Can someone help me convince myself about cutting Vivid Lands from my Cube?
Here is my reasoning:
- I already run tapped Trilands, which are pretty much the same.
- I hate having to put dice on top of my lands.
- The Thriving lands are a cleaner design in my opinion.
I am currently Cubing 45 fixing lands in my Cube, which accounts for 1.25 fixing lands per pack. Cutting the vivids would mean going down to 1.11 fixing lands per pack.
They've been staples for so long that cutting them just feels wrong.
Daring Thunder-Thief – I think this is a cool design. A big blue creature with downside that cares about holding up mana and then bashes/blocks as a 4/4 the next turn. That said, this doesn’t really take me in other direction than blue-draw-“go” decks, and that is not something I’m particularly looking for in Peasant Cube. I like the design, but the stats are simply not there. 2/10
Djinn of Fool’s Fall – I don’t really see a reason to be excited about this card. Getting your 5 drop bolted with no ETB value is pretty mediocre, and spending 4 mana on turn 4 for no impact on the board (especially in blue) is tough. This CAN end games, being a 4 power flyer and all, but I’ll just move on. 2/10
Failed Fording – There is simply just no reason to play this when there are so much better variants of this effect. Into the Roil or Blink of an Eye are simply miles ahead of this. 1/10
Geyser Drake – This is interesting. Its funny how far away from Wind Drake we’ve come. And this guy can serve as glue for many decks. From the top of my head, UW Flyers can benefit from these just by being a good stated flyer for 3. Its problem is that it competes with Preening Champion, Cloudkin Seer and Eldrazi Skyspawner in that slot. Other use for this might be a UR or UB Control deck, where you are playing this to the board to block some creatures in the early turns, and leaving an interesting ability to react to opponents’ spells on their turns. And finally, some sort of UG Flash archetype, where this might also be serviceable. This guy seems is certainly interesting, but not a staple by any stretch. 5/10
Harrier Strix – Danm, 1-drops have come a long way. This guy is, in my opinion, the second best blue common of the set. And not in an obvious way. You aren’t really happy playing this as a Flyer on T1, but the impact this dude has on the late game is incredible. You can tap a blocker to squeeze some damage, you can loot lands away for just 3 mana (repeatedly). That is a lot of text for a 1-drop, and it might also be better than Spectral Sailor. If you compare those two cards, one might say that the tap ability is better than Flash, and paying 1 less mana for your mana sink ability is very relevant. I think I’ll end up testing this guy, maybe swap it for Pteramander, Spectral Sailor or Siren Stormtamer. 6/10
Jailbreak Scheme – Spree cards are hard to evaluate, but not this one, I’ll save your time and just move on to the next card. This is really overcosted for what it does, Shadow Rift plus a+1/+1 counter for 4 mana? And we don’t really play Time Ebb either, so…2/10.
Loan Shark – Despite having a legendary art by the legend Wayne Reynolds, this Mako shark is a mediocre common with a small upside and a very, very low floor. I understand it enables itself for the double-spell, but you don’t want to pay 4 mana on T4 to draw a card on T5. 1/10
Peerless Ropemaster – If this didn’t have the “tapped” clause on it, I’d be (at least) a little more excited about it. But lets be honest, the amount of ETB bounce creatures that exist totally outclass this dude. He is big though, and might give you a little more time to stay alive. But, I just don’t see a world where you play this over Man-o’-War or Riftwing Cloudskate. 2/10
Phantom Interference – Et tu, Mystic Snake? Is this card bonkers? I’m having such a hard time evaluating this, and that usually means it is great. So, for starters this is just Quench, which can be begrudgingly playable. But on top of that you have the mode to get an extra body for 3 extra mana. AND, on top of that you can just play a 2/2 flyer with flash for 4 mana. I think the combination of modes in this card add up to a great spell, and I’ll be happy to test it. I’ll just have to see which counterspell I’m cutting for this, maybe Miscalculation? Who knows. This is certainly the best blue common of the set. 7/10
Razzle-Dazzler – How many times might you trigger this in one game? 1 or 2? As a 1/2 at face value for 2 mana, this is just the kind of conditional creatures that I’m not playing, ever. 1/10.
