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  • posted a message on [NEO] Spoiler for Peasant Cubed
    Circuit Mender is a better Filigree Familiar. Familiar usually ended up as card #24 when it was in my cube and so I cut it, but Circuit Mender has a better body and can be abused with blink/bounce effects. Pretty sure I'll add it.

    Twinshot Sniper is pretty good, but it's not like red needed more cards like that. Will most likely find room for it anyway.

    Quote from ValhallaPDX »
    Krosan Tusker is much better. If you are already at 6 mana you shouldnt be worried about putting a land driectly into play. Id rather have the extra card in my hand for any possible synergies with other cards.

    Id think its safe to say, and card that costs more than 4 mana and puts lands directly into play isnt that big of a deal.


    I think you misunderstand how these cards work. You either use the 3 mana discard/cycling mode (which is what you do with Krosan Tusker 90% of the time I'd say) or you cast the creature. Greater Tanuki is an uncounterable 3 mana Rampant Growth that can be a big creature if you have a enough mana already. Krosan Tusker doesn't ramp, but it gives card advantage. As a creature it's worse than Tanuki though, even if it doesn't die to enchantment removal. Overall I think I like Krosan Tusker a wee bit more since the 3 mana mode is the main mode and I think card advantage is worth more than ramp.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Boros Equipment
    IMO Boros equipment isn't quite "there", especially if you run unrestricted removal. People love to hype up cards like Loxodon Warhammer but trading 6 mana and a creature for my opponents doom blade isn't something I'm excited to do.


    That said, the archetype is closer than it's ever been. If you're willing to run cards that are garbage if-not-equipped, bloodshot trainee is a classic.


    Also aura/equipment benefit a lot from having a coalition honor gaurd spellskite-ing removal away from the voltron.


    The equipment archetype doesn't work exactly like Voltron, that's why removal doesn't matter as much and that's why you don't need boring hexproof creatures, even though resilient creatures like Adanto Vanguard certainly don't hurt. You can easily run 10-14 creatures in your deck and token makers are also a good idea (both white and red have plenty of these) so you don't run out of creatures you can equip. It's not like (constructed) Voltron where you only have a really low amount of creatures. Obviously a cube with an excessive amount of removal would kill this archetype, but it would kill any other aggressive archetype as well. Removal quality is no problem if the rest of the cube is up to par.

    As for Loxodon Warhammer, the problem is that it can completely wreck aggressive decks. Yes, it costs mana and you can delay it for a turn with removal, but ultimately a single successful attack will buy you enough time to win the game 95% of the time against aggressive decks. It's like a Pelakka Wurm that comes down every turn. It's just boring and annoying if you bring someone down to 5 life with your aggro deck and then Loxodon Warhammer comes around and it's 100% game over unless you have artifact removal ready or a Doom Blade and a board state that allows you to win the next turn.

    I had Loxodon Warhammer in my cube twice and both times it was removed quickly after it saw play. And I don't have any depowered removal. It's not hyped up, it's just a card that has the typical 'rock, paper, scissors' gameplay of vintage cubes, and I don't want that.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on [[Peasant]] The Peasant Cube Discussion Thread (C/U/)
    Any of y'all done anything with an 180 card peasant cube? Considering rebuilding at that #, just so rarely have more than 4 players.


    I tried to build a small cube a long time ago, but the problem is that you can't get the density of cards needed for archetypes. For example aggro needs good one drops to work, but you if you add 5-6 aggro one drops in white you run out of cube space quickly @180. I believe it's not possible to build a proper cube at that size, unless you create one that is just full of generic midrange/goodstuff cards, which is rather boring from my pov.

    I also only play with four people usually and I strongly recommend using a different draft method instead of a smaller cube. We for example have 'burn draft' system. A pack has 15 cards like usual. First you pick one and burn one (to avoid that a lucky players gets two bombs immediately), then pick two, burn two until only five cards are left and then pick two, burn three. Six packs per player for a total of 360 cards and each player ends up with 42 cards, which are of higher quality than the 45 you get from a regular draft. This works really well with my 405 cube.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Boros Equipment
    Any double striker works really well with equipment and they're not as narrow as the Kor soldiers from Zendikar as they are better on their own already and they work just as well with auras/anthems/+1/+1 counters or pump spells. In white there is Kor Blademaster/Fencing Ace (one is usually enough and Blademaster has a minor upside over Ace), in red there is Scrapper Champion.

    I also run Guardian of the Guildpact, which naturally is great in combination with colorless equipment. On the other hand it doesn't work well with all the other cards mentioned above and some may think it can be unfun.

