This is my cube that has been set up to create a balance environment that lets us (my playgroup and I) to play with cards that we find fun and interesting.
Right now, my black section is in need of help. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels very "blah" to me. Any suggestions on that section specifically would be greatly appreciated.
Basic Information Cube Size: 450 Breakdown: WUBRG 60, 100 Multicolor, 50 Colorless Standard or Theme: Standard Snow Lands: No Average Number of Players: 2-8 How Often Drafted: 2-3 times per week with 2 players. Far less frequently for more players than that.
Card Selection Proxies: Yes Powered: No Portal: None (Although they are not specifically banned) "Un" Cards: No Banned Cards for Power-Level: Sol Ring Banned Cards for Time Constraints: None Banned Cards for "fun" factor:Sword of Body and Mind, Fog
Cube Design Standard or Multiplayer: Standard Sideboards?: Players can use them if they want, but this rarely comes up. Color Balance: Yes Gold Balance: Yes Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: Cards are classified to whatever makes most sense for the specific card. Color Triggers as Gold: No Perfectly Balanced CMC: No (is this a thing?)
Supported: Aggro, Tokens, Devotion, Control Sub-Themes: Lifegain
All it took was the addition of Heliod, God of the Sun, to make the Devotion deck possible in my white section. There were already plenty of WW creatures and other permanents in there to make it so that there was no other adjustments needed.
My last update brought in Sphere of Safety as well. While this card wasn't added in directly due to Heliod, he does help the Sphere quite a bit. The addition of the Sphere was actually to give my white section more options for control (rather than just the Wrath everything plan). The inspiration for this addition came from the Joy of Cubing podcast of course.
Random thing that I stumbled on in my white section that is a pretty nifty synergy (that is hard to get off but epic if it does): Soul Warden + Archangel of Thune + Spectral Procession (or any other card that puts a bunch of creatures on the battlefield at once). This would essentially let you put three 4/4 flyers on the battlefield for three mana. I grant that this is an unlikely scenario to say the least, but Soul Warden goes nicely with the Archangel even without those token generators.
With the exception of Faith's Fetters and sometimes Blind Obedience, all of the Lifegain theme is contained in my creature section. Without Archangel of Thune, this never would have been a thing in my cube. I have to say that even though the Archangel supports herself, it is even more awesome if you can get just a few more lifegains in there with the other cards.
The Paladin and Knight are both possibilities I am considering if I decide to push the my life gain theme a little more than I do now. The Lynx is really just a good one drop that I will consider if I end up needing another one for some reason (or if I decide that I don't like Doomed Traveler anymore).
Up until Master of Waves I wasn't really able to get Opposition to work in my cube. In fact, it was one of those cards that kept going in and out. Now, I can't say enough about how awesome both of those cards are (especially when they are together). Thassa, God of the Sea is pretty good on her own, but with the addition of Kira, Great Glass-Spinner and the humble Aether Adept, she is even better. If you are not running the Master of Waves yet, I would urge you to try it out. It gets crazy fast.
There are many cubes that run Tinker, but I've passed on that since artifacts aren't really a big thing in my cube, I didn't want to end up wasting space on it.
Frostburn Weird could probably have been put into my Izzet section, but I didn't really feel comfortable putting it there. Yes, a red deck could technically cast it, but I can't imagine what red deck I would have to be building to want this card. So, I put it into my blue section.
Nightveil Specter is categorized similarly, but for a different reason. In this case, I am running Far // Away as well. I don't feel like the specter or Far//Away is really a Dimir spell. So, to keep from taking out two blue cards or two black cards, I put the specter into blue and Far//Away into black. Depending on future changes to my dimir section, I may move the Specter into my Dimir section instead.
So far I've only gotten to see Stolen Identity hit the table twice. In both instances, it got cyphered onto an evasive creature and proceeded to take over the game(copying my opponent's Tarmogoyf in one game and my own Primeval Titan in the other). It is a bit spendy, but at that point in the game, you'll almost always be hitting some really good clone target. It is really fun and there is at least a chance that your opponent can actually interact with the cypher ability since you have to hit with your creature after it has been cast.
There are only a few cards in my cube that have never resolved without winning the game. One of those cards is Stasis. Of course, this card doesn't get resolved often, but when it does, the game ends within a few turns. In combination with Ral Zarek, it gets even crazier.
Treachery is one of those cards that feels a little "dirty" to play it. That is the only reason it isn't actually in my cube right now. If I get feedback from my group saying they want it in there, I'll probably add it, but for right now it is just a little too much for my taste.
