So here's the Vintage Master update, I am now using multiples of the mana fixing lands and I went down another ten cards (+some small other changes):
Vintage Master Update: Tormented Hero > Sarcomancy
Strict upgrade. Trophy Hunter > Nostalgic Dreams
Hunter felt mostly like a sideboard card and don't like that. Dreams seems good, but I am not sure. Dead Reveler > Kezzerdrix
The first true black aggro 4 drop. Gideon's Lawkeeper > Pianna, Nomad Captain
Lawkeeper was just not powerful enough. Painna seems pretty solid and has protection from Blind with Anger.
Has someone added Dakra Mystic after the Journey to Nyx release? I kinda like it in Theros block drafts and I am curious if someone has experience with it in C/Ube as it feels like it could be stronger in a more powerful environment.
Noryllos and Koth are definitely too strong. Experience has shown that planeswalkers who can protect themselves (by making tokens that can block or by bouncing/destroying creatures etc.) are usually powerful. I think the others are pretty decent in power level.
It might be at first when you're still finding out how good the cards actually are, but after a while you'll know exactly how late and in which decks the cards should go.
My issue with almost all of the hidden agendas is that they literally go into any deck with no opportunity cost. There is small bit of skill in figuring out the optimal card to name, but for the most part they're completely luck-based, and that rubs me the wrong way for 1v1 matches. In a group setting your opponents can gang up on you if you get too far ahead, but in 1v1 they provide 100% upside.
I think the skill to determine what card to name is very important and just as difficult as determining which cards from your pool to put in your deck. Moreover, there is also the skill of when to pick these cards during draft. I don't think I will be including many of them but that's just because I don't think most of them are strong enough to warrant a space in my cube. I am considering Unexpected Potential, Double Stroke and maybe Muzzio's Preparations as hidden agendas next to Advantageous Proclamation and Power Play.
The thing I don't like about Plant Elemental (and similar cards like Rogue Elephant and Scythe Tiger) is that they make you lose a land drop at the point land drops are still important. Fallow Wurm doesn't necessarily let you miss a land drop (although most of the time it will) but it does so in a point in the game where this becomes less important. Most aggro decks need at most four mana and can run quite well on three.
Keeper of the Dead will indeed only really work in a BG or BU deck, but it still seems pretty good to me.
The longer I think about Annihilate the harder it seems to evaluate it. Compared to Ribbons of Night (a card I consider a staple) it seems pretty good but compared to Doom Blade (a card I don't even play) it just seems bad. I mean you're paying 2B for a cantrip and the fact it can destroy River Boa, Wolfir Avenger, Crimson Muckwader and an Experiment One with two counters. On the other hand Ribbons of Night looked bad on paper too...
With cards like Spider Spawning I usually try to determine which amount of tokens it has to create for me to include it if they were unconditional tokens. For Spider spawning this seems to be around 4 or 5. I can't think of many decks that can have 4-5 creatures in their graveyards by turn 5 without playing some sub-par cards or being very lucky with something like Nyx Weaver. Keeping Spider Spawning in your hand after turn 5 until it becomes playable seems even worse.
On another note, I have been looking at the top 10 drafted commons and uncommons in older sets I didn't have ample experience with myself (odyssey and older) and found the following cards: Annihilate
It's seems like a worse Ribbons of Night but it's monocolored and it's an instant. To compare: in my cube Ribbons can kill ~225 creatures and Annihilate ~215. Waylay
It divides three times two damage to nonevasive attacking creatures. Not sure about this one, the errata makes it much worse. Gaea's Embrace
Probably too expensive as it's actual cost is 2GGG, but for an aura it seems nice. Keeper of the Dead
This one looks like an interesting option for the golgari graveyard value deck. Legacy's Allure
Too slow? It seems good but it's a very bad top deck. Fallow Wurm
If green aggro is a thing in your cube this seems solid.
Sorry if my comment offended you or if it was unclear. I was trying to refer to the previous discussion about Akroan Phalanx and Inner-flame igniter. Why play a certain guild card when you have a monocolored card which has a similar function and might be even better at it?
Vintage Master Update:
Tormented Hero > Sarcomancy
Strict upgrade.