    Since equipment is a bit like a soft version of Voltron it's also always good to have creatures that don't die easily such as Adanto Vanguard or Seasoned Hallowblade for example.

    Unblockable creatures like creatures with shadow (Soltari Trooper, Soltari Champion) are also good.

    Equipment I run that wasn't mentioned yet is Mask of Memory and Specter's Shroud.

    There are generally a lot of creatures that are good on their own already and that work well in combination with equipment, so this doesn't have to be a parasitic archetype. I would say that the only cards I run that I would only very rarely play outside of a dedicated equipment deck are Danitha Capashen, Paragon and Kor Blademaster in white, Reyav, Master Smith in Boros and maybe Scrapper Champion in red (though she's pretty good on her own).
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2021
    Quote from n00b1n8R »
    Dumped the top 360 into a Cubecobra cube so it's easy to use the compare lists feature.


    I don't run any of the top 360 cards you mention except for Mortarpod, which is mostly just a filler for the artifact section and if you need another outlet for the sacrifice deck. Will get cut as soon as I find something better.

    Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Ghor-Clan Rampager were cut not so long ago. Gray Merchant is great in mono black, but Vampire Sovereign is better anywhere else and I even cut that one for being boring. Gruul has tons of great options now so I don't feel the need to run the mediocre Rampager. Never had any of the others in my cube.

    -----

    Bastion of Remembrance is great for the sacrifice deck as it's very hard to remove. Easily worth the additional mana over Zulaport Cutthroat, but I run both and don't plan to cut one of them anytime soon.

    Sphinx of the Guildpact is from a limited set with lots of multicolor removal. In CU/be there is hardly any. A 5/5 flyer with hexproof would be good enough for a colored section easily, as a colorless creature it's just awesome as it can go into any deck.

    -----

    Gush is such a great card for any low curve deck that is 50%+ blue, no idea why this isn't more popular. And it's even playable in a higher curve deck as eventually you will run out of lands to play and then you can get a draw spell for free. Should be a cube staple from my pov.

    Cut Consul's Lieutenant because it's a WW card that wants to be cast on turn 2 if possible at all, which is pure luck outside of mono white. For 1W it would be a no-brainer obviously.

    I guess Soltari Champion isn't as popular because some people avoid shadow as a mechnic and because it's an online-only uncommon? Because other than that it's one of the best cards in white for sure and should also be a staple.

    To be honest I had no idea that Imperial Recruiter is so cheap now. I was never a huge fan of it, but this makes me reconsider it as it's a fun card at least. Will see if I can find room for it.

    Cut Gaea's Anthem because it's the wrong color and green has other ways to pump their creatures. Personally I allow up to one (reasonable) rare per color to fill holes I can't fill otherwise so I run Glorious Anthem in white instead where this effect fits much better.

    Fire Covenant can be a brutal removal card, I even cut it for some time because I felt in some games it was too unfair when you could get a 3 for 1 for a few points of life and 3 mana.

    Had Goblin Trenches in for a while, but it's a slow all-or-nothing card and I don't like that.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad: Crimson Vow spoilers for Peasant Cube
    Add:

    Reckless Impulse - Light up the Stage is great, red is a shallow color and this is a powerful card for red that isn't burn or an aggro creature. I think it's not much worse than Chart a Course, and that's a blue card.

    Thirst for Discovery - The basic land part may hurt a bit, but overall instant speed is a bigger bonus than being able to discard a non-basic you don't need. Will replace Compulsive Research.

    Stormchaser Drake - The draw ability won't trigger every game, but when it does it's great value. A 2/1 flyer for 2 with relevant upside is never a bad addition.

    Maybe:

    Fell Stinger - Versatile card. Will see if I find room for it.

    Honorable Mentions:

    Reclusive Taxidermist - Outside of self-mill deck it's an ok card, but often it will most likely not make it into the 23. And self-mill decks run surprisingly few creatures in my cube, so Threshold is overall easier to trigger than 4 creatures most of the time. I don't run Werebear anymore and I'm not sure this is much better.

    Scattered Thoughts - Powerful draw spell, but Fact or Fiction is slightly better and I don't need another 4 cmc spell like that in my cube.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad: Crimson Vow spoilers for Peasant Cube
    Quote from Vannatar »
    With Reckless Impulse the thing is, how often can you cast both cards off of it after paying two mana up front?


