We're about halfway through spoilers, and I have to say, this set is really not for me. The art feels like it's from 5 different cartoon shows, the mechanics are gimmicky, and as usual for the past year or so all of the references and "jokes" are obnoxiously on the nose. That said, there are always some diamonds in the rough to talk about.
I will say up front, I have made the decision not to include any mechanics in my own cube that require separate reference cards to track, such as Initiative and The Ring Tempts You (I need to cut my one Monarch card and one Daytime card). This means I will not be cubing any Start Your Engines! cards.
Things that have caught my eye so far:
Gloryheath Lynx - The saddle ability is fine, but I'm here for the 2 mana 2/3 lifelink
Stock Up - Sorcery speed is a minor annoyance for what is basically a mini Dig Through Time. This looks incredible.
Greasewrench Goblin - A really pushed 1 mana 2/1. I think the card filtering and turning into a 3/2 will keep it relevant later in the game.
Molt Tender - A great enabler for graveyard decks, filling the yard, ramping into your meaningful spells, and even triggering Insidious Roots and company
Defend the Rider - Not sure about this, but the versatility of either being a 1/1 flash creature or protection spell is certainly interesting at only 1 mana
Earthrumbler - This is just a 5 mana 7/6 vigilance trample that's immune to sorcery speed creature removal, right? It does get hit by Disenchant effects. My only hesitation is that graveyard decks want very few non-creatures, and aggro decks might not turn this on super reliably.
Dredger's Insight - Another piece in the Insidious Roots package. A weak payoff, but mostly a nice enabler. It also is just card draw that plays well with Kor Skyfisher, cards with Bargain, enchantresses, and a million other things.
Rocketeer Boostbuggy - I can't tell if this is amazing or unplayable. An aggro deck can play this on 2 then on turn 3 decide whether to Exhaust or just play another creature and Crew. Either way, it's like skipping your 2-drop but giving your 3-drop haste. I at least want to try it.
Honorable mention to Nesting Bot, which I would love to play if only it didn't have Start Your Engine!
In addition to Aidoneus' examples, some other interesting cards:
Diversion Unit - Another in the line of 2/1 fliers with upside for 1U. Intimidation Tactics - Divest with cycling. One of the limitations of hand attack cards is they start to weaken as the game goes on - cycling helps a lot in this situation. Veteran Beastrider - Perhaps not the most exciting card, but a 3/4 for three that gives your creatures pseudo-vigilance and has a pump ability is quite solid.
So far Stock Up and Greasewrench Goblin are probably my favorites. "Start Your Engines!" does not see worth it and I am not sure the previewed Vehicles are strong enough to make the cut for me.
Diversion Unit - Another in the line of 2/1 fliers with upside for 1U. Intimidation Tactics - Divest with cycling. One of the limitations of hand attack cards is they start to weaken as the game goes on - cycling helps a lot in this situation. Veteran Beastrider - Perhaps not the most exciting card, but a 3/4 for three that gives your creatures pseudo-vigilance and has a pump ability is quite solid.
Oops, missed these because they weren't on Scryfall yet. Both Diversion Unit and Veteran Beastrider look excellent, although I'm not sure Beastrider makes it into my gold section.
Shefet Archfiend.
5BB Demon
Flying
When enters, all other creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
Cycling {2}
5/5
I like this card more than Archfiend of Sorrows. It could affect to your team, too, unless you build the deck with that in mind, but Cycling really makes the difference here for reanimator decks. I play cards like these even in my control decks. They are a cantrip and a wincon, like Striped Riverwinder
Yeah, I like that deamon better than the archfiend.
The flying Deathtouch Snake is amazing, Skyserpent Seeker
I only just put Plumecreet escort and now I am replacing it with the Diversion Unit
As I said in the old thread.
I don't like speed as a mechanic. I only really consider vehicles and saddle if it has crew/saddle 1. so you can use tokens for a bigger effect. Spotcycle Scouter is for consideration
The moderators just didn't appreciate the artistry of perfectly fitting inside of a 11x13 array :turd:, such that it was perfectly centered and the grid was symmetrical. It took me like 20 minutes.
It's not my fault that it was the perfect way to describe my feelings of "Car-Tropes and '''''Jokes''''': The Set". Maro should have received a warning for flaming the forums with his poop, not me.
...
I also said that the gruul and izzet (to a lessesr extent) vehicles are worth a shot. Gleaming Geardrake is a bit too much of a runaway train for my tastes and I might cut it to reduce the volatility of my cube. And here I am, considering Dark Ritual because I'm a hypocrite.
Considering how fast and good creatures are now, I would never consider pyroclasm a sideboard card (for control). Maybe it gets boarded out, but it should start in.
I wasn't running it because the mana trade can be too overwhelming. Same reason why I cut forked bolt. I had ordered a volcanic fallout (the RR was appealing for once since it artificially inflates the cost of the card) but I can't deny that the cycling on this new one is super tempting. Gimme gimme.
Never thought the original Archfiend would get overdone but we have a new one. Cycling 2 is just such a big deal to a card that might otherwise be a virtual mulligan. The unearther's upsides over the cycler are more cute than typical.
I don't like speed as a mechanic. I only really consider vehicles and saddle if it has crew/saddle 1. so you can use tokens for a bigger effect.
The new Unit is narrower and gives your opponent the choice to walk into it knowingly, I would think the escort should have it beat. Instants and sorceries are something of a dying breed imo.
Also, there's gotta be some level where crew 2 or even 3 is worth it. And these vehicles almost all have etbs or static abilities so you're really being shortsighted if you're using Kaladesh-era heuristics with them.
EDIT: HILARIOUSLY the ": turd :" emoji has been blocked on my account. Even I'm not that petty, christ.