Seize the Secrets – You can keep your secrets all you want, I’m just not happy about Divination with marginal upside. If I’m not playin Quick Study, I’m not playing this card. Of One Mind and Winged Words both seem better than this as well. 2/10
Slickshot Vault-Buster – That is a sick name for a card. That’s all I can say about this. Looks bad, plays bad, not interested. 1/10.
Spring Splasher – I don’t ever see playing this over any of the 2/1 flyers that are abundant nowadays in our format. A creature with 3 toughness would just block this easily with no real risk. The fact that this is a Goblin Piker with some aggressive upside is nice, but it doesn’t stand its own. 2/10.
Stop Cold – Another variant for Tamiyo’s Compleation. We don’t really play those cards. Aura removal is just not that good, especially with all the incidental enchantment hate and/or bounce effects in cube. I’d say it will be playable in limited, but not that strong in Cube. 2/10
Take the Fall – I’d rather not have conditional combat tricks in my blue instant slots. I don’t see this any better than Striped Riverwinder, Opt or Consider. As a combat trick, I prefer the Fearies that give -2/-0 and stuff. 1/10
Canyon Crab – This had surge Mare vibes, and with an easier mana cost. I believe this card is pretty good. The flexibility of being an early game speed bump and a late game threat is fine. And it also helps with controlling decks that want to leave mana open. All that said, I believe it lacks something to really be cubable, it just doesn’t fill a role, it’s just an efficient creature. For the 2 mana defensive slot I’d rather have Picklock Prankster. 4/10
Emergent Haunting – This looks like a Plot seed in its own Limited Format. For Cube, I don’t really see this being particularly good. Maybe, if you want to have a defensive flyer and leave 3 mana up in T3 it might be good. It is just too inconsistent to consider. 2/10.
Fleeting Reflection – This effect is so narrow that I don’t really see how you could use it to your advantage. I believe this is the first time we see this kind of effect stapled on a blue instant at uncommon, and that is something to highlight. It’s just too narrow, and for protection spells, I’d rather have Dive Down. I’ll give it a bump in grade because I’m just not sure how it will play out. 3/10.
Marauding Sphinx – This guy has a LOT of stats and keywords. It’s a pity that committing a crime is a bit conditional to really trigger (and also only triggers once). But this has Serra Angel vibes with all those stats. It is hard to evaluate, but the king of 5 MV Mulldrifter is difficult to dethrone. That said, the 5 toughness on this makes it very difficult to kill. I imagine this being good against red removal, where only Flame Slash kills it and ward on top of that. Cool card, but not really a role filler. 6/10.
Metamorphic Blast – Flexibility is cool and all, but, what does one effect has to do with the other? I just don’t see the flavor here. Anyways, Weave Fate + Ovinize in a single card can give you some weird flexibility and make being reactive a little better. My problem is, I’d rather always play Fact or Fiction than this, or even the new Scattered Thoughts in the “Draw 2 cards for 4 MV” slot. Spree is hard to evaluate though, I think the best will be to test them in their limited format to see whether they are worth it or not. 4/10.
Nimble Brigand – I play Jhessian Thief in my Cube, and this is not that different from that. You just must think whether you prefer the unblockability or the Prowess. In my case, I prefer Prowess, because it will trigger with more things than the “commit crime” text. This kind of cards are never bad, and this guy might get some cards after some turns. It’s not that spectacular though, and Jhessian Thief is already marginally playable in my opinion. 4/10.
Outlaw Stitcher – This card looks bonkers in its own limited format with the Plot mechanic. A 1/4 that brings a 4/4 with it is pretty strong, and can be bounced for more value. I believe this is compares a lot to Wing Splicer, and the 4 toughness is nothing to scoff at. This could be a huge roadblock for aggressive decks, its floor is 3/6 stats in two bodies for 4 mana, and that ain’t bad. 5/10.
Shackle Slinger – Two spells for a tap? And a 3/2 mediocre body attached to it. This screams unplayable to me, even in its own format. 1/10.
Shifting Grift – Again, compare this to Control Magic and you have another unplayable 4-drop blue uncommon. The flexibility here is also not relevant. How many times are you going to have an artifact/enchantment laying around to exchange for a better artifact/enchantment an opponent controls? 2/10.
