I've finally played a few games of Standard, and with a mostly original list no less. I have no idea where the deck stands against Zombies and Jund since I have done very little with it so far, but the deck is showing some promise.
The idea behind the deck is to be a control deck that doesn't rely on a creature to win. It generally gets advantages by keeping Planeswalkers alive. It usually takes a looong time to kill with...
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Plains
4 Island
2 Nephalia Drownyard
4 Azorius Charm
3 Think Twice
4 Lingering Souls
2 Forbidden Alchemy
4 Detention Sphere
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Curse of Death's Hold
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
4 Terminus
3 Syncopate
2 Angel of Serenity
1 Dispel
4 Dissipate
2 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Oblivion Ring
2 Sever the Bloodline
1 Sundering Growth
2 Ultimate Price
From the top, we have 26 lands with as many black sources available to us without playing Swamp. The reasoning there is that I'd like to be able to Azorius Charm very consistently.
Nephalia Drownyard seems innocuous but it is actually a game changer for other control decks. They usually have very few ways to answer it (Tamiyo) and so little happens in G1s that Drownyard just takes the game eventually. It's not the primary win condition because a lot of decks have graveyard synergy and you don't actually want to activate it on them but you can still activate it on yourself if you have nothing else to do.
Azorius Charm is one of the best things you can do both early in the game as well as late. I kinda wanted some Ultimate Price in the deck but I ended up just putting them in the SB.
However much I would love to play Sphinx's Revelation, Forbidden Alchemy gets the slot over it because it allows you to abuse all the graveyard interactions seen throughout the deck.
Curse of Death's Hold is a pretty narrow card and I'm pretty sure it will be the first card I cut when I'm looking for room but I didn't want to board it because a lot of decks will be bringing in enchantment hate anyways. It does do a pretty good job against opposing Lingering Souls though.
At the start of this format I thought that counterspells would be near unplayable. That changed very quickly. It turns out they are still playable and you actually want to have them in a number of matchups. Dissipate is certainly better than Syncopate, but the most important thing is being able to interact on turn2 so Syncopate gets the slot and Dissipate is in the SB.
UPDATE 10/29:
My updated list looks like this now:
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Isolated Chapel
2 Swamp
3 Plains
4 Island
2 Nephalia Drownyard
4 Azorius Charm
3 Ultimate Price
4 Lingering Souls
4 Detention Sphere
1 Sever the Bloodline
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Supreme Verdict
3 Terminus
3 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Syncopate / Remove Soul
2 Angel of Serenity
1 Negate
3 Dissipate
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Pithing Needle
3 Seraph of Dawn
1 Sever the Bloodline
1 Ultimate Price
Tuesday, October 16
Thursday, September 27
RTR Cube and C:L Rules Updates
It's been a while since I've made a cube update and with Ravnica around the corner there's no better time. The changelog is pretty long so I'll just talk about the ones that stand out.
Unearth -> Consume Spirit
Murder -> Diabolic Edict
Remove Soul -> Stealer of Secrets
Dross Golem -> Dead Reveler
Village Ironsmith -> Splatter Thug
Penumbra Bobcat -> Korazda Monitor
Cabal Pit -> Cabal Coffers
Nacatl War-Pride -> Stampeding Serow
Sengir Vampire -> Throat Slitter
Demonic Taskmaster -> Nezumi Graverobber
Lust for War -> Street Spasm
Lava Hounds -> Slith Firewalker
Krosan Verge -> Azorius Keyrune
Dreadship Reef -> Izzet Keyrune
Barbarion Ring -> Dimir Keyrune (Gatecrash)
Kiss of Amesha -> Azorius Charm
Spawning Pit -> Izzet Charm
Crystal Ball -> Selesnya Charm
Contagion Clasp -> Golgari Charm
Armillery Sphere -> Relic of Progenitus
Cutting Armillery Sphere was a difficult choice but I decided I had to make a few sacrifices to make way for the Guildgates.
Armadillo Cloak -> Sundering Growth
Recoil -> Hussar Patrol
Henchfiend of Ukor -> Vassal Soul
Some of the gold card switches made to accommodate Ravnica.
Azorius Signet -> Azorius Guildgate
Izzet Signet -> Izzet Guildgate
Dimir Signet -> Rakdos Guildgate
Rupture Spire -> Golgari Guildgate
Shimmering Grotto -> Selesnya Guildgate
From the start I have been wary about having Signets in the cube. I resolved to just have the suitable three but now that there are other forms of basic fixing (in addition to the Keyrunes as replacements) I am fine with cutting the Signets. As for the five-color lands, I prefer it not to be possible to draft 4-5 color decks without any worries of color issues. There is still tons of fixing but now it doesn't apply to all five colors at once.
Tectonic Rift -> Avalanche Riders
I've been afraid to include too many good LD spells because they aren't particularly fun and also punish people for playing bouncelands. I will probably come to regret this one once Avalanche Riders is given Persist or something like that but I don't consider the Cube: Legacy rules when making additions to the cube.
Ravnica Additions:
Gore-house Chainwalker
Gatecreeper Vine
Rakdos Shred-Freak
Fencing Ace
Thrill-kill Assassin
Bloodfray Giant
Dreg Mangler
Hellhole Flayer
Skymark Roc
Dryad Militant
Rakdos Cackler
Lyev Skyknight
Moving on, I've decided to make a few changes to the rules of Cube: Legacy to accommodate for new players who have not used the cube before. It is not incredibly fun when half of the cubers have a considerable amount of edge over you, whether it be numerous named cards or knowing exactly what every card does. There's no way to fix this issue completely, but I want to take steps so that it is lessened.
The change I'm making to help with this problem is abandoning the achievements part of the game. It had a few of its own flaws (difficult to keep track of while battling) but barrier to entry is the real problem, so instead the reward sheet will now be used for winners of the cube. The winner of a cube draft will now get to roll a die to earn one of the achievements.
I think this is a big step forward for the game. There are less rules over all, less things to keep track of during gameplay, and less of a barrier to entry. That means more fun!
As always, if you are curious about something or think I missed something feel free to post below or on twitter.
Unearth -> Consume Spirit
Murder -> Diabolic Edict
Remove Soul -> Stealer of Secrets
Dross Golem -> Dead Reveler
Village Ironsmith -> Splatter Thug
Penumbra Bobcat -> Korazda Monitor
Cabal Pit -> Cabal Coffers
Nacatl War-Pride -> Stampeding Serow
Sengir Vampire -> Throat Slitter
Demonic Taskmaster -> Nezumi Graverobber
Lust for War -> Street Spasm
Lava Hounds -> Slith Firewalker
Krosan Verge -> Azorius Keyrune
Dreadship Reef -> Izzet Keyrune
Barbarion Ring -> Dimir Keyrune (Gatecrash)
Kiss of Amesha -> Azorius Charm
Spawning Pit -> Izzet Charm
Crystal Ball -> Selesnya Charm
Contagion Clasp -> Golgari Charm
Armillery Sphere -> Relic of Progenitus
Cutting Armillery Sphere was a difficult choice but I decided I had to make a few sacrifices to make way for the Guildgates.
Armadillo Cloak -> Sundering Growth
Recoil -> Hussar Patrol
Henchfiend of Ukor -> Vassal Soul
Some of the gold card switches made to accommodate Ravnica.
Azorius Signet -> Azorius Guildgate
Izzet Signet -> Izzet Guildgate
Dimir Signet -> Rakdos Guildgate
Rupture Spire -> Golgari Guildgate
Shimmering Grotto -> Selesnya Guildgate
From the start I have been wary about having Signets in the cube. I resolved to just have the suitable three but now that there are other forms of basic fixing (in addition to the Keyrunes as replacements) I am fine with cutting the Signets. As for the five-color lands, I prefer it not to be possible to draft 4-5 color decks without any worries of color issues. There is still tons of fixing but now it doesn't apply to all five colors at once.
