But seriously, I agree and it's something we can all overall do a better job of on here i.e. making comments that the poster *knows* is inciteful, instead of just asking for proof in a non-rude manner.
Instead of 'Really? It was all you?', let's aim for 'that's cool! can I see where?' Usman deserves better than being called out on something he has no reason to lie about, you know? It's a big slap in the face against someone who is a pillar of our community.
Even if I was Rando Calrissian, I think it'd still be bad form to post stuff like what he did - I've definitely gotten *much* worse over the years of writing, esp for SCG, but that kind of stuff:
1) Isn't really useful.
2) Is that seriously all that you got out of it, was that one point?
I think as a community, that kind of stuff isn't useful.
It's a very good card in a section with many things (and ultimately, does the same thing as many other cards in that same role - Hellrider, Koth and even Hazoret, as top-end finisher.)
I ended up cutting Hero and would likely see it working well if it came back in; its mini-falter ability is fine but it's the least good in the slot where it resides.
When I introduced the concept of considering cards like Kird Ape as Gruul
Really? It was all you?
I was talking to someone recently about why I don't really post on MTGS anymore, despite being a regular years ago when this forum was at its "peak/heyday" and seeing posts like this (especially from someone who's been around since I was a regular) and combative posts like this are part of the reason why (that and threads by non-current regulars seeming to get little in the way of eyeballs/traction, even if they've been regulars before or have created cube content before.) That said, I may end up posting more (and thanks, Mike for liking the article. :)) to see if it helps with generating discussion and helping to alleviate some of the issues with low discussion that I've been seeing.
With regards to your point, yes. Looking at the thread, you'll see that it was seen as an out-of-the-norm things and, yes, that is something that I created that has become mainstream.
The guy who came up with the initial list is Stuart Fleischer. I said hi to Todd Anderson in GP Memphis and said that I was a fan of his work and said "hey, you should talk to my friend Stuart, who's a huge cube fan." Brought me over to Stuart and rifled through a bunch of cards and my mind was just blown. He's made some changes (he's at @SplitCardCube on twitter, you don't need the app to look at his tweets, but I generally find Twitter to be decent to talk about cube.)
"I believe split cards should have no more than one side be a permanent. Once two or three cards in play have multiple permanent "modes", it starts to become a pretty big headache tracking what's what. I'd rather avoid that altogether than try to come up with a solution like using paperclips or whatever else."
As far as I know, the only exceptions to that rule are the Terramophic ones, since Squee almost never got hardcast. 2x permanents makes things awkward, though.
Typically, when I see that a cube lacks aggressive support, I force a durdling deck as I won't be punished for doing so (this going for all flavors of cube, from pauper cubes, where I'd play decks with cards like Morgue Burst, to cubes with power.)
Having drafted it a few times, it seems the aggressive decks need some help and I usually end up going some control route.
There are some pretty weak cards in there, but the overall root cause seems to be lacking aggressive support and having no signets doesn't help the root cause.
I remember someone in a dragony cube said that Crackdown was "too good" and had to take it out, but Meekstone seems solid.
My unpopulars:
Thraben Inspector - I honestly have no idea how popular it is nowadays but I've been a fan since day 1. So much value for 1 mana, and being a roadblock 1/2 isn't the worst at either being a chump blocker or picking something up. Heirloom Blade - I went in depth on it in my Commander 2017 review and on my blog, but it's a fantastic card that isn't just a tribal card, but fits naturally into aggressive strategies very well with a very cheap equip cost. Obvious analogue is Grafted Wargear with a 0 equip cost, but that doesn't make it bad, it just behaves differently. Someone who had it in a 3-0 deck said it was kinda like Skullclamp at drawing gas. It requires some figuring out which creatures are dead ends and how deep the chains are, but that usually just means to remember it so you don't just reveal your deck to your opponent. Searing Blaze - one of the more efficient damage dealers and a great way to push forward momentum, haven't seen it lack for targets or landfall triggers. Craterhoof Behemoth - typically one of the hallmark cards of 3-0 ramp decks. Gifted Aetherborn - cheaper casting cost more than makes up for lack of flying with Nighthawk, I've found. Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit - can't trigger off tokens but generally more than makes up for that + vanilla stats over the course of the game. Burning-Tree Emissary - pretty absurd rate and extremely efficient, plays well in red beatdown. One of my favorite Gruul cards. Gurmag Angler - a big dumb beater, but reasonably costed, usually.
Insult // Injury — Overrun type of effects tend to suffer in Cube due to how efficient mass removal is, as having an Overrun stuck in hand can be awful if there's nothing to pump, and Overrun's awkward {2}{G}{G}{G} cost didn't help with that either. Insult // Injury looks innocuous but is better than it looks since I found that it works somewhat similarly to Overrun by doubling the power of creatures and the power of Planeswalker damage or burn. This typically meant that cheap burn was cast afterward at an incredible rate. Having a Lunge in the graveyard isn't efficient as a burn spell, but it acted as a bit of impending doom that the opponent has to be able to deal with if they get to 2 life (similarly to Seal of Fire or a Firebolt in the graveyard.) I found that it being cast for both halves didn't happen that often, but it did happen if the aggro deck found itself in the later stages of the game and needed to end things.
