30 WUBRG (17 creature, 13 non-creature)
40 XXXXX (8 creature, 32 non-creature)
45 Land Land Land Land Land (33 color-fixing, 12 utility)
-or, if you prefer lands "as Colored"
50 WUBRG
60 Multicolor
50 Colorless
Q&A
Location? Worcester, MA Average Number of Players? 2-4 Number of Times Drafted? Every other week or so “Standard” or Themed? Standard Power? Not now, maybe one day Portal? No, but only because I don’t own any “Un-” Cards? No Banned Cards?Thrun, the Last Troll Snow? No Proxies? No Functional Reprints? A couple Perfect Creature / Non-Creature Balance? No (150 Creatures, 165 Non-Creature, Non-Land) Gold “as Printed” or “as Played”? As Played Creatures “as Printed” or “as Played”? As Printed Perfectly Balanced CMC? No (2.77) Aggro / Control Creatures Distribution (wtwlf's "Point" system)? 98:51 (65:66:18)
A note on the organization
I organized my cube using the following guidelines:
-Creatures / Non-Creatures as Printed: When I initially built (threw together) my Cube, I used creatures as Played (Sarcomancy and Call of the Herd as creatures, Krosan Tuskar as spell), but by that logic reanimation spells act as creatures as well, and how do you classify Bitterblossom, as that's just a bunch of creatures . . . it's just easier on my brain-hole if creatures are creatures and everything else is everything else. There are more spells-that-act-like-creatures than creatures-that-act-like-spells, so this helps keeps "more" creatures in the Cube than there are. Aggro seems to need all the help it can get.
-Colors as Played: Kird Ape is only good in R/G/x decks, and is unplayable as only a 1/1 for R; as are cards like Court Husar, and split-mana cards like Kitchen Finks only good in their respective colors. A card like Elves of Deep Shadow (or Noble Hierarch, when I should get one) is fine in G, as it does not require you to play outside of G, regardless of it being better in BG. Phyrexian mana (Phyrexian Metamorph) are in their respective colors, despite their usefulness in every color.
-CMC as Played: This pertains mostly to Morph and Kicker, as cards with these abilities are rarely (see also: never) cast without these costs. Creatures with Morph will be considered 3 CMC creatures, with their Morph cost being treated as an activated ability. Creatures with Kicker are treated as though their Kicker cost were part of the CMC, putting them higher than the card actually reads.
-Phyrexian Mana: I count Phyrexian Mana symbols as part of the overall color-identity and CMC, so Dismember is a 3 CMC black card, Birthing Pod is a 4 CMC green card, etc. Despite their frequent use as color-less or less expensive spells, they aren't always cast that way, I would rather have them count toward their "actual" cost then their "sometimes" cost.
Dark Ascension is looking like it's going to be a phenomenal set with regards to cube upgrades: so far these are the cards I'm looking at and their proposed cuts:
Gravedigger was supposed to be Gravecrawler, I just don't know how to type. The Gravedigger that's already in my Cube should be any of the creatures you suggested, but I don't have one at the moment.
I'm overall pretty happy with green, and was trying to keep the 2cc spot from getting clogged; although after re-counting, 11 (12 with Geist) doesn't seem too bad (right? Maybe?). I'll cut the Baloth when the time comes. Wood Elves will become something like Yavimaya Elder when I come across one.
Went to a weekly Legacy event at my LGS today (split top 4, getting me that much closer to my Dark Ascension box) and traded my way into 15 cube upgrades!
I'm particularly happy with the rounding out of the Innistrad / M10 lands, both for symmetry purposes and hiccuping 4/5-color Control. It was too easy to just draft mana-fixing and hate and win with whatever 3CC+ creature or 4 you pulled along the way, and the allied colors were stealing them from the enemy colors.
Should be cubing on Wednesday, so there'll be more to tell then.
Good changes all around - however if I may suggest keeping in Harmonize and cutting a card likeLeatherback Baloth instead? Harmonize is such an important card for G/X decks, whereas Baloth is a sometimes difficult to cast vanilla creature.
I'm not a huge fan of Harmonize, but I agree that it is better than Leatherback Baloth. The Baloth is rarely going to come down on or before curve unless you are in mono-green. It's unimpressive if it isn't cast by turn 3, which is fairly likely.
