I'm relatively happy about the legend rule change for EDH. In a 5+ player game, it'll really help to not worry about the headache of suddenly realizing players at either end of the table have controlled the same legendary permanent for several turns.
Not being able to Clone-kill things is fine. Almost every clone is blue, and it's not like the blue couldn't endlessly answer untargetables anyway.
I know tokens normally don't say haste because it's a french vanilla thing, but it really bothers me that the Boros soldier token is the only multicolor token to not have a text box with a watermark.
Wow, that's a comprehensive resource. I'm somewhat reluctant to make too many changes before I get a chance to actually play the cube, but I'll definitely be keeping this info in mind. Many of those recommended cards are already on my wishlist, and a lot of the rest I'd be happy to try if I can find them. I've been in the habit of trading away my valuable cards that aren't EDH-playable, so there are plenty of good cards that I'd like to run but simply don't have.
General Background
I've been going to school in The Literal Middle of Nowhere, and a lot of the local Magic players don't have collections nearly as extensive as my own. It's been hard to find a game where everyone has close to an even footing, so I figured that the best way to make up the difference is if everyone is playing out of the same card pool. That means a cube, so I decided to cannibalize a few EDH decks and put one together.
I haven't had a chance to play with my cube yet, but I just got everything sleeved and I wanted to type up the list before I shuffled it all together. I'm still missing a lot of cards that I want, but I think I've got a pretty good start. So far this is basically just built on theory, but I've read a lot of articles and other lists while working on my own. My prior cube experience is limited to my friend's pauper cube and a couple dozen drafts of the MTGO Holiday Cube.
Basic Information Cube Size: 540 Breakdown: 70 per color / 11 per guild / 5 miscellaneous multicolor / 75 colorless Standard or Theme: Standard Snow Lands: No Average Number of Players: Probably 2-3 on a regular basis, but I want the option for larger drafts and sealeds when I can get the numbers together How Often Drafted: Hopefully often
Card Selection Proxies: No Powered: No Portal: Yes "Un" Cards: No Banned Cards for Power-Level: Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Mana Drain, really good triple-digit $ cards I don't own Banned Cards for Time Constraints:Shahrazad (although I'm considering it with an errata'd 10 minute time limit because I personally love the card) Banned Cards for "fun" factor:Mind Twist (also because I dislike how easily splashed it is)
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer: Standard Sideboards?: Yes Color Balance: Yes Gold Balance: Yes, outside of a small miscellaneous section Hybrid/Split/Kicker/Flashback as Gold: No/Yes/Yes/No Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
I like the Confessor. By the time you can cast it, you won't need to pay much life to see their whole hand, and it'll probably grab some kind of game-ending bomb with no hope of reanimation. I also like that it has built-in lifegain to recover from the Thoughtseize.
So enough Boros creatures attacking turns them all into semi-Titans? I like it. If these are the prerelease cards, I'm going Boros unless Dimir or Orzhov have something really amazing.
You might want to check out the Jenara list in my sig, since it seems fairly close to what you're trying to do. My build doesn't have the intentional ways to totally lock people out of the game, but I've been playing it for a long time and honestly those locks aren't really necessary. It's not hard to get a few protective enchantments out with all of the redundancy, and after that you can sit back and draw off the enchantresses while your opponents go after easier prey. My endgame is usually Omniscience + enchantresses, and the deck is made to ensure I last long enough to consistently accomplish that plan.
I'd also highly recommend Stony Silence, which can just shut down entire tables by itself. You might notice I'm not even running Sol Ring, and that's why. The disruption from the Silence has been well worth the tradeoff of losing the extra acceleration to make sure it never affects me.
It's also great with attackers that have tap abilities, especially naturally vigilant ones. It's always fun to swing with something like a Tariel, Reckoner of Souls, tap her to grab a creature, and then untap her after damage to grab another.
Yes, and no.
Commander is a format designed by WOTC to be a multi-player format. That does not mean that it is always played that way. The coffee shop where I play most of my games lately is more often then not 1 on 1 because only two people are around to play. When Wizards looks at which cards to ban in Commander they are looking at it from a multi-player perspective.
The French Ban List on the other hand looks at EDH and 1 on 1 play when considering which cards to ban. The people in charge of that list are the people who originally created the format and thus what they think can be very relevant to discussions of EDH/Commander. Whether or not Wizards chose to consult them when creating the Arsenal (doubtful considering the short notice and creation time on it) is another matter.
This is just completely false. The format "Commander" was not designed by WotC. It is EDH renamed by WotC so that they could market products specifically for it without infringing on the Highlander properties, since Elder Dragon Highlander directly references "there can only be one". The banned list is still maintained by the group that has always done so, including some of the format's creators, and most are not WotC employees. You are correct that this list only considers multiplayer, though.
The French Banned List is maintained by a separate group in France.
Not being able to Clone-kill things is fine. Almost every clone is blue, and it's not like the blue couldn't endlessly answer untargetables anyway.
Second sealed:
Can't say I mind duplicate rares when they pay for the pool, lol.
