Bubble Snare seems like really decent blue removal. Not sure if it will quite make the cut but 1-mana removal that is not bounce in blue is tempting.
Fearless Fledgling also seems pretty decent. It's not *that* hard to get it to be a 3/3, for instance, and it attacks with Flying a decent amount of time, too.
Makindi Stampede might be among my favourite versions of white mass pumps since I always feel a bit iffy about having a 5 mana card that needs an established board presence to work. Being a land in a pinch seems like the best alternative use for such spells thus far.
I absolutely hate flip cards and I won't consider any of them, especially not since so far none of them really stand out.
Kor Blademaster is nice, even though I doubt the upside over Fencing Ace will make any difference in 95% of games. But since I run Fencing Ace it's definitely in.
I'm not convinced mill as an archetype is viable now. CU/be games are fast and it requires more than a few cards that mill 1-3 cards on average to deck your opponent.
The party mechanic is a fun idea, but I doubt it will be fun to play during cube draft. Too annoying, too much randomness involved and too many old cards without proper creature types in my cube.
I like Fearless Fledgling. If you play him on curve in an aggro deck the average case will be 2/2 flying on turn 3, 3/3 flying on turn 4, 3/3 on turn 5 and 4/4 flying on turn 6. That is pretty awesome for a 1c creature. And in the late(r) game (or if you get land flooded) he will become 5/5 or more also quite easily. On top of that he is another support card for the +1/+1 archetype.
Of course he's a bad top deck and if you get mana screwed he won't make things better for you either. But if you're stuck with 2 lands you probably have other problems anyway.
Iridescent Hornbeetle is a bit expensive, but it's nuts with any +1/+1 counter card since it counts each counter. Might be the best payoff for the archetype while also being strong on an empty board?
Fearless Fledgling is starting to make me think this set is an elaborate scheme to have me keep in karoos. 3/3 is probably a normal size for it to end up at, and even if drawn late it not basically completely dead (like Steppe Lynx) since it gets evasion. I'm in a love-hate relationship with the normal art, but definitely testing.
I'm a fan of Bubble Snare. Reasonable removal that can be played around.
Skyclave Geopede being non-hastey Skizzik for 1 less mana is good enough for me to test, especially since 3/1 trample isn't even that bad a floor. 7/5 trample might also be a payoff worth building around for some GR ramp deck.
spare supplies looks good, honestly. two clues in one card is just a very reasonable rate, despite not being able to draw two immediately.
iridescent hornbeetle looks nuts, but i don't actually think it's very good. a 5 mana 3/4 is a terrible rate in green, and there are a plethora of solid 5s that provide immediate value, and even some with lasting value. i like the idea of the counters deck, but this is so specific to that deck, and i think we just have better options at green 5s.
kazuul's fury // kazuul cliffs strikes me as interesting as it is a narrow removal spell, which i think plays well with being a land. kabira takedown // kabira plateau is the same but i think probably slightly stronger. these cards though man, just impossible to evaluate...
fearless fledgling feels like a staple? i wonder how big the conditional flying will turn out being on this, but also one trigger and you're probably pretty happy means this shouldn't disappoint you too often until it's a terrible lategame topdeck.
malakir blood-priest looks low key good. if its average case is etb drain 2, that feels pretty ok in an aggressive deck. really depends on how the creature type breakdown ends up going though, which is huge for a lot of these party creatures. might be one to remember at the end of spoilers.
rockslide sorcerer feels average considering its base body. a wind drake looter is a lot stronger than a pinging hill giant imo. i wanna push the wizard deck though so maybe...
i agree broken wings feels worse than wilt, but this is by no means bad, and is probably your second choice for this effect i wanna say?
bubble snare looks great, imo. scaling removal like this works well for me, and i feel like it's not even bad in its 1 mana mode.
skyclave geopede does a lot of damage, and i don't think a 3/1 trampling body is anywhere near as bad as the lower cmc options with this effect.
how do we feel about fissure wizard? rummage etb on a 2/1 is simple, creature types are relevant. doesn't feel bad, but just maybe not exciting enough to really show its strength.
feed the swarm might be ok if you're powering down removal. having more noncreature removal is also welcome. idk.
goma fada vanguard seems strong if you push warriors as an archetype.
mind carver looks AWESOME and i'm honestly loving this trend with black equipment. i wonder how many cards 8 cards is in practice though. feels like it could be hard to achieve sometimes.
I'm not convinced mill as an archetype is viable now. CU/be games are fast and it requires more than a few cards that mill 1-3 cards on average to deck your opponent.
