Surprised to not see a discussion thread for the set yet despite it being Spiderman 2.0 in terms of design. At least the mechanics feel more generic (ala not parasitic like Lorwyn Eclipsed’s Kindred/Vivid/Blight shenanigans)
Testing
White
Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian - Reminds me of Momo, Playful Pet which has played fantastically. Obviously on a worse body for stats but multiple triggers play out naturally throughout the game.
The Last Ronin’s Technique - Seems like a sidegrade of Hop To It, another great card and the sneak allows for a lot of varied plays. White has a fair amount of evasive creatures with appealing ETBs. Hard casting isn't great but I've won games using the token making side of You're Confronted by Robbers before.
Wingnut. Bat on the Belfry - Gives Reckless Pyrosurfer vibes, higher floor/lower ceiling on mass pump but is more consistent and is way more likely to survive the initial attack since it can get menace and/or flying.
Green
Nothing
Artifact
Nothing
Multicolor
The Neutrinos - More of a test but I think it will play decently, will usually attack as a 3/4 flier that can rebuy ETBs. Imagine getting two licks of Flametongue Kavu ETB and attacking with it the turn you play it, feels like you would just win the game.
I am still debating if I want to add any of these cards as is as I have never been a TMNT fan but I do like the Mechanic Sneak and love the idea of having more of a Ninjas theme that exists in more powered cubes here in Peasant. I'm looking at the following cards for potential adds and will likely mark which ones will need an alter done for me to be fully happy with them added to my cube.
Leonardo, Big Brother: I love sneak and I love a good Crusader of Odric power boost especially for a token deck. I think the sneak is a great option here to power through some good damage however it is at the highest contested mana value and color in my cube so it might not make the list. This is one I will need an alter on to be fully happy with and would likely get a Big Daddy from Bioshock or Itachi Uchiha altered on the card.
Leonardo, Leader in Blue: a Legendary Elite Vanguard with some dope abilities such as a larger sneak for Trumpet Blast or a cheeky first strike is great especially given Karakas is a card in my list that I want people to use and being able to have the threat of sneaking this at any point late game is kinda cool. Alter for this one will likely be Blastoise ideally the Dark Blastoise card art.
Lita, little orphan Amphibian: Like tsuihou said, this is Momo 2.0 and honestly given the Karakas factor again plus white being token central this seems quite solid especially given there are a lot of create 2+ flier tokens in white currently for my cube. Another Alter Manditory. Likely will be another cubone art alter for me.
The Last Ronin's Technique: Making 3+ tokens almost always is worth is and the potential to sneak this in for cheap is amazing. I am really excited for this card and honestly the art is decent enough that I don't need to alter it either!
Donatello, way with Machines: An trinket support card while also supporting Ninjas and Fliers archetype given the flying is neat. Art is bad imo which means an altar but over all solid card.
Shredder's Technique: a really neat spell with sneak. I like how this plays and I think is worth adding. Plus the art is the best in the set imo.
Wingnut, Bat on the Belfry: Manbat alter incoming. I really like the feel of this plus I love another Battle crier that has evasion.
Overall not a lot for the cube but I do like the interaction of Sneak and hope it returns in other sets.
Edit: I missed one!
Karai, Future of the Foot: Okay this might be a cool addition for those with Karakas in thier lists as it makes for a cool Sneak threat for reanimator lists as it turns all unblocked creatures potential reanimation threats.
The Last Ronin's Technique does look great at a glance. At first I thought it was a sorcery, but as an instant it looks good.
Leonardo, Big Brother looks fine? Sneaking it in out of nowherer with a huge power sure seems to be the way to do it, but I'm not sold. The fixed toughness puts me off.
Leonardo, Leader in Blue looks good in 1v1. Having the option to sink some mana into it for first strike makes it of the better [card[Savannah Lions[/card]. The Sneak effect adds some great utility. I can see it being decisive both at the start of a curve and being a later draw, as long as your deck is aggressive enough.
Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian looks strong. Getting food tokens instead of 1 life per tick matters a lot if you use the extra artifacts for anything other than life gain. It's worse at gaining life than most Soul Warden-likes (which isn't to say it's bad at it), but can become a real threat AND help you in a pinch with scrying. Too versatile to look past it.
April, Reporter of the Weird says "that many cards". Kind of crazy. Not sure if it's enough to make it play, but in multiplayer getting a few auras or equipment on her could be a blast.
Bespoke Bo is another try at making Man-o'-War look bad. I'm not falling for it, I still love the jellyfish.
