MTG Salvation

Hi, this is my cube. I've been playing magic on and off since 1994 and I decided that a cube is the best way to enjoy many of the older cards that I love, mixed with newer cards in a format that's extremely fun.

I mostly cube in Wellington, New Zealand. I'm always looking for new faces to cube with so drop me a line if you want to meet up

@eidolon232 Thanks a lot for the really detailed reply, I appreciate it.

It seems I had forgotten to include the 3CMC blue cards in my list. I've added them now.
Crystal Shard
Vedalken Shackles
Forbid
Tinker
Capsize

Are already on my list. I'd like to pick up a Time Spiral.

I definitely agree with you on Ninja of the Deep Hours > Mulldrifter. I'll have to pick up a Mulldrifter (I don't have any :S)

Looking through the rest of your suggestions, I agree with you on almost all of the points. Looks like I should be getting some more cards!

For what it's worth, I pretty much agree with eidolon on all points.

Nice looking cube! Just needs a little "fine-tuning" imo, especially at the 360 level.

@wtwlf123: Thanks I'm sure you're right. I'm going to be drafting with the cube for the first time tonight. I'll update with how it went.

I'd like to expand this to a 500 count cube, or around that. I just need more good cards.

Hopefully I can make some positive changes over the next week before I draft again

Just had the first 6 man draft with my cube! It was really fun. Here's a breakdown of what got drafted:

-UW Control 1 (with access to Vedalken Shackles, Bribery, Exalted Angel, some fast mana artifacts)

-White Weenie (Typical White Weenie, but underpowered due to lack of equipment)

-GB Midrange Control (with access to Pernicious Deed, Volrath's Stronghold, Visara, Liliana etc.)

-UW Control 2 (access to Force of Will, more counters than the other, Akroma, Inkwell Leviathan)

-RB Aggro (lots of smaller black guys plus plenty of removal)

-GR Fatties (Big fat green guys, Some red hasty guys plus burn and artifact/enchantment hate)

Here's how they did:

UW Control 1: 3-0
GR Fatties: 2-1
UW Control 2: 2-1
RB Aggro: 1-2
GB Control: 1-2
White Weenie: 0-3

I was the one who played UW Control 1. Vedalken Shackles was EASILY the MVP of the night. Being able to get it back with Academy ruins after being destroyed was maybe too good. Thinking about cutting Academy ruins for this reason, as it severely lessens the effect of artifact hate.

Because the draft was only 6 people, a whole lot of cards were left out. We found out later that some of the good equipment - Darksteel swords, Bonesplitter, Grafted Wargear, Skullclamp - ended up out of the draft. White weenie really needs some of those things to be competitive.

Regarding your White Weenie problem, you only seem to have one "anthem" effect: Glorious Anthem. I would consider cutting Wing Shards and Pulse of the Fields (I have been unimpressed by both, and they support your already strong control decks) and replacing them with more anthem effects, maybe Honor of the Pure, Soltari Champion or Pianna, Nomad Captain.

@Humpty_Dumpty: Thanks yes I will think about making those changes. I really like Pulse of the Fields as a control player, but I understand that red in particular would have a very hard time against it.

Quote from Juju

@Humpty_Dumpty: Thanks yes I will think about making those changes. I really like Pulse of the Fields as a control player, but I understand that red in particular would have a very hard time against it.

It's not that it's too good, it's just that control doesn't need it, and aggro could use more support.

Made a few changes:

Pulse of the Fields > Honor of the Pure

Momentary Blink > Temporal Isolation

Wing Shards > Crusade (hoping to get a Soltari Champion)


Arc Slogger > Keldon Marauders

Flowstone Flood > Volcanic Hammer


Not a huge upgrade I know.

You're right. I think I'll keep Honor of the Pure in for now. Crusade can come out for Soltari Champion when I get hold of one.

I've got a Giant Solifuge to potentially come in. Should Boggart Ram-Gang or Stormbind come out?

The ram-gang, IMO. Stormbind is a house.

Quick changes with some cards I had lying around:
[card]
Quicksand[/card] > Grand Coliseum

Ring of Gix > Icy Manipulator (I'm still not sure which is better TBH)

Zuran Orb > Winter Orb (I'm going to try and draft this soon and see if it catches on. I'm sure it's not a pick that many of my friends would make)

Debtors Knell > Desolation Angel

Death Cloud > Decree of Pain

Got myself a few Onslaught Fetchlands in the mail, so hopefully I can add them in soon.

I like Ring of Gix more than Icy because it can be activated a turn earlier. I run both, but my cube is a bit bigger than yours. Both cards are great, though, and I don't think your cube will suffer as long as one of them is in.