I'm not sure what has taken me so long to get Mulldrifter into my cube. I'm on the lookout for any cards that aren't really interesting to my group right now.
Hidden Strings is a card that goes well with Stasis but I haven't really wanted to add in a card like this one to support it. If I find that people enjoy the Cypher mechanic (currently on two other cards in my blue section) I'll think about adding this one in (or switching it out for Hands of Binding).
Supported: Aggro, Mono-Black, Devotion, Pox Sub-Themes: Reanimation, Life for Cards,
I feel like my black section is a bit of a mess right now. Part of that problem is probably related to the number of things I have listed above. There are some really great cards in here (as would be expected in any cube I imagine) but somehow, I never come across anything that really makes me want to go into a black deck.
My last update resulted in many of my reanimation cards being cut but I think that was a mistake. It is very likely that my next update will bring cards like Living Death back into the fold. For now, there are a few cards that will get things out of the graveyard, but not quite enough of them. My mistake on the previous run of reanimation decks was that I had to many cards that enabled reanimation but did nothing else (like Buried Alive).
A few of the problems I mentioned above originate with my creatures. I don't really think I have enough one drops to support aggro. Also, there are a few creatures in this list that should probably go as they are unexciting and normally just not helpful.
I mentioned this in the blue summary that Far // Away has been put here because it runs really well in both a blue deck or a black deck. I didn't want to take two black cards or two blue cards so Nightveil Specter is counted as blue and Far//Away is counted as black.
My next update is going to be bringing back some of the reanimation in my cube and remove some of the cards that just don't pull their weight.
Living Death and Entomb are both cards that got cut when I was cutting back on reanimation. That was very much a mistake that I am hoping to resolve with my next update.
Phyrexian Arena, Read the Bones, and Booster Tutor are all cards that I am considering to give black more card advantage things. I don't know that I need to add all three though so these may be on deck for a while.
Pestilence is a card that is super powerful in the right deck. I am thinking of running it as a sort of "Black Wildfire" option. Of course, it won't take down lands, but it should have situations where it is just as powerful.
I feel like my red section is pretty similar to most red sections out there. I have tried to put some stuff into my section that lends itself to more mid-range/control type strategies though just so that red players have some options other than aggro.
Boros Reckoner has been put in my red section because I rarely ever want it when I am playing a white deck. The three drops that white has are just so much better than the ones that red has so this section gets it.
Scalding Salamander seems a bit random at first. Then, if you look at all the tokens being thrown out there in the white section (Lingering Souls, Spectral Procession, Elspeth, etc...), blue section (Master of Waves, Meloku), black section (Grave Titan, Zombie Infestation, Bitterblossom), red section (Young Pyromancer, Siege-Gang Commander, Krenko's Command, Hammer of Purphoros) and green section (Master of the Wild Hunt, Garruk, Deranged Hermit); the inclusion of this card will make more sense. Before this card was in, the various token generators in my cube were too hard to deal with. This card has even that playing field up considerably and is decent on his own (if a bit expensive for his p/t).
Purphoros, God of the Forge is the first of the gods that I REALLY liked. He wasn't the first to get added to my cube and he isn't the one I like the best now (that would be Thassa but Purphoros is still a beating when he hits the table (even if he never activates as a creature).
Seal of Fire has raised questions with people that have played my cube. Specifically, why I am running that over Shock? The answer is that I like the impact that the Seal has on the game. The presence of that card forces people to hold on to things that they would normally just case. So, in a lot of ways, it acts like a pre-emptive counterspell. I certainly could run Shock, but then there would never be situations where somebody is trying to play around Seal of Fire.
Sneak Attack is a lot of fun. This card totally warps the way the game is played when it is on the table. Suddenly R causes opponents to sit instead of attacking into whatever boogeyman creature they have imagined in my hand. It is pretty fantastic. Oddly enough, I have found that it goes pretty well in my Wildfire decks too.
Pyroclams, because sometimes you just need to wrath away all of your opponent's mana dorks or tokens for cheap.
There aren't a lot of cards I am looking at for my red section right now. Greater Gargadon is one that I want to add in so that it can support the Wildfire deck. Also, Jakulhaups would support that deck as well in a bit of a different way.