    You can play the cards from Reckless Impulse until the end of your next turn. You have a ~70% chance to draw a land with 17 lands in the deck, in that case you only need to cast a single card (and a 20% chance to draw two lands). And red decks almost always have a low curve, so drawing two mana heavy cards is very unlikely. Plus it's not a spell you ever want to cast on turn 2 (though it is not a terrible thing to do if you absolutely have to), so you usually have at least 4 mana available (total) when you cast it, which means you can spend 6-7 mana on the cards you draw.

    It's a more safe version of Light up the Stage with a higher floor and a lower ceiling.

    It's a draw 2 for 2 in a color that doesn't have any card draw, that's just great even if you may only be able to play the better one of those cards 1 out of 5+ times you play it.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad: Crimson Vow spoilers for Peasant Cube
    Fell Stinger looks ok. For a while I had a lack of three drops in black, but that has changed. Will see whether I find room for it.

    Dread Fugue is a decent spell, though I doubt the 3 mana version will be cast very often as you either have better things to do with your mana or your opponent doesn't have any (worthwhile) cards in hand anymore. Not sure I need what I mostly consider a worse version of Inquisition of Kozilek.

    Dormant Grove seems awfully slow for a 4 mana card and the backside isn't even that great.

    Sigardian Paladin is similar. Even in a +1/+1 counter deck this is very expensive and too conditional to be good. If at least the 3 mana ability would hit all your creatures with a +1/+1 counter. For a 4 mana multicolor card that doesn't work on its own it's too low impact.

    Angelic Quartermaster is probably more universally playable than Relief Captain, but in aggressive go wide decks the Captain is clearly better. And that's why I run the card.

    At first I missed the 'permanent' on Retrieve, in which case it would have been great. But noncreature permanents don't go to the yard that reliably, so no.

    Light up the Stage is great and I'm sure Reckless Impulse will also work well for red decks (and not just aggressive ones). Will add.

    Thirst for Discovery will replace Compulsive Research, it's almost strictly better.

    Scattered Thoughts is a good draw spell. But the average case for Fact or Fiction is see 5, draw 2 and that's better.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on [[Peasant]] The Peasant Cube Discussion Thread (C/U/)
    I think Kodama's Reach/Cultivate are better than cards like Springbloom Druid or Farhaven Elf in 90%+ cases. You get the ramp and instead of a mostly useless 1/1 creature you get another land in your hand so you can reliably hit your land drop the next turn as well. Sure, you can flicker/bounce/reanimate the creatures, but that just doesn't happen very often in green and usually you don't need this effect over and over anyway.

    Civic Wayfinder is not great, but at least a 2/2 creature can have a noticeable board impact in the early game and is worth a card. This can often be more valuable than immediate ramp against aggressive decks. To me this is neither better nor worse than Springbloom Druid or Farhaven Elf, it's just different.

    Yavimaya Elder is a value monster and I would still run it if it wasn't for the double green mana cost. A 2/1 plus two lands and the option to replace it with a card is a lot for three mana. The problem is of course that it can be very slow if you need the lands immediately and your opponent doesn't kill it. And the aforementioned double green cost can be problematic as well, though in green that's not as much of a problem as in other colors. It is the worst card for mana fixing out of all cards mentioned, but it for sure gives you the best value for your mana.

    Personally I run Cultivate and Civic Wayfinder, though Wayfinder is about to get cut. Yavimaya Elder was cut only a short while ago. Would still run all of them + Kodama's Reach + maybe Springbloom Druid in a 720 cube. Farhaven Elf is, from my pov, the least interesting and least powerful card out of all of them, though if you are mainly interested in the fixing aspect I'd run it before Yavimaya Elder.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad Midnight Hunt for Peasant Cube
    Cards I will add:

    Cathar Commando is a great card, a 3/1 with flash that can turn into a disenchant for 1W is quite amazing. Will find room for it.

    Infernal Grasp doesn't have a weird condition that randomly doesn't work, so this is definitely something I will add. Will replace Cast Down, because I feel the condition is more arbitrary than the condition of Go for the Throat, even though Cast Down is probably the best card out of all three statistically.

    Morbid Opportunist can draw a good amount of cards in any midrange deck and in aristocrats, which is one of my favorite decks, it will most likely be nuts. The body doesn't matter that much, would have been great if it was 1/4 to be bolt-safe, but at least it can't be pinged or shocked. Plus I'm always looking for more black three drops, so this will go in.

