Judging Rubric Get It Away From Me — A card which should never be considered by anyone sane. Bad — It's not really worth cubing with at all. Cuttable — It's workable, but it's not cubeable. It's on the cuttable side of borderline. Borderline - It's got potential, and requires more testing. Your call. Cubeable — You can add this and probably get the wide concensus. It's solid. Not broken, but solid. Cube It — Stapled to the god damn cube. Run it. Run it like the wind.
WHITE
Armory Guard
Gates matter is an obviously bad mechanic for cube, despite how awesome the Gates are for us. As a vanilla, a 2/5 is pretty big, but at 4 mana there is stiff competition. Cuttable.
Avenging Arrow
Narrow removal is narrow. There are much better options out there. Bad.
Azorius Arrester
My problem with detain as a mechanic is that it doesn't do enough. There is a valid comparison to be made with this and Kor Hookmaster, but I don't believe that it's really close between them seeing as 1)Hookmaster usually wants to come out in the middlegame, when mana doesn't matter, and 2) Not being able to block twice is very very important for the aggro decks. As it is, I don't see Arrester doing enough to warrant a place, although it's close. CuttableBorderline.
Concordia Pegasus
A strong defensive body that eats Stormfront Pegasus, but the lack of 2 power really limits the kinds of decks that want to play it. I don't see it happening, unfortunately, but it still works if you're looking for a defensive creature (I simply believe that there are enough better ones beside it out there, even in the 2-mana range). Borderline.
Ethereal Armor
Enchantments matter also isn't very good for cube. Hyena Umbra will be better most of the time. Plus, suffers from Aura syndrome. Get It Away From Me.
Eyes in the Skies
The poor man's Midnight Haunting. Not very good for its expensive cost; there are many more 2-power 3-mana fliers out there. Cuttable.
Knightly Valor
It does a lot for the mana cost, and suffers less from Aura syndrome than other things. It puts 4 power onto the board, and a +2/+2 boost on a creature gives you a serious threat. All good things, but it simply doesn't do enough. It's very expensive and does still suffer from Aura syndrome, however lessened. There's really no room for it. Borderline, on the side of cuttable.
Rootborn Defenses
I didn't get to talk about populate in the first card it showed up (Eyes in the Skies) because that produced a token, so it's not always dead. On a card like this, though, the weaknesses of populate in cube: there are not enough creature tokens. And if Rootborn Defenses is doing nothing but an awkward combat trick most of the time, then it won't make decks. Hell, even Safe Passage has game against burn like Fireball. Get It Away From Me.
Seller of Songbirds
This thing effectively gives you too small, dorky tokens. There are much better 3-drops. Get It Away From Me.
Sunspire Griffin Chapel Geist number two. I really like the Geist, but I don't believe cube needs another one. Cubeable.
Swift Justice Kindled Fury gets a facelift, and I have to say, when they add lifelink to things, I get excited. Being able to turn trades into chumps and a bunch of life is very valuable. I think that it has real potential, and might try it out. Cubeable.
Trained Caracal
Doesn't do enough. White is filled with many very good 1-drops and this is certainly not good enough. Get It Away From Me.
Overall: A few boring cards that will make it into cubes, but nothing really good enough to make me pay attention just yet.
BLUE
Cancel
Yet another Cancel reprint. Hell no. Get It Away From Me.
Chronic Flooding
Read the card. Then read it again. Then quash that little voice inside you that says Mill is viable and run. Get It Away From Me.
Crosstown Courier
More often than not, what with many more flashback cards thanks to Innistrad, milling them will be detrimental. Which makes this slightly worse than your average bear, and that's really not good enough for cube. Get It Away From Me.
Dispel
Yet another reprint that is too narrow to be cubed. Get It Away From Me.
Doorkeeper
Again, mill is not ever a good ability in cube. And there are better walls out there. Get It Away From Me.
Downsize
These kind of cards have rarely been good, and this is no exception even with the flexibility of Overload. Get It Away From Me.
Inaction Injuction
Let's compare this with the Azorius Arrester above that I scathingly rejected. I actually think Inaction Injunction is better, and not just because of different colors and blue being able to use the effect more. The thing is, detain becomes better the later into the game, and as we go onwards the value of 2/1s decrease by the value of cantrips actually increases. This is not a bad topdeck.
After all that, though, I'm still rejecting this card. Why? Because it just doesn't do enough. A fine topdeck, but I want more out of my cards. Cuttable.
Isperia Skywatch
Six mana is a lot, but not too much for some slower decks. Detain is fine but again, it doesn't do enough by itself to warrant being played on such an expensive card. Cuttable.
Mizzium Skin
Highly defensive, and the overload only strong against cards like Rolling Thunder which won't be relevant for most games. Bad.
Paralyzing Grasp
Bad removal is bad. Short comment because reprint. Are we good? Good. Bad.
Runewing
There are better 4-drop blue fliers out there. Not being able to control the draw kills it (:trolo:) for me. Cuttable.
Stealer of Secrets
3 mana blue creatures is a little bit tight. Comparing it to Scroll Thief, I like it more because it also has useful applications in trading with other 2/2s. Borderline.
Voidwielder
Man-o'-War effects are good, but there are many, many better ones already in cubes. Wielder is not needed. Cuttable.
