It's a nice one! Would replace my Unstable Obelisk as soon as i could
Yea, I got that one by the skin of my teeth, its so close.
If I could get an image of the full sheet, I'd be able to put the deck together, since the entire thing is miscut.
the sol ring art is on a faithless looting, and there are a ton that are split down the middle of the name, so id be interested on what the rulings would be.
Basic Information Cube Size:550(ish) Breakdown: 55 Monochrome (each), 83 Multicolor, 86 Artifacts, 78 lands Standard or Theme: My cube is a little quirky. I've tried to instill a very heavy combo presence throughout my cube, so LD is very light and counters are relatively sparse for a powered cube. This removes some built in inhibitions to most cubes, and the gamestate can get very out-of-hand very quickly. That being said, I always enjoy force-spiking a turn one Wurmcoil. Snow Lands: No Average Number of Players: 2-6 How Often Drafted: about once a week
Card Selection Proxies: A few Powered: Awwwwww Yeah!!!!!! Portal: I think so? "Un" Cards: Two, last change. Banned Cards for Power-Level: None currently Banned Cards for Time Constraints: None currently Banned Cards for "fun" factor: I am strongly considering cutting Winter Orb, simply because sitting across from one is about as fun as eating a plate full of glass.
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer: Generally standard games Sideboards?: of course Color Balance: yep Gold Balance: yep Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: how else would you count them? Color Triggers as Gold: confused on this one. If you mean like Kird ape, then yes Perfectly Balanced CMC: What would a mana curve for an entire cube look like?
I played nothing but casual mono black discard while in high school, and I'm finding this thread a bit underwhelming. nothing was said in OP about the sheer importance of cards like nezumi shortfang and completely skipped over both ensnaring bridge, liliana's caress and howling mine.
the following is the deck I propose:
consider we are just leaving a plane that has succumbed to phyrexia. The old ones of Zendikar have been awakened. Innistrad...Guildpact... no, too soon, not making that connection. Anyone taking bets on cards from FUT that we will see here?
I dont think there is a problem with evaluating card in relation to other cards, its just that in his own words Flores said "What the Philosophy of Fire does is focus on the first part of that exchange. Rather than looking at a cards-for-cards or life-for-cards relationship, it focuses on cards for life and associates a value based on the default damage spell being Shock. Simple and obvious, right?"
I read have read the article probably 4 times in as many years, before the conversation began, and re-reading it I think it is a little too focused on Shock. IMO the default value=Shock is wrong, its Lightning Bolt, or greater. It would have been a great article if was written for a an eternal format, but it was written for as a guide for standard meta.
so just take the principle and apply it to lightning bolt?
that seems a little steep though, because it assumes that every card in your hand (save lands) exchange for 3 life; that would lead to some very quick games (which the cube tends to do, but not nearly as often as you would suggest if each card had the possibility of a bolt). What would you feel to be a fair exchange?
edit: sorry, just saw the conversation had continued, and I would throw my $.02 in. Curious though, ponder, what are your thoughts on Skyshroud Ridgeback? I've seen the arguments against, but to me they just don't outweigh the good things about the card. (refresher: early game, it doesn't trade and gets through for 4, mid game it is a blocker for g, late game it is about as worthless as any other 1drop.)
The principle that applies for Affinity Standard (~2004), does not apply for Cube.
Standard Affinity doesnt even exist any more Thantos_02.
That is a very outmoded and outdated system you are using for appraisal of a constructed format that is several years old.
Cube is a limited format, and even current Standard meta has Lightning Bolt, which does 3 damage, and Cube has Anhk of Mishra, and Wheel of Fortune, Time Walk.
In theory the system presented is about evaluation of conservation of resources. Its doesnt really make much sense really, sorry, because the way you are presenting it as current tenet for a Limited Meta, when it was intended as a walk-through for playing T2 Constructed, when Mirrodin was released. Gosh! they have even changed the way damage works since then, we even use different games rules now.