Tectonic Rift -> Avalanche Riders
I've been afraid to include too many good LD spells because they aren't particularly fun and also punish people for playing bouncelands. I will probably come to regret this one once Avalanche Riders is given Persist or something like that but I don't consider the Cube: Legacy rules when making additions to the cube.
Ravnica Additions:
Gore-house Chainwalker
Gatecreeper Vine
Rakdos Shred-Freak
Fencing Ace
Thrill-kill Assassin
Bloodfray Giant
Dreg Mangler
Hellhole Flayer
Skymark Roc
Dryad Militant
Rakdos Cackler
Lyev Skyknight
Moving on, I've decided to make a few changes to the rules of Cube: Legacy to accommodate for new players who have not used the cube before. It is not incredibly fun when half of the cubers have a considerable amount of edge over you, whether it be numerous named cards or knowing exactly what every card does. There's no way to fix this issue completely, but I want to take steps so that it is lessened.
The change I'm making to help with this problem is abandoning the achievements part of the game. It had a few of its own flaws (difficult to keep track of while battling) but barrier to entry is the real problem, so instead the reward sheet will now be used for winners of the cube. The winner of a cube draft will now get to roll a die to earn one of the achievements.
I think this is a big step forward for the game. There are less rules over all, less things to keep track of during gameplay, and less of a barrier to entry. That means more fun!
As always, if you are curious about something or think I missed something feel free to post below or on twitter.
C:L Comprehensive Ability Sheet
Updated 9/27
I figured it would be a better idea to just list the comprehensive ability sheet rather than list the abilities that are currently on the rotating sheet. I keep the following amount on each successive tier on the active list at a time: 2, 5, 4, 3, 2.
I figured it would be a better idea to just list the comprehensive ability sheet rather than list the abilities that are currently on the rotating sheet. I keep the following amount on each successive tier on the active list at a time: 2, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Fifth Tier abilities (1 pt):
- Reach
- Wither
- Trample
- Vigilance
- Scry 1 or ETB scry 1
- Basic land type-walk
Fourth Tier abilities (3 pts):
- Flash
- Haste
- Flying
- Breath
- Exalted
- Shadow
- Populate or ETB Populate
- First Strike
- +1 toughness
- Regenerate for C
- Protection from a color
- Gain 2 life or ETB gain 2 life
- Cycling equal to C or 2 (+1 if the card was printed with madness)
- Draw a card then discard a card or ETB draw a card then discard a card
- Ninjutsu equal to 1C if CMC is <5, 2C if CMC is 5-6, and 3C if CMC is 7+
- Madness equal to 1C if CMC is <5, 2C if CMC is 5-6, and 3C if CMC is 7+
- Morph equal to C if CMC is <4, 1C if CMC is 4-5, 3C if CMC is 6, and 3CC if CMC is 7+ (you may pay an additional point to change ETB abilities to "turned face up" ones; put only on creatures)
Third Tier abilities (6 pts, 7 pts if it's the second sticker for a card):
- Graft 1
- Shroud
- Unleash
- +1 power
- Defender
- Protection from a card type
- Scavenge XCC where X is 1 less than the creature's power
- Deal 2 damage to target player or ETB deal 2 damage to target player
- Miracle equal to C if CMC is <6, 1C if CMC is 6-7, and 2C if CMC is 8+
- Unearth equal to 1C if CMC is <5, 2C if CMC is 5-6, and 3C if CMC is 7+
- Switch a keyword ability with one worth the same amount of points or less that appears on the comprehensive ability sheet
- Glass-spin (whenever this permanent becomes the target of a spell or ability for the first time in a turn, counter that spell or ability)
Second Tier abilities (9 pts, 10 if it's the second sticker for a card):
- Persist
- Dredge 3
- Hexproof
- Recover 2C
- Echo equal to mana cost
- Draw a card or ETB draw a card
- Increase or decrease a numeral in a textbox by 1
- When this card deals damage to a player draw a card
- Suspend 2 equal to up to 2C less than CMC, but not less than C
- When this card deals damage to a player that player discards a card at random
- Change colored mana symbols in a card's mana cost or text box to phyrexian mana symbols
First Tier abilities (12 pts, 14 if it's the second sticker for a card):
- Graft 2
- Undying
- Cascade
- Rebound
- Flashback
- Indestructible
- Double Strike
- Creatures you control get +1/+1 (put on only permanents)
Ability Reset (4 pts): Remove all ability stickers from a card. This option is usable on any card but not after the card has become a part of a cube in progress.
When buying an ability for a card that has one or more counterparts (double faced cards, Squadron Hawks, etc.), for each counterpart you may pay 1 more to give it the same ability.
The winner of each cube draft gets to roll a die to obtain one of the following rewards to be used at the appropriate time:
- Obtain a random first or second tier ability sticker.
- At a time when you could normally buy a sticker, move a sticker on a card in your pool to a different card that has no stickers. Repeat this process.
- The current cube is now a 3v3 team cube. You pick the teams. Use after drafting is completed (winning team members each win a reward).
- Everyone reveals their first picks. You choose one of them for yourself, the rest are randomly redistributed. Use only after P1P1.
- Choose either the drafter to your left or your right. Look at that player’s picks and exchange one card from their picks with a card from yours. Use between packs during the draft.
- Challenge a player to a heads up best of 5 sealed deck match. Wager an amount of points of your choosing.
- Add a rare of your choice to the Cube. Make it count because the cube owner may veto ridiculous suggestions and you only have two chances to get it right.
- Name a card in your pool in your honor. That card costs 1 less for you to cast and 1 more for your opponents.
Tuesday, September 25
Zombies And A Control Mockup
First, this is the deck that I expect to be strong at the beginning of the format. I feel that the format will hinge on this deck or something close to it:
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Blood Artist
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Brimstone Volley
1 Tragic Slip
4 Blood Crypt
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Mountain
13 Swamp
The fear of this deck stems from the fact that it's hyper-aggressive (12 one-drops) and that it has threats that are hard to answer/ require specific removal (Gravecrawler, Geralf's Messenger, Falkenrath Aristocrat). There are answers to these cards but they tend to be limited in some way. Azorius Charm isn't permenant, Oblivion Ring/Detention Sphere and Sever the Bloodline are clunky, and Knight of Glory is not difficult to answer (BG even has Golgari Charm). Sensory Deprivation and Pacifism might actually be reasonable options seeing as they're both maindeckable and hit any creature, but they don't stop Gravecrawler and Messenger forever (and then there's Abrupt Decay and Golgari Charm).
As far as a control deck goes, I'm having a hard time figuring out a reasonable configuration (as is the case with any unknown format). This is what I've currently got cooking:
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Izzet Charm
4 Mizzium Mortars
2 Desperate Ravings
4 Lingering Souls
4 Rakdos Keyrune
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1 Devil's Play
3 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
2 Island
3 Mountain
The color breakdown of the deck is very odd. The only white cards are Lingering Souls and Sphinx's Revelation and the only black costs are Souls, Rakdos Keyrune, and a Nicol Bolas. With 10-11 lands untapping the M10 lands I think the mana could actually work out.
The first black card I decided to play was Lingering Souls. It just feels really powerful with Planeswalkers, against certain creatures, and is also a potent win condition. The second black card was Rakdos Keyrune which is miles better than other Keyrunes in control decks. Being able to cast Pillar of Flame off it is one of the reasons for that. I might not actually want any Keyrunes in this deck but Sphinx's Revelation has me pining for them. Nicol Bolas was actually an afterthought. I wanted a game ender and he seemed least vulnerable and also versatile.
