So I'm a luck sack (not a big surprise). For the second time in the last two plus years, I manage to top 8 at a release event at GU. I'd like to think is was pure luck, but having not gone to the Prerelease nor spending much time looking @ the set (I didn't even look at the preview cards until after the prerelese).
My success goes back to something Brian Bomberger once said to me, several years ago, at my first release event at GU. "Sealed deck is all about removal and evasion. Play as much or both as you can muster, and you should do just fine." Since then I've taken that advice to heart and have generally been able to build better then average decks with only average sealed pools.
Like the rest of life, being successful at sealed deck is about playing to the strengths that you have and learning from your mistakes (It also doesn't hurt to get a pool that lends itself to one stand out build). For the record, I did go 4-0-2 in the Swiss, but got hammered by Swiz in the finals by never seeing a two drop in either game (also note that in triple Eventide draft, Red-Blue on the play is amazing as it's mimic is unblockable and red has one mana removal for other mimics).
Well, until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Cube and Graveyard Recursion
Hatin on a playa cuz my lac skate 22's
Tabasco said...
“It has become apparent that graveyard strategies are too effective.”
I agree!
major_luck said...
“Maybe instead of looking for ways to add graveyard hate, we should maybe just remove some of the recursion engines to make the theme less powerful.”
I also agree with this!
The Captain said...
"I don't think that removing a newly viable drafting strategy with the cube is the right way to go…Removing the strategy (or neutering it) is too much like jumping the gun on a banning in constructed, IMO."
Also agreed!
The Captain said...
"A cube is supposed to be powerful, and I dislike things being excluded based on power level unless they are too powerful even without specific cards to interact with (lotus and recall)."
Agrrrreeeeed!
Ain’t I just a love fest! It’s hard to tell from my excerpts that those posters above had anything to disagree about. Here’s my take. I think Tabasco is correct that graveyard strategies are kinda sorta good. We DO need some recursion hosers (see below for that argument) but I don’t think that the problem should be solved by putting in objectively weaker answers in place of more powerful cards. This is kind of the obverse of The Captain’s point when he said “I dislike things being excluded based on power level unless they are too powerful.” I dislike things being excluded based on power level unless they are not powerful enough. I sometimes worry that our hate options will end up diluting the pool. But we can’t cut powerful cards! That’s anti-Cube! Well, yes and no. I don’t think the problem is really ever the power level per se (maybe The Captains’s example of Black Lotus and Ancestral Recall are exceptions, or maybe coyoeuglly’s laissez-faire attitude toward power level is the correct one, at least I won’t get into that argument today!). I do know that density can be problematic. When I say density I mean the amount of a specific sort of card or strategy relative to the overall number of cards included in the Cube. So when Green/White aggro was ripping shit up prior to our increasing the Cube to 540 cards, we didn’t cut good Green/White aggro cards. In fact, we added some awesome ones (Oversoul of Dusk, anyone?). But we did not let the Green/White multi-color cards have too many more slots than other multicolor combination, and we upped the overall card total. The result was a more balanced Cube. So I don’t think that the answer to recursion is cutting powerful cards. I think that the answer is cutting weak cards, then adding more, powerful, cards. We can trim down the amount of graveyard recursion by cutting the weakest of the recursion cards, but leaving the super-duper busted stuff intact and rife for abuse, as it should be. In its place we will need to add some graveyard hate (again, see below, I promise it’s down there), but also adding just generally good cards. Which brings me to my last point. I think we might as well wait until our Eventide additions to “fix” the amount of recursion. No ban hammer here. Green/Black reanimator may be the new Green/White aggro, but Andy (is this Swizz Dizzle Andy or some other Andy?) put it nicely when he said that there are answers to big reanimated creatures. If things get too crazy (I don’t think they will) then we’ll neuter it soon enough.
Wonda who they hatin' on lately baby it’s him
Now this is just me, but when I’m looking for graveyard hate, I’m looking for a few things. First is versatility. Basically Planar Void is really good at what it does, but it will always be a sideboard card. No one would run it main deck. A card like Stonecloaker (already in the Cube) can be a combat trick, or a body to swing with, or graveyard hate. Good job Stonecloaker! The easiest way to get around this issue is to use creatures for graveyard hate. Yes they are more vulnerable to removal. I think the trade off is worth it. Withered Wretch is an efficiently-costed beater regardless of what the graveyard situation looks like. He won’t be useless.
Next up is reusability. Both Stonecloaker and our buddy Withered Wretch are winners here. They both need to be dealt with if a recursion player wants to start up an engine, because they both have the potential to remove multiple cards from a graveyard given enough time. Now look at another card without reusability. Martyr of Bones is a dude and so can beat down (albeit not very effectively) but once you use his ability he’s done. He no longer threatens the recursion player.
Finally, I’d like to see cards with availability. What I mean by this is simple; most graveyard hate is in Black. That’s fine. But non-Black players should still have options for hosing recursion. So Eater of the Dead is versatile and reusable. But a card like Rysorian Badger at least allows Green a shot at stopping graveyard recursion. Other potential non-Black cards include; Stonecloaker, Jotun Grunt, Junktroller, Nantuko Tracer, with a special exception for Faerie Macabre, which can get in any deck. You’ll notice that some of these cards don’t remove cards from the game. Some of them put graveyard cards on the bottom of the player’s library. Another thing you might notice is that some of these cards are awful. I would never, ever include Junktroller in the Cube, or even Nantuko Tracer, which at least has a power equal to its casting cost (but is not reusable). See how hard this ends up being? But there’s one thing to keep in mind…
Sorry for no rap related subtitle: Why we need Graveyard Hate
The Cube needs graveyard RFG effects for more reasons that just graveyard recursion! Let’s take the example of Jotun Grunt, just because I know that like Rich Boy, he gets hated on. These benefits apply to any of the above creatures, however.
Jotun Grunt will remove Cube Flashback cards like Deep Analysis, Chainer’s Edict, Ancient Grudge and Firebolt before the Flashback ability can be used. Jotun Grunt neuters the Threshold abilities of cards like Werebear and Mystic Enforcer, both in the Cube. Jotun Grunt also kills the Dredge mechanic dead. No more Life from the Loam, or Golgari Grave-Troll. Jotun Grunt disrupts the techy shenanigans of Anger, Wonder and Valor, all of which are in the Cube. Finally, the Grunt hoses other kinds of non-creature recursion like Izzet Chronarch and Memory Plunder. Turns out that Jotun Grunt (or Withered Wretch, or Stonecloaker) may very well come in handy against a Red/Green opponent sporting Firebolt, Ancient Grudge and Werebear. Think on that!
Here are my graveyard hate adds:
Phyrexian Furnace- It's not a creature (and so less versatile) but the availability to all colors trumps that. Tabasco is right; it cantrips, at least.
Faerie Macabre- No reusability (and only moderate versatility- the drafter must play Black to get it as a body) but that is made up for by the wide availability. Any deck acan play this out of the board! At instant speed! For no mana!
Withered Wretch- He’s versatile. He’s (easily!) reusable. He is not available to many colors (dubs Black = frowns). But he is still the standard for creature-based graveyard hate. He will not be denied!
Dimir Doppelganger- I don’t know if this will make it in, but on both versatility and reusability this card is quite solid. The fact that the Doppelganger almost always gets an upgrade by using the ability really makes the card attractive. Keep in mind that there are likely to be some amazing creatures in the bin, given the nature of the Cube. The downside with this guy is the lack of availability to most colors. Adding Blue to the casting cost actually makes the card more restrictive than if it were in just Black. But I think the potential upside is worth it.