Overall: All these reprints and nothing good makes me sad.
BLACK
Catacomb Slug
At some point defensive bodies like this get a bit much and we just have to say: no. Bad.
Cremate
By being cheap and cantripping, Cremate has a good chance of making certain decks, at least as a sideboard card against flashback. But there isn't enough room in cube for such an obviously narrow card. Bad.
Dead Reveler
I like 2/3s because they are so strong against 2/2s. A 3-power body on an aggressive creature is also fine. The flexibility of having both is quite strong too. However, none of the modes are quite good enough that really convinces me to try him. Borderline.
Destroy the Evidence
Sometimes there are cards that you just want to punch in the face. And this name was so damn awesome too. Get It Away From Me x2.
Drainpipe Vermin Ravenous Rats is better in my opinion because you don't always have to have mana open in case it dies. And 1/1s are so bad most of the time. Get It Away From Me.
Launch Party
Instant speed and 2 life is not worth 3 more mana, and Bone Splinters itself is not very good. Bad.
Grim Roustabout
Not a terrible topdeck as it is an infinite blocker, but in general this is worse than a Walking Corpse and doesn't make the cut. Bad.
Ogre Jailbreaker
As a 4/4 defender, this is fine but boring, and definitely not cubeable. Sadly, the gates clause isn't enough to make it better. Bad.
Perilous Shadow
A big butt, and the unique shade ability means that it works much better in two-color decks. Perilous Shadow is very interesting and does have some potential as a big beater. Borderline.
Sewer Shambler
Fine, if boring. Rarely evasive and a fairly weak creature. Not even the scavenge is enough. This will rarely make decks. Bad.
Stab Wound
Most of the time I would rather kill a creature than maim it. After all, the 2-life they lose is offset by the fact that the maimed creature threatens to chump and lose the aura, so you can't even swing in if you want to keep the enchantment. Bad.
Terrus Wurm
A fine finisher that passes the terminate test very well - by giving you another finisher if it dies. A bit expensive, though, but solid. Borderline.
Overall: A lot of bad ones and nothing that's really exciting. This is almost getting depressing.
RED
Annihilating Fire
There's much better burn out there not to have to play this one, especially with the prohibitive cost. Cuttable.
Batterhorn
In general I like Ingot Chewer more because of the flexibility. I'm not a fan of either, though. Bad.
Bellows Lizard
Much too expensive pump to ever be playable. Get It Away From Me.
Cobblebrute
Fragile and unimpressive vanilla that trades down almost all of the time. Get It Away From Me.
Electrickery
Rarely will this every blow people out or even get a 2-for-1. There's better burn out there. Bad.
Explosive Impact
Instant speed is not enough to justify playing just another X-burn spell over it. Bad.
Gore-House Chainwalker
God yes. This is exactly what red 2-drops wants, and because of that, this may be the most exciting card for cube in RTR. Cube It.
Lobber Crew
Such a hugely defensive card rarely makes it into the average red deck. There's no place for what is really a weak effect. Bad.
Splatter Thug
Another excellently aggressive creature with Unleash. Definitely a contender. Cubeable.
Survey the Wreckage
Do you know what's even worse than 4 mana LD? This thing! =D Get It Away From Me.
Tenement Crasher
The haste makes it quite interesting, as it packs a huge punch. I enjoyed Flameborn Hellion when it was in the cube and this is just better (although much inferior art.) Borderline.
Traitorous Instinct
Reprinted as a common. Interesting card that can definitely lead to some game-winning situations. Borderline.
Overall: We get some sweet aggressive creatures with the advent of Unleash. I'm liking where we're at.
GREEN
Aerial Predation
Much too narrow, and the lifegain is a marginal effect. I'm not a fan. Bad.
Axebane Guardian Overgrown Battlements this ain't. I don't see good things for the defender theme, and at 3 mana this isn't good enough by itself. Cuttable.
Axebane Stag
A big big guy, but green is not starving for them. Cuttable.
Centaur's Herald
While this may become a very, very important card for RTR Limited, in cube this is generally worse than a Centaur Courser. Cuttable.
Chorus of Might
Not a terrible pump spell, but in general it will be the same as than Predator's Strike for twice the cost. Bad.
Drudge Beetle
With that hugely expensive scavenge for only 2 counters, this is only marginally better than a bear - and we have enough of those not to need more. Bad.
Druid's Deliverance
With the lack of creature tokens in cube, this is probably just worse than Fog. Get It Away From Me.
Giant Growth
Solid but uncubeable, iconic reprint is solid but uncubeable and iconic. Cuttable.
Horncaller's Chant
If you're looking for a high end creature to ramp into this, this might be a good choice. But I find that there are other, cheaper while still huge threats that green is capable of. Borderline.
Korozda Monitor
Expensive scavenge that can be used well in the lategame, giving it some value after death. But in general the body does not impress me that much even with the scavenge. Cuttable.
Rubbleback Rhino
I really do like the four toughness over Primal Huntbeast, but 5 mana is so much more than 4. I'm torn between which one is better, but neither is cubeable. Cuttable.
Urban Burgeoning
Makes mana but not in a good way. Not the best ramp you could be playing. Bad.
Overall: A bunch of large bodies that can supplement the top end of many green sections of cube, but nothing really solid enough. I am disappointed.