Sphinx's Revelation gives the deck access to a huge swing. It might also be the reason we want to keep our curve low. Casting it for 2 is not the worst thing you can do for five mana, but once you pass that point it gets pretty powerful.
Who knows whether or not the deck is actually good. It might not even fare well against the deck I had most in mind when making it, but we'll have to wait and see. Until then it'll just be Cube, Pauper, Modern, and Sealed for me.
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Blood Artist
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Brimstone Volley
1 Tragic Slip
4 Blood Crypt
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Mountain
13 Swamp
The fear of this deck stems from the fact that it's hyper-aggressive (12 one-drops) and that it has threats that are hard to answer/ require specific removal (Gravecrawler, Geralf's Messenger, Falkenrath Aristocrat). There are answers to these cards but they tend to be limited in some way. Azorius Charm isn't permenant, Oblivion Ring/Detention Sphere and Sever the Bloodline are clunky, and Knight of Glory is not difficult to answer (BG even has Golgari Charm). Sensory Deprivation and Pacifism might actually be reasonable options seeing as they're both maindeckable and hit any creature, but they don't stop Gravecrawler and Messenger forever (and then there's Abrupt Decay and Golgari Charm).
As far as a control deck goes, I'm having a hard time figuring out a reasonable configuration (as is the case with any unknown format). This is what I've currently got cooking:
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Izzet Charm
4 Mizzium Mortars
2 Desperate Ravings
4 Lingering Souls
4 Rakdos Keyrune
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1 Devil's Play
3 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
2 Island
3 Mountain
The color breakdown of the deck is very odd. The only white cards are Lingering Souls and Sphinx's Revelation and the only black costs are Souls, Rakdos Keyrune, and a Nicol Bolas. With 10-11 lands untapping the M10 lands I think the mana could actually work out.
The first black card I decided to play was Lingering Souls. It just feels really powerful with Planeswalkers, against certain creatures, and is also a potent win condition. The second black card was Rakdos Keyrune which is miles better than other Keyrunes in control decks. Being able to cast Pillar of Flame off it is one of the reasons for that. I might not actually want any Keyrunes in this deck but Sphinx's Revelation has me pining for them. Nicol Bolas was actually an afterthought. I wanted a game ender and he seemed least vulnerable and also versatile.
Sphinx's Revelation gives the deck access to a huge swing. It might also be the reason we want to keep our curve low. Casting it for 2 is not the worst thing you can do for five mana, but once you pass that point it gets pretty powerful.
Who knows whether or not the deck is actually good. It might not even fare well against the deck I had most in mind when making it, but we'll have to wait and see. Until then it'll just be Cube, Pauper, Modern, and Sealed for me.
Tuesday, September 18
UW Control in Legacy
I'm very busy getting ready for the Invitational this weekend (since I'm leaving in less than 36 hours) so my blog post might be on the short side, but I know that a few people were interested in some of my thoughts on the deck that I won in LA with this past weekend so I want to at least talk about that. I got the list from Jesse Hampton a few days before the event. I didn't have time to test with the deck so I just went with exactly what he gave me with a few changes in the board.
The biggest problems I had with Reid Duke's original list (which I played with in a few vids on MTGOAcademy) were Trinket Mage, Land Tax, a low land count, and a low fetchland count. Those issues were all absent from the new version of the deck.
Trinket Mage is just too expensive. You get to play a small package to go with it, sure, but the cost isn't really worth it. I would much rather play an Enlightened Tutor to fill the same role but for cheaper and have the added utility of searching for Oblivion Ring, Counterbalance, Moat, etc. AND using it as a counterspell with Counterbalance in play.
Land Tax, while seemingly great, is actually shit in this format as well as in this deck. I ended up playing one in the board for other control decks and when I had it turn one against the mirror match it was pretty powerful.
The low land count was probably rationalized by Reid by the two Land Taxes. I found that to be a huge weakness in the deck. The deck can't afford to miss early land drops and also can't rely on Land Tax when it does. His low fetchland count was also a mystery to me since they are insane with Top and Counterbalance. I went all the way up to ten and have no regrets about it.
So, here is the updated list:
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
3 Counterbalance
1 Oblivion Ring
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Enlightened Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Entreat the Angels
3 Terminus
5 Island
2 Plains
2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
4 Polluted Delta
2 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island
1 Karakas
Sideboard:
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Counterbalance
1 Land Tax
1 Moat
1 Sphere of Law
1 Humility
1 Disenchant
3 Pyroblast
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Terminus
1 Engineered Explosives
The only real change to the maindeck is getting rid of the Shackles and replacing it with a real spell. The sideboard needed more hedges against Goblins and Patrick Sullivan so I added a few cards for that. I think it's a really strong deck and look forward to playing it this weekend.
If you have any other questions or comments you can leave them here or on twitter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to check me out this weekend at the Invitational!
The biggest problems I had with Reid Duke's original list (which I played with in a few vids on MTGOAcademy) were Trinket Mage, Land Tax, a low land count, and a low fetchland count. Those issues were all absent from the new version of the deck.
Trinket Mage is just too expensive. You get to play a small package to go with it, sure, but the cost isn't really worth it. I would much rather play an Enlightened Tutor to fill the same role but for cheaper and have the added utility of searching for Oblivion Ring, Counterbalance, Moat, etc. AND using it as a counterspell with Counterbalance in play.
Land Tax, while seemingly great, is actually shit in this format as well as in this deck. I ended up playing one in the board for other control decks and when I had it turn one against the mirror match it was pretty powerful.
The low land count was probably rationalized by Reid by the two Land Taxes. I found that to be a huge weakness in the deck. The deck can't afford to miss early land drops and also can't rely on Land Tax when it does. His low fetchland count was also a mystery to me since they are insane with Top and Counterbalance. I went all the way up to ten and have no regrets about it.
So, here is the updated list:
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
3 Counterbalance
1 Oblivion Ring
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Enlightened Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Entreat the Angels
3 Terminus
5 Island
2 Plains
2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
4 Polluted Delta
2 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island
1 Karakas
Sideboard:
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Counterbalance
1 Land Tax
1 Moat
1 Sphere of Law
1 Humility
1 Disenchant
3 Pyroblast
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Terminus
1 Engineered Explosives
The only real change to the maindeck is getting rid of the Shackles and replacing it with a real spell. The sideboard needed more hedges against Goblins and Patrick Sullivan so I added a few cards for that. I think it's a really strong deck and look forward to playing it this weekend.
If you have any other questions or comments you can leave them here or on twitter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to check me out this weekend at the Invitational!
Sunday, September 2
Custom Planeswalkers For My Cube
I like doing neat things with my cube and since it's a nonrare cube there are no Planewalkers in it. I wanted that to change so I designed a cycle of Walkers that I thought would be fair and fun. This is the third iteration of them and I'd like to know your thoughts! Some were designed with certain aspects of the cube in mind. Be aware that the power level is intended to be that of uncommons and that they are being played with other nonrares.
Tuesday, August 28
Standard, Modern, and Pauper
It's been a while since I've made a post and I had a request to post my lists and thoughts on the current format so I thought I'd do that for all formats I'm currently playing.
If you'd to ask or state anything, feel free to in the comments section or on twitter.
If you'd to ask or state anything, feel free to in the comments section or on twitter.
Standard (RUG Pod)
I don't know what it is, but I actually don't like UW Delver. It has seen very good results and is touted as the best deck in the format but I still can't get behind it. Then again, I rarely do get behind the "best" deck so I guess it's actually normal. I've tested other decks too but I keep coming back to RUG Pod. It's been performing the best for me all while being an unpopular deck, which is a quality I much prefer the deck I play to have.