    Outlandish Liberator is a card I'd add if it wasn't a flip card. And there are a few other cards worth mentioning that are certainly playable, but I'm too lazy right now.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad Midnight Hunt for Peasant Cube
    Quote from ArBoR4817 »

    I agree that it's worse than the two Witnesses and Revival in almost every deck. I do think you can argue whether it's better than Regrowth in cube. In a vacuum Regrowth is more powerful but the decks that really want this effect gain a lot with the flashback.


    Is there a specific deck that wants Regrowth? Every green deck in my cube wants Regrowth and the only deck that doesn't want it would be ultra low curve aggro, which is nothing I support in green. I agree that Dryad Revival is better in a self-mill deck though. It's an interesting card as support for that specific deck, but I think I would run Timeless Witness over it, which is equally good for that deck.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad Midnight Hunt for Peasant Cube
    Outland Liberator is good, but not good enough to make me consider annoying flip cards.

    I also like Morbid Opportunist. The aristocrats deck is one of the most fun decks in my cube and this is basically a Phyrexian Arena that draws 1.5 cards per turn (including your opponent's turn) without the life loss in that deck. Should work well enough in most midrange decks as well.

    Other than that there isn't anything that interests me so far (apart from the very early spoilers we already talked about). I believe decayed cards like Ghoulish Procession are pretty bad, a 2/2 that can't block and that can only attack once is almost worthless and I agree that it's worse than a regular 1/1 token.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad Midnight Hunt for Peasant Cube
    Comparatively, I am a bit down on Infernal Grasp and have it firmly behind Power Word Kill, Cast Down, and Go For The Throat, the three least conditional of the 2-mana kill spells. Each of those currently misses between 3% and 6% of my Cube's creatures and I think each is overall better as removal that works 94% to 97% of the time than 100% removal with a guaranteed 100% drawback.
    I think there are plenty of matchups where the two life loss will matter and especially dulls the play pattern of control decks that want to kill an early 1-mana or 2-mana creature from the opponent.
    That said, I feel pretty confident in Grasp over Heartless Act and Ultimate Price, which have miss rates closer to 12% to 15%. Also, I do not dislike the idea of a card being better for aggro decks compared to control.


    You are probably right, but I still disagree from a gameplay perspective. It is extremely rare that you are stuck at 1 or 2 life and thus can't cast Infernal Grasp at all. And it's also much more annoying and infuriating if you can't remove a creature because of a random condition you can't even get rid of, eg if you have Cast Down in your hand, but your opponent is beating you to death with Anax, Hardened in the Forge. Even if you are at 2 life there are plenty of cards that can give you life, but there is no way to change a random creature type.

    While Infernal Grasp may overall be worse than Cast Down or Power Word Kill in...1 out of 50 games? it always feels better to play. I will definitely play Infernal Grasp for that reason, and like you said, a removal spell that is slightly better in aggro than in control is always another plus from my pov.

    I'm not the type of person who wants depowered removal, but even for me there is a point where gameplay matters more than pure power statistics.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on Innistrad Midnight Hunt for Peasant Cube
    Infernal Grasp is the new #1 unconditional black removal, will happily add it. I will probably keep Go for the Throat too because even though it may be worse than Cast Down or Power Word Kill the condition makes the most sense to me.

    I like Preordain, Ponder and Serum Visions more than Consider and I don't need another cantrip like that. Would be great if you could discard any card, but then it would be way too good probably.

    Play with Fire is ok, but there is too much compeition in the burn section so it won't make it into my cube.

    Join the Dance isn't terrible either, though the flashback part should probably be 1-2 mana cheaper.

    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
  • posted a message on [[Peasant]] The Peasant Cube Discussion Thread (C/U/)
    I don't think Timeless Witness and Regrowth are even comparable. With Timeless Witness you will only be able to cast the card you retrieved during the same turn in the very late game or if it's something like Elvish Mystic. On the plus side it offers card advantage in the long run (and some kind of semi card-advantage immediately).

    Regrowth on the other hand is so cheap that you can cast all but the biggest spells in the same turn where you used it. Which is a very big difference. I have no idea which card is 'better', but if I had Eternal Witness and Bala Ged Recovery, which both sacrifice efficiency for additional upside, in my cube already I'd stick with Regrowth instead of adding another even more clunky value card.

    Personally I'm also a fan of Once and Future, which gives more immediate value than Timeless Witness, but I don't run Bala Ged Recovery (mainly because I really dislike flip cards), so I have more room for it.

    EDIT: Why does mtgsalvation use the Japanese language special printings for cards by default if you mark a card? Makes no sense.
    Posted in: Pauper & Peasant Discussion
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