Supported: Ramp, Aggro, Birthing Pod Sub-Themes:
I should probably point out that I have a sort of love/hate relationship with green in general. There are specific green cards that I love (Survival of the Fittest comes to mind), but as a whole, I don't really care for what green does, and what it wants to do. My green section is one that has had a lot of work done on it from every place in my playgroup. Right now, I am running lots of ramp stuff and big fat things at the top of the curve. Not sure what it will be like in the future though.
My green creatures are basically in two categories... Rampers and Ramp targets (with a little aggro in the mix to support those decks).
That said, Omnath, Locus of Mana has proved to be somewhat interesting. In the couple games I played against it I realized that it is a very strange card to deal with. Even though Omnath isn't all that bad when he comes out, he can very quickly get out of hand depending on the board state and almost demands an immediate answer or the game just ends to either a crazy ramped spell or to him attacking as a 6/6 or something.
Essense Warden is a card I am considering adding in to work with the lifegain in my white section. I am not totally sure I want to do that without a little bit more support from green though. I won't ever run any straight lifegain cards so until I get some better stuff in green this will be on the sideline.
Deadbridge Goliath is another big dumb creature, but it could turn another creature into a big dumb creature once it has been killed. Not totally sure if my cube needs that right now but I wanted to keep my eye on this card just in case.
I try to have cards in my multi-colored sections that make you want to play that combination. I feel like some of the cards below are successful at that where others are not, but they are all pretty fun to play all the same. Azorius: Lavinia of the Tenth is a card that, if I'm being totally honest, completely hoses aggro decks. Most aggro decks end up having red in them so she basically shuts them down. That said, while she is super powerful in that one context, she is always decent in other games as well. She normally ends up shutting your opponent out of the game for one turn no matter what they are playing. Dimir: Mind Grind is crazy. I have only resolved it once (with X being 7) and it nearly decked my opponent on its own. I wish I could get cards like this in my blue or black sections to make mill more viable. Rakdos: Havoc Festival is a card that basically guarantees the game will end within 3 turns of it being cast. It does have a 6 casting cost, but it is sort of like an escape hatch if the game hasn't gone to plan up to the point that you cast it. Gruul: Destructive Revelry is such a good card. It fits everything that I want a Gruul card to be. Selesnya:Ready // Willing is a card that I am currently testing to see if I like it enough to have it permanently in my cube. I chose to put it into the selesnya section for now because I didn't have a card that I wanted in there more at the moment. Depending on how that card plays, I may move it to a new section or cut it from the cube. Orzhov: Orzhov Charm is currently being tested to see if it fits in my cube. Depending on how that goes, I may be making some changes with that card. Golgari: Doomgape is such a ridiculous creature. I'm still not sure if it is going to stay in my cube or not, but it sure is fun to see it played and work out. Simic: Fathom Mage is a sort of pet card of mine. I love things that let me draw cards for things that I am going to do anyway. I realize this probably isn't the best creature in the world though. Izzet: Steam Augury is so cool... I haven't had the chance to resolve it yet, but I keep looking for the righ situation for me to do it. Boros: Assemble the Legion is a card that I have put in to give somebody playing Boros the option to do something other than an aggro deck. That card is slow, but with the right tools it can take over a game. Aurelia, the Warleader doesn't seem to be in a lot of cubes but I would say that is a mistake. Her casting cost is 6, but when she hits the table, the game basically just ends. That is pretty much exactly what I want a 6cc boros card to do.
There are probably plenty of other cards that are on my radar that I could add to this list, but for some reason, this is all I can come up with at the moment.
Not a whole lot to say about my artifact section. I would say that Trepanation Blade has turned out to be one of the most fun equipment cards I've had a chance to cube with up to this point. Definately worth a spin if you are into that type of thing.
All three of these cards are currently sitting out while I test some of the equipment you see listed above. Some or all of these may end up back in my cube soon.
There are lots more lands in my cube that have been placed into the various colored (and multicolored) sections. This is simply the list of lands that can go into more or less any deck.
My cube was initially set up as 450 cards, but I wasn't running all of the signets. So I added all the rest of the signets in and then moved them into my colorless section instead of the Multi colored section. I did that mainly to have a little more space for actual spells in my different guild sections instead of mana rocks.
Rather than cut cards to put the signets in, I just added them in. I have been considering making some cuts to get back down to 450, but it doesn't seem too important to do that right now. There have been some cards that are on the chopping block, that I may just cut rather than replacing, but I'll have to see as I get a few more drafts with the current configuration.