I found an Indrik Stomphowler hiding in some cards, so I'll cut the Baloth for that. Comparable body with an infinitely better ability / casting cost, seems good to me.
Although I scrubbed out of this week's Legacy tournament, I did find out about my LGS's dollar rare boxes (dangerous knowledge). I only had time to look through the Black rares, though, so only black got an upgrade (although it's a pretty significant one at that). I also bought a booster pack hoping to crack a Liliana of the Veil, which I did.
Although I scrubbed out of this week's Legacy tournament, I did find out about my LGS's dollar rare boxes (dangerous knowledge). I only had time to look through the Black rares, though, so only black got an upgrade (although it's a pretty significant one at that). I also bought a booster pack hoping to crack a Liliana of the Veil, which I did.
Trying to set up a date to Cube, so I'll get to finally test all these changes out.
Nice changes - the only one I don't like is cutting the Smother. Its not the most impressive card, but I think its better than Darkblast, Beseech the Queen and Life's Finale in many cube circumstances.
I agree, however I want to keep the two tutors and Life's Finale as bad-functional placeholders for Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, and Damnation. I like these effects in black, even they're over-costed. I'm a sucker for flavor.
Darkblast has been pretty good so far--I especially like having a dredger in the cube to help self-mill if necessary. This will probably be cut for Entomb should I ever find one.
I went back to my LGS to rifle through some other dollar bins (red, blue, artifact). Nothing got as big an update as black did, though, which is a mixed bag of excitement (that my cube is moving beyond dollar rares) and disappointment (I like new cards).
They do--every time I go into my LGS I find out they have some other group of cards hidden behind a counter somewhere, and usually it works out in my benefit. I'm not looking forward to running out of $1 rares, however.
I keep bouncing the idea of proxying up the Power 9 + Library of Alexandria for my cube, but I feel that it would skew the power-level (especially in it's current state). I also fundamentally disagree with Proxies as I generally find them rude to the game of Magic (but that's another tangent for another day), but then again the idea of drafting a Black Lotus makes me giddy to no end. Alas, what to do?! At what point is it appropriate to add in Power? What exactly does it do to the dynamic of the cube (ie what other cards / strategies appear as a direct result)? This is what keeps me up at night.
Also with regards to Thrun, the Last Troll: does anyone win despite him being played? He was included in an early draft of the cube, but he seemed to be invincible, and any deck that played him (control, aggro, midrange) would just sit on him to victory (Wrath of God withstanding). Again with the when: at what point does Thrun stop skewing the game? Does he always do this and are we just ok with it? Is my group (and me by extension) over-reacting?
I keep bouncing the idea of proxying up the Power 9 + Library of Alexandria for my cube, but I feel that it would skew the power-level (especially in it's current state). I also fundamentally disagree with Proxies as I generally find them rude to the game of Magic (but that's another tangent for another day), but then again the idea of drafting a Black Lotus makes me giddy to no end. Alas, what to do?! At what point is it appropriate to add in Power? What exactly does it do to the dynamic of the cube (ie what other cards / strategies appear as a direct result)? This is what keeps me up at night.
I finally broke down and proxied Power 10 along with Jace 2.0 and Mana Drain. My reasoning was that this really is the only chance I and my playgroup will have to play with these powerful cards. We've been having a blast with the cards and only a few complaints about whoever gets the Mox or Lotus out first wins. My rule on proxying is that I'm proxying cards for cube that I know I would never be able to afford (short of winning the lottery). This means that some expensive cards I won't proxy because I'm going to get them eventually (Survival of the Fittest, Rishadan Port) while there are a few others I want to proxy to add to the cube (Moat, Nether Void). My advice is to try it out. There's no law saying you can't go back and take them out if you don't like them. Remember that Sol Ring, Library of Alexandria, and to a lesser extent Umezawa's Jitte are better in cube than the Power 9.
Regarding Thrun:
Yeah he's a beating, but he can be beaten. For one thing, you can race the Thrun player. Then there's mass removal. There are also blockers that don't care about him--Mirran Crusaderand Wall of Denial for example. Lastly, don't forget edicts or other sacrifice effects.
I'd rather play with proxies than cube without power. And I hate proxies.