And Ill answer your question on Level Up, try Enclave Cryptologist she works very favorably even in high power environs.
did you even look at the second article? i gave you the first link just to show where I got the reference. "The Philosophy of Fire" is the article that I wanted you to read, or at least glance at. It is a principle, nothing more or less than that -A principle almost as old as the game, I might add.
With Arcbound Ravager, Disciple of the Vault, (Mater of Etherium), Cranial Plating and in some way Signal Pest Affinity has a ton of cards that deal more than 2 damage per card. It is more like they can deal 2 additional damage out of every permanent they have, assuming that you have Ravanger, Disciple and an unblocked creature.
The only creature that sees some relevant play are Hellspark Elemental (2 creatures, protection from counter spells), Keldon Maruders (guaranteed 2 damage at any point in the game, possibly 5, even more with blink cards), Hell's Thunder (already less people want to play with this card, but evasion on a card that can deal 8 damage seems good enough); said Spark Elemental only sees play in 2% of the cubes, while Ball Lightning can be found in 25% of the lists that I have data on, but most of his popularity comes from cubes that support >10 players.
as true as all of this is, look at the mana investment into each one. 4 for 6 dmg, 2 for 2-5, 3 for 4 or 8 for 8, and 3 for 6. did we mention that this is all in red? the card in question is a green 1 for 4, this is all apples to oranges.
I don't know how you got to the 6 turns, since a 2/1 only needs to live past turn 3 to be be better than the fading creature. If a creature gets to survive that long, it is because they need to spend removal on your other threats or try to advance on the board.
it has to survive through your third turn. That would be the fifth turn it survives.
The synergies with reanimation spells is questionable, since you don't really want to reanimate a 1 mana dude and in case of the sac a creature return a creature stuff, if is not like you couldn't have sacrificed any other small creature to get something back.
this is true, but that still doesn't change the fact that the synergy is there.
16% artifacts is above average (12.5%), but it is not nearly as high as the 38.4% that you have in SoM limited, and even there, a dedicated Metalcraft deck doesn't always get there until T4.
To have a reasonable chance of getting the Homunculus to beat for 2 on T2, you would have to run 6 0 or 2 mana artifacts in your deck, which looks close too impossible outside of a very small powered cube with a dedicated artifact theme.
Sorry, I haven't been very clear or forthcoming with you on this point. I draft winston, and the way I shuffle and divvy out the cube causes there to be a very high percentage of artifacts that make it in to draft. I can see cutting the recruit, but the homunculus has been solid for us.
Here are some different scenarios
1. Attacking with more than one creature (advantage, Lions)
2. Attacking solo, no blockers (wash)
3. Attacking solo, 1 power blocker (advantage, Squire)
4. Attacking solo, 2+ power blocker (wash)
5. Blocking (advantage, Lions)
I think that (1) and (5) are more frequent than (3), so I think that Lions would be more consistently better than the squire. YMMV
done. Lion is going back in. I haven't yet had the opportunity to draft the squire, but I see your point.
'Metalcraft' decks want to run about 14 artifacts in them to be able to consistently achieve metalcraft. Given that artifacts are quite high picks and you are unlikely to be able to pick them up late, is 80 enough? Wouldn't you need about 160 or so artifacts in yoru cube to make metalcraft feasible?
80 may be on the lean side, I might very well cut ardent recruit seeing as how i need 3 other artifacts, but Court Homunculus is often an Isamaru by turn 2.
How has he played for you? Aggro creatures tend to need lots of similarly theme friends to keep the pressure on. The upkeep cost is also really heavier than it looks.
I love playing blue aggro, it is sooo left field that just the surprise is often enough to win games. Wind Zendikon is in my cube, along with serendib, wake thrasher and other goodies. he has support. As far as the upkeep, he handles himself better than the afore mentioned leveler which becomes the target of removal after you've invested into it. Also on the topic of friends, my cube is heavily tilted towards multicolored decks. If you're drafting for zoo, and you come across several good blue support (i.e. psionic blast, or any draw mechanic) you don't have to worry about investing into a color that isn't going to support your overall theme.
