Hello everyone and welcome to my cube thread. This is where we can discuss my cube and card choices. The primary purpose of this thread is to act as a resource for prospective and current cubers and provide insight on cube design. I feel that my cube is pretty close to being complete although there may be a need for balance changes in the future. Feel free to ask why I am/am not running a certain card and I will be happy to discuss my success/failure with that particular card. Feel free to leave any comments.
Basic Cube Information:
This cube contains 450 cards.
There are 60 cards of each color, 60 lands, 50 artifacts, and 40 multicolored cards.
This cube is Unpowered.
Portal cards, Gifts Given, and Blast from the Past are legal.
Proxies are allowed in this cube. Currently there are 13 proxies which include all ten original dual lands, Mox Diamond, Nether Void, and Rolling Earthquake.
Several cards are banned due to power level, the reduction of decision making, and/or time constraints.
The overall goal of this cube is to create a balanced drafting environment that is fun, skill intensive, and supports a variety of aggro and control archetypes.
this is a great cube list. unique, but i like a lot of the unusual choices. i really want to try and fit mistral charger and stormfront pegasus into my cube. it looks like drafting aggro is ridiculously fun in this cube. a couple of questions:
how has mtenda lion been? wouldn't twinblade slasher be a better choice? i don't like how the lion is completely useless against the most powerful color in magic.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
this is a great cube list. unique, but i like a lot of the unusual choices. i really want to try and fit mistral charger and stormfront pegasus into my cube. it looks like drafting aggro is ridiculously fun in this cube. a couple of questions:
how has mtenda lion been? wouldn't twinblade slasher be a better choice? i don't like how the lion is completely useless against the most powerful color in magic.
I will tell you this, I have drafted this cube many times. At one point I would always frown on Wild Dogs/Jungle Lion, but recently I started boarding them in every match and in the most recent drafts main decking them was amazing. So being able to have another 2/1 for one to board in against non blue decks was great for me. I'm sure the OP can attest to this. Turn one Hierarch into turn two Jungle Lion/Wild Dogs/Skyshroud Elite and Talara's Batalion was amazing.
For those out there making cube's, try looking at Nether Void as well, I've been drafting a great G/B rock deck in this cube constantly and it rarely does worse than 2-1 and its fun to play.
And, yes I believe Mana Drain got the axe, it was in there.
I'm a consistent aggro drafter, so I love the presence of all the 1-drops and things like Talara's Battalion and Kavu Titan. But as for feedback, I'm still rooting for Rogue Elephant :D, and my pet cube card, Masako, the Humorless.
I will tell you this, I have drafted this cube many times. At one point I would always frown on Wild Dogs/Jungle Lion, but recently I started boarding them in every match and in the most recent drafts main decking them was amazing. So being able to have another 2/1 for one to board in against non blue decks was great for me. I'm sure the OP can attest to this. Turn one Hierarch into turn two Jungle Lion/Wild Dogs/Skyshroud Elite and Talara's Batalion was amazing.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
Nice cube list man! I love the black aggro creature suite. There's some fun old aggro beaters in there. Very cool.
If you use Un- cards, how come no City of Ass? That card is insane, and you allow other Un- cards, so why not?
Thanks! I'm glad you brought up City of Ass. The reason I don't run it is because i'm trying to keep the mana fixing under control. City of ass is just so insane and I think Grand Coliseum is a fair version of it. That's also the reason I switched to the Talismans over the Signets. I felt that there needed to be some artifact ramp but the Signets seemed like too much. The nice thing about the Talismans is that they are scarcer and they come with a slight drawback attached to the fixing. I really like the way they are working.
this is a great cube list. unique, but i like a lot of the unusual choices. i really want to try and fit mistral charger and stormfront pegasus into my cube. it looks like drafting aggro is ridiculously fun in this cube. a couple of questions:
how has mtenda lion been? wouldn't twinblade slasher be a better choice? i don't like how the lion is completely useless against the most powerful color in magic.
Thanks; the pegasus guys have been pretty good for us so far and I recommend trying to find room for them. I just added Mtenda Lion two drafts ago but so far he has been good. I think the guy who drafted him both times just put him on the SB and brought him in for games two and three depending on the matchup. And I cut Mana Drain a while ago because I didn't think it was necessary for blue to have such an insane counterspell in our unpowered cube. There are still plenty of 2cc counters that fill the void.
If I was playing a powered list I would definately run Mana Drain, but as I stated above I just didnt think it was necessary. It's removal helped to balance blue. Regarding Talara's Battalion; Initially I didn't have any expectations for this card, but it has been very successful for us so far. Whether you play it after a Harrow or Garruk, Vial it out, or just play it alongside a one or two drop, Battalion has been solid so far.
Yeah Mtenda lion isnt as good as those other creatures, but if you are looking to buff aggro it's a good include. We are currently testing Battlion out but it's been a solid card for us so far.
The nice thing about the Talismans is that they are scarcer and they come with a slight drawback attached to the fixing. I really like the way they are working.
Have you thought about replacing certain signets with talismans, such as RB and RG? This could be similar to the way you've tried using the aggro vs. midrange lands as a special section in your cube.
Have you thought about replacing certain signets with talismans, such as RB and RG? This could be similar to the way you've tried using the aggro vs. midrange lands as a special section in your cube.
Ya, but without the full selection of 10, I can't replace all the ones I'd like to. Plus, the fixing is better when casting certain spells... and I like the fact that I can get both colors of mana out of it via colorless mana. I can cast a Shadowmage Infiltrator off of a Dimir Signet with 2 Mountains in play in my Grixis deck, and so on.