I'm not often this unexcited to look at spoilers each morning.
So far, I've only seen three that interest me, but I haven't decided yet on any of them.
Defend the Rider - the new Tamiyo's Safekeeping variant is good, and the option to make a token may prove more useful than incidental lifegain. But I worry about the additive distraction caused by the Pilot being so Vehicle/Mount-oriented and a player saying "But I haven't drafted any vehicles/mounts." Also I'm not running Safekeeping, instead choosing to run that effect more in white with Loran's Escape.
Fuel the Flames - I never liked Pyroclasm due to sorcery speed, but I've been running Flame Sweep for three years, and I think I'll just keep running it. The opportunity to break parity through flying tempts me more than the option to cycle away a perfectly serviceable ability.
Skyserpent Seeker - It's no Baleful Strix, but a 2-drop flying deathtouch has my attention. Being able to grow and ramp later is interesting.
Thoughts on Broodheart Engine? I think it is good, but it can also be very slow setup and it telegraphs itself but it being a permanent is relevant when compared to something like badlands revival
Thoughts on Broodheart Engine? I think it is good, but it can also be very slow setup and it telegraphs itself but it being a permanent is relevant when compared to something like badlands revival
I don't think Mindwhisker was close enough to really be playable, and that card at least gets to be a creature. Tacking zombify on it is nice and all, but this is a gold slot we're talking about.
First card that I'm sure is gettin in my cube is Grim Bauble. Removal leaving artifact for later sacrifice that can also self sack is great. Also, max speed thankfully isn't mentioned anywhere on the card.
It is time to saddle up and strap in to the fast-paced, high-octane worlds of Ætherdrift. A death race across three planes with lots of vehicles is a daunting prospect for a set and many people have said they crashed and burned. The set feels more like Mario Kart than Twisted Metal and the high quality of current creatures makes crewing (and saddling) a high cost to pay. That all said, there are still real good cards here and I will have plenty to talk about.
As always, my cube is 512 cards and maximized for power, with 6 spells and 3 lands per guild. Here is my Too Early Top 20 for Ætherdrift.
20) Outpace Oblivion - Competes with similar 3-mana red removal spells with direct damage upside, but really shines with self-bounce.
19) Dune Drifter - A scalable card that has a lot of potential after some set-up. Recurring powerful artifact-based removal (like #17) out of the graveyard will prove potent.
18) Memory Guardian - A good threat that could get powered out as early as turn 3 and gets cheaper later into the game.
17) Grim Bauble - A well-named card that is super scary when it gets picked up and put back down. Also pretty reasonable as a control spell with built-in card selection later on.
16) Scrounging Skyray and 15) Marauding Mako - Super cool (and powerful) effects with a built-in buy-out. There are a few very specific cards that really go off with these and even more that provide a single counter. These may flourish or flounder, depending on the cube.
14) Rocketeer Boostbuggy - A decent card without any special synergy, as turning a 1-power creature into a treasure and/or paying 2 mana + 2 mana (net) the following turn for a 4/3 attacker is nice. I think it might be a little behind other Gruul 2s on stats though.
Trading Paint
13) Chitin Gravestalker - Another in the continuing line of black creatures with cost discounts for a fully-stocked graveyard. The body is underwhelming, but cycling is both a backup plan and a decent way to fuel the other cards in this deck.
12) Night Market - An underrated fixing effect that is combined with (say it with me) cycling, which has been useful on lands as powerful as Triomes.
11) Diversion Unit - A little bit beatdown and a little bit disruption for instant/sorceries. A reasonable option as the 4th or 5th strongest of the 1U 2/1 fliers, plus you may get upside from this being an artifact!
10) Autarch Mammoth and 9) Migrating Ketradon- Two different green 6s that are different types of stabilizers. Mammoth holding down the ground and possibly turning around the game late and Ketradon patrolling the skies with an early cycling buy-out.
8) Intimidation Tactics - The search for black’s 2nd best targeted discard spell continues. Once again, cycling pulls a lot of weight in the strength of this card.
7) Stock Up - A very reasonable argument can be made that this is the strongest of blue’s 3-mana draw spells with a small downside of not actually drawing cards, but digging 5 cards deep is very important for crafting a strong control hand.
6) Veteran Beastrider - A Selesnya 3-drop that can control ground combat right away. Expensive mass pump is still very scary, especially in combination with granting your team pseudo-vigilance.
5) Fuel the Flames - A lot of upsides for this mini-board sweep between instant speed and cycling. Feels like an ideal addition to the controlling spells deck.
Crossing the Finish Line
4) Skyserpent Seeker - An ideal 2-drop that pecks in for damage, trades up in combat, and has some built-in card advantage for the late game.
3) Gloryheath Lynx - Like Skyserpent Seeker, a creature which plays some great defense early and has some card advantage included. Lifelink is also a great way to offset any tempo loss from saddling up.
2) Shefet Archfiend - The premier example of cycling as upside. Not only does your powerful 7-drop have a way to unclog your hand, but your prime reanimation target also puts itself directly into the graveyard.
1) Greasewrench Goblin - An ideal 1-drop that hits the board with 2 power with that extra option to grow and improve card quality
Gallant Strike - An unexciting removal spell, but the buyout of cycling is nice
Sundial, Dawn Tyrant - It's vanilla, but a 3/3 for 2 is above rate, and the fact that this is an artifact makes it actually synergist with my Boros section
Dracosaur Auxillary - Red probably doesn't need a 6 mana creature, but if you're still on Rorix Bladewing, I think this is better. Being able to snipe a blocker or deal 2 to the face even around blockers is nice versatility.
