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So I've been playing Cube online for a bit, playing around, and decided I liked the format, although my collection is currently no where near impressive enough to form one of my own. However, I've noticed Mox Diamond in a lot of cubes and was wondering, walking into an unknown cube, how highly should I pick Mox Diamond? I've picked it up at both 3 and 5 and been happy with it, building G/R aggro and B/R aggro respectively. I've never felt bad playing the card, and am aware it's a fantastic card, but after watching a bit on Cube on Channel Fireball, I am wondering if I am valuing the card too highly, or perhaps putting it in decks where it doesn't belong. These have also both been unpowered cubes, if that matters. I know what the term means vaguely, but outside of actually seeing a P9 I'm wondering if it affects my pick order at all. I'm still new to Cube, so thanks for the help.
It's decent mana fixing but there are a ton of better options early on, especially if you're only going two color. There's an excellent chance this tables in most 8 person drafts that use something similar to the MTGO cube or in the MTGO games themselves.
This is an excellent P1P1 card, because it fits wonderfully into everything, fixes mana and ramps and it's colorless so it doesn't commit you to a color or strategy. If you're playing around here, it absolutely will not table. Ever. If it's not taken P1P1, it'll be snatched up immediately afterwords as a 2nd or 3rd pick; no question. Over a regular Mox (except maybe a Sapphire) I'll usually pick the Diamond first, because it's more valuable than an off-color Mox for a lot of decks, and it counts as fixing for main colors and splash colors for the rest of the draft. I think it's an absolute core staple, and every single cube should be running it.
This is an excellent P1P1 card, because it fits wonderfully into everything, fixes mana and ramps and it's colorless so it doesn't commit you to a color or strategy. If you're playing around here, it absolutely will not table. Ever. If it's not taken P1P1, it'll be snatched up immediately afterwords as a 2nd or 3rd pick; no question. Over a regular Mox (except maybe a Sapphire) I'll usually pick the Diamond first, because it's more valuable than an off-color Mox for a lot of decks, and it counts as fixing for main colors and splash colors for the rest of the draft. I think it's an absolute core staple, and every single cube should be running it.
I agree every cube should have it but I see it table constantly in MTGO games (after which I normally snatch it and fist pump). At the same time MTGO is full of bad players and I'm not excluding myself from that category.
I can't remember ever not maindecking the Mox Diamond. I'm quite happy to pick it up anywhere between first and third pick. Anything beyond that and I would start to consider it late.
edit: I would actually feel better picking it up in a cube I had never encountered before, since it's more likely that I'll need the fixing and less likely that there'll be a lot of artifact hate.
This is an excellent P1P1 card, because it fits wonderfully into everything, fixes mana and ramps and it's colorless so it doesn't commit you to a color or strategy. If you're playing around here, it absolutely will not table. Ever. If it's not taken P1P1, it'll be snatched up immediately afterwords as a 2nd or 3rd pick; no question. Over a regular Mox (except maybe a Sapphire) I'll usually pick the Diamond first, because it's more valuable than an off-color Mox for a lot of decks, and it counts as fixing for main colors and splash colors for the rest of the draft. I think it's an absolute core staple, and every single cube should be running it.
All of this. Every last bit. I think I rated it the 5th best card in the cube when we did the 2012 power rankings.
I agree every cube should have it but I see it table constantly in MTGO games (after which I normally snatch it and fist pump). At the same time MTGO is full of bad players and I'm not excluding myself from that category.
What players are doing with the MTGO cube is largely irrelevant to how things play out in my cube. Considering the playgroups, mentalities, and cube balance/design are night and day different. I don't really care if it tables online, it would never do that here (or in any other physical cube I've ever drafted).
Thanks for all the input guys. I've mostly played aggro decks in cube, and I was wondering how it stacked up in control. You don't have to pitch a real card for it, so it seems better than chrome mox in that regard, but will it be worth the slot? It gets you to your relevant things faster, but it's a dead draw late and you can't really explode as control, no first turn goblin guide carnophage swing for 2 go.