Interesting. I'm leaning toward proxying Power 9 + Library of Alexandria at some point, I'm just not sure if it's the best idea balance wise just yet. I told a friend I'd try it at least once before I move back to IL in May--we'll see how it goes then.
If you dislike proxies but still want to draft power nine, Collector Edition is the less expensive way to go. Those are real cards, printed by Wizards of the Coast and 99% identical to beta cards (only corner and back differs, both unoticeable in sleeves), the discount coming from the fact that they are not allowed in official tournament.
I'd be all for this, but even those are super expensive considering they aren't tournament legal. I could buy a real piece of power, or a Mishra's Workshop for my EDH deck.
If I decide to keep the proxies in, I'll have an artist buddy of mine paint me something pretty on them.
I got to do a 3 man Winston the other night, which had more or less the same result it did last time. I went 2-0 with a Jund deck (really BR aggro with Deranged Hermit, Scavenging Ooze, and Mayor of Avabruck), beating a RUx deck and a G/W aggro deck. Sulfuric Vortex is a beating, I rode that guy out victory.
Mayor was awkward: I always had to skip my turn to flip him, meaning I didn't get any extra value out of him until the end of 4 turns later. If he lives that long (and in this case, he actually did 2-3/4 times), he's pretty brutal. The tokens at the end of your turn are kinda neat--I like that I can swing my whole team and still have a blocker. I'm still going to cut him when I can, as I want something either more resilient or with a more immediate effect.
All the other changes I made (that I saw) played out great. I'm pretty pleased.
Updated with first round of DKA updates. Didn't get everything I need (Sorin, Lord of Innistrad and Gravecrawler being the glaring omissions, in my opinion), but such is life.
I also got a Huntmaster of the Falls, but as I just added another 4 drop to red (and r/g is in no shortage of creature 4 drops) I decided to skip this addition, despite his being better than my Hull Breach. Holding out for something better (Stormbind or Sarkhan Vol, probably).
I also realized that my overall creature-curve is off a bit (thanks deckstats). To fix it, I need to do some combination of the following:
Testing to see if any archetypes are dominating has been tricky, to say the least, due to how different my 2 playgroups play. I'm moving back to IL in a couple of months, so I'll just keep improving as I see fit and worry about balance after. I also finally finished my DKA updates, which is nice.
I wish there was something more exciting to report, but being a grad student allows for the most uneventful life / Magic ever.
The Information
Deck Stats
49 WWWWW (29 creature, 20 non-creature)
49 UUUUU (14 creature, 35 non-creature)
49 BBBBB (23 creature, 26 non-creature)
49 RRRRR (26 creature, 23 non-creature)
49 GGGGG (34 creature, 15 non-creature)
30 WUBRG (17 creature, 13 non-creature)
40 XXXXX (8 creature, 32 non-creature)
45 Land Land Land Land Land (33 color-fixing, 12 utility)
-or, if you prefer lands "as Colored"
50 WUBRG
60 Multicolor
50 Colorless
Q&A
Location? Worcester, MA
Average Number of Players? 2-4
Number of Times Drafted? Every other week or so
“Standard” or Themed? Standard
Power? Not now, maybe one day
Portal? No, but only because I don’t own any
“Un-” Cards? No
Banned Cards? Thrun, the Last Troll
Snow? No
Proxies? No
Functional Reprints? A couple
Perfect Creature / Non-Creature Balance? No (150 Creatures, 165 Non-Creature, Non-Land)
Gold “as Printed” or “as Played”? As Played
Creatures “as Printed” or “as Played”? As Printed
Perfectly Balanced CMC? No (2.77)
Aggro / Control Creatures Distribution (wtwlf's "Point" system)? 98:51 (65:66:18)
A note on the organization
I organized my cube using the following guidelines:
-Creatures / Non-Creatures as Printed: When I initially built (threw together) my Cube, I used creatures as Played (Sarcomancy and Call of the Herd as creatures, Krosan Tuskar as spell), but by that logic reanimation spells act as creatures as well, and how do you classify Bitterblossom, as that's just a bunch of creatures . . . it's just easier on my brain-hole if creatures are creatures and everything else is everything else. There are more spells-that-act-like-creatures than creatures-that-act-like-spells, so this helps keeps "more" creatures in the Cube than there are. Aggro seems to need all the help it can get.