Matt Nass's primer on the deck can be found here. And here's my most recent list:
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Elvish Visionary
2 Phantasmal Image
3 Strangleroot Geist
1 Viridian Corrupter
2 Borderland Ranger
1 Deceiver Exarch
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Thragtusk
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Inferno Titan
4 Birthing Pod
4 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Copperline Gorge
3 Hinterland Harbor
3 Rootbound Crag
2 Mountain
1 Island
9 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Sideboard
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Arc Trail
1 Bonfire of the Damned
3 Hellrider
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
3 Pillar of Flame
1 Stingerfling Spider
1 Thragtusk
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Zealous Conscripts
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Elvish Visionary
2 Phantasmal Image
3 Strangleroot Geist
1 Viridian Corrupter
2 Borderland Ranger
1 Deceiver Exarch
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Thragtusk
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Inferno Titan
4 Birthing Pod
4 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Copperline Gorge
3 Hinterland Harbor
3 Rootbound Crag
2 Mountain
1 Island
9 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Sideboard
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Arc Trail
1 Bonfire of the Damned
3 Hellrider
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
3 Pillar of Flame
1 Stingerfling Spider
1 Thragtusk
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Zealous Conscripts
The ability to switch to a very fast Hellrider deck is really awesome. I've started doing it in matchups that I didn't used to, like RG Aggro and Zombies.
Modern (UW Control)
I haven't done as well as I'd like to have with my UW deck. I think there is a version of it that is good but I'm still not there yet. I'll continue playing it but I'm also going to try some other decks soon (RWU Delver unfortunately). Hopefully Ravnica will have something that puts it over the top (I'm looking at you, Azorius Charm). In the meantime, the Magic Player's Championship will hopefully shake up the format a bit.
This is my current list (which is changing constantly):
This is my current list (which is changing constantly):
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Squadron Hawk
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Kitchen Finks
4 Squadron Hawk
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Engineered Explosives
4 Path to Exile
1 Dismember
1 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Remand
4 Cryptic Command
4 Path to Exile
1 Dismember
1 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Remand
4 Cryptic Command
4 Celestial Colonnade
3 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Marsh Flats
2 Plains
6 Island
1 Moorland Haunt
3 Tectonic Edge
3 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Marsh Flats
2 Plains
6 Island
1 Moorland Haunt
3 Tectonic Edge
Sideboard
1 Academy Ruins
2 Disenchant
1 Dispel
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Oust
1 Pulse of the Grid
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Wrath of God
1 Academy Ruins
2 Disenchant
1 Dispel
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Vedalken Shackles
1 Oust
1 Pulse of the Grid
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Wrath of God
Vedalken Shackles, while really powerful, are too slow in the important creature matchups. If I drop them entirely then I could go back to a mana base with Seachrome Coast which casts the MD Kitchen Finks better.
I've decided that a lot of the matchups are basically races while in others (combo) we play as a true control deck. But even then, I still have Kitchen Finks over Geist of Saint Traft due to its higher versatility.
I think I'm also going to try a version that has Gifts Ungiven, though that would be in contrary to the idea that most matchups are races. I guess the deck would be a lot different/ have a much different game plan.
Pauper (UR Post)
I only just started playing Pauper so I don't have a lot to say about it. But I have become very opinionated on the deck that I've been playing with, which is UR Post. I'll go over the differences from other versions and why I think this one is correct.
3 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Mnemonic Wall
4 Mulldrifter
1 Ulamog's Crusher
3 Expedition Map
4 Firebolt
4 Preordain
1 Brainstorm
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Izzet Signet
4 Prophetic Prism
1 Counterspell
1 Harvest Pyre
3 Prohibit
1 Capsize
1 Ghostly Flicker
3 Mystical Teachings
9 Island
6 Mountain
4 Cloudpost
4 Glimmerpost
Sideboard
4 Earth Rift
1 Echoing Truth
1 Envelop
2 Flame Slash
3 Negate
1 Pyroblast
1 Seismic Shudder
2 Serrated Arrows
3 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Mnemonic Wall
4 Mulldrifter
1 Ulamog's Crusher
3 Expedition Map
4 Firebolt
4 Preordain
1 Brainstorm
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Izzet Signet
4 Prophetic Prism
1 Counterspell
1 Harvest Pyre
3 Prohibit
1 Capsize
1 Ghostly Flicker
3 Mystical Teachings
9 Island
6 Mountain
4 Cloudpost
4 Glimmerpost
Sideboard
4 Earth Rift
1 Echoing Truth
1 Envelop
2 Flame Slash
3 Negate
1 Pyroblast
1 Seismic Shudder
2 Serrated Arrows
Sea Gate Oracle
Compulsive Research is a much better card in this deck but the body is actually very relevant in this format. In addition to that, I have to play this card to justify the Ghostly Flicker.
Ulamog's Crusher
At first I didn't like the random fatty that you can't tutor for, but I realized that the one random X spell was virtually the same thing and since I've never actually managed to kill any creatures of relevance with Rolling Thunder I decided to make the switch. So far there's not much difference between the two but I like that this one is a giant.
Firebolt
Firebolt is easily the best of the available burn spells. It hits players, can deal 4, and is a two for one. Most of the time you want to sorcery speed the burn anyways. As an instant, Lightning Bolt does give you more safety which is why it's my second pick for this slot. I play one copy as a tutor target currently. I used to also have a Staggershock but it was (surprisingly) unimpressive.
EDIT: I've actually decided Harvest Pyre has been under-performing and have switched back to Staggershock which I think is better in the matchups where you really need removal. It could also just be another Lightning Bolt instead.
EDIT: I've actually decided Harvest Pyre has been under-performing and have switched back to Staggershock which I think is better in the matchups where you really need removal. It could also just be another Lightning Bolt instead.
Brainstorm
Other versions usually play Mysteries of the Deep but I prefer one mana to five. My version also has more shuffle / "scry" effects to make Brainstorm do what it's best at. In addition, when drawn it still acts as a way to find relevant cards early game even why you can't shuffle.
Prohibit
Other versions usually play Condescend which I've found to be horrible in this format. It's bad against pretty much every deck that you want a counterspell in as well as the other ones. Prohibit is an actual two (sometimes four) mana hard counter and is definitely best in this slot.
That's all I've got for you today. See you in the queues!
That's all I've got for you today. See you in the queues!
Monday, July 30
Battle Pod
I've done some streaming and some testing with a deck I'm calling "Battle Pod." I knew it wouldn't be a great success going in, but I was convinced I could make something of it. Now, I'm not so sure. The deck started out as a giant Birthing Pod deck that had a ton of useless singletons. I trimmed it down so that it turned into a Ramp-Birthing Pod-Battle of Wits hybrid and saw some reasonable success in 2-man queues (broke even in tix). But the variance of the deck can't really be helped, thus it is a failed experiment. But if you'd like to give the deck a shot (hopefully just for fun) then continue reading.
One of my guidelines in forging the deck was that there needed to be a lot of value/two-for-one cards in order to offset the likelihood of mana flood/variance. Another was to keep the deck as streamlined as possible also to reduce variance.
Miracles seemed like a good idea in the deck since they will be live a lot more often in a giant deck, but the idea might be slightly misguided. For one thing, the mana is difficult and you won't always have the correct colors for miracles at the right times. And then there's the issue with having too many cards that are stuck in your hand. Bonfire of the Damned (and Terminus in other versions/SB) should continue to be in the deck but I think I'm done with Temporal Mastery in the deck.