Slickshot Lockpicker – I like that they are printing this kind of effect in uncommon. Having a monocolored cubable Snapcaster Mage is pretty good, and stapled to a 2/3 body that can defend you from attackers is quite good. I believe the best home for this might be UR Spells or UB Control, where you are flashbacking a Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push on T4. The plot ability is just extra text that might be relevant when you want to flashback more expensive spells in the late game and you aren’t under much pressure. I’m currently cubing the Halo Forager, but that guy can cast cards from any graveyard, which is very relevant. Two of these effects is pretty interesting for our environment, I’d say I’ll test this card and see how it performs. 6/10.
This Town Ain’t Big Enough – This is interesting, and can be a big tempo hit if your opponent is in the backfoot. I believe this is a great sideboard card against green decks that are trying to land fatties on the board. That said, I think there are much better bounce options, that I already mentioned above, in our environment, and I’m not happy to play Run Away Together. 3/10.
Visage Bandit – Just play Clone if you are considering this. 3/10.
I'll leave this review for White if you want to check it out.
Also, I invite anyone to continue the review in another color.
White:
Armored Armadillo – Not that impressive. Hold Equipment very well due to its Ward 1 and ability. But a 0/4 with a mediocre mana sink is not what I’m looking for in aggressive decks. It can serve as a roadblack in the early game for a control deck, but I much prefer a Wall of Omens for that. 2/10.
Bridled Bighorn – This guy is a 3/4 Vigilance with upside that might be good in go wide decks. But having to Saddle this to be happy about it is pretty bad. I much prefer playing a Renegade Freighter than this card. 1/10.
Eriette’s Lullaby – The 2 life stapled on to the removal is nice. But this competes with much stronger cards, and lacks the flexibility to be good in aggressive decks. The Sorcery speed hurts this a lot as well. It simply has much better options in white removal slots. 2/10.
Holy Cow - Inspiring Overseer is naturally the card you are comparing to this, although not as powerful as the Angel, the Cow does really have relevant lines of text. I’d say this could be played in Cubes that want to test it and have an open slot. 5/10.
Inventive Wingsmith – A 2/4 for 3 that needs two turn cycles to attack as a flyier. No thanks. 1/10.
Steer Clear – There’s much better options than this in white. This suffers from the same things as Eriette’s Lullaby, its not good in the aggressive decks and has niche upside that will never happen. 1/10.
Sterling Keykeeper – Solid for limited maybe, but not for cube. Tappers in white cost 1 less and their ability costs 1 less. The 2 MV slot in white is simply to overcrowded for an effect like this. 2/10.
Trained Arynx – I’d bet this card plays much better than it looks. A 3/1 first strike attacking on T3 and getting a scry from it sounds pretty good. On the other hand, this is just too fragile. If this had Saddle 1, it would be much better. 3/10.
Vengful Townsfolk – I guess white will just get 3/3s for 3 with upside now. Reminded very much about Unruly Mob, not a card that I’m particularly excited to play. 3/10.
Wanted Griffin – This creature simply doesn’t cut it. 3/2 for 4 mana that leaves a body is something that I want on ETBs, not on die triggers. If Oltec Cloud Guard doesn’t cut it, neither does this. 2/10.
Bounding Felidar – A 6 drop that needs to attack to be good, that also needs you to have other creatures to saddle it and with mediocre stats? No thank you. Compare this to Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. 1/10.
Bovine Intervention – Or as some are calling it, Swords to Cowshares looks good, but plays bad. It is the same as withStroke of Midnight, Generous Gift and Beast Within, leaving a body behind after destroying is not that good, especially if you are on the backfoot. I’d say it can be playable if you are depowering removal, but it doesn’t cut it for me. This effect for 2 mana is pretty strong, though, so I’m debating on what grade to give it. Maybe 4/10.
Getaway Glamer – This is the first Spree card, and they all seem pretty interesting and hard to evaluate. Although most of them have an inefficient cost, they are flexible options for those kind of slots. That said, this card doesn’t do anything particularly well. Ephemerate is a monster of a card and costs only 1 mana, and the conditional removal is not that good. This compares well with Settle Beyond Reality as they are really similar. Because of its flexibility, I’ll give it a 3/10.
Lassoed by the Law – If you are playing Palace Jailer, this card falls short. Also, Banisher Priest and Fairgrounds Warden might be better overall. This does have the potential to exile noncreature permanents and that might be a point in its favor. I’d say this card is solid and might impress in its limited format. 4/10.
