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.

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.