and I really like how the artifact subtheme looks like it can overlap with and supplement a number of other strategies:
It'll be a few weeks before I'm able to make the swaps (over a third of the cube!), but I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out!
*The new Landscape cycle is an additional boon to these permanent sacrifice cards (as well as serving as extra GY fuel), and also has me reconsidering other cards with Landfall or Brainstorm effects.
**Oh yeah, the equipment deck is another piece of the puzzle that now seems like it's in a much more viable place than in the past due to all of the Living Weapon and For Mirrodin! variants that are out there now (which also make tokens!). It also seems less parasitic given the overlaps with other artifact and modified creature synergies.
EDIT: Also, I meant to ask: for those of you who are already running artifact themes, are there any cards you feel are indispensable or unexpected highlights?
My Peasant Cube - CubeCobra
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
The simple version of the card is that you can store one mana of a specific type onto a Jeweled Amulet to be used later. You can only store one mana at a time via charge counter (unless you proliferate more counters).
I am usually down on these short-term, non-permanent mana boosts, but this is kinda reusable. I figure the most frequent usage would be spending a mana on turn 1 to accelerate to 3 or 4 mana a turn early.
Anyone think this wacky Ice Age card is worth a shot?
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/peasantsnowcube
-- Updated with Duskmourn: House of Horror
The PioneWer Peasant CUbe
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/pionewer
-- Updated with Murders at Karlov Manor
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
Your post reminded me that Lunarch Veteran exists, which give the WB attrition player the same incremental lifegain I wanted from Daxos without the mana issues. It also eliminates the need to track devotion and happens to be 2 pieces of cardboard if the deck needs sacrifice fodder or a chump blocker.
We've only had one draft since the switch, so I can't say definitively whether this worked, but that was the rationale.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
Just let me know when it's scheduled for so I can take the day off from work.
EDIT: Fun sidenote, in my MTGO'ing with my buddy, I built a pretty nasty mono blue deck. Messed him up real good. Any mono colored decks see play in your cubes?
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Here's what I wound up running: decklist
It played well and went undefeated that night.
What did your mono blue deck look like, BrownDog?
I never aim to go mono-color - always prefer to try two-color - but sometimes it all comes together, and who am I to say no?
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Monored shows up and smashes everyone every once in a while. Last month someone put together a scarily efficient monogreen deck that was about a... 3 out of 7 on the aggro-attrition spectrum with Song of Freyalise, Case of the Trampled Garden, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, and stuff for goreclaw to dump into play.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Bonus question: how has Pacification Array been if you're one of the 14 who ran it near the end of 2023?
Pacification Array has been an absolute midrange/control all star. It gives synergistic mid-range decks some time to set up and the small investment up front is worth the 2 mana activation. I pick it highly in most decks, minus aggro decks.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
I also couldn't imagine paying that much into pacification array while my opponent goes 1 drop -> 2 drop -> 1+2 drop. I think I have more 1 drops in my list proportionately than most people though
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Alright, so
1)
I've been learning how to use the data from 17lands to inform me about cards I wrote off. It turns out that decades of playing Magic might bias you against certain effects without realizing that power creep and clever design force one to change their heuristics. Most notably, this manifested itself in a new appreciation for combat tricks. I never would have considered something like Luxurious Libation before. Combat tricks are also very fun, for some reason, so it's nice to know that they're probably both performing well and making games feel dramatic.
2)
I've recently gotten really into artifact tokens. Really really. The management of clues/treasures/maps/food provide so many layers of emergent gameplay and intricate decision making, and I think these have been the most stimulating games of magic I've ever played. No exaggeration. And I've heard other people say similar things (found a playgroup, finally! And they're all very good!)
Sokenzan Smelter is probably the scariest new card to benefit from all this, but cloakwood swarmkeeper/woodland champion are in the running. Tough Cookie is an amazing magic card without help, but he's regularly animating double 4/4s to win the game. I can't help but feel happy that the last few cards I listed in this artifact synergy section were green, which really gets the message across that this isn't just a boros or izzet affair. It's permeated everything.
3)
Boros and Orzhov tokens continue to be a little too good, and I continue to only take baby steps to deal with it. Still don't feel comfortable putting in efficient and consistent 2 for ones which will prey upon "fair" decks as collateral damage.
