(12 May 2009 - Edit):
(5 October 2009 - Zendikar Revision)
(2 February 2010 - Worldwake Revision)
(17 March 2010 - Power Rankings Revision)
(25 March 2010 - Overall Decklist/Spreadsheet Overhaul)
(1 September 2011 - Massive Overall Decklist/Spreadsheet Overhaul, shrunk Cube to 450 cards)
(14 April 2014 - Massive Overall Decklist/Spreadsheet Overhaul)
(1 May 2014 - Born of the Gods/Theros/Journey Into Nix Revision)
(29 May 2014 - Tooth & Nail/Ramp/Artifact Revision)
(1 July 2014 - Conspiracy + Others Revision)
(15 July 2014 - Magic 2015 Revision)
At this point, we've done with our Cube what I think every playgroup should do -- we've collectively agreed on a decklist (along with help from pretty much everyone who's posted on this thread) and we've all contributed cards to completing the decklist. This helps keep the costs low, and the sanity in check. This also ensures that everyone has a say in the 600 card deck, and that there will in fact, be something for everyone. I've made a spreadsheet, broken down by color and casting cost so we know exactly what cards are in the deck itself, but there's also a space for the card owner's name so that when someone lends their Tundra to the deck, there's assurance that they'll get it back in the event that they need it for the tournaments we don't play in anymore.
Anyways, take a look at the decklist. If there's something you feel is missing, or something that can be improved upon -- don't just say that X sucks. Say that X sucks, but Y is better. I don't mind (and in reality, I DO expect) if you don't like all the selections, but I would really prefer if you offered an alternative to whichever card(s) you think don't make sense.
Keep in mind that there are cards in there because they've become staples, favorites, legendary, epic or whatever for a multitude of reasons during our 15 years of playing, and I would be extremely disappointed if EVERY group didn't have "those" cards.
Thanks.
Basic Info Cube Size: 450 Cards Breakdown: 60 Each Color, 80 Artifacts/Non-Color Specific Land, 70 Guild/Multi Standard or Theme Cube: Standard Snow Lands: No Average # Players: 4-6 How Often Drafted: About once every two weeks
Card Selection Powered?: Yes Portal?: Yes Proxies/Customs: Yes "Un-" Cards: No Banned Cards for Power-Level: No Banned Cards for Time Constraints: No Banned Cards for "Fun" factor: No
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer: Standard Sideboards?: Yes Even Color Balance: Yes Perfect Creature/Non-Creature Balance: No Gold Balance: Yes, 3 spells and 4 lands per Guild. Hybrid/Split as Gold: Yes. Included in Guild count. Color Kickers/Triggers/Costs as Gold: No. Perfectly Balanced CMC: No. It is at it pertains for each Color. Cube CMC: ~3.36 (This needs to be revised, this is old)
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Original quote byTacosnape "All ideas that give me knowledge without any effort involved on my part are good ideas. Chop chop, my dear fellow."
DCI L2 Judge GP:Madrid 2010 45th GP:Amsterdam 2011 74th GP:London 2013 67th Bazaar of Moxen 2013 32nd
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
OK... I'll start with black. Hopefully other members can look at the other colors.
Cabal Therapy. This card was OK, but ultimately it was too narrow, and needed to come out for discard that would always hit. May I suggest Stupor?
Do or Die. Unless your opponent has a near-perfect board condition, most targeted removal will function better than this. Try Sudden Death?
Stitch Together. When used early, it's strictly worse than Exhume or Unearth. When used late game, it's inferior to cards like Beacon of Unrest. Threshold isn't super-easy for black.
Big Game Hunter. This card eventually came out for Bone Shredder. It was more splashable, and killed more targets.
Necravolver. I don't like any of the Volvers (with the exception of maybe Rakavolver). I'd cut it for something that will be more useful 90% of the time (like a Dauthi Marauder or something) but if you're looking for another B cards that can be used in BW, I'd replace the Volver with Desolation Angel. That card's the nutz.
Abyssal Specter. I think this card slot is better spent on a T3 Morphed Silent Specter, then go for the crushing swing on T5 with it. <shrug>
Hideous Laughter. You have a lot of -X/-X stuff in the cube, which is fine, but I think it may be a bit much. Try perhaps expanding your discard selection by removing this card for Persecute?
Ishan's Shade. I know you said you really like this card, but there are quite a few better 5+ drop black creatures that this guy could be. Skeletal Vampire perhaps?
Forced March. You have quite a few X-cost black spells in here, but no Profane Command! I'd drop this for the Command, because you already have Death Cloud, which is 10x better, IMO. You don't need more than 1 card with a CC of XBBB.
Stir the Grave. Another card that could be better served by Beacon of Unrest IMO.
.........
Don't hate me. Just tryin' to help a fellow cube-enthusiast.
Hi, welcome to the Cube forum I had a quick glance over your green section, hope it helps!
Basking Rootwalla could be Twinblade Slasher - he is proven good in Cube, plus it's hardly ever that Madness is relevant in Cube, Twinblade is always a relevant attacker as it has Wither (and a good creature type).
Concordant Crossroads is alright, but for haste effects, look to double duty cards like Fires of Yavimaya orAnger (sorry if you have them).
2cc (19): Cylian Sunsinger seems a REALLY odd choice as a one-of in the Cube. I actually think this card isn't the best even as a four-of in constructed. You're missing Wall of Blossoms, Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary. Quirion Elves is horrible IMO and could be Noble Heirarch or Priest of Titania. Find space for Wild Mongrel! Maybe over something like Seal of Primordium, because we will put better utility in later. Other 2 drops seem OK though.
3cc (8):
Ice Storm is ok if you're running all the good R/B land destruction already. I think Mwonvuli Acid-Moss is better in Green, though.
Tranquility might be Indrik Stomphowler who is a glaring omission - Tranquility will not often hit more than one target, and sometimes one of yours. Krosan Grip is one of the best spells of this type.
I like the inclusion of Fangren Firstborn despite his awkward cost, he seems decent. Storm Seeker is awful and needs to be more creature utility like Wickerbough Elder or Briarhorn. Phantom Centaur for one needs to be in the Cube. Consider Cliffrunner Behemoth. Where's Garruk Wildspeaker? He is totally nuts. EDIT: Oh there he is at the bottom. He should be here
Not too much to fault here, apart from Rude Awakening maybe. Arrogant Wurm also is not really that good in Cube, even when you play his madness cost he is underwhelming. I recommend Primal Command, Saproling Burst and Plow Under as key spells in Green
6cc (3):
All nice, but Green can do better than Jugan. Where is Cloudthresher? Don't be put off by the 2GGGG, he is an allstar. I personally likeQuagnoth over Silvos, but both are really great.
7cc (2):
Protean Hulk could be Krosan Tusker, perhaps? He is one of the best green creatures you'll never play. in 8cc slot, Woodfall Primus is sick.
Good start all in all, but a few glaring omissions and some strange choices. I have my own strange choices, so take it with a pinch of salt if you like!
OK... I'll start with black. Hopefully other members can look at the other colors.
Cabal Therapy. This card was OK, but ultimately it was too narrow, and needed to come out for discard that would always hit. May I suggest Stupor?
Do or Die. Unless your opponent has a near-perfect board condition, most targeted removal will function better than this. Try Sudden Death?
Stitch Together. When used early, it's strictly worse than Exhume or Unearth. When used late game, it's inferior to cards like Beacon of Unrest. Threshold isn't super-easy for black.
Big Game Hunter. This card eventually came out for Bone Shredder. It was more splashable, and killed more targets.
Necravolver. I don't like any of the Volvers (with the exception of maybe Rakavolver). I'd cut it for something that will be more useful 90% of the time (like a Dauthi Marauder or something) but if you're looking for another B cards that can be used in BW, I'd replace the Volver with Desolation Angel. That card's the nutz.
Abyssal Specter. I think this card slot is better spent on a T3 Morphed Silent Specter, then go for the crushing swing on T5 with it. <shrug>
Hideous Laughter. You have a lot of -X/-X stuff in the cube, which is fine, but I think it may be a bit much. Try perhaps expanding your discard selection by removing this card for Persecute?
Ishan's Shade. I know you said you really like this card, but there are quite a few better 5+ drop black creatures that this guy could be. Skeletal Vampire perhaps?
Forced March. You have quite a few X-cost black spells in here, but no Profane Command! I'd drop this for the Command, because you already have Death Cloud, which is 10x better, IMO. You don't need more than 1 card with a CC of XBBB.
Stir the Grave. Another card that could be better served by Beacon of Unrest IMO.
.........
Don't hate me. Just tryin' to help a fellow cube-enthusiast.
I don't hate. I appreciate.
No seriously, I really am grateful for the help. See, my friends and I stopped playing after Saviors of Kamigawa and so we missed a few blocks. We've started playing a little bit of Shards lately and we've tried updating the Cube in various places...
