I think the set is pretty decent for us. Quick summary of the cards, which are relevant IMO: Captured by Lagacs: Auto include. Removal with an useful effect attached are often very strong. Drey Keeper: It's not quite Beetleback Chief, but BG is somewhat lacking and I like the activated ability. Goblin Anarchomancer: Auto include. I always thought Goblin Electromancer was decent, but this makes the ELectromancer look extremely weak. Hard Evidence: Even though it can't be flickered, I do still quite like it as a blue 1 drop. Gargadon: Very similar to Errant Ephemeron. Lose Focus: The best common Counterspell since 17 years. Ornithopter of Paradise: Super Myr. Sinister Starfish: Black hasn't the best 2 drops. This is decent for more controlish decks. Skophos Reaver: Auto include. Good creature as it is, with Madness, because why not. Bannerhide Krushok: Rock solid with enough edit to push it over the edge. Tragic Fall: Last Gasp 2.0. Wavesifter: Auto include. It's not quite Mulldrifter, but the closest to a fixed version of that overpower card we can realisticly expect to get. I wasn't too happy with the current UG choices anyway. Storm God's Oracle: A flexible creature, that will very like be 2 for 1. Might be an auto include, but I'm a little bit conservative, with that.
Mostly relevant for my black sac theme: Vermin Gorger: Probably going in. Loathsome Curator: Definitely going in. Glimmer Bairn: Porbably not going to make the cut, but an intersting design.
Some Madness/Discard cards:
I will keep these to the other threat, as they are mostly interesting in the context of the archetype.
a lot of the cards i like for johnny purpose, but they lack raw powerlevel to outclass existing choices
Gargadon probably the third card ill add to spike though
your falling into the value trap again.
cmc3 removal is *****ty compared to pacifism, especially when it eats a guildslot and needs 2 creatures to function. cant even compare to healer, which is a completely different roleplayer.
weird is a million times better than the oracle.
wavesifter is pretty *****ty at cmc5. paying another 4 to draw 2 is awfully slow. how does it even compare to a beatdown creature?
i might reconsider anarchomancer. might is pretty insane though. if you wanted that effect, run any of the familiars Thornscape Familiar
I have to side with Humphrey on this I think the trend is definitely against "value trap" (as Humphrey puts it) cards. Skophos Reaver and Lose Focus are obvious staples but everything requires at least a little analysis
Im actually in the middle here. I still like the weird over the oracle, and the Wavesifter is certainly playable but not a staple (though i will very likely play it, I think it gives some variety to simic that my cube needs and UG ramp)
But I think Captured by Lagacs is good enough for a cube slot. I really value card advantage, so removing a blocker and pumping your team is perfectly acceptable for 3 mana. Comparing to the healer, yes they're different roleplayerz, but we have 3 cmc 3/3 in white and green. So its not that big of change to me (I actually dont run it anymore, going with Call of Conclave over it).
But I enjoy and value the discussion so lets keep it going!
What do people think of Disciple of the Sun? A 3/3 life link that returns the best 3cmc creature/artifact/enchantment removal from your yard seems decent. And it can be blinked for value.
What do people think of Disciple of the Sun? A 3/3 life link that returns the best 3cmc creature/artifact/enchantment removal from your yard seems decent. And it can be blinked for value.
I don't think it's good enough. If it weren't restricted with the cmc or could return non-permanents it might be more interesting.
one mana can make a huge difference and carddraw is not the same as adding counters and stuff. not only is it a whole turn slower, its also way more clunky to play alongside another spell later.
i also wonder how often lagac doesnt grant 2 counters because you lack the targets.
Storm God seems just awful. Sure its a bolt, but on opponents terms at some random point in the game.
Mulldrifter is either just a plain Divination that can be flickered or a permanent creature. You shouldnt compare apples and oranges Al.
Familiars are exactly the same as the goblin, as long as you play the matching guild. Did you even read the cards man
I kinda like Disciple of the Sun as a third 5 drop that recurrs things. I need testings whether or not i want it over Master Skald 4/4 seems much better than 3/3 lifelink though.