Tyrox, Saurid Tyrant - Another vanilla legend. This one is much worse, but it does trigger your 4+ power matters stuff for 2 mana (probably just worse than Slumbering Cerberus though)
Fang Guardian - Again probably not good enough, but I have really loved Briarhorn. This is worse, but it could be a second copy for redundancy, and it triggers your 4+ powers matters stuff
Voyage Home - Not what my Azorius section is doing, but the power level is strong. You only need 2 affinity for this to be an acceptable rate, and obviously any more makes it bonkers. If I expand my artifact synergies into more colors, I plan to include this.
Shefet Archfiend. I like this card more than Archfiend of Sorrows. It could affect to your team, too, unless you build the deck with that in mind, but Cycling really makes the difference here for reanimator decks. I play cards like these even in my control decks. They are a cantrip and a wincon, like Striped Riverwinder
It's probably better overall, but I can see arguments for both. Depending on the situation, +1 power vs wiping your board might matter. I do really like sorrow's ability to get itself out of the yard. Between blue looting and green self-mill, ways to get creatures out of the yard are actually usually the bottleneck. That said, there's obviously a lot to be said of the hand-smoothing of cycling for 2.
I like Fuel the Flames a lot. The ability to cycle it away makes it less of a sideboard card, unlike Pyroclasm.
Like FunkyDragon, I was on Flame Sweep when I ran a cheap red sweeper. The ability to not hit your own creatures came up occasionally, but honestly the instant speed was the big selling point. I think I prefer cycling to the flyers clause, but it's close.
Skyserpent Seeker - It's no Baleful Strix, but a 2-drop flying deathtouch has my attention. Being able to grow and ramp later is interesting.
Good card that unfortunately doesn't play in the flash/tempo space I want Simic to be. This seems great for anyone using Simic as ramp/multicolor-soup.
Thoughts on Broodheart Engine? I think it is good, but it can also be very slow setup and it telegraphs itself but it being a permanent is relevant when compared to something like badlands revival
It's doing what Golgari wants to do, but I think Golgari really needs its cards to be creatures. Like, I would always prefer Nyx Weaver, Uurg, Spawn of Turg, or Broodspinner to this.
First card that I'm sure is gettin in my cube is Grim Bauble. Removal leaving artifact for later sacrifice that can also self sack is great. Also, max speed thankfully isn't mentioned anywhere on the card.
Card is sweet. I personally limit myself to only uncommons, but for all you normal people this seems like a slam-dunk.
20) Outpace Oblivion - Competes with similar 3-mana red removal spells with direct damage upside, but really shines with self-bounce.
19) Dune Drifter - A scalable card that has a lot of potential after some set-up. Recurring powerful artifact-based removal (like #17) out of the graveyard will prove potent.
18) Memory Guardian - A good threat that could get powered out as early as turn 3 and gets cheaper later into the game.
17) Grim Bauble - A well-named card that is super scary when it gets picked up and put back down. Also pretty reasonable as a control spell with built-in card selection later on.
16) Scrounging Skyray and 15) Marauding Mako - Super cool (and powerful) effects with a built-in buy-out. There are a few very specific cards that really go off with these and even more that provide a single counter. These may flourish or flounder, depending on the cube.
14) Rocketeer Boostbuggy - A decent card without any special synergy, as turning a 1-power creature into a treasure and/or paying 2 mana + 2 mana (net) the following turn for a 4/3 attacker is nice. I think it might be a little behind other Gruul 2s on stats though.
These honestly all seem playable, albeit some need to be part of a specific package, like the skyray and mako.
Trading Paint
13) Chitin Gravestalker - Another in the continuing line of black creatures with cost discounts for a fully-stocked graveyard. The body is underwhelming, but cycling is both a backup plan and a decent way to fuel the other cards in this deck.
12) Night Market - An underrated fixing effect that is combined with (say it with me) cycling, which has been useful on lands as powerful as Triomes.
11) Diversion Unit - A little bit beatdown and a little bit disruption for instant/sorceries. A reasonable option as the 4th or 5th strongest of the 1U 2/1 fliers, plus you may get upside from this being an artifact!
10) Autarch Mammoth and 9) Migrating Ketradon- Two different green 6s that are different types of stabilizers. Mammoth holding down the ground and possibly turning around the game late and Ketradon patrolling the skies with an early cycling buy-out.
8) Intimidation Tactics - The search for black’s 2nd best targeted discard spell continues. Once again, cycling pulls a lot of weight in the strength of this card.
7) Stock Up - A very reasonable argument can be made that this is the strongest of blue’s 3-mana draw spells with a small downside of not actually drawing cards, but digging 5 cards deep is very important for crafting a strong control hand.
6) Veteran Beastrider - A Selesnya 3-drop that can control ground combat right away. Expensive mass pump is still very scary, especially in combination with granting your team pseudo-vigilance.
5) Fuel the Flames - A lot of upsides for this mini-board sweep between instant speed and cycling. Feels like an ideal addition to the controlling spells deck.
I was going to argue with you on the "4th or 5th best 2/1 flyer in blue" thing, but then I looked at my own cube and... yeah. You're not wrong. I still think it looks really good though.
I feel like I should be more excited about Autarch than I am. But do I like it more than Galewind Moose, Great Oak Guardian, or Spinewoods Armadillo? I don't think I do. Maybe I don't need both the moose and the guardian?
Intimidation Tactics is playable, but I just don't feel like including any discard spells in my list. My drafters never take them, and I usually end up cutting them for cards that are more synergistic. I'm also not convinced the upside on this is better than Dreams of Steel and Oil, and the art is WAY worse.
Of these, I'm least sure about Memory Guardian, it is a bit boring, but I thought I'd test it with all the artifacts tokens UR is making in my cube. I can't help but be optimistic and hope it will be a fun artifact version of Serendib Efreet (Turn 1: Spyglass Siren, Turn 2: Diversion Unit, Turn 3: Memory Guardian), but I'm ready to have my dreams shattered.
