I think this card will be just draw a card + scry 2 a lot of the time. Damage for mana value is an insane threat, as Combustible Gearhulk has shown us.
IMO the above evaluations are way off and this is much stronger than it looks.
Arcane Artisan is quite good actually, we played it until just a few months ago, and I'd imagine it is much more consistent than this without a plethora of accessible topdeck manipulation. Respectfully, you aren't playing that or Show and Tell, maybe your environment/meta is just different.
Hmm not sure if that's the problem, I do support cheat archetypes (besides reanimator stuff also Eureka, Monster Manual, Selvala's Stampede, Channel, Tinker etc). I tried Show and Tell but cut it after testing data showed the card lost its caster the game about as many times as it won it. My issue with Artisan is how slow and fragile it is. Yes the power ceiling is very high, but I just don't like the kind of play where you need to hope you get to untap with a 3 toughness creature. And even afterwards the token STILL gets exiled if the 0/3 dies.
About Drifter, I do indeed think that it could be a decent fit not just in decks with giant monsters but also in tempo decks, simply by virtue of being a 2/4 flyer with upside.
I don't quite follow the logic that ramps beyond five is not useful, at the very least this is highly dependent on the cube environment in question. However having considered a bit more I do think that the mana only being useful for artifacts is too constricting. As first I saw a 5/5 for 5 with an in-built Tolarian Academy, but this Karn is not that that card.
I initially wrote off this Nissa but on second glance... I think I could use a second Lotus Cobra with extra benefits. Might give it a test run, thanks for posting.
I think Drifter is certainly a playable cube card as of a cube size of +-600, I could see testing it around 540 even. 2/4 flying for 2U is not a bad rate, peeking is worth something and the ability can be game-deciding. Arcane Artisan seems terrible to me, I wouldn't cube with it at any size.
Karn, Legacy Reforged’s power and toughness are each equal to the greatest mana value among artifacts you control.
At the beginning of your upkeep, add {C} for each artifact you control. This mana can’t be spent to cast nonartifact spells. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as steps and phases end.
*/*
This card seems like a great fit for artifact heavy builds, should enable some great lines of play. Could be a bit narrow though, and not being able to fuel an Upheaval is a bit of a bummer - thoughts?
Thought I'd post on the state of the cube anno 2023
The cube has been hovering around the 540 size for a while now. With the downsize went most of the combo stuff. CubeCobra is still up to date, ONE update will be carried out next.
I think this is an absurd card. Extremely easy to get value out of, and the body is huge. I see no downsides (edit - yes, except for the occasional one as mentioned by the OP). Cannot wait to jam it in the cube.
Fair enough Lucid. I think Luminarch is a stellar 2-drop, so it makes sense that I'm more comfortable considering a 3-drop variant. That ability just runs away with games, a quality that is rare even for 3-drops.
I don't quite get the logic of paying extra for the +1/+1 though. You're paying for the whole package, and the original ability is very strong. It's like not running a card that reads 'Ancestral Memo U1 - Instant - Draw 3 cards. Then gain 1 life.' because 'you're only paying 1 more to gain 1 life' compared to Ancestral Recall...
Ultimately this gives us the possibility to run a 2nd creature with the Luminarch effect, which looks interesting to me - although indeed the competition in white 3-drops is quite fierce.
Stuff on my test shortlist (not sure to make it in):
IMO the above evaluations are way off and this is much stronger than it looks.
Hmm not sure if that's the problem, I do support cheat archetypes (besides reanimator stuff also Eureka, Monster Manual, Selvala's Stampede, Channel, Tinker etc). I tried Show and Tell but cut it after testing data showed the card lost its caster the game about as many times as it won it. My issue with Artisan is how slow and fragile it is. Yes the power ceiling is very high, but I just don't like the kind of play where you need to hope you get to untap with a 3 toughness creature. And even afterwards the token STILL gets exiled if the 0/3 dies.
About Drifter, I do indeed think that it could be a decent fit not just in decks with giant monsters but also in tempo decks, simply by virtue of being a 2/4 flyer with upside.
Legendary Artifact Creature — Golem
Karn, Legacy Reforged’s power and toughness are each equal to the greatest mana value among artifacts you control.
At the beginning of your upkeep, add {C} for each artifact you control. This mana can’t be spent to cast nonartifact spells. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as steps and phases end.
*/*
This card seems like a great fit for artifact heavy builds, should enable some great lines of play. Could be a bit narrow though, and not being able to fuel an Upheaval is a bit of a bummer - thoughts?
The cube has been hovering around the 540 size for a while now. With the downsize went most of the combo stuff. CubeCobra is still up to date, ONE update will be carried out next.
My list of potential includes:
I don't quite get the logic of paying extra for the +1/+1 though. You're paying for the whole package, and the original ability is very strong. It's like not running a card that reads 'Ancestral Memo U1 - Instant - Draw 3 cards. Then gain 1 life.' because 'you're only paying 1 more to gain 1 life' compared to Ancestral Recall...
Ultimately this gives us the possibility to run a 2nd creature with the Luminarch effect, which looks interesting to me - although indeed the competition in white 3-drops is quite fierce.