I read all your input and these are the changes/explanations:
OUT: Cabal Therapy
IN: Unearth
OUT: Forced March (I could've sworn I took this out because of the exact reasons you gave)
IN: Profane Command
OUT: Big Game Hunter
IN: Bone Shredder
OUT: Necravolver
IN: Dauthi Marauder
OUT: Hideous Laughter
IN: Persecute (which used to be in anyways)
OUT: Do or Die (THANK YOU!!)
IN: Sudden Death (makes up for the loss of Hideous Laughter)
OUT: Stir the Grave
IN: Beacon of Unrest (I tried forever to get this card in)
OUT: Stitch Together
IN: Stupor (I really like this more than Therapy)
As for the others:
Abyssal Specter is a favorite of one of the guys, so it's staying...coincidentally, the Ihsan's Shade is also in his Hall of Fame and so that'll be staying as well (although I agree that there are better 6-drops).
Hi, welcome to the Cube forum I had a quick glance over your green section, hope it helps!
Basking Rootwalla could be Twinblade Slasher - he is proven good in Cube, plus it's hardly ever that Madness is relevant in Cube, Twinblade is always a relevant attacker as it has Wither (and a good creature type).
Concordant Crossroads is alright, but for haste effects, look to double duty cards like Fires of Yavimaya orAnger (sorry if you have them).
Cylian Sunsinger seems a REALLY odd choice as a one-of in the Cube. I actually think this card isn't the best even as a four-of in constructed. You're missing Wall of Blossoms, Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary. Quirion Elves is horrible IMO and could be Noble Heirarch or Priest of Titania. Find space for Wild Mongrel! Maybe over something like Seal of Primordium, because we will put better utility in later. Other 2 drops seem OK though.
3cc (8):
Ice Storm is ok if you're running all the good R/B land destruction already. I think Mwonvuli Acid-Moss is better in Green, though.
Tranquility might be Indrik Stomphowler who is a glaring omission - Tranquility will not often hit more than one target, and sometimes one of yours. Krosan Grip is one of the best spells of this type.
I like the inclusion of Fangren Firstborn despite his awkward cost, he seems decent. Storm Seeker is awful and needs to be more creature utility like Wickerbough Elder or Briarhorn. Phantom Centaur for one needs to be in the Cube. Consider Cliffrunner Behemoth. Where's Garruk Wildspeaker? He is totally nuts. EDIT: Oh there he is at the bottom. He should be here
Not too much to fault here, apart from Rude Awakening maybe. Arrogant Wurm also is not really that good in Cube, even when you play his madness cost he is underwhelming. I recommend Primal Command, Saproling Burst and Plow Under as key spells in Green
6cc (3):
All nice, but Green can do better than Jugan. Where is Cloudthresher? Don't be put off by the 2GGGG, he is an allstar. I personally likeQuagnoth over Silvos, but both are really great.
7cc (2):
Protean Hulk could be Krosan Tusker, perhaps? He is one of the best green creatures you'll never play. in 8cc slot, Woodfall Primus is sick.
Good start all in all, but a few glaring omissions and some strange choices. I have my own strange choices, so take it with a pinch of salt if you like!
Ok, so here's the same thing I did...I really enjoy all these cards that I've either never heard of (in most cases) or had in the deck and now are putting back in...
OUT: Basking Rootwalla
IN: Twinblade Slasher (this is a natural move...basically a better Rootwalla without Madness)
OUT: Concordant Crossroads
IN: Nimble Mongoose
OUT: Cylian Sunsinger (she became a Sealed Deck darling, thus her inclusion was almost automatic)
IN: Wall of Blossoms (ol' faithful)
OUT: Quirion Elves (I've been meaning to find a replacement for them for YEARS, and just forget about them)
IN: Wild Mongrel (A returner to the decklist)
OUT: Chlorophant
IN: Ohran Viper (This was an exact move I contemplated...TWICE)
OUT: Might of Oaks
IN: Stonewood Invocation (The guy who loved Might no longer jams with us, so I have no issue letting it go; let alone for something better)
OUT: Protean Hulk
IN: Krosan Tusker (another returning card)
The Stream of Life was in there because I wanted to have an "X" life gain spell for green (this is more for Conquest than for Cube); upon further review, I'm subbing it out for Nourishing Shoal.
Reclaim and Tranquility are staying. Tranquility is a biznatch in Conquer.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
I like most of Goodking's suggestions too... allthough Reclaim has been good for me.
I'll see if I have time to do blue later.
I like Abyssal Specter too, I've just recently been turned on to Silent Specter though, and when it hits, it hits HUGE.
I'm all for using pet cards too... you've got Ishan's Shade (and he's cool), and I use Serendib Djinn, when most people don't (although I think the Djinn's a house). You can't remove all of your pet cards, or it ceases to be YOUR cube, you know?
@ Goodking: Check my last post, I edited my comments about your comments about my Cube. I was in the middle of editing my post (to avoid double-posting) when wtwlf123 posted.
@wtwlf123: I was considering digging up a Serendib Efreet. OLD school favorite.
Most of my pet cards are noticeable. Future Sight is one of my personal favs. Kamahl, Pit Fighter is another. They're throughout the deck for me and each of the guys in my playgroup.
What I've liked about the two posts thus far is that everyone seems to understand what I have, and they suggest a card that's better and has the same casting cost. That REALLY makes my life easier. Again, there's a lot of the cards from Ravnica through Shards that I'm not familiar with (for example, the entire Future Sight block was shocking to read through), so I enjoy seeing new cards that do old stuff...but better.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Dude, don't worry about Future Sight... that card's not a "pet card", it's a freakin' blowout. I wouldn't think of cutting it from my cube either.
I use Serendib Efreet and Serendib Djinn. Both Arabian, Both Old-School, Both Good. The Efreet's better, but they both have a permanent home in my cube.
I used it in a casual T1 deck with Explorations and Horn of Greeds and stuff and I'd literally draw my deck on a single turn -- it was just super fun to play.
I also used it in my 2004 iteration of The Perfect Storm (and YES that's the name we gave it for Standard back then, but that's because we ran 4 different Storm spells) -- I was the ONLY person who ran it and it won me games at Regionals that year. I had a turn where I Mind Desire'd and got my spell count up to 12, and couldn't land a Tendrils of Agony nor a Hunting Pack...the next turn I top decked a Future Sight, got my spell count up to 11 and won.
The card is ridiculous, and during the construction of that deck, I never had to defend it more. I think the argument was Future Sight versus Temporal Cascade. Go figure.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Blue is interesting because all the cards are powerful. Your job is to select the blue cards that are the most powerful. I think your countermagic selection is a little light. For other 1-drops, I'd suggest Force Spike. That card is actually really playable. Whispers can be good, but there are other blue card draw spells you aren't using that are better. For the 2-drops, I'd suggest replacing the Cetavolver for a creature like Willbender or Voidmage Prodigy. Something that has a "blue" feel to it. The Volver is a bad creature in general, but the fact that it's taking up a blue slot makes it even worse. Flash counter is a bit narrow, try Miscalculation instead. Standstill is better in constructed than it is in the cube. It's Okay, but we ran it for a while and it ended up getting cut for something else. Twincast is decent, but there are better cards for the UU slot. Consider some more bounce/draw/countermagic for several of the 2- and 3-drop selections mentioned here. Deflection should be Misdirection. It's free. Instead of the Scepter, try other blue permanents that provide card advantage... Thieving Magpie comes to mind. Inspiration could be Concentrate. Last Stand could be Dismiss. I'd add cards like Propaganda and Collective Restraint too, they're huge for U control. I didn't see Rainbow Efreet either... she's a house. As is Waterfront Bouncer. Cryptic Command? May be the best blue card ever... I'd add it. Treachery? Amazing. I'd add it too. I like Hinder, Complicate and Dissipate too. You're also missing Forbid. It may be the best counterspell in the cube. Memory Lapse is amazing too (tempo advantage is sweet). I'd also consider Inkwell Leviathan and Palinchron. You don't have any blue fatties, and those are 2 of the best (especially the Inkwell dude... you have Tinker!). Palinchron's part of the infinate mana Recurring Nightmare chain, plus, he's a 4/5 flying for (free) that can protect itself.
@ Goodking: Check my last post, I edited my comments about your comments about my Cube. I was in the middle of editing my post (to avoid double-posting) when wtwlf123 posted.
@wtwlf123: I was considering digging up a Serendib Efreet. OLD school favorite.
Most of my pet cards are noticeable. Future Sight is one of my personal favs. Kamahl, Pit Fighter is another. They're throughout the deck for me and each of the guys in my playgroup.
What I've liked about the two posts thus far is that everyone seems to understand what I have, and they suggest a card that's better and has the same casting cost. That REALLY makes my life easier. Again, there's a lot of the cards from Ravnica through Shards that I'm not familiar with (for example, the entire Future Sight block was shocking to read through), so I enjoy seeing new cards that do old stuff...but better.