As much as this set is bile-in-print, it has a few cards that are not only good but are going to make the overall cube experience better without just power creeping things.
Straight up ignoring all the start your engine cards
but other than that, here's the official review for all the cards mentioned here in chronological order:
Stock Up - 3 mana sorcery with no board-effect is a hard ask. Had a hard enough time playing Thirst for discovery. May be ok, but I can't imagine it being better than impulse (a card people already don't run)
4/10 for modern coolguy cubes
7/10 for cubes that still play slow magic
Greasewrench Goblin - A perfect 1 drop. Not sure how this isn't going in basically every list.
10/10
Molt Tender - Patchwork beastie is better, every mana dork is better. Flexibility keeps watering down cards. But those of you with self-mill themes need a critical mass of weaksauce like this to keep it viable.
4/10
Earthrumbler - Variance on a high drop sucks. Crew 3 smells funny. At least the alternate animation cost is easy to achieve the first time or two. But I shouldn't be putting any work in for a card that doesn't etb with something, doesn't have reach, and costs this much.
2/10
Dredger's Insight - Malevolent rumble remains the king of this slot. But the lifegain is a real upside on a card that goes into a deck I have never believed could stand up to being pressured. I don't support this deck, but I think this thing could surprise those that do.
6/10
Rocketeer Boostbuggy - A solid guy that I don't really like as a gold slot. Making treasures is broken, though, and becoming a 3 toughness creature will probably push it over the top.
7/10
Intimidation Tactics - 90% of the time this is just Dreams of steel and oil. It's not like most anyone who plays DoSaO (which really should be more people) do so because it hits the yard. So in that extra 10%, is cycling better? It's at least more interesting to play with when you topdeck it. Another friend of mischievous mystic. I feel forced to replace Dreams with it, to know for sure if cycling 3 ever gets used, but damn if Dreams isn't the better looking card.
8/10
art Aetherdrift/10
Veteran Beastrider - I really don't like selesnya's buildarounds so it's the perfect guild for a guy who is stats on stats. Vigilance is the most underrated keyword.
7/10
Shefet Archfiend - The buyout pushes this thing's average case scenario just miles higher than other high drops. And for all you dreamers, you get to try and reanimate a guy into play, get it unsummoned, and then put it back in the graveyard. Spin those wheels, baby!
9/10
(I think I'm going to keep Archfiend of sorrows in anyway. I want to keep motivation in the cube to assemble a bagful of high drops)
Rangers' refueler - I almost get the appeal, but how bad is this when you're behind? Bad. It's just asking for a lot.
3/10
Adrenaline Jockey - Leadfeather, are you ok? This is like the second time in a single post that you forgot a better card exists: Scytheclaw raptor
Dracosaur Auxiliary - The very first card I asked about for peasant was Volcanic dragon. 15 years later, 0 people play it and they upgraded it to conditionally shock. Saddle 3 makes me want my dang turd emojis back.
mods/10
Dune drifter - It took me a while to think so, but I think this competes well with Hero of the dunes. Which is to say, it's fine but nobody will notice if it's not in the cube. Turn 3, bring back a valuable 1 drop that can crew this isn't that bad and does a fair night scythe impression (another card y'all should be playing).
7/10
Broodheart engine - I no longer dislike this card. If your environment has a tendency to run into stally games, this on turn 2 probably just wins all of those. Also, the self-mill "deck" really appreciates cards that do multiple jobs.
6/10
Grim Bauble - You know how if you have a Food there's always some turn somewhere that you can crack it? Well, if you have the time to crack this thing you're going to be basically cheating. Never mind how gross it would be to drop this on 1 and follow it up with fear of isolation. Or my boy rescuer chwinga.
8/10
Memory guardian - Average case scenario, even in an env like mine, even if you're trying to power this out, it's not coming down before turn 4. And that is still conditional and might require you to sequence plays poorly up to that point. Shines when you're in the lategame and can double spell it out, though.
3/10
5/10 if you're a madman playing the artifact duals.
Scrounging Skyray - 1 counter is not good enough. 2 is cookin' with gas. My guess is that you are extremely reliant on having cards that double discard all at once, and that's just too much variance for my blood. Also, I don't really like cards that are so restricted in what colors they can work in. Super sensitive to the exact contents of your cube.
trap/10 if you're just jamming it in the cube
7-10/10 in the right env
Marauding Mako - Doesn't mind getting only one counter so long as you can do so pretty early, but a 1 drop with this kind of upside and topdeck insurance is going to be homed in a ton of cubes. Just not mine.
7-10/10 in many environments. Hard to say how many.
Chitin Gravestalker - ok, maybe the self-mill deck really did come together after FDN and DFT. Still, 4 toughness is tough for a card with no evasion, no effects, and setup requirements.
6/10
Night Market - Worse than a thriving land, but 5 color fixing is in just such short supply.
7/10
Autarch Mammoth - I just can't abide my big creatures that don't help you if flyers are coming. That's such a big hole in my opinion. How sad are you when the token gets hit by a bounce spell? That's rough, buddy.
3/10
Migrating Ketradon - oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy when are you ever in a bad mood with this in hand?
9/10
Gallant strike - Is anyone's cube more afraid of big creatures than small ones? Why not just run removal?
0/10
Fang Guardian - Briarpack alpha was already the bad briarhorn. sidenote: why does this pump unanimatd vehicles? How often will that come up, even in retail?
3/10
Voyage home - 5 mana for a gold concentrate with 3 life is not acceptable. You're putting deckbuilding work in and maybe not blocking to cast this, and not affecting the board. Needs to cost 3 mana to get there. But if you can get it, I guess you're pretty happy.