I don't want to go off on a tangent, but my cube is very unorthodox. There were three tenets I wanted to build my cube by:
1. Allow for rediculous board states. you know the games you walk by at you card store, local convention, where ever, and go "how the hell did this happen?"? Thats what I'm going for here.
2. Turn the color pie on its head. There are counters in white, blue has aggro, black has draw mechanics, red has board manipulation, green has draw and permanent destruction.
3. Be reminiscent of the Ravnica block. it is not uncommon to run 3 staple colors, often splashing for the other 2.
This might explain my "interesting" choices in cards.
Well, he's not unreliable. But he's also almost completely useless as a 1 drop.
I don't disagree. Regarding the list that i supplied earlier, i just went through and listed out all of my 1 drops without discrimination, regardless of point or purpose of the individual cards, sorry for the confusion.
I apologize, I didn't look hard enough. I've nacatl, and figure in my cube. I cut Savannah Lions for Akrasan Squire, seemed like a smarter pick to me. recruit and homunculus are in because i run what i feel to be an inordinately large number of artifacts (about 80 in a 500 cube). Drifter is the only blue 1 drop. How would bushwhacker be unreliable?
all but 5 are a one sided trade to the ridgeback. 2 kill it only if it is attacking, and only the Ardent Recruit kill it and survive (yet only in rare circumstances)
I'm not trying to debate anyone on its virtues, or undermine its drawbacks. I'm only suggesting it should be given a second look.
It is more like a Spark Elemental type creature, since it can only attack for a limited amount of damage and then dies. The combination of a small creature = it is mediocre / bad mid/ lategame with a kill switch, which prevents it from being a constant source of damage early.
the strange thing is spark elemental and the like make it into the cubes, while this doesn't. I value the card because it is off color, a green early game beatstick for 1. wild dogs changes hands, and pouncing jaguar has an echo cost (effectively 2 for a 2/2). The card also holds value mid game, staving off attacks for ~3 turns (slightly better than fog). I'm aware this is all highly situational, but i have yet to draft it and not play it, which leads us into the third point:
If you have a good equipment on the table, the actual size of your creature becomes secondary.
True. this was just an example of how the card can be abused. Skullclamp on a creature that is on its way out anyway is optimal use of both cards. Often when I see it, I start looking for reanimator pieces that swap creatures (Victimize, Hell's Caretaker, Recurring Nightmare just to name a few) and the Skullclamp is just icing on the cake. now, this can be taken for any fading/vanishing/echo creature, but the point here is that it isn't a stand-alone with no place.
For clarification, bcs means best case scenario. Compare the 4 damage from your 1 drop with how much you can deal to your opponent if you have a turn 1 2/1 creature against control; how about you add another 2-4 to that value because you were able to remove their first creature?
Again, valid point, but you're banking on a 1 drop to survive for 6 turns in order for it to be better than Ridgeback. That doesn't seem likely at all to me. Often, one drops trade across the board, which in any case makes this on par with any other one drop. the fact that it has the ability to survive beyond that makes it at least as playable as Savannah lions, which gets eaten by nearly everything.
So, in essence, he eats other 1 drops, he survives most burn, he beats for 4, acts as a wall mid game, and works well with reanimate late game.
Yeah, even if that must have been ~3 years ago.
What I don't like about [Skyshroud Ridgeback] is that the bcs is very suboptimal: 4 damage for 1 mana, and that is assuming that your opponent doesn't have any blockers.
Wow, really? affinity runs on a principle of 2 dmg per card, and 4 is sub-par? The thing is a giant early game, it eats every other 1 drop but ardent recruit (and only on very rare occasions does it not kill it) and most other 2 drops. mid game the thing can still be ridiculous, if you have any decent equipment on the board, and don't get me started on how the thing works with Skullclamp. There is nothing better than swinging in turn 2 and 3 for 3, then either eating an early chump or dealing 6 and drawing 2.