-Colors as Played: Kird Ape is only good in R/G/x decks, and is unplayable as only a 1/1 for R; as are cards like Court Husar, and split-mana cards like Kitchen Finks only good in their respective colors. A card like Elves of Deep Shadow (or Noble Hierarch, when I should get one) is fine in G, as it does not require you to play outside of G, regardless of it being better in BG. Phyrexian mana (Phyrexian Metamorph) are in their respective colors, despite their usefulness in every color.
-CMC as Played: This pertains mostly to Morph and Kicker, as cards with these abilities are rarely (see also: never) cast without these costs. Creatures with Morph will be considered 3 CMC creatures, with their Morph cost being treated as an activated ability. Creatures with Kicker are treated as though their Kicker cost were part of the CMC, putting them higher than the card actually reads.
-Phyrexian Mana: I count Phyrexian Mana symbols as part of the overall color-identity and CMC, so Dismember is a 3 CMC black card, Birthing Pod is a 4 CMC green card, etc. Despite their frequent use as color-less or less expensive spells, they aren't always cast that way, I would rather have them count toward their "actual" cost then their "sometimes" cost.
The Cube
WWWWW
Creatures
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Savannah Lions
1 Mother of Runes
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Doomed Traveler
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Cloistered Youth
1 Wall of Omens
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Lone Missionary
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Elite Inquisitor
1 Loyal Cathar
1 Blade Splicer
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Thraben Doomsayer
1 Exalted Angel
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Archon of Justice
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Karmic Guide
1 Reveillark
1 Geist-Honored Monk
1 Eternal Dragon
Non-Creatures
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Disenchant
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Balance
1 Lapse of Certainty
1 Oblation
1 Arrest
1 Glorious Anthem
1 Scepter of Dominance
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Spectral Procession
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Faith's Fatters
1 Armageddon
1 Cataclysm
1 Wrath of God
1 Day of Judgment
UUUUU
Creatures
1 Delver of Secrets
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Ludvic's Test Subject
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Aether Adept
1 Man-o'-War
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Frost Titan
Non-Creatures
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Pongify
1 Miscalculation
1 Courier's Capsule
1 Remand
1 Counterspell
1 Impulse
1 Delay
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Into the Roil
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Dissipate
1 Frantic Search
1 Savor the Moment
1 Jace Beleren
1 Forbid
1 Capsize
1 Spell Crumple
1 Control Magic
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Rewind
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Deep Analysis
1 Gush
1 Upheaval
1 Condescend
BBBBB
Creatures
1 Carnophage
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Fume Spitter
1 Gravecrawler
1 Vault Skirge
1 Vampire Interloper
1 Bloodghast
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Skirsdag High Priest
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Bane of the Living
1 Nekrataal
1 Sewer Nemesis
1 Skinrender
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Grave Titan
Non-Creatures
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Dark Ritual
1 Reanimate
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Night's Whisper
1 Animate Dead
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Tribute to Hunger
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Necromancy
1 Snuff Out
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Mind Twist
1 Black Sun's Zenith
RRRRR
Creatures
1 Reckless Waif
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Goblin Guide
1 Jackal Pup
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Goblin Patrol
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Ember Hauler
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Hearth Kami
1 Stingscourger
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Manic Vandal
1 Hellrider
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Siege-Gang Commander
Non-Creatures
1 Forked Bolt
1 Chain Lightning
1 Burst Lightning
1 Firebolt
1 Faithless Looting
1 Arc Trail
1 Incinerate
1 Searing Blaze
1 Pyroclasm
1 Magma Jet
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Char
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Pillage
1 Staggershock
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Wildfire
1 Fireball
1 Devil's Play
1 Red Sun's Zenith
GGGGG
Creatures
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Nimble Mongoose
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Wolfbitten Captive
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Arbor Elf