Nurturing Pixie – If your Cube has a Flyers theme and a Blink theme, this looks good for both archetypes. The problem with this is that is pretty mediocre in both its uses. I’m not happy for a 1/1 Flyer, and for self bouncing I’d much prefer a Kor Skyfisher, Rescuer Chwinga or another of those variants. 3/10.
Omenport Vigilante – This looks difficult to trigger and with not that good of a reward for doing so. Looks pretty bad, honestly. 1/10.
Prairie Dog – I’d just go ahead and ignore the last ability, because I don’t see a world where that would be relevant. I’m simply struggling to see this as more than a Mesa Unicorn to be honest. Yeah, maybe it’ll grow sometimes, but I don’t want to be holding mana when I’m playing 2 mana 2/2 lifelinkers in white. Looks good, but plays bad. 2/10.
Prosperity Tycoon – That is indeed a bunch of stats and text for 4 mana. 5/3 in stats that leaves 2 bodies is nothing to scoff at. The indestructibility might be stronger than it appears if your Cube has many tokens flying around. I could see people testing this. My problem with it is that it doesn’t excite me. 5/10.
Requisition Raid – This is the white card that I’m most excited about. I was already at the verge of adding Basr’s Solidarity. Adding conditional removal for artifacts or enchantments is a great bonus. I think this is an instant addition to my Cube. Very solid uncommon. 7/10.
Rustler Rampage – These two effects stapled together seem more for a surprise block than anything else, and I’m not that interested in doing that. Having the option to use this as a combat trick or get in for double strike damage is not that bad, but is very conditional even then. Again, Spree spells can always be good due to their flexibility, but these two effects are very narrow. 3/10.
Shepherd of the Clouds – People tend to Cube Custodi Squire, and this is not that different from that. You are trading the 3 MV condition for an extra point of damage and Vigilance. I mean, I could see this being good in the right decks or situations. Not bad. 6/10.
Sheriff of the Safe Passage – Not really excited for a vanilla creature that is a win-more. Playing it for its Plot cost isn’t something that excites me either. I feel this card is just bad, tough it could have a home in go wide decks, maybe?. 2/10.
Thunder Lasso – We already have Greatsword of Tyr for a much better cost and with much better late game effect. This is not bad, but having two equipment that have pretty much similar effects doesn’t excite me that much. Also, +1/+1 counter synergies are better with Greatsword. 3/10.
is:old year>2003 game:paper -e:PLIST -e:30A (in:common or in:uncommon)
Basically, what are all the reprints and new cards that have been printed in old border? I have tried to collect all the old borders I can for my Cube.
3 MV for a 1/1 that might generate small value afterwards is pretty bad. The ramping-equal-to-power side is also mostly irrelevant. I'd rather run Rishkar, Peema Renegade in that slot. I'm still running it in my Cube, but considering on cutting it soon.
When reviewing my Gruul section, I noticed that most people run Ghor-Clan Rampager.
What's the deal here? What am I missing? I have Bannerhide Krushok in the creature-that-is-also-a-combat-trick slot. And Rampager seems unexciting for a gold card. Maybe I'm misjudging it, who knows. I think it has a little inertia from the past, since it has been one of the staples of gruul for a long time.
I have the same feeling for Psychatog, I love Toothy, but Dimir is packed nowadays. They are still in my cube, but .... maybe getting cut soonish.
Here is my reasoning:
- I already run tapped Trilands, which are pretty much the same.
- I hate having to put dice on top of my lands.
- The Thriving lands are a cleaner design in my opinion.
I am currently Cubing 45 fixing lands in my Cube, which accounts for 1.25 fixing lands per pack. Cutting the vivids would mean going down to 1.11 fixing lands per pack.
They've been staples for so long that cutting them just feels wrong.