Ooze Spill could be cool in a cube with more +1/+1 counters themes. Yes, we don't like 3MV counters, but the added token might make it worth it in the right environment.
Stockman, Mad Fly-entist is another landcycler at 5MV. While the body is not that big, a loot effect on top of it might make it worthwhile. I like landcyclers.
Bebop, Warthog Warrior is another solid threat for a landcycler at 5MV. The "Rhinos have menace" line is more of a meme.
I hate that Disappear is just Revolt. Such a good name for a mechanic and they decided to waste it.
Lord Dregg, Insect Invader is my kind of slow, grindy card. There are better options, sure, but in one card we have it all: evasion, token generation, draw engine, mana sink... It could be the glue a cube is missing for its aristocratic shenanigans.
Shredder's Technique looks lazy, but it's an upgrade to other B enchantment removal. Also, Sneak as an extra.
Casey Jones, Jury-Rig Justiciar (what a name) could be a roleplayer in any artifact-heavy theme that wants to be more aggressive. Disposable body, haste and value at ETB is not a combination to scoff at.
Manhole Missile would be a cleaned-up version of Volcanic Spite except... It's a manhole missile. Welp. There's 2 of them now.
Agree with what was mentioned of Wingnut, Bat on the Belfry. It's a "battle cry" card that has the ability to survive for multiple attacks. That should be worth something.
Zog, Triceratron Castaway looks nice, but I'd rather still pay extra for Seismic Monstrosaur. If it had haste instead of one of their abilities (reach or trample), it'd be a nice threat at 5MV. The ETB ability is worth considering as a curve topper in addition to the body, but I think if the aggressive deck got to 5/6 mana it better be ready for the grind, because things did not go well.
Michelangelo, Mutant BFF looks great! Creatures get bigger with counters, making them harder to trade with, and Mike makes it impossible to multi block. It's aggressively costed and keeps netting tokens that help you attack better each turn. I really wish it wasn't a TMNT card.
Rocksteady, Crash Courser sits at 6MV, which makes it have to fight fairly with the other forescycling options. Not sold on it.
West Wind Avatar looks cool as a big body to ramp to. Especially if your cube features trinkets heavily.
Go Ninja Go and The Neutrinos adding that blink options to RW now?! That's a lot of value, yes, but I don't like where this is going.
And that's it! I wish Mutagen tokens were an in-universe thing (same with Scrap), but I'll just accept the consequences of my own choices. Too bad for Michelangelo, Mutant BFF, that card would be sweet.
EE:
Adding these: The Last Ronin's Technique - Not sure what I'm cutting. Battle Screech is the closest card in my list but surely I'm not going to cut an OG for a turtles card. Leonardo, Leader in Blue - Replacing Momo, Playful Pet (which is a card I didn't read before I added it). I think the most obnoxious thing about UB is how the settings don't align with Magic's colour system. Wears blue, but is a white card. Lita, Little Orphan - Replaces Fortress Kin-Guard which is less interesting. Shredder's Technique - Replaces Withering Torment because it's cooler. I feel bad for the guy who made the fancy alt art version only to get brutally mogged by the normal version.
Aesthetics were a part of the selection criteria. Michelangelo may have gotten a look in had he not looked too much like himself in a cartoon. I'm going to pretend the rest of the cards I added are from a Kamigawa set.
Aesthetics were a part of the selection criteria. Michelangelo may have gotten a look in had he not looked too much like himself in a cartoon. I'm going to pretend the rest of the cards I added are from a Kamigawa set.
I already feel bad enough adding Kamigawa Neon, Capenna and Edge of Eternities cards, sure as hell won't add anything from a TV show. Also wouldn't swap Battle Screech out of pure nostalgia.
Completely agree on that. There's a small window it could be worse (killing it in response to the token being created, you're left with a 2/2 instead of a 3/3), but the upside is too high. Being able to spread +1/+1 counters around as a payoff to something as easy as having creatures enter can be huge. Also, great catch with the persist synergy.
I was thinking that there's probably enough support for blink archetypes to be either UW, RW or UR. Specifically going RW could be a change of pace in some cubes, if anyone's interested.
Testing
White
Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian - Reminds me of Momo, Playful Pet which has played fantastically. Obviously on a worse body for stats but multiple triggers play out naturally throughout the game.
The Last Ronin’s Technique - Seems like a sidegrade of Hop To It, another great card and the sneak allows for a lot of varied plays. White has a fair amount of evasive creatures with appealing ETBs. Hard casting isn't great but I've won games using the token making side of You're Confronted by Robbers before.