Well, the speed of the format is entirely variable, so whether or not mill can get there fast enough could entirely be a matter of YMMV I assume. Ultimately, I think it's possible iceberg cancrix and hedron crab could be playable in lists where blue/x benefits from self milling, and it might not take much work for psychic spiral and one of the tutalages/this new crab to be in as a plan b win condition.
Well, the speed of the format is entirely variable, so whether or not mill can get there fast enough could entirely be a matter of YMMV I assume. Ultimately, I think it's possible iceberg cancrix and hedron crab could be playable in lists where blue/x benefits from self milling, and it might not take much work for psychic spiral and one of the tutalages/this new crab to be in as a plan b win condition.
I think you need to create a really slow cube if you want to enable a strategy that only has a chance to win if you manage to get to turn 15+ (without Psychic Spiral). Especially if it's not really a control deck, but a deck that is based on small creatures that need to stay on the board and that maybe even need to connect, such as the crabs or some of the creatures spoiled in this set.
Psychic Spiral has always been a decent win condition for control or self-mill decks, it's just not something I want for my cube as it's a card that either does nothing or wins immediately. It's a bit like a blue Overrun, only even more all-or-nothing.
The small mill effects (if you target the other player) often do less than nothing until you win as they can help the opponent quite a bit and do absolutely nothing for you until you win, so that is nothing I'd want to do.
And self-mill has been a viable strategy in my cube for quite some time, but it's not powerful enough to make something like Hedron Crab worth running. And just to make Psychic Spiral or Sphinx's Tutelage (which is borderline playable at best from my pov) better is not a reason to run these minor effects either for me when there are plenty of self-mill cards that are playable on their own, such as Merfolk Looter and friends, Hermit Druid, Grapple with the Past, Nyx Weaver and some others.
I have good and bad feelings with it. I like it but it could be it's expensive, or slow... I don't know if it's worth to include it.
I believe the double red mana cost for a kicked Cinderclasm is more often a problem than it is an upside to be able to cast a weaker version for 2 mana. I'd rather play a card like Flame Sweep if I wanted another one of these effects after Pyroclasm.
Roil Eruption is a Volcanic Hammer with upside. I wouldn't run it in a small cube, but at your size it may be worth it. If you play aggro 2 additional damage can make all the difference if you need to finish your opponent after running out of other means to defeat him. If you play control the spell doesn't become useless in the late(r) game against aggro finishers or midrange creatures. Sorcery speed is obviously a downside, but since you run both Searing Spear and Lightning Strike I would consider replacing one of them with Roil Eruption. You can't really do anything wrong as even Volcanic Hammer would be a playable card in a CU/be environment and it's certainly more fun than having two cards that do exactly the same.
Outside the 'party' mechanic which feels pretty parasitic, I am not sure where that is coming from. Landfall is a staple mechanic when the effects are strong enough and we have seen good enough cards like that. DFC lands have real potential and I think I will want to test at least some of them.
Oh, and I suppose mill is also pretty parasitic, even if it seems more like a tag-on for most cards.
You think landfall is a staple mechanic? I'm surprised by that. It's a one trigger a turn (for the most part). I feel like landfall cards lose steam relatively quickly.
The parasitic nature of this set hinders our playables for sure, but I haven't been that impressed with much else.
Considering we have been hand fed some serious power creep over the past couple years, I guess I can't be too disappointed for a weaker set for us.
feed the swarm might be ok if you're powering down removal. having more noncreature removal is also welcome. idk.
Do we have enchantment removal in black? I think it's unfair to compare it to creature removal. In my cube it is close to a dissenchant/naturalize, with a second mode being able to kill any creature in play (given enough life). I think this might be the best enchantment removal spell outside of green/white?
Do we have enchantment removal in black? I think it's unfair to compare it to creature removal. In my cube it is close to a dissenchant/naturalize, with a second mode being able to kill any creature in play (given enough life). I think this might be the best enchantment removal spell outside of green/white?
Enchantment removal is so narrow I highly doubt it can make up for the really bad creature removal part of the spell. Just like most removal Feed the Swarm is still a playable card, but I believe it's fair to say that you'd only run it if you wanted to depower your removal as I'd pick Go for the Throat/Cast Down/Ultimate Price over this every single time during a draft. It's not Incinerate vs Abrade, where Abrade can actually be the better choice for a control or midrange deck.
And from my experience it's a fallacy to believe you can play with powerful enchantments just because you have a few enchantment removal spells in your cube. Either you are ok with enchantments that can take over the game on their own or you are not ok with it, but trying to balance these cards with more enchantment removal and enchantment removal in every color is a futile effort. Been there, done that. Or in other words whether black has enchantment removal or not doesn't matter.
