MTG Salvation

Thank you, IcariiFA and the judges, for hosting and running an inspiring contest this month.

Quote from admirableadmiral »

So unless my totals are wrong, congratulations to Palanthas for being our winner of the November MCC!

Thanks admirableadmiral for hosting.

I did! $120 BIN on eBay (with emblem) way back in June, right after I posted.

This was my first MCC, and it was great. Thanks to all the judges, and good luck to those advancing to Round 3.

Quote from TTTF

My newest commissions. Its been an "old school" week for my in the studio.

I was Rakdos BEFORE Rakdos original artworks by Melissa Benson

Rasputin foresees an Armageddon! original artworks by Andi Rusu, Jesper Myrfors

Let me chime in my praise for TTTF's mats. I am the proud owner of these two, and everyone I've shown them to is floored by the quality of the art.

I think this card is worth revisiting - from what I've seen in constructed and limited for GRN, this card is bonkers. I think it's in a weird spot with cube, since spending 4 mana to not affect the board is bad (you're not afforded the same amount of time as regular limited). But you also don't have the same density of cheap burn effects, where Experimental Frenzy is at its best (like in constructed).

That said, I think the card is better than Outpost Siege (and hence better than Vance's Blasting Cannons). Outpost Siege nets you 2 cards per turn - one from your draw step and 1 from the enchantment. Frenzy removes your draw step, so how could it be better than either? Here's I think why:

1. It enables a steady stream of cards -- For you to stop playing cards off the top of your deck, one of two things will happen: either you've run out of mana, or you've run into your second land on top. I wrote a simulation that does the following: assume that we untap on turn n with Experimental Frenzy in play. How many cards can we play off the top of our deck?

I ran a simulation to help me figure this out (for the more technical, a Monte Carlo simulation with 1 million trials). Consider two decks:
A very aggressive aggro deck (16 lands, 8 1 drops, 8 2 drops, 6 3 drops, 2 4 drops)
A typical midrange deck (17 lands, 2 1 drops, 5 2 drops, 6 3 drops, 5 4 drops, 4 5 drops, 2 6 drops)

Produces the following results:


What does this show? It shows that, Experimental Frenzy gets you more than one card on average even if you play it on turn 4, even in a midrange deck. But that's not when you should play Frenzy - you play it when your hand is empty (probably around t6 or t7). At that point, you're getting at least 2 cards off Frenzy. This shows that in terms of raw card advantage, Frenzy is always better in aggro decks than Siege, and usually better in midrange decks.

2. The cards you draw are not lost -- After reading the above, you might say "So what? Frenzy isn't better in terms of card advantage than Siege/Cannons in a midrange deck until turn 7, and it locks me out of access to cards in my hand". But the cards in your hand are not lost. If I don't cast the card revealed off Siege, it's lost forever. I can continue to stockpile cards in my hand with Frenzy, and then pop Frenzy when the cards in my hand are good, regaining access to these cards. There's no real way to quantify this, but there is extra card advantage than what is just shown on the left graph. This is what pushes it above Siege generally imo.

Conclusions
Outpost Siege and Experimental Frenzy are fundamentally different cards. I see Outpost Siege as a big midrange/control card - it's grindy, it's reliable, and it's mediocre (which is why most of us don't cube it). Frenzy is (mostly) unplayable in control; reactive cards, especially counterspells, do not pair well with Frenzy. But in decks that are mostly just pushing their own gameplan, like aggro and many proactive flavors of midrange/ramp, with just removal as reactive cards, I think that Frenzy is quite good (as shown above).

TL;DR - Frenzy is better in many decks than Outpost Siege is in those decks, even if Frenzy is bad in control. I personally think this makes Frenzy the better cube card:

Now, is it cubeable? Maybe not - slots are tight for a 4 cmc red card that does not the turn it hits play. It's a high variance card - the floor is abysmal but can be raised with the right deck. Its ceiling is enormous. I think it deserves more attention than it is getting. I'll be testing it, and I hope that it performs well.