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Skinshifter
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Wall of Roots
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 River Boa
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Eternal Witness
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Ravenous Baloth
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Vengevine
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Acidic Slime
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Terastodon
Non-Creatures
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Regrowth
1 Sylvan Library
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Krosan Grip
1 Beast Within
1 Cultivate
1 Growth Spasm
1 Bramblecrush
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Green Sun's Zenith
WUBRG
1 Wall of Denial
1 Absorb
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Evil Twin
1 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Terminate
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Bituminous Blast
1 Kird Ape
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Hull Breach
1 Loam Lion
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Lingering Souls
1 Mortify
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Putrid Leech
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Trygon Predator
1 Mystic Snake
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Fire // Ice
1 Electrolyze
1 Lightning Helix
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Ajani Vengeant
XXXXX
Creatures
1 Masticore
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Myr Battlesphere
Non-Creatures
1 Skullclamp
1 Darksteel Axe
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
1 Black Vise
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Winter Orb
1 Scroll Rack
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Crystal Shard
1 Mimic Vat
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Smokestack
1 Memory Jar
Land Land Land Land Land
1 Temple of the False God
1 Mutavault
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 City of Brass
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Maze of Ith
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Academy Ruins
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Treetop Village
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetary
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Marsh Flats
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Temple Garden
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Secluded Glen
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
The Changes
April 2012
1 April 2012
Out -> In
Compulsive Research -> Deep Analysis
Captain of the Watch -> Geist-Honored Monk
Birthing Pod -> Green Sun's Zenith
Contested War Zone -> Maze of Ith
Olivia Voldaren -> Bituminous Blast
Hero of Oxid Ridge -> Magma Jet
Lodestone Golem -> Karn Liberated
Druidic Satchel -> Crucible of Worlds
Erratic Portal -> Smokestack
Everflowing Chalice -> Mox Diamond
Izzet Signet -> Mana Crypt
Azorius Signet -> Sol Ring
Dimir Signet -> Mana Vault
Darksteel Ingot -> Grim Monolith
25 March 2012
In -> Out
Grave Titan -> Skeletal Vampire
Gravecrawler -> Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Black Sun's Zenith -> Dark Tutelage
Skirsdag High Priest -> Tragic Slip
Fleshbag Marauder -> Darkblast
Koth of the Hammer -> Brimstone Volley
Forbidden Alchemy -> Recoil
Lingering Souls -> Desolation Angel
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad -> Gerrard's Verdict
6 March 2012
Out -> In
Azorius Chancery -> Hallowed Fountain
February 2012
4 Feb. 2012
Out -> In
Spectral Rider -> Loyal Cathar
Soltari Monk -> Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Abolish -> Thraban Doomslayer
Clone -> Dungeon Geists
Disfigure -> Tragic Slip
Plated Geopede -> Torch Fiend
Goblin Ruinblaster -> Hellrider
Act of Aggression -> Faithless Looting
Basking Rootwalla -> Wolfbitten Captive
Mayor of Avabruck -> Strangleroot Geist
January 2012
23 Jan. 2012
In -> Out
Pithing Needle -> Expedition Map
Erratic Portal -> Rakdos Signet
Tangle Wire -> Boros Signet
Sundering Titan -> Perilous Myr
Control Magic -> Propaganda
Serendib Efreet -> Stitched Drake
Blistering Firecat -> Magus of the Moon
Sulfuric Vortex -> Shrine of Burning Rage
22 Jan. 2012
In -> Out
Desolation Angel -> Necrotic Sliver
Braids, Cabal Minion -> Reassembling Skeleton
Hypnotic Specter -> Gatekeeper of Malakir
Bane of the Living -> Crypt Rats
Nekrataal -> Entomber Exarch
Liliana of the Veil -> Tendrils of Agony
Necromancy -> Dread Return
Animate Dead -> Smother
Mind Twist -> Mind Shatter
16 Jan. 2012
In -> Out
Exalted Angel -> Magus of the Moat
Mirran Crusader -> Timely Reinforcements
Blade Splicer -> Mentor of the Meek
Impulse -> Telling Time
Reanimate -> Zombify
Char -> Seal of Fire
Greater Gargadon -> Kruin Outlaw
Yavimaya Elder -> Wood Elves
Indrik Stomphowler -> Leatherback Baloth
Garruk Relentless -> Harmonize
Birthing Pod -> Tooth and Nail
Solemn Simulacrum -> Signal Pest
Black Vise -> Phyrexian Alter
Woodland Cemetary -> Golgari Rot Farm
Clifftop Retreat -> Jungle Shrine