Cunning sparkmage and Fireslinger make their returns in order to help, and have been better than expected. Fear, Fire, Foes! was a lot of fun but ultimately too good. Seismic wave just took its place, but might meet the same fate. On a cube-wide scale, I've gone out of my way to make lifegain a bigger factor in card eval, leading to things like splendor mare getting the last white spot. Hell, I even tried out Turn into a Pumpkin for a good while.
The best player in our group will do nothing but force some sort of blue-based, redless control deck. He has a blast week in and week out, doing things like bouncing eternal witness and sicarian infiltrator on the same saddling of Rambling Possum. Even if his record is probably worse than average. It's nice to see the machines people call me over to watch them lose to. Losing can be fun, and I think that our power level and cardpool is very good at facilitating that.
4)
I recently noticed that almost all the cards in my cube were printed after 2010. Power creep has gotten so wild lately, and the printing of uncommons in commander products is only ballooning that figure. Which is to say, I've taken a chance on retesting both curse of predation and curse of shallow graves. I have been keeping track on their win-loss rates when drawn, and right now they're at a combined 7-3.
P.S. Right now, I think my favorite magic cards are my sister wives Rosie Cotton of South Lane and Crimson caravaneer. They love each other too. Ooh and Candy Trail. So glad I gave that a second chance.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
Ravenous Giant vs Eomer of the Riddermark
Scytheclaw Raptor vs scalestorm summoner
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
Summoner, not just for power but for fun.
I think the new card snapping voidcraw is is worth testing just for its better stats than weaver of currents
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
Éomer of the Riddermark is better than the Giant and Scalestorm Summoner is the more interesting three drop IMO.
In my cube I like incidental graveyard hate over stuff that is super explicit. The cards I run are:
Dryad Militant
Mardu Woe-Reaper
Dreams of Steel and Oil
Armored Scrapgorger
There is the new card Boggart Trawler if you want something that is full on graveyard hate (although not at instant speed so I guess it isn't as hateful as can be). I would be hesitant to go full scorched earth policy with cards like Lantern of the Lost or Relic of Progenitus and would instead want to try more things like Reito Sentinel or maybe even Watchers of the Dead.
Mardu Woe-Reaper - There are a lot of Warriors running about.
Dawnbringer Cleric - Mini toolbox of options.
Stonecloaker - Serves multiple purposes - flying archetype, bounce/protection, and gravehate. Helps that it has flash and can be used in response to reanimation.
Armored Scrapgorger
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
540+, Peasant
Take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
My biggest rework is finally pulling the trigger on including artifact synergies. As Leelue mentioned above, there's a good density of artifact tokens available across all five colors, and I really like how the artifact subtheme looks like it can overlap with and supplement a number of other strategies:
- Cards that care about tokens like Rosie Cotton, Junk Winder, or Halsin
- Cards that care about sacrificing permanents* like Lulu, Gixian Infiltrator, or Mayhem Devil
- Cards that specifically care about artifacts such as Zoetic Glyph, Arcbound Condor, and Furnace Hellkite
- There's also overlap with the equipment deck**, prowess triggers, and cards that care about historic!
I stumbled upon this old Riptide Lab post that I've found useful as I've been exploring how to best implement all of this.These considerations have also led to me killing some of my sacred cows (e.g. Young Pyromancer -> Third Path Iconoclast, Goblin Bombardment -> Makeshift Munitions, Village Rites -> Eviscerator's Insight). I've always highly valued cards that can work across multiple archetypes, and this has been an opportunity to really focus in on that.
It'll be a few weeks before I'm able to make the swaps (over a third of the cube!), but I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out!
*The new Landscape cycle is an additional boon to these permanent sacrifice cards (as well as serving as extra GY fuel), and also has me reconsidering other cards with Landfall or Brainstorm effects.
**Oh yeah, the equipment deck is another piece of the puzzle that now seems like it's in a much more viable place than in the past due to all of the Living Weapon and For Mirrodin! variants that are out there now (which also make tokens!). It also seems less parasitic given the overlaps with other artifact and modified creature synergies.
EDIT: Also, I meant to ask: for those of you who are already running artifact themes, are there any cards you feel are indispensable or unexpected highlights?