4/10, but only in a cube that's overdosing on trinkets.
and the ones not talked about
Lightshield Parry - Go forth has been good enough for me, so I think we're in the ballpark of playability here. When tricks are good, they soak up so much tempo advantage. Cycling is perfect for when you just don't have that lined up (the usual downside to a conditional effect like this). I suppose very few see this in a pack and going "oooh", though.
6/10
Boosted sloop - "Whenever you attack" is just so easy, menace is incredible, and the stats are just big enough.
6 or 7/10
Haunt the network - I won't be playing this because I don't like cards that can just sorta anticlimax the game, but if you have even 2 artifacts you're getting something comparable to Vampire Sovereign. It's not hard to see this draining 5 life at all, and that's still not its ceiling.
7/10
Im adding a lot more than I expected. Im still unhappy that vehicles set didn't provide any usefull red artifact and only one green that might make it: Sundial, Dawn Tyrant Voyager Quickwelder Diversion Unit Spectral Interference Memory Guardian Grim Bauble Haunt the Network
Considering: Maximum Overdrive as its possibly best black combat trick, that also puts counters at instant speed Pactdoll Terror - I have a vision of this and Haunt the Network draining for lethal Greasewrench Goblin- good on stats alone, ok ability, tho I wonder if it will be used at all, its ok when drawn late, but the ability wont be used at 3 mana, decks that want to utilize 2/1 for 1 play to the board. Voyage Home - Im running the artifact duals, so maybe Rocketeer Boostbuggy - can become 4 power which matter for RG in my cube, treasure won't help much the deck much if it aldready has both colors, but they still trigger both artifat etbs and provide sac triggers and fodders. Also crew 1 is good. Earthrumbler - relatively cheap green artifact ramp payoff (that needs exiling or crewing, but I think thats ok use of manadorks later int the game)
Condescend -> Spectral Interference
Sphinx of the Guildpact -> Night Market
FYI, spectral interference is a reprint of... uhhh... scatter ray. Don't know what was wrong with that, but this the year of wasting names for no reason I guess (cough cough stab)
Is sphinx not doing it anymore for you or is it just too obnoxious?
I will say up front, I have made the decision not to include any mechanics in my own cube that require separate reference cards to track, such as Initiative and The Ring Tempts You (I need to cut my one Monarch card and one Daytime card). This means I will not be cubing any Start Your Engines! cards.
Things that have caught my eye so far:
Honorable mention to Nesting Bot, which I would love to play if only it didn't have Start Your Engine!
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
Yeah wtf happened?
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
In addition to Aidoneus' examples, some other interesting cards:
Diversion Unit - Another in the line of 2/1 fliers with upside for 1U.
Intimidation Tactics - Divest with cycling. One of the limitations of hand attack cards is they start to weaken as the game goes on - cycling helps a lot in this situation.
Veteran Beastrider - Perhaps not the most exciting card, but a 3/4 for three that gives your creatures pseudo-vigilance and has a pump ability is quite solid.
So far Stock Up and Greasewrench Goblin are probably my favorites. "Start Your Engines!" does not see worth it and I am not sure the previewed Vehicles are strong enough to make the cut for me.
No idea. I went to go post my thoughts in it, and found it missing. My only guess is that it has something to do with the wall of poop emojis.
Oops, missed these because they weren't on Scryfall yet. Both Diversion Unit and Veteran Beastrider look excellent, although I'm not sure Beastrider makes it into my gold section.
5BB Demon
Flying
When enters, all other creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
Cycling {2}
5/5
I like this card more than Archfiend of Sorrows. It could affect to your team, too, unless you build the deck with that in mind, but Cycling really makes the difference here for reanimator decks. I play cards like these even in my control decks. They are a cantrip and a wincon, like Striped Riverwinder
My Omniscience Draft Cube
My Commander Cube
My Pai Gow Cube
My Two-Headed Giant Cube
The flying Deathtouch Snake is amazing, Skyserpent Seeker
I only just put Plumecreet escort and now I am replacing it with the Diversion Unit
As I said in the old thread.
I don't like speed as a mechanic. I only really consider vehicles and saddle if it has crew/saddle 1. so you can use tokens for a bigger effect.
Spotcycle Scouter is for consideration
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 like Fuel the Flames a lot. The ability to cycle it away makes it less of a sideboard card, unlike Pyroclasm.
It's not my fault that it was the perfect way to describe my feelings of "Car-Tropes and '''''Jokes''''': The Set". Maro should have received a warning for flaming the forums with his poop, not me.
...
I also said that the gruul and izzet (to a lessesr extent) vehicles are worth a shot. Gleaming Geardrake is a bit too much of a runaway train for my tastes and I might cut it to reduce the volatility of my cube. And here I am, considering Dark Ritual because I'm a hypocrite.
Considering how fast and good creatures are now, I would never consider pyroclasm a sideboard card (for control). Maybe it gets boarded out, but it should start in.
I wasn't running it because the mana trade can be too overwhelming. Same reason why I cut forked bolt. I had ordered a volcanic fallout (the RR was appealing for once since it artificially inflates the cost of the card) but I can't deny that the cycling on this new one is super tempting. Gimme gimme.
Never thought the original Archfiend would get overdone but we have a new one. Cycling 2 is just such a big deal to a card that might otherwise be a virtual mulligan. The unearther's upsides over the cycler are more cute than typical.
The new Unit is narrower and gives your opponent the choice to walk into it knowingly, I would think the escort should have it beat. Instants and sorceries are something of a dying breed imo.
Also, there's gotta be some level where crew 2 or even 3 is worth it. And these vehicles almost all have etbs or static abilities so you're really being shortsighted if you're using Kaladesh-era heuristics with them.
