hey man,
This deck looks really similar to what I have going right now. The only difference really, is that in place of the 2 Wall of Tanglecords, I have 2x Ezuri's Archers. It trades with Delver of Secrets and kills Moorland Haunt tokens all day. Yeah, it can't do a thing about Mirran Crusader like the Wall can, but not many options in that department, until we hit the sideboard. Another difference is that I'm playing 1 more 1 drop ramper in Llanowar Elves. Other than that man, the deck looks eerily similar! I don't have a sideboard yet, but I'd love to hear your sideboarding strategies. I see you have Snags and Missteps in the side, maybe sideboarding in Snapcaster Mages along with those might work? Anyways, I'd love to hear how the deck is working for you, including the sideboard. Thanks!
Oh.. and that 10/10 seems ok, but the lack of trample makes me really sad! hahah
The state of the cube is obviously always changing, depending on your playgroups and play styles, but I've been cubing for so long now that the word I would use to describe it would be "consistent". I'd like to think that I have my list pretty refined, for the archetypes and style of play that I'm supporting.
It's funny.. if you check my change log from the first few years of the cube, changes were happening all the time and in droves. It slows down as the cube gets more refined and consistent. Changes now are usually just archetypical changes or for underperforming cards.
The cube is in a great spot right now. Everyone is having fun and the decks are coming out how I'd like them to. Every color does the job I want it to do and the color pairs are doing what I want them to be doing, while still making spots for pet cards of course (as every cube owner should... i'm looking at you Bloodhunter Bat).
I'd be interested in seeing your list to see that 150 card difference. What's making you consider changing your list to mine? Are you encountering certain issues? Power level? Removal/Nonremoval ratio? 5-color value decks running rampant?
I wouldn't suggest such a big change like this unless you just want a "big change" or if you are experiencing problems with your cube.
Thanks for following the cube!
*I've been super busy this winter with my job. The cubes will be picking back up in a few weeks.
I ended up taking it down with my favorite archetype: U/B Control!
Here's the list:
1x Kitesail Freebooter
1x Brain Maggot
1x Orzhov Enforcer
1x Sea Gate Oracle
1x Mirror Image
1x Murderous Redcap
1x Skinrender
1x Oneirophage
1x Shriekmaw
1x Riftwing Cloudskate
1x Dinrova Horror
1x Jetting Glasskite
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Preordain
1x Go for the Throat
1x Reality Shift
1x Impulse
1x Repulse
1x Essence Extraction
1x Forbid
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Elixir of Immortality
Planeswalker (1)
1x Ashiok, Dream Render
Land (17)
8x Swamp
7x Island
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Mirrodin's Core
Power Rankings: Murderous Redcap still leads the pack with its 52nd win! This is Oneirophage's 1st win!
Season 9 (Draft #19 of 24): No major movers.
We got a 4-man cube draft in the other night! The Orzhov deck won the draft!
Here's the list:
1x Skymarcher Aspirant
1x Dreadmalkin
1x Carrion Feeder
1x Perilous Myr
1x Orzhov Enforcer
1x Epochrasite
1x Heir of Falkenrath
1x Hypnotic Specter
1x Attended Knight
1x Aerial Responder
1x Gallant Cavalry
1x Bloodhunter Bat
1x Syr Alin, the Lion's Claw
1x Dismember
1x Cast Down
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Raise the Alarm
Enchantment (4)
1x Journey to Nowhere
1x Animate Dead
1x Banishing Light
1x Hope Against Hope
Artifact (2)
1x Ancestral Blade
1x Icy Manipulator
1x Vraska, Swarm's Eminence
Land (16)
7x Plains
6x Swamp
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Mishra's Factory
1x Nomad Outpost
Power Rankings: Perilous Myr walks into a tie for 2nd with its 50th win! This is Vraska, Swarm's Eminence, Ancestral Blade, Hope Against Hope, Gallant Cavalry, and Syr Alin, Lion's Claw's 1st win!
Season 9 (Draft #18 of 24): Demonic Tutor makes it a 3way tie for 1st place with 6 wins!
Here's the list:
1x Spectral Sailor
1x Nightveil Sprite
1x Baleful Strix
1x Pilgrim's Eye
1x Vampire Nighthawk
1x Tomebound Lich
1x Mist Raven
1x Murderous Redcap
1x Indulgent Tormentor
1x Vampire Sovereign
1x Mulldrifter
1x Preordain
1x Duress
1x Reality Shift
1x Cast Down
1x Essence Extraction
1x Complicate
1x Hideous Laughter
1x Murderous Cut
1x Treasure Cruise
1x Elixir of Immortality
1x Pacification Array
Enchantment (1)
1x Control Magic
Land (17)
9x Swamp
8x Island
Power Rankings: Murderous Redcap is now the most winningest card in the cube with its 51st win!! This is Essence Extraction, Tomebound Lich, Indulgent Tormentor, Spectral Sailor, Pacification Array, and Reality Shift's 1st win!
Season 9 (Draft #17 of 24): Murderous Cut joins Skyscanner for 1st place with its 6th win!