Finally, after a long, long time, I have managed to get in here and update my cube from the original list. A full list of the changes can be found at the link below: http://cubetutor.com/cubeblog/1485
Made another update to my cube recently that has made me realize that my black section needs help. Anybody have any ideas for what might be wrong/what needs to be fixed?
Right now, my black section is in need of help. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels very "blah" to me. Any suggestions on that section specifically would be greatly appreciated.
Basic Information
Cube Size: 450
Breakdown: WUBRG 60, 100 Multicolor, 50 Colorless
Standard or Theme: Standard
Snow Lands: No
Average Number of Players: 2-8
How Often Drafted: 2-3 times per week with 2 players. Far less frequently for more players than that.
Card Selection
Proxies: Yes
Powered: No
Portal: None (Although they are not specifically banned)
"Un" Cards: No
Banned Cards for Power-Level: Sol Ring
Banned Cards for Time Constraints: None
Banned Cards for "fun" factor: Sword of Body and Mind, Fog
Cube Design
Standard or Multiplayer: Standard
Sideboards?: Players can use them if they want, but this rarely comes up.
Color Balance: Yes
Gold Balance: Yes
Hybrid/Split/Kicker as Gold: Cards are classified to whatever makes most sense for the specific card.
Color Triggers as Gold: No
Perfectly Balanced CMC: No (is this a thing?)
Supported: Aggro, Tokens, Devotion, Control
Sub-Themes: Lifegain
All it took was the addition of Heliod, God of the Sun, to make the Devotion deck possible in my white section. There were already plenty of WW creatures and other permanents in there to make it so that there was no other adjustments needed.
My last update brought in Sphere of Safety as well. While this card wasn't added in directly due to Heliod, he does help the Sphere quite a bit. The addition of the Sphere was actually to give my white section more options for control (rather than just the Wrath everything plan). The inspiration for this addition came from the Joy of Cubing podcast of course.
Random thing that I stumbled on in my white section that is a pretty nifty synergy (that is hard to get off but epic if it does): Soul Warden + Archangel of Thune + Spectral Procession (or any other card that puts a bunch of creatures on the battlefield at once). This would essentially let you put three 4/4 flyers on the battlefield for three mana. I grant that this is an unlikely scenario to say the least, but Soul Warden goes nicely with the Archangel even without those token generators.
With the exception of Faith's Fetters and sometimes Blind Obedience, all of the Lifegain theme is contained in my creature section. Without Archangel of Thune, this never would have been a thing in my cube. I have to say that even though the Archangel supports herself, it is even more awesome if you can get just a few more lifegains in there with the other cards.
1 Doomed Traveler
1 Dryad Militant
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1 Mother of Runes
1 Savannah Lions
1 Soul Warden
1 Student of Warfare
Two CMC
1 Accorder Paladin
1 Azorius Arrester
1 Imposing Sovereign
1 Keening Apparition
1 Kor Skyfisher
1 Mistral Charger
1 Precinct Captain
1 Soltari Monk
1 Soltari Priest
1 Stormfront Pegasus
1 Suture Priest
1 Wall of Omens
1 Youthful Knight
1 Blade Splicer
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Flickerwisp
1 Knight of Dawn
1 Mirror Entity
1 Paladin en-Vec
1 Silverblade Paladin
Four CMC
1 Calciderm
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Restoration Angel
Five CMC
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Reveillark
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
1 Sun Titan
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Spear of Heliod
Enchantment
1 Blind Obedience
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Pacifism
1 Soul Tithe
1 Glorious Anthem
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Sphere of Safety
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Disenchant
Planeswalker
1 Ajani Goldmane
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Sorcery
1 Lingering Souls
1 Spectral Procession
1 Armageddon
1 Day of Judgment
1 Wrath of God
1 Catastrophe
1 Entreat the Angels
1 Knight of the Meadowgrain
1 Steppe Lynx
The Paladin and Knight are both possibilities I am considering if I decide to push the my life gain theme a little more than I do now. The Lynx is really just a good one drop that I will consider if I end up needing another one for some reason (or if I decide that I don't like Doomed Traveler anymore).
Supported: Control, Tempo, Devotion, Upheaval
Sub-Themes: Clone/Creature Theft
Up until Master of Waves I wasn't really able to get Opposition to work in my cube. In fact, it was one of those cards that kept going in and out. Now, I can't say enough about how awesome both of those cards are (especially when they are together). Thassa, God of the Sea is pretty good on her own, but with the addition of Kira, Great Glass-Spinner and the humble Aether Adept, she is even better. If you are not running the Master of Waves yet, I would urge you to try it out. It gets crazy fast.