Thanks y'all!
No worries mate, glad to help. Cube forum is the friendliest section in the forum, I'm an old-time player but pretty new here and it's been good.
As wtwlf123 says, Future Sight is unbelievable, especially if you run Fastbon (which I don't). Magus of the Future is a good replacement if you creature orientate your Cube like me. Also, Red Kahaml is good, don't worry about him. He is basically never ever card disadvantage, unless you run into Sudden Death. Remember, there is no right or wrong choice in Cube.
I'd like to call shotgun on reviewing your black section. I'll do it sometime this evening, hopefully!
EDIT: I agree with everything wtwlf123 offers, although I would comment that Standstill is great - If you have an advantageous board position, it is 3 cards for 2 mana. Engineering that early good board position is tough but I have used it as a splash in Green aggro along with things like Gifts Ungiven. It's basically a niche card which is very dependent on other archetypes you can make.
If you are still getting up to date with new cards, try out Ethersworn Adjudicator. Even though he rolls over to Viridian Shaman and buddies, he is a rape tank if he survives even one turn (destory your best creature, untap, swing for 4 in the air).
Purge is not good. Celestial Purge is also narrow but always finds a target, which can even be Bitterblossom or a Scepter of Fugue. Degavolver is OK but try Knight of Meadowgrain, or even better, Beloved Chaplain, blocker supreme. Sigiled Paladin hasn't been good for me. I think Wing Shards is better than Vengeful Dreams, so you don't need the latter. You really need Momentary Blink, that is everyone's favourite card in Cube.
Arrest is 3cc dude! Faith's Fetters should be as the best-in-class Arrest spell. Proper Burial is an epic fail - pure lifegain cards are terrible. Lifegain is important to represent in white, but make sure the cards do SOMETHING rather than drag out the act of losing. The other choices are pretty nice, although the WWWW Dawn Elemental is risky. Don't bother with Chastise, you will have StP and PtE at one mana. I heartily commend Pursuit of Knowledge - I'd never seen that card, it is damn cool. I'm gonna get a copy for my own Cube.
Kiyomaro and Gerrard Capashen aren't good cards really. I can see what you are trying to do with the sub-theme of lifegain, but Wizards have never printed cards to support it and make it good (other than Test of Endurance). Also, Scourglass has been found to be awful, as it takes a turn to do anything. Catastrophe is crazy good, instead. Try Battlegrace Angel over the Serra Angel, or maybe Serra Avenger at 2cc - she is really fun. Reveillark is just insane and has to be in too
Pentarch Paladin is a little slow and expensive I think, from my experience, so I would recommend Cloudgoat Ranger (tried and trusted), Glory (auto-include), Stonehewer Giant (great with any decent equipment in your deck) or Archon of Justice - Vindicates on leaving play. Personal choices abound here.
7cc (2): You can do without Konda, he is not as good as he looks. Put in something else at a lower CC instead.
Phew!
Hope that helps, and have a look at my white section from my list to see what I did personally. Most importantly, if you like a card and it plays well for you, keep it!
Red needs to do 3 major things to make it a regularly draftable color in the cube. It needs to BURN, it needs to have Haste, or it needs to destroy lands. Direct damage is the great equalizer in the cube, because it doubles as removal and as a win condition. I would try to include as much burn (or cards that do damage without needing to attack) as possible. My cube, and the 2 other cubes I play in this area, try to keep about a 50% ratio to red cards that deal direct damage. You an include cards like Fireslinger in this category. If the red card isn't burn, it should either be a creature with haste or a card that destroys lands. This is because red needs to be the color dictating the tempo, or the cards from other colors will simply outmatch all your red cards. If a card is Red, and it's NOT Burn, Haste, or an LD card, it needs to be broken. Thus, the inclusion of cards like Whel of Fortune. It doesn't fit the "standard" for a red card, but it's included because it's super broken nonetheless.
Here's a breakdown of the cards I'd consider removing so they fir better into red's specific guidelines:
Wheel of Fate: So long as you're including the Wheel of Fortune, I don't think the Wheel of Fate is worth it. The Suspend of 4 (and the 1R cost to do it) is quite a drawback, and it makes that card completely useless as an end-game top-deck.
Gamble: Even though it's one of red's only tutor effects, it's still not card advantage, and it's not even card selection either. I'd replace it with a missing burn spell of the same CC... Lava Dart and Tarfire both come to mind.
Shatter and Shattering Pulse: These cards ate too narrow, IMO. I'd replace them with cards that destroy artifacts but also do other stuff too. Hearth Kami and Gorilla Shaman are both good, and both missing. If you want to keep one of the direct "shatter" effects, use Ancient Grudge over either of these.
Goblin Piledriver: You don't have enough goblins to make this guy a powerhouse. I'd suggest replacing him with Slith Firewalker, a creature that will be better 90% of the time.
Gempalm Incinerator: I'd replace him with something like Fireslinger. A good, efficient creature that can still deal damage even when not attacking.
Rakavolver: The best Volver, but still bad. I'd replace him with a better 3-drop red card... burn, LD or Haste. I think he'd be better off as a Molten Rain myself.
Rack & Ruin: Could be a Keldon Vandals or a Viashino Heretic... something that blows up artifacts and also can do some damage.
Breaking Point: I shy away from cards that allow the opponent to choose what happens. Browbeat is an exception because it is red card advantage. I'd replace this with a direct burn spell. Urza's Rage is a good one.
Shunt: This is a good card, but not a good red card. I'd replace it with burn or LD, perhaps Char.
Adamaro: This guy could be more red direct damage. I notice that Sulfuric Vortex isn't in your cube... I'd replace this dude for that card. It's the hoser vs. Control.
Dragonsoul Knight: How about Fire Imp or Ghitu Slinger? Both better, and more "red" by nature.
Ali from Cairo: The cube is too full of removal for this guy to be playable... at all. I'd replace him with one of the 4-drop LD creatures. Namely Avalanche Riders.
Balduvian Horde: This card sets you up to be 2-for-1'd all the time. I'd replace it with a Ravenous Baboons (so you get the card advantage and not your opponent).
There wasn't a direct replacement for it, but I'd find room for Aftershock. That card's really powerful.
Reckless Wurm: I'd replace him with Kumano, Master Yamabushi. Similar CCs, but the Kumano is a lot more powerful.
You have a few too many 6-drop red cards IMO. I'd remove at least three. I'd suggest removing the Slice and Dice, the Inferno and the Jokulhaups. I'd replace 'em with some more Red X Spells, like Banefire, Demonfire & Starstorm.
Blue is interesting because all the cards are powerful. Your job is to select the blue cards that are the most powerful. I think your countermagic selection is a little light. For other 1-drops, I'd suggest Force Spike. That card is actually really playable. Whispers can be good, but there are other blue card draw spells you aren't using that are better. For the 2-drops, I'd suggest replacing the Cetavolver for a creature like Willbender or Voidmage Prodigy. Something that has a "blue" feel to it. The Volver is a bad creature in general, but the fact that it's taking up a blue slot makes it even worse. Flash counter is a bit narrow, try Miscalculation instead. Standstill is better in constructed than it is in the cube. It's Okay, but we ran it for a while and it ended up getting cut for something else. Twincast is decent, but there are better cards for the UU slot. Consider some more bounce/draw/countermagic for several of the 2- and 3-drop selections mentioned here. Deflection should be Misdirection. It's free. Instead of the Scepter, try other blue permanents that provide card advantage... Thieving Magpie comes to mind. Inspiration could be Concentrate. Last Stand could be Dismiss. I'd add cards like Propaganda and Collective Restraint too, they're huge for U control. I didn't see Rainbow Efreet either... she's a house. As is Waterfront Bouncer. Cryptic Command? May be the best blue card ever... I'd add it. Treachery? Amazing. I'd add it too. I like Hinder, Complicate and Dissipate too. You're also missing Forbid. It may be the best counterspell in the cube. Memory Lapse is amazing too (tempo advantage is sweet). I'd also consider Inkwell Leviathan and Palinchron. You don't have any blue fatties, and those are 2 of the best (especially the Inkwell dude... you have Tinker!). Palinchron's part of the infinate mana Recurring Nightmare chain, plus, he's a 4/5 flying for (free) that can protect itself.
Phew! Hope that helps man.