Sulfur Falls -> Crumbling Necropolis
12 Jan. 2012
In -> Out
Soltari Monk -> Ghostly Prison
Memory Lapse -> Psionic Blast
Trygon Predator -> Vedalken Heretic
Joraga Treespeaker -> Elves of Deep Shadow
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
I cubed the other night with a couple of buddies, doing a Winston once and a Sealed once. These were the decks that were drafted:
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Basking Rootwalla
1 Signal Pest
1 Kird Ape
1 Nimble Mongoose
1 Arbor Elf
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Stingscourger
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Wood Elves
1 Regrowth
1 Winter Orb
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Red Sun's Zenith
1 Temple Garden
1 Wasteland
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Manic Vandal
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Mulldrifter
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Seal of Fire
1 Dissipate
1 Spell Snare
1 Rancor
1 Into the Roil
1 Savor the Moment
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Jace Beleren
1 Spell Crumple
1 Call of the Herd
1 Coalition Relic
1 Growth Spasm
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Act of Aggression
1 Prophetic Bolt
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Arid Mesa
1 Vault Skirge
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Shriekmaw
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Captain of the Watch
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Mortify
1 Scepter of Dominance
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Wrath of God
1 Armageddon
1 Zombify
1 Snuff Out
1 Life's Finale
1 Mind Shatter
1 Spectral Rider
1 Elite Inquisitor
1 River Boa
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Great Sable Stag
1 Magus of the Moat
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Karmic Guide
1 Reveillark
1 Krosan Tuskar
1 Terrastodon
1 Skullclamp
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Sylvan Library
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Balance
1 Harmonize
1 Day of Judgment
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Flooded Strand
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Student of Warfare
1 Sarcomancy
1 Reckless Waif
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Hearth Kami
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Lone Missionary
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Seige-Gang Commander
1 Sun Titan
1 Path to Exile
1 Terminate
1 Doomblade
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Tribute to Hunger
1 Spectral Procession
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 City of Brass
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Mayor of Avabruck
1 Wall of Roots
1 Plated Geopede
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Eternal Witness
1 Kruin Outlaw
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Vengevine
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Duress
1 Expedition Map
1 Chain Lightning
1 Dark Ritual
1 Arc Trail
1 Smother
1 Mind stone
1 Incinerate
1 Mortarpod
1 Dismember
1 Staggershock
1 Beast Within
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Pillage
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Bonehoard
1 Dread Return
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Fireball
1 Strip Mine
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Mutavault
I also got a chance to rifle through their commons/uncommons, and found the following gems / made the following cuts:
In -> Out
Soltari Monk -> Ghostly Prison Aggro boost
Memory Lapse -> Psionic Blast Group vote: Blue doesn't get access to burn.
Trygon Predator -> Vedalken Heretic Strict upgrade
Joraga Treespeaker -> Elves of Deep Shadow Strict Upgrade
Dark Ascension is looking like it's going to be a phenomenal set with regards to cube upgrades: so far these are the cards I'm looking at and their proposed cuts:
In -> Out
Gravecrawler -> Tendrils of Agony Strict Upgrade
Strangleroot Geist -> River Boa (maybe Skinshifter?) Seems like a better beater.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad -> Necrotic Sliver Strict Upgrade
Falkenrath Aristocrat -> Olivia Voldaren Aggro Boost (Olivia is great aggro top-curve or control finisher, whereas Aristocrat seems almost exclusively aggro top-curve)
Faithless Looting -> Seal of Fire Strict upgrade
Thalia, Guardian of Thrabren -> Timely Reinforcements Aggro Boost
Thoughts?
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
I'm overall pretty happy with green, and was trying to keep the 2cc spot from getting clogged; although after re-counting, 11 (12 with Geist) doesn't seem too bad (right? Maybe?). I'll cut the Baloth when the time comes. Wood Elves will become something like Yavimaya Elder when I come across one.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
In -> Out
Exalted Angel -> Magus of the Moat Upgrade, although I wouldn't say no to a Moat in the future.
Mirran Crusader -> Timely Reinforcements Aggro Upgrade
Blade Splicer -> Mentor of the Meek Mentor was a 2/2 for 2W more often than not.