Daring Thunder-Thief – I think this is a cool design. A big blue creature with downside that cares about holding up mana and then bashes/blocks as a 4/4 the next turn. That said, this doesn’t really take me in other direction than blue-draw-“go” decks, and that is not something I’m particularly looking for in Peasant Cube. I like the design, but the stats are simply not there. 2/10
Djinn of Fool’s Fall – I don’t really see a reason to be excited about this card. Getting your 5 drop bolted with no ETB value is pretty mediocre, and spending 4 mana on turn 4 for no impact on the board (especially in blue) is tough. This CAN end games, being a 4 power flyer and all, but I’ll just move on. 2/10
Failed Fording – There is simply just no reason to play this when there are so much better variants of this effect. Into the Roil or Blink of an Eye are simply miles ahead of this. 1/10
Geyser Drake – This is interesting. Its funny how far away from Wind Drake we’ve come. And this guy can serve as glue for many decks. From the top of my head, UW Flyers can benefit from these just by being a good stated flyer for 3. Its problem is that it competes with Preening Champion, Cloudkin Seer and Eldrazi Skyspawner in that slot. Other use for this might be a UR or UB Control deck, where you are playing this to the board to block some creatures in the early turns, and leaving an interesting ability to react to opponents’ spells on their turns. And finally, some sort of UG Flash archetype, where this might also be serviceable. This guy seems is certainly interesting, but not a staple by any stretch. 5/10
Harrier Strix – Danm, 1-drops have come a long way. This guy is, in my opinion, the second best blue common of the set. And not in an obvious way. You aren’t really happy playing this as a Flyer on T1, but the impact this dude has on the late game is incredible. You can tap a blocker to squeeze some damage, you can loot lands away for just 3 mana (repeatedly). That is a lot of text for a 1-drop, and it might also be better than Spectral Sailor. If you compare those two cards, one might say that the tap ability is better than Flash, and paying 1 less mana for your mana sink ability is very relevant. I think I’ll end up testing this guy, maybe swap it for Pteramander, Spectral Sailor or Siren Stormtamer. 6/10
Jailbreak Scheme – Spree cards are hard to evaluate, but not this one, I’ll save your time and just move on to the next card. This is really overcosted for what it does, Shadow Rift plus a+1/+1 counter for 4 mana? And we don’t really play Time Ebb either, so…2/10.
Loan Shark – Despite having a legendary art by the legend Wayne Reynolds, this Mako shark is a mediocre common with a small upside and a very, very low floor. I understand it enables itself for the double-spell, but you don’t want to pay 4 mana on T4 to draw a card on T5. 1/10
Peerless Ropemaster – If this didn’t have the “tapped” clause on it, I’d be (at least) a little more excited about it. But lets be honest, the amount of ETB bounce creatures that exist totally outclass this dude. He is big though, and might give you a little more time to stay alive. But, I just don’t see a world where you play this over Man-o’-War or Riftwing Cloudskate. 2/10
Phantom Interference – Et tu, Mystic Snake? Is this card bonkers? I’m having such a hard time evaluating this, and that usually means it is great. So, for starters this is just Quench, which can be begrudgingly playable. But on top of that you have the mode to get an extra body for 3 extra mana. AND, on top of that you can just play a 2/2 flyer with flash for 4 mana. I think the combination of modes in this card add up to a great spell, and I’ll be happy to test it. I’ll just have to see which counterspell I’m cutting for this, maybe Miscalculation? Who knows. This is certainly the best blue common of the set. 7/10
Razzle-Dazzler – How many times might you trigger this in one game? 1 or 2? As a 1/2 at face value for 2 mana, this is just the kind of conditional creatures that I’m not playing, ever. 1/10.
Seize the Secrets – You can keep your secrets all you want, I’m just not happy about Divination with marginal upside. If I’m not playin Quick Study, I’m not playing this card. Of One Mind and Winged Words both seem better than this as well. 2/10
Slickshot Vault-Buster – That is a sick name for a card. That’s all I can say about this. Looks bad, plays bad, not interested. 1/10.
Spring Splasher – I don’t ever see playing this over any of the 2/1 flyers that are abundant nowadays in our format. A creature with 3 toughness would just block this easily with no real risk. The fact that this is a Goblin Piker with some aggressive upside is nice, but it doesn’t stand its own. 2/10.
Stop Cold – Another variant for Tamiyo’s Compleation. We don’t really play those cards. Aura removal is just not that good, especially with all the incidental enchantment hate and/or bounce effects in cube. I’d say it will be playable in limited, but not that strong in Cube. 2/10
Take the Fall – I’d rather not have conditional combat tricks in my blue instant slots. I don’t see this any better than Striped Riverwinder, Opt or Consider. As a combat trick, I prefer the Fearies that give -2/-0 and stuff. 1/10
Canyon Crab – This had surge Mare vibes, and with an easier mana cost. I believe this card is pretty good. The flexibility of being an early game speed bump and a late game threat is fine. And it also helps with controlling decks that want to leave mana open. All that said, I believe it lacks something to really be cubable, it just doesn’t fill a role, it’s just an efficient creature. For the 2 mana defensive slot I’d rather have Picklock Prankster. 4/10
Deepmuck Desperado – Cowboy Homarid, with hats. Nuff said. 1/10.