MULTICOLOR
Augur Spree
Both black and red have better monocolored removal, so this is not necessary. Cuttable.
Centaur Healer
Solid creature that reminds me of [card}Kitchen Finks[/card] and Lone Missionary. I definitely think it's good, but I doubt there's room for it. Cubeable.
Chemister's Trick
An extremely flexible spell that can act as removal, Stun and even a late-game Ruthless Invasion. I think it has real potential. Cubeable.
Coursers' Accord
Some big guys landing on the battlefield, which is nice. Definitely a strong lategame finisher. But again, green white just has too much sweet stuff. Borderline.
Deviant Glee
Cheap but powerful boost, but Aura syndrome is Aura syndrome. Cuttable.
Essence Backlash
The problem with expensive counterspells is having to hold up that mana. And the problem is that the burn attached to it is not good enough. Cuttable.
Goblin Electromancer
This is fine as a bear but it doesn't do enough to justify the prohibitive multicolor mana cost. Cuttable.
Grisly Salvage
While this will be very sweet in Return to Ravnica Limited with all that scavenge, this is not the place for it. As it stands, it doesn't do enough by itself, and multicolor is already very annoying. Bad.
Hussar Patrol
Keeping mana up for this can be unreasonable, and it can only really ambush 2/2s, which is not that good. There are better multicolor spells available in white-blue. Cuttable.
Search Warrant
Only mildly better than pure lifegain, and definitely not better than Peek. Get It Away From me.
Selesnya Sentry Much too expensive regenerating. [card}Centaur Courser[/card]'s 1 added toughness is much better protection than regeneration. Bad.
Skull Rend Blightning this is not. Good for multiplayer play, but beyond that, just too expensive. Cuttable.
Sluiceway Scorpion
Deathtouch makes the body more reasonable - a good blocker - but in general this is not an impressive body. The scavenge added to it, though, gives me more of an edge. Borderline.
Spawn of Rix Maadi
Highly aggressive, but so expensive that it rarely matters. There's probably better cards that the RB deck can be playing if it wants this kind of effect. Cuttable.
Stonefare Crocodile
While lifelink is a very powerful ability, on 3 mana it is a bit much to have to activate. Cuttable.
Overall: Return to Ravnica is definitely the multicolor set, but there's been nothing truly insane to come out. Oh well.
HYBRID
Frostburn Weird
Very mana-intensive and not a very good body for all the mana that it takes. Bad.
Golgari Longlegs
A boring vanilla. Green and black can do better. Bad.
Rakdos Shred-Freak
Haste makes this guy a very aggressive beater. Some sections might not have room for it but those that do will be happy to play it. Cubeable.
Sundering Growth
A sideboard card that doesn't do very much. Bad.
Vassal Soul
There are many better 3-mana 2-power fliers in both white and blue. The hybrid, in this case, is slightly too restrictive on the decks that run one but not both colors. Cuttable.
Overall: I was looking at Return to Ravnica to really help with hybrid cards, but it doesn't seem to have delivered. Oh well, we still have two sets in the block to get there.
COLORLESS
Azorius Guildgate & co.
YES. YES YES YES. Love it. Love it so much I could cry. Cube It.
Azorius Arrester: Definitely better than cuttable. I rate this around as highly as Goblin Shortcutter - A more powerful effect in a coulour with way better two drops. That's definitely Borderline, maybe Cubable.
Concordia Pegasus: Way worse than Arrester! Easily cuttable if not worse.
Keening Apparition: Cubable, it has the best art
Knightly Valour: It does a lot, but it does cost 5, it's hardly bargain-bin value. This is nitpicking but it does a lot, but definitely not a lot for the mana cost. Agree on the rating.
Blue:
Dead Reveler: I like this card more than you. An agressive 3/4 is no slouch, and it's really a fine man on D too.
Perilous Shadow: This is like the third best shade (liliana's and Crypt Ripper), I don't even think it's borderline
Azorius Arrester: Definitely better than cuttable. I rate this around as highly as Goblin Shortcutter - A more powerful effect in a coulour with way better two drops. That's definitely Borderline, maybe Cubable.
Yeah, I realized the more apt Goblin Shortcutter comparison about halfway through writing the set review. Definitely update it to Borderline.
Knightly Valour: It does a lot, but it does cost 5, it's hardly bargain-bin value. This is nitpicking but it does a lot, but definitely not a lot for the mana cost. Agree on the rating.
Haha yeah. I was very much torn about it but then ultimately decided that there's not enough room for it.
Perilous Shadow: This is like the third best shade (liliana's and Crypt Ripper), I don't even think it's borderline
I dislike shades in general but I like this more than Liliana's because it's so much easier to pump. Plus a big butt that can block the turn it comes down. /shrugs.
Nice review. One comment: I think you're really undervaluing the Rubbleback Rhino (and for that matter, Primal Huntbeast). The Huntbeast has been really solid in the games we've played with it. Hexproof is an amazing ability in a format where the removal is so cheap and plentiful. This should really be borderline at least.
Nice review. One comment: I think you're really undervaluing the Rubbleback Rhino (and for that matter, Primal Huntbeast). The Huntbeast has been really solid in the games we've played with it. Hexproof is an amazing ability in a format where the removal is so cheap and plentiful. This should really be borderline at least.