Sorry for the uber-delay, but I've updated blue as follows:
OUT: Cetavolver
IN: Voidmage Prodigy
OUT: Flash Counter
IN: Miscalculation
OUT: Deflection
IN: Misdirection (been waiting to land a Misdrection to do this)
OUT: Remove Soul (minor pet card, but I'm a fan of Hinder)
IN: Hinder
OUT: Last Word
IN: Thieving Magpie (been trying to find a good space for the birdie)
OUT: Counterbalance
IN: Cryptic Command (file this under ignorance...I just simply didn't know about this card)
OUT: Scepter of Insight
IN: Forbid
OUT: Piracy
IN: Ancestral Vision
OUT: Mahamoti Djinn
IN: Palinchron (I'm hoping I'm taking out the right card to add him in, I think more people would draft a Palinchron over a Moti any day of the week)
Stifle and Whispers are for the most part in the deck for the Conquest-side of our gaming. Whispers is quite fun. Twincast also falls under this premise. It's not AWFUL for Cube, but it's amazing in Conquest. Treachery by the way, IS in the deck.
When I get a moment or two during lunch, I'll review the white and red.
Again, I can't thank you guys enough for the input!!
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
See, even though my play group is in the neighborhood of 6ish people, three of us are the "more-educated" when it comes to the game and the cards themselves (we're also the three that have been adding cards here and there).
However, the three of us haven't really played (other than the rare Conquest game) since 2005; so we've missed a lot. But there's a lot of changes I wanted to make, but for the most part I needed help figuring out what DIDN'T need to be in -- granted there will be the occassional card that needs to stay in (think of my use of Tranquility and Tempest of Light, etc) because of the Conquest side of this deck. Although, because we're making it more Cube-like, I'll drop Tempest of Light for Austere Command (I personally like cards that have multiple effects and/or uses).
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
I had it in a very early version of this deck, but then it got subbed out for Rout then that got dropped when Final Judgment came out.
Maybe we'll throw it back in...speaking of which...I'll do white right now. Post a response so I don't double post =)
OK, so I won't double-post, here's my response to white:
Lots of stuff here that I hadn't seen, a couple of which I've stumbled upon recently. After some research, here's my forthcoming changes:
OUT: Condemn
IN: Path to Exile (just heard about this one, it's an auto-include)
OUT: Children of Korlis
IN: Lantern Kami (This is just a much better card to include -- I was fearful of the lack of white flyers I had)
OUT: Degavolver (One volver left! And he's most likely gone when I get to red)
IN: Knight of Meadowgrain (As if we didn't have enough WW guys that are 2/2...LMAO I love it)
OUT: Purge
IN: Momentary Blink (nice card!)
OUT: Tempest of Light
IN: Cloudchaser Kestral (it's actually more for Austere Command, but shshshhhh)
OUT: Mangora of Corondor
IN: Mirror Entity (just learned about this dude a couple of days ago...he's a HOUSE)
OUT: Pariah (this was mostly used because my buddy liked to combo it with Dawn Elemental...which is also gone now)
IN: Stonecloaker (cool abilities...with Flash!)
OUT: Arrest
IN: Faith's Fetters (You're right, a MUCH better version)
OUT: Proper Burial (You're also correct here, not as good as I thought)
IN: Seht's Tiger (more Flash...I like it)
OUT: Dawn Elemental (WWWW is VERY brutal)
IN: Galepowder Mage (this card is frickin' cool!)
OUT: Gerrard Capashen
IN: Battlegrace Angel (this Angel is SWEET, and a damn good trade off for Gerrard if you ask me)
OUT: Kiyomaro
IN: Reveillark (another new card for me, very cool ability)
OUT: Pentarch Paladin (but it does have some badass art right?)
IN: Archon of Justice
OUT: Scourglass (I thought it was cool, but from what I've read, it's not.)
IN: Glory
OUT: Konda, Lord of Eiganjo
IN: Austere Command
After these changes, White is INFINITELY better. I think the curve is better, I think the cards do more for the same (if not less) cost. For the record, StP is already on the decklist!
To this point, White has had the most changes (and I thought White was the most solid!!).
Thanks for the suggestions/statements/observations/insults!!
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Hope that helps. In a larger Cube I would run Arrest AND Fath's Fetters. Mine is currently 98 per colour, so fairly large. Some people run 150 per colour!
By the way, I would keep Pariah too. Try this card, I forgot to mention: Unquestioned Authority
Pariah is very good for killing enemy creatures, or you can run Cho-Manno, Revolutionary. It is nearly always useful.
Empyrial Archangel would go into Mutli-Colored, and it would be under the 3+ Colored cards. Not completely sure I would run it, but it is a pretty sweet card.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Red needs to do 3 major things to make it a regularly draftable color in the cube. It needs to BURN, it needs to have Haste, or it needs to destroy lands. Direct damage is the great equalizer in the cube, because it doubles as removal and as a win condition. I would try to include as much burn (or cards that do damage without needing to attack) as possible. My cube, and the 2 other cubes I play in this area, try to keep about a 50% ratio to red cards that deal direct damage. You an include cards like Fireslinger in this category. If the red card isn't burn, it should either be a creature with haste or a card that destroys lands. This is because red needs to be the color dictating the tempo, or the cards from other colors will simply outmatch all your red cards. If a card is Red, and it's NOT Burn, Haste, or an LD card, it needs to be broken. Thus, the inclusion of cards like Whel of Fortune. It doesn't fit the "standard" for a red card, but it's included because it's super broken nonetheless.
Here's a breakdown of the cards I'd consider removing so they fir better into red's specific guidelines:
Wheel of Fate: So long as you're including the Wheel of Fortune, I don't think the Wheel of Fate is worth it. The Suspend of 4 (and the 1R cost to do it) is quite a drawback, and it makes that card completely useless as an end-game top-deck.
Gamble: Even though it's one of red's only tutor effects, it's still not card advantage, and it's not even card selection either. I'd replace it with a missing burn spell of the same CC... Lava Dart and Tarfire both come to mind.
Shatter and Shattering Pulse: These cards ate too narrow, IMO. I'd replace them with cards that destroy artifacts but also do other stuff too. Hearth Kami and Gorilla Shaman are both good, and both missing. If you want to keep one of the direct "shatter" effects, use Ancient Grudge over either of these.
Goblin Piledriver: You don't have enough goblins to make this guy a powerhouse. I'd suggest replacing him with Slith Firewalker, a creature that will be better 90% of the time.
Gempalm Incinerator: I'd replace him with something like Fireslinger. A good, efficient creature that can still deal damage even when not attacking.
Rakavolver: The best Volver, but still bad. I'd replace him with a better 3-drop red card... burn, LD or Haste. I think he'd be better off as a Molten Rain myself.
Rack & Ruin: Could be a Keldon Vandals or a Viashino Heretic... something that blows up artifacts and also can do some damage.
Breaking Point: I shy away from cards that allow the opponent to choose what happens. Browbeat is an exception because it is red card advantage. I'd replace this with a direct burn spell. Urza's Rage is a good one.
Shunt: This is a good card, but not a good red card. I'd replace it with burn or LD, perhaps Char.
Adamaro: This guy could be more red direct damage. I notice that Sulfuric Vortex isn't in your cube... I'd replace this dude for that card. It's the hoser vs. Control.
Dragonsoul Knight: How about Fire Imp or Ghitu Slinger? Both better, and more "red" by nature.
Ali from Cairo: The cube is too full of removal for this guy to be playable... at all. I'd replace him with one of the 4-drop LD creatures. Namely Avalanche Riders.
Balduvian Horde: This card sets you up to be 2-for-1'd all the time. I'd replace it with a Ravenous Baboons (so you get the card advantage and not your opponent).
There wasn't a direct replacement for it, but I'd find room for Aftershock. That card's really powerful.
Reckless Wurm: I'd replace him with Kumano, Master Yamabushi. Similar CCs, but the Kumano is a lot more powerful.
You have a few too many 6-drop red cards IMO. I'd remove at least three. I'd suggest removing the Slice and Dice, the Inferno and the Jokulhaups. I'd replace 'em with some more Red X Spells, like Banefire, Demonfire & Starstorm.
Hope that helps man.
Alright, so this is where we kind of take a turn. It's apparent that more pet cards are in red than anywhere (I would've originally thought blue).
Current pet cards: Rack & Ruin, Shunt, Adamaro, Rorix, Balduvian Horde and Dragonsoul Knight is in there for Conquest. Shivan Dragon, Mana Flare and Jokulhaups are BIG TIME pet cards...I mean they have serious history. However, there are still a number of changes I'm making:
OUT: Wheel of Fate
IN: Pact of the Titan (I have this stupid thing where each color has to have a ZERO casting cost spell -- it keeps it interesting)
OUT: Gamble
IN: Gorilla Shaman (lots of love for the Mox Monkey)
OUT: Shattering Pulse
IN: Ancient Grudge (much MUCH better IMO)
OUT: Goblin Piledriver (I was trying to make him viable. Fail.)
IN: Slith Firewalker
OUT: Gempalm Incinerator
IN: Fireslinger
OUT: Rakavolver (Annnnnnnnnd they're spent.)