Really?
I'd value an off color mox higher in every white deck I can possibly think of.
My cube is more of a ravnica style play in that it is very easy to run 3-4 colors, and with that kind of diversity, you want you land base to be perfect. Land Tax does more than just grab plains. it is a mana fixer, I would grab it over a mox any day.
Yea, I got that one by the skin of my teeth, its so close.
If I could get an image of the full sheet, I'd be able to put the deck together, since the entire thing is miscut.
the sol ring art is on a faithless looting, and there are a ton that are split down the middle of the name, so id be interested on what the rulings would be.
Basic Information
Cube Size:550(ish)
Breakdown: 55 Monochrome (each), 83 Multicolor, 86 Artifacts, 78 lands
Standard or Theme: My cube is a little quirky. I've tried to instill a very heavy combo presence throughout my cube, so LD is very light and counters are relatively sparse for a powered cube. This removes some built in inhibitions to most cubes, and the gamestate can get very out-of-hand very quickly. That being said, I always enjoy force-spiking a turn one Wurmcoil.
Snow Lands: No
Average Number of Players: 2-6
How Often Drafted: about once a week
Card Selection
Proxies: A few
Powered: Awwwwww Yeah!!!!!!
Portal: I think so?
"Un" Cards: Two, last change.
Banned Cards for Power-Level: None currently
Banned Cards for Time Constraints: None currently
Banned Cards for "fun" factor: I am strongly considering cutting Winter Orb, simply because sitting across from one is about as fun as eating a plate full of glass.
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: Generally standard games
Sideboards?: of course
Color Balance: yep
Gold Balance: yep
Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: how else would you count them?
Color Triggers as Gold: confused on this one. If you mean like Kird ape, then yes
Perfectly Balanced CMC: What would a mana curve for an entire cube look like?
Stuff
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Land Tax
1 Mana Tithe
1 Orim's Chant
1 Path to Exile
1 Porphyry Nodes
1 Sunlance
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Disenchant
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Test of Faith
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Ghostway
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Waylay
1 Wing Shards
1 Armageddon
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Wrath of God
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Miraculous Recovery
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Martial Coup
defend strange cards
1 Court Homunculus
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Hand of Honor
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Lone Missionary
1 Shaman en-Kor
1 Soltari Priest
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Ballynock Cohort
1 Mirror Entity
1 Order of Whiteclay
1 Soltari Champion
1 Wall of Nets
1 Calciderm
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Indomitable Archangel
1 Reveillark
1 Stonehewer Giant
1 Yosei, The Morning Star
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Defend strange cards
Stuff
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Wind Zendikon
1 Counterspell
1 Eye of Nowhere
1 power artifact
1 Impulse
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Leak
1 Remand
1 Time Walk
1 Forbid
1 timetwister
1 Jace Beleren
1 Psionic Blast
1 Tinker
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Jace, The Mind Sculptor
1 Followed Footsteps
1 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
1 Sunder
1 Tezzeret, The Seeker
1 Treachery
Defend strange cards.
1 Drifter il-Dal
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Looter-il-Kor
1 Mindshrieker
1 Willbender
1 Disruptive Pitmage
1 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
1 Man-O'-War
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Trinket Mage
1 Master Transmuter
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
1 Morphling
1 Mulldrifter
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Vesuvan Doppelganger
1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
1 Sharding Sphinx
1 Palinchron
Defend strange cards.
Stuff
1 Darkness
1 Duress
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Reanimate
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Animate Dead
1 Bitterblossom
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sinkhole
1 Stitch Together
1 Terror
1 word of command
1 Necropotence
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Sudden Spoiling
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Damnation
1 Liliana Vess
1 Rise From the Grave
1 Mind Twist
1 Profane Command
Stuff about certain underadmired cards
1 Dark Confidant
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Hand of Cruelty
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Nezumi Shortfang
1 Bone Shredder
1 Coffin Queen
1 Dauthi Marauder
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Sorceress Queen
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Grinning Demon
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Horobi, Death's Wail
1 Juzam Djinn
1 Mirri the Cursed
1 Phyrexian Scuta
1 Plague Sliver
1 shriekmaw
1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
1 Kokusho, The Evening Star
1 Avatar of Woe
1 Tombstalker
Defend strange cards.