I'd be willing to believe this, with the amount of answers in my cube. I may have to do some more testing.
Also I really don't see how Sundering Growth is "bad"! The card is exactly what I'm looking for in a hybrid card. It's a really solid effect (naturalize is a staple effect in every format) and it can be played in two colors. Often times the naturalize effects will wheel but this one won't. A lot of decks want and will use this card even if it's only out of the sideboard. Yes it's not exactly exciting but it's real solid. Borderline for sure.
I disagree.
Firstly, populate is not good in cube. There are so few token-generators that it will rarely do anything. So let's simply see it as a Naturalize with a different cost, and compare it to Naturalize.
I don't want to be running Sundering Growth in anything other than GW, because it's double hybrid cost makes it more multicolor than your average hybrid card, and the format's mana is often very bad. Hell, even in 3-color decks like Naya, things can be very awkward to get that casting cost. That's one deck out of ten, if we're just thinking of color pairs, and four decks out of twenty if you count 3-color decks.
On the other hand, cards like Naturalize and Disenchant fit into 10 of the twenty color combinations.
Furthermore, I don't like multicolor cards to simply be narrow answers like Dismantling Blow and this. There are enough good answers like it in green and white that I don't find it necessary.
Plus, green white has many sweet options that are better than Sundering Growth, including Centaur Healer and Courser's Accord that I'm not even running from the set, and that factors into my judgment call on the card.
Firstly, populate is not good in cube. There are so few token-generators that it will rarely do anything. So let's simply see it as a Naturalize with a different cost, and compare it to Naturalize.
I don't want to be running Sundering Growth in anything other than GW, because it's double hybrid cost makes it more multicolor than your average hybrid card, and the format's mana is often very bad.
While I'm not going to play the card, you're definitely selling it short. Krosan Grip is rarely better than naturalise, and it's run over naturalise in many a powered cube because when it's better, it's quite a bit better - similar to Sundering Growth. It's totally not just naturalise with a different cost!
The fact that it doesn't fit in multicolour sections is kinda a moot point when it's a hybrid. While lots of people won't include hybrids in place of a monocoloured card, or in their own section, the cost is easier than monocoloured cards, not harder.
This is totally playable in most GX and WX decks, it's not Unmake. If we had Kitchen Finks available, which normally wants to be cast earlier in the game, I'm sure everyone would play it and everyone would play it in their non-GW decks. Same goes for Yavimaya Elder and many other staples - this isn't powered cube, you don't need to play naturalize ASAP very often.
I think this is marginally worse than Seal of Primordium / Seal of Cleansing, so don't see myself running it - but that hardly makes it a bad card.
While I'm not going to play the card, you're definitely selling it short. Krosan Grip is rarely better than naturalise, and it's run over naturalise in many a powered cube because when it's better, it's quite a bit better - similar to Sundering Growth. It's totally not just naturalise with a different cost!
There are more counters than there are creature tokens in cube. Other than Penumbra Spider, a lot of those tokens are also just dorky 1/1s.
The fact that it doesn't fit in multicolour sections is kinda a moot point when it's a hybrid. While lots of people won't include hybrids in place of a monocoloured card, or in their own section, the cost is easier than monocoloured cards, not harder.
I agree with you if we're talking about green-white decks. But in green or white decks that are not green-white, that's not true. Especially if it's not the main color, like BRg.
In terms of the ease of cost, I consider double hybrid like Sundering Growth and Vassal Soul to be easier to cast than multicolor but more difficult than hybrid. Basically like Travel Preparations and cards like that.
This is totally playable in most GX and WX decks, it's not Unmake. If we had Kitchen Finks available, which normally wants to be cast earlier in the game, I'm sure everyone would play it and everyone would play it in their non-GW decks. Same goes for Yavimaya Elder and many other staples - this isn't powered cube, you don't need to play naturalize ASAP very often.
The power level of Kitchen Finks is high enough to justify double green or double white in those kind of decks. So too with Yavimaya Elder. Sundering Growth? Not better than a variety of monocolor Naturalize-effects.
I think this is marginally worse than Seal of Primordium / Seal of Cleansing, so don't see myself running it - but that hardly makes it a bad card.
It's not a bad card. But I don't think it's better than Naturalize or Disenchant, and in addition to this, I do consider it a multicolor card, which has a higher bar to pass. Especially green-white. All this adds to it being bad for cube.
Edit: After thinking it through, I'm willing to concede the bit about the cost. It's harder to cast than Disenchant or Naturalize in the respective decks, but the fact that it can go in both kinds is a plus. My remaining argument against Sundering Growth, including the fact that green-white multicolor is extremely tight and the fact that there is already an abundance of that kind of effect in monocolor, still stands. =D
Nice set review! I agree with most of this, but I think you might be underrating Frostburn Weird. In the early game, he blocks like a pro, and 4 toughness means he's fairly hard to kill. In the late game, he can swing for serious damage. It seems like everything you'd want in a RU deck, and he reminds me a lot of Calcite Snapper; you lose the shroud, but he makes up for it with increased control over his power and toughness.
SET REVIEW
Ah, Return to Ravnica. What multicolor treats do you have for us? Time to see, I suppose.