Hello again fellow cube enthusiasts!

This is my 27th installment of the "top 20" set preview articles! Just like the previous reviews, it will be in a spoiled top X countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in. I got a lot of positive feedback on the format from the last few articles, so I’m going to keep the “what I like” and “what I don’t like” sections.


It’s the Return to the Return to Ravnica! And as expected, the set delivers cards that are steeped in Ravnica flavor, and it’s heavily centered around the individual guilds. The set features good cards in both mono-colored and multi-colored sections, and was a real joy to follow during spoiler season. It’s a powerful set for cubes of all sizes, and I’ve had great success in testing with a lot of Guilds of Ravnica cards so far.

Without further ado, I can start the countdown!





















Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the article. Please comment below and we can discuss any and all things Guilds of Ravnica and the cube!

Cheers, and happy cubing.

Quote from palanthas »

I am thinking about upgrading my original Coalition Relic to a foil one from M25. Has anyone been fortunate enough to see one in person yet or, at least, have an opinion? The new art looks great.

I waited for a reprint because of the old art and the price.

I luckily had both so just purchased one - it’s on its way. When it arrives I’ll take a pic for you.

Final Scores:
The Hittite: 22.75
Flatline: 21
Palanthas: 19.75
Hemlock: 19
StonerOfKruphix: 19
Freyleyes: 18

I've liked prowler in cubes w/o aggressive support, since it works pretty great in midrange decks too as it gives those decks some boost in the control match up and something to trade with aggressive deck's early threats if need be.

Both Wolfbitten Captive and Kessig Prowler are good flip cards if you're playing green aggro.

In a powered cube that small, you can probably pass on Huntmaster.

I wouldn't care that much if a B/x drafter took fulminator mage depriving a red drafter of one card when cube already has basically all playables/red drafter(s) aren't going to get hosed out of playables in the end. Versatility is a good reason to run a card in a cube as then it ends up in the sideboard less often.

Quote from Tactuz »

I don't think Fulminator Mage fits into the top 6-7 Rakdos cards required for inclusion in my cube. It's a bit sad because I would have included it if it were mono-red, but I define hybrid cards as multicolor.

This doesn't make sense to me. The reason to restrict gold cards is that they can't be cast in as many kinds of decks as monocolored cards, but 1 can be cast in more decks than 1RR. If you think it's good enough to include at 1RR, you should definitely find a way to make room for it because it's a more flexible card than that.

Quote from palanthas »

Thank you, IcariiFA and the judges, for hosting and running an inspiring contest this month.

for hosting and running an inspiring contest this month.

inspiring

What you did. I see it.

You're welcome!

There are cards in magic history which are lesser-known in the cube, and in extension, the magic community. I was entirely oblivious to a few of them myself until I met a a playgroup that embraced them. I'm going to explain what some of these rarer cards in magic existence are, what my experiences with them has been and why you might want to consider them. The cards include: 5 Color Magic, Magic Online, Media promotion and Non-traditional cards.

I'd like to preface that the following cards for consideration aren't kosher. At all. Some cards have the potential to warp a player's outcome in games and it might cause a different, and potentially less enjoyable, experience for them. For some players, like myself, we search for new ways to bring a dynamic and unique experience to cubing. With my cube being appropriately titled, "Beyond Power" these cards were meant to find refuge within my cube.

Let's start with 5 Color Magic cards. They're a little less ridiculous in power level and should provide fair alternatives to guild sections or as a neat inclusion to a spot in your cube.

Mox Crystal


The "6th Mox". Originating from the earliest forms of table top magic, 5 Color Magic premiered at actual Magic sanctioned tournaments held across cities in the united states. 5 Color Magic is an entirely separate format in magic, now no-longer officially sanctioned, because it supports Ante - a mechanic that Richard Garfield abandoned quickly after the creation of Magic the Gathering. Mox Crystal was given to tournament winners as a sticker placed over a magic card which looked exactly as it appears above.

