I know I lurk a lot more than I post, but I like these threads and want to see them continue. I voted for Firebolt because I wanted to present options other than Staggershock. Also, I'm rebuilding my cube. Once that's done, it'll be in my sig.
Thank you for the feedback, I look forward to what you have to say about the other colors. I personally don't mind two colored mana symbols, but after reading your assessment, especially in using the example of counterspell, I've realized that some of my players night be better off with 1U rather than UU. I'll probably re-evaluate my feelings on that, especially since I'm trying to encourage multicolored deck.
Here is how I've categorized the cards you've discussed:
Easily droppable -
Soul warden (Essence warden will likely make this list as well)
Slith ascendant
Lightkeeper of emeria
Marrow shards
Oculus
Zephyr falcon - full disclosure, I think this was added by me.
Dewdrop spy - I like the flash, but pestermite *is* better.
Slith strider
Gigadrowse
Theft of dreams
Reality strobe - I've been forcing this one into the cube. It will miss the first booster cut.
Heartstabber mosquito - maybe if that was evoke cost.
Mire's toll
Drain life
Mogg fanatic - maybe as a combat trick. oh yeah, they changed combat. Nevermind.
Hissing miasma - the more I look at that, the more I want it gone.
Why I like these cards, though I'm reconsidering:
Chastise - horrible substitute for STP and PTE. Will likely survive the first cut. Unless there is a better alternative out there.
Solemn offering - I've inlcuded this because i wanted white to have another disenchant effect, and I tend to overvalue lifegain.
Psychic membrane - I like because it can slow down an attacker or two. Could go either way.
Crowd of cinders/Corrupt: I'm doing what I can to have mono-colored decks be a possibility. Perhaps I'm doing too much, and ultimately not supporting the multicolored decks that I should be.
Geth's verdict/tribute to hunger: I want an edict effect, though I'll likely cut one of these. diabolic edict is waaaaaay too expensive for me
Rite of consumption: I like this for more reasons than I can justify
Liliana's caress: I want to support a Black discard archetype. This just slows that archetype down, though, doesn't it?
Cards I'll likely be putting in:
Chapel giest (I know, they should be better. But without this to compare to, I'll keep leaving cards like Cloud elemental in.)
Pestermite: this will replace Dewdrop spy immediately
Darkslick drake: There goes Azure drake
Remove soul: I might be okay with the UU cost of Psychic barrier, but maybe I need to give other players other options
hypnotic specter: purely better than Abyssal Spec, I just need to get one.
Cards I'm trying to justify, but probably won't make the next cut:
Dream twist / Thought scour / Tome scour: I want to support a mill archetype, and these also help out recursion decks. A good case can likely be made to remove the mill support.
Does hysterical blindness suffer as much as Turn the tide? If I was to force a pick between the two, which should I pick? I lean towards Hysterical blindness.
Typhoid rats: I want this to be good. Am I trying too hard to believe?
Thanks again for the critique. Are there any archetypes that anyone thinks I should include?
Also, if a moderator could move this to the proper forum, it would be greatly appreciated.
First of all, I totally ripped off my cube from a peasant cube I found in excel spreadsheet format. The "Cube info" tab in the spreadsheet had this text in it:
The Original Common/Uncommon Cube
Est. 2007
426 Total Cards
Commons/Uncommons Only. Rarity upgrades/downgrades acceptable, e.g. Loxodon Warhammer, City of Brass.
Banned List:
Arabian Nights U2's
Sol Ring
Skullclamp
Mana Drain
Library of Alexandria
If this was your cube, or you know who it belongs to, please let me know so I can give credit to the original builder. My cube started with what I have of that cube, but it has gone through a major revision since then and is more my own now. Thanks to that original poster for Miraculous Recovery. I never would have found that card looking on my own.
So, here's a link to my cubetutor list. Here are a few considerations before we start to discuss it:
The card pool consists of cards I own. If I don't own it, it isn't in there. No proxies.
Cards that have been mentioned, but I am not going to include:
Will edit to add cards I simply don't want.
Cards that have been mentioned, and I'm going to include:
Will edit to add cards I want to add during the next revision.
It is also important to note that I do not own *any* cards from RTR on. Though I will likely be picking up a couple as I buy the others, so feel free to suggest them.
Also, while this is a 450 card cube, my goal is to narrow it down to 360. I plan to do this one booster at a time.
Some generic questions about cube drafting:
Do I need to be "building" packs? I like having at least two of each color in a pack, but it takes a long time to "randomize" the packs. What do others do?