Emergent Haunting – This looks like a Plot seed in its own Limited Format. For Cube, I don’t really see this being particularly good. Maybe, if you want to have a defensive flyer and leave 3 mana up in T3 it might be good. It is just too inconsistent to consider. 2/10.
Fleeting Reflection – This effect is so narrow that I don’t really see how you could use it to your advantage. I believe this is the first time we see this kind of effect stapled on a blue instant at uncommon, and that is something to highlight. It’s just too narrow, and for protection spells, I’d rather have Dive Down. I’ll give it a bump in grade because I’m just not sure how it will play out. 3/10.
Marauding Sphinx – This guy has a LOT of stats and keywords. It’s a pity that committing a crime is a bit conditional to really trigger (and also only triggers once). But this has Serra Angel vibes with all those stats. It is hard to evaluate, but the king of 5 MV Mulldrifter is difficult to dethrone. That said, the 5 toughness on this makes it very difficult to kill. I imagine this being good against red removal, where only Flame Slash kills it and ward on top of that. Cool card, but not really a role filler. 6/10.
Metamorphic Blast – Flexibility is cool and all, but, what does one effect has to do with the other? I just don’t see the flavor here. Anyways, Weave Fate + Ovinize in a single card can give you some weird flexibility and make being reactive a little better. My problem is, I’d rather always play Fact or Fiction than this, or even the new Scattered Thoughts in the “Draw 2 cards for 4 MV” slot. Spree is hard to evaluate though, I think the best will be to test them in their limited format to see whether they are worth it or not. 4/10.
Nimble Brigand – I play Jhessian Thief in my Cube, and this is not that different from that. You just must think whether you prefer the unblockability or the Prowess. In my case, I prefer Prowess, because it will trigger with more things than the “commit crime” text. This kind of cards are never bad, and this guy might get some cards after some turns. It’s not that spectacular though, and Jhessian Thief is already marginally playable in my opinion. 4/10.
Outlaw Stitcher – This card looks bonkers in its own limited format with the Plot mechanic. A 1/4 that brings a 4/4 with it is pretty strong, and can be bounced for more value. I believe this is compares a lot to Wing Splicer, and the 4 toughness is nothing to scoff at. This could be a huge roadblock for aggressive decks, its floor is 3/6 stats in two bodies for 4 mana, and that ain’t bad. 5/10.
Plan the Heist – Why would you play this over Concentrate(an already unplayable card)? 1/10.
Shackle Slinger – Two spells for a tap? And a 3/2 mediocre body attached to it. This screams unplayable to me, even in its own format. 1/10.
Shifting Grift – Again, compare this to Control Magic and you have another unplayable 4-drop blue uncommon. The flexibility here is also not relevant. How many times are you going to have an artifact/enchantment laying around to exchange for a better artifact/enchantment an opponent controls? 2/10.
Slickshot Lockpicker – I like that they are printing this kind of effect in uncommon. Having a monocolored cubable Snapcaster Mage is pretty good, and stapled to a 2/3 body that can defend you from attackers is quite good. I believe the best home for this might be UR Spells or UB Control, where you are flashbacking a Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push on T4. The plot ability is just extra text that might be relevant when you want to flashback more expensive spells in the late game and you aren’t under much pressure. I’m currently cubing the Halo Forager, but that guy can cast cards from any graveyard, which is very relevant. Two of these effects is pretty interesting for our environment, I’d say I’ll test this card and see how it performs. 6/10.
This Town Ain’t Big Enough – This is interesting, and can be a big tempo hit if your opponent is in the backfoot. I believe this is a great sideboard card against green decks that are trying to land fatties on the board. That said, I think there are much better bounce options, that I already mentioned above, in our environment, and I’m not happy to play Run Away Together. 3/10.
Visage Bandit – Just play Clone if you are considering this. 3/10.
Also, I invite anyone to continue the review in another color.