Arcbound Mouser - Cute but doesn't do much. Being an artifact creature means there is potential synergy, but frankly the sum of the artifact deck's parts are not enough by themselves compared to existing non-artifact options. And the whole of the artifact deck is not cohesive. You end up with a few alright metalcraft cards, a few affinity for artifact cards and a whole lot of junk to make those cards playable to begin with. I will shout out to Cranial Plating for being awesome, but that isn't enough to cut it right now. We'll need to wait until the artifact components can stand on their own. On the topic of Arcbound Mouser specifically, modular is nice way to retaining power on board while providing a one drop to kick-start your deck into action. But without other artifact support this is going to be a nothing card. Borderline.
Arcbound Prototype - Similar speal to Arcbound Mouser. It could be a good follow up to Court Homunculus. Still this relies heavily on having other artifact creatures in order to be more than a vanilla 2/2 for 2. In the artifact deck this is going to be a solid role player ensuring you have a relevant artifact body turn 2. Borderline.
Blacksmith's Skill - Fine combat trick for the artifact deck. Ok at blanking removal, but Emphemerate does that better. Borderline.
Break Ties - It can be many things, which gives it utility. However most of the modes aren't enough to justify 3 mana. The reinforce for 1 white mana is cheeky though, and frankly makes this a lot better than it looks. Still most cubes aren't going to have enough artifacts, enchantments or graveyard matters cards for this to do much in the average match, and when it does 3 mana is a lot to pay. Borderline.
Disciple of the Sun - Lifelink has consistently proven to be a good ability in pauper cube, where most decks are racing. Custodi Squire is a powerhouse and this is similar, though the Recover is substantial downgraded. 3/3 is the minimal acceptable stats on such a creature. Cubeable.
Fairgrounds Patrol - Vanilla 2/1 is not cutting it. Getting a Thopter for 2 mana is also pretty weak. Compare that to Doomed Traveler and the comparison is a bit more obvious. Weak.
Guardian Kirin - Good for with Triplicate Spirits. Still takes a while to grow and can easily be shut down with removal. Borderline.
Knighted Myr - All-round pretty janky. Adapt is kind of expensive. Temporary double strike hits well for a turn, but there aren't many good +1/+1 counter granting effects in pauper cube. Borderline.
Landscaper Colos - The tuck isn't relevant in most contexts. The body is big, but not that big and will easily die to most common pieces of removal. Basic landcycling isn't in demand since we've have heaps of common lands printed in recent years. Weak.
Late for Diner - What is there to reanimate? Food token gets imaginary flavour points. Borderline.
Lens Flare - I guess if the artifact deck did exist this would be good in it. Borderline.
Marble Gargoyle - White strictly better Wind Drake. Pumping toughness means it can survive combat I guess. But it's another lacklustre artifact creature. Weak.
Piercing Rays - Ok, but not instant speed. The foretell allows for some decent aggressive play, despite being quite expensive. Borderline.
Soul of Migration - I have to remind myself that in some people's cubes flicker decks are strong. Cubeable.
Unbounded Potential - One potential source of counters. Kind of weak, but this can make for some big plays in combat. Borderline.
Summary: Lots of borderline cards, especially the arcbound cards. Most of these are weak by themselves, but have to be given additional consideration for their potential synergies.
Blue
Aeromoeba - Can hit hard. Discard enabler. Overall good and providing synergy, but by itself it is just a over costed flier. Borderline.
Burdened Aerialist - Makes treasure, can have temporary flying. It's competing against quite a lot of good 3 mana value creatures being in blue. I feel that the treasure is worth more that it looks. Cubeable.
Etherium Spinner - Most decks don't have that many expensive cards so this is going to under perform a lot of the time. However it has potential to make a lot of flyiers in a slower environment. Borderline.
Floodhound - One drop mana sink. Kinda like it. Its going to eventually win a long game, just most games don't go long. Borderline.
Foul Watcher - A significantly strictly better Storm Crow. Surveil 1 is good to get things going. But overall it's going to just be a Storm Crow, Delirium is just a lot of hoops to jump through for only a little upgrade. Borderline.
Hard Evidence - Basically a blue Thraben Inspector. But I prefer 1/2s to 0/3s because you can team them up with other creatures for double blocks. Borderline.
Lose Focus - Strictly better Quench. Quench is playable, but still worse than most 2 mana counterspells. Cubeable.
Mental Journey - 6 mana is a lot to pay for 3 cards. Same rhetoric for Landscaper Colos in regards to basic landcycling. Weak.
Parcel Myr - It wants to be a role player. Borderline.
Phantasmal Dreadmaw - It's big, and dies to Incinerate, but I won't hold that against this. Even comes compete with trample. Staple.