I narrowed down the necessary Birthing Pod/Green Sun's Zenith targets to the following:
Rune-Scarred Demon
Sunblast Angel
Fiend Hunter
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Inferno Titan
Deceiver Exarch
Wurmcoil Engine
Viridian Corrupter
Mwonvuli Beast Tracker
Wolfir Silverheart
Stingerfling Spider
Acidic Slime
Strangleroot Geist
I'd say that's pretty streamlined
Now, for the 4-ofs:
Creatures:
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Viridian Emissary
4 Scorned Villager
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Borderland Ranger
4 Blade Splicer
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Restoration Angel
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Thragtusk
4 Primeval Titan
You'll notice that most of the 4-ofs are either ramp or value creatures, as they should be.
Primeval Titan, being the most consistent win condition to hit play, might actually be the best card in the deck. It is capable of fixing all mana issues and of putting a lot of additional power into play. If you're really psycho (or have a better functioning mana base), you could even include Glimmerpost in the list. The utility land package I currently have is 1 Gavony Township, 1 Kessig Wolf Run, 1 Vault of the Archangel. The Vault is actually a surprisingly awesome slot. It does something that Primeval Titan isn't usually capable of, which is racing from really tough spots.
Noncreatures:
4 Ponder
4 Abundant Growth
4 Rampant Growth
4 Farseek
4 Sphere of the Suns
4 Vessel of Endless Rest
4 Divination
4 Forbidden Alchemy
4 Birthing Pod
4 Ranger's Path
4 Garruk Relentless
4 Battle of Wits
4 Gideon Jura
4 Tamiyo the Moon Sage
4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Bonfire of the Damned
I'm not sure if this version of the deck should actually include Increasing Ambition. It's not likely that you will have 5-mana available and the ability to do nothing two turns in a row without dying.
In this version I've opted for Ranger's Path over Gilded Lotus because we care about that extra turn a lot. And hopefully we're casting Primeval Titan or something else big the turn we'd be casting the Lotus.
The deck does actually want to have removal, but it wants to have the broadest removal possible which is why wrath effects and planeswalkers are best. Something like Dismember could also fit and is something I'd consider.
Initially, I was convinced that Venser the Sojourner would be an auto-include in the deck but I've found that it's not reliable enough. Very rarely will you have a worthwhile card to blink and have Venser sticking around. I've now switch to both Gideon (which I think will be really good) and Tamiyo to accompany him.
I'm contemplating Lingering Souls especially since the two worst matchups are Delver and Zombies. For now I'm going with the heavy planeswalker package because I think they fill a role that this deck needs filled but I'll keep Souls in mind.
Everything else:
2 Zealous Conscripts
2 Mycosynth Wellspring
2 Trading Post
I like two Conscripts because sometimes you want to tutor for the second one.
Then we have two additional mana fixers,and two Trading Posts. Trading Post does enough stuff that we don't mind having a few copies, though I don't think we want to see it often enough to play four.
Then we have two additional mana fixers,and two Trading Posts. Trading Post does enough stuff that we don't mind having a few copies, though I don't think we want to see it often enough to play four.
This deck is capable enough of winning without Battle of Wits that I see no reason to waste a slot on a card like Elixir of Immortality. It would just be another dead card to draw.
Karn Liberated is a noticeable card that is missing from this list. I'm very hesitant to add more 7-drops to the deck but that could just be my normal deck instincts. If I continue playing the deck I'll definitely consider Karn.
75 creatures, 68 spells, now for the 88 lands:
20 Forest
11 Island
7 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Glacial Fortress
1 Darkslick Shores
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
1 Isolated Chapel
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Sulfur Falls
3 Clifftop Retreat
4 Evolving Wilds
1 Gavony Township
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Vault of the Archangel
By no means perfect, but there's not much else to work with (Shimmering Grotto...?). You will mulligan a lot because of the lands and other times you will just draw a ton of them because there are so many mana sources. That's the variance you have to accept to play this deck.
No 231 card deck is complete without the last 15:
4 Terminus
4 Day of Judgment
1 Tree of Redemption
1 Silklash Spider
1 Glissa, the Traitor
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Ghost Quarter
2 ?
When you don't get to see your sideboard cards very often, you want them to be as impactful and as tutorable as possible. As such, I have eight additional wrath effects, and 5 useful tutor targets. Not much else fits in the remaining two slots. I'm sure there's some more tutor targets but they would end up being wasted space.
Well, that's Battle Pod. I think with the new changes I want to try the deck again but I know it won't end witty.
Saturday, July 28
C:L July Cube Update
Hello cube enthusiasts! I have a good amount of stuff to update you on about the happenings of my cube. First, I’ve updated the ability sheet and achievement/rewards pages at the bottom of the blog. Second, I’ve shifted a few cards around after giving some more thought to the M13 changes. Those changes are as follows:
Simian Grunts > Farhaven Elf
After playing with Simian Grunts (despite the fact that its been in the cube for a long time) I realized it’s actually shit. Echo makes cards really bad and every card with the ability has slowly been cut from the cube. I think we’re down to just Goblin Patrol, Ghitu Slinger, Albino Troll, and Hetrick Champion.
Crippling Chill > Jilt
Crippling Chill was never supposed to stick around. I just needed to find a suitable replacement and Jilt is perfect. I overlooked it a while back and then just didn’t realize how good it is.
Feeling of Dread > War Falcon
I thought Feeling of Dread would be a decent card but it’s very narrow. White decks are usually not great and Feeling of Dread is probably one of the worst cards you’ll find in a bad white deck. War Falcon (errataed to say Rebel of course) is another one-drop, 2-power flying creature which is perfect for white.
Dauthi Slayer > Surakar Murauder
There’s nothing wrong with Dauthi Slayer except that black has an abundance of creatures that can’t block and also cards that are black intensive. As such, I’ve decided to cut it for the more versatile Surakar Murauder.
AEther Spellbomb > Traumatic Visions
In short, there’s too many bounce spells and Traumatic Visions is a nice card for blue mages to have access to.
Latch Seeker > Fettergiest
As a narrow double-U card, Latch Seeker wasn’t particularly impressive. Fettergeist is a cool card for blue to have that I overlooked from AVR.
Wonder > Stern Mentor
Blue decks usually don’t really care about giving flying to the few creatures they have that don’t already have flying. Stern Mentor allows for potential mill wins single-handedly which is something I like having as an option.
Recoil > Cut
Jungle Barrier > Cut
Giant Ambush Beetle > Cut
Monstrous Carabid > Cut
I mentioned in my last update that I’m working on cutting the worst of the gold cards because they are usually the latest picks and because RTR is around the corner. Recoil is also out because of the large amount of bounce spells. Jungle Barrier is out because there are now too many UG cards. The other two are just lackluster and don’t see a lot of play.
In updating the Achievements/Rewards section, I decided that the both the achievements need to be more difficult and the rewards need to be splashier. Therefore a lot of them have been removed from the list or updated to reflect that.
One of the new rewards is something that’s been requested for a bit: the ability to add a rare to the cube (treated as an uncommon). I ended up switching out the reward for the “mulligan to 4 and win” achievement with the new one because it has been on the sheet so long without being achieved. It was shortly achieved and Snapcaster Mage was added to the cube.
Shriekmaw (Graft 1, Persist), AEther Adept (Graft 1, Persist), and Mulldrifter (Persist) have been reset. I gave Beast Attack Cascade and someone else gave it Rebound. No one has reset that one yet...