Jotun Grunt- Yeah, this is a pet card of mine. But at least by explaining my way of evaluating these cards the reader should be able to see why. This guy is a paragon of versatility (by my definition, at least); he’s freakin’ huge! The Grunt can be played in a beatdown deck with no threat of recursion from an opponent whatsoever. His graveyard thinning effect is reusable, and in fact, in the late game, every turn that goes by makes the Grunts even more effective at disrupting graveyard recursion! A Dredge-based deck could never allow this creature to live for longer than one upkeep. I will concede that the fact that the cumulative upkeep effect cannot be used at instant speed. This is a point against the Grunt. Finally the card is available in a color that is not Black- and that really is important! I see Jotun Grunt coming down on turns 4 through 6 in a beatdown deck (leaving up enough mana to play another spell the same turn), when it will almost certainly be guaranteed to live to swing at least once. It will be especially effective in a Boros-colored deck, with red removal that puts not only a spell in one graveyard, but a creature into another. In a more controlling deck this is a cheap threat that can be squeezed down in the late game as a win condition once the board has been swept (leaving up enough mana to play countermagic or removal at instant speed). In an Azorious-colored deck it will almost certainly swing multiple times, and allows the user to throw specific spells that are already in the graveyard back into the deck to find with the Blue or White tutors. I really like the idea of Wrathing the board, dropping Grunts, then on the first upkeep returning two instants or sorceries from the bin, to be searched out again with Mystical Tutor or Mystical Teachings. I will stop singing this card’s praises now. Either you are convinced or won’t ever be.
By the way, I was on the fence about Creakwood Ghoul, but I think in the end that he’s probably not good enough, being at five mana and not helping non-Black colors against recursion. I do like some of Tabasco’s ideas (Shred Memory/Rapid Decay/Ebony Charm, I’m on the fence on Ground Seal, I obviously approve of its not Black status) for non-creature cards as well.
Future Cube Additions
Obviously we will update our Cube with new cards as the sets come out. But we should also be looking for older cards that we have missed. There will always be judgment calls about certain debatable cards. I don’t mean them. I mean cards that we have literally forgotten about or they would have been in there. It’s a short list now, but I think these all merit inclusion. Let me know if you guys think of any others.
Glory
Psychatog
Kokusho, the Evening Star
We have discussed Masticore, but I think it could be good enough. It’s certainly better than some artifacts in there now. (I’m looking at you Serrated Arrows!)
I’m thinking we’ll probably be adding Eventide cards sometime in September, before the Shards of Alara prerelease.
CBG, Fugie, Caleb and I are headed down to Nationals this weekend. There will doubtless be updates about Michael Weston, grinders, and EDH tournaments. We’ll keep you posted. Sorry for the length of this sucker.
T
Edd Only
Sorry for bumping your post. But I cant find my phone charger which leads me to believe I left it at your house. Can you get back to me on if you are going to be either A) at the store for old fart night or B) what time you plan on being home. so i can pick it up. Phone is dead in the mean time... call my house 414 422 1181 or leave a reply
Thursday, July 24, 2008
They keep coming back.
Well after a little less than a week, the 12 man cube is alive and doing okay. I hesitate to say well, as it has become quite apparent that we have successfully nerfed green-white aggro, but have made black-x reanimator too powerful. After a short conversation with TS this morning, we agree that something needs to be done. While we do agree on what needs to happen, as usual, we disagree on how to get their. Before I get into where we differ in opinion, let me first go over what we agree on.
First, a five man draft should never be able to support two high powered reanimator decks. Second, there are too many redundant reanimation engine parts. Third, there are several very powerful pieces to the reanimation engines. And finally, there isn't much in the way of grave yard hate.
I do agree with Tabasco that we need to include more graveyard hate, but I think it should solely come at the expense of reanimation pieces. TS wants to reduce the number or redundant pieces (spells that function almost identically to other spells already in the cube). We disagree on the power level of cards to come out. I think that one or more of the high powered cards needs to exit stage right, while TS thinks that all of the high powered pieces can stay, but the redundancy needs to be thinned out. Discuss further in the comments.
Until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
First, a five man draft should never be able to support two high powered reanimator decks. Second, there are too many redundant reanimation engine parts. Third, there are several very powerful pieces to the reanimation engines. And finally, there isn't much in the way of grave yard hate.
I do agree with Tabasco that we need to include more graveyard hate, but I think it should solely come at the expense of reanimation pieces. TS wants to reduce the number or redundant pieces (spells that function almost identically to other spells already in the cube). We disagree on the power level of cards to come out. I think that one or more of the high powered cards needs to exit stage right, while TS thinks that all of the high powered pieces can stay, but the redundancy needs to be thinned out. Discuss further in the comments.
Until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
TooSarcastic's Cube Draft List v3.0
WHITE
Academy Rector
Aegis of Honor
Adarkar Valkyrie
Ajani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Armageddon
Armored Ascension
Arrest
Austere Command
Aven Mindcensor
Aven Riftwatcher
Balance
Blade of the Sixth Pride
Blazing Archon
Calciderm
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Cloudchaser Kestrel
Condemn
Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Crusade
Descendant of Kiyomaro
Disenchant
Divine Offering
Empyrial Armor
Enduring Renewal
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Faith's Fetters
Feudkiller's Verdict
Galepowder Mage
Genju of the Fields
Ghostly Prison
Glorious Anthem
Goldmeadow Harrier
Griffin Guide
Humility
Icatian Javelineers
Idyllic Tutor
Jareth, Leonine Titan
Kami of Ancient Law
Kataki, War's Wage
Knight of Meadowgrain
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Kinsbaile Cavalier
Longbow Archer
Mirror Entity
Momentary Blink
Mother of Runes
Oblivion Ring
Order of the White Shield
Order of Whiteclay
Pacifism
Paladin en-Vec
Pariah
Prison Term
Radiant's Dragoons
Replenish
Reveillark
Reya Dawnbringer
Rule of Law
Sacred Mesa
Samurai of the Pale Curtain
Savannah Lions
Soltari Priest
Soul Warden
Spectral Procession
Stonecloaker
Stonehewer Giant
Story Circle
Swords to Plowshares
Temporal Isolation
Twilight Shepherd
Valor
White Knight
White Shield Crusader
Windborn Muse
Wing Shards
Wrath of God
Yosei, the Morning Star
BLUE
Aeon Chronicler
Aquamoeba
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Court Hussar
Body Double
Boomerang
Braingeyser
Brainstorm
Brine Elemental
Capsize
Clone
Collective Restraint
Compulsive Research
Confiscate
Consign to Dream
Control Magic
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Cunning Wish
Deep Analysis
Desertion
Dissipate
Drift of Phantasms
Evacuation
Fact or Fiction
Fathom Seer
Force of Will
Force Spike
Frantic Search
Gifts Ungiven
Guile
Hydroblast
Impulse
Jace Beleren
Keiga, the Tide Star
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Looter il-Kor
Magus of the Future
Mana Drain
Mana Leak
Man-o'-War
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Memory Lapse
