It's a cool card, but 3 mana is a lot to ask for. Sure, it helps you not overcommit if 3 mana for 3 dmg is a good exchange. And threat of activation is real, although the benefit is just one damage. I'm pretty low on this card and have no intention of testing it. Curious if it overperforms for those who decide to. TBH I would rather play the new 1/1 deathtouch lifelink creature for B.
Not in a black aggro deck where Ebon Legion would be played.
This card is better compared to Goblin Baneret which did not perform well in my Cube. Both cards are 1 powered 1 drops that make +1/+1 counters and have a pump ability. The advantage that the knight brings is that it can make the counters without the help of another creature or possibly without even attacking. The question is how hard is it to get the counters going. If it just got +1/+1 every turn the card would be completely busted while the floor of zero counters is terrible. I'm intrigued enough to test it over carnophage which is really just not a good card but run out of necessity.
I really dislike that you need another creature to facilitate the ETB. We're paying triple black, we don't need a Bonesplinters when we could just shoot something. Noxious Gearhulk was 6cmc with double black and it just killed something. I get that the saccing is supposed to go with the recursion when the Cavalier dies, but it feels out of place when the other Cavaliers don't need help. Dawn will normally always have a target and Flame is a flexible wheel (yes I know, you still need cards in hand). It's decent, I just dislike the removal design, the rest of the card is good. I especially enjoy the scythe it's wielding.
Remember, this triggers off of all tokens including non-creatures like treasures and clues. I think it would have been better in white since white shares tokens with red and green and this is basically a hidden selesnya card. Maybe one day.
Im not a fan of this dino. I think it'll be too risky early in the game and too anemic after you've dumped your hand. This turns all your opponents instant speed kill or bounce into an immediate 2 for 1. Never mind tokens or 187 creatures that are happy to chump block. I think Rotting Regisaur just gives too many chances for your opponent to leverage the steep downside of this card. This reminds me a lot of a 3cc desecration demon with a downside and I haven't cubed that in years.
I like this card quite a bit. It's a nearly unblockable one drop with a lot of play to it. I especially like that he can grow bigger even without sinking mana into it.
I will definitely be trying Urza out. He comes with a threat, a mana sink and provides the mana to put into it. The 1/4 body is nice too as it's out of bolt range and is a decent blocker. I think he'll be sticking around in my Cube for a while.
Honestly, I don't think I want two Hermits. I get that it's an awesome creature and it's power/mana/bodies ratios are off the charts, but I like diversity, especially on higher costed cards that close out games. This will most likely be replacing good 'ol DH for me.
A deck with one deranged hermit would probably want two. I have no problem helping a Cube deck become more consistent. They also work extremely well together and, to be honest, i just want to see someone beat down with eight 3/3 squirrels
I want to re-open the discussion for Narset. She has WILDLY overperformed. More than any card I can remember throwing in my cube because "why not". Just a bit of a background/story:
For those here who don't know me, I play A LOT of Limited. I draft every format > 100 times, and I'm already encroaching on 20 Drafts of the newest set. You can see my initial ranking of Narset in this SCG article, and it was quite low. Similar criticisms to that here, and even more exacerbated by the lack of powerful non-creatures in Draft. Believe me when I say she is a first pickable card in normal draft. Note that she made it into a lot of Draft decks at the Mythic Championship as well.
But Cube is not normal Draft, and it's easier to interact with Walkers in Cube. However, for three mana she has felt worth it. She isn't playable in every blue deck, but she's playable in most. You might brick on an activation, and I've seen that happen, but she is quite powerful. Not to mention the disgusting combo with wheel of fortune/timetwister.
I proxied her up last week and threw her in my cube because I thought she had potential. She has made it into a couple decks so far, and each time she was disgusting. Things I've seen Narset do:
-2 grab Dack Fayden, play Dack, + Dack target opponent to make them discard their last card.
-2 grab a wrath, cast it. -2 again the following turn and grab Fractured Identity.
An opponent has used a burn spell on Narset after she minused twice because they needed to unlock card draw.
dig 8 cards to find sneak attack.
Cryptic Command to Counter + bounce Narset for more activations.
The TL;DR from my experience so far is that digging eight cards is an almost unparalleled power-level for a 3cc card.
I don't know if she's going to stay in my cube for long, but I wouldn't be surprised if she does. I suggest testing her. Many people had her as near unplayable in Draft, and it's rare that a card goes from unplayable to first pickable. And she's even better in cube from what I can see so far.
Came here looking for this and was not disappointed. Great write up, Ryan.
I've watched enough streamers (including you) 3-0 in draft on the back of Narset that I need to try her out in my Cube. Hitting any noncreature/nonland card is just so much better than instant/sorcery that her usefulness spreads beyond just "spells matters". Being able to draw you that build around enchantment like sneak attack or recurring nightmare while still giving you the option for artifact, planeswalker, instant or sorcery makes her enough of a swiss-army-knife card that I think Narset wil perform very well in most cubes.
*edit: Oh and that static ability will also randomly hose some players right out of a game. A planeswalker that nets you value immediately while hampering an opponent is a strong card at 3 mana.
A two mana 1/1 Riftwing Cloudskate is intriguing. I don't know if most cubes need another bounce effect but this might be better than Exclusion Mage since it can bounce any permanent including your own. It's also a sorcery to synergize with all the spells matters cards and it makes a zombie to boot.
Only being a 1/1 isn't ideal but at 1U a body is a body and I like pushing blue tempo so I think i'll give this little guy a whirl.
Not in a black aggro deck where Ebon Legion would be played.
This card is better compared to Goblin Baneret which did not perform well in my Cube. Both cards are 1 powered 1 drops that make +1/+1 counters and have a pump ability. The advantage that the knight brings is that it can make the counters without the help of another creature or possibly without even attacking. The question is how hard is it to get the counters going. If it just got +1/+1 every turn the card would be completely busted while the floor of zero counters is terrible. I'm intrigued enough to test it over carnophage which is really just not a good card but run out of necessity.
Amazing artwork as well. So happy to include this.
I've watched enough streamers (including you) 3-0 in draft on the back of Narset that I need to try her out in my Cube. Hitting any noncreature/nonland card is just so much better than instant/sorcery that her usefulness spreads beyond just "spells matters". Being able to draw you that build around enchantment like sneak attack or recurring nightmare while still giving you the option for artifact, planeswalker, instant or sorcery makes her enough of a swiss-army-knife card that I think Narset wil perform very well in most cubes.
*edit: Oh and that static ability will also randomly hose some players right out of a game. A planeswalker that nets you value immediately while hampering an opponent is a strong card at 3 mana.
Only being a 1/1 isn't ideal but at 1U a body is a body and I like pushing blue tempo so I think i'll give this little guy a whirl.