Stuff
1 Chain Lightning
1 Faithless Looting
1 Gamble
1 Genju of the Spires
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Shattering Spree
1 Custody Battle
1 Desperate Ritual
1 Final Fortune
1 Fork
1 Incinerate
1 Magma Jet
1 Price of Progress
1 Pyroclasm
1 Wheel of Fate
1 Char
1 Flames of the Blood Hand
1 Hammer of Bogardan
1 Pillage
1 Seething Song
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Sneak Attack
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Banefire
1 Earthquake
Defend strange cards.
1 Goblin Welder
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Magus of the Scroll
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Blood Knight
1 Dwarven Blastminer
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Slith Firewalker
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Jeska, Warrior Adept
1 Keldon Champion
1 Ravenous Baboons
1 Kiki-jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Crater Hellion
1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Greater Gargadon
Defend strange cards.
Stuff
1 Dwell on the Past
1 Rancor
1 Vines of the Vastwood
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Channel
1 Constant Mists
1 Life from the Loam
1 Naturalize
1 Regrowth
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Cultivate
1 Deconstruct
1 Harrow
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Creeping Mold
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Harmonize
1 Pattern of Rebirth
1 Cyclical Evolution
1 Grizzly Fate
1 Overwhelming Stampede
1 Roar of the Wurm
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Chord of Calling
1 Thrive
Defend strange cards.
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Scavenger Folk
1 Skyshroud Ridgeback
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Mire Boa
1 River Boa
1 Sakura Tribe Elder
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Blastoderm
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Phantom Centaur
1 Vengevine
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Genesis
1 Mycoloth
1 Weatherseed Treefolk
1 Durkwood Baloth
1 Silvos, Rogue Elemental
1 Krosan Tusker
Defend strange cards.
Stuff
1 Lotus Bloom
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Aether Vial
1 Basilisk Collar
1 black Vice
1 Bonesplitter
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Mana Vault
1 Senseis' Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 The Rack
1 Voltaic Key
1 Dolmen Gate
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Grim Monolith
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mind Stone
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Scroll Rack
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Time Vault
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Winter Orb
1 Crucible of worlds
1 Crystal Ball
1 Crystal Shard
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Forcefield
1 Helm of Kaldra
1 Loxodon Warhammer
3 Sculpting Steel
1 Staff of Domination
1 Super Secret Tech
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 Vedalken Shackles
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Erratic Portal
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Nevinyrrals' Disk
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Quicksilver Amulet
1 Shield of Kaldra
1 Smokestack
1 Snake Basket
1 Sword of Kaldra
1 Lifeline
1 Memory Jar
1 Mirari
1 Mishra's Helix
1 Caged Sun
1 Mindslaver
1 Obelisk of Alara
1 Chimeric Idol
1 Etched Oracle
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Masticore
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Silent Arbiter
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Duplicant
1 Triskelion
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Pentavus
1 Phyrexian Colossus
1 Platinum Angel
1 Bosh, Iron Golem
1 Sundering Titan
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Stuff
1 Azorius Guildmage
1 Plumeveil
1 Wall of Denial
1 Grand Arbiter Agustin IV
1 Ith, High Arcanist
1 Vindicate
1 Debtor's Knell
1 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
1 Desolation Angel
1 Sen Triplets
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Lightning Angel
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Recoil
1 Psychatog
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
1 Swerve
1 Electrolyze
1 Gelectrode
1 Spellbound Dragon
1 Niv-Mizzet, The Firemind
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1 Rise//Fall
1 Anavolver
1 Blightning
1 Void
1 Fulminator Mage
1 Blazing Specter
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Putrefy
1 Putrid Leech
1 Glissa, the Traitor
1 Spiritmonger
1 Broodmate Dragon
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Hide//Seek
1 Kird Ape
1 Boggart Ram-Gang
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Giant Solifuge