Recalibrate - Discard payout. Similar to Repulse, but a lot more conditional. Borderline.
Shattered Ego - Seems fine for control. Tucking can essential time walk when you've stalled the board. Control definitely needs more early plays to gum up the board while it waits for Dinrova Horror or something. Cubeable.
So Shiny - So conditional, but that scry is so juicy. Borderline.
Steelfin Whale - Another affinity for artifacts pay-off. Borderline.
Summary: A bunch more borderline cards, holding in the tradition of Modern Horizons being a borderline set. We got one really good card out of this section (Phantasmal Dreadmaw).
Bone Shards - Good madness enabler. Overcosted otherwise. Good removal is in no shortage. Borderline, (staple with madness).
Cabal Initiate - A fine discard outlet. Threshold upgrades this late game. Is an early game madness enabler which is quite valuable. Borderline, (staple with madness).
Discerning Taste - Not many creatures big enough to turn this into a Murasa's Pulse. Three mana is a bit to pay for card selection. Borderline.
Gilt-Blade Prowler - Pretty bad unless you have discard synergies. With synergies it breaks turns into a card advantage engine, or at least allows you to break even. Borderline, (cubeable with good discard synergies).
Hell Mongrel - Both a discard outlet and a madness card! It's pretty good for getting the ball rolling. And it is also a huge threat by itself. Cubeable, (staple with madness.
Kitchen Imp - Pretty weak sauce without the discount. Flying means it will help finish a players off. Still it's on the small end for a madness creature. Borderline, (cubeable with madness).
Loathsome Curator - Most cubes have pretty slim top-ends so there typically isn't much room for cards like this. Still if you have the fodder this will do well. Menace makes this decent on offence as it can't be simply chump blocked. Being black means its immune to Doom Blade and Terror, though it still dies to Cast Down and can be rendered obsolete by Pacifism. Cubeable
Nested Shambler - Has potential to be bulky and explode into a storm of squirrels. But by itself, it isn't much to write home about. Borderline.
Sinister Starfish - Basically a sinister version of Sigiled Starfish. Surveil is probably stronger than scry. Sigiled Starfish is playable so I'd expect this to be as well. Black tends to have more aggro decks than blue so it might not be such a clean fit. Cubeable.
Tizerus Charger - The escape cost quite a bit. I expect most games not to last long enough for this to accrue that much value. The base rate isn't that good. Borderline.
Tourach's Canticle - Strips a hand of good cards. 4 mana is expensive, but this always removes the best card plus another random card (maybe there was two cards you really didn't want to see). A ode to Hymn to Tourach. Cubeable.
Tragic Fall - Strictly better than Last Gasp, which was already sort playable as a 23rd card for most black decks. In some ways hellbent is easier to enable than morbid, with the obvious other comparison being Tragic Slip. Cubeable.
Vermin Gorger - A mediocre sacrifice enabler. 2/2 for 2 is a standard random creature body. Borderline.
World-Weary - I guess you can enable delirium by cycling this. Weak.
Summary: The madness cards and discard enablers are intriguing.
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There's no word in the goblin language for "strategy." Then again, there's no word in the goblin language for "word."
i also wonder how often lagac doesnt grant 2 counters because you lack the targets.
I think, that the worst case of a Bound in Silence is still ok, but the best case of having 2 dudes (not magical christmas land) is just incredibly good. It's not like you slam every removal exactly on the turn, where you have the needed mana, but rather a few turns later.
Storm God seems just awful. Sure its a bolt, but on opponents terms at some random point in the game.
Sure it's not good if they have an empty board and Lightning Bolt turns into Lava Spike, but when your opponent has no board at all, that might be an advantageous position for you. As long as they have board there are barely any good ways to deal with it. Usually the Pacifism-argument would count, but since it can sack itself, that doesn't really count.
Familiars are exactly the same as the goblin, as long as you play the matching guild. Did you even read the cards man
They aren't the same, because they can never reduce their own color. Also they have widely different bodies. Nightscape Familiar is by far the best. Btw. aren't you the one, that always complains about 1 toughness, so Thornscape Familiar shouldn't really be your suggested replacement. Sure in a true 3 color deck a Familiar would reduce about 2/3 of the cards (still not 100%), but 2 color decks are the standard, while 3 color decks are more rare. Often you have a 2 color decks, which splashes 1-2 cards from another color and I wouldn't really splash any of the familiars, just to get the same effect, that Goblin Anarchomancer provides for RG.