Wow.. I didn't even notice that. LOL
Sorry it took me so long to see your post. I do 4 man drafts a lot as well. I've experimented with a variety of different pack sizes over the years and my go-to favorite for a while has been 4 packs of 11 cards.
I've tried 3 of 15, 5 of 9, but 4 of 11 has been the most consistently successful. You get 2 extra cards on the 3rd wheel and the decks always seem super refined and powerful. I highly recommend doing 4 of 11.
Syr Alin, the Lion's Claw - A big bodied first striker that anthems my team. Yeah... pretty sure that's how I like white doing things.
Faerie Vandal - Blue has the tendency to be able to trigger this rather consistently, and this creature can turn into a mighty big threat quickly.
Syr Konrad, the Grim - Great black finisher for the midrange/control decks. Very cool.
Return to Nature - I currently run one of these effects in Seal of Primordium, so this is a good replacement because graveyard interaction as a bonus is always appreciated in a format that has little to no good ways to do so.
Gingerbrute - He just seems so good with equipment. I did recently add more equipment... so I think this card might surprise me.
Inquisitive Puppet - I may be the only one who likes this card. I like semi defensive cards for control decks. Probably my pet card of the set. Not saying it's good, but I want to try it.
Keeper of Fables - Decent sized body with a cool ability. It triggers off spirit tokens and green doesn't have many humans, so getting repeatable card draw in a color that doesn't have too much access to that is pretty fun. This seems like it could be powerful.
Syr Faren, the Hedgehammer - This card seems pretty sweet. Pairs well with equipment and (RANCOR), and even if I don't heaveily support green aggro, it'll still be strong in the midrange decks I imagine.
Questions:
Claim the Firstborn - This is so mana efficient it's scary right? I want to play this card, but is it worth the restriction? My gut says yes, because 1 mana is just so absurd for a Threaten effect. Taking a 2-3 power blocker, and getting in for let's say an extra 2-3 damage... Ok I may have just sold myself.
Syr Carah, the Bold - Definitely a cool effect in red. It's quite clunky in the red aggressive decks, but this is so unique I want to play it. Anyone think this card is good?
In all seriousness, I've never felt that fixing was THAT important outside of the 5-color value deck. I won our last cube with a U/B control deck running 9 swamps and 8 islands. If you muddle the cube with all this serious fixing, I think all you are really doing is enabling a 5-color valuetown deck. (which is a deck that I enjoy, but don't want to have come together ideally all the time).
They are almost always sideboard cards.
Instead of justifying putting in graveyard hate, I instead steer away from cards and strategies that rely heavily on the graveyard. This is why I won't include big 2 for 1 reanimate/recursion spells in the cube, like Victimize, Deadwood Treefolk, Baloth Null or even cards like Rise from the Tides.
Since we can't fight the graveyard efficiently, I try to avoid cards that really focus on the graveyard. I rather play a few reanimate spells for value and a few recursion creatures like Witness and Vesperlark.
There have been times I have thought about completely taking out the reanimate spells from black just for this reason.
Got a 4-man cube draft in the other day.
Mono-Green took it home.
Here's the list:
1x Fyndhorn Elves
1x Llanowar Elves
1x Joraga Treespeaker
1x Kessig Prowler
1x Perilous Myr
1x Kraul Harpooner
1x Skyscanner
1x Twin-Silk Spider
1x Wolfir Avenger
1x Eternal Witness
1x Treasure Keeper
1x Galvanic Juggernaut
1x Kozilek's Predator
1x Crocodile of the Crossing
1x Challenger Troll
1x Hooting Mandrills
1x Gitaxian Probe
1x Scale Up
1x Epic Confrontation
1x Nature's Way
1x Clear Shot
1x Hunter's Insight
1x Overcome
Enchantment (1)
1x Seal of Primordium
Planeswalker (1)
1x Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
15x Forest
1x Ancient Tomb
Power Rankings: Perilous Myr joins 2nd place with it's 49th win! This is Challenger Troll, Scale Up, Hunter's Insight, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner, and Overcome's 1st win!
Season 9 (Draft #16 of 24): Skyscanner takes the lead with it's 6th win!
We got a 4-man cube draft in on Thursday night! I ended up taking it down with a Golgari Midrange deck / Spider tribal
Here's the list:
1x Joraga Treespeaker
1x Deadly Recluse
1x Kraul Harpooner
1x Kitesail Freebooter
1x Merfolk Branchwalker
1x Baleful Ammit
1x Plaguecrafter
1x Eternal Witness
1x Crocodile of the Crossing
1x Briarhorn
1x Rotwidow Pack
1x Stingerfling Spider
1x Ridgescale Tusker
1x Tragic Slip
1x Dismember
1x Epic Confrontation
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Go for the Throat
1x Read the Bones
1x Clear Shot
1x Harmonize
Enchantment (2)
1x Season of Growth
1x Inner Demon
8x Forest
7x Swamp
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Ancient Tomb
Power Rankings: This is Tragic Slip, Crocodile of the Crossing, Season of Growth, and Kraul Harpooner's 1st win!
Season 9 (Draft #15 of 24): Demonic Tutor joins the 3 way tie in 1st place with its 5th win!