A new ability that I added to the third tier reads, “switch a keyword ability with one worth the same amount of points or less.” This is a tricky ability to enact because you (cube owner) have to know/decide what all keyword abilities are worth. It’s a really sweet one though. It lets players make cards that they deem “too good” into less powerful ones (read: poop) as they see fit. Defender (6 pts) is an interesting ability to make use of. I’m allowing this ability to overrule the “only 2 stickers” rule because it doesn’t technically add an ability.
Recently, some local players liked the idea of Cube:Legacy and created their own with a real (and powered) cube. They went way over the top though. Their ability sheet was 4 pages long and included just about everything you could think of (change colored mana symbols to phyrexian mana, etb destroy artifact or enchantment, etb search library for basic land/any land).
One of the abilities I liked most is one they adapted from my sheet. “Counterparts” turned into a keyword ability called friendship which acts similar to soulbond. For instance, If you give friendship to Attended Knight then whatever abilities that card has its “friend” also has. I’m not sure about the logistics surrounding it (infi tokens? works after Attended Knight has died?) but I love the idea.
Their experiment ended up being a success, but not for very long. Without any efforts to keep it balanced It got pretty far out of hand. I’m sure that I’ll adopt a bunch of their ideas in the near future.
Another fun idea I discovered recently was the BoozeCube. If you’re not familiar, it’s a format/cube designed with drinking dynamics and is intended to get you drunk (what else?). The design space for such a game is pretty wide open. I’m not about to create an entirely new cube but I do think I could incorporate some of the simpler things from BoozeCube into my ongoing cube project, most likely just adding boozetouch or something similar to the ability sheet. You can find out more about that here.
Simian Grunts > Farhaven Elf
After playing with Simian Grunts (despite the fact that its been in the cube for a long time) I realized it’s actually shit. Echo makes cards really bad and every card with the ability has slowly been cut from the cube. I think we’re down to just Goblin Patrol, Ghitu Slinger, Albino Troll, and Hetrick Champion.
Crippling Chill > Jilt
Crippling Chill was never supposed to stick around. I just needed to find a suitable replacement and Jilt is perfect. I overlooked it a while back and then just didn’t realize how good it is.
Feeling of Dread > War Falcon
I thought Feeling of Dread would be a decent card but it’s very narrow. White decks are usually not great and Feeling of Dread is probably one of the worst cards you’ll find in a bad white deck. War Falcon (errataed to say Rebel of course) is another one-drop, 2-power flying creature which is perfect for white.
Dauthi Slayer > Surakar Murauder
There’s nothing wrong with Dauthi Slayer except that black has an abundance of creatures that can’t block and also cards that are black intensive. As such, I’ve decided to cut it for the more versatile Surakar Murauder.
AEther Spellbomb > Traumatic Visions
In short, there’s too many bounce spells and Traumatic Visions is a nice card for blue mages to have access to.
Latch Seeker > Fettergiest
As a narrow double-U card, Latch Seeker wasn’t particularly impressive. Fettergeist is a cool card for blue to have that I overlooked from AVR.
Wonder > Stern Mentor
Blue decks usually don’t really care about giving flying to the few creatures they have that don’t already have flying. Stern Mentor allows for potential mill wins single-handedly which is something I like having as an option.
Recoil > Cut
Jungle Barrier > Cut
Giant Ambush Beetle > Cut
Monstrous Carabid > Cut
I mentioned in my last update that I’m working on cutting the worst of the gold cards because they are usually the latest picks and because RTR is around the corner. Recoil is also out because of the large amount of bounce spells. Jungle Barrier is out because there are now too many UG cards. The other two are just lackluster and don’t see a lot of play.
In updating the Achievements/Rewards section, I decided that the both the achievements need to be more difficult and the rewards need to be splashier. Therefore a lot of them have been removed from the list or updated to reflect that.
One of the new rewards is something that’s been requested for a bit: the ability to add a rare to the cube (treated as an uncommon). I ended up switching out the reward for the “mulligan to 4 and win” achievement with the new one because it has been on the sheet so long without being achieved. It was shortly achieved and Snapcaster Mage was added to the cube.
Shriekmaw (Graft 1, Persist), AEther Adept (Graft 1, Persist), and Mulldrifter (Persist) have been reset. I gave Beast Attack Cascade and someone else gave it Rebound. No one has reset that one yet...
A new ability that I added to the third tier reads, “switch a keyword ability with one worth the same amount of points or less.” This is a tricky ability to enact because you (cube owner) have to know/decide what all keyword abilities are worth. It’s a really sweet one though. It lets players make cards that they deem “too good” into less powerful ones (read: poop) as they see fit. Defender (6 pts) is an interesting ability to make use of. I’m allowing this ability to overrule the “only 2 stickers” rule because it doesn’t technically add an ability.
Recently, some local players liked the idea of Cube:Legacy and created their own with a real (and powered) cube. They went way over the top though. Their ability sheet was 4 pages long and included just about everything you could think of (change colored mana symbols to phyrexian mana, etb destroy artifact or enchantment, etb search library for basic land/any land).
One of the abilities I liked most is one they adapted from my sheet. “Counterparts” turned into a keyword ability called friendship which acts similar to soulbond. For instance, If you give friendship to Attended Knight then whatever abilities that card has its “friend” also has. I’m not sure about the logistics surrounding it (infi tokens? works after Attended Knight has died?) but I love the idea.
Their experiment ended up being a success, but not for very long. Without any efforts to keep it balanced It got pretty far out of hand. I’m sure that I’ll adopt a bunch of their ideas in the near future.
Another fun idea I discovered recently was the BoozeCube. If you’re not familiar, it’s a format/cube designed with drinking dynamics and is intended to get you drunk (what else?). The design space for such a game is pretty wide open. I’m not about to create an entirely new cube but I do think I could incorporate some of the simpler things from BoozeCube into my ongoing cube project, most likely just adding boozetouch or something similar to the ability sheet. You can find out more about that here.
Friday, July 27
C:L Achievements and Rewards (Discontinued 9/27)
The achievement part of the game was abandoned on 9/27/12 to help lower the barrier of entry. There was a blog post on the same day that talks about the change.
Achievement Criteria
There are up to 7 achievements available at a time. Each one has a randomly attached reward from the Rewards found below. They are single use and should be self explanatory.
- Kill a player with a 11+ power creature.
This one gives players the option to prolong the game in order to meet this achievement. I consider that to be okay since that will give their opponent a chance to get back in the game.
I increased it from 10 to 11 because I realized Artisan of Kozilek has 10 power when I thought it had 9. It gets achieved easily enough so it's a fair update.
I increased it from 10 to 11 because I realized Artisan of Kozilek has 10 power when I thought it had 9. It gets achieved easily enough so it's a fair update.
- Win a game while your opponent has a card with two stickers in play.
This is the perfect kind of achievement. It rewards a player from coming back from a difficult situation. It used to include games that such a card was cast, whether or not it was in play. It's more appropriate this way now that there are a lot more cards with two stickers.
- Mulligan to 5 and win.
Used to be 4 but that took a really long time to be achieved. This should be better.
- Cast Dead Weight against Ricky.
This one took a surprisingly long time to be achieved. I tried to do it many times but pairings never worked out in my favor. I think it was a really fun idea to include a specific person but wouldn’t want to include more than 2 achievements like this one at a time.
- Kill someone with a card named after them.
This was achieved surprisingly fast but it’s still a really good one. It’s difficult to accomplish but feels really good when you do. It shouldn't be achieved nearly as fast as it was the first time.
- Overkill your opponent by at least 11 damage.
One of the new splashy ones. I'd say pretty fun to achieve.
- Lose a game on or before turn 4.
Not every achievement should be about something positive. Sometimes losers should also get something, preferably when they feel like they didn't have a chance.
- Deck out each of your opponents.