EDIT: HILARIOUSLY the ": turd :" emoji has been blocked on my account. Even I'm not that petty, christ.
The OFFICIAL peasant cube (suggested draft: Two 20 card packs.)
~450, Peasant
Please take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
So far, I've only seen three that interest me, but I haven't decided yet on any of them.
Defend the Rider - the new Tamiyo's Safekeeping variant is good, and the option to make a token may prove more useful than incidental lifegain. But I worry about the additive distraction caused by the Pilot being so Vehicle/Mount-oriented and a player saying "But I haven't drafted any vehicles/mounts." Also I'm not running Safekeeping, instead choosing to run that effect more in white with Loran's Escape.
Fuel the Flames - I never liked Pyroclasm due to sorcery speed, but I've been running Flame Sweep for three years, and I think I'll just keep running it. The opportunity to break parity through flying tempts me more than the option to cycle away a perfectly serviceable ability.
Skyserpent Seeker - It's no Baleful Strix, but a 2-drop flying deathtouch has my attention. Being able to grow and ramp later is interesting.
2024 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
White: Detention Chariot, Gloryheath Lynx, Spotcycle Scouter
Blue: Bounce Off, Ranger's Refueler, Midnight Mangler, (maybe) Spikeshell Harrier
Red: Adrenalinotaur, Dracosaur Auxiliary, Greasewrench Goblin
Multi: Veteran Beastrider, Dune Drifter, Cloudspire Skycycle, skyserpent Seeker
Hmm. Maybe it's just the theme I really like.
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 don't think Mindwhisker was close enough to really be playable, and that card at least gets to be a creature. Tacking zombify on it is nice and all, but this is a gold slot we're talking about.
Actually, this card is a fairly obscure reprint
The OFFICIAL peasant cube (suggested draft: Two 20 card packs.)
~450, Peasant
Please take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
As always, my cube is 512 cards and maximized for power, with 6 spells and 3 lands per guild. Here is my Too Early Top 20 for Ætherdrift.
20) Outpace Oblivion - Competes with similar 3-mana red removal spells with direct damage upside, but really shines with self-bounce.
19) Dune Drifter - A scalable card that has a lot of potential after some set-up. Recurring powerful artifact-based removal (like #17) out of the graveyard will prove potent.
18) Memory Guardian - A good threat that could get powered out as early as turn 3 and gets cheaper later into the game.
17) Grim Bauble - A well-named card that is super scary when it gets picked up and put back down. Also pretty reasonable as a control spell with built-in card selection later on.
16) Scrounging Skyray and 15) Marauding Mako - Super cool (and powerful) effects with a built-in buy-out. There are a few very specific cards that really go off with these and even more that provide a single counter. These may flourish or flounder, depending on the cube.
14) Rocketeer Boostbuggy - A decent card without any special synergy, as turning a 1-power creature into a treasure and/or paying 2 mana + 2 mana (net) the following turn for a 4/3 attacker is nice. I think it might be a little behind other Gruul 2s on stats though.
Trading Paint
13) Chitin Gravestalker - Another in the continuing line of black creatures with cost discounts for a fully-stocked graveyard. The body is underwhelming, but cycling is both a backup plan and a decent way to fuel the other cards in this deck.
12) Night Market - An underrated fixing effect that is combined with (say it with me) cycling, which has been useful on lands as powerful as Triomes.
11) Diversion Unit - A little bit beatdown and a little bit disruption for instant/sorceries. A reasonable option as the 4th or 5th strongest of the 1U 2/1 fliers, plus you may get upside from this being an artifact!
10) Autarch Mammoth and 9) Migrating Ketradon- Two different green 6s that are different types of stabilizers. Mammoth holding down the ground and possibly turning around the game late and Ketradon patrolling the skies with an early cycling buy-out.
8) Intimidation Tactics - The search for black’s 2nd best targeted discard spell continues. Once again, cycling pulls a lot of weight in the strength of this card.
7) Stock Up - A very reasonable argument can be made that this is the strongest of blue’s 3-mana draw spells with a small downside of not actually drawing cards, but digging 5 cards deep is very important for crafting a strong control hand.
6) Veteran Beastrider - A Selesnya 3-drop that can control ground combat right away. Expensive mass pump is still very scary, especially in combination with granting your team pseudo-vigilance.
5) Fuel the Flames - A lot of upsides for this mini-board sweep between instant speed and cycling. Feels like an ideal addition to the controlling spells deck.
Crossing the Finish Line
4) Skyserpent Seeker - An ideal 2-drop that pecks in for damage, trades up in combat, and has some built-in card advantage for the late game.
3) Gloryheath Lynx - Like Skyserpent Seeker, a creature which plays some great defense early and has some card advantage included. Lifelink is also a great way to offset any tempo loss from saddling up.
2) Shefet Archfiend - The premier example of cycling as upside. Not only does your powerful 7-drop have a way to unclog your hand, but your prime reanimation target also puts itself directly into the graveyard.
1) Greasewrench Goblin - An ideal 1-drop that hits the board with 2 power with that extra option to grow and improve card quality
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/Peasantsnowcube
-- Updated with Foundations
The PioneWer Peasant CUbe
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/pionewer
-- Updated with Murders at Karlov Manor
It's probably better overall, but I can see arguments for both. Depending on the situation, +1 power vs wiping your board might matter. I do really like sorrow's ability to get itself out of the yard. Between blue looting and green self-mill, ways to get creatures out of the yard are actually usually the bottleneck. That said, there's obviously a lot to be said of the hand-smoothing of cycling for 2.
Like FunkyDragon, I was on Flame Sweep when I ran a cheap red sweeper. The ability to not hit your own creatures came up occasionally, but honestly the instant speed was the big selling point. I think I prefer cycling to the flyers clause, but it's close.