Blue
Nothing
Black
Shredder’s Technique - Akin to Feed the Swarm and Withering Torment but you only lose the life if you target an enchantment. Again the sneak (at only B) allows for a lot of flexible plays.
Red
Wingnut. Bat on the Belfry - Gives Reckless Pyrosurfer vibes, higher floor/lower ceiling on mass pump but is more consistent and is way more likely to survive the initial attack since it can get menace and/or flying.
Green
Nothing
Artifact
Nothing
Multicolor
The Neutrinos - More of a test but I think it will play decently, will usually attack as a 3/4 flier that can rebuy ETBs. Imagine getting two licks of Flametongue Kavu ETB and attacking with it the turn you play it, feels like you would just win the game.
What are others looking to try out?
Leonardo, Big Brother: I love sneak and I love a good Crusader of Odric power boost especially for a token deck. I think the sneak is a great option here to power through some good damage however it is at the highest contested mana value and color in my cube so it might not make the list. This is one I will need an alter on to be fully happy with and would likely get a Big Daddy from Bioshock or Itachi Uchiha altered on the card.
Leonardo, Leader in Blue: a Legendary Elite Vanguard with some dope abilities such as a larger sneak for Trumpet Blast or a cheeky first strike is great especially given Karakas is a card in my list that I want people to use and being able to have the threat of sneaking this at any point late game is kinda cool. Alter for this one will likely be Blastoise ideally the Dark Blastoise card art.
Lita, little orphan Amphibian: Like tsuihou said, this is Momo 2.0 and honestly given the Karakas factor again plus white being token central this seems quite solid especially given there are a lot of create 2+ flier tokens in white currently for my cube. Another Alter Manditory. Likely will be another cubone art alter for me.
The Last Ronin's Technique: Making 3+ tokens almost always is worth is and the potential to sneak this in for cheap is amazing. I am really excited for this card and honestly the art is decent enough that I don't need to alter it either!
Donatello, way with Machines: An trinket support card while also supporting Ninjas and Fliers archetype given the flying is neat. Art is bad imo which means an altar but over all solid card.
Shredder's Technique: a really neat spell with sneak. I like how this plays and I think is worth adding. Plus the art is the best in the set imo.
Wingnut, Bat on the Belfry: Manbat alter incoming. I really like the feel of this plus I love another Battle crier that has evasion.
Overall not a lot for the cube but I do like the interaction of Sneak and hope it returns in other sets.
Edit: I missed one!
Karai, Future of the Foot: Okay this might be a cool addition for those with Karakas in thier lists as it makes for a cool Sneak threat for reanimator lists as it turns all unblocked creatures potential reanimation threats.
Dimensional Exile is a second Ossification. I'm not running it, but I guess it might be welcome to anyone wanting more of this kind of removal.
Jennika, Bad Apple Big Sister seems like a good plainscycler. Although Eagles of the North cycles for 1, Jennika is somewhat of a real threat at a lower mana value. I still like Alabaster Host Intercessor and Angel of the Ruins better, but it's a long way from Noble Templar. I really like landcyclers that can get duals.
The Last Ronin's Technique does look great at a glance. At first I thought it was a sorcery, but as an instant it looks good.
Leonardo, Big Brother looks fine? Sneaking it in out of nowherer with a huge power sure seems to be the way to do it, but I'm not sold. The fixed toughness puts me off.
Leonardo, Leader in Blue looks good in 1v1. Having the option to sink some mana into it for first strike makes it of the better [card[Savannah Lions[/card]. The Sneak effect adds some great utility. I can see it being decisive both at the start of a curve and being a later draw, as long as your deck is aggressive enough.
Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian looks strong. Getting food tokens instead of 1 life per tick matters a lot if you use the extra artifacts for anything other than life gain. It's worse at gaining life than most Soul Warden-likes (which isn't to say it's bad at it), but can become a real threat AND help you in a pinch with scrying. Too versatile to look past it.
Mighty Mutanimals looks solid.
April, Reporter of the Weird says "that many cards". Kind of crazy. Not sure if it's enough to make it play, but in multiplayer getting a few auras or equipment on her could be a blast.
Bespoke Bo is another try at making Man-o'-War look bad. I'm not falling for it, I still love the jellyfish.
Donatello, Way with Machines is the first time this effect is available at mono blue.
Ooze Spill could be cool in a cube with more +1/+1 counters themes. Yes, we don't like 3MV counters, but the added token might make it worth it in the right environment.