Foreign cardname
3B
Creature - Cat Horror
{1}{B}, Sacrifice another creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on Skyclave Shadowcat
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, draw a card.
3/3
Neat effect and the body isn't awful. I wish rhis was a green or white card but.
This set has some Commander goodies, but I'm just not feeling it for peasant cube.
I'm not a fan of the DFCs from this set. I don't have DFCs in my cube already, but the way they keep making them overcosted or underpowered compared to other options just doesn't make up for the versatility of a ETB tapped land in my opinion. Hopefully something comes along in the rest of the set.
Wow, I might be in the minority here, but I am loving these DFCs. For example Spikefield Hazard is better flood protection than a basic land would be, no matter how poor of a floor it may have. I think many people are looking at cards like Bala Ged Recovery and making unfair comparisons to Regrowth, because it's not competing for a spell slot in your deck at all. Bala Ged Recovery is going to count towards your 17 lands when you're drafting, not as a spell, and because of this you get to play more spells. The opportunity cost is almost 0, and the ceiling is huge, because of your deck is getting to play more spells than an opponent's whose deck does not contain these DFCs. And again, it costs you virtually nothing to unlock that potential, you simply play a tapped land instead of a Basic Forest. All told these DFCs are more reliable and consistent than cycling to find a land, and their effects are potentially insanely powerful as they allow you to play more spells than your opponents who do not play them. As Leelue said: Akoum Warrior effectively has 'cycling for Akoum Teeth', and that similar enough to how Striped Riverwinder plays out in the early game a large portion of the time.
I would always rather draw a Skyclave Cleric in the late game than a Basic Plains, and Skyclave Basilica has got me covered when I need a land instead. Yes, coming into play tapped will lead to awkward sequencing occasionally, but I'm okay with the awkward sequencing for the high upside of flood protection and getting to play more spells in my deck, on average, than my opponents. Another good example is, any non-ShelterGods Willing effect in my CUbe could easily be swapped out for Sejiri Shelter and I'd be ecstatic to play it over the 17th land every time. I am willing to admit that a card with cycling can be better, look at Censor versus Jwar Isle Disturbance, because instead of cycling you get to play a land. However, I believe that more often the comparison will be more favorable yet different. Similar to Malakir Rebrith versus Supernatural Stamina, because in this instance you can trade the card out for a land when it's not great.
As for the non-DFC cards that I'm considering currently:
1) Acquisitions Expert looks awesome! Kitesail Freebooter is a great card, and while this will more often be a Burglar Rat I'm very happy to get more of this effect in CUbe. Plus, I'm cautiously optimistic of for the Rogue's Matter archetype that is burgeoning. I'm watching Blackbloom Rogue/Blackbloom Bog, Shadow Stinger, and Merfolk Windrobber. If they push this archetype enough in the right direction, I could see the Faerie Vandal, Jhessian Thief, Library Larcenist, Looter il-Kor, Nightveil Sprite, Whirler Rogue, Audacious Thief, Marsh Flitter, Orzhov Enforcer, Vampire Aristocrat, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Cunning Nightbonder that I am already running in my CUbe get a new archetype to play with.
2) Akoum Hellhound is a colorshifted Steppe Lynx, a card I haven't played in years, but in better creature types. I have high hopes for this good boy.
3) Anticognition is very reminiscent of Quench, but with a Despise flavor. The upside isn't unachievable or that unrealistic if you're late enough in the game.
4) Bloodchief's Thirst is like a Fatal Push that costs more, but has you no ceiling. Also, hitting Planeswalkers is not negligible.
4) Brushfire Elemental will likely push Gruul into having an 'Elementals Matter' archetype. This is something I've been flirting with loosely since Creeping Trailblazer, but I will probably follow through with now.
5) Demon's Disciple is probably the 2nd copy of Plaguecrafter that I didn't think or know I wanted. It's a likely include for anyone still running Fleshbag Marauder or Merciless Executioner, creature types not withstanding.
6) Fearless Fledgling is a cute card. I support the +1/+1 Counters Matter archetype, and could see this being decent. Although, the fact that it is a mediocre late-game top-deck, and that the art is, well, lets just say interesting, does mean I wouldn't be surprised to see this one missing the mark.
7) Feed the Swarm is going to be insane. I depower my removal, so this will be a welcomed addition to my CUbe as Vendetta is right were I wanted my strongest removal spell to be in power level. Welcome to the CUbe.