No way Phantasmal Dreadmaw gets staple. Cubable sure. But a 4 drop that dies to 1 drops (gideon's lawkeeper and friends, fume spitter, friendzied goblin, goblin motivator) and extra effects (kor hookmaster, territorial hammerskull, man_o_war, pestermite, fervent cathar and tons more) cannot be staple.
No way Phantasmal Dreadmaw gets staple. Cubable sure. But a 4 drop that dies to 1 drops (gideon's lawkeeper and friends, fume spitter, friendzied goblin, goblin motivator) and extra effects (kor hookmaster, territorial hammerskull, man_o_war, pestermite, fervent cathar and tons more) cannot be staple.
It's borderline at best. I get the M12 reference, but the design is just so punishing and I like the modern Illusion ability of only dying to spells way more.
i also think its cubable but not staple. dies to random effect is as valid of an argument as dies to removal. a 6/6 trample for 4 can hurt a lot if unchecked. the risk is worth the reward imo.
depending on the cube though
Dies to random effect =/= dies to removal, because usually a removal costs you, at least, a card. Random effects often don't.
The goblin is way better than the familiars. Better body, cheapens 2 colors, and by doing that, it cheapens its OWN colors.
I'm not quite sure if Storm God is better or worse than the weird. They are very different cards even if they look so similar. But I have a bigger multicolor section than most, so I probably won't be needing to choose between them =)
I like catpured by lagacs better than the centaur, even if I would not say one card is better than the other. But nowadays we have cards every bit as good as the centaur in G and in W. and Captures by Lagacs is more of a signal - identity card for Selesnya.
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Holiday Armadillo... Cloak
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
actually the amount of lifegain on decent cost to body ratio is quite limited. I def dont want or need more removal in GW and counters matter is still not a thing
The only card I wanted to fit in, but couldn't find a spot for is Hard Evidence. If it were flickerable I would have looked harded for a replacement, but as it is, blue is super stacked and I can't find any replacement at all.
Colossal Might < Goblin Anarchomancer still not completely sold on the gob, as my curve is already low and it doesnt reduce colored mana Fiery Temper < Mine Collapse Temper was cute, but free dmg is better, especially when it can kill higher toughness stuff Orcish Hellraiser < Gargadon Hellraiser puts you offcurve and 7/5 haste is quite awesome
i also noticed, we got our first +1+1 matters payoff in Deepwood Denizen, so the archetype finally could become a thing
Al and Humphrey are both right and wrong on Captured by Lagnacs-
Does a better Pacifism need to be multicolored?
Does it fit in the Top 3 GW cards? Top 4?
Is your GW made for Aggro-Midrange?
Does White support Search/Recurring auras?
All these need to qualify the card. It is not any different than other great multi cards that are simply souped-up mono cards but now take up a multi slot.
I would call it Cubeable. But GW is arguably the most bloated guild in pauper. You can make a Top 10 and still have honorable mentions. The issue comes down to how many multi slots, and does it replace a unique card.
*My GW is Pridemage, Cloak and Travel Prep. So this semi competes with Travel Prep and Cloak, I am unwilling to cut either, so I would have to look at going to 4 cards in Multi. Maybe this set FINALLY makes it viable.
im not planning to go back to 4 slot guilds and even then i wouldnt run it. I just dont think its a great card. Didnt even include it in Tier2
I also think my cube is finetuned to the point, where I only want strict upgrades to existing cards.
*My GW is Pridemage, Cloak and Travel Prep. So this semi competes with Travel Prep and Cloak, I am unwilling to cut either, so I would have to look at going to 4 cards in Multi. Maybe this set FINALLY makes it viable.
I did cut Cloak when I decided to cut all hexproof creatures (Interaction > Raw Power). I think the removal density is simply too high to run any pump aura without hexproof.
4 multicolor cards have been viable for a very long time. Most guilds are pretty stacked, currently I'm only not entirely happy with Golgari and Simic, but booth got a great card in MH2, IMO. There are arguments for and against the 4th multicolor slot, but in the end it comes down to personal preference.
Captured by Lagacs: Auto include. Removal with an useful effect attached are often very strong.
Drey Keeper: It's not quite Beetleback Chief, but BG is somewhat lacking and I like the activated ability.