There are many cubes that run Tinker, but I've passed on that since artifacts aren't really a big thing in my cube, I didn't want to end up wasting space on it.
Frostburn Weird could probably have been put into my Izzet section, but I didn't really feel comfortable putting it there. Yes, a red deck could technically cast it, but I can't imagine what red deck I would have to be building to want this card. So, I put it into my blue section.
Nightveil Specter is categorized similarly, but for a different reason. In this case, I am running Far // Away as well. I don't feel like the specter or Far//Away is really a Dimir spell. So, to keep from taking out two blue cards or two black cards, I put the specter into blue and Far//Away into black. Depending on future changes to my dimir section, I may move the Specter into my Dimir section instead.
1 Cloudfin Raptor
1 Enclave Cryptolgist
Two CMC
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Frostburn Weird
1 Merfolk Looter
1 Omenspeaker
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Wall of Tears
1 Aether Adept
1 Cryptoplasm
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Man-o'-War
1 Nightveil Specter
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
Four CMC
1 Clone
1 Master of Waves
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Sakashima's Student
1 Somnophore
1 Thieving Magpie
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Six Plus
1 Aetherling
1 Frost Titan
So far I've only gotten to see Stolen Identity hit the table twice. In both instances, it got cyphered onto an evasive creature and proceeded to take over the game(copying my opponent's Tarmogoyf in one game and my own Primeval Titan in the other). It is a bit spendy, but at that point in the game, you'll almost always be hitting some really good clone target. It is really fun and there is at least a chance that your opponent can actually interact with the cypher ability since you have to hit with your creature after it has been cast.
There are only a few cards in my cube that have never resolved without winning the game. One of those cards is Stasis. Of course, this card doesn't get resolved often, but when it does, the game ends within a few turns. In combination with Ral Zarek, it gets even crazier.
1 Stasis
1 Propaganda
1 Control Magic
1 Opposition
Instant
1 Brainstorm
1 Force Spike
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Vapor Snag
1 Boomerang
1 Counterspell
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Impulse
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Remand
1 Capsize
1 Dissipate
1 Forbid
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Evacuation
1 Force of Will
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Faerie Conclave
Planeswalker
1 Jace Beleren
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Sorcery
1 Careful Study
1 Ponder
1 Hands of Binding
1 Compulsive Research
1 Deep Analysis
1 Bribery
1 Time Warp
1 Stolen Identity
1 Upheaval
1 Mulldrifter
1 Hidden Strings
Treachery is one of those cards that feels a little "dirty" to play it. That is the only reason it isn't actually in my cube right now. If I get feedback from my group saying they want it in there, I'll probably add it, but for right now it is just a little too much for my taste.
I'm not sure what has taken me so long to get Mulldrifter into my cube. I'm on the lookout for any cards that aren't really interesting to my group right now.
Hidden Strings is a card that goes well with Stasis but I haven't really wanted to add in a card like this one to support it. If I find that people enjoy the Cypher mechanic (currently on two other cards in my blue section) I'll think about adding this one in (or switching it out for Hands of Binding).
Supported: Aggro, Mono-Black, Devotion, Pox
Sub-Themes: Reanimation, Life for Cards,
I feel like my black section is a bit of a mess right now. Part of that problem is probably related to the number of things I have listed above. There are some really great cards in here (as would be expected in any cube I imagine) but somehow, I never come across anything that really makes me want to go into a black deck.
My last update resulted in many of my reanimation cards being cut but I think that was a mistake. It is very likely that my next update will bring cards like Living Death back into the fold. For now, there are a few cards that will get things out of the graveyard, but not quite enough of them. My mistake on the previous run of reanimation decks was that I had to many cards that enabled reanimation but did nothing else (like Buried Alive).
A few of the problems I mentioned above originate with my creatures. I don't really think I have enough one drops to support aggro. Also, there are a few creatures in this list that should probably go as they are unexciting and normally just not helpful.
1 Carnophage
1 Gravecrawler
1 Putrid Imp
1 Vampire Lacerator
Two CMC
1 Child of Night
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Pack Rat
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Thrill-Kill Assassin
1 Wall of Souls
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Vampire Nighthawk
Four CMC
1 Desecration Demon
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Faceless Butcher
1 Nekrataal
Five CMC
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Guiltfeeder
1 Shriekmaw
1 Grave Titan
1 Laquatus's Champion
1 Necropolis Regent
1 Griselbrand
I mentioned this in the blue summary that Far // Away has been put here because it runs really well in both a blue deck or a black deck. I didn't want to take two black cards or two blue cards so Nightveil Specter is counted as blue and Far//Away is counted as black.