IN: Molten Rain (one of my fav LD spells ever)
OUT: Breaking Point (this card gets CONFUSING in multiplayer)
IN: Urza's Rage
OUT: Ali From Cairo
IN: Aftershock (thanks for the suggestion)
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
(5 October 2009 - Zendikar Revision)
(2 February 2010 - Worldwake Revision)
(17 March 2010 - Power Rankings Revision)
(25 March 2010 - Overall Decklist/Spreadsheet Overhaul)
(1 September 2011 - Massive Overall Decklist/Spreadsheet Overhaul, shrunk Cube to 450 cards)
(14 April 2014 - Massive Overall Decklist/Spreadsheet Overhaul)
(1 May 2014 - Born of the Gods/Theros/Journey Into Nix Revision)
(29 May 2014 - Tooth & Nail/Ramp/Artifact Revision)
(1 July 2014 - Conspiracy + Others Revision)
(15 July 2014 - Magic 2015 Revision)
At this point, we've done with our Cube what I think every playgroup should do -- we've collectively agreed on a decklist (along with help from pretty much everyone who's posted on this thread) and we've all contributed cards to completing the decklist. This helps keep the costs low, and the sanity in check. This also ensures that everyone has a say in the 600 card deck, and that there will in fact, be something for everyone. I've made a spreadsheet, broken down by color and casting cost so we know exactly what cards are in the deck itself, but there's also a space for the card owner's name so that when someone lends their Tundra to the deck, there's assurance that they'll get it back in the event that they need it for the tournaments we don't play in anymore.
Anyways, take a look at the decklist. If there's something you feel is missing, or something that can be improved upon -- don't just say that X sucks. Say that X sucks, but Y is better. I don't mind (and in reality, I DO expect) if you don't like all the selections, but I would really prefer if you offered an alternative to whichever card(s) you think don't make sense.
Keep in mind that there are cards in there because they've become staples, favorites, legendary, epic or whatever for a multitude of reasons during our 15 years of playing, and I would be extremely disappointed if EVERY group didn't have "those" cards.
Thanks.
Basic Info
Cube Size: 450 Cards
Breakdown: 60 Each Color, 80 Artifacts/Non-Color Specific Land, 70 Guild/Multi
Standard or Theme Cube: Standard
Snow Lands: No
Average # Players: 4-6
How Often Drafted: About once every two weeks
Card Selection
Powered?: Yes
Portal?: Yes
Proxies/Customs: Yes
"Un-" Cards: No
Banned Cards for Power-Level: No
Banned Cards for Time Constraints: No
Banned Cards for "Fun" factor: No
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: Standard
Sideboards?: Yes
Even Color Balance: Yes
Perfect Creature/Non-Creature Balance: No
Gold Balance: Yes, 3 spells and 4 lands per Guild.
Hybrid/Split as Gold: Yes. Included in Guild count.
Color Kickers/Triggers/Costs as Gold: No.
Perfectly Balanced CMC: No. It is at it pertains for each Color.
Cube CMC: ~3.36 (This needs to be revised, this is old)
Specific Archetypes
W: Token/Anthem, Blink/Bounce, Lightsaber/Zoo
U: Tezz/Artifact, Tinker/Tooth, CounterBurn
B: Reanimator, Pox/Stax, Tezz/Artifact
R: Wildfire, Token/Anthem, CounterBurn, Lightsaber/Zoo, Ponza
G: Tooth/Ramp, SuperRamp, Token/Anthem, Lightsaber/Zoo, Ponza
X: Tezz/Artifact, Tinker/Tooth
(A slice a love goes to DerBK for providing a list of all the different Cube attributes, which I 'borrowed' for the list above)
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Solider of the Pantheon
1 Steppe Lynx
1 Student of Warfare
2cc
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Imposing Sovereign
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Lone Missonary
1 Precinct Captain
1 Soltari Trooper
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Wall of Omens
1 Blade Splicer
1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1 Flickerwisp
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Mirror Entity
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Soltari Champion
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
4cc
1 Exalted Angel
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Restoration Angel
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Reveillark
6cc
1 Soul of Theros
1 Sun Titan
7cc
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Land Tax
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
2cc
1 Balance
1 Disenchant
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Banishing Light
1 Glorious Anthem
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Spear of Heliod
4cc
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Armageddon
1 Cataclysm
1 Day of Judgment
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Parallax Wave
1 Spectral Procession
1 Wrath of God
1 Gideon Jura
6cc
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Land
1 Karakas
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Enclave Cryptologist
2cc
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Spellskite
3cc
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Man-o'-War
1 Trinket Mage
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
5cc
1 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
1 Morphling
1 Mulldrifter
6cc
1 Aetherling
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Force of Will
1cc
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mental Misstep
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
2cc
1 Arcane Denial
1 Counterspell
1 Daze
1 Into the Roil
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Leak
1 Miscalculation
1 Time Walk
1 Capsize
1 Compulsive Research
1 Crystal Shard
1 Forbid
1 Jace Beleren
1 Psionic Blast
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Thirst for Knowledge
4cc
1 Control Magic
1 Cryptic Command
1 Deep Analysis
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Opposition
1 Bribery
1 Treachery
6cc
1 Time Spiral
1 Upheaval
Xcc
1 Condescend
Land
1 Academy Ruins
1 Shelldock Isle
1 Carnophage
1 Diregraf Ghoul
1 Gnarled Scarhide
1 Gravecrawler
1 Tormented Hero
1 Vampire Lacerator
2cc
1 Bloodghast
1 Dark Confidant
1 Pack Rat
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Vampire Hexmage
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Ophiomancer
1 Master of the Feast
1 Vampire Nighthawk
4cc
1 Bane of the Living
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Nekrataal
1 Skinrender
1 Shriekmaw
1 Tombstalker
6cc
1 Grave Titan
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
8cc
1 Griselbrand
1 Snuff Out
1cc
1 Dark Ritual
1 Duress
1 Entomb
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Reanimate
1 Sarcomancy
1 Thoughtseize
1 Vampiric Tutor
2cc
1 Animate Dead
1 Bitterblossom
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Exhume
1 Go for the Throat
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Sinkhole
1 Smallpox
1 Dismember
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Pox
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Yawgmoth's Will
4cc
1 Damnation
1 Zombify
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Black Sun's Zenith
1 Mind Twist
1 Profane Command
Land
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Firedrinker Satyr
1 Goblin Guide
1 Goblin Welder
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Reckless Waif // Merciless Predator
1 Spikeshot Elder
1 Stromkirk Noble
2cc
1 Ash Zealot
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Plated Geopede
1 Stormblood Berzerker
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Blistering Firecat
1 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Hell's Thunder
1 Keldon Vandals
1 Manic Vandal
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
4cc
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Hellrider
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Zealous Conscripts
6cc
1 Inferno Titan
1 Burst Lightning
1 Chain Lightning
1 Faithless Loothing
1 Firebolt
1 Firestorm
1 Lightning Bolt
2cc
1 Arc Trail
1 Fork
1 Incinerate
1 Lightning Strike
1 Magma Jet
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Arc Lightning
1 Char
1 Molten Rain
1 Pillage
1 Seething Song
1 Staggershock
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Wheel of Fortune
4cc
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Purphorus, God of the Forge
1 Chandra Nalaar
6cc
1 Wildfire
1 Burning of Xinye
Xcc
1 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Comet Storm
1 Earthquake
1 Rolling Earthquake
1 Arbor Elf
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Experiment One
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Wolfbitten Captive // Krallenhorde Killer
2cc
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Vinelasher Kudzu
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Wall of Roots
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Courser of Kruphix
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Yavimaya Elder
4cc
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Vengevine
1 Wickerbough Elder
5cc
1 Acidic Slime
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Genesis
1 Thragtusk
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Primeval Titan
7cc
1 Hornet Queen
8cc
1 Terastodon
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Berserk
1 Exploration
1 Fastbond
1 Rancor
1 Worldly Tutor
2cc
1 Channel
1 Life From the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Awakening Zone
1 Curse of Predation
1 Ice Storm
1 Kodama's Reach
4cc
1 Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Natural Order
1 Plow Under
9cc
1 Tooth and Nail
Xcc
1 Green Sun's Zenith
Land
1 Treetop Village
1 Phyrexian Revoker
3cc
1 Metalworker
4cc
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Masticore
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Wurmcoil Engine
7cc
1 Myr Battlesphere
8cc
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Sundering Titan
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Black Lotus
1 Chrome Mox
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
2cc
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Grim Monolith
3cc
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Bonesplitter
1 Skullclamp
2cc
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Batterskull
1 Zuran Orb
1cc
1 Black Vise
1 Ivory Tower
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Voltaic Key
2cc
1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Mind Stone
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Scroll Rack
1 Winter Orb
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mimic Vat
1 Tangle Wire
4cc
1 Erratic Portal
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Smokestack
1 Memory Jar
6cc
1 Mindslaver
Xcc
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mana Confluence
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Undiscovered Paradise
1 Wasteland
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Tundra
1 Psychatog
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Polluted Delta
1 Underground Sea
1 Watery Grave
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Terminate
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Xenagos, the Reveler
1 Stomping Ground
1 Taiga
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Temple Garden
1 Windswept Heath
1 Vindicate
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Godless Shrine
1 Marsh Flats
1 Scrubland
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Mystic Snake
1 Trygon Predator
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Tropical Island
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Dack's Duplicate
1 Ral Zarek
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Volcanic Island
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Boros Charm
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Plateau
1 Sacred Foundry
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
DCI L2 Judge
GP:Madrid 2010 45th
GP:Amsterdam 2011 74th
GP:London 2013 67th
Bazaar of Moxen 2013 32nd
Sorry about that...I have my settings on the "black" setting, so having the text in white made more sense as I was trying to get the post together.
