MTG Salvation

Uro is probably somewhere between #4 - #6 in Simic I think.

Oko, Krasis, and Nissa are my top 3. After that Edric, Mystic Snake, and Uro are all good second tier options.

Have an idea for content I'd enjoy and think would have some broad appeal. Could you do a video about the origins of cube? Where did this format come from? What did it look like in its earliest days? Was there a moment cube became a commonly recognized format? I've personally run a cube for about a decade and I've known about the format since the late 2000's. I'd love a history lesson on my favorite format.

Shatter the Sky or Parallax Wave

Tombstalker or Sheoldred, Whispering One or Noxious Gearhulk

Phoenix of Ash or Feldon of the Third Path

Ashiok, Nightmare Muse or Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

Cube for Reference

The entire intervention cycle is hot garbage including Thassa's. I would take Supreme Will in a pack before that card.

I think Nightmare Shepherd is a bit underrated here. It suffers from being a black 4 drop which is a slot that has gotten more competitive with Rankle and Yawgmoth taking up real estate. Still 4/4 with evasion for 4 is fantastic and cube is stacked with awesome ETB creatures. The limited experience I've had with this in standard has shown it is a card that demands an answer--it makes combat a "nightmare" for an opponent.

Wrath of Storms is probably the best red "wrath" yet, but with existing scaling options like Earthquake and red's general tilt towards aggro/burn it probably still isn't enough to make people want to run it.

You confirmed my suspicion about Nadir Kraken though I may still test it. Going big and wide simultaneously is great, but having to be down a mana consistently to do so is not. Cube can do better things with that unused mana than a +1/+1 counter and a 1/1 token.

Honestly don't think there is a better Dimir walker than the new Ashiok. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is only a good pick in artifact.dec and old Ashiok is strong but situational. It might not compare favorably to The Scarab God which is an insane limited bomb but looking at your Dimir section, I think there is certainly room for this over a couple things. This is probably the most underrated card on your list.

The Titans are neat and should play well for constructed formats, but I don't think the type of deck that can take advantage of them often materializes in cube.

Shadowspear is good, but I'd take Loxodon Warhammer over it usually. The difference between making any creature you topdeck (or any token) into a 4 power at minimum, trampling, lifelinking threat is huge compared to paying nearly the same equip cost to get a 2/2 trampling, lifelinking elf. Both lifelink and trample are abilities you want paired with a big power boost, not a modest one even if its more cost friendly.

I've seen Thassa do some gross things in constructed. I know cube has the ETB creatures for this to be good, but its floor can be extremely bad too. As someone who loves blink and was really sad that Soulherder just couldn't beat the Azorious competition, I'm struggling with whether or not this can make it into a fairly stacked blue 4 drop section.

Phoenix of Ash is probably going to replace Feldon in my cube. I liked Chandra's Phoenix, but it was just missing exactly what this card has. Feldon just hasn't worked out unfortunately.

I'm unsure about Heliod, but I think he's probably better than Hallowed Spiritkeeper or Mirror Entity for my cube and I do run Ballista and Finks so there is that. I'm leaning more towards yes on this one.

Maybe Breach just isn't for me....I mean it would be actively terrible in my cube.

My first instinct with Shatter the Sky was to pass as I already have Wrath of God, Day of Judgment, Catastrophe, and Winds of Abandon in my white cube section, but I think I may actually take a cue from others and free up an Azorious slot by taking out Supreme Verdict and replacing it with this.

Woe Strider is a great card that does a little bit of everything in all the right ways. It creates two bodies on etb, its a sac outlet without a mana cost, it recurs and comes back stronger on curve. It works with so many existing strategies. I'm a huge fan.

As a Uril EDH player. I approve this card.

Comes down early with a great body for the cost. It is an enchantment itself. It makes Uril and the auras you put on him uncounterable. It has another ability that can make my lands a creature at instant speed.

6R Ball Lightning! Get Hyped!

At least the other mode allows red to deal with big threats fairly efficiently--something that is traditionally outside of its wheelhouse. 3R kills any x/6 creature or 6 loyalty walker.

Just Chalice of the Void for whatever CC he is vulnerable against.

This thread is to list spoiled cards from THB that you are either including for sure or you are testing/watching. This is also a thread for posting early testing results. Please include the size of your cube, if it is powered/unpowered, and any other considerations that might impact your choices (e.g. you run multiple fetches, commander cube, etc.). As always you can post your list and update as the spoiler is completed or just post when it is done.

In
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is rather narrow outside of a dedicated artifact shell. I think this Ashiok variant is a better fit for more decks. Spamming 2/3 tokens, bounce plus exile discard, and an ultimate that free-casts your opponent cube spells...yes please.