Nice cube! Love the experimenting with aggro creatures like Mtenda Lion and Skulking Ghost. I'm always messing with cheap creatures with either good P/T or evasion but with sometimes harsh drawbacks to see how they play in the cube.
Yeah it's kinda sad because those decks want to be able to put Grafted Wargear or w/e on their dudes and swing. That exact scenario hasn't come up yet but what has come up is not being able to sacrifice Skulking Ghost to Sarkhan the Mad :frown:. Also, Cursed Scroll with 5-6 cards in hand... I imagine that if we have too many problems with this then I will replace the ghost with Wei Ambush Force and give those guys a try.
Basic Cube Information:
There are 60 cards of each color, 60 lands, 50 artifacts, and 40 multicolored cards.
This cube is Unpowered.
Portal cards, Gifts Given, and Blast from the Past are legal.
Proxies are allowed in this cube. Currently there are 13 proxies which include all ten original dual lands, Mox Diamond, Nether Void, and Rolling Earthquake.
Several cards are banned due to power level, the reduction of decision making, and/or time constraints.
The overall goal of this cube is to create a balanced drafting environment that is fun, skill intensive, and supports a variety of aggro and control archetypes.
Cube List:
White:
White Spells:
Blue:
Blue Spells
Black:
Black Spells:
Red:
Red Spells:
Green:
Green Spells:
Multicolor:
U/B
U/R
U/G
W/B
W/R
W/G
B/R
B/G
R/G
Artifacts:
Artifact Spells:
Lands:
Cube Pictures:
Blue:
Black:
Red:
Green:
Multicolor:
Artifacts:
Lands:
If you use Un- cards, how come no City of Ass? That card is insane, and you allow other Un- cards, so why not?
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!
how has mtenda lion been? wouldn't twinblade slasher be a better choice? i don't like how the lion is completely useless against the most powerful color in magic.
is mana drain banned for power level reasons"
I will tell you this, I have drafted this cube many times. At one point I would always frown on Wild Dogs/Jungle Lion, but recently I started boarding them in every match and in the most recent drafts main decking them was amazing. So being able to have another 2/1 for one to board in against non blue decks was great for me. I'm sure the OP can attest to this. Turn one Hierarch into turn two Jungle Lion/Wild Dogs/Skyshroud Elite and Talara's Batalion was amazing.
For those out there making cube's, try looking at Nether Void as well, I've been drafting a great G/B rock deck in this cube constantly and it rarely does worse than 2-1 and its fun to play.
And, yes I believe Mana Drain got the axe, it was in there.
I'm a consistent aggro drafter, so I love the presence of all the 1-drops and things like Talara's Battalion and Kavu Titan. But as for feedback, I'm still rooting for Rogue Elephant :D, and my pet cube card, Masako, the Humorless.
Juju Alters - Altered MTG Cards
i love aggro, too. i'm just not sure mtenda lion is as good as wild dogs or jungle lion. talara's battallion seems pretty cool but i'm wary of the drawback.
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Thanks! I'm glad you brought up City of Ass. The reason I don't run it is because i'm trying to keep the mana fixing under control. City of ass is just so insane and I think Grand Coliseum is a fair version of it. That's also the reason I switched to the Talismans over the Signets. I felt that there needed to be some artifact ramp but the Signets seemed like too much. The nice thing about the Talismans is that they are scarcer and they come with a slight drawback attached to the fixing. I really like the way they are working.
Thanks; the pegasus guys have been pretty good for us so far and I recommend trying to find room for them. I just added Mtenda Lion two drafts ago but so far he has been good. I think the guy who drafted him both times just put him on the SB and brought him in for games two and three depending on the matchup. And I cut Mana Drain a while ago because I didn't think it was necessary for blue to have such an insane counterspell in our unpowered cube. There are still plenty of 2cc counters that fill the void.
If I was playing a powered list I would definately run Mana Drain, but as I stated above I just didnt think it was necessary. It's removal helped to balance blue. Regarding Talara's Battalion; Initially I didn't have any expectations for this card, but it has been very successful for us so far. Whether you play it after a Harrow or Garruk, Vial it out, or just play it alongside a one or two drop, Battalion has been solid so far.
Yeah Mtenda lion isnt as good as those other creatures, but if you are looking to buff aggro it's a good include. We are currently testing Battlion out but it's been a solid card for us so far.
I really with they had enemy talismans.
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 Mirrodin 2 will help you there?
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Have you thought about replacing certain signets with talismans, such as RB and RG? This could be similar to the way you've tried using the aggro vs. midrange lands as a special section in your cube.
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Ya, but without the full selection of 10, I can't replace all the ones I'd like to. Plus, the fixing is better when casting certain spells... and I like the fact that I can get both colors of mana out of it via colorless mana. I can cast a Shadowmage Infiltrator off of a Dimir Signet with 2 Mountains in play in my Grixis deck, and so on.
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!
(list not current)
My Cube Google Docs Spreadsheet: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AibgWfz0ukmOdDNhOHlucjcxUi1wVy00NDhLbDUtUlE&hl=en_US#gid=8
(list is always current)
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!
Yeah it's kinda sad because those decks want to be able to put Grafted Wargear or w/e on their dudes and swing. That exact scenario hasn't come up yet but what has come up is not being able to sacrifice Skulking Ghost to Sarkhan the Mad :frown:. Also, Cursed Scroll with 5-6 cards in hand... I imagine that if we have too many problems with this then I will replace the ghost with Wei Ambush Force and give those guys a try.
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!
Draft my cube!
Watch me stream!
I laugh at the Lion when I play Island. haha.
But from what I saw, it can be good. More testing needed though.