My next update is going to be bringing back some of the reanimation in my cube and remove some of the cards that just don't pull their weight.
1 Whip of Erebos
Enchantment
1 Bitterblossom
1 Zombie Infestatioin
1 Necromancy
1 Necropotence
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Underworld Connections
Instant
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Doom Blade
1 Far // Away
1 Go for the Throat
1 Pharika's Cure
1 Terror
1 Ultimate Price
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Cabal Coffers
Planeswalker
1 Liliana Vess
1 Sorin Markov
Sorcery
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Reanimate
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Pox
1 Consuming Vapors
1 Mutilate
1 Unburial Rites
1 Corrupt
1 Drain Life
1 Mind Shatter
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Read the Bones
1 Living Death
1 Boster Tutor
1 Entomb
Living Death and Entomb are both cards that got cut when I was cutting back on reanimation. That was very much a mistake that I am hoping to resolve with my next update.
Phyrexian Arena, Read the Bones, and Booster Tutor are all cards that I am considering to give black more card advantage things. I don't know that I need to add all three though so these may be on deck for a while.
Pestilence is a card that is super powerful in the right deck. I am thinking of running it as a sort of "Black Wildfire" option. Of course, it won't take down lands, but it should have situations where it is just as powerful.
Supported: Aggro, Wildfire, Devotion, Sneak Attack
Sub-Themes:
I feel like my red section is pretty similar to most red sections out there. I have tried to put some stuff into my section that lends itself to more mid-range/control type strategies though just so that red players have some options other than aggro.
Boros Reckoner has been put in my red section because I rarely ever want it when I am playing a white deck. The three drops that white has are just so much better than the ones that red has so this section gets it.
Scalding Salamander seems a bit random at first. Then, if you look at all the tokens being thrown out there in the white section (Lingering Souls, Spectral Procession, Elspeth, etc...), blue section (Master of Waves, Meloku), black section (Grave Titan, Zombie Infestation, Bitterblossom), red section (Young Pyromancer, Siege-Gang Commander, Krenko's Command, Hammer of Purphoros) and green section (Master of the Wild Hunt, Garruk, Deranged Hermit); the inclusion of this card will make more sense. Before this card was in, the various token generators in my cube were too hard to deal with. This card has even that playing field up considerably and is decent on his own (if a bit expensive for his p/t).
Purphoros, God of the Forge is the first of the gods that I REALLY liked. He wasn't the first to get added to my cube and he isn't the one I like the best now (that would be Thassa but Purphoros is still a beating when he hits the table (even if he never activates as a creature).
1 Firedrinker Satyr
1 Goblin Guide
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Jackal Pup
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Rakdos Cackler
1 Stromkirk Noble
Two CMC
1 Ash Zealot
1 Gore-House Chainwalker
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Lightning Mauler
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Torch Fiend
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Boros Reckoner
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Manic Vandal
1 Scalding Salamander
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
Four CMC
1 Ember Swallower
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Hellrider
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Urabrask the Hidden
1 Zealous Conscripts
Six Plus
1 Inferno Titan
Seal of Fire has raised questions with people that have played my cube. Specifically, why I am running that over Shock? The answer is that I like the impact that the Seal has on the game. The presence of that card forces people to hold on to things that they would normally just case. So, in a lot of ways, it acts like a pre-emptive counterspell. I certainly could run Shock, but then there would never be situations where somebody is trying to play around Seal of Fire.
Sneak Attack is a lot of fun. This card totally warps the way the game is played when it is on the table. Suddenly R causes opponents to sit instead of attacking into whatever boogeyman creature they have imagined in my hand. It is pretty fantastic. Oddly enough, I have found that it goes pretty well in my Wildfire decks too.
Pyroclams, because sometimes you just need to wrath away all of your opponent's mana dorks or tokens for cheap.
1 Hammer of Purphoros
Enchantment
1 Seal of Fire
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Sneak Attack
Instant
1 Burst Lightning
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Incinerate
1 Magma Jet
1 Searing Blaze
1 Searing Spear
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Flame Javelin
1 Fireblast
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Koth of the Hammer
Sorcery
1 Chain Lightning
1 Faithless Looting
1 Firebolt
1 Reckless Charge
1 Krenko's Command
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Pyroclasm
1 Arc Lightning
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Molten Rain
1 Pillage
1 Devil's Play
1 Earthquake
1 Wildfire
1 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Jokulhaups
There aren't a lot of cards I am looking at for my red section right now. Greater Gargadon is one that I want to add in so that it can support the Wildfire deck. Also, Jakulhaups would support that deck as well in a bit of a different way.
