Reanimate/Animate dead/Serra angel
Still very solid.
Phyrexian Gargantua
I think that after Twisted Abomination and Dark Hatchling this is the best black six drop. The only reason I don't play Hatchling and do play Gargantua is that I feel I have enough creatures with "ETB destroy target creature".
Well, they obviously had an interest in cube design otherwise they wouldn't have asked. One of them has a cube, the other doesn't. But I notice that most people have some interest in cube design. When playing with new people questions/comments about the number of multicolored cards, absence of shards/wedge cards, having multiple City of Brasses etc. are not uncommon. Sure, comments about hybrids or phyrexian mana cards are less common, but this is probably because it less noticable when drafting. I mean, you could easily have a cube with 52 blue cards and 50 cards of each other color and nobody would noticed during draft. However, most people would ask about it if they saw your cube on cubetutor or came to know about the 2 extra blue cards some other way.
Arbor, that is what I am saying. I get that typically each count for 0.5. so removing 2 cards that are both U and R equals 1 Blue card and 1 Red card... but when i classified them after calculating all the cards, both of those got put into the BLUE section of my cube.... so that is where my issue comes in.
Is it OK to remove both of them and add 2 Blue cards, or do I HAVE to add 1 Blue and 1 Red card. Meaning I have to change all remaining cards..
If you want to keep your cube completely balanced you should replace them with a blue and a red card. Obviously, as n00b1n8R says, you can do whatever you want but seeing as you ask I figured you wanted advice on how to use the hybrid system.
Real answer: It's your cube, do what you want. My hybrids aren't really balanced, but they're close and that's good enough for me. Somebody drafting your environment is never going to stop and ask "how do you classify Dryad Militant in your colour allocations?". They don't care. It's just one of those traps we cube designers love to fall into and try to make all the tiny (almost insignificant) details align.
The fact that players don't care doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't matter. Also, I have been asked that question on at least two occassions during drafts or when people were just looking through my cube.
Just count each cards as half of its colors, so:
W: 4
U: 4
B: 2
R: 3
G: 3
So if you remove Turn // Burn & Frostburn Weird you end up with:
W: 4
U: 3
B: 2
R: 2
G: 3
So you'll have to replace them with a red and a blue card. I presume that you mean by counting a card as a color it means in which color you put it on cubetutor. If so, you've put your hybrids in one of their colors randomly anyway so you can move them around as long as they stay in one of their colors. For example you can just move recap to black and infiltrator to blue and you'll have a red and blue space open after you remove Turn // Burn & Frostburn Weird. Hope this makes sense.
So far, Beastmaster has been reasonable. I cut Trusted Forcemage to test it and this change might stay this way. I definitely prefer Beastmaster to Slaughterhorn, a green three drop you're running.
Omenspeaker
Speaker can actually kill things when blocking, Starfish takes two turns for it to have scryed as much as Speaker and even then scry 2 is better than scry 1 + scry 1.
I mean, if your board position is similar to your opponent's, getting Blood Artist back is good, but in those situations getting creatures in general is good. Having a Haunted Crossroads when you're behind is usually not very useful unless you can get some extreme value of it next turn (like Shriekmaw).
I have both of these as well in my cube as "hybrids". I think they are fine and it could just be your player group. I've casted both before for its double color and I don't think that there is any reason to take them out unless you feel there are better includes... Additionally, since it is a U/R/U/B you would need to remove a R/B hybrid card as well to complete the cycle no?
I was thinking of something more elaborate which involved also cutting Selesnya Guildmage and Duergar Hedge-Mage and adding some signets. Anyway, Frostburn Weird just doesn't see much play outside Izzet decks here and as an Izzet card it's not good enough. The same counts for the Infiltrator in Dimir. I was just wondering what other people's experiences with these cards were, like how often are these card played in their respective guilds compared to guilds which have only one of their two colors?
Skipping your draw to get a Blood Artist back does not seem like it would let you get back in the game often.
Small update: Gravetiller Wurm out for Penumbra Wurm
Being a 4/4 trample for 6 mana in ~20% of the cases makes Gravetiller Wurm too unreliable for me. I know the difference between 6 and 7 mana is a lot but I want my ramp targets to be reliable and resilient.
Got to test the new Wurm last night in this deck. Luckily, I didn't face an aggro deck and went 3-0.
Prowler downgrade would be awesome.
Still very solid.
Phyrexian Gargantua
I think that after Twisted Abomination and Dark Hatchling this is the best black six drop. The only reason I don't play Hatchling and do play Gargantua is that I feel I have enough creatures with "ETB destroy target creature".
Wolfir Avenger
Average.
Disenchant
Average, but still necessary.
Coastal Piracy
No experience with this card.
Edit: And what about Rites of Initiation?
The fact that players don't care doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't matter. Also, I have been asked that question on at least two occassions during drafts or when people were just looking through my cube.
W: 4
U: 4
B: 2
R: 3
G: 3
So if you remove Turn // Burn & Frostburn Weird you end up with:
W: 4
U: 3
B: 2
R: 2
G: 3
So you'll have to replace them with a red and a blue card. I presume that you mean by counting a card as a color it means in which color you put it on cubetutor. If so, you've put your hybrids in one of their colors randomly anyway so you can move them around as long as they stay in one of their colors. For example you can just move recap to black and infiltrator to blue and you'll have a red and blue space open after you remove Turn // Burn & Frostburn Weird. Hope this makes sense.
Speaker can actually kill things when blocking, Starfish takes two turns for it to have scryed as much as Speaker and even then scry 2 is better than scry 1 + scry 1.
Small update:
Gravetiller Wurm out for Penumbra Wurm
Being a 4/4 trample for 6 mana in ~20% of the cases makes Gravetiller Wurm too unreliable for me. I know the difference between 6 and 7 mana is a lot but I want my ramp targets to be reliable and resilient.
Got to test the new Wurm last night in this deck. Luckily, I didn't face an aggro deck and went 3-0.
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Epochrasite
1 Crocanura
1 Civic Wayfinder
1 Bone Shredder
1 Phantom Centaur
1 Briarhorn
1 Skinrender
1 Deadwood Treefolk
1 Trostani's Summoner
1 Penumbra Wurm
1 Pelakka Wurm
1 Path to Exile
1 Dismember
Enchantment
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Banishing Light
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Necromancy
1 Faith's Fetters
Artifact
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Sphere of the Suns
1 Serrated Arrows
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Nomad Outpost
2 Plains
4 Swamp
9 Forest