White:
Armored Armadillo – Not that impressive. Hold Equipment very well due to its Ward 1 and ability. But a 0/4 with a mediocre mana sink is not what I’m looking for in aggressive decks. It can serve as a roadblack in the early game for a control deck, but I much prefer a Wall of Omens for that. 2/10.
Bridled Bighorn – This guy is a 3/4 Vigilance with upside that might be good in go wide decks. But having to Saddle this to be happy about it is pretty bad. I much prefer playing a Renegade Freighter than this card. 1/10.
Eriette’s Lullaby – The 2 life stapled on to the removal is nice. But this competes with much stronger cards, and lacks the flexibility to be good in aggressive decks. The Sorcery speed hurts this a lot as well. It simply has much better options in white removal slots. 2/10.
Holy Cow - Inspiring Overseer is naturally the card you are comparing to this, although not as powerful as the Angel, the Cow does really have relevant lines of text. I’d say this could be played in Cubes that want to test it and have an open slot. 5/10.
Inventive Wingsmith – A 2/4 for 3 that needs two turn cycles to attack as a flyier. No thanks. 1/10.
Mystical Tether – There are plenty of better options for Banishing Light effects. This has the upside of being able to be cast as an instant to disrupt your opponents. It simply has better competition, with Touch the Spirit Realm, Cast Out, Banishing Light as a catch all. 4/10.
Steer Clear – There’s much better options than this in white. This suffers from the same things as Eriette’s Lullaby, its not good in the aggressive decks and has niche upside that will never happen. 1/10.
Sterling Keykeeper – Solid for limited maybe, but not for cube. Tappers in white cost 1 less and their ability costs 1 less. The 2 MV slot in white is simply to overcrowded for an effect like this. 2/10.
Trained Arynx – I’d bet this card plays much better than it looks. A 3/1 first strike attacking on T3 and getting a scry from it sounds pretty good. On the other hand, this is just too fragile. If this had Saddle 1, it would be much better. 3/10.
Vengful Townsfolk – I guess white will just get 3/3s for 3 with upside now. Reminded very much about Unruly Mob, not a card that I’m particularly excited to play. 3/10.
Wanted Griffin – This creature simply doesn’t cut it. 3/2 for 4 mana that leaves a body is something that I want on ETBs, not on die triggers. If Oltec Cloud Guard doesn’t cut it, neither does this. 2/10.
Bounding Felidar – A 6 drop that needs to attack to be good, that also needs you to have other creatures to saddle it and with mediocre stats? No thank you. Compare this to Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. 1/10.
Bovine Intervention – Or as some are calling it, Swords to Cowshares looks good, but plays bad. It is the same as withStroke of Midnight, Generous Gift and Beast Within, leaving a body behind after destroying is not that good, especially if you are on the backfoot. I’d say it can be playable if you are depowering removal, but it doesn’t cut it for me. This effect for 2 mana is pretty strong, though, so I’m debating on what grade to give it. Maybe 4/10.
Frontier Seeker – A 2/1 that draws a Plains ain’t that bad. Of course, not always are you going to hit a Plains with this, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. I prefer much reliable options like Spirited Companion, Wall of Omens, Ambitious Farmhand, or Raffine’s Informant in this slot. 3/10.
Getaway Glamer – This is the first Spree card, and they all seem pretty interesting and hard to evaluate. Although most of them have an inefficient cost, they are flexible options for those kind of slots. That said, this card doesn’t do anything particularly well. Ephemerate is a monster of a card and costs only 1 mana, and the conditional removal is not that good. This compares well with Settle Beyond Reality as they are really similar. Because of its flexibility, I’ll give it a 3/10.
Lassoed by the Law – If you are playing Palace Jailer, this card falls short. Also, Banisher Priest and Fairgrounds Warden might be better overall. This does have the potential to exile noncreature permanents and that might be a point in its favor. I’d say this card is solid and might impress in its limited format. 4/10.
Nurturing Pixie – If your Cube has a Flyers theme and a Blink theme, this looks good for both archetypes. The problem with this is that is pretty mediocre in both its uses. I’m not happy for a 1/1 Flyer, and for self bouncing I’d much prefer a Kor Skyfisher, Rescuer Chwinga or another of those variants. 3/10.
Omenport Vigilante – This looks difficult to trigger and with not that good of a reward for doing so. Looks pretty bad, honestly. 1/10.