Trophy Hunter > Nostalgic Dreams
Hunter felt mostly like a sideboard card and don't like that. Dreams seems good, but I am not sure.
Dead Reveler > Kezzerdrix
The first true black aggro 4 drop.
Gideon's Lawkeeper > Pianna, Nomad Captain
Lawkeeper was just not powerful enough. Painna seems pretty solid and has protection from Blind with Anger.
Lands Update:
Dimir Aqueduct > Dinrova Horror
Azorius Chancery > Momentary Blink
Simic Growth Chamber > Horizon Chimera
Izzet Boilerworks > Prophetic Bolt
Orzhov Basilica > Zealous Persecution
IN:
- City of Brass
- City of Brass
- City of Brass
- Mirrodin's Core
- Mirrodin's Core
- Mirrodin's Core
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Gemstone Mine
OUT:Other changes:
Lyev Skyknight > Arctic Aven
Aven looks stronger.
Cenn's Enlistment > Battle Screech
I like Enlistment but Screech seems solid too.
Plagued Rusalka > Rakdos Guildmage
And Rusalka is out again.
Shambling Shell > Putrid Leech
Shell is really bad.
Famine > Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Merchant is back in. It was hard finding a place for it as I don't want to have too much cards in black at the end of the curve. It was either Famine or Phyrexian Gargantua. Might swap those later.
Kiln Fiend > Lava Hounds
I don't see how people like Fiend. It is only good in one deck and only if your opponent has no blockers at all.
Flame Jab > Chartooth Cougar
Flame Jab was mediocre. Red can use a second finisher.
Explore > Gruul Guildmage
I think I can cut a ramp spell now I went down from 450 to 430 to 420. Guildmage seems like it can be good.
Skymark Roc > Mistmeadow Witch
Roc was underperforming and Witch gets another try after a long absence.
Judge's Familiar > Izzet Signet
1/1 flier for 1 isn't very good and I wanted some more signets.
Goblin Shortcutter > Duergar Hedge-Mage
Because of the previous change a W/R hybrid card had to be introduced and Hedge-Mage was never bad when I had it before. I like Shortcutter but it is often pretty bad if you play it on curve.
As soon as Conspiracy is on Cubetutor I am going to update those cards too.
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How has Pawn of Ulamog been? It looks like a very strong card in the sacrifice deck but it looks unplayable anywhere else.
How so?
Isn't that the case with every (colorless) card?
I think the skill to determine what card to name is very important and just as difficult as determining which cards from your pool to put in your deck. Moreover, there is also the skill of when to pick these cards during draft. I don't think I will be including many of them but that's just because I don't think most of them are strong enough to warrant a space in my cube. I am considering Unexpected Potential, Double Stroke and maybe Muzzio's Preparations as hidden agendas next to Advantageous Proclamation and Power Play.
Keeper of the Dead will indeed only really work in a BG or BU deck, but it still seems pretty good to me.
The longer I think about Annihilate the harder it seems to evaluate it. Compared to Ribbons of Night (a card I consider a staple) it seems pretty good but compared to Doom Blade (a card I don't even play) it just seems bad. I mean you're paying 2B for a cantrip and the fact it can destroy River Boa, Wolfir Avenger, Crimson Muckwader and an Experiment One with two counters. On the other hand Ribbons of Night looked bad on paper too...
On another note, I have been looking at the top 10 drafted commons and uncommons in older sets I didn't have ample experience with myself (odyssey and older) and found the following cards:
Annihilate
It's seems like a worse Ribbons of Night but it's monocolored and it's an instant. To compare: in my cube Ribbons can kill ~225 creatures and Annihilate ~215.
Waylay
It divides three times two damage to nonevasive attacking creatures. Not sure about this one, the errata makes it much worse.
Gaea's Embrace
Probably too expensive as it's actual cost is 2GGG, but for an aura it seems nice.
Keeper of the Dead
This one looks like an interesting option for the golgari graveyard value deck.
Legacy's Allure
Too slow? It seems good but it's a very bad top deck.
Fallow Wurm
If green aggro is a thing in your cube this seems solid.
Sorry if my comment offended you or if it was unclear. I was trying to refer to the previous discussion about Akroan Phalanx and Inner-flame igniter. Why play a certain guild card when you have a monocolored card which has a similar function and might be even better at it?