8) For the same reason as mentioned with #6, Gnarlid Colony will give additional support to a beloved archetype. Welcome to the CUbe.
9) Goma Fada Vanguard has me thinking: there's no way we don't meet the threshold of enough Warriors to make this work.
10) Grotag Night-Runner this is the Red equivalent of Jhessian Thief.
11) Hagra Constrictor opens up the conversation to including the +1/+1 Counters Matter archetype in Black also. Some additional goodies would be Oona's Blackguard, Oblivion's Hunger, Mer-Ek Nightblade, Winding Constrictor, Corpsejack Menace, and Vraska, Swarm's Eminence.
12) Iridescent Hornbeetle will be either very good or win-more. Time and testing will tell. However, you will need to put in the proper support for the +1/+1 Counters Matter archetype.
13) Kor Blademaster is a better Fencing Ace, creature types not withstanding.
14) Lullmage's Domination is probably better than it looks. It surprises me that this isn't getting any discussion. Dominate used to be A+ material in CUbe, but I think the upside is worth the more restrictive cost.
15) Rockslide Sorcerer is probably good enough if we hit the threshold of playable Wizards and if you already support the U/R Spells Matter archetype.
16) Roil Eruption is exciting, if only because I depowered my removal, and it isn't even just a removal spell. This is going to get ignored by some, but it should be tested more than it probably will be.
17) Skyclave Geopede is going to be interesting. This will often play out similarly to a Skizzik with upside.
18) Skyclave Pick-Axe and really the whole cycle(?) will be on my radar. I like the auto-equip, and each is uniquely powerful in their own right. However, this is the best one revealed so far.
19) Thwart the Grave has cool art, is a cool card, and will be a serious consideration depending on how the Party Mechanic ends up. Similarly, I will be watching Spoils of Adventure, Skyclave Loot, and any other Party cards that seems powerful.
20) Windrider Wizard is in the same boat as Rockslide Sorcerer.
Please give me your thoughts on all of the cards I mentioned. Also, I am interested to read everyone's evaluation of the DFCs after reading my post.
Wow, I might be in the minority here, but I am loving these DFCs. For example Spikefield Hazard is better flood protection than a basic land would be, no matter how poor of a floor it may have. I think many people are looking at cards like Bala Ged Recovery and making unfair comparisons to Regrowth, because it's not competing for a spell slot in your deck at all. Bala Ged Recovery is going to count towards your 17 lands when you're drafting, not as a spell, and because of this you get to play more spells. The opportunity cost is almost 0, and the ceiling is huge, because of your deck is getting to play more spells than an opponent's whose deck does not contain these DFCs. And again, it costs you virtually nothing to unlock that potential, you simply play a tapped land instead of a Basic Forest. All told these DFCs are more reliable and consistent than cycling to find a land, and their effects are potentially insanely powerful as they allow you to play more spells than your opponents who do not play them. As Leelue said: Akoum Warrior effectively has 'cycling for Akoum Teeth', and that similar enough to how Striped Riverwinder plays out in the early game a large portion of the time.
There are already plenty of etb tapped basics with upside and yet hardly any of them get played. There are two problems with these cards.
First off they cost you a precious cube slot for a card that has a very minor effect on the game. An overcosted Regrowth that is nothing but a bad basic land in at least 50% of games? There are simply better and more interesting cards you can fill your cube with.
Secondly you underestimate the opportunity cost of playing an etb tapped basic a lot. If you play anything but a mono color deck you will most likely already play some etb tapped lands to fix your mana. Adding an etb tapped basic land on top of that just for a little upside will often cost you half a turn or even a full turn in the early game if you draw and need that land. The upside has to be very much worth it or you're not making your deck better with it. And for an aggro deck it's pretty much out of question to play such a land anyway.
Regarding the new lands I think their biggest downside is that they're either or. If you draw them early they're a lot worse than a basic land. And they never give you any upside in that case. They don't fix your mana and they don't have any additional effect in the late game like the Dominaria memorial lands. Sure, the Regrowth effect for example is an ok effect even for three mana, but the cost of running it is a lot higher than just one additional mana.
I would play Memorial to Unity over Bala Ged Recovery and I never considered running it at all. And Spikefield Hazard is just a terrible card. An etb tapped land in red has to offer more than that, much more. I would have removed Ghitu Encampment from my cube already if red wasn't such a shallow color and that is so much better than Spikefield Hazard.
And how much impact will Skyclave Cleric have in the late game? And how often will Skyclave Basilica prevent you from playing a card like Lone Missionary on turn 2 where it can still have an impact as a blocker against aggro?