Goblin Anarchomancer: Auto include. I always thought Goblin Electromancer was decent, but this makes the ELectromancer look extremely weak.
Hard Evidence: Even though it can't be flickered, I do still quite like it as a blue 1 drop.
Gargadon: Very similar to Errant Ephemeron.
Lose Focus: The best common Counterspell since 17 years.
Ornithopter of Paradise: Super Myr.
Sinister Starfish: Black hasn't the best 2 drops. This is decent for more controlish decks.
Skophos Reaver: Auto include. Good creature as it is, with Madness, because why not.
Bannerhide Krushok: Rock solid with enough edit to push it over the edge.
Tragic Fall: Last Gasp 2.0.
Wavesifter: Auto include. It's not quite Mulldrifter, but the closest to a fixed version of that overpower card we can realisticly expect to get. I wasn't too happy with the current UG choices anyway.
Storm God's Oracle: A flexible creature, that will very like be 2 for 1. Might be an auto include, but I'm a little bit conservative, with that.
Mostly relevant for my black sac theme:
Vermin Gorger: Probably going in.
Loathsome Curator: Definitely going in.
Glimmer Bairn: Porbably not going to make the cut, but an intersting design.
Some Madness/Discard cards:
I will keep these to the other threat, as they are mostly interesting in the context of the archetype.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)
Gargadon probably the third card ill add to spike though
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Goblin Anarchomancer might be even better than Burning-Tree Emissary. It's a 2/2 that can attack why also making literally every spell in your deck cheaper. It's basically 3 cards, Emerald Medallion/Ruby Medallion attached to a Grizzly Bears. I would easily cut Colossal Might from your cube in exhange.
I really do like Frostburn Weird, but I'm probably going to cut it for Storm God's Oracle. Having a Lightning Bolt for 1 extra mana sound like a great deal to me. It's usually worth it to pay 1 additional mana for having an addtional card attached to another. I mean compare Twin Bolt and Electrolyze. It's technically the same card, except Electrolyze has a Reach Through Mists attached to it.
Wavesifter makes Beetleform Mage obsolete.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
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cmc3 removal is *****ty compared to pacifism, especially when it eats a guildslot and needs 2 creatures to function. cant even compare to healer, which is a completely different roleplayer.
weird is a million times better than the oracle.
wavesifter is pretty *****ty at cmc5. paying another 4 to draw 2 is awfully slow. how does it even compare to a beatdown creature?
i might reconsider anarchomancer. might is pretty insane though. if you wanted that effect, run any of the familiars
Thornscape Familiar
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
But I think Captured by Lagacs is good enough for a cube slot. I really value card advantage, so removing a blocker and pumping your team is perfectly acceptable for 3 mana. Comparing to the healer, yes they're different roleplayerz, but we have 3 cmc 3/3 in white and green. So its not that big of change to me (I actually dont run it anymore, going with Call of Conclave over it).
But I enjoy and value the discussion so lets keep it going!
What do people think of Disciple of the Sun? A 3/3 life link that returns the best 3cmc creature/artifact/enchantment removal from your yard seems decent. And it can be blinked for value.
@Humphrey:
There is no such thing as a value trap. Captured by Lagacs and Storm God's Oracle are really good examples of that. You pay 1 extra to get an effect, that is definitely worth 1 additional mana, aka Lead by Example and Lightning Bolt. Pillory of the Sleepless has always been great for me since the included Curse of the Piercing Heart is worth the 1 mana. At the end of the day Mulldrifter is nothing else than Silverbeak Griffin + Divination. Would you not play Electrolyze if it were common, because it would be a value trap?
My point is getting 2 cards in one for only a small extra fee is usually worth it.
The Familiars make at most 50% of your cards cost 1 less, just like Goblin Electromancer. The point about Goblin Anarchomancer is, that it's worth 2 familiars.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)
i also wonder how often lagac doesnt grant 2 counters because you lack the targets.
Storm God seems just awful. Sure its a bolt, but on opponents terms at some random point in the game.
Mulldrifter is either just a plain Divination that can be flickered or a permanent creature. You shouldnt compare apples and oranges Al.