Fixed.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Cabal Therapy. This card was OK, but ultimately it was too narrow, and needed to come out for discard that would always hit. May I suggest Stupor?
Do or Die. Unless your opponent has a near-perfect board condition, most targeted removal will function better than this. Try Sudden Death?
Stitch Together. When used early, it's strictly worse than Exhume or Unearth. When used late game, it's inferior to cards like Beacon of Unrest. Threshold isn't super-easy for black.
Big Game Hunter. This card eventually came out for Bone Shredder. It was more splashable, and killed more targets.
Necravolver. I don't like any of the Volvers (with the exception of maybe Rakavolver). I'd cut it for something that will be more useful 90% of the time (like a Dauthi Marauder or something) but if you're looking for another B cards that can be used in BW, I'd replace the Volver with Desolation Angel. That card's the nutz.
Abyssal Specter. I think this card slot is better spent on a T3 Morphed Silent Specter, then go for the crushing swing on T5 with it. <shrug>
Hideous Laughter. You have a lot of -X/-X stuff in the cube, which is fine, but I think it may be a bit much. Try perhaps expanding your discard selection by removing this card for Persecute?
Ishan's Shade. I know you said you really like this card, but there are quite a few better 5+ drop black creatures that this guy could be. Skeletal Vampire perhaps?
Forced March. You have quite a few X-cost black spells in here, but no Profane Command! I'd drop this for the Command, because you already have Death Cloud, which is 10x better, IMO. You don't need more than 1 card with a CC of XBBB.
Stir the Grave. Another card that could be better served by Beacon of Unrest IMO.
.........
Don't hate me. Just tryin' to help a fellow cube-enthusiast.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
Basking Rootwalla could be Twinblade Slasher - he is proven good in Cube, plus it's hardly ever that Madness is relevant in Cube, Twinblade is always a relevant attacker as it has Wither (and a good creature type).
Concordant Crossroads is alright, but for haste effects, look to double duty cards like Fires of Yavimaya orAnger (sorry if you have them).
Maybe Reclaim could be something like Nimble Mongoose orJungle Lion? Reclaim doesn't seem that good.
2cc (19):
Cylian Sunsinger seems a REALLY odd choice as a one-of in the Cube. I actually think this card isn't the best even as a four-of in constructed. You're missing Wall of Blossoms, Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary. Quirion Elves is horrible IMO and could be Noble Heirarch or Priest of Titania. Find space for Wild Mongrel! Maybe over something like Seal of Primordium, because we will put better utility in later. Other 2 drops seem OK though.
3cc (8):
Ice Storm is ok if you're running all the good R/B land destruction already. I think Mwonvuli Acid-Moss is better in Green, though.
Tranquility might be Indrik Stomphowler who is a glaring omission - Tranquility will not often hit more than one target, and sometimes one of yours. Krosan Grip is one of the best spells of this type.
Chlorophant is cute but really slow, and has a very clunky mana cost. You seem to be missing the common green ramp creatures like Farhaven Elf, Civic Wayfinder, Yavimaya Dryad. Also Ohran Viper, Imperious Perfect, Thornscape Battlemage are powerhouses. Caller of the claw is removal protection. Kodama's Reach and Harrow are musts for mana fixing in green.
4cc (9):
I like the inclusion of Fangren Firstborn despite his awkward cost, he seems decent. Storm Seeker is awful and needs to be more creature utility like Wickerbough Elder or Briarhorn. Phantom Centaur for one needs to be in the Cube. Consider Cliffrunner Behemoth. Where's Garruk Wildspeaker? He is totally nuts. EDIT: Oh there he is at the bottom. He should be here
Anavolver is OK when fully pumped, but even for 3CDE you can do better. Spectral Force, Mycoloth or Arashi, the Sky Asunder could take its place.
Might of Oaks is inferior generally to Stonewood Invocation.
5cc (9):
Not too much to fault here, apart from Rude Awakening maybe. Arrogant Wurm also is not really that good in Cube, even when you play his madness cost he is underwhelming. I recommend Primal Command, Saproling Burst and Plow Under as key spells in Green
6cc (3):
All nice, but Green can do better than Jugan. Where is Cloudthresher? Don't be put off by the 2GGGG, he is an allstar. I personally likeQuagnoth over Silvos, but both are really great.
7cc (2):
Protean Hulk could be Krosan Tusker, perhaps? He is one of the best green creatures you'll never play. in 8cc slot, Woodfall Primus is sick.
Xcc (2):
Stream of Life? Seriously? Pure lifegain is bad, watch out for Lifelink on White cards like Exalted Angel, Knight of Meadowgrain. If you really want lifegain in green try Essence Warden!
Good start all in all, but a few glaring omissions and some strange choices. I have my own strange choices, so take it with a pinch of salt if you like!
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
I don't hate. I appreciate.
No seriously, I really am grateful for the help. See, my friends and I stopped playing after Saviors of Kamigawa and so we missed a few blocks. We've started playing a little bit of Shards lately and we've tried updating the Cube in various places...
I read all your input and these are the changes/explanations:
OUT: Cabal Therapy
IN: Unearth
OUT: Forced March (I could've sworn I took this out because of the exact reasons you gave)
IN: Profane Command
OUT: Big Game Hunter
IN: Bone Shredder
OUT: Necravolver
IN: Dauthi Marauder
OUT: Hideous Laughter
IN: Persecute (which used to be in anyways)
OUT: Do or Die (THANK YOU!!)
IN: Sudden Death (makes up for the loss of Hideous Laughter)
OUT: Stir the Grave
IN: Beacon of Unrest (I tried forever to get this card in)
OUT: Stitch Together
IN: Stupor (I really like this more than Therapy)
As for the others:
Abyssal Specter is a favorite of one of the guys, so it's staying...coincidentally, the Ihsan's Shade is also in his Hall of Fame and so that'll be staying as well (although I agree that there are better 6-drops).
Ok, so here's the same thing I did...I really enjoy all these cards that I've either never heard of (in most cases) or had in the deck and now are putting back in...
OUT: Basking Rootwalla
IN: Twinblade Slasher (this is a natural move...basically a better Rootwalla without Madness)
OUT: Concordant Crossroads
IN: Nimble Mongoose
OUT: Cylian Sunsinger (she became a Sealed Deck darling, thus her inclusion was almost automatic)
IN: Wall of Blossoms (ol' faithful)
OUT: Quirion Elves (I've been meaning to find a replacement for them for YEARS, and just forget about them)
IN: Wild Mongrel (A returner to the decklist)
OUT: Chlorophant
IN: Ohran Viper (This was an exact move I contemplated...TWICE)
OUT: Fangren Firstborn
IN: Phantom Centaur (another returning card)
OUT: Anavolver
IN: Briarhorn (NICE!)
OUT: Might of Oaks
IN: Stonewood Invocation (The guy who loved Might no longer jams with us, so I have no issue letting it go; let alone for something better)
OUT: Protean Hulk
IN: Krosan Tusker (another returning card)
The Stream of Life was in there because I wanted to have an "X" life gain spell for green (this is more for Conquest than for Cube); upon further review, I'm subbing it out for Nourishing Shoal.
Reclaim and Tranquility are staying. Tranquility is a biznatch in Conquer.
Again, thanks for all your input!!
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
I'll see if I have time to do blue later.
I like Abyssal Specter too, I've just recently been turned on to Silent Specter though, and when it hits, it hits HUGE.
I'm all for using pet cards too... you've got Ishan's Shade (and he's cool), and I use Serendib Djinn, when most people don't (although I think the Djinn's a house). You can't remove all of your pet cards, or it ceases to be YOUR cube, you know?
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
@wtwlf123: I was considering digging up a Serendib Efreet. OLD school favorite.
Most of my pet cards are noticeable. Future Sight is one of my personal favs. Kamahl, Pit Fighter is another. They're throughout the deck for me and each of the guys in my playgroup.
What I've liked about the two posts thus far is that everyone seems to understand what I have, and they suggest a card that's better and has the same casting cost. That REALLY makes my life easier. Again, there's a lot of the cards from Ravnica through Shards that I'm not familiar with (for example, the entire Future Sight block was shocking to read through), so I enjoy seeing new cards that do old stuff...but better.