Merchant Scroll
Merfolk Looter
Mulldrifter
Mystical Teachings
Mystical Tutor
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ophidian
Pestermite
Ponder
Propaganda
Psionic Blast
Ray of Command
Remand
Repeal
Repulse
Riftwing Cloudskate
Rhystic Study
Rushing River
Spell Snare
Spiketail Hatchling
Surgespanner
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Thieving Magpie
Threads of Disloyalty
Tidespout Tyrant
Tidings
Time Walk
Tinker
Trinket Mage
Unstable Mutation
Vendilion Clique
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Voidmage Prodigy
Waterfront Bouncer
Willbender
Wonder
BLACK
Animate Dead
Augur of Skulls
Avatar of Woe
Bad Moon
Beacon of Unrest
Bitterblossom
Black Knight
Bone Shredder
Braids, Cabal Minion
Chainer's Edict
Carnophage
Corpse Dance
Corrupt
Crypt Rats
Damnation
Dark Confidant
Dark Ritual
Darkblast
Dauthi Horror
Dauthi Slayer
Decree of Pain
Diabolic Edict
Diabolic Servitude
Duress
Entomb
Eyeblight's Ending
Festering Goblin
Funeral Charm
Graveborn Muse
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
Hatred
Hymn to Tourach
Hypnotic Specter
Incremental Blight
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Knight of Stromgald
Liliana Vess
Living Death
Lord of the Undead
Magus of the Abyss
Makeshift Mannequin
Midnight Banshee
Mind Twist
Nameless Inversion
Nantuko Husk
Necromancy
Necropotence
Nefashu
Nezumi Graverobber
Night of Souls' Betrayal
Nihilith
Null Profusion
Okiba-Gang Shinobi
Oona's Prowler
Paralyze
Persecute
Pestilence
Phyrexian Arena
Plague Sliver
Priest of Gix
Profane Command
Reanimate
Rend Flesh
Sarcomancy
Shriekmaw
Skeletal Scrying
Skeletal Vampire
Skittering Skirge
Slaughter Pact
Smallpox
Smother
Stromgald Crusader
Sudden Death
Tendrils of Corruption
Terror
Thoughtseize
Twisted Abomination
Undead Warchief
Visara the Dreadful
RED
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Ancient Grudge
Anger
Avalanche Riders
Ball Lightning
Blood Knight
Bogardan Hellkite
Boom // Bust
Chandra Nalaar
Countryside Crusher
Dead // Gone
Demonfire
Earthquake
Empty the Warrens
Fiery Temper
Fire Imp
Fireblast
Firebolt
Flame Fusillade
Flame Javelin
Flamebreak
Flametongue Kavu
Fork
Gathan Raiders
Ghostfire
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Matron
Goblin Recruiter
Godo, Bandit Warlord
Gorilla Shaman
Grapeshot
Greater Gargadon
Grinning Ignus
Guerrilla Tactics
Hearth Kami
Hostility
Incinerate
Insurrection
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Jokulhaups
Kamahl, Pit Fighter
Keldon Marauders
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Kird Ape
Knollspine Dragon
Knollspine Invocation
Lash Out
Lava Hounds
Lightning Bolt
Magma Jet
Magus of the Arena
Magus of the Scroll
Mana Flare
Mogg Fanatic
Mogg War Marshal
Molten Rain
Orcish Lumberjack
Pandemonium
Pyroblast
Pyroclasm
Reckless Wurm
Rolling Thunder
Ryusei, the Falling Star
Seal of Fire
Shard Phoenix
Shivan Hellkite
Shock
Siege-Gang Commander
Squee, Goblin Nabob
Sudden Shock
Sulfur Elemental
Tarfire
Taurean Mauler
Thundermare
Tin Street Hooligan
Threaten
Tribal Flames
Wheel of Fortune
Wildfire
Word of Seizing
GREEN
Arrogant Wurm
Basking Rootwalla
Berserk
Birds of Paradise
Blanchwood Armor
Briarhorn
Call of the Herd
Caller of the Claw
Carven Caryatid
Civic Wayfinder
Chameleon Colossus
Channel
Chord of Calling
Cloudthresher
Cream of the Crop
Crop Rotation
Defense of the Heart
Devoted Druid
Essence Warden
Eternal Witness
Exploration
Fertile Ground
Fyndhorn Elves
Gaea’s Anthem
Garruk Wildspeaker
Giant Growth
Golgari Grave-Troll
Harmonize
Harrow
Hystrodon
Imperious Perfect
Indrik Stomphowler
Kodama of the North Tree
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Grip
Life from the Loam
Living Wish
Llanowar Elves
Might of Oaks
Mirri, Cat Warrior
Moldervine Cloak
Naturalize
Overrun
Phantom Centaur
Plow Under
Primal Command
Prismatic Omen
Protean Hulk
Quirion Ranger
Rancor
Regrowth
River Boa
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Saproling Burst
Scryb Ranger
Seal of Primordium
Seedborn Muse
Simian Grunts
Squall Line
Spawnwrithe
Spectral Force
Spidersilk Armor
Survival of the Fittest
Sylvan Scrying
Tarmogoyf
Thelonite Hermit
Tooth and Nail
Tower Above
Troll Ascetic
Uktabi Orangutan
Verdant Force
Vinelasher Kudzu
Viridian Shaman
Wall of Blossoms
Wall of Roots
Weatherseed Treefolk
Werebear
Wild Mongrel
Wood Elves
MULTICOLORED
Æthertow
Angel of Despair
Armadillo Cloak
Ashenmoor Liege
Azorius Guildmage
Boartusk Liege
Boggart Ram-Gang
Brion Stoutarm
Burning-Tree Shaman
Debtors' Knell
Desolation Giant
Doran, the Siege Tower
Electrolyze
Fiery Justice
Fire//Ice
Firemane Angel
Firespout
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Goblin Legionnaire
Grave-Shell Scarab
Izzet Chronarch
Kitchen Finks
Lightning Angel
Lightning Helix
Loxodon Hierarch
Memory Plunder
Mirrorweave
Mortify
Murderous Redcap
Mystic Enforcer
Mystic Snake
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Oversoul of Dusk
Pernicious Deed
Putrefy
Rakdos Guildmage
Recoil
Savage Twister
Selesnya Guildmage
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Silkbind Faerie
Simic Sky Swallower
Stormbind
Suffocating Blast
Sygg, River Cutthroat
Teferi's Moat
Temporal Spring
Terminate
Trygon Predator
Vindicate
Void
Vulturous Zombie
Zur the Enchanter
ARTIFACTS
Azorius Signet
Bosh, Iron Golem
Bottle Gnomes
Coalition Relic
Crystal Shard
Cursed Scroll
Dimir Signet
Duplicant
Fellwar Stone
Gilded Lotus
Golgari Signet
Grim Poppet
Gruul Signet
Icy Manipulator
Izzet Signet
Juggernaut
Lightning Greaves
Lotus Petal
Loxodon Warhammer
Mox Diamond
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Nevinyrral's Disk
Orzhov Signet
Pithing Needle
Platinum Angel
Rakdos Signet
Razormane Masticore
Scroll Rack
Selesnya Signet
Sensei's Divining Top
Serrated Arrows
Simic Signet
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Solemn Simulacrum
Sundering Titan
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Tormod's Crypt
Triskelion
Umezawa's Jitte
LANDS
Academy Ruins
Azorius Chancery
Badlands
Bayou
Bazaar of Baghdad
Blood Crypt
Boros Garrison
Breeding Pool
Dimir Aqueduct
Godless Shrine
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Hallowed Fountain
Izzet Boilerworks
Library of Alexandria
Murmuring Bosk
Mutavault
Orzhov Basilica
Overgrown Tomb
Plateau
Rakdos Carnarium
Sacred Foundry
Savannah
Scrubland
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber
Steam Vents
Stomping Ground
Strip Mine
Taiga
Temple Garden
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolarian Academy
Tropical Island
Tundra
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
Volrath's Stronghold
Watery Grave
Wasteland
Notes:
THE MOVE TO 540 CARDS
After hosting a 12 man event last weekend I am heartily glad that we increased the size of the Cube. It adds to the variation of the drafting experience, and the over all power level has actually increased (in part because of proxies, see below). I think that an 8 person Cube is the best starting number and a good number overall, but going up to a 12 person Cube is worth it if people are willing to invest the time and cards to do it well. If we make the decision to go to a 16 person Cube I will likely relinquish stewardship to another responsible party. I want no part in counting, sorting, alphabetizing, typing, linking, and keeping track of ownership for 720 Goddamned cards. 540 is a great number for drafting, but it took me over six hours just to add the NEW cards to this list.
PROXIES
Yeah, we're proxying, and I would advocate the practice for anyone who wants to use Power in their Cube. In addition to our inclusions of Power, are also proxying Bazaar of Baghadad and Library of Alexandria. Honestly I would not go too proxy crazy with a Cube because fun Cubes can be assembled without really expensive cards, and each Cube should have its own flavor that reflects its ownership. Our Cube seems to have acquired quite an Elder Dragon Highlander feel, without the multiplayer aspect, obviously. In fact I'd describe it like EDH for Limited, if that makes any sense.