Quote from JuJu »

Ring of Gix > Icy Manipulator (I'm still not sure which is better TBH)

Both are the best.

I'd just cut something else entirely.

Quote from wtwlf123

Both are the best.

I'd just cut something else entirely.

I thought this as well, but I looked over his artifacts and he's got a pretty solid list. I'd be hard pressed to cut anything from there.

Quote from calibretto

I thought this as well, but I looked over his artifacts and he's got a pretty solid list. I'd be hard pressed to cut anything from there.

Darksteel Ingot should be Coalition Relic, IMO.

And I'd cut Lightning Greaves for the 2nd Icy effect in a heartbeat. It's a fine card, but it's no Ring/Icy.

Relic coming in for Ingot seems right. I don't know if I'd cut Greaves for a second Icy. Greaves is a unique effect and in a tight 360 card cube like this one how many functional reprints do you really need? Cutting Greaves for the second Icy would most likely be fine and wouldn't hurt his cube at all. Greaves is a decent card, but I think I'd prefer to just have the one Icy effect and keep the solid equipment as well. Then again, I tend to be more biased toward cards that are great in aggressive decks, so that might be affecting my choice.

Quote from calibretto

Relic coming in for Ingot seems right. I don't know if I'd cut Greaves for a second Icy. Greaves is a unique effect and in a tight 360 card cube like this one how many functional reprints do you really need? Cutting Greaves for the second Icy would most likely be fine and wouldn't hurt his cube at all. Greaves is a decent card, but I think I'd prefer to just have the one Icy effect and keep the solid equipment as well. Then again, I tend to be more biased toward cards that are great in aggressive decks, so that might be affecting my choice.

But Ring of Gix is super in aggressive decks....

Ring your land in your upkeep.
or
Ring your dude, attack.

are pretty sweet plays. The option to have a Whipcorder or Rishadan Port ought not go overlooked...

I'd play it in aggro if I needed the 23rd card. It's decent in aggro the way Greaves is decent in control, imo. The former may be slighter better than the latter, but you get the point. I'd much rather have Greaves in my aggro deck. Shroud is an absolutely busted ability for an efficient creature to have. Throw in the Haste too and it's just gravy. I've seen plenty of games won on the back of a Greaves wearing finisher. I don't think Greaves is a staple that should be in every cube, but I also don't think a 360 card cube warrants the inclusion of both Icy effects.

As I said, he could potentially remove Greaves for Ring and probably never really notice it's absense, but that's not a change I would (personally) make considering that there's already one Icy effect present.

Ring makes the cut over Greaves in any deck I'd ever build. It's that simple (for me).

And yes, I feel that a 2nd Icy effect is better. In a cube of any size, I don't feel the two cards are redundant at all. I'd certainly play both in the same deck.

Lightning Greaves has been very, very good for people in my area as of late. It just puts opponents in very awkward positions where their mass removal is weakened, their targeted removal has the possibility of being dead, and planning combat for the next turn or two is almost impossible to do properly. It has been good for me personally for a while, but it wasn't until I was able to lock it up on Baneslayer that it really hit me how awesome the card can be.

I know what its capable of, it just never played that way here. It was always less than optimal, whereas both Icy clones have been stellar. His list is really tight. I don't even run Greaves in my 500 card cube, much less a 360 one. Whereas I would include both Icys in even the smallest of cubes.

Quote from wtwlf123

I know what its capable of, it just never played that way here. It was always less than optimal, whereas both Icy clones have been stellar. His list is really tight. I don't even run Greaves in my 500 card cube, much less a 360 one. Whereas I would include both Icys in even the smallest of cubes.

Fair enough, friend, but I still take Greaves over Icy or Ring in my BR aggro deck.

In a list this tight, I think cards like that come down to personal taste. At least one of the Icy effects has to go in. Adding a second is fine, but adding a useful equipment is fine too. Either one is just gravy at that point.

thanks for all the replies guys.

I've decided to keep the Greaves. It's rated highly amongst my playgroup. I'll keep Ring of Gix in the wings for either when I upgrade the size of my cube, or if I decide to axe Sensei's Divining Top for being too time consuming.

Or perhaps Erratic Portal could come out for Ring of Gix, and I could chuck a Crystal Shard in the blue section.

Quote from JuJu »

Or perhaps Erratic Portal could come out for Ring of Gix, and I could chuck a Crystal Shard in the blue section.

This.

I like the 2nd Icy effect more than the 2nd Shard effect. Crystal Shard should be in for sure, and the Portal will likely miss the cut for 360, but not by a whole lot.

I'd make that change. (Crystal Shard in blue, and then Erratic Portal ----> Ring of Gix).