Tuesday, July 3
C:L M13 Updates
A few changes are in order for M13. I’ve also made some more updates to the Ability Sheet since my last post.
Cloudchaser Kestrel > Attended Knight
Cloudchaser Kestrel has been a pretty big disappointment in the cube mostly due to white’s monopoly on enchantments and Kestrel's ability not being a "may" effect. Attended Knight is a reasonable replacement and gives white one of it's only "value" creatures... Yes, I know how bad that sounds.
Sigiled Paladin > Knight of Glory
Sigiled Paladin was fine at its job but Knight of Glory does a lot of the same without costing CC. That type of costing has become a small issue in the cube so I’m trying to eliminate a few of those cards. This works out nicely because MBC has also become a very powerful archetype and needs some balance.
Tower Geist > Arctic Aven
Another small issue in the cube is the large amount of value creatures and card draw. The card draw is worth a lot less when there are so many value creatures, so you end up seeing most of those cards going around the table. To remedy this I’m cutting down on some of the superfluous value cards and also some of the card draw. Tower Geist is first to go and is replaced my one of my favorite new cards, Baneslayer Aven.
Courier’s Capsule > Faerie Invaders
Second to go is Courier’s Capsule. It was a holdover from when Sanctum Gargoyle and Razor Hippogriff were part of the cube anyways.
Jace's Ingenuity > Talrand's Invocation
And the other card draw spell to go is Jace’s Ingenuity (which recently replaced Tidings in the cube). Talrand’s Invocation should prove to be a pretty sweet card in its place.
Pestilence > Veilborn Ghoul
Pestilence started its life in the cube as an uncommon because of its power level despite once being printed as a common. But I decided that its not actually too good to be a common after all. Veilborn Ghoul is a card I am a little doubtful of. While black would love a win condition that is hard to deal with, it is also in no short supply of creatures that can’t block.
Blind Zealot > Pestilence
Blind Zealot never performed as expected. It was neither good removal nor a good creature. There is also a flood in the black three-drop creatures and this seemed like the worst of the bunch.
Viscera Dragger > Bloodhunter Bat
Viscera Dragger has been a very lackluster card throughout the cube’s lifespan. I don’t know why I didn’t cut it sooner. Bloodhunter Bat is much like Blind Hunter, which I cut when doing some gold card trimming. It's much more reasonable as just a black card.
Falkenrath Noble > Knight of Infamy
There are usually not enough creatures around (or not enough time) to make Falkenrath Noble good. I was testing him out and he didn’t prove worthwhile. Knight of Infamy fills a hole in black’s two-drop slot and is a fine aggressive creature or control win condition.
Blind Creeper > Liliana's Shade
You can’t really expect much from vanilla creatures like Blind Creeper. His stay didn’t last long. Liliana’s Shade gives another win condition and value creature to MBC. Certainly a quality card, but I might still be overflowing some of MBC’s tools.
Executioner's Capsule > Murder
Like the other Capsule, this was a holdover from when Trinket Mage and friends were in the cube. Murder isn’t exactly exciting, but makes a reasonable replacement.
Squealing Devil > Crimson Muckwader
I like Squealing Devil (and other similarly designed cards) a lot, but as a RB Aggro card, it doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. Crimson Muckwader is a pretty strong replacement.
Skirk Marauder > Mogg Flunkies
Skirk Marauder wasn’t really a two-drop, but it also wasn’t a good three-drop. It just wasn’t a very good card. I think I have been leaving it in so that there is at least some confusion on what someones morph could be. Mogg Flunkies is a very well designed red card and I think is a card I simply forgot about. It fits red so well.
Zektar Shrine Expedition > Reckless Brute
There was a reason Zektar Shrine Expedition was in the cube, but it wasn’t really a good one. Reckless Brute has a much simpler reason.
Jade Mage > Flinthoof Boar
There are already two cards that fill a similar role to Jade Mage (Sprout Swarm and Selesnya Guildmage). I don't mind having three cards that do the same thing, but I had to cut something to make room for Flinthoof Boar. It's possible Jade Mage will find her way back into the cube.
Pathbreaker Wurm > Sentinel Spider
Pathbreaker Wurm was the obligatory common green fatty that I wanted to have at least one of. It wasn’t very good. Sentinel Spider is only a small improvement, but I think green has enough other fatties anyways.
Path to Exile > Swords to Plowshares
An obvious switch, Path is nowhere near as good as Swords (especially in this cube).
Wrecking Ball > Cut
Mistmeadow Witch > Cut
I’ve been cutting down on gold cards not just because Ravnica is around the corner. The mediocre gold cards are the ones that table and end up last picks the most often so I am only leaving in the best ones.
Wrecking Ball was in originally because of the small LD theme in the cube but I prefer for that theme to be even smaller. Mistmeadow Witch was an all-star in the early days of the cube but as it improved the card got worse and worse.
Since my last post, Mulldrifter (undying, unearth) and Dauthi Marauder (shroud, lifelink) have been reset. I’ve come to realize that I might have undervalued the persist and undying mechanics. They are the cause of most of the problem cards that have been created. Thus, persist has moved to the next tier and undying will do the same when it returns to the list.
My original reason for including a few abilities that can be bought for 1 point was to give new players something to do with their minuscule number of points after a match or two. I’ve since decided to cut them from the sheet but think that they are something you should have for a Cube:Legacy it its infancy.
Despite having enough points, still no one has bought Cascade or Flashback. It’s possible that they might have had I not implemented a new 50-point rule. I was given the idea by a jokester and of course I didn’t expect anybody to attempt it (because who is that stupid). Lo and behold someone is over halfway there. The rule is that you may spend 50 points to change the name of the cube to resemble yourself. For example, if Shahar “The Rat” Shenhar does reach his 50 point goal and renames the cube, the correct way to reference the cube will be as such: “Hey, do you guys want to go down to the sewer? I bet there’s some good scraps tonight.”
For the achievements, I think that I've made them too easy but I haven't yet had time to revamp them. It seems as though whenever I renew them three are achieve during the first cube. I'll have to work on that for next time.
Cloudchaser Kestrel > Attended Knight
Cloudchaser Kestrel has been a pretty big disappointment in the cube mostly due to white’s monopoly on enchantments and Kestrel's ability not being a "may" effect. Attended Knight is a reasonable replacement and gives white one of it's only "value" creatures... Yes, I know how bad that sounds.
Sigiled Paladin > Knight of Glory
Sigiled Paladin was fine at its job but Knight of Glory does a lot of the same without costing CC. That type of costing has become a small issue in the cube so I’m trying to eliminate a few of those cards. This works out nicely because MBC has also become a very powerful archetype and needs some balance.
Tower Geist > Arctic Aven
Another small issue in the cube is the large amount of value creatures and card draw. The card draw is worth a lot less when there are so many value creatures, so you end up seeing most of those cards going around the table. To remedy this I’m cutting down on some of the superfluous value cards and also some of the card draw. Tower Geist is first to go and is replaced my one of my favorite new cards, Baneslayer Aven.
Courier’s Capsule > Faerie Invaders
Second to go is Courier’s Capsule. It was a holdover from when Sanctum Gargoyle and Razor Hippogriff were part of the cube anyways.
Jace's Ingenuity > Talrand's Invocation
And the other card draw spell to go is Jace’s Ingenuity (which recently replaced Tidings in the cube). Talrand’s Invocation should prove to be a pretty sweet card in its place.
Pestilence > Veilborn Ghoul
Pestilence started its life in the cube as an uncommon because of its power level despite once being printed as a common. But I decided that its not actually too good to be a common after all. Veilborn Ghoul is a card I am a little doubtful of. While black would love a win condition that is hard to deal with, it is also in no short supply of creatures that can’t block.