Impulse -> Telling Time
Reanimate -> Zombify
Char -> Seal of Fire More reach for Aggro / Burn
Greater Gargadon -> Kruin Outlaw Werewolves seem cool--this one just wasn't.
Yavimaya Elder -> Wood Elves As promised
Garruk Relentless -> Harmonize I meant to cut Garruk, Primal Hunter for Harmonize, but cut something else instead (I don't remember what).
Birthing Pod -> Tooth and Nail Unimpressed by Tooth and Nail, but Pod is a favorite card among many in my group. This should be a welcome addition.
Solemn Simulacrum -> Signal Pest
Black Vise -> Phyrexian Alter
Woodland Cemetary -> Golgari Rot Farm
Clifftop Retreat -> Jungle Shrine
Sulfur Falls -> Crumbling Necropolis
I'm particularly happy with the rounding out of the Innistrad / M10 lands, both for symmetry purposes and hiccuping 4/5-color Control. It was too easy to just draft mana-fixing and hate and win with whatever 3CC+ creature or 4 you pulled along the way, and the allied colors were stealing them from the enemy colors.
Should be cubing on Wednesday, so there'll be more to tell then.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Just a thought!
My Tribal Cube
EDH Decks
GOmnath, Locus of ManaG
WUBSen TripletsWUB
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
In -> Out
Desolation Angel -> Necrotic Sliver
Braids, Cabal Minion -> Reassembling Skeleton
Hypnotic Specter -> Gatekeeper of Malakir
Bane of the Living -> Crypt Rats
Nekrataal -> Entomber Exarch
Liliana of the Veil -> Tendrils of Agony
Necromancy -> Dread Return
Animate Dead -> Smother
Mind Twist -> Mind Shatter
Trying to set up a date to Cube, so I'll get to finally test all these changes out.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
I saw a kid pull a Sulfuric Vortex out of the red one; here's to hoping there was more than 1 in there.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Nice changes - the only one I don't like is cutting the Smother. Its not the most impressive card, but I think its better than Darkblast, Beseech the Queen and Life's Finale in many cube circumstances.
My Tribal Cube
EDH Decks
GOmnath, Locus of ManaG
WUBSen TripletsWUB
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG
Darkblast has been pretty good so far--I especially like having a dredger in the cube to help self-mill if necessary. This will probably be cut for Entomb should I ever find one.
I went back to my LGS to rifle through some other dollar bins (red, blue, artifact). Nothing got as big an update as black did, though, which is a mixed bag of excitement (that my cube is moving beyond dollar rares) and disappointment (I like new cards).
In -> Out
Pithing Needle -> Expedition Map
Erratic Portal -> Rakdos Signet
Tangle Wire -> Boros Signet
Sundering Titan -> Perilous Myr
Control Magic -> Propaganda
Serendib Efreet -> Stitched Drake
Blistering Firecat -> Magus of the Moon
Sulfuric Vortex -> Shrine of Burning Rage
I'll update the OP when I'm not putting off homework.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
My Tribal Cube
EDH Decks
GOmnath, Locus of ManaG
WUBSen TripletsWUB
BRGKresh the BloodbraidedBRG
I keep bouncing the idea of proxying up the Power 9 + Library of Alexandria for my cube, but I feel that it would skew the power-level (especially in it's current state). I also fundamentally disagree with Proxies as I generally find them rude to the game of Magic (but that's another tangent for another day), but then again the idea of drafting a Black Lotus makes me giddy to no end. Alas, what to do?! At what point is it appropriate to add in Power? What exactly does it do to the dynamic of the cube (ie what other cards / strategies appear as a direct result)? This is what keeps me up at night.
Also with regards to Thrun, the Last Troll: does anyone win despite him being played? He was included in an early draft of the cube, but he seemed to be invincible, and any deck that played him (control, aggro, midrange) would just sit on him to victory (Wrath of God withstanding). Again with the when: at what point does Thrun stop skewing the game? Does he always do this and are we just ok with it? Is my group (and me by extension) over-reacting?