General Background
I've been going to school in The Literal Middle of Nowhere, and a lot of the local Magic players don't have collections nearly as extensive as my own. It's been hard to find a game where everyone has close to an even footing, so I figured that the best way to make up the difference is if everyone is playing out of the same card pool. That means a cube, so I decided to cannibalize a few EDH decks and put one together.
I haven't had a chance to play with my cube yet, but I just got everything sleeved and I wanted to type up the list before I shuffled it all together. I'm still missing a lot of cards that I want, but I think I've got a pretty good start. So far this is basically just built on theory, but I've read a lot of articles and other lists while working on my own. My prior cube experience is limited to my friend's pauper cube and a couple dozen drafts of the MTGO Holiday Cube.
Basic Information
Cube Size: 540
Breakdown: 70 per color / 11 per guild / 5 miscellaneous multicolor / 75 colorless
Standard or Theme: Standard
Snow Lands: No
Average Number of Players: Probably 2-3 on a regular basis, but I want the option for larger drafts and sealeds when I can get the numbers together
How Often Drafted: Hopefully often
Card Selection
Proxies: No
Powered: No
Portal: Yes
"Un" Cards: No
Banned Cards for Power-Level: Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Mana Drain, really good triple-digit $ cards I don't own
Banned Cards for Time Constraints: Shahrazad (although I'm considering it with an errata'd 10 minute time limit because I personally love the card)
Banned Cards for "fun" factor: Mind Twist (also because I dislike how easily splashed it is)
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: Standard
Sideboards?: Yes
Color Balance: Yes
Gold Balance: Yes, outside of a small miscellaneous section
Hybrid/Split/Kicker/Flashback as Gold: No/Yes/Yes/No
Perfectly Balanced CMC: No
1 Dryad Militant
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
1 Icatian Javelineers
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Student of Warfare
1 Weathered Wayfarer
CMC 2
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Daring Skyjek
1 Keening Apparition
1 Knight of Glory
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Serra Avenger
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Stormfront Pegasus
1 Syndic of Tithes
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Wall of Omens
1 War Priest of Thune
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Blade Splicer
1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
1 Flickerwisp
1 Frontline Medic
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Stonecloaker
CMC 4
1 Angel of Jubilation
1 Exalted Angel
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Restoration Angel
1 Sublime Archangel
CMC 5
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Reveillark
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Sun Titan
CMC X
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
1 Cloudshift
1 Land Tax
1 Mana Tithe
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
CMC 2
1 Balance
1 Blind Obedience
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Momentary Blink
1 Shattering Blow
1 Glorious Anthem
1 Lingering Souls
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Spectral Procession
CMC 4
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Armageddon
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Parallax Wave
1 Wrath of God
1 Gideon Jura
1 Elspeth Tirel
CMC 6+
1 Terminus
CMC X
1 Entreat the Angels
Lands
1 Karakas
1 Windbrisk Heights
1 Cloudfin Raptor
1 Delver of Secrets
CMC 2
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Frostburn Weird
1 Gilded Drake
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Spined Thopter
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Man-o'-War
1 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
1 Willbender
CMC 4
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Mulldrifter
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
CMC 6+
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Frost Titan
1 Sphinx of Uthuun
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
CMC 2
1 Arcane Denial
1 Counterspell
1 Daze
1 Flash
1 Impulse
1 Into the Roil
1 Memory Lapse
1 Miscalculation
1 Remand
1 Spell Rupture
1 Compulsive Research
1 Crystal Shard
1 Forbid
1 Jace Beleren
1 Psionic Blast
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Tinker
1 Vedalken Shackles
CMC 4
1 Careful Consideration
1 Control Magic
1 Cryptic Command
1 Deep Analysis
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Opposition
1 Bribery
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Treachery
CMC 6+
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Temporal Mastery
1 Upheaval
CMC X
1 Repeal
1 Syncopate
Lands
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Shelldock Isle
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Fume Spitter
1 Gravecrawler
1 Guul Draz Assassin
1 Putrid Imp
1 Thrull Parasite
CMC 2
1 Blood Artist
1 Bloodghast
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Nezumi Shortfang
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Pack Rat
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
1 Vampire Nighthawk
CMC 4
1 Abyssal Persecutor
1 Bloodline Keeper
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Skinrender
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Shriekmaw
CMC 6+
1 Grave Titan
1 Griselbrand
1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
CMC X
1 Bane of the Living
1 Dark Ritual
1 Despise
1 Dismember
1 Duress
1 Entomb
1 Innocent Blood
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
CMC 2
1 Animate Dead
1 Bitterblossom
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Exhume
1 Go for the Throat
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sinkhole
1 Smallpox
1 Ultimate Price
1 Buried Alive
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Stupor
CMC 4
1 Damnation
1 Dread Return
1 Makeshift Mannequin
1 Sever the Bloodline
1 Snuff Out
1 Living Death
1 Liliana Vess
1 Unburial Rites
CMC X
1 Death Cloud
1 Profane Command
Lands
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Goblin Guide
1 Goblin Welder
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Legion Loyalist
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Reckless Waif
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Stromkirk Noble
CMC 2
1 Ash Zealot
1 Ember Hauler
1 Gore-House Chainwalker
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Plated Geopede
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Torch Fiend
1 Ball Lightning
1 Boros Reckoner
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Gathan Raiders
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Zo-Zu the Punisher
CMC 4