POWER
After much discussion we included some. We have Time Walk and the Moxen. The others were excluded for being too broken (i.e. Black Lotus) or too weak (i.e. Timetwister). So far this has worked out for us. It seems unlikely that any but the most die hard Magic geeks would put real Power into a Cube, but if you can afford to, God bless you.
BALANCE
We made efforts to balance out aggro strategies with more controlling cards. I think we have been mostly successful. I think the pendulum may need to swing a little back toward aggro, because I haven't seen a successful pure aggro deck thus far (Pseudonymous Drama Student's Mono Red Deck last night came pretty close). Midrange tempo or combo variants seem very powerful, and true control decks are possible but don't seem overwhelmingly great. I am getting a feeling (I haven't yet counted) we need to increase the ratio of creature to noncreature spells. This is something I'll be keeping at eye on for the future. I have also pushed for more Goblins, simply because the Cube is now 50% larger and we actually took Goblins out during the expansion. In my opinion there should be enough of them to make them the one really dangerous linear strategy in this Cube. People should need to make decisions about hating (objectively) less powerful Goblin cards in case one person at the table is drafting the awesome Goblin deck. We'll see. I might be overruled on this issue.
THE NAME
I would bet that not even half of the cards in the Cube are even mine anymore, so I dithered about as to whether to give it my name. I decided that only way to make the name sound more communal would be to name it after the Blog. Which shares a name with its creator. Who has made it clear that he is really, really not a fan of events that have included the Cube. So I just kept the old name, not out of hubris (well, okay, a little hubris!) but so that it wouldn't seem like some sort of sarcastic joke on Fugie. He's got it tough enough as it is.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Without the incisive insight of Tabasco and The Captain we'd still have an un-Powered 8 person Cube and I'd be sitting in my room wondering why nobody wants to play with it. Thanks for the harassment, the help, and the cards! We could've called it the Tabastictain Cube or something if that didn't sound disgusting. Whatever, you get the idea.
Thanks to Harry Potter, Major_Luck, and everyone else who added cool foils or foreign cards. You know it looks great now.
Thanks to Pseudonymous Drama Student for the foil land, and for the advice. He told me, "Every card in this Cube has a purpose. You need some cards that make people ask, 'What is THAT doing in here?!'"
Thanks to everyone else who has helped "test" and generally been involved in the process. I hope it's been fun. We'll be talking about Eventide additions soon, and any card suggestions (old or new) are welcome in the comments!
My next project is updating the Owners Database, then returning cards that have been cut to their rightful owners. I promise, I am going to be working on it!
T
Academy Rector
Aegis of Honor
Adarkar Valkyrie
Ajani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Armageddon
Armored Ascension
Arrest
Austere Command
Aven Mindcensor
Aven Riftwatcher
Balance
Blade of the Sixth Pride
Blazing Archon
Calciderm
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Cloudchaser Kestrel
Condemn
Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Crusade
Descendant of Kiyomaro
Disenchant
Divine Offering
Empyrial Armor
Enduring Renewal
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Faith's Fetters
Feudkiller's Verdict
Galepowder Mage
Genju of the Fields
Ghostly Prison
Glorious Anthem
Goldmeadow Harrier
Griffin Guide
Humility
Icatian Javelineers
Idyllic Tutor
Jareth, Leonine Titan
Kami of Ancient Law
Kataki, War's Wage
Knight of Meadowgrain
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Kinsbaile Cavalier
Longbow Archer
Mirror Entity
Momentary Blink
Mother of Runes
Oblivion Ring
Order of the White Shield
Order of Whiteclay
Pacifism
Paladin en-Vec
Pariah
Prison Term
Radiant's Dragoons
Replenish
Reveillark
Reya Dawnbringer
Rule of Law
Sacred Mesa
Samurai of the Pale Curtain
Savannah Lions
Soltari Priest
Soul Warden
Spectral Procession
Stonecloaker
Stonehewer Giant
Story Circle
Swords to Plowshares
Temporal Isolation
Twilight Shepherd
Valor
White Knight
White Shield Crusader
Windborn Muse
Wing Shards
Wrath of God
Yosei, the Morning Star
BLUE
Aeon Chronicler
Aquamoeba
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Court Hussar
Body Double
Boomerang
Braingeyser
Brainstorm
Brine Elemental
Capsize
Clone
Collective Restraint
Compulsive Research
Confiscate
Consign to Dream
Control Magic
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Cunning Wish
Deep Analysis
Desertion
Dissipate
Drift of Phantasms
Evacuation
Fact or Fiction
Fathom Seer
Force of Will
Force Spike
Frantic Search
Gifts Ungiven
Guile
Hydroblast
Impulse
Jace Beleren
Keiga, the Tide Star
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Looter il-Kor
Magus of the Future
Mana Drain
Mana Leak
Man-o'-War
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Memory Lapse
Merchant Scroll
Merfolk Looter
Mulldrifter
Mystical Teachings
Mystical Tutor
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ophidian
Pestermite
Ponder
Propaganda
Psionic Blast
Ray of Command
Remand
Repeal
Repulse
Riftwing Cloudskate
Rhystic Study
Rushing River
Spell Snare
Spiketail Hatchling
Surgespanner
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Thieving Magpie
Threads of Disloyalty
Tidespout Tyrant
Tidings
Time Walk
Tinker
Trinket Mage
Unstable Mutation
Vendilion Clique
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Voidmage Prodigy
Waterfront Bouncer
Willbender
Wonder
BLACK
Animate Dead
Augur of Skulls
Avatar of Woe
Bad Moon
Beacon of Unrest
Bitterblossom
Black Knight
Bone Shredder
Braids, Cabal Minion
Chainer's Edict
Carnophage
Corpse Dance
Corrupt
Crypt Rats
Damnation
Dark Confidant
Dark Ritual
Darkblast
Dauthi Horror
Dauthi Slayer
Decree of Pain
Diabolic Edict
Diabolic Servitude
Duress
Entomb
Eyeblight's Ending
Festering Goblin
Funeral Charm
Graveborn Muse
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
Hatred
Hymn to Tourach
Hypnotic Specter
Incremental Blight
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Knight of Stromgald
Liliana Vess
Living Death
Lord of the Undead
Magus of the Abyss
Makeshift Mannequin
Midnight Banshee
Mind Twist
Nameless Inversion
Nantuko Husk
Necromancy
Necropotence
Nefashu
Nezumi Graverobber
Night of Souls' Betrayal
Nihilith
Null Profusion
Okiba-Gang Shinobi
Oona's Prowler
Paralyze
Persecute
Pestilence
Phyrexian Arena
Plague Sliver
Priest of Gix
Profane Command
Reanimate
Rend Flesh
Sarcomancy
Shriekmaw
Skeletal Scrying
Skeletal Vampire
Skittering Skirge
Slaughter Pact
Smallpox
Smother
Stromgald Crusader
Sudden Death
Tendrils of Corruption
Terror
Thoughtseize
Twisted Abomination
Undead Warchief
Visara the Dreadful
RED
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Ancient Grudge
Anger
Avalanche Riders
Ball Lightning
Blood Knight
Bogardan Hellkite
Boom // Bust
Chandra Nalaar
Countryside Crusher
Dead // Gone
Demonfire
Earthquake
Empty the Warrens
Fiery Temper
Fire Imp
Fireblast
Firebolt
Flame Fusillade
Flame Javelin
Flamebreak
Flametongue Kavu
Fork
Gathan Raiders
Ghostfire
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Matron
Goblin Recruiter
Godo, Bandit Warlord
Gorilla Shaman
Grapeshot
Greater Gargadon
Grinning Ignus
Guerrilla Tactics
Hearth Kami
Hostility
Incinerate
Insurrection
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Jokulhaups
Kamahl, Pit Fighter
Keldon Marauders
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Kird Ape
Knollspine Dragon
Knollspine Invocation