I'm not saying all of these cards are unplayable, but some are and the ones that aren't are they're certainly lower tier cards for CU/be at best.
Also, Akoum Warrior (as a creature) is a lot worse than Striped Riverwinder and while cycling may be a bit worse than an etb tapped basic when you desperately need a land it is vastly superior in any other situation, plus I heard getting Riverwinder into the yard early can have upside at times. I at least would be much more inclined to play Akoum Warrior if he had cycling R.
I mean it depends how essential tempo us for your environment but I definitely think people are under-rating them.
Assuming you can cop the occasional etb-tapped card, these effectively let you play less lands for the same manabase. Instead of 17 lands maybe you play 15 and 2 dfc lands.
It doesn't really matter if the spellside is a bit overcosted, a 3cmx regrowth is still better than your 8th land a lot of the timw.
Playing a mdfc instead of a 17th land doesn't really get you much benefit since probably 70% of the time it'll just be a etbt land that doesn't fix. The effect may be better than the value lands we have access to, but you won't be able to have that value often enough for it to be much better (and we don't play many value lands rn anyways). I'll make the exception that if the card is sometimes worth skipping a land drop it might be worth it (Skyclave Cleric is probably the best example. Maybe Malakir Rebirth or Spikefield Hazard?).
Playing them as an 18th land removes the etbt issue and gives them much better uptime while giving you a better chance to hit land drops. There is some real upside here, but it would be competing with a spell. The issue is most of the spell sides are significantly worse than the non-mdfc version so the land cycling doesn't make them interesting: Sejiri Shelter vs. Shelter, Jwar Isle Disturbance vs. Censor, Bala Ged Recovery vs. Regrowth, Malakir Rebirth vs. Undying Evil/Supernatural Stamina (though that one may be close).
i think the mdfc lands are comparable to the og cycle lands. while certainly great against flooding, the tempoloss is just too much to justify running them. and of course they have the same issue in cubes, eating a slot while not adding an exciting effect.
Fearless Fledgling also seems pretty decent. It's not *that* hard to get it to be a 3/3, for instance, and it attacks with Flying a decent amount of time, too.
Makindi Stampede might be among my favourite versions of white mass pumps since I always feel a bit iffy about having a 5 mana card that needs an established board presence to work. Being a land in a pinch seems like the best alternative use for such spells thus far.
Kor Blademaster is nice, even though I doubt the upside over Fencing Ace will make any difference in 95% of games. But since I run Fencing Ace it's definitely in.
I'm not convinced mill as an archetype is viable now. CU/be games are fast and it requires more than a few cards that mill 1-3 cards on average to deck your opponent.
The party mechanic is a fun idea, but I doubt it will be fun to play during cube draft. Too annoying, too much randomness involved and too many old cards without proper creature types in my cube.
I like Fearless Fledgling. If you play him on curve in an aggro deck the average case will be 2/2 flying on turn 3, 3/3 flying on turn 4, 3/3 on turn 5 and 4/4 flying on turn 6. That is pretty awesome for a 1c creature. And in the late(r) game (or if you get land flooded) he will become 5/5 or more also quite easily. On top of that he is another support card for the +1/+1 archetype.
Of course he's a bad top deck and if you get mana screwed he won't make things better for you either. But if you're stuck with 2 lands you probably have other problems anyway.
I will test him instead of Gust Walker.
My Old School Battlebox
My Premodern Battlebox
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
Fearless Fledgling is starting to make me think this set is an elaborate scheme to have me keep in karoos. 3/3 is probably a normal size for it to end up at, and even if drawn late it not basically completely dead (like Steppe Lynx) since it gets evasion. I'm in a love-hate relationship with the normal art, but definitely testing.
I'm a fan of Bubble Snare. Reasonable removal that can be played around.
Skyclave Geopede being non-hastey Skizzik for 1 less mana is good enough for me to test, especially since 3/1 trample isn't even that bad a floor. 7/5 trample might also be a payoff worth building around for some GR ramp deck.
iridescent hornbeetle looks nuts, but i don't actually think it's very good. a 5 mana 3/4 is a terrible rate in green, and there are a plethora of solid 5s that provide immediate value, and even some with lasting value. i like the idea of the counters deck, but this is so specific to that deck, and i think we just have better options at green 5s.
kazuul's fury // kazuul cliffs strikes me as interesting as it is a narrow removal spell, which i think plays well with being a land. kabira takedown // kabira plateau is the same but i think probably slightly stronger. these cards though man, just impossible to evaluate...
fearless fledgling feels like a staple? i wonder how big the conditional flying will turn out being on this, but also one trigger and you're probably pretty happy means this shouldn't disappoint you too often until it's a terrible lategame topdeck.