Follow this review with the MTGS spoilers.
Judging Rubric
Get It Away From Me — A card which should never be considered by anyone sane.
Bad — It's not really worth cubing with at all.
Cuttable — It's workable, but it's not cubeable. It's on the cuttable side of borderline.
Borderline - It's got potential, and requires more testing. Your call.
Cubeable — You can add this and probably get the wide concensus. It's solid. Not broken, but solid.
Cube It — Stapled to the god damn cube. Run it. Run it like the wind.
WHITE
Armory Guard
Gates matter is an obviously bad mechanic for cube, despite how awesome the Gates are for us. As a vanilla, a 2/5 is pretty big, but at 4 mana there is stiff competition. Cuttable.
Avenging Arrow
Narrow removal is narrow. There are much better options out there. Bad.
Azorius Arrester
My problem with detain as a mechanic is that it doesn't do enough. There is a valid comparison to be made with this and Kor Hookmaster, but I don't believe that it's really close between them seeing as 1)Hookmaster usually wants to come out in the middlegame, when mana doesn't matter, and 2) Not being able to block twice is very very important for the aggro decks. As it is, I don't see Arrester doing enough to warrant a place, although it's close.
CuttableBorderline.Concordia Pegasus
A strong defensive body that eats Stormfront Pegasus, but the lack of 2 power really limits the kinds of decks that want to play it. I don't see it happening, unfortunately, but it still works if you're looking for a defensive creature (I simply believe that there are enough better ones beside it out there, even in the 2-mana range). Borderline.
Ethereal Armor
Enchantments matter also isn't very good for cube. Hyena Umbra will be better most of the time. Plus, suffers from Aura syndrome. Get It Away From Me.
Eyes in the Skies
The poor man's Midnight Haunting. Not very good for its expensive cost; there are many more 2-power 3-mana fliers out there. Cuttable.
Keening Apparition
Ronom Unicorn and Kami of Ancient Law functional reprint. I don't think we need a first one at all, so a third one isn't going to interest me in the slightest. Get It Away From Me.
Knightly Valor
It does a lot for the mana cost, and suffers less from Aura syndrome than other things. It puts 4 power onto the board, and a +2/+2 boost on a creature gives you a serious threat. All good things, but it simply doesn't do enough. It's very expensive and does still suffer from Aura syndrome, however lessened. There's really no room for it. Borderline, on the side of cuttable.
Rootborn Defenses
I didn't get to talk about populate in the first card it showed up (Eyes in the Skies) because that produced a token, so it's not always dead. On a card like this, though, the weaknesses of populate in cube: there are not enough creature tokens. And if Rootborn Defenses is doing nothing but an awkward combat trick most of the time, then it won't make decks. Hell, even Safe Passage has game against burn like Fireball. Get It Away From Me.
Seller of Songbirds
This thing effectively gives you too small, dorky tokens. There are much better 3-drops. Get It Away From Me.
Sunspire Griffin
Chapel Geist number two. I really like the Geist, but I don't believe cube needs another one. Cubeable.
Swift Justice
Kindled Fury gets a facelift, and I have to say, when they add lifelink to things, I get excited. Being able to turn trades into chumps and a bunch of life is very valuable. I think that it has real potential, and might try it out. Cubeable.
Trained Caracal
Doesn't do enough. White is filled with many very good 1-drops and this is certainly not good enough. Get It Away From Me.
Trostani's Judgement
Ignoring populate, this is just about a 6-mana exile target creature. And we all know that white can =Faith's Fetters]get better. Bad.
Overall: A few boring cards that will make it into cubes, but nothing really good enough to make me pay attention just yet.
BLUE
Cancel
Yet another Cancel reprint. Hell no. Get It Away From Me.
Chronic Flooding
Read the card. Then read it again. Then quash that little voice inside you that says Mill is viable and run. Get It Away From Me.
Crosstown Courier
More often than not, what with many more flashback cards thanks to Innistrad, milling them will be detrimental. Which makes this slightly worse than your average bear, and that's really not good enough for cube. Get It Away From Me.
Dispel
Yet another reprint that is too narrow to be cubed. Get It Away From Me.
Doorkeeper
Again, mill is not ever a good ability in cube. And there are better walls out there. Get It Away From Me.
Downsize
These kind of cards have rarely been good, and this is no exception even with the flexibility of Overload. Get It Away From Me.
Inaction Injuction
Let's compare this with the Azorius Arrester above that I scathingly rejected. I actually think Inaction Injunction is better, and not just because of different colors and blue being able to use the effect more. The thing is, detain becomes better the later into the game, and as we go onwards the value of 2/1s decrease by the value of cantrips actually increases. This is not a bad topdeck.
After all that, though, I'm still rejecting this card. Why? Because it just doesn't do enough. A fine topdeck, but I want more out of my cards. Cuttable.
Inspiration
Fine reprint is boring. Cuttable.
Isperia Skywatch
Six mana is a lot, but not too much for some slower decks. Detain is fine but again, it doesn't do enough by itself to warrant being played on such an expensive card. Cuttable.
Mizzium Skin
Highly defensive, and the overload only strong against cards like Rolling Thunder which won't be relevant for most games. Bad.