Is there a way to adjust to drafting with only 3 or 4 people?
What is a "good" suite of blue counter magic for a cube?
I don't have all of the cards of some cycles included in my cube, for example I'm only running two of the 5 shrines. What are other people's feelings on this?
Lastly, and most importantly, what cards should I put into consideration for inclusion, and what cards that are included should I take a strong look at?
Lightning Bolt
I know I lurk a lot more than I post, but I like these threads and want to see them continue. I voted for Firebolt because I wanted to present options other than Staggershock. Also, I'm rebuilding my cube. Once that's done, it'll be in my sig.
Here is how I've categorized the cards you've discussed:
Easily droppable -
Soul warden (Essence warden will likely make this list as well)
Slith ascendant
Lightkeeper of emeria
Marrow shards
Oculus
Zephyr falcon - full disclosure, I think this was added by me.
Dewdrop spy - I like the flash, but pestermite *is* better.
Slith strider
Gigadrowse
Theft of dreams
Reality strobe - I've been forcing this one into the cube. It will miss the first booster cut.
Heartstabber mosquito - maybe if that was evoke cost.
Mire's toll
Drain life
Mogg fanatic - maybe as a combat trick. oh yeah, they changed combat. Nevermind.
Hissing miasma - the more I look at that, the more I want it gone.
Chastise - horrible substitute for STP and PTE. Will likely survive the first cut. Unless there is a better alternative out there.
Solemn offering - I've inlcuded this because i wanted white to have another disenchant effect, and I tend to overvalue lifegain.
Psychic membrane - I like because it can slow down an attacker or two. Could go either way.
Crowd of cinders/Corrupt: I'm doing what I can to have mono-colored decks be a possibility. Perhaps I'm doing too much, and ultimately not supporting the multicolored decks that I should be.
Geth's verdict/tribute to hunger: I want an edict effect, though I'll likely cut one of these. diabolic edict is waaaaaay too expensive for me
Rite of consumption: I like this for more reasons than I can justify
Liliana's caress: I want to support a Black discard archetype. This just slows that archetype down, though, doesn't it?
Chapel giest (I know, they should be better. But without this to compare to, I'll keep leaving cards like Cloud elemental in.)
Pestermite: this will replace Dewdrop spy immediately
Darkslick drake: There goes Azure drake
Remove soul: I might be okay with the UU cost of Psychic barrier, but maybe I need to give other players other options
hypnotic specter: purely better than Abyssal Spec, I just need to get one.
Dream twist / Thought scour / Tome scour: I want to support a mill archetype, and these also help out recursion decks. A good case can likely be made to remove the mill support.
Does hysterical blindness suffer as much as Turn the tide? If I was to force a pick between the two, which should I pick? I lean towards Hysterical blindness.
Typhoid rats: I want this to be good. Am I trying too hard to believe?
Also, if a moderator could move this to the proper forum, it would be greatly appreciated.
The Original Common/Uncommon Cube
Est. 2007
426 Total Cards
Commons/Uncommons Only. Rarity upgrades/downgrades acceptable, e.g. Loxodon Warhammer, City of Brass.
Banned List:
Arabian Nights U2's
Sol Ring
Skullclamp
Mana Drain
Library of Alexandria
So, here's a link to my cubetutor list. Here are a few considerations before we start to discuss it:
The card pool consists of cards I own. If I don't own it, it isn't in there. No proxies.
Cards I won't be buying:
Force of Will
Remand
Basically any card that will cost more than $1.
Behemoth Sledge
Loxodon Warhammer
Skullclamp?
Swords to Plowshares
Tragic Slip
Probably the only exception to the money rule will be: Path to Exile
Will edit to add cards I simply don't want.
Will edit to add cards I want to add during the next revision.
Also, while this is a 450 card cube, my goal is to narrow it down to 360. I plan to do this one booster at a time.
Some generic questions about cube drafting:
Do I need to be "building" packs? I like having at least two of each color in a pack, but it takes a long time to "randomize" the packs. What do others do?
Is there a way to adjust to drafting with only 3 or 4 people?
What is a "good" suite of blue counter magic for a cube?
I don't have all of the cards of some cycles included in my cube, for example I'm only running two of the 5 shrines. What are other people's feelings on this?
Lastly, and most importantly, what cards should I put into consideration for inclusion, and what cards that are included should I take a strong look at?
If that wasn't off topic, i don't know what is. lol