Lash Out
Lava Hounds
Lightning Bolt
Magma Jet
Magus of the Arena
Magus of the Scroll
Mana Flare
Mogg Fanatic
Mogg War Marshal
Molten Rain
Orcish Lumberjack
Pandemonium
Pyroblast
Pyroclasm
Reckless Wurm
Rolling Thunder
Ryusei, the Falling Star
Seal of Fire
Shard Phoenix
Shivan Hellkite
Shock
Siege-Gang Commander
Squee, Goblin Nabob
Sudden Shock
Sulfur Elemental
Tarfire
Taurean Mauler
Thundermare
Tin Street Hooligan
Threaten
Tribal Flames
Wheel of Fortune
Wildfire
Word of Seizing
GREEN
Arrogant Wurm
Basking Rootwalla
Berserk
Birds of Paradise
Blanchwood Armor
Briarhorn
Call of the Herd
Caller of the Claw
Carven Caryatid
Civic Wayfinder
Chameleon Colossus
Channel
Chord of Calling
Cloudthresher
Cream of the Crop
Crop Rotation
Defense of the Heart
Devoted Druid
Essence Warden
Eternal Witness
Exploration
Fertile Ground
Fyndhorn Elves
Gaea’s Anthem
Garruk Wildspeaker
Giant Growth
Golgari Grave-Troll
Harmonize
Harrow
Hystrodon
Imperious Perfect
Indrik Stomphowler
Kodama of the North Tree
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Grip
Life from the Loam
Living Wish
Llanowar Elves
Might of Oaks
Mirri, Cat Warrior
Moldervine Cloak
Naturalize
Overrun
Phantom Centaur
Plow Under
Primal Command
Prismatic Omen
Protean Hulk
Quirion Ranger
Rancor
Regrowth
River Boa
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Saproling Burst
Scryb Ranger
Seal of Primordium
Seedborn Muse
Simian Grunts
Squall Line
Spawnwrithe
Spectral Force
Spidersilk Armor
Survival of the Fittest
Sylvan Scrying
Tarmogoyf
Thelonite Hermit
Tooth and Nail
Tower Above
Troll Ascetic
Uktabi Orangutan
Verdant Force
Vinelasher Kudzu
Viridian Shaman
Wall of Blossoms
Wall of Roots
Weatherseed Treefolk
Werebear
Wild Mongrel
Wood Elves
MULTICOLORED
Æthertow
Angel of Despair
Armadillo Cloak
Ashenmoor Liege
Azorius Guildmage
Boartusk Liege
Boggart Ram-Gang
Brion Stoutarm
Burning-Tree Shaman
Debtors' Knell
Desolation Giant
Doran, the Siege Tower
Electrolyze
Fiery Justice
Fire//Ice
Firemane Angel
Firespout
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Goblin Legionnaire
Grave-Shell Scarab
Izzet Chronarch
Kitchen Finks
Lightning Angel
Lightning Helix
Loxodon Hierarch
Memory Plunder
Mirrorweave
Mortify
Murderous Redcap
Mystic Enforcer
Mystic Snake
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Oversoul of Dusk
Pernicious Deed
Putrefy
Rakdos Guildmage
Recoil
Savage Twister
Selesnya Guildmage
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Silkbind Faerie
Simic Sky Swallower
Stormbind
Suffocating Blast
Sygg, River Cutthroat
Teferi's Moat
Temporal Spring
Terminate
Trygon Predator
Vindicate
Void
Vulturous Zombie
Zur the Enchanter
ARTIFACTS
Azorius Signet
Bosh, Iron Golem
Bottle Gnomes
Coalition Relic
Crystal Shard
Cursed Scroll
Dimir Signet
Duplicant
Fellwar Stone
Gilded Lotus
Golgari Signet
Grim Poppet
Gruul Signet
Icy Manipulator
Izzet Signet
Juggernaut
Lightning Greaves
Lotus Petal
Loxodon Warhammer
Mox Diamond
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Nevinyrral's Disk
Orzhov Signet
Pithing Needle
Platinum Angel
Rakdos Signet
Razormane Masticore
Scroll Rack
Selesnya Signet
Sensei's Divining Top
Serrated Arrows
Simic Signet
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Solemn Simulacrum
Sundering Titan
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Tormod's Crypt
Triskelion
Umezawa's Jitte
LANDS
Academy Ruins
Azorius Chancery
Badlands
Bayou
Bazaar of Baghdad
Blood Crypt
Boros Garrison
Breeding Pool
Dimir Aqueduct
Godless Shrine
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Hallowed Fountain
Izzet Boilerworks
Library of Alexandria
Murmuring Bosk
Mutavault
Orzhov Basilica
Overgrown Tomb
Plateau
Rakdos Carnarium
Sacred Foundry
Savannah
Scrubland
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber
Steam Vents
Stomping Ground
Strip Mine
Taiga
Temple Garden
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolarian Academy
Tropical Island
Tundra
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
Volrath's Stronghold
Watery Grave
Wasteland
Notes:
THE MOVE TO 540 CARDS
After hosting a 12 man event last weekend I am heartily glad that we increased the size of the Cube. It adds to the variation of the drafting experience, and the over all power level has actually increased (in part because of proxies, see below). I think that an 8 person Cube is the best starting number and a good number overall, but going up to a 12 person Cube is worth it if people are willing to invest the time and cards to do it well. If we make the decision to go to a 16 person Cube I will likely relinquish stewardship to another responsible party. I want no part in counting, sorting, alphabetizing, typing, linking, and keeping track of ownership for 720 Goddamned cards. 540 is a great number for drafting, but it took me over six hours just to add the NEW cards to this list.
PROXIES
Yeah, we're proxying, and I would advocate the practice for anyone who wants to use Power in their Cube. In addition to our inclusions of Power, are also proxying Bazaar of Baghadad and Library of Alexandria. Honestly I would not go too proxy crazy with a Cube because fun Cubes can be assembled without really expensive cards, and each Cube should have its own flavor that reflects its ownership. Our Cube seems to have acquired quite an Elder Dragon Highlander feel, without the multiplayer aspect, obviously. In fact I'd describe it like EDH for Limited, if that makes any sense.
POWER
After much discussion we included some. We have Time Walk and the Moxen. The others were excluded for being too broken (i.e. Black Lotus) or too weak (i.e. Timetwister). So far this has worked out for us. It seems unlikely that any but the most die hard Magic geeks would put real Power into a Cube, but if you can afford to, God bless you.
BALANCE
We made efforts to balance out aggro strategies with more controlling cards. I think we have been mostly successful. I think the pendulum may need to swing a little back toward aggro, because I haven't seen a successful pure aggro deck thus far (Pseudonymous Drama Student's Mono Red Deck last night came pretty close). Midrange tempo or combo variants seem very powerful, and true control decks are possible but don't seem overwhelmingly great. I am getting a feeling (I haven't yet counted) we need to increase the ratio of creature to noncreature spells. This is something I'll be keeping at eye on for the future. I have also pushed for more Goblins, simply because the Cube is now 50% larger and we actually took Goblins out during the expansion. In my opinion there should be enough of them to make them the one really dangerous linear strategy in this Cube. People should need to make decisions about hating (objectively) less powerful Goblin cards in case one person at the table is drafting the awesome Goblin deck. We'll see. I might be overruled on this issue.
THE NAME
I would bet that not even half of the cards in the Cube are even mine anymore, so I dithered about as to whether to give it my name. I decided that only way to make the name sound more communal would be to name it after the Blog. Which shares a name with its creator. Who has made it clear that he is really, really not a fan of events that have included the Cube. So I just kept the old name, not out of hubris (well, okay, a little hubris!) but so that it wouldn't seem like some sort of sarcastic joke on Fugie. He's got it tough enough as it is.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Without the incisive insight of Tabasco and The Captain we'd still have an un-Powered 8 person Cube and I'd be sitting in my room wondering why nobody wants to play with it. Thanks for the harassment, the help, and the cards! We could've called it the Tabastictain Cube or something if that didn't sound disgusting. Whatever, you get the idea.