malakir blood-priest looks low key good. if its average case is etb drain 2, that feels pretty ok in an aggressive deck. really depends on how the creature type breakdown ends up going though, which is huge for a lot of these party creatures. might be one to remember at the end of spoilers.
rockslide sorcerer feels average considering its base body. a wind drake looter is a lot stronger than a pinging hill giant imo. i wanna push the wizard deck though so maybe...
i agree broken wings feels worse than wilt, but this is by no means bad, and is probably your second choice for this effect i wanna say?
bubble snare looks great, imo. scaling removal like this works well for me, and i feel like it's not even bad in its 1 mana mode.
skyclave geopede does a lot of damage, and i don't think a 3/1 trampling body is anywhere near as bad as the lower cmc options with this effect.
how do we feel about fissure wizard? rummage etb on a 2/1 is simple, creature types are relevant. doesn't feel bad, but just maybe not exciting enough to really show its strength.
feed the swarm might be ok if you're powering down removal. having more noncreature removal is also welcome. idk.
goma fada vanguard seems strong if you push warriors as an archetype.
mind carver looks AWESOME and i'm honestly loving this trend with black equipment. i wonder how many cards 8 cards is in practice though. feels like it could be hard to achieve sometimes.
Well, the speed of the format is entirely variable, so whether or not mill can get there fast enough could entirely be a matter of YMMV I assume. Ultimately, I think it's possible iceberg cancrix and hedron crab could be playable in lists where blue/x benefits from self milling, and it might not take much work for psychic spiral and one of the tutalages/this new crab to be in as a plan b win condition.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Psychic Spiral is fine but these random "mill 3" effects are liable to blow up in your face and basically achieve nothing until you immediately win.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
I think you need to create a really slow cube if you want to enable a strategy that only has a chance to win if you manage to get to turn 15+ (without Psychic Spiral). Especially if it's not really a control deck, but a deck that is based on small creatures that need to stay on the board and that maybe even need to connect, such as the crabs or some of the creatures spoiled in this set.
Psychic Spiral has always been a decent win condition for control or self-mill decks, it's just not something I want for my cube as it's a card that either does nothing or wins immediately. It's a bit like a blue Overrun, only even more all-or-nothing.
The small mill effects (if you target the other player) often do less than nothing until you win as they can help the opponent quite a bit and do absolutely nothing for you until you win, so that is nothing I'd want to do.
And self-mill has been a viable strategy in my cube for quite some time, but it's not powerful enough to make something like Hedron Crab worth running. And just to make Psychic Spiral or Sphinx's Tutelage (which is borderline playable at best from my pov) better is not a reason to run these minor effects either for me when there are plenty of self-mill cards that are playable on their own, such as Merfolk Looter and friends, Hermit Druid, Grapple with the Past, Nyx Weaver and some others.
My Old School Battlebox
My Premodern Battlebox
I have good and bad feelings with it. I like it but it could be it's expensive, or slow... I don't know if it's worth to include it.
My Omniscience Draft Cube[/b]
My Commander Cube
My Pai Gow Cube
My Two-Headed Giant Cube
I believe the double red mana cost for a kicked Cinderclasm is more often a problem than it is an upside to be able to cast a weaker version for 2 mana. I'd rather play a card like Flame Sweep if I wanted another one of these effects after Pyroclasm.
Roil Eruption is a Volcanic Hammer with upside. I wouldn't run it in a small cube, but at your size it may be worth it. If you play aggro 2 additional damage can make all the difference if you need to finish your opponent after running out of other means to defeat him. If you play control the spell doesn't become useless in the late(r) game against aggro finishers or midrange creatures. Sorcery speed is obviously a downside, but since you run both Searing Spear and Lightning Strike I would consider replacing one of them with Roil Eruption. You can't really do anything wrong as even Volcanic Hammer would be a playable card in a CU/be environment and it's certainly more fun than having two cards that do exactly the same.
My Old School Battlebox
My Premodern Battlebox
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Oh, and I suppose mill is also pretty parasitic, even if it seems more like a tag-on for most cards.
The parasitic nature of this set hinders our playables for sure, but I haven't been that impressed with much else.
Considering we have been hand fed some serious power creep over the past couple years, I guess I can't be too disappointed for a weaker set for us.
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
Do we have enchantment removal in black? I think it's unfair to compare it to creature removal. In my cube it is close to a dissenchant/naturalize, with a second mode being able to kill any creature in play (given enough life). I think this might be the best enchantment removal spell outside of green/white?