It's valuable in both aggro and control, but moreso in decks that are capable of taking full advantage of the tempo boost. As is the case with every ramp card.
One of the best fixers in the whole Cube. It reminds me of Coalition Relic in that I will take it highly early in a draft because it will fit into whatever deck I build. A card that fixes any color and accelerates is insane & that describes Mox Diamond.
One of the best fixers in the whole Cube. It reminds me of Coalition Relic in that I will take it highly early in a draft because it will fit into whatever deck I build. A card that fixes any color and accelerates is insane & that describes Mox Diamond.
Mox is even more flexible than Relic. Hyperspeed aggro doesn't want the relic at all, and even control aggro doesn't want it too badly. Mox however is ridiculous in every single deck and if not, you're building your deck wrong.
Specialities about the cube: U tempo, B aggro, R slow-ish are supported. G aggro is not.
Currently trying to support tokens in all colors but blue, in different ways: W pumps them, B sacrifices them, R suicides them, G has decent-sized ones.
cube list outdated
*literal C/U definition according to gatherer
**some cards are banned. Library of Alexandria, Land Tax, Sol Ring.
Mox Diamond is also picked very highly here. It offers fixing and acceleration for a relatively negligible cost. It effectively turns another land card in your hand into a land you can play in addition to your original land drop and which taps for any colour, but which is now an artifact.
As others have pointed out, it's a strong P1P1 selection, with the further advantage of leaving you open regarding colour choice. Drafting it with some other fixers can enable very strong 3-colour aggressive decks, like my personal most-drafted-deck W/U/R aggro. Blue works great with the Diamond, allowing you to filter or swap it away later on.
Excellent card, highly valued pick that enables multicolored and splash strategies. Took Sphinx of the Steel Wind once just because I had drafted Mox Diamond and Tinker as two different ways to get him online.
Nothing in this game is degenerate or completely dominant. They haven't banned anything in standard in a long, long time. Hell they should have banned affinity right away, but they didn't until boxed sales collapsed too. Hasbro had to come in and fire people.
I'll enjoy watching all the whiners eat crow monday.
I expect much of this will overlap with the discussion in the chrome mox thread, but let's have at it.
Moved from the Cube Forum root.
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I agree every cube should have it but I see it table constantly in MTGO games (after which I normally snatch it and fist pump). At the same time MTGO is full of bad players and I'm not excluding myself from that category.
edit: I would actually feel better picking it up in a cube I had never encountered before, since it's more likely that I'll need the fixing and less likely that there'll be a lot of artifact hate.
All of this. Every last bit. I think I rated it the 5th best card in the cube when we did the 2012 power rankings.
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What players are doing with the MTGO cube is largely irrelevant to how things play out in my cube. Considering the playgroups, mentalities, and cube balance/design are night and day different. I don't really care if it tables online, it would never do that here (or in any other physical cube I've ever drafted).
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BUGDamia, Combo-Control QueenBUG
RGWort, the RampmotherRG
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UBDralnu, Pure ControlUB
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I have to two person winchester draft sometimes, and even then, this card rarely sits idle for more than a pick or 2.
I rank this as probably the 7th best card in my cube. not just artifact.
Mox is even more flexible than Relic. Hyperspeed aggro doesn't want the relic at all, and even control aggro doesn't want it too badly. Mox however is ridiculous in every single deck and if not, you're building your deck wrong.
450, Peasant*, unpowered**
Specialities about the cube:
U tempo, B aggro, R slow-ish are supported. G aggro is not.
Currently trying to support tokens in all colors but blue, in different ways: W pumps them, B sacrifices them, R suicides them, G has decent-sized ones.
cube list outdated
*literal C/U definition according to gatherer
**some cards are banned. Library of Alexandria, Land Tax, Sol Ring.
As others have pointed out, it's a strong P1P1 selection, with the further advantage of leaving you open regarding colour choice. Drafting it with some other fixers can enable very strong 3-colour aggressive decks, like my personal most-drafted-deck W/U/R aggro. Blue works great with the Diamond, allowing you to filter or swap it away later on.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Who's eating crow?
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.