1 Rumbling Slum
1 Squee's Embrace
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Brion Stoutarm
1 Firemane Angel
1 Wolly Thoctar
1 Thornscape Battlemage
1 Guided Passage
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Loam Lion
1 Watchwolf
1 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Cytoshape
1 Spitting Image
1 Trygon Predator
1 Mystic Snake
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Jenara, Asura of War
1 Rafiq of the Many
1 Crime//Punishment
1 Maelstrom Archangel
1 Progenitus
Stuff
1 Scrubland
1 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Badlands
1 Bayou
1 Taiga
1 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Godless Shrine
1 Watery Grave
1 Steam Vents
1 Blood Crypt
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Grounds
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
1 Breeding Pool
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothils
1 Arid Mesa
1 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Orzhov Basillica
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Gruul Turf
1 Boros Garrison
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Academy Ruin
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Balduvian Trading Post
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Cephalid Coliseum
1 City of Brass
1 Dark Depths
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Ice Floe
1 Island of Wak Wak
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Krosan Verge
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Nantuko Monastery
1 Novijen, Heart of Progress
1 Raging Ravine
1 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Treetop Village
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vesuva
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Wasteland
1 Yavimaya Hollow
wait... did I stumble into the vintage or legacy forums where those lists actually matter?
the following is the deck I propose:
20 Swamp
Spells:
4 Dark Ritual
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Liliana's caress
1 Yawgmoth's Will
3 Necropotence
3 Bottomless Pit
4 Hypnotic Specter
4 Nezumi Shortfang
Artifacts:
4 The Rack
4 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Howling Mine
2 Memory Jar
The look on people's faces when you crack a memory jar then pass turn is simply priceless.
so just take the principle and apply it to lightning bolt?
that seems a little steep though, because it assumes that every card in your hand (save lands) exchange for 3 life; that would lead to some very quick games (which the cube tends to do, but not nearly as often as you would suggest if each card had the possibility of a bolt). What would you feel to be a fair exchange?
edit: sorry, just saw the conversation had continued, and I would throw my $.02 in. Curious though, ponder, what are your thoughts on Skyshroud Ridgeback? I've seen the arguments against, but to me they just don't outweigh the good things about the card. (refresher: early game, it doesn't trade and gets through for 4, mid game it is a blocker for g, late game it is about as worthless as any other 1drop.)
did you even look at the second article? i gave you the first link just to show where I got the reference. "The Philosophy of Fire" is the article that I wanted you to read, or at least glance at. It is a principle, nothing more or less than that -A principle almost as old as the game, I might add.
"try it." does not constitute an answer :/
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/standard/8437_The_Daffinitive_Affinity_Guide.html
http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=7157
these are a bit old, but the principle is there
as true as all of this is, look at the mana investment into each one. 4 for 6 dmg, 2 for 2-5, 3 for 4 or 8 for 8, and 3 for 6. did we mention that this is all in red? the card in question is a green 1 for 4, this is all apples to oranges.
it has to survive through your third turn. That would be the fifth turn it survives.
Hence the bcs happens more often.
this is true, but that still doesn't change the fact that the synergy is there.
Sorry, I haven't been very clear or forthcoming with you on this point. I draft winston, and the way I shuffle and divvy out the cube causes there to be a very high percentage of artifacts that make it in to draft. I can see cutting the recruit, but the homunculus has been solid for us.
I've never had any luck with levelers, they're nearly always targets for removal after you waste a few turns into them. How do you avoid this?
done. Lion is going back in. I haven't yet had the opportunity to draft the squire, but I see your point.
80 may be on the lean side, I might very well cut ardent recruit seeing as how i need 3 other artifacts, but Court Homunculus is often an Isamaru by turn 2.