Testing
Heliod, Sun-Crowned- Looks like it a good potential replacement for Mirror Entity, Hallowed Spiritkeeper, or perhaps even Recruiter of the Guard (which hasn't blown me away). 5 Devotion in white shouldn't be too hard to come by and the combo with Walking Ballista is powerful but not overpowered.
Nadir Kraken - The blue 3CC creature slot is definitely an area that could use improvement and this goes big and wide simultaneously and really lends itself to control strategies, counter/draw, opposition, and more. Paying 1 for a permanent +1/+1 pump and a 1/1 token is a steal. Being able to do it repeatedly is even better. Time to cut Serendib Efreet.
Woe Strider - This guy does so many different things. Two bodies, free sac outlet, recursion, comes back larger. Black three drops have gotten better but I still think I could find a cut for this if it tests well enough.
Ash Phoenix - This is probably the best Phoenix variant we have gotten since Rekindling Phoenix. It is definitely an upgrade over Chandra's Phoenix. The pump + recursion and haste is a potent combination that can add up to a lot of damage over the course of a game.

Watching
Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - I'm happy to see blink get more support but a lot of blue decks don't have a heavy board presence so I'm not sure how relevant the devotion-creature clause will be here. Also 4 mana to tap a creature is alot. I think there will be some two-color decks that will run creatures who really take advantage of her ability on turn 5, but most two color decks will struggle even more to get the devotion trigger.
Storm's Wrath - I think this card would have a lot more mileage in my cube if I supported Wildfire.dec or a big red deck but the identity of red in my cube is more burn/aggro-centric. If this hit non-red walkers I'd be much more interested.
The First Iroan Games - This card is awesome value for 3 mana. One 1/1 body, 3 +1/+1 counters and draw two cards (and gold)? There's a lot of hoop jumping, but each saga enables the next hoop and it is important to remember this card won't be played in a vacuum. Often it will be turning your two drop into a 5 power threat and then giving you a free divination...IN GREEN. A wrath hoses this card awfully hard though and a gold for the final phase of the sage is a flavor win but a cube fail. Ultimately I just don't see this being consistent enough.
Klothys, God of Destiny - I've heard this card compared to Sulfuric Vortex but Vortex this is not. The ability you get is dependant upon what is available to exile and losing the players can't gain life clause drastically reduces how effective the ability is. Also by the time you get the devotion on this guy his 4/5 body may not be so imposing, indestructible or not.

Still lots of set yet to be revealed, but it is looking like this will be a lighter set for cube then the past three (WAR, MH1, and ELD). I'm totally okay with this as I'm still trying to pick up certain ELD staples. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates the breather for the wallet.

I corrected it.

Love the Achilles reference. That protection is dripping with flavor and makes for very interesting gameplay. I like that is isn't just protection from creatures with that converted mana cost. If you want to launch a kill spell at Haktos it also has to have the right converted mana cost.

Also, Give us "Patroclus" so we can send Kynaios, Tiro, Haktos and him to gay brunch at the Nyx Cafe. =P

Woe Strider 2B
Creature - Horror (R)
When Woe Strider ETB, create a 0/1 white Goat creature token.
Sacrifice another creature: Scry 1
Escape 3BB - Exile four other cards from your graveyard, you may cast this from your graveyard.
Woe Strider escapes with two +1/+1 counters on it.
3/2

Super tough card to evaluate. It has a splashable cost, puts two bodies on the battlefield, is a free sacrifice outlet, recurs, comes back bigger and at a place on the curve where Black has been lacking- 5CC. It does so many different things that it may well be good enough for most cubes. In my own cube, I think there's a good case for this against Vampire Nighthawk, Flesh Carver, or Liliana, Heretical Healer. 2 toughness might be a dealbreaker though.

Also. Goats. Can't get enough of em'.

Storm's Wrath 2RR
Sorcery (R)
Wrath of Storm deals 4 damage to each creature and each planeswalker.


Aside from the incredibly on the nose name, I really like this card. I've thought for a long time that if red is going to branch out of being strictly aggro/burn it is going to need a better wrath option than Hour of Devastation or Anger of the Gods and this fits the bill. 4CC is the sweet spot for wraths and this one is about on par with Languish in a vacuum (-x/-x is better, but this hits Walkers), but might be a bit worse since again red sections tend to have an aggro/burn focus at present. Still for players trying to expand on red's identity within cube and in the market for a red wrath I think this is the best one so far. I'm going to test it for sure. Really wish it had like a non-red walker clause...that might have pushed this enough for more powerful cube lists.

I wouldn't cut Initiate for Sovereign as they operate in the same aggro type deck and are both solid. I'd cut Seeker of the Way or Containment Priest for the Sovereign.

I am on board with the procession cut but if you would like an alternative, kick out the ordinary pony. It's just ordinary.

As much as I want to support artifact.dec this card appears to be generally better than Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas outside of that specific shell and thus will probably replace it. I also like that this does mill in an incremental and unique way that is more interactive than something like Jace, Memory Adept. Also triggering on attack/block as opposed to when you damage the player is pretty huge.

Well, you're in luck. Recently bought a greatly discounted ELD bundle and it included this! Woot! Now I need to find time to get a cube group together!