Supported: Ramp, Aggro, Birthing Pod
Sub-Themes:
I should probably point out that I have a sort of love/hate relationship with green in general. There are specific green cards that I love (Survival of the Fittest comes to mind), but as a whole, I don't really care for what green does, and what it wants to do. My green section is one that has had a lot of work done on it from every place in my playgroup. Right now, I am running lots of ramp stuff and big fat things at the top of the curve. Not sure what it will be like in the future though.
My green creatures are basically in two categories... Rampers and Ramp targets (with a little aggro in the mix to support those decks).
That said, Omnath, Locus of Mana has proved to be somewhat interesting. In the couple games I played against it I realized that it is a very strange card to deal with. Even though Omnath isn't all that bad when he comes out, he can very quickly get out of hand depending on the board state and almost demands an immediate answer or the game just ends to either a crazy ramped spell or to him attacking as a 6/6 or something.
1 Arbor Elf
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Experiment One
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Wild Nacatl
1 Lone Wolf
Two CMC
1 Elvish Archers
1 Garruk's Companion
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Skinshifter
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Wall of Roots
1 Wild Mongrel
1 Call of the Herd
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Eternal Witness
1 Mirri, Cat Warrior
1 Omnath, Locus of Mana
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Elder
Four CMC
1 Brawn
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
Five CMC
1 Acidic Slime
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Genesis
1 Thragtusk
1 Vorapede
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Primeval Titan
1 Liege of the Tangle
1 Bow of Nylea
1 Birthing Pod
Enchantment
1 Mirri's Guile
1 Rancor
1 Survival of the Fittest
Instant
1 Giant Growth
1 Mutagenic Growth
1 Naturalize
1 Beast Within
1 Gaea's Cradle
Planeswalker
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Sorcery
1 Farseek
1 Life from the Loam
1 Rampant Growth
1 Regrowth
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Natural Order
1 Overrun
1 Plow Under
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Deadbridge Goliath
Essense Warden is a card I am considering adding in to work with the lifegain in my white section. I am not totally sure I want to do that without a little bit more support from green though. I won't ever run any straight lifegain cards so until I get some better stuff in green this will be on the sideline.
Deadbridge Goliath is another big dumb creature, but it could turn another creature into a big dumb creature once it has been killed. Not totally sure if my cube needs that right now but I wanted to keep my eye on this card just in case.
I try to have cards in my multi-colored sections that make you want to play that combination. I feel like some of the cards below are successful at that where others are not, but they are all pretty fun to play all the same.
Azorius: Lavinia of the Tenth is a card that, if I'm being totally honest, completely hoses aggro decks. Most aggro decks end up having red in them so she basically shuts them down. That said, while she is super powerful in that one context, she is always decent in other games as well. She normally ends up shutting your opponent out of the game for one turn no matter what they are playing.
Dimir: Mind Grind is crazy. I have only resolved it once (with X being 7) and it nearly decked my opponent on its own. I wish I could get cards like this in my blue or black sections to make mill more viable.
Rakdos: Havoc Festival is a card that basically guarantees the game will end within 3 turns of it being cast. It does have a 6 casting cost, but it is sort of like an escape hatch if the game hasn't gone to plan up to the point that you cast it.
Gruul: Destructive Revelry is such a good card. It fits everything that I want a Gruul card to be.
Selesnya:Ready // Willing is a card that I am currently testing to see if I like it enough to have it permanently in my cube. I chose to put it into the selesnya section for now because I didn't have a card that I wanted in there more at the moment. Depending on how that card plays, I may move it to a new section or cut it from the cube.
Orzhov: Orzhov Charm is currently being tested to see if it fits in my cube. Depending on how that goes, I may be making some changes with that card.
Golgari: Doomgape is such a ridiculous creature. I'm still not sure if it is going to stay in my cube or not, but it sure is fun to see it played and work out.
Simic: Fathom Mage is a sort of pet card of mine. I love things that let me draw cards for things that I am going to do anyway. I realize this probably isn't the best creature in the world though.
Izzet: Steam Augury is so cool... I haven't had the chance to resolve it yet, but I keep looking for the righ situation for me to do it.