Familiars are exactly the same as the goblin, as long as you play the matching guild. Did you even read the cards man
I kinda like Disciple of the Sun as a third 5 drop that recurrs things. I need testings whether or not i want it over Master Skald 4/4 seems much better than 3/3 lifelink though.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Arcbound Mouser - Cute but doesn't do much. Being an artifact creature means there is potential synergy, but frankly the sum of the artifact deck's parts are not enough by themselves compared to existing non-artifact options. And the whole of the artifact deck is not cohesive. You end up with a few alright metalcraft cards, a few affinity for artifact cards and a whole lot of junk to make those cards playable to begin with. I will shout out to Cranial Plating for being awesome, but that isn't enough to cut it right now. We'll need to wait until the artifact components can stand on their own. On the topic of Arcbound Mouser specifically, modular is nice way to retaining power on board while providing a one drop to kick-start your deck into action. But without other artifact support this is going to be a nothing card. Borderline.
Arcbound Prototype - Similar speal to Arcbound Mouser. It could be a good follow up to Court Homunculus. Still this relies heavily on having other artifact creatures in order to be more than a vanilla 2/2 for 2. In the artifact deck this is going to be a solid role player ensuring you have a relevant artifact body turn 2. Borderline.
Blacksmith's Skill - Fine combat trick for the artifact deck. Ok at blanking removal, but Emphemerate does that better. Borderline.
Break Ties - It can be many things, which gives it utility. However most of the modes aren't enough to justify 3 mana. The reinforce for 1 white mana is cheeky though, and frankly makes this a lot better than it looks. Still most cubes aren't going to have enough artifacts, enchantments or graveyard matters cards for this to do much in the average match, and when it does 3 mana is a lot to pay. Borderline.
Disciple of the Sun - Lifelink has consistently proven to be a good ability in pauper cube, where most decks are racing. Custodi Squire is a powerhouse and this is similar, though the Recover is substantial downgraded. 3/3 is the minimal acceptable stats on such a creature. Cubeable.
Fairgrounds Patrol - Vanilla 2/1 is not cutting it. Getting a Thopter for 2 mana is also pretty weak. Compare that to Doomed Traveler and the comparison is a bit more obvious. Weak.
Guardian Kirin - Good for with Triplicate Spirits. Still takes a while to grow and can easily be shut down with removal. Borderline.
Knighted Myr - All-round pretty janky. Adapt is kind of expensive. Temporary double strike hits well for a turn, but there aren't many good +1/+1 counter granting effects in pauper cube. Borderline.
Landscaper Colos - The tuck isn't relevant in most contexts. The body is big, but not that big and will easily die to most common pieces of removal. Basic landcycling isn't in demand since we've have heaps of common lands printed in recent years. Weak.
Late for Diner - What is there to reanimate? Food token gets imaginary flavour points. Borderline.
Lens Flare - I guess if the artifact deck did exist this would be good in it. Borderline.
Marble Gargoyle - White strictly better Wind Drake. Pumping toughness means it can survive combat I guess. But it's another lacklustre artifact creature. Weak.
Piercing Rays - Ok, but not instant speed. The foretell allows for some decent aggressive play, despite being quite expensive. Borderline.
Soul of Migration - I have to remind myself that in some people's cubes flicker decks are strong. Cubeable.
Unbounded Potential - One potential source of counters. Kind of weak, but this can make for some big plays in combat. Borderline.
Summary: Lots of borderline cards, especially the arcbound cards. Most of these are weak by themselves, but have to be given additional consideration for their potential synergies.
Blue
Aeromoeba - Can hit hard. Discard enabler. Overall good and providing synergy, but by itself it is just a over costed flier. Borderline.
Burdened Aerialist - Makes treasure, can have temporary flying. It's competing against quite a lot of good 3 mana value creatures being in blue. I feel that the treasure is worth more that it looks. Cubeable.
Etherium Spinner - Most decks don't have that many expensive cards so this is going to under perform a lot of the time. However it has potential to make a lot of flyiers in a slower environment. Borderline.
Floodhound - One drop mana sink. Kinda like it. Its going to eventually win a long game, just most games don't go long. Borderline.
Foul Watcher - A significantly strictly better Storm Crow. Surveil 1 is good to get things going. But overall it's going to just be a Storm Crow, Delirium is just a lot of hoops to jump through for only a little upgrade. Borderline.
Hard Evidence - Basically a blue Thraben Inspector. But I prefer 1/2s to 0/3s because you can team them up with other creatures for double blocks. Borderline.