Stockman, Mad Fly-entist is another landcycler at 5MV. While the body is not that big, a loot effect on top of it might make it worthwhile. I like landcyclers.
Anchovy and Banana Pizza is gross.
Bebop, Warthog Warrior is another solid threat for a landcycler at 5MV. The "Rhinos have menace" line is more of a meme.
I hate that Disappear is just Revolt. Such a good name for a mechanic and they decided to waste it.
Lord Dregg, Insect Invader is my kind of slow, grindy card. There are better options, sure, but in one card we have it all: evasion, token generation, draw engine, mana sink... It could be the glue a cube is missing for its aristocratic shenanigans.
Shredder's Technique looks lazy, but it's an upgrade to other B enchantment removal. Also, Sneak as an extra.
Casey Jones, Jury-Rig Justiciar (what a name) could be a roleplayer in any artifact-heavy theme that wants to be more aggressive. Disposable body, haste and value at ETB is not a combination to scoff at.
Manhole Missile would be a cleaned-up version of Volcanic Spite except... It's a manhole missile. Welp. There's 2 of them now.
Agree with what was mentioned of Wingnut, Bat on the Belfry. It's a "battle cry" card that has the ability to survive for multiple attacks. That should be worth something.
Zog, Triceratron Castaway looks nice, but I'd rather still pay extra for Seismic Monstrosaur. If it had haste instead of one of their abilities (reach or trample), it'd be a nice threat at 5MV. The ETB ability is worth considering as a curve topper in addition to the body, but I think if the aggressive deck got to 5/6 mana it better be ready for the grind, because things did not go well.
Michelangelo, Game Master a 3 mana 3/3 that grows easily. Is that enough? Probably not.
Michelangelo, Mutant BFF looks great! Creatures get bigger with counters, making them harder to trade with, and Mike makes it impossible to multi block. It's aggressively costed and keeps netting tokens that help you attack better each turn. I really wish it wasn't a TMNT card.
Rocksteady, Crash Courser sits at 6MV, which makes it have to fight fairly with the other forescycling options. Not sold on it.
West Wind Avatar looks cool as a big body to ramp to. Especially if your cube features trinkets heavily.
Go Ninja Go and The Neutrinos adding that blink options to RW now?! That's a lot of value, yes, but I don't like where this is going.
Lessons from Life is an upgrade to Harmonize and Concentrate, or rather, a smaller Urban Evolution. It probably plays similar to Evolution. Worth testing, I think.
Urgh, new gainlands but with ugly names and art.
And that's it! I wish Mutagen tokens were an in-universe thing (same with Scrap), but I'll just accept the consequences of my own choices. Too bad for Michelangelo, Mutant BFF, that card would be sweet.
My Casual (Shared) Graveyard Matters Battlebox
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
E: NEVER MIND - I WAS NOT LOGGED IN
EE:
Adding these:
The Last Ronin's Technique - Not sure what I'm cutting. Battle Screech is the closest card in my list but surely I'm not going to cut an OG for a turtles card.
Leonardo, Leader in Blue - Replacing Momo, Playful Pet (which is a card I didn't read before I added it). I think the most obnoxious thing about UB is how the settings don't align with Magic's colour system. Wears blue, but is a white card.
Lita, Little Orphan - Replaces Fortress Kin-Guard which is less interesting.
Shredder's Technique - Replaces Withering Torment because it's cooler. I feel bad for the guy who made the fancy alt art version only to get brutally mogged by the normal version.
Aesthetics were a part of the selection criteria. Michelangelo may have gotten a look in had he not looked too much like himself in a cartoon. I'm going to pretend the rest of the cards I added are from a Kamigawa set.
Draft it on Cubetutor here, and CubeCobra here.
Treasure Cruise did nothing wrong.
I already feel bad enough adding Kamigawa Neon, Capenna and Edge of Eternities cards, sure as hell won't add anything from a TV show. Also wouldn't swap Battle Screech out of pure nostalgia.
My Casual (Shared) Graveyard Matters Battlebox
My Omniscience Draft Cube
My Commander Cube
My Pai Gow Cube
My Two-Headed Giant Cube
Completely agree on that. There's a small window it could be worse (killing it in response to the token being created, you're left with a 2/2 instead of a 3/3), but the upside is too high. Being able to spread +1/+1 counters around as a payoff to something as easy as having creatures enter can be huge. Also, great catch with the persist synergy.
I was thinking that there's probably enough support for blink archetypes to be either UW, RW or UR. Specifically going RW could be a change of pace in some cubes, if anyone's interested.
My Casual (Shared) Graveyard Matters Battlebox