Boros: Assemble the Legion is a card that I have put in to give somebody playing Boros the option to do something other than an aggro deck. That card is slow, but with the right tools it can take over a game. Aurelia, the Warleader doesn't seem to be in a lot of cubes but I would say that is a mistake. Her casting cost is 6, but when she hits the table, the game basically just ends. That is pretty much exactly what I want a 6cc boros card to do.
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Tundra
1 Azorius Charm
1 Azorius Signet
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Lavinia of the Tenth
1 Sphinx's Revelation
Blue/Black
1 Polluted Delta
1 Underground River
1 Underground Sea
1 Watery Grave
1 Dimir Charm
1 Dimir Keyrune
1 Psychatog
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
1 Mind Grind
Black/Red
1 Badlands
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Spike Jester
1 Olivia Voldaren
1 Havoc Festival
Red/Green
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Stomping Ground
1 Taiga
1 Temple of Abandon
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Destructive Revelry
1 Flinthoof Boar
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
1 Gavony Township
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Windswept Heath
1 Selesnya Charm
1 Voice of Resurgence
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Ready // Willing
1 Advent of the Wurm
White/Black
1 Fetid Heath
1 Godless Shrine
1 Marsh Flats
1 Scrubland
1 Orzhov Charm
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Mortify
1 Stillmoon Cavalier
1 Unmake
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
Black/Green
1 Bayou
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Golgari Charm
1 Golgari Signet
1 Putrefy
1 Doomgape
Green/Blue
1 Breeding Pool
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Tropical Island
1 Simic Charm
1 Simic Signet
1 Drakewing Krasis
1 Trygon Predator
1 Fathom Mage
1 Simic Sky Swallower
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Volcanic Island
1 Fire // Ice
1 Izzet Charm
1 Izzet Signet
1 Ral Zarek
1 Steam Augury
1 Prophetic Bolt
Red/White
1 Arid Mesa
1 Plateau
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Slayer's Stronghold
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Boros Charm
1 Lightning Helix
1 Assemble the Legion
1 Aurelia, the Warleader
1 Tithe Drinker
1 Vizkopa Guildmage
1 Lotleth Troll
There are probably plenty of other cards that are on my radar that I could add to this list, but for some reason, this is all I can come up with at the moment.
Not a whole lot to say about my artifact section. I would say that Trepanation Blade has turned out to be one of the most fun equipment cards I've had a chance to cube with up to this point. Definately worth a spin if you are into that type of thing.
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
1 Masticore
1 Precursor Golem
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sundering Titan
Equipments
1 Explorer's Scope
1 Infiltration Lens
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mask of Memory
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Trepanation Blade
1 Sword of the Paruns
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Diamond
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Mind Stone
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Gilded Lotus
Miscellaneous
1 Cursed Scroll
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Grindstone
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Jinxed Idol
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sphere of Resistance
1 Winter Orb
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mimic Vat
1 Erratic Portal
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Soul Foundry
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Bonesplitter
All three of these cards are currently sitting out while I test some of the equipment you see listed above. Some or all of these may end up back in my cube soon.
There are lots more lands in my cube that have been placed into the various colored (and multicolored) sections. This is simply the list of lands that can go into more or less any deck.
1 City of Brass
1 City of Traitors
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Transguild Promenade
1 Wasteland
Last Update 1/3/2014 (see my list on cubetutor for a list of the actual changes)
Building the Cube Blog
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My cube was initially set up as 450 cards, but I wasn't running all of the signets. So I added all the rest of the signets in and then moved them into my colorless section instead of the Multi colored section. I did that mainly to have a little more space for actual spells in my different guild sections instead of mana rocks.
Rather than cut cards to put the signets in, I just added them in. I have been considering making some cuts to get back down to 450, but it doesn't seem too important to do that right now. There have been some cards that are on the chopping block, that I may just cut rather than replacing, but I'll have to see as I get a few more drafts with the current configuration.
Building the Cube Blog
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http://cubetutor.com/cubeblog/1485
Building the Cube Blog
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Sarcomancy -> Skeletal Scying
Skinbrand Goblin -> Aurelia, the Warleader
Uncovered Clues -> Spire Owl
Curiosity -> Careful Study
Aurelia was not directly traded with the Skinbrand Goblin, I moved Boros Reckoner into the red section to make room for her.
The logic for all these changes has been posted here. Feedback is appreciated.
Building the Cube Blog
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Building the Cube Blog
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