Good card that unfortunately doesn't play in the flash/tempo space I want Simic to be. This seems great for anyone using Simic as ramp/multicolor-soup.
You certainly are.
It's doing what Golgari wants to do, but I think Golgari really needs its cards to be creatures. Like, I would always prefer Nyx Weaver, Uurg, Spawn of Turg, or Broodspinner to this.
Card is sweet. I personally limit myself to only uncommons, but for all you normal people this seems like a slam-dunk.
These honestly all seem playable, albeit some need to be part of a specific package, like the skyray and mako.
I was going to argue with you on the "4th or 5th best 2/1 flyer in blue" thing, but then I looked at my own cube and... yeah. You're not wrong. I still think it looks really good though.
I feel like I should be more excited about Autarch than I am. But do I like it more than Galewind Moose, Great Oak Guardian, or Spinewoods Armadillo? I don't think I do. Maybe I don't need both the moose and the guardian?
Intimidation Tactics is playable, but I just don't feel like including any discard spells in my list. My drafters never take them, and I usually end up cutting them for cards that are more synergistic. I'm also not convinced the upside on this is better than Dreams of Steel and Oil, and the art is WAY worse.
Rocketeer Boostbuggy
Skyserpent Seeker
Stock Up
Veteran Beastrider
Shefet Archfiend
Grim Bauble
Memory Guardian
Diversion Unit
Of these, I'm least sure about Memory Guardian, it is a bit boring, but I thought I'd test it with all the artifacts tokens UR is making in my cube. I can't help but be optimistic and hope it will be a fun artifact version of Serendib Efreet (Turn 1: Spyglass Siren, Turn 2: Diversion Unit, Turn 3: Memory Guardian), but I'm ready to have my dreams shattered.
I'm surprised Diversion Unit isn't good enough but I guess this is what 10 years of powercreep has done to my cube.
Fuel the Flames also looks cool but I don't think I want it currently.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
2024 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Straight up ignoring all the start your engine cards
but other than that, here's the official review for all the cards mentioned here in chronological order:
Gloryheath Lynx - Goodbye phyrexian missionary, hello making more games interactive.
10/10
Stock Up - 3 mana sorcery with no board-effect is a hard ask. Had a hard enough time playing Thirst for discovery. May be ok, but I can't imagine it being better than impulse (a card people already don't run)
4/10 for modern coolguy cubes
7/10 for cubes that still play slow magic
Greasewrench Goblin - A perfect 1 drop. Not sure how this isn't going in basically every list.
10/10
Molt Tender - Patchwork beastie is better, every mana dork is better. Flexibility keeps watering down cards. But those of you with self-mill themes need a critical mass of weaksauce like this to keep it viable.
4/10
Defend the Rider - Snakeskin veil, Royal treatment, and Tyvar's stand get in the way. Don't care if they're technically narrower.
3/10
Earthrumbler - Variance on a high drop sucks. Crew 3 smells funny. At least the alternate animation cost is easy to achieve the first time or two. But I shouldn't be putting any work in for a card that doesn't etb with something, doesn't have reach, and costs this much.
2/10
Dredger's Insight - Malevolent rumble remains the king of this slot. But the lifegain is a real upside on a card that goes into a deck I have never believed could stand up to being pressured. I don't support this deck, but I think this thing could surprise those that do.
6/10
Rocketeer Boostbuggy - A solid guy that I don't really like as a gold slot. Making treasures is broken, though, and becoming a 3 toughness creature will probably push it over the top.
7/10
Diversion unit - Seems to me that it fits in the tier with skyclave aerialist, but below it.
5/10
Intimidation Tactics - 90% of the time this is just Dreams of steel and oil. It's not like most anyone who plays DoSaO (which really should be more people) do so because it hits the yard. So in that extra 10%, is cycling better? It's at least more interesting to play with when you topdeck it. Another friend of mischievous mystic. I feel forced to replace Dreams with it, to know for sure if cycling 3 ever gets used, but damn if Dreams isn't the better looking card.
8/10
art Aetherdrift/10
Veteran Beastrider - I really don't like selesnya's buildarounds so it's the perfect guild for a guy who is stats on stats. Vigilance is the most underrated keyword.
7/10
Shefet Archfiend - The buyout pushes this thing's average case scenario just miles higher than other high drops. And for all you dreamers, you get to try and reanimate a guy into play, get it unsummoned, and then put it back in the graveyard. Spin those wheels, baby!
9/10
(I think I'm going to keep Archfiend of sorrows in anyway. I want to keep motivation in the cube to assemble a bagful of high drops)
Fuel the flames - A card after my own heart.
8/10
Skyserpent seeker - Simic has like no slam dunk playables. Should make like... every list. But won't because y'all are goofball as ****.
10/10
Detention chariot - Cast Out is not upgraded by coming down like 3 turns later with the ability to make itself vulnerable to removal.
1/10
Spotcycle scouter - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz huh? what? Fine, I guess it works. But it doesn't really do anything.
5/10
Bounce off - In 2011, this card was powercrept by Vapor Snag.
Rangers' refueler - I almost get the appeal, but how bad is this when you're behind? Bad. It's just asking for a lot.
3/10
Adrenaline Jockey - Leadfeather, are you ok? This is like the second time in a single post that you forgot a better card exists: Scytheclaw raptor
Dracosaur Auxiliary - The very first card I asked about for peasant was Volcanic dragon. 15 years later, 0 people play it and they upgraded it to conditionally shock. Saddle 3 makes me want my dang turd emojis back.
mods/10
Dune drifter - It took me a while to think so, but I think this competes well with Hero of the dunes. Which is to say, it's fine but nobody will notice if it's not in the cube. Turn 3, bring back a valuable 1 drop that can crew this isn't that bad and does a fair night scythe impression (another card y'all should be playing).