Thanks to Harry Potter, Major_Luck, and everyone else who added cool foils or foreign cards. You know it looks great now.
Thanks to Pseudonymous Drama Student for the foil land, and for the advice. He told me, "Every card in this Cube has a purpose. You need some cards that make people ask, 'What is THAT doing in here?!'"
Thanks to everyone else who has helped "test" and generally been involved in the process. I hope it's been fun. We'll be talking about Eventide additions soon, and any card suggestions (old or new) are welcome in the comments!
My next project is updating the Owners Database, then returning cards that have been cut to their rightful owners. I promise, I am going to be working on it!
T
Monday, July 21, 2008
Draftstravaganza III: Legend of the Cube- Recap!
Brunch!
Very soon we will have an updated Cube list, possibly tonight, if my wife doesn't kill me for spending all my leisure time writing about Magical faeries and such. In the meantime, I want to briefly discuss the Draftstravaganza.
In a wonderful coincidence, Saturday stayed cool AND cloudy/rainy all day, making other summer activities less palatable. That and a late invite out on Facebook netted a surprising number of brunchers and drafters. All told, we had in attendance 13 drafters, two wives and a child, although the latter were mostly there for the food and conversation (whatever!). Since 12 (we gained Bagha midway through the first draft to make 13 total) was way too many to Rotisserie anything, we decided to Cube first. We did 2 six man pods for three rounds each. Then, after several hours, we decided to draft the Cube again, as a 10 man pod. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this iteration of the Cube is about 200 zillion times more fun than the last one, as evidenced by the fact that we drafted Cube for 9 hours straight and not a single person wanted to play another format, the fact that nobody appeared too disapointed with the card pool (although there a few cards placed gently on the chopping block midway through) and I have received uniformly rave reviews since. For those of you who couldn't make it, it was fun. I mean, REALLY fun. These stupid plays, among others, were witnessed.
Jonathan made a 3 card infinite turn combo with Time Walk, Izzet Chronarch and Crystal Shard. I know he won at least two games with it. I guess you can't keep a good EDH idea down.
I heard Swizz Dizzle say (twice, to two different opponents) that he had no creatures left in his library- and then played Living Death! He had a nice little combo with Survival of the Fittest going.
I definitely got hit by Okiba Gang Shinobi- and "discarded" Reckless Wurm and Fiery Temper.
Jonathon also hit me with a turn 2 Hymn to Tourach and I had to ditch a Thundermare and a land. He then promptly cast Necromancy on the Mare turn 3 and swung with his hasty 5/5. Game two of that match saw Jonathon with FIVE enchantments on his side of the board; Exploration, Phyrexian Arena, Gaea's Anthem, Bitterblossom and Null Profusion. Yeah, he got there, even though he drew all but four cards from his library.
Bobby Hill Was playing a deck with Niv-Mizzet, Rhystic Study, Sensei's Divining Top and Force of Will. He won the pod, I think.
Tabasco totally played a turn 5 hardcast Sundering Titan against me, destroying three of my four lands. I also had a fifth land and Plow Under in hand, just waiting to make him pick up his bounce land. Imagine, this is a Limited format where turn 5 Plow Under (at least on the draw) is really just too slow!
My best play all day was when Sean resolved a turn seven Oona, Queen of the Fae against me. Turn six he had cast Guile, and he had some other beaters out too. I had taken the lead early with a morphed Thelonite Hermit that got in there twice. Now all I had was the unmorphed Hermit and his three tokens. Sean had tapped out to play Oona. I play... Mirrorweave on Guile! Swing with four Guiles, you can block one, so take 18 thanx.
There was a rumor that somebody over in the other pod got a turn 1 kill, but I may have been mistaken, let me know in the comments.
In a wonderful coincidence, Saturday stayed cool AND cloudy/rainy all day, making other summer activities less palatable. That and a late invite out on Facebook netted a surprising number of brunchers and drafters. All told, we had in attendance 13 drafters, two wives and a child, although the latter were mostly there for the food and conversation (whatever!). Since 12 (we gained Bagha midway through the first draft to make 13 total) was way too many to Rotisserie anything, we decided to Cube first. We did 2 six man pods for three rounds each. Then, after several hours, we decided to draft the Cube again, as a 10 man pod. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this iteration of the Cube is about 200 zillion times more fun than the last one, as evidenced by the fact that we drafted Cube for 9 hours straight and not a single person wanted to play another format, the fact that nobody appeared too disapointed with the card pool (although there a few cards placed gently on the chopping block midway through) and I have received uniformly rave reviews since. For those of you who couldn't make it, it was fun. I mean, REALLY fun. These stupid plays, among others, were witnessed.
Jonathan made a 3 card infinite turn combo with Time Walk, Izzet Chronarch and Crystal Shard. I know he won at least two games with it. I guess you can't keep a good EDH idea down.
I heard Swizz Dizzle say (twice, to two different opponents) that he had no creatures left in his library- and then played Living Death! He had a nice little combo with Survival of the Fittest going.
I definitely got hit by Okiba Gang Shinobi- and "discarded" Reckless Wurm and Fiery Temper.
Jonathon also hit me with a turn 2 Hymn to Tourach and I had to ditch a Thundermare and a land. He then promptly cast Necromancy on the Mare turn 3 and swung with his hasty 5/5. Game two of that match saw Jonathon with FIVE enchantments on his side of the board; Exploration, Phyrexian Arena, Gaea's Anthem, Bitterblossom and Null Profusion. Yeah, he got there, even though he drew all but four cards from his library.
Bobby Hill Was playing a deck with Niv-Mizzet, Rhystic Study, Sensei's Divining Top and Force of Will. He won the pod, I think.
Tabasco totally played a turn 5 hardcast Sundering Titan against me, destroying three of my four lands. I also had a fifth land and Plow Under in hand, just waiting to make him pick up his bounce land. Imagine, this is a Limited format where turn 5 Plow Under (at least on the draw) is really just too slow!
My best play all day was when Sean resolved a turn seven Oona, Queen of the Fae against me. Turn six he had cast Guile, and he had some other beaters out too. I had taken the lead early with a morphed Thelonite Hermit that got in there twice. Now all I had was the unmorphed Hermit and his three tokens. Sean had tapped out to play Oona. I play... Mirrorweave on Guile! Swing with four Guiles, you can block one, so take 18 thanx.
There was a rumor that somebody over in the other pod got a turn 1 kill, but I may have been mistaken, let me know in the comments.
Tabasco watches Pseudonymous Drama Student play Rhyno.
Major_Luck tunes his deck at the end of the round, while Rhyno battles on.
Conn and a blurry Jonathon play at blinding speed (heh)! In the background is Tabasco.
Swizz Dizzle guards the prize packs while Jonathon plays in the background.
Major_Luck, Swizz Dizzle.
Tony and Swizz, playing.
Harry Potter and Bagha look like they were up a little late last night.I will be at Game Universe this Friday (Don't even know/care if it's Standard or Draft down there). I will be bringing the Cube for an afterdraft. You really should come.
T
Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday is the best day
Those of you who missed the bike race yesterday are sorry. It was awesome. Let's do it again next year, but more so.
----
Girl Talk is coming to Turner Hall Ballroom in November. All tickets $15. Performance in the round. As in, dude is going to be in the middle of the dance floor. Presale tix go on sale July 21. Yes I will be in Alaska. Thank goodness for TooSarcastic.
----
I have no magical content. Michael Weston appears to be coming along nicely without me. Glittering Wish is the cream of the tech.
----
Girl Talk is coming to Turner Hall Ballroom in November. All tickets $15. Performance in the round. As in, dude is going to be in the middle of the dance floor. Presale tix go on sale July 21. Yes I will be in Alaska. Thank goodness for TooSarcastic.