Lose Focus - Strictly better Quench. Quench is playable, but still worse than most 2 mana counterspells. Cubeable.
Mental Journey - 6 mana is a lot to pay for 3 cards. Same rhetoric for Landscaper Colos in regards to basic landcycling. Weak.
Parcel Myr - It wants to be a role player. Borderline.
Phantasmal Dreadmaw - It's big, and dies to Incinerate, but I won't hold that against this. Even comes compete with trample. Staple.
Recalibrate - Discard payout. Similar to Repulse, but a lot more conditional. Borderline.
Shattered Ego - Seems fine for control. Tucking can essential time walk when you've stalled the board. Control definitely needs more early plays to gum up the board while it waits for Dinrova Horror or something. Cubeable.
So Shiny - So conditional, but that scry is so juicy. Borderline.
Steelfin Whale - Another affinity for artifacts pay-off. Borderline.
Step Through - Just play Undo instead. Or Rushing River. Weak.
Counterspell - Still good. Staple.
Summary: A bunch more borderline cards, holding in the tradition of Modern Horizons being a borderline set. We got one really good card out of this section (Phantasmal Dreadmaw).
Bone Shards - Good madness enabler. Overcosted otherwise. Good removal is in no shortage. Borderline, (staple with madness).
Cabal Initiate - A fine discard outlet. Threshold upgrades this late game. Is an early game madness enabler which is quite valuable. Borderline, (staple with madness).
Discerning Taste - Not many creatures big enough to turn this into a Murasa's Pulse. Three mana is a bit to pay for card selection. Borderline.
Echoing Return - Good if you break the singleton rule. Raise Dead otherwise. Weak.
Gilt-Blade Prowler - Pretty bad unless you have discard synergies. With synergies it breaks turns into a card advantage engine, or at least allows you to break even. Borderline, (cubeable with good discard synergies).
Hell Mongrel - Both a discard outlet and a madness card! It's pretty good for getting the ball rolling. And it is also a huge threat by itself. Cubeable, (staple with madness.
Kitchen Imp - Pretty weak sauce without the discount. Flying means it will help finish a players off. Still it's on the small end for a madness creature. Borderline, (cubeable with madness).
Loathsome Curator - Most cubes have pretty slim top-ends so there typically isn't much room for cards like this. Still if you have the fodder this will do well. Menace makes this decent on offence as it can't be simply chump blocked. Being black means its immune to Doom Blade and Terror, though it still dies to Cast Down and can be rendered obsolete by Pacifism. Cubeable
Nested Shambler - Has potential to be bulky and explode into a storm of squirrels. But by itself, it isn't much to write home about. Borderline.
Sinister Starfish - Basically a sinister version of Sigiled Starfish. Surveil is probably stronger than scry. Sigiled Starfish is playable so I'd expect this to be as well. Black tends to have more aggro decks than blue so it might not be such a clean fit. Cubeable.
Tizerus Charger - The escape cost quite a bit. I expect most games not to last long enough for this to accrue that much value. The base rate isn't that good. Borderline.
Tourach's Canticle - Strips a hand of good cards. 4 mana is expensive, but this always removes the best card plus another random card (maybe there was two cards you really didn't want to see). A ode to Hymn to Tourach. Cubeable.
Tragic Fall - Strictly better than Last Gasp, which was already sort playable as a 23rd card for most black decks. In some ways hellbent is easier to enable than morbid, with the obvious other comparison being Tragic Slip. Cubeable.
Vermin Gorger - A mediocre sacrifice enabler. 2/2 for 2 is a standard random creature body. Borderline.
World-Weary - I guess you can enable delirium by cycling this. Weak.
Summary: The madness cards and discard enablers are intriguing.
Landscaper Colos
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
Sure it's not good if they have an empty board and Lightning Bolt turns into Lava Spike, but when your opponent has no board at all, that might be an advantageous position for you. As long as they have board there are barely any good ways to deal with it. Usually the Pacifism-argument would count, but since it can sack itself, that doesn't really count.
They aren't the same, because they can never reduce their own color. Also they have widely different bodies. Nightscape Familiar is by far the best. Btw. aren't you the one, that always complains about 1 toughness, so Thornscape Familiar shouldn't really be your suggested replacement. Sure in a true 3 color deck a Familiar would reduce about 2/3 of the cards (still not 100%), but 2 color decks are the standard, while 3 color decks are more rare. Often you have a 2 color decks, which splashes 1-2 cards from another color and I wouldn't really splash any of the familiars, just to get the same effect, that Goblin Anarchomancer provides for RG.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)
depending on the cube though
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
The goblin is way better than the familiars. Better body, cheapens 2 colors, and by doing that, it cheapens its OWN colors.