There's some additional side benefits, like being able to stop the damage prevention on creatures with protection, but this mode was more flavor text than real text. I wasn't able to get as many reps with it as I'd like to, but this card was a lot like some of the cyclers where it exceeded my lukewarm impressions.
My impression remains the same and if anything, my opinion of it is higher than it was before. It's a very good card that kills out of nowhere.
What makes me curious is that flip Gideon doesn't tend to flip super often; I usually have to re-read what he does when he flips.
I'm probably going to at least test it out and it likely has the best chance of doing something in cube, but my general feeling is lukewarm. :/
I wrote this cube review of CMDR2017 and Hour of Devastation a while ago but for some reason never listed it here. It's a long read but it's worth your time.
I hadn't really heard much about Heirloom Blade until looking at some recent decks and it's performed quite well, finding that it's not hard to find synergies with it.
I haven't been able to try it much in cube, but I've a feeling that it's got some legs. I had a pretty bonkers mono-blue deck where I had it in my sideboard and likely could have mained it. Unsure, though.
Even if I was Rando Calrissian, I think it'd still be bad form to post stuff like what he did - I've definitely gotten *much* worse over the years of writing, esp for SCG, but that kind of stuff:
1) Isn't really useful.
2) Is that seriously all that you got out of it, was that one point?
I think as a community, that kind of stuff isn't useful.
Glad you liked the article and my views, Mark.
I ended up cutting Hero and would likely see it working well if it came back in; its mini-falter ability is fine but it's the least good in the slot where it resides.
I was talking to someone recently about why I don't really post on MTGS anymore, despite being a regular years ago when this forum was at its "peak/heyday" and seeing posts like this (especially from someone who's been around since I was a regular) and combative posts like this are part of the reason why (that and threads by non-current regulars seeming to get little in the way of eyeballs/traction, even if they've been regulars before or have created cube content before.) That said, I may end up posting more (and thanks, Mike for liking the article. :)) to see if it helps with generating discussion and helping to alleviate some of the issues with low discussion that I've been seeing.
With regards to your point, yes. Looking at the thread, you'll see that it was seen as an out-of-the-norm things and, yes, that is something that I created that has become mainstream.
The guy who came up with the initial list is Stuart Fleischer. I said hi to Todd Anderson in GP Memphis and said that I was a fan of his work and said "hey, you should talk to my friend Stuart, who's a huge cube fan." Brought me over to Stuart and rifled through a bunch of cards and my mind was just blown. He's made some changes (he's at @SplitCardCube on twitter, you don't need the app to look at his tweets, but I generally find Twitter to be decent to talk about cube.)
"I believe split cards should have no more than one side be a permanent. Once two or three cards in play have multiple permanent "modes", it starts to become a pretty big headache tracking what's what. I'd rather avoid that altogether than try to come up with a solution like using paperclips or whatever else."
As far as I know, the only exceptions to that rule are the Terramophic ones, since Squee almost never got hardcast. 2x permanents makes things awkward, though.
Enjoy!
Sword of Dungeons and Dragons Kappa
Mini Progenitus is real nice.
Having drafted it a few times, it seems the aggressive decks need some help and I usually end up going some control route.
There are some pretty weak cards in there, but the overall root cause seems to be lacking aggressive support and having no signets doesn't help the root cause.
My unpopulars:
Thraben Inspector - I honestly have no idea how popular it is nowadays but I've been a fan since day 1. So much value for 1 mana, and being a roadblock 1/2 isn't the worst at either being a chump blocker or picking something up.
Heirloom Blade - I went in depth on it in my Commander 2017 review and on my blog, but it's a fantastic card that isn't just a tribal card, but fits naturally into aggressive strategies very well with a very cheap equip cost. Obvious analogue is Grafted Wargear with a 0 equip cost, but that doesn't make it bad, it just behaves differently. Someone who had it in a 3-0 deck said it was kinda like Skullclamp at drawing gas. It requires some figuring out which creatures are dead ends and how deep the chains are, but that usually just means to remember it so you don't just reveal your deck to your opponent.
Searing Blaze - one of the more efficient damage dealers and a great way to push forward momentum, haven't seen it lack for targets or landfall triggers.
Craterhoof Behemoth - typically one of the hallmark cards of 3-0 ramp decks.
Gifted Aetherborn - cheaper casting cost more than makes up for lack of flying with Nighthawk, I've found.
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit - can't trigger off tokens but generally more than makes up for that + vanilla stats over the course of the game.
Burning-Tree Emissary - pretty absurd rate and extremely efficient, plays well in red beatdown. One of my favorite Gruul cards.
Gurmag Angler - a big dumb beater, but reasonably costed, usually.
Enjoy!
My impression remains the same and if anything, my opinion of it is higher than it was before. It's a very good card that kills out of nowhere.
Here's a 3-0 deck that's used it well:
I'm probably going to at least test it out and it likely has the best chance of doing something in cube, but my general feeling is lukewarm. :/
A few that weren't known before:
Emerge Unscathed
Wight of Precinct Six
Lead the Stampede
I hadn't really heard much about Heirloom Blade until looking at some recent decks and it's performed quite well, finding that it's not hard to find synergies with it.
I haven't been able to try it much in cube, but I've a feeling that it's got some legs. I had a pretty bonkers mono-blue deck where I had it in my sideboard and likely could have mained it. Unsure, though.