Blind Zealot > Pestilence
Blind Zealot never performed as expected. It was neither good removal nor a good creature. There is also a flood in the black three-drop creatures and this seemed like the worst of the bunch.
Viscera Dragger > Bloodhunter Bat
Viscera Dragger has been a very lackluster card throughout the cube’s lifespan. I don’t know why I didn’t cut it sooner. Bloodhunter Bat is much like Blind Hunter, which I cut when doing some gold card trimming. It's much more reasonable as just a black card.
Falkenrath Noble > Knight of Infamy
There are usually not enough creatures around (or not enough time) to make Falkenrath Noble good. I was testing him out and he didn’t prove worthwhile. Knight of Infamy fills a hole in black’s two-drop slot and is a fine aggressive creature or control win condition.
Blind Creeper > Liliana's Shade
You can’t really expect much from vanilla creatures like Blind Creeper. His stay didn’t last long. Liliana’s Shade gives another win condition and value creature to MBC. Certainly a quality card, but I might still be overflowing some of MBC’s tools.
Executioner's Capsule > Murder
Like the other Capsule, this was a holdover from when Trinket Mage and friends were in the cube. Murder isn’t exactly exciting, but makes a reasonable replacement.
Squealing Devil > Crimson Muckwader
I like Squealing Devil (and other similarly designed cards) a lot, but as a RB Aggro card, it doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. Crimson Muckwader is a pretty strong replacement.
Skirk Marauder > Mogg Flunkies
Skirk Marauder wasn’t really a two-drop, but it also wasn’t a good three-drop. It just wasn’t a very good card. I think I have been leaving it in so that there is at least some confusion on what someones morph could be. Mogg Flunkies is a very well designed red card and I think is a card I simply forgot about. It fits red so well.
Zektar Shrine Expedition > Reckless Brute
There was a reason Zektar Shrine Expedition was in the cube, but it wasn’t really a good one. Reckless Brute has a much simpler reason.
Jade Mage > Flinthoof Boar
There are already two cards that fill a similar role to Jade Mage (Sprout Swarm and Selesnya Guildmage). I don't mind having three cards that do the same thing, but I had to cut something to make room for Flinthoof Boar. It's possible Jade Mage will find her way back into the cube.
Pathbreaker Wurm > Sentinel Spider
Pathbreaker Wurm was the obligatory common green fatty that I wanted to have at least one of. It wasn’t very good. Sentinel Spider is only a small improvement, but I think green has enough other fatties anyways.
Path to Exile > Swords to Plowshares
An obvious switch, Path is nowhere near as good as Swords (especially in this cube).
Wrecking Ball > Cut
Mistmeadow Witch > Cut
I’ve been cutting down on gold cards not just because Ravnica is around the corner. The mediocre gold cards are the ones that table and end up last picks the most often so I am only leaving in the best ones.
Wrecking Ball was in originally because of the small LD theme in the cube but I prefer for that theme to be even smaller. Mistmeadow Witch was an all-star in the early days of the cube but as it improved the card got worse and worse.
Since my last post, Mulldrifter (undying, unearth) and Dauthi Marauder (shroud, lifelink) have been reset. I’ve come to realize that I might have undervalued the persist and undying mechanics. They are the cause of most of the problem cards that have been created. Thus, persist has moved to the next tier and undying will do the same when it returns to the list.
My original reason for including a few abilities that can be bought for 1 point was to give new players something to do with their minuscule number of points after a match or two. I’ve since decided to cut them from the sheet but think that they are something you should have for a Cube:Legacy it its infancy.
Despite having enough points, still no one has bought Cascade or Flashback. It’s possible that they might have had I not implemented a new 50-point rule. I was given the idea by a jokester and of course I didn’t expect anybody to attempt it (because who is that stupid). Lo and behold someone is over halfway there. The rule is that you may spend 50 points to change the name of the cube to resemble yourself. For example, if Shahar “The Rat” Shenhar does reach his 50 point goal and renames the cube, the correct way to reference the cube will be as such: “Hey, do you guys want to go down to the sewer? I bet there’s some good scraps tonight.”
For the achievements, I think that I've made them too easy but I haven't yet had time to revamp them. It seems as though whenever I renew them three are achieve during the first cube. I'll have to work on that for next time.
Tuesday, June 19
C:L In Indianapolis
When cubing with some first timers in Indianapolis this past weekend I realized that being able to make broken cards so easily (the ones I mentioned above) is a hindrance to newcomers and to fun in general. So, I did end up resetting Sakura-Tribe Elder before starting that draft. The other broken cards still exist because I don’t want to be the one spending all my points on resets (and why would I reset my own Crusher?), but as the cube owner I’ll probably get over that. In any case, I’ve decided to make it harder to create such unfair cards by increasing the point cost when the second sticker is being added to a card. I think that should keep things a bit more balanced for a while.
Addendum:
Since this post, I’ve realized that costing a few extra points won't stop someone from making a broken card if they want to. A better fix for the problem is to have abilities with insane synergy, like Graft 1 and Persist, on the sheet at different times. Persist and Undying also happened to be undercosted during that time. They are now worth 9 and 12 points. It’s still possible to make some broken cards but now it requires jumping through hoops.
Addendum:
Since this post, I’ve realized that costing a few extra points won't stop someone from making a broken card if they want to. A better fix for the problem is to have abilities with insane synergy, like Graft 1 and Persist, on the sheet at different times. Persist and Undying also happened to be undercosted during that time. They are now worth 9 and 12 points. It’s still possible to make some broken cards but now it requires jumping through hoops.
Wednesday, June 13
Cube: Legacy, Fun=Success (start here)
The original article by Gregory Marques on “Cube: Legacy” can be found here and my Pauper Cube list (updated regularly) can be found here.
I don’t ball hard enough to own a “real” cube, so about a year ago I decided to start production on a “Pauper Cube.” The idea behind the cube was that it wouldn’t just be an “all good stuff cube” like many of the “real” cubes are, but a cube that would resemble a real Limited format. I’ve used other common/uncommon based cubes as guides and evolve it when I find new cards that fill holes in the cube.
My friends and I had a good time with my cube for a while, but eventually they got tired of it and often preferred to use a "real" cube. At about the same time, Gregory Marques wrote an article about Cube: Legacy. Suffice it to say, I was thoroughly impressed by the depth and interactivity his idea would provide for a cube like mine.
Without much delay I created my own guidelines and stickers for Pauper Cube: Legacy and we had ourselves a new format that could detract attention from using "real" cubes. It's a bit of work keeping a Cube: Legacy functioning, but I imagine that all cubes are in different ways.
In the first draft we did, Sakura-Tribe Elder was given Undying and I realized that drafting with just spikes would end up ruining a lot of the potential for fun, but it would also add to it in other ways (for example, I turn3ed Shahar last weekend). I ended up adding a way to reset cards in order to fix problems like this as they pop up. Just having it as an option also helps as a deterrent from things like that.
Currently, the most broken (and apt to be reset) cards in the cube include: Hetrick’s Crusher with Hexproof and Miracle 2, Mulldrifter with Undying and Unearth, and Sakura-Tribe Elder with Undying and Persist.
If you’d like to work on your own Cube: Legacy (or are just interested), I’ve included my current rules and rotating ability sheet below. And if you’d like to make your own custom stickers, try visiting onlinelabels.com. You can order a couple sheets of "labels" as samples and use their software to print out very effective ability stickers. I spent a bit of time doing that myself and ended up losing all the stickers at GP Anaheim. Now I just write on slips of paper and stick them in the sleeve until I have time to make appropriate stickers. I only ordered 3 sheets of label paper but I still have months before I'll run out.
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