I'm not quite sure if Storm God is better or worse than the weird. They are very different cards even if they look so similar. But I have a bigger multicolor section than most, so I probably won't be needing to choose between them =)
I like catpured by lagacs better than the centaur, even if I would not say one card is better than the other. But nowadays we have cards every bit as good as the centaur in G and in W. and Captures by Lagacs is more of a signal - identity card for Selesnya.
My 490 Pauper Cube
Modern frame only- Common on paper only - no functional copies, no strictly-betters - no subtype-matters
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
→ Wild Leotau > Bannerhide Krushok
→ Call of the Conclave > Captured by Lagacs
→ Grisly Salvage > Drey Keeper
→ Branching Bolt > Goblin Anarchomancer
→ Goblin Electromancer > Storm God's Oracle
→ Coiling Oracle > Wavesifter
→ Krenko's Command > Gargadon
→ Raid Bombardment > Skophos Reaver
→ Dreamscape Artist > Lose Focus
→ Nameless Inversion > Loathsome Curator
→ Last Gasp > Vermin Gorger
The only card I wanted to fit in, but couldn't find a spot for is Hard Evidence. If it were flickerable I would have looked harded for a replacement, but as it is, blue is super stacked and I can't find any replacement at all.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)
Colossal Might < Goblin Anarchomancer still not completely sold on the gob, as my curve is already low and it doesnt reduce colored mana
Fiery Temper < Mine Collapse Temper was cute, but free dmg is better, especially when it can kill higher toughness stuff
Orcish Hellraiser < Gargadon Hellraiser puts you offcurve and 7/5 haste is quite awesome
i also noticed, we got our first +1+1 matters payoff in Deepwood Denizen, so the archetype finally could become a thing
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
What do you mean first? We've had a few for some time. Ainok Bond-Kin, longshot squad, crowned ceratok, Gnarlid Colony, Hagra Constrictor, and also the new Duskshell Crawler
a card draw in green for as low as G and tap is a thing though
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
There is a bunch of payoff, what what makes this archetype interesting is, the amount of cards, which are already decent in a vacuum and just happen to have +1/+1 counters on them, like Cloudfin Raptor, Aven Eternal, Stormbound Geist, Thriving Rhino, Bannerhide Krushok, Peema Outrider, Travel Preparations, Captured by Lagacs and Shambleshark just to name the ones, which are currently in my cube anyway. There is also stuff like Basri's Acolyte, Kujar Seedsculptor or Martyr's Soul, which would be just fine playing.
My problem with this archetype is, that it changed colors over time from Simic to Abzan, so the payoff is a bit all over the place.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)
Does a better Pacifism need to be multicolored?
Does it fit in the Top 3 GW cards? Top 4?
Is your GW made for Aggro-Midrange?
Does White support Search/Recurring auras?
All these need to qualify the card. It is not any different than other great multi cards that are simply souped-up mono cards but now take up a multi slot.
I would call it Cubeable. But GW is arguably the most bloated guild in pauper. You can make a Top 10 and still have honorable mentions. The issue comes down to how many multi slots, and does it replace a unique card.
*My GW is Pridemage, Cloak and Travel Prep. So this semi competes with Travel Prep and Cloak, I am unwilling to cut either, so I would have to look at going to 4 cards in Multi. Maybe this set FINALLY makes it viable.
Loose Change Pauper Cube-cast
Pauper Cube Article #1
Pauper Cube Article #2
Personal Enjoyment Cube
I also think my cube is finetuned to the point, where I only want strict upgrades to existing cards.
T2 powpercube Value https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/37t
4 multicolor cards have been viable for a very long time. Most guilds are pretty stacked, currently I'm only not entirely happy with Golgari and Simic, but booth got a great card in MH2, IMO. There are arguments for and against the 4th multicolor slot, but in the end it comes down to personal preference.
Pauper Cube & Artifact Pauper Cube & Multiplayer Cube
Interested in building your own Pauper Cube? Take a look at some of the lists and the following project: The "Evaluate Everything" Project (updated to M21/JMP)