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Hellrider
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Moltensteel Dragon
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Zealous Conscripts
CMC 6+
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Inferno Titan
1 Fireblast
CMC 1
1 Burst Lightning
1 Faithless Looting
1 Firebolt
1 Firestorm
1 Forked Bolt
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Pillar of Flame
1 Rift Bolt
CMC 2
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Arc Trail
1 Incinerate
1 Pyroclasm
1 Searing Spear
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Char
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Molten Rain
1 Pillage
1 Staggershock
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Volt Charge
1 Wheel of Fortune
CMC 4
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Sneak Attack
1 Chandra Nalaar
CMC 6
1 Wildfire
CMC X
1 Devil's Play
1 Molten Disaster
1 Arbor Elf
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Experiment One
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Wolfbitten Captive
CMC 2
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Gatstaf Shepherd
1 Gyre Sage
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Mayor of Avabruck
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Vinelasher Kudzu
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Eternal Witness
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Ohran Viper
1 Somberwald Sage
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Wolfir Avenger
1 Yavimaya Elder
CMC 4
1 Briarhorn
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Deadbridge Goliath
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Vengevine
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Acidic Slime
1 Genesis
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Thragtusk
1 Vorapede
1 Wolfir Silverheart
CMC 6+
1 Gaea's Revenge
1 Primeval Titan
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Sylvan Primordial
1 Terastodon
1 Rancor
1 Vines of Vastwood
CMC 2
1 Explore
1 Farseek
1 Rampant Growth
1 Regrowth
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Awakening Zone
1 Beast Within
1 Call of the Herd
1 Cultivate
1 Heartbeat of Spring
1 Kodama's Reach
CMC 4
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Harmonize
1 Natural Order
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Plow Under
1 Restock
CMC 6+
1 Tooth and Nail
CMC X
1 Green Sun's Zenith
Lands
1 Treetop Village
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Lyev Skyknight
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Tundra
1 Aurelia's Fury
1 Boros Charm
1 Brion Stoutarm
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Lightning Helix
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Plateau
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Doomsday Specter
1 Dralnu, Lich Lord
1 Recoil
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Polluted Delta
1 Underground Sea
1 Watery Grave
1 Dreg Mangler
1 Lotleth Troll
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Vraska the Unseen
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Twilight Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Burning-Tree Shaman
1 Domri Rade
1 Flinthoof Boar
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
1 Kird Ape
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Stomping Ground
1 Taiga
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Etherium-Horn Sorcerer
1 Fire // Ice
1 Izzet Charm
1 Mercurial Chemister
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Volcanic Island
1 Gerrard's Verdict
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Vindicate
1 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Marsh Flats
1 Scrubland
1 Blightning
1 Dreadbore
1 Olivia Voldaren
1 Rakdos's Return
1 Slave of Bolas
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Graven Cairns
1 Loam Lion
1 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Selesnya Charm
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Temple Garden
1 Windswept Heath
1 Mystic Snake
1 Prime Speaker Zegana
1 Simic Charm
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Trygon Predator
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Tropical Island
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Maelstrom Wanderer
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Epochrasite
1 Mortarpod
1 Perilous MYr
1 Spellskite
CMC 3
1 Etched Champion
1 Myr Welder
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Etched Oracle
1 Masticore
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Solemn Simulacrum
CMC 5
1 Batterskull
1 Precursor Golem
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
CMC 1
1 Black Vise
1 Bonesplitter
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
CMC 2
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Golgari Signet
1 Grim Monolith
1 Gruul Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Manriki-Gusari
1 Mind Stone
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Scroll Rack
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Coalition Relic
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Mimic Vat
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Tangle Wire
1 Tezzeret's Gambit
1 Worn Powerstone
CMC 4
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Smokestack
1 Trading Post
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Memory Jar
CMC 6+
1 All Is Dust
1 Karn Liberated
CMC X
1 Everflowing Chalice
Lands
1 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Brass
1 Dust Bowl
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Show and Tell
1 Time Spiral
1 Vendilion Clique
Red
1 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Chain Lightning
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Eureka
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Scavenging Ooze
Multicolor
1 Duskmantle Seer
1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Thran Dynamo
I'd also highly recommend Stony Silence, which can just shut down entire tables by itself. You might notice I'm not even running Sol Ring, and that's why. The disruption from the Silence has been well worth the tradeoff of losing the extra acceleration to make sure it never affects me.
This is just completely false. The format "Commander" was not designed by WotC. It is EDH renamed by WotC so that they could market products specifically for it without infringing on the Highlander properties, since Elder Dragon Highlander directly references "there can only be one". The banned list is still maintained by the group that has always done so, including some of the format's creators, and most are not WotC employees. You are correct that this list only considers multiplayer, though.
The French Banned List is maintained by a separate group in France.