----
I have no magical content. Michael Weston appears to be coming along nicely without me. Glittering Wish is the cream of the tech.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Draftstravaganza 3 update
The first draft will be Ravnica Rotisserie (buyin=1 pack of anything). I have confirmed the existence of the complete set. I even got an extra Chorus of the Conclave, which might be added to the "prize" pool. Maybe last place could get some love.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Draft from T1 tourney
So we had a six man going after we dropped from the Vintage main event (just a side draft nothing was in for prizes besides rares)
This is probably the most ridiculous draft deck I have drafted as for speed:
3 Intimidator Initiate
1 Rustrazor Butcher
1 Devoted Druid
2 Tattermunge Witch
1 Mudbrawler Cohort
1 Bloodmark mentor
2 Power of Fire
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Hungry Spriggen
1 Gloomwidow
1 Flame Javelin
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Sootwalkers
1 Mudbrawler Raiders
2 Wildslayer Elves
2 Crabapple Cohort
1 Jaws of Stone
10 Mountain
7 Forest
I went 3-0 only dropping one game to a U/W deck with multiple Ballynock Cohorts. Other players of skill in this draft were Jamison and Rhyno, the other three were average players. I beat Rhyno in the finals after getting paired down while Rhyno battled Jamison in round 2. Jamison's Deck was pretty sick with such bombs as: Grim Poppet, Thistledown Liege, Swans of Bryn Argoll, and other rares like Order of Whiteclay and Mystic Gate. Other rares of value in the pool were a Mirrorweave and 2 Vexing Shushers. It was pretty Bombtastic. Oddly enough no one had black as their main color, the decks were R/G (me), R/g (Rhyno), U/W/b (Jamison), G/W (nub 1) G/W/b (nub 2) and U/W (nub 3)
This is probably the most ridiculous draft deck I have drafted as for speed:
3 Intimidator Initiate
1 Rustrazor Butcher
1 Devoted Druid
2 Tattermunge Witch
1 Mudbrawler Cohort
1 Bloodmark mentor
2 Power of Fire
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Hungry Spriggen
1 Gloomwidow
1 Flame Javelin
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Sootwalkers
1 Mudbrawler Raiders
2 Wildslayer Elves
2 Crabapple Cohort
1 Jaws of Stone
10 Mountain
7 Forest
I went 3-0 only dropping one game to a U/W deck with multiple Ballynock Cohorts. Other players of skill in this draft were Jamison and Rhyno, the other three were average players. I beat Rhyno in the finals after getting paired down while Rhyno battled Jamison in round 2. Jamison's Deck was pretty sick with such bombs as: Grim Poppet, Thistledown Liege, Swans of Bryn Argoll, and other rares like Order of Whiteclay and Mystic Gate. Other rares of value in the pool were a Mirrorweave and 2 Vexing Shushers. It was pretty Bombtastic. Oddly enough no one had black as their main color, the decks were R/G (me), R/g (Rhyno), U/W/b (Jamison), G/W (nub 1) G/W/b (nub 2) and U/W (nub 3)
Soo tired...
Last night The Captain, Tabasco and I spent four hours collecting, compiling and editing the newest version of our Cube. We decided to go with 540 cards and just make some cuts when we add Eventide later on. I wish I had a list ready to go for everyone, but I would have been up all night. I went with the theory that some sleep is better than no sleep. Judging by how I feel this morning I'm not so sure. I wish I could tell you that we got wild and crazy with all sort of liquor and hookers but the process was one of sober calculation, collaboration, and occasional ridicule. I will attempt to post the Cube 3.0 list prior to Draftstravaganza 3: Legend of the Cube, for obvious reasons.
In the meantime, we are still looking for a few cards: Masticore (the elder), Diamond Valley (heh), and oddly, Demigod of Revenge. The ones I had got stolen at Nats along with a shitload of other Shadowmoor rares. We were still looking for The Captain's Tooth and Nail and his Decree of Pain at the end of the night too. If you have any of these cards and are willing to lend them to the Cube, we'd be much obliged. I think you'll find this iteration more powerful and larger, just like Tabasco promised.
T
Lightning Bug vs. Firefly- fight!
In the meantime, we are still looking for a few cards: Masticore (the elder), Diamond Valley (heh), and oddly, Demigod of Revenge. The ones I had got stolen at Nats along with a shitload of other Shadowmoor rares. We were still looking for The Captain's Tooth and Nail and his Decree of Pain at the end of the night too. If you have any of these cards and are willing to lend them to the Cube, we'd be much obliged. I think you'll find this iteration more powerful and larger, just like Tabasco promised.
T
Lightning Bug vs. Firefly- fight!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Best Fireball Ever!?!
So I just had a thought about this card. Is it just me or is it the best Fireball ever printed?
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Really tedious but essential Cube stuff
YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO READ THIS STUFF UNLESS YOU WANT TO HELP PUT THE CUBE 3.0 TOGETHER.
Total Cards 540
Number of Drafters 12
Number of Packs 36
Ratios if we ported them over from Cube 2.0
Each color 85.5 cards
Multicolor 36
Artifacts 40.5
Lands 36
Not including Eventide cards we already have 22 proposed multicolor cards. The multicolor card ratio will have to be increased somehow. Also, if we don't cut any of the new adds, we have 16 Artifacts coming in prior to factoring in Eventide. We will need at least 2.5 more artifact slots, and that's if Eventide has no artifacts we want to add. Finally, we are short one land slot if we add Reflecting Pool, old Duals, Library of Alexandria and Bazaar of Baghdad (more if we add Mishra's Workshop, etc.).
Ways to tweak the numbers:
Give all the fractions to Multicolor- Now it is at 39 and Artiacts are at 40, Each other color at 85.
Reduce the number of each colored card to 81- This puts each color at an even 15% of the Cube. A full 25% of te Cube would be Multicolor Artifact and Land. To put this in perspective, three out of every four packs drafted will have two cards of any giver color. One of every four packs will have three cards of any given color. This frees up 25 slots. We could assign 20 to multicolor (now 59 total), 3 to Artifacts (43 total, right on target for what we currently would need with no cuts) and we are one ahead on Lands (at 37).
We could concievably go as low as 72 cards per color, which would be 13.33% for each color, leaving a full third of the Cube for Multicolor Artifacts and Lands, but this would mean exactly 2 cards per color per pack, every time. That would leave five cards that are Multicolor, Artifact and Land cards in each pack, every time. I would never want to see a pack with fewer than two cards of any given color, that is why this is the absolute bottom limit for me.
I do not think we should go below 80 cards for each color, personally, so that some packs do have three cards of a single color. This allows for more interesting decisions, encourages color signaling and a richer draft experience overall.
General Crap
I think since we are including Eventide cards in our 12 person Cube, until that set has come out and been played with we should bascially build an 11 person Cube, leaving 45 slots to be filled either with Eventide cards once they are available and evaluated, or with other good stuff.
We currently have 35 sleeved basics per color to accompany the Cube. If we port of the ratio to 540 cards, that equals 52.5 lands per color. I recommend adding 20 basic lands per color and going to at least 55 basic lands each, (maybe we even go 60, for safety) so that if we have a full twelve drafters there is a little more room on the top for any one color to be overdrafted.
T
Total Cards 540
Number of Drafters 12
Number of Packs 36
Ratios if we ported them over from Cube 2.0
Each color 85.5 cards
Multicolor 36
Artifacts 40.5
Lands 36
Not including Eventide cards we already have 22 proposed multicolor cards. The multicolor card ratio will have to be increased somehow. Also, if we don't cut any of the new adds, we have 16 Artifacts coming in prior to factoring in Eventide. We will need at least 2.5 more artifact slots, and that's if Eventide has no artifacts we want to add. Finally, we are short one land slot if we add Reflecting Pool, old Duals, Library of Alexandria and Bazaar of Baghdad (more if we add Mishra's Workshop, etc.).
Ways to tweak the numbers:
Give all the fractions to Multicolor- Now it is at 39 and Artiacts are at 40, Each other color at 85.