Enchantment removal is so narrow I highly doubt it can make up for the really bad creature removal part of the spell. Just like most removal Feed the Swarm is still a playable card, but I believe it's fair to say that you'd only run it if you wanted to depower your removal as I'd pick Go for the Throat/Cast Down/Ultimate Price over this every single time during a draft. It's not Incinerate vs Abrade, where Abrade can actually be the better choice for a control or midrange deck.
And from my experience it's a fallacy to believe you can play with powerful enchantments just because you have a few enchantment removal spells in your cube. Either you are ok with enchantments that can take over the game on their own or you are not ok with it, but trying to balance these cards with more enchantment removal and enchantment removal in every color is a futile effort. Been there, done that. Or in other words whether black has enchantment removal or not doesn't matter.
My Old School Battlebox
My Premodern Battlebox
3B
Creature - Cat Horror
{1}{B}, Sacrifice another creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on Skyclave Shadowcat
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, draw a card.
3/3
Neat effect and the body isn't awful. I wish rhis was a green or white card but.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
This set has some Commander goodies, but I'm just not feeling it for peasant cube.
I'm not a fan of the DFCs from this set. I don't have DFCs in my cube already, but the way they keep making them overcosted or underpowered compared to other options just doesn't make up for the versatility of a ETB tapped land in my opinion. Hopefully something comes along in the rest of the set.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
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
I would always rather draw a Skyclave Cleric in the late game than a Basic Plains, and Skyclave Basilica has got me covered when I need a land instead. Yes, coming into play tapped will lead to awkward sequencing occasionally, but I'm okay with the awkward sequencing for the high upside of flood protection and getting to play more spells in my deck, on average, than my opponents. Another good example is, any non-Shelter Gods Willing effect in my CUbe could easily be swapped out for Sejiri Shelter and I'd be ecstatic to play it over the 17th land every time. I am willing to admit that a card with cycling can be better, look at Censor versus Jwar Isle Disturbance, because instead of cycling you get to play a land. However, I believe that more often the comparison will be more favorable yet different. Similar to Malakir Rebrith versus Supernatural Stamina, because in this instance you can trade the card out for a land when it's not great.
As for the non-DFC cards that I'm considering currently:
1) Acquisitions Expert looks awesome! Kitesail Freebooter is a great card, and while this will more often be a Burglar Rat I'm very happy to get more of this effect in CUbe. Plus, I'm cautiously optimistic of for the Rogue's Matter archetype that is burgeoning. I'm watching Blackbloom Rogue/Blackbloom Bog, Shadow Stinger, and Merfolk Windrobber. If they push this archetype enough in the right direction, I could see the Faerie Vandal, Jhessian Thief, Library Larcenist, Looter il-Kor, Nightveil Sprite, Whirler Rogue, Audacious Thief, Marsh Flitter, Orzhov Enforcer, Vampire Aristocrat, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Cunning Nightbonder that I am already running in my CUbe get a new archetype to play with.
2) Akoum Hellhound is a colorshifted Steppe Lynx, a card I haven't played in years, but in better creature types. I have high hopes for this good boy.
3) Anticognition is very reminiscent of Quench, but with a Despise flavor. The upside isn't unachievable or that unrealistic if you're late enough in the game.
4) Bloodchief's Thirst is like a Fatal Push that costs more, but has you no ceiling. Also, hitting Planeswalkers is not negligible.
4) Brushfire Elemental will likely push Gruul into having an 'Elementals Matter' archetype. This is something I've been flirting with loosely since Creeping Trailblazer, but I will probably follow through with now.
5) Demon's Disciple is probably the 2nd copy of Plaguecrafter that I didn't think or know I wanted. It's a likely include for anyone still running Fleshbag Marauder or Merciless Executioner, creature types not withstanding.
6) Fearless Fledgling is a cute card. I support the +1/+1 Counters Matter archetype, and could see this being decent. Although, the fact that it is a mediocre late-game top-deck, and that the art is, well, lets just say interesting, does mean I wouldn't be surprised to see this one missing the mark.
7) Feed the Swarm is going to be insane. I depower my removal, so this will be a welcomed addition to my CUbe as Vendetta is right were I wanted my strongest removal spell to be in power level. Welcome to the CUbe.
8) For the same reason as mentioned with #6, Gnarlid Colony will give additional support to a beloved archetype. Welcome to the CUbe.
9) Goma Fada Vanguard has me thinking: there's no way we don't meet the threshold of enough Warriors to make this work.
10) Grotag Night-Runner this is the Red equivalent of Jhessian Thief.