I love playing blue aggro, it is sooo left field that just the surprise is often enough to win games. Wind Zendikon is in my cube, along with serendib, wake thrasher and other goodies. he has support. As far as the upkeep, he handles himself better than the afore mentioned leveler which becomes the target of removal after you've invested into it. Also on the topic of friends, my cube is heavily tilted towards multicolored decks. If you're drafting for zoo, and you come across several good blue support (i.e. psionic blast, or any draw mechanic) you don't have to worry about investing into a color that isn't going to support your overall theme.
I don't want to go off on a tangent, but my cube is very unorthodox. There were three tenets I wanted to build my cube by:
1. Allow for rediculous board states. you know the games you walk by at you card store, local convention, where ever, and go "how the hell did this happen?"? Thats what I'm going for here.
2. Turn the color pie on its head. There are counters in white, blue has aggro, black has draw mechanics, red has board manipulation, green has draw and permanent destruction.
3. Be reminiscent of the Ravnica block. it is not uncommon to run 3 staple colors, often splashing for the other 2.
This might explain my "interesting" choices in cards.
I don't disagree. Regarding the list that i supplied earlier, i just went through and listed out all of my 1 drops without discrimination, regardless of point or purpose of the individual cards, sorry for the confusion.
What?
here is a list of one drops that are in my cube:
1 Ardent Recruit
1 Court Homunculus
1 Isamaru
1 Mother of runes
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Drifter il-Dal
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Goblin Welder
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Magus of the Scroll
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Birds of paradise
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Pouncing Jaguar
1 Scavenger Folk
1 Loam Lion
1 Kird Ape
all but 5 are a one sided trade to the ridgeback. 2 kill it only if it is attacking, and only the Ardent Recruit kill it and survive (yet only in rare circumstances)
I'm not trying to debate anyone on its virtues, or undermine its drawbacks. I'm only suggesting it should be given a second look.
I compared it to a principle that affinity runs off of, not affinity itself.
the strange thing is spark elemental and the like make it into the cubes, while this doesn't. I value the card because it is off color, a green early game beatstick for 1. wild dogs changes hands, and pouncing jaguar has an echo cost (effectively 2 for a 2/2). The card also holds value mid game, staving off attacks for ~3 turns (slightly better than fog). I'm aware this is all highly situational, but i have yet to draft it and not play it, which leads us into the third point:
True. this was just an example of how the card can be abused. Skullclamp on a creature that is on its way out anyway is optimal use of both cards. Often when I see it, I start looking for reanimator pieces that swap creatures (Victimize, Hell's Caretaker, Recurring Nightmare just to name a few) and the Skullclamp is just icing on the cake. now, this can be taken for any fading/vanishing/echo creature, but the point here is that it isn't a stand-alone with no place.
Again, valid point, but you're banking on a 1 drop to survive for 6 turns in order for it to be better than Ridgeback. That doesn't seem likely at all to me. Often, one drops trade across the board, which in any case makes this on par with any other one drop. the fact that it has the ability to survive beyond that makes it at least as playable as Savannah lions, which gets eaten by nearly everything.
So, in essence, he eats other 1 drops, he survives most burn, he beats for 4, acts as a wall mid game, and works well with reanimate late game.
Wow, really? affinity runs on a principle of 2 dmg per card, and 4 is sub-par? The thing is a giant early game, it eats every other 1 drop but ardent recruit (and only on very rare occasions does it not kill it) and most other 2 drops. mid game the thing can still be ridiculous, if you have any decent equipment on the board, and don't get me started on how the thing works with Skullclamp. There is nothing better than swinging in turn 2 and 3 for 3, then either eating an early chump or dealing 6 and drawing 2.
My cube is more of a ravnica style play in that it is very easy to run 3-4 colors, and with that kind of diversity, you want you land base to be perfect. Land Tax does more than just grab plains. it is a mana fixer, I would grab it over a mox any day.