Paralyzing Grasp
Bad removal is bad. Short comment because reprint. Are we good? Good. Bad.
Runewing
There are better 4-drop blue fliers out there. Not being able to control the draw kills it (:trolo:) for me. Cuttable.
Stealer of Secrets
3 mana blue creatures is a little bit tight. Comparing it to Scroll Thief, I like it more because it also has useful applications in trading with other 2/2s. Borderline.
Voidwielder
Man-o'-War effects are good, but there are many, many better ones already in cubes. Wielder is not needed. Cuttable.
Overall: All these reprints and nothing good makes me sad.
BLACK
Catacomb Slug
At some point defensive bodies like this get a bit much and we just have to say: no. Bad.
Cremate
By being cheap and cantripping, Cremate has a good chance of making certain decks, at least as a sideboard card against flashback. But there isn't enough room in cube for such an obviously narrow card. Bad.
Daggerdrome Imp
Vault Skirge is infinitely better, and with that extra mana it becomes trash. Bad.
Dead Reveler
I like 2/3s because they are so strong against 2/2s. A 3-power body on an aggressive creature is also fine. The flexibility of having both is quite strong too. However, none of the modes are quite good enough that really convinces me to try him. Borderline.
Destroy the Evidence
Sometimes there are cards that you just want to punch in the face. And this name was so damn awesome too. Get It Away From Me x2.
Drainpipe Vermin
Ravenous Rats is better in my opinion because you don't always have to have mana open in case it dies. And 1/1s are so bad most of the time. Get It Away From Me.
Launch Party
Instant speed and 2 life is not worth 3 more mana, and Bone Splinters itself is not very good. Bad.
Grim Roustabout
Not a terrible topdeck as it is an infinite blocker, but in general this is worse than a Walking Corpse and doesn't make the cut. Bad.
Mind Rot
Bad reprint is bad. Get It Away From Me.
Ogre Jailbreaker
As a 4/4 defender, this is fine but boring, and definitely not cubeable. Sadly, the gates clause isn't enough to make it better. Bad.
Perilous Shadow
A big butt, and the unique shade ability means that it works much better in two-color decks. Perilous Shadow is very interesting and does have some potential as a big beater. Borderline.
Sewer Shambler
Fine, if boring. Rarely evasive and a fairly weak creature. Not even the scavenge is enough. This will rarely make decks. Bad.
Stab Wound
Most of the time I would rather kill a creature than maim it. After all, the 2-life they lose is offset by the fact that the maimed creature threatens to chump and lose the aura, so you can't even swing in if you want to keep the enchantment. Bad.
Terrus Wurm
A fine finisher that passes the terminate test very well - by giving you another finisher if it dies. A bit expensive, though, but solid. Borderline.
Overall: A lot of bad ones and nothing that's really exciting. This is almost getting depressing.
RED
Annihilating Fire
There's much better burn out there not to have to play this one, especially with the prohibitive cost. Cuttable.
Batterhorn
In general I like Ingot Chewer more because of the flexibility. I'm not a fan of either, though. Bad.
Bellows Lizard
Much too expensive pump to ever be playable. Get It Away From Me.
Cobblebrute
Fragile and unimpressive vanilla that trades down almost all of the time. Get It Away From Me.
Dynacharge
We get a better Trumpet Blast, but that card was always far from cubeable. Bad.
Electrickery
Rarely will this every blow people out or even get a 2-for-1. There's better burn out there. Bad.
Explosive Impact
Instant speed is not enough to justify playing just another X-burn spell over it. Bad.
Gore-House Chainwalker
God yes. This is exactly what red 2-drops wants, and because of that, this may be the most exciting card for cube in RTR. Cube It.
Lobber Crew
Such a hugely defensive card rarely makes it into the average red deck. There's no place for what is really a weak effect. Bad.
Splatter Thug
Another excellently aggressive creature with Unleash. Definitely a contender. Cubeable.
Survey the Wreckage
Do you know what's even worse than 4 mana LD? This thing! =D Get It Away From Me.
Tenement Crasher
The haste makes it quite interesting, as it packs a huge punch. I enjoyed Flameborn Hellion when it was in the cube and this is just better (although much inferior art.) Borderline.
Traitorous Instinct
Reprinted as a common. Interesting card that can definitely lead to some game-winning situations. Borderline.
Viashino Racketeer
Weak effective on a boring body. Cuttable.
Overall: We get some sweet aggressive creatures with the advent of Unleash. I'm liking where we're at.
GREEN
Aerial Predation
Much too narrow, and the lifegain is a marginal effect. I'm not a fan. Bad.
Axebane Guardian
Overgrown Battlements this ain't. I don't see good things for the defender theme, and at 3 mana this isn't good enough by itself. Cuttable.
Axebane Stag
A big big guy, but green is not starving for them. Cuttable.
Centaur's Herald
While this may become a very, very important card for RTR Limited, in cube this is generally worse than a Centaur Courser. Cuttable.
Chorus of Might
Not a terrible pump spell, but in general it will be the same as than Predator's Strike for twice the cost. Bad.
Drudge Beetle
With that hugely expensive scavenge for only 2 counters, this is only marginally better than a bear - and we have enough of those not to need more. Bad.
Druid's Deliverance
With the lack of creature tokens in cube, this is probably just worse than Fog. Get It Away From Me.