My experiences with Mox Crystal have been fairly straight-forward. Any free ramp, even when it only provides colorless mana, is an incredibly powerful effect. Anyone who plays powered cube understands that, regardless of what color deck you're playing, a first pick off-color mox will still beat-out some mega-bomb (almost always) in your colors. If you view Mox Crystal in this fashion it becomes an excellent inclusion. I'd play it over Mox Diamond if you run it.

Aku Fehling and Franky

I am not really sure when these were created and added to 5 Color Magic. I would imagine at one point tournament winners were given the opportunity to design a card to be officially supported in the format which resulted in these cards. Whatever the case, they're neat and I play them.

Aku Fehling, the Predictor


A Gruul/RUG powerhouse. When evaluating him in his worst-case scenario he's a 2/2 for 2 and cantrips himself when he's no longer relevant. With all of the various top-of-deck manipulation spells - Ponder, Preordain and Brainstorm to name a few - his high-end becomes absurdly powerful at RUG which is a fairly popular color archetype in powered cube. A lot of people run Sarkhan Vol however, I think he's become less and less relevant in cube and with Xenagos, the Reveler, Bloodbraid Elf and all of the other powerful 4-drops in Red and Green I think Aku Fehling becomes a welcome replacement to lower the Gruul curve.

Franky


An Izzet trickster. Immediately you will notice Franky's second ability is related to Ante. The playgroups I have seen run Franky decided translating the ability to straight-across affect all spells or activated abilities was far too powerful so instead, he has been errata'd to read for his second ability:

"Sacrifice Franky: Draw a card."

When played this way he becomes a pretty neat creature. Again, he's a bear at 2 which can shock something or cantrip. Often he cantrips if the shock or his body is no longer relevant. The modes on Franky is what makes him so powerful and I like him a lot. I've seen versions of him printed looking like the Cheshire Cat from Alice and Wonderland - which looks pretty neat, too! The "Big Three" in Izzet are Dack Fayden, Dack's Duplicate and Ral Zarek. The 4th slot has been up for contention for a long time and I think Franky can easily overpower Fire // Ice, Izzet Charm or Electrolyze.

Magic Online Cards

Currently there's one Magic Online card (to my knowledge) that only exists within that universe:

Gleemox


The "7th Mox". Gleemox is another self-explanatory card. It's uncontested as the best Mox, if you play it, and you should. I'd play it over Chrome Mox or just straight-up add it if you have room. Again, you should have room for this card.

Media Related Promotional Cards

There have been a few cards released over the years given as gifts to actors, studios or to be used as movie props. Some of these cards haven't even been discovered or officially recognized. For example there is rumored to exist a magic card, named after each actor and given to them, from the movie "Inception". One is known - Joseph Gordon-Levitt - and the rest are ambiguous as to their existence.

Drake Stone


Drake Stone was created to be gifted to, and used by the actor Toby Kebbell, in the movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Drake Stone instantly becomes the best Dimir card in existence if you recognize him as a cube-worthy card, and I highly suggest you do. He makes UB Reanimator better, acts as an absurdly powerful removal spell and he's fairly costed. The only downside is his art, which isn't awful, but isn't anything to write home about either. I'd replace Psychatog or Shadowmage Infiltrator for him.

Robot Chicken


My understanding is that when the cast of "Robot Chicken" visited Pro Tour San Diego they were given a unique promotional magic card, Robot Chicken. The number of them in existence and the size of the card in relation to tournament-legal magic cards is up for discussion. The Chicken is a fairly unexciting bear for 4 which makes him on the low-end a pretty low power card. The Chicken's engine however, easily becomes absurd if allowed to survive on the battlefield. The only downside to it's engine is that once your opponent's field is clear of threats to destroy, any additional destroyed eggs you control forces you to assault your own board. Usually at this point the Chicken has done his job and targeting himself with an egg becomes a fine choice. How you find room for him is your choice but I do recommend giving him a try!