Prairie Dog – I’d just go ahead and ignore the last ability, because I don’t see a world where that would be relevant. I’m simply struggling to see this as more than a Mesa Unicorn to be honest. Yeah, maybe it’ll grow sometimes, but I don’t want to be holding mana when I’m playing 2 mana 2/2 lifelinkers in white. Looks good, but plays bad. 2/10.
Prosperity Tycoon – That is indeed a bunch of stats and text for 4 mana. 5/3 in stats that leaves 2 bodies is nothing to scoff at. The indestructibility might be stronger than it appears if your Cube has many tokens flying around. I could see people testing this. My problem with it is that it doesn’t excite me. 5/10.
Requisition Raid – This is the white card that I’m most excited about. I was already at the verge of adding Basr’s Solidarity. Adding conditional removal for artifacts or enchantments is a great bonus. I think this is an instant addition to my Cube. Very solid uncommon. 7/10.
Rustler Rampage – These two effects stapled together seem more for a surprise block than anything else, and I’m not that interested in doing that. Having the option to use this as a combat trick or get in for double strike damage is not that bad, but is very conditional even then. Again, Spree spells can always be good due to their flexibility, but these two effects are very narrow. 3/10.
Shepherd of the Clouds – People tend to Cube Custodi Squire, and this is not that different from that. You are trading the 3 MV condition for an extra point of damage and Vigilance. I mean, I could see this being good in the right decks or situations. Not bad. 6/10.
Sheriff of the Safe Passage – Not really excited for a vanilla creature that is a win-more. Playing it for its Plot cost isn’t something that excites me either. I feel this card is just bad, tough it could have a home in go wide decks, maybe?. 2/10.
Thunder Lasso – We already have Greatsword of Tyr for a much better cost and with much better late game effect. This is not bad, but having two equipment that have pretty much similar effects doesn’t excite me that much. Also, +1/+1 counter synergies are better with Greatsword. 3/10.
In reality, what is going to happen is that you'll see them being last picked a lot and its a feel bad during the draft portion.
60 cards = 11%
With lands, 110 cards (2 per guild slot) = 20%
//
Rescuer Chwinga and Leelue, name a more iconic duo.
//
With no data to back it up, I'm guessing 10% of the time Abrade is a Shatter.
Pretty good old-bordering for me:
- Cloudfin Raptor
- Crackling Drake
- Condenm
- Experiment One
- Frilled Mystic
- Guttersnipe
- Lightning Helix
- Light Up the Stage
- Mayhem Devil
- Pteramander
- Rhythm of the Wild
- Utopia Sprawl
- Wilderness Reclamation
is:old year>2003 game:paper -e:PLIST -e:30A (in:common or in:uncommon)
Basically, what are all the reprints and new cards that have been printed in old border? I have tried to collect all the old borders I can for my Cube.
3 MV for a 1/1 that might generate small value afterwards is pretty bad. The ramping-equal-to-power side is also mostly irrelevant. I'd rather run Rishkar, Peema Renegade in that slot. I'm still running it in my Cube, but considering on cutting it soon.
Thanks, it works. I just forced it with the 'é'. I tend to use "Specify Versions" checked, but I just rammed the name and it appeared. Thanks richard.
My update is done (with their proper Update Blogs)for LCI/CMR/stuff for the rest of the year. Hopefully.
I'm still pending on cutting 7 cards to go down to 540 cards. But that should be done by the end of the week.
Igurmendez's Peasant Cube (also in my signature)
BTW/PS: CubeCobra isn't letting me add Bartolomé del Presidio to the Cube. That might affect your numbers when doing the AVERAGE 2023. Just as a note.
This set is getting interesting, many strictly better than cards I run today have been spoiled, so I'm excited to see the complete spoiler.
These 1 MV and 2 MV creatures are getting ridiculous.
What's the deal here? What am I missing? I have Bannerhide Krushok in the creature-that-is-also-a-combat-trick slot. And Rampager seems unexciting for a gold card. Maybe I'm misjudging it, who knows. I think it has a little inertia from the past, since it has been one of the staples of gruul for a long time.
I have the same feeling for Psychatog, I love Toothy, but Dimir is packed nowadays. They are still in my cube, but .... maybe getting cut soonish.
It is not in my cube, but being a pretty unique card (and also a staple of the game), I've been in the fringes of adding it.