Gatecreeper Vine
There are better ramp creatures at 1 and 2 mana, and we have Civic Wayfinder and Borderland Ranger for fixing. Bad.
Giant Growth
Solid but uncubeable, iconic reprint is solid but uncubeable and iconic. Cuttable.
Horncaller's Chant
If you're looking for a high end creature to ramp into this, this might be a good choice. But I find that there are other, cheaper while still huge threats that green is capable of. Borderline.
Korozda Monitor
Expensive scavenge that can be used well in the lategame, giving it some value after death. But in general the body does not impress me that much even with the scavenge. Cuttable.
Rubbleback Rhino
I really do like the four toughness over Primal Huntbeast, but 5 mana is so much more than 4. I'm torn between which one is better, but neither is cubeable. Cuttable.
Towering Indrik
Giant Spider reprint, and as always, solid but not nearly cubeable enough.
Urban Burgeoning
Makes mana but not in a good way. Not the best ramp you could be playing. Bad.
Overall: A bunch of large bodies that can supplement the top end of many green sections of cube, but nothing really solid enough. I am disappointed.
MULTICOLOR
Augur Spree
Both black and red have better monocolored removal, so this is not necessary. Cuttable.
Centaur Healer
Solid creature that reminds me of [card}Kitchen Finks[/card] and Lone Missionary. I definitely think it's good, but I doubt there's room for it. Cubeable.
Chemister's Trick
An extremely flexible spell that can act as removal, Stun and even a late-game Ruthless Invasion. I think it has real potential. Cubeable.
Common Bond
Travel Preparations this is not. A little on the weak side for its cost. Cuttable.
Coursers' Accord
Some big guys landing on the battlefield, which is nice. Definitely a strong lategame finisher. But again, green white just has too much sweet stuff. Borderline.
Dramatic Rescue
The lifegain is not enough to make this better than Unsummon. Bad.
Deviant Glee
Cheap but powerful boost, but Aura syndrome is Aura syndrome. Cuttable.
Essence Backlash
The problem with expensive counterspells is having to hold up that mana. And the problem is that the burn attached to it is not good enough. Cuttable.
Goblin Electromancer
This is fine as a bear but it doesn't do enough to justify the prohibitive multicolor mana cost. Cuttable.
Grisly Salvage
While this will be very sweet in Return to Ravnica Limited with all that scavenge, this is not the place for it. As it stands, it doesn't do enough by itself, and multicolor is already very annoying. Bad.
Hussar Patrol
Keeping mana up for this can be unreasonable, and it can only really ambush 2/2s, which is not that good. There are better multicolor spells available in white-blue. Cuttable.
Pursuit of Flight
It's like a terrible Spectral Flight! Big boost but Aura syndrome. Bad.
Search Warrant
Only mildly better than pure lifegain, and definitely not better than Peek. Get It Away From me.
Selesnya Sentry
Much too expensive regenerating. [card}Centaur Courser[/card]'s 1 added toughness is much better protection than regeneration. Bad.
Skull Rend
Blightning this is not. Good for multiplayer play, but beyond that, just too expensive. Cuttable.
Sluiceway Scorpion
Deathtouch makes the body more reasonable - a good blocker - but in general this is not an impressive body. The scavenge added to it, though, gives me more of an edge. Borderline.
Spawn of Rix Maadi
Highly aggressive, but so expensive that it rarely matters. There's probably better cards that the RB deck can be playing if it wants this kind of effect. Cuttable.
Stonefare Crocodile
While lifelink is a very powerful ability, on 3 mana it is a bit much to have to activate. Cuttable.
Tower Drake
A weak reprint that is really not stronger than Wind Drake. Bad.
Trestle Troll
Very good defensive body, but not better than Sluiceway Scorpion. Bad.
Overall: Return to Ravnica is definitely the multicolor set, but there's been nothing truly insane to come out. Oh well.
HYBRID
Frostburn Weird
Very mana-intensive and not a very good body for all the mana that it takes. Bad.
Golgari Longlegs
A boring vanilla. Green and black can do better. Bad.
Rakdos Shred-Freak
Haste makes this guy a very aggressive beater. Some sections might not have room for it but those that do will be happy to play it. Cubeable.
Sundering Growth
A sideboard card that doesn't do very much. Bad.
Vassal Soul
There are many better 3-mana 2-power fliers in both white and blue. The hybrid, in this case, is slightly too restrictive on the decks that run one but not both colors. Cuttable.
Overall: I was looking at Return to Ravnica to really help with hybrid cards, but it doesn't seem to have delivered. Oh well, we still have two sets in the block to get there.
COLORLESS
Azorius Guildgate & co.
YES. YES YES YES. Love it. Love it so much I could cry. Cube It.
Transguild Promenade
Another Rupture Spire to fill out some cube's land sections. Cubeable.
Overall: Well, Return to Ravnica's slightly disappointing start leads to an awesome finish. /high fives.
And that's that! I have high hopes for the rest of this block.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Armory Guard: No way this card isn't just Bad
Azorius Arrester: Definitely better than cuttable. I rate this around as highly as Goblin Shortcutter - A more powerful effect in a coulour with way better two drops. That's definitely Borderline, maybe Cubable.