Explicame, porfavor.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
I finally broke down and proxied Power 10 along with Jace 2.0 and Mana Drain. My reasoning was that this really is the only chance I and my playgroup will have to play with these powerful cards. We've been having a blast with the cards and only a few complaints about whoever gets the Mox or Lotus out first wins. My rule on proxying is that I'm proxying cards for cube that I know I would never be able to afford (short of winning the lottery). This means that some expensive cards I won't proxy because I'm going to get them eventually (Survival of the Fittest, Rishadan Port) while there are a few others I want to proxy to add to the cube (Moat, Nether Void). My advice is to try it out. There's no law saying you can't go back and take them out if you don't like them. Remember that Sol Ring, Library of Alexandria, and to a lesser extent Umezawa's Jitte are better in cube than the Power 9.
Regarding Thrun:
Yeah he's a beating, but he can be beaten. For one thing, you can race the Thrun player. Then there's mass removal. There are also blockers that don't care about him--Mirran Crusaderand Wall of Denial for example. Lastly, don't forget edicts or other sacrifice effects.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
I will hopefully get to actually play this thing tonight, I'll bring it up then.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Interesting. I'm leaning toward proxying Power 9 + Library of Alexandria at some point, I'm just not sure if it's the best idea balance wise just yet. I told a friend I'd try it at least once before I move back to IL in May--we'll see how it goes then.
I'd be all for this, but even those are super expensive considering they aren't tournament legal. I could buy a real piece of power, or a Mishra's Workshop for my EDH deck.
If I decide to keep the proxies in, I'll have an artist buddy of mine paint me something pretty on them.
I got to do a 3 man Winston the other night, which had more or less the same result it did last time. I went 2-0 with a Jund deck (really BR aggro with Deranged Hermit, Scavenging Ooze, and Mayor of Avabruck), beating a RUx deck and a G/W aggro deck. Sulfuric Vortex is a beating, I rode that guy out victory.
Mayor was awkward: I always had to skip my turn to flip him, meaning I didn't get any extra value out of him until the end of 4 turns later. If he lives that long (and in this case, he actually did 2-3/4 times), he's pretty brutal. The tokens at the end of your turn are kinda neat--I like that I can swing my whole team and still have a blocker. I'm still going to cut him when I can, as I want something either more resilient or with a more immediate effect.
All the other changes I made (that I saw) played out great. I'm pretty pleased.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Out -> In
Spectral Rider -> Loyal Cathar (don't really like either of them, but don't want the single protection Soltari's either. Cathar will make due, for now)
Soltari Monk -> Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Abolish -> Thraban Doomslayer (testing)
Clone -> Dungeon Geists (functional Sower of Temptation until I get one)
Disfigure -> Tragic Slip (testing)
Plated Geopede -> Torch Fiend
Goblin Ruinblaster -> Hellrider
Act of Aggression -> Faithless Looting
Basking Rootwalla -> Wolfbitten Captive
Mayor of Avabruck -> Strangleroot Geist
Evolving Wilds -> Evolving Wilds (art upgrade)
I also got a Huntmaster of the Falls, but as I just added another 4 drop to red (and r/g is in no shortage of creature 4 drops) I decided to skip this addition, despite his being better than my Hull Breach. Holding out for something better (Stormbind or Sarkhan Vol, probably).
I also realized that my overall creature-curve is off a bit (thanks deckstats). To fix it, I need to do some combination of the following:
Reduce 2-Drops (1-3)
Increase 3-Drops (3-5)
Reduce 4-Drops (2-3)
Increase 5-Drops (0-2)
Any suggestions
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Spring break yielded the following goodies:
In -> Out
Grave Titan -> Skeletal Vampire
Gravecrawler -> Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Black Sun's Zenith -> Dark Tutelage
Skirsdag High Priest -> Tragic Slip
Fleshbag Marauder -> Darkblast
Koth of the Hammer -> Brimstone Volley
Forbidden Alchemy -> Recoil
Lingering Souls -> Desolation Angel
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad -> Gerrard's Verdict
Hallowed Fountain -> Azorius Chancery
Testing to see if any archetypes are dominating has been tricky, to say the least, due to how different my 2 playgroups play. I'm moving back to IL in a couple of months, so I'll just keep improving as I see fit and worry about balance after. I also finally finished my DKA updates, which is nice.
I wish there was something more exciting to report, but being a grad student allows for the most uneventful life / Magic ever.
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963