Thanks y'all!
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
I use Serendib Efreet and Serendib Djinn. Both Arabian, Both Old-School, Both Good. The Efreet's better, but they both have a permanent home in my cube.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
I used it in a casual T1 deck with Explorations and Horn of Greeds and stuff and I'd literally draw my deck on a single turn -- it was just super fun to play.
I also used it in my 2004 iteration of The Perfect Storm (and YES that's the name we gave it for Standard back then, but that's because we ran 4 different Storm spells) -- I was the ONLY person who ran it and it won me games at Regionals that year. I had a turn where I Mind Desire'd and got my spell count up to 12, and couldn't land a Tendrils of Agony nor a Hunting Pack...the next turn I top decked a Future Sight, got my spell count up to 11 and won.
The card is ridiculous, and during the construction of that deck, I never had to defend it more. I think the argument was Future Sight versus Temporal Cascade. Go figure.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
1cc (6):
Stifle
Whispers of the Muse
2cc (16):
Cetavolver
Flash Counter
Standstill
Twincast
Copy Artifact
Piracy
Counterbalance
3cc (9):
Prodigal Sorcerer
Intuition
Scepter of Insight
Mana Short
4cc (13):
Last Word
Inspiration
Deflection
6cc (6):
Mahamoti Djinn
Blue is interesting because all the cards are powerful. Your job is to select the blue cards that are the most powerful. I think your countermagic selection is a little light. For other 1-drops, I'd suggest Force Spike. That card is actually really playable. Whispers can be good, but there are other blue card draw spells you aren't using that are better. For the 2-drops, I'd suggest replacing the Cetavolver for a creature like Willbender or Voidmage Prodigy. Something that has a "blue" feel to it. The Volver is a bad creature in general, but the fact that it's taking up a blue slot makes it even worse. Flash counter is a bit narrow, try Miscalculation instead. Standstill is better in constructed than it is in the cube. It's Okay, but we ran it for a while and it ended up getting cut for something else. Twincast is decent, but there are better cards for the UU slot. Consider some more bounce/draw/countermagic for several of the 2- and 3-drop selections mentioned here. Deflection should be Misdirection. It's free. Instead of the Scepter, try other blue permanents that provide card advantage... Thieving Magpie comes to mind. Inspiration could be Concentrate. Last Stand could be Dismiss. I'd add cards like Propaganda and Collective Restraint too, they're huge for U control. I didn't see Rainbow Efreet either... she's a house. As is Waterfront Bouncer. Cryptic Command? May be the best blue card ever... I'd add it. Treachery? Amazing. I'd add it too. I like Hinder, Complicate and Dissipate too. You're also missing Forbid. It may be the best counterspell in the cube. Memory Lapse is amazing too (tempo advantage is sweet). I'd also consider Inkwell Leviathan and Palinchron. You don't have any blue fatties, and those are 2 of the best (especially the Inkwell dude... you have Tinker!). Palinchron's part of the infinate mana Recurring Nightmare chain, plus, he's a 4/5 flying for (free) that can protect itself.
Phew! Hope that helps man.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
No worries mate, glad to help. Cube forum is the friendliest section in the forum, I'm an old-time player but pretty new here and it's been good.
As wtwlf123 says, Future Sight is unbelievable, especially if you run Fastbon (which I don't). Magus of the Future is a good replacement if you creature orientate your Cube like me. Also, Red Kahaml is good, don't worry about him. He is basically never ever card disadvantage, unless you run into Sudden Death. Remember, there is no right or wrong choice in Cube.
I'd like to call shotgun on reviewing your black section. I'll do it sometime this evening, hopefully!
EDIT: I agree with everything wtwlf123 offers, although I would comment that Standstill is great - If you have an advantageous board position, it is 3 cards for 2 mana. Engineering that early good board position is tough but I have used it as a splash in Green aggro along with things like Gifts Ungiven. It's basically a niche card which is very dependent on other archetypes you can make.
If you are still getting up to date with new cards, try out Ethersworn Adjudicator. Even though he rolls over to Viridian Shaman and buddies, he is a rape tank if he survives even one turn (destory your best creature, untap, swing for 4 in the air).
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Um, dude... the Black's already been done. I did black earlier (and blue today) and you've done green so far.
I'll do red later on if you can grab white sometime today.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
WUT!?
Oh yeah, I had it into my head that you had done Blue and Green, and it was me who did Green >_<
It's a deal
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Haha, ya.
Black
Green
Blue
DONE.
You do white tonight, and I'll do red some time this wekend.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
Intervention Pact
I'm interested to try this card. How has it been for you?
1cc (10):
This is solid. I think you could do with Lantern Kami/Suntail Hawk, though. Also Children of Korlis is a bit below par, and could maybe be Goldmeadow Harrier, Soul Warden or my personal star Benevolant Bodyguard. Also, no Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile? They are better than Condemn.
2cc (15):
Purge is not good. Celestial Purge is also narrow but always finds a target, which can even be Bitterblossom or a Scepter of Fugue. Degavolver is OK but try Knight of Meadowgrain, or even better, Beloved Chaplain, blocker supreme. Sigiled Paladin hasn't been good for me. I think Wing Shards is better than Vengeful Dreams, so you don't need the latter. You really need Momentary Blink, that is everyone's favourite card in Cube.
3cc (10):
Rune-tail looks fun, but Elspeth, Knight Errant's ultimate probably does the same thing better. I'm tempted to try Rune-tail myself though. You seem to like Tranquility a bit much I don't recommend Tempest of Light at all. Utility creatures like Cloudchaser Kestralor Indrik Stomphowler are really the way to go in Cube and combo with blink effects like Momentary Blink[/CARD. Pulse of the Fields is just about OK, but Reverse Damage is expensive life gain. While I'm at it, replace Stream of Life with Dawnglow Infusion. Strictly better, basically. Mangara is a slow Vindicate that is easily blown up, so I'm not keen on that too much. Get rid of those for awesome things such as Griffin Guide, Mirror Entity (a sick beating), Cloudchaser Kestral, Wispmare, Stonecloaker. Add Prison Term for something too!
4cc (12):
Arrest is 3cc dude! Faith's Fetters should be as the best-in-class Arrest spell. Proper Burial is an epic fail - pure lifegain cards are terrible. Lifegain is important to represent in white, but make sure the cards do SOMETHING rather than drag out the act of losing. The other choices are pretty nice, although the WWWW Dawn Elemental is risky. Don't bother with Chastise, you will have StP and PtE at one mana. I heartily commend Pursuit of Knowledge - I'd never seen that card, it is damn cool. I'm gonna get a copy for my own Cube.
There are a ton of good choices for this 4cc slot in white. Check out Seht's Tiger, Ranger of Eos, Galepowder Mage, Ajani Goldmane and of course Academy Rector.
5cc (6):
Kiyomaro and Gerrard Capashen aren't good cards really. I can see what you are trying to do with the sub-theme of lifegain, but Wizards have never printed cards to support it and make it good (other than Test of Endurance). Also, Scourglass has been found to be awful, as it takes a turn to do anything. Catastrophe is crazy good, instead. Try Battlegrace Angel over the Serra Angel, or maybe Serra Avenger at 2cc - she is really fun. Reveillark is just insane and has to be in too
Pentarch Paladin is a little slow and expensive I think, from my experience, so I would recommend Cloudgoat Ranger (tried and trusted), Glory (auto-include), Stonehewer Giant (great with any decent equipment in your deck) or Archon of Justice - Vindicates on leaving play. Personal choices abound here.
6cc (5):
Nice! Consider Austere Command, and if you really want some lifegain cards still, Feudkiller's Verdict is a great one.
7cc (2):
You can do without Konda, he is not as good as he looks. Put in something else at a lower CC instead.
Phew!
Hope that helps, and have a look at my white section from my list to see what I did personally. Most importantly, if you like a card and it plays well for you, keep it!
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Red needs to do 3 major things to make it a regularly draftable color in the cube. It needs to BURN, it needs to have Haste, or it needs to destroy lands. Direct damage is the great equalizer in the cube, because it doubles as removal and as a win condition. I would try to include as much burn (or cards that do damage without needing to attack) as possible. My cube, and the 2 other cubes I play in this area, try to keep about a 50% ratio to red cards that deal direct damage. You an include cards like Fireslinger in this category. If the red card isn't burn, it should either be a creature with haste or a card that destroys lands. This is because red needs to be the color dictating the tempo, or the cards from other colors will simply outmatch all your red cards. If a card is Red, and it's NOT Burn, Haste, or an LD card, it needs to be broken. Thus, the inclusion of cards like Whel of Fortune. It doesn't fit the "standard" for a red card, but it's included because it's super broken nonetheless.