11) Hagra Constrictor opens up the conversation to including the +1/+1 Counters Matter archetype in Black also. Some additional goodies would be Oona's Blackguard, Oblivion's Hunger, Mer-Ek Nightblade, Winding Constrictor, Corpsejack Menace, and Vraska, Swarm's Eminence.
12) Iridescent Hornbeetle will be either very good or win-more. Time and testing will tell. However, you will need to put in the proper support for the +1/+1 Counters Matter archetype.
13) Kor Blademaster is a better Fencing Ace, creature types not withstanding.
14) Lullmage's Domination is probably better than it looks. It surprises me that this isn't getting any discussion. Dominate used to be A+ material in CUbe, but I think the upside is worth the more restrictive cost.
15) Rockslide Sorcerer is probably good enough if we hit the threshold of playable Wizards and if you already support the U/R Spells Matter archetype.
16) Roil Eruption is exciting, if only because I depowered my removal, and it isn't even just a removal spell. This is going to get ignored by some, but it should be tested more than it probably will be.
17) Skyclave Geopede is going to be interesting. This will often play out similarly to a Skizzik with upside.
18) Skyclave Pick-Axe and really the whole cycle(?) will be on my radar. I like the auto-equip, and each is uniquely powerful in their own right. However, this is the best one revealed so far.
19) Thwart the Grave has cool art, is a cool card, and will be a serious consideration depending on how the Party Mechanic ends up. Similarly, I will be watching Spoils of Adventure, Skyclave Loot, and any other Party cards that seems powerful.
20) Windrider Wizard is in the same boat as Rockslide Sorcerer.
Please give me your thoughts on all of the cards I mentioned. Also, I am interested to read everyone's evaluation of the DFCs after reading my post.
There are already plenty of etb tapped basics with upside and yet hardly any of them get played. There are two problems with these cards.
First off they cost you a precious cube slot for a card that has a very minor effect on the game. An overcosted Regrowth that is nothing but a bad basic land in at least 50% of games? There are simply better and more interesting cards you can fill your cube with.
Secondly you underestimate the opportunity cost of playing an etb tapped basic a lot. If you play anything but a mono color deck you will most likely already play some etb tapped lands to fix your mana. Adding an etb tapped basic land on top of that just for a little upside will often cost you half a turn or even a full turn in the early game if you draw and need that land. The upside has to be very much worth it or you're not making your deck better with it. And for an aggro deck it's pretty much out of question to play such a land anyway.
Regarding the new lands I think their biggest downside is that they're either or. If you draw them early they're a lot worse than a basic land. And they never give you any upside in that case. They don't fix your mana and they don't have any additional effect in the late game like the Dominaria memorial lands. Sure, the Regrowth effect for example is an ok effect even for three mana, but the cost of running it is a lot higher than just one additional mana.
I would play Memorial to Unity over Bala Ged Recovery and I never considered running it at all. And Spikefield Hazard is just a terrible card. An etb tapped land in red has to offer more than that, much more. I would have removed Ghitu Encampment from my cube already if red wasn't such a shallow color and that is so much better than Spikefield Hazard.
And how much impact will Skyclave Cleric have in the late game? And how often will Skyclave Basilica prevent you from playing a card like Lone Missionary on turn 2 where it can still have an impact as a blocker against aggro?
I'm not saying all of these cards are unplayable, but some are and the ones that aren't are they're certainly lower tier cards for CU/be at best.
Also, Akoum Warrior (as a creature) is a lot worse than Striped Riverwinder and while cycling may be a bit worse than an etb tapped basic when you desperately need a land it is vastly superior in any other situation, plus I heard getting Riverwinder into the yard early can have upside at times. I at least would be much more inclined to play Akoum Warrior if he had cycling R.
My Old School Battlebox
My Premodern Battlebox
Assuming you can cop the occasional etb-tapped card, these effectively let you play less lands for the same manabase. Instead of 17 lands maybe you play 15 and 2 dfc lands.
It doesn't really matter if the spellside is a bit overcosted, a 3cmx regrowth is still better than your 8th land a lot of the timw.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Playing them as an 18th land removes the etbt issue and gives them much better uptime while giving you a better chance to hit land drops. There is some real upside here, but it would be competing with a spell. The issue is most of the spell sides are significantly worse than the non-mdfc version so the land cycling doesn't make them interesting: Sejiri Shelter vs. Shelter, Jwar Isle Disturbance vs. Censor, Bala Ged Recovery vs. Regrowth, Malakir Rebirth vs. Undying Evil/Supernatural Stamina (though that one may be close).
powpercube Johnny https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t