NO IMAGE AVAILABLE
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - 1U - 2/1
Legendary Human Wizard
Sacrifice Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Copy target Instant or Sorcery spell with converted mana cost 2 or less.

As mentioned earlier, there was a card given to JGL himself after the release of the movie, Inception. I'm not sure which team at Wizard's decided to make him a card but the hit movie merited their support by gifting him a powerful magic card. I've only seen proxies that display his character as dressed in the movie. I think his sacrifice ability relates to the fact that, JGL being a fan of Magic the Gathering, had never gotten the opportunity to play with Time Walk. Wizard's made him a card that pokes fun of his plight by designing the card's ability to copy a spell two mana cost or less. If you're dicey on the existence of the card then by all means don't play it. I'm still working on getting the source image of the proxies that I've seen going around before I include it in my cube but I think he's strong enough to merit inclusion. If you've played around with Stratus Dancer or Willbender then I think this guy's inclusion would be about similar in play-style if you were trying to grasp how it might play.

Non-Traditional Magic Cards

These are cards which aren't "real" Magic cards that either playgroup communities created or have been adopted into cubes as neat mechanics. If the above cards have been too erroneous for you then check yourself out the door because things are about to get weird.

NO IMAGE AVAILABLE
Colin's Bag o' Tricks - 2 -
Artifact
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile a card at random from the Cube. You may play cards under Colin's Bag o' Tricks as though they were in your hand.

I don't have my story 100% straight but my understanding is that there is a cube playgroup in Canada that has done cube tournaments and such for the last decade or longer and at one point they designed the card? Deep_Woods, a MTG Salvation user, has a brief discussion about it on his cube thread which has had no activity for years. I haven't drafted it personally but I have seen it used before. It's about the same power-level as Booster Tutor if you've ever played with that. It's neat but I don't run it.

There are also other cards that playgroup has designed like Wamposki's Bauble, McBain, Balls Out Goblin and more. I'd only ever consider Colin's Bag o' Tricks of any of them. At some point even I draw the line about how many fabricated magic cards I include in my cube.

Joker


In the early 90s when Magic first came out players were gifted a DCI Poker Deck when signing up for the "Legend Membership". Additionally there was another poker deck created that portrayed cards printed in the base set and they really look quite beautiful. They're a bit pricey - be warned. You can read about their history, here.

I play two Joker cards in my cube. They can be played as whatever has been public knowledge in the current game being played. You still have to cast it with the correct mana though. The idea is similar as a Joker's function in Poker - use it as the best possible card to give you the best hand in poker. Similarly, Joker often becomes the best possible card cast in the game's history or, at the time, the best use possible. I've seen it used as a much-needed land drop, a Black Lotus, an Ancestral Recall, a Garruk, Apex Predator to destroy another Garruk, Apex Predator, and in many more awesome situations. It's a neat one. I've had some players end their games a bit salty from a well-timed Joker and so be mindful it may not always give everyone at the table a great experience. I'd say it's almost as nasty as Cheatyface however, I haven't had nearly the arguments result from a Joker as I have had from Cheatyface.

Discard

Some playgroups I have played with run one to two copies of a card which is just text that reads, "Discard". They behave exactly as it reads - Discard! Need to discard that Terastodon from your hand to Reanimate it? Play discard and target yourself! Want to thoughtseize an opponent? Target them with Discard. Want each player to discard a card of their choice from their hand? Play Discard!

With that in consideration, I have yet to include Discard in my cube. I've been on the fence on including it because it almost always behaves as a free Thoughtseize which is borderline too powerful in my mind. That said, if you feel as though you want more discard engines in your cube you can always consider it.

Conclusion

Maybe you'll read through this thread and scoff at the consideration at any or all of the cards I discussed. Or maybe I provided to some of you a new avenue to tackle in cube design and philosophy. Wherever your allegiance lay in Magic the Gathering card authenticity, I hope you enjoyed a look into the weird and lesser known cards.

That's it - for now! Wizard's and the Magic Community are always coming up with new and exciting cards. There's always potential for more in the future.