Here's a breakdown of the cards I'd consider removing so they fir better into red's specific guidelines:
Wheel of Fate: So long as you're including the Wheel of Fortune, I don't think the Wheel of Fate is worth it. The Suspend of 4 (and the 1R cost to do it) is quite a drawback, and it makes that card completely useless as an end-game top-deck.
Gamble: Even though it's one of red's only tutor effects, it's still not card advantage, and it's not even card selection either. I'd replace it with a missing burn spell of the same CC... Lava Dart and Tarfire both come to mind.
Shatter and Shattering Pulse: These cards ate too narrow, IMO. I'd replace them with cards that destroy artifacts but also do other stuff too. Hearth Kami and Gorilla Shaman are both good, and both missing. If you want to keep one of the direct "shatter" effects, use Ancient Grudge over either of these.
Goblin Piledriver: You don't have enough goblins to make this guy a powerhouse. I'd suggest replacing him with Slith Firewalker, a creature that will be better 90% of the time.
Gempalm Incinerator: I'd replace him with something like Fireslinger. A good, efficient creature that can still deal damage even when not attacking.
Rakavolver: The best Volver, but still bad. I'd replace him with a better 3-drop red card... burn, LD or Haste. I think he'd be better off as a Molten Rain myself.
Rack & Ruin: Could be a Keldon Vandals or a Viashino Heretic... something that blows up artifacts and also can do some damage.
Breaking Point: I shy away from cards that allow the opponent to choose what happens. Browbeat is an exception because it is red card advantage. I'd replace this with a direct burn spell. Urza's Rage is a good one.
Shunt: This is a good card, but not a good red card. I'd replace it with burn or LD, perhaps Char.
Adamaro: This guy could be more red direct damage. I notice that Sulfuric Vortex isn't in your cube... I'd replace this dude for that card. It's the hoser vs. Control.
Dragonsoul Knight: How about Fire Imp or Ghitu Slinger? Both better, and more "red" by nature.
Mana Flare: Cool, but sub par. More burn! I'd swap it out with Words of War or Arc Lightning.
Ali from Cairo: The cube is too full of removal for this guy to be playable... at all. I'd replace him with one of the 4-drop LD creatures. Namely Avalanche Riders.
Balduvian Horde: This card sets you up to be 2-for-1'd all the time. I'd replace it with a Ravenous Baboons (so you get the card advantage and not your opponent).
There wasn't a direct replacement for it, but I'd find room for Aftershock. That card's really powerful.
Reckless Wurm: I'd replace him with Kumano, Master Yamabushi. Similar CCs, but the Kumano is a lot more powerful.
You have a few too many 6-drop red cards IMO. I'd remove at least three. I'd suggest removing the Slice and Dice, the Inferno and the Jokulhaups. I'd replace 'em with some more Red X Spells, like Banefire, Demonfire & Starstorm.
Hope that helps man.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
Sorry for the uber-delay, but I've updated blue as follows:
OUT: Cetavolver
IN: Voidmage Prodigy
OUT: Flash Counter
IN: Miscalculation
OUT: Deflection
IN: Misdirection (been waiting to land a Misdrection to do this)
OUT: Remove Soul (minor pet card, but I'm a fan of Hinder)
IN: Hinder
OUT: Last Word
IN: Thieving Magpie (been trying to find a good space for the birdie)
OUT: Counterbalance
IN: Cryptic Command (file this under ignorance...I just simply didn't know about this card)
OUT: Scepter of Insight
IN: Forbid
OUT: Piracy
IN: Ancestral Vision
OUT: Mahamoti Djinn
IN: Palinchron (I'm hoping I'm taking out the right card to add him in, I think more people would draft a Palinchron over a Moti any day of the week)
Stifle and Whispers are for the most part in the deck for the Conquest-side of our gaming. Whispers is quite fun. Twincast also falls under this premise. It's not AWFUL for Cube, but it's amazing in Conquest. Treachery by the way, IS in the deck.
When I get a moment or two during lunch, I'll review the white and red.
Again, I can't thank you guys enough for the input!!
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
And yes, removing the Mahamoti for the Palinchron is the right call, IMO.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
However, the three of us haven't really played (other than the rare Conquest game) since 2005; so we've missed a lot. But there's a lot of changes I wanted to make, but for the most part I needed help figuring out what DIDN'T need to be in -- granted there will be the occassional card that needs to stay in (think of my use of Tranquility and Tempest of Light, etc) because of the Conquest side of this deck. Although, because we're making it more Cube-like, I'll drop Tempest of Light for Austere Command (I personally like cards that have multiple effects and/or uses).
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Also, I'd follow Goodking's advice on Catastrophe. That's one of my favorite white card in the cube. Really, really powerful.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
Maybe we'll throw it back in...speaking of which...I'll do white right now. Post a response so I don't double post =)
OK, so I won't double-post, here's my response to white:
Lots of stuff here that I hadn't seen, a couple of which I've stumbled upon recently. After some research, here's my forthcoming changes:
OUT: Condemn
IN: Path to Exile (just heard about this one, it's an auto-include)
OUT: Children of Korlis
IN: Lantern Kami (This is just a much better card to include -- I was fearful of the lack of white flyers I had)
OUT: Degavolver (One volver left! And he's most likely gone when I get to red)
IN: Knight of Meadowgrain (As if we didn't have enough WW guys that are 2/2...LMAO I love it)
OUT: Purge
IN: Momentary Blink (nice card!)
OUT: Tempest of Light
IN: Cloudchaser Kestral (it's actually more for Austere Command, but shshshhhh)
OUT: Mangora of Corondor
IN: Mirror Entity (just learned about this dude a couple of days ago...he's a HOUSE)
OUT: Pariah (this was mostly used because my buddy liked to combo it with Dawn Elemental...which is also gone now)
IN: Stonecloaker (cool abilities...with Flash!)
OUT: Arrest
IN: Faith's Fetters (You're right, a MUCH better version)
OUT: Proper Burial (You're also correct here, not as good as I thought)
IN: Seht's Tiger (more Flash...I like it)
OUT: Dawn Elemental (WWWW is VERY brutal)
IN: Galepowder Mage (this card is frickin' cool!)
OUT: Gerrard Capashen
IN: Battlegrace Angel (this Angel is SWEET, and a damn good trade off for Gerrard if you ask me)
OUT: Kiyomaro
IN: Reveillark (another new card for me, very cool ability)
OUT: Pentarch Paladin (but it does have some badass art right?)
IN: Archon of Justice
OUT: Scourglass (I thought it was cool, but from what I've read, it's not.)
IN: Glory
OUT: Konda, Lord of Eiganjo
IN: Austere Command
After these changes, White is INFINITELY better. I think the curve is better, I think the cards do more for the same (if not less) cost. For the record, StP is already on the decklist!
To this point, White has had the most changes (and I thought White was the most solid!!).
Thanks for the suggestions/statements/observations/insults!!
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Hope that helps. In a larger Cube I would run Arrest AND Fath's Fetters. Mine is currently 98 per colour, so fairly large. Some people run 150 per colour!
By the way, I would keep Pariah too. Try this card, I forgot to mention: Unquestioned Authority
Pariah is very good for killing enemy creatures, or you can run Cho-Manno, Revolutionary. It is nearly always useful.
Also check out Empyrial Archangel... built-in Pariah!
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Yeah, my boy built this annoying Mono-White deck that had Dawn Elemental, Cho-Manno, Revolutionary and Pariahs with Mother of Runes, etc.
It was a good lesson to learn in mass removal and non-damage removal.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Alright, so this is where we kind of take a turn. It's apparent that more pet cards are in red than anywhere (I would've originally thought blue).
Current pet cards: Rack & Ruin, Shunt, Adamaro, Rorix, Balduvian Horde and Dragonsoul Knight is in there for Conquest. Shivan Dragon, Mana Flare and Jokulhaups are BIG TIME pet cards...I mean they have serious history. However, there are still a number of changes I'm making:
OUT: Wheel of Fate
IN: Pact of the Titan (I have this stupid thing where each color has to have a ZERO casting cost spell -- it keeps it interesting)
OUT: Gamble
IN: Gorilla Shaman (lots of love for the Mox Monkey)
OUT: Shattering Pulse
IN: Ancient Grudge (much MUCH better IMO)
OUT: Goblin Piledriver (I was trying to make him viable. Fail.)
IN: Slith Firewalker
OUT: Gempalm Incinerator
IN: Fireslinger
OUT: Rakavolver (Annnnnnnnnd they're spent.)
IN: Molten Rain (one of my fav LD spells ever)
OUT: Breaking Point (this card gets CONFUSING in multiplayer)
IN: Urza's Rage
OUT: Ali From Cairo
IN: Aftershock (thanks for the suggestion)
OUT: Akroma, Angel of Fury
IN: Starstorm
OUT: Reckless Wurm
IN: Kumano, Master Yamabushi
Thanks!!!
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3