7/10
Cloudspire skycycle - Aerie Auxiliary in boros. But, and I can't stress this enough, vehicles are just bad creatures.
3/10
Broodheart engine - I no longer dislike this card. If your environment has a tendency to run into stally games, this on turn 2 probably just wins all of those. Also, the self-mill "deck" really appreciates cards that do multiple jobs.
6/10
Grim Bauble - You know how if you have a Food there's always some turn somewhere that you can crack it? Well, if you have the time to crack this thing you're going to be basically cheating. Never mind how gross it would be to drop this on 1 and follow it up with fear of isolation. Or my boy rescuer chwinga.
8/10
Memory guardian - Average case scenario, even in an env like mine, even if you're trying to power this out, it's not coming down before turn 4. And that is still conditional and might require you to sequence plays poorly up to that point. Shines when you're in the lategame and can double spell it out, though.
3/10
5/10 if you're a madman playing the artifact duals.
Scrounging Skyray - 1 counter is not good enough. 2 is cookin' with gas. My guess is that you are extremely reliant on having cards that double discard all at once, and that's just too much variance for my blood. Also, I don't really like cards that are so restricted in what colors they can work in. Super sensitive to the exact contents of your cube.
trap/10 if you're just jamming it in the cube
7-10/10 in the right env
Marauding Mako - Doesn't mind getting only one counter so long as you can do so pretty early, but a 1 drop with this kind of upside and topdeck insurance is going to be homed in a ton of cubes. Just not mine.
7-10/10 in many environments. Hard to say how many.
Chitin Gravestalker - ok, maybe the self-mill deck really did come together after FDN and DFT. Still, 4 toughness is tough for a card with no evasion, no effects, and setup requirements.
6/10
Night Market - Worse than a thriving land, but 5 color fixing is in just such short supply.
7/10
Autarch Mammoth - I just can't abide my big creatures that don't help you if flyers are coming. That's such a big hole in my opinion. How sad are you when the token gets hit by a bounce spell? That's rough, buddy.
3/10
Migrating Ketradon -
9/10
Gallant strike - Is anyone's cube more afraid of big creatures than small ones? Why not just run removal?
0/10
Sundial, Dawn Tyrant -
6/10
Tyrox, Saurid Tyrant -
4/10
Fang Guardian - Briarpack alpha was already the bad briarhorn. sidenote: why does this pump unanimatd vehicles? How often will that come up, even in retail?
3/10
Voyage home - 5 mana for a gold concentrate with 3 life is not acceptable. You're putting deckbuilding work in and maybe not blocking to cast this, and not affecting the board. Needs to cost 3 mana to get there. But if you can get it, I guess you're pretty happy.
4/10, but only in a cube that's overdosing on trinkets.
and the ones not talked about
Lightshield Parry - Go forth has been good enough for me, so I think we're in the ballpark of playability here. When tricks are good, they soak up so much tempo advantage. Cycling is perfect for when you just don't have that lined up (the usual downside to a conditional effect like this). I suppose very few see this in a pack and going "oooh", though.
6/10
Boosted sloop - "Whenever you attack" is just so easy, menace is incredible, and the stats are just big enough.
6 or 7/10
Wreckage Wickerfolk - Flying-artifact omenspeaker didn't get any attention? Y'all jokers must be crazy.
7/10
Haunt the network - I won't be playing this because I don't like cards that can just sorta anticlimax the game, but if you have even 2 artifacts you're getting something comparable to Vampire Sovereign. It's not hard to see this draining 5 life at all, and that's still not its ceiling.
7/10
The OFFICIAL peasant cube (suggested draft: Two 20 card packs.)
~450, Peasant
Please take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article
Sundial, Dawn Tyrant
Voyager Quickwelder
Diversion Unit
Spectral Interference
Memory Guardian
Grim Bauble
Haunt the Network
Considering:
Maximum Overdrive as its possibly best black combat trick, that also puts counters at instant speed
Pactdoll Terror - I have a vision of this and Haunt the Network draining for lethal
Greasewrench Goblin- good on stats alone, ok ability, tho I wonder if it will be used at all, its ok when drawn late, but the ability wont be used at 3 mana, decks that want to utilize 2/1 for 1 play to the board.
Voyage Home - Im running the artifact duals, so maybe
Rocketeer Boostbuggy - can become 4 power which matter for RG in my cube, treasure won't help much the deck much if it aldready has both colors, but they still trigger both artifat etbs and provide sac triggers and fodders. Also crew 1 is good.
Earthrumbler - relatively cheap green artifact ramp payoff (that needs exiling or crewing, but I think thats ok use of manadorks later int the game)
Divest -> Intimidation Tactics
Pyroclasm -> Fuel the flames
Archfiend -> Shefet Archfiend
Arcus Acolyte -> Veteran Beastrider
Condescend -> Spectral Interference
Sphinx of the Guildpact -> Night Market
Affinity
Legacy:
GBCombo Elves
EDH:
GEzuri, Renegade Leader's Elf Ball
Cube:
180 Peasant Micro Cube
Better now that you're evidently trying to steal me from my wife
FYI, spectral interference is a reprint of... uhhh... scatter ray. Don't know what was wrong with that, but this the year of wasting names for no reason I guess (cough cough stab)
Is sphinx not doing it anymore for you or is it just too obnoxious?
//
Anyway, to the people not running Migrating Ketradon: why not? It, skyserpent seeker, and gloryheath Lynx seem like the only absolute slam dunks.
The OFFICIAL peasant cube (suggested draft: Two 20 card packs.)
~450, Peasant
Please take your hybrids out of your gold section
Mana-math Article