Concordia Pegasus: Way worse than Arrester! Easily cuttable if not worse.
Keening Apparition: Cubable, it has the best art
Knightly Valour: It does a lot, but it does cost 5, it's hardly bargain-bin value. This is nitpicking but it does a lot, but definitely not a lot for the mana cost. Agree on the rating.
Blue:
Dead Reveler: I like this card more than you. An agressive 3/4 is no slouch, and it's really a fine man on D too.
Perilous Shadow: This is like the third best shade (liliana's and Crypt Ripper), I don't even think it's borderline
Draft it on Cubetutor!
No problem. =D
Haha maybe I just like the body on Totem-Guide Hartebeest.
Yeah, I realized the more apt Goblin Shortcutter comparison about halfway through writing the set review. Definitely update it to Borderline.
D=
I disagree. I hate that art.
Haha yeah. I was very much torn about it but then ultimately decided that there's not enough room for it.
Indeed.
I like it too. It's probably the closest borderline to getting into my cube. But we'll see.
I dislike shades in general but I like this more than Liliana's because it's so much easier to pump. Plus a big butt that can block the turn it comes down. /shrugs.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
Nitpick aside, good review.
I used to write cube articles on StarCityGames, now for GatheringMagic and podcast about cube (w/Antknee42.)
Are folks gonna toss the RtR guildgates in ASAP, or wait for the other half to get released 3 months from now?
"Personally I love high-riak, low-reqars gambles. Life's best with a decent amount of riak. And f*** reqars."
Nice review. One comment: I think you're really undervaluing the Rubbleback Rhino (and for that matter, Primal Huntbeast). The Huntbeast has been really solid in the games we've played with it. Hexproof is an amazing ability in a format where the removal is so cheap and plentiful. This should really be borderline at least.
Sig courtesy of Disappointing Signet Inc.
My Cubes:
Goblin Pile Shuffler's 360 Card Pauper Cube - updated 1/4/2014
Goblin Pile Shuffler's 270 Card One-Drop Cube - updated 1/4/2014
I'd be willing to believe this, with the amount of answers in my cube. I may have to do some more testing.
I disagree.
Firstly, populate is not good in cube. There are so few token-generators that it will rarely do anything. So let's simply see it as a Naturalize with a different cost, and compare it to Naturalize.
I don't want to be running Sundering Growth in anything other than GW, because it's double hybrid cost makes it more multicolor than your average hybrid card, and the format's mana is often very bad. Hell, even in 3-color decks like Naya, things can be very awkward to get that casting cost. That's one deck out of ten, if we're just thinking of color pairs, and four decks out of twenty if you count 3-color decks.
On the other hand, cards like Naturalize and Disenchant fit into 10 of the twenty color combinations.
Furthermore, I don't like multicolor cards to simply be narrow answers like Dismantling Blow and this. There are enough good answers like it in green and white that I don't find it necessary.
Plus, green white has many sweet options that are better than Sundering Growth, including Centaur Healer and Courser's Accord that I'm not even running from the set, and that factors into my judgment call on the card.
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
While I'm not going to play the card, you're definitely selling it short. Krosan Grip is rarely better than naturalise, and it's run over naturalise in many a powered cube because when it's better, it's quite a bit better - similar to Sundering Growth. It's totally not just naturalise with a different cost!
The fact that it doesn't fit in multicolour sections is kinda a moot point when it's a hybrid. While lots of people won't include hybrids in place of a monocoloured card, or in their own section, the cost is easier than monocoloured cards, not harder.
This is totally playable in most GX and WX decks, it's not Unmake. If we had Kitchen Finks available, which normally wants to be cast earlier in the game, I'm sure everyone would play it and everyone would play it in their non-GW decks. Same goes for Yavimaya Elder and many other staples - this isn't powered cube, you don't need to play naturalize ASAP very often.
I think this is marginally worse than Seal of Primordium / Seal of Cleansing, so don't see myself running it - but that hardly makes it a bad card.
Draft it on Cubetutor!
There are more counters than there are creature tokens in cube. Other than Penumbra Spider, a lot of those tokens are also just dorky 1/1s.
I agree with you if we're talking about green-white decks. But in green or white decks that are not green-white, that's not true. Especially if it's not the main color, like BRg.
In terms of the ease of cost, I consider double hybrid like Sundering Growth and Vassal Soul to be easier to cast than multicolor but more difficult than hybrid. Basically like Travel Preparations and cards like that.
The power level of Kitchen Finks is high enough to justify double green or double white in those kind of decks. So too with Yavimaya Elder. Sundering Growth? Not better than a variety of monocolor Naturalize-effects.
It's not a bad card. But I don't think it's better than Naturalize or Disenchant, and in addition to this, I do consider it a multicolor card, which has a higher bar to pass. Especially green-white. All this adds to it being bad for cube.
Edit: After thinking it through, I'm willing to concede the bit about the cost. It's harder to cast than Disenchant or Naturalize in the respective decks, but the fact that it can go in both kinds is a plus. My remaining argument against Sundering Growth, including the fact that green-white multicolor is extremely tight and the fact that there is already an abundance of that kind of effect in monocolor, still stands. =D
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2
My Pauper Cube ♤ The Pauper Cube Thread Common Knowledge — 1 2