Reduce the number of each colored card to 81- This puts each color at an even 15% of the Cube. A full 25% of te Cube would be Multicolor Artifact and Land. To put this in perspective, three out of every four packs drafted will have two cards of any giver color. One of every four packs will have three cards of any given color. This frees up 25 slots. We could assign 20 to multicolor (now 59 total), 3 to Artifacts (43 total, right on target for what we currently would need with no cuts) and we are one ahead on Lands (at 37).
We could concievably go as low as 72 cards per color, which would be 13.33% for each color, leaving a full third of the Cube for Multicolor Artifacts and Lands, but this would mean exactly 2 cards per color per pack, every time. That would leave five cards that are Multicolor, Artifact and Land cards in each pack, every time. I would never want to see a pack with fewer than two cards of any given color, that is why this is the absolute bottom limit for me.
I do not think we should go below 80 cards for each color, personally, so that some packs do have three cards of a single color. This allows for more interesting decisions, encourages color signaling and a richer draft experience overall.
General Crap
I think since we are including Eventide cards in our 12 person Cube, until that set has come out and been played with we should bascially build an 11 person Cube, leaving 45 slots to be filled either with Eventide cards once they are available and evaluated, or with other good stuff.
We currently have 35 sleeved basics per color to accompany the Cube. If we port of the ratio to 540 cards, that equals 52.5 lands per color. I recommend adding 20 basic lands per color and going to at least 55 basic lands each, (maybe we even go 60, for safety) so that if we have a full twelve drafters there is a little more room on the top for any one color to be overdrafted.
T
Friday, July 11, 2008
More Cube ideas
I know, I know it's all we have been talking about lately, but Evan Erwin talks about it for half his video today and lists cards that may potentially make it into our cube, and is also packed with his wacky ideas about what will be played from Eventide.
A bag for grabbing
The Eventide Prerelease is this weekend. I will not be attending, despite the fact that it is going to be the last "big" prerelease, at least for a while. I desperately hope some venue in Milwaukee steps up to the plate and starts hosting some more local prereleases. I love prereleases, but my family situation makes it pretty difficult to blow an entire day on Magic. A smaller, closer venue would help a lot on that front. I would imagine the pros of local prereleases outweigh the cons of losing the festival atmosphere of the current status quo.
----
Michael Weston.dec is gonna have to rely on Fugie for support this week. I was gonna go, but I am some few cards short and a familial obligation came up. I think it has a really solid chance in the current metagame. I have been saying for quite a while that the deck that can profitably play Wrath in this environment has a really solid chance. It just has to get there vs. Faeries. My hope is that the addition of Eventide and the shift into Phelddagrif colors will help it get there. The goodies are legion. Also, if you are going to the prerelease, I can guarantee buyers for 2 playsets of the UG cairn land. Just saying.
----
I was playing the new Girl Talk album Feed the Animals at Draftstravaganza. If you've never heard Girl Talk, it's kind of hard to explain. Basically, he makes party music by sampling hundreds of tracks. Not entirely new, but definitely awesome. Here's a sample.
You can download Feed the Animals for the payment of your choice at Illegal Art.
----
I've begun acquiring packs for a wacky pack draft. It sounds like we are going to start dueling draftstravaganzas between TS and CBG. I have plans to crush TS's draftstravaganza like a bug. I will, however bring the Rav set and the Carroll draft packs like I promised.
----
Is anybody interested in wacky constructed formats? Like auction? I would be willing to put decks together (probably extended) if we wanted to do that sometime. Re:Standard, I agree with Tabasco. It blows.
----
Michael Weston.dec is gonna have to rely on Fugie for support this week. I was gonna go, but I am some few cards short and a familial obligation came up. I think it has a really solid chance in the current metagame. I have been saying for quite a while that the deck that can profitably play Wrath in this environment has a really solid chance. It just has to get there vs. Faeries. My hope is that the addition of Eventide and the shift into Phelddagrif colors will help it get there. The goodies are legion. Also, if you are going to the prerelease, I can guarantee buyers for 2 playsets of the UG cairn land. Just saying.
----
I was playing the new Girl Talk album Feed the Animals at Draftstravaganza. If you've never heard Girl Talk, it's kind of hard to explain. Basically, he makes party music by sampling hundreds of tracks. Not entirely new, but definitely awesome. Here's a sample.
You can download Feed the Animals for the payment of your choice at Illegal Art.
----
I've begun acquiring packs for a wacky pack draft. It sounds like we are going to start dueling draftstravaganzas between TS and CBG. I have plans to crush TS's draftstravaganza like a bug. I will, however bring the Rav set and the Carroll draft packs like I promised.
----
Is anybody interested in wacky constructed formats? Like auction? I would be willing to put decks together (probably extended) if we wanted to do that sometime. Re:Standard, I agree with Tabasco. It blows.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!
Your eyes do not deceive you. I am definitely not Major_Luck, although I hail from the same lake-sodden state. Mr. Luck has had some rough times of late, with the passing of his grandmother and a lake-sized workload that does not pause, even for death. So I am here, apparently hypomanic judging from my current tone, just jazzed up to talk about the Cube 3.0. Tabasco and The Captain have been putting a lot of thought into the possible card choices for expansion. Kudos! You guys are awesome! I wish I would gotten behind you the first time you talked about expanding the Cube. I have always kind of felt like deciding what gets in the Cube is the most fun of the whole thing (CBG has said that he actually prefers cutting cards, proving he's batshit crazy). I wholeheartedly agree with all the proposed adds of the older cards. I thought we found a way to get Kinsbaile Cavalier in there, so maybe we put it in already but didn't change the list. I'll have to check. The Judgement Wishes were a particularly good suggestion that I had never even thought of. Good call! How Cloudthresher got missed I don't know. Obviously the original dual lands will be awesome for the Cube. Thanks to The Captain for agreeing to lend them. The Shadowmoor/Eventide cards are almost all good. But we currently have only 24 multi-colored cards in the entire Cube. That is exactly one per "pack" of 15 cards. By expanding the Cube we are in the pleasant position of being able to expand the percentage of multicolor cards without having to cut other good mono-colored cards. But there is still a limit to how hard we can push. As a result I think that the bar may need to be higher for the hybrid cards inclusion than the mono-colored Shadowmoor or Eventide cards. Still, most of the multicolor cards are really, really good. No one will disagree that Kitchen Finks or Murderous Redcap or Oona, Queen of the Fae deserve to be in the Cube.
Anyway, I did a quick count of all the proposed Shadowmoor/Eventide cards, and (with the proposed Power and older cards) the tally came out to about 105. So we are still around 75 cards short, if we can cram everything in there. I have been looking through some of our cuts from prior Cube versions, and came up with some other options for getting to 540. These are suggestions, feel free to refute them. These only include older cards, because Tabasco was so thorough with the recent sets.
White:
Blazing Archon
Soltari Crusader (I just like the idea of pumping for a shit load)
Stonecloaker (Versatile)
Soul Warden (How did this get cut?)
Knight of the Holy Nimbus (Maybe this is too many 2 mana Knights, but he's good)
Rule of Law (Control needs better tools in the Cube, Arcane Lab isn't good enough because Blue is so stacked. But in White, I think it works.)
Blue:
Ponder
Wonder (Another one that I don't know how we missed, especially because Blue always needs more creatures)
Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
Fathom Seer (Maybe. He's Gush on a dude, right?)
Mulldrifter (How did he not make the cut???)
Future Sight (Maybe? This is so sick in EDH, it seems like a card that translates well to Limited.)
Clone (Every creature is awesome. I want to copy them.)
Guile
Black:
Chainer's Edict
Slaughter Pact (Maybe? I don't know if it's the top tier of black spot removal, but it sure as hell makes things more interesting.)
Graveborn Muse (Another EDH port. It's a Hill Giant and a Phrexian Arena. Seems okay.)
Raise Dead (Classic.)
Ravenous Rats (When all your opponent's cards are awesome, discard is better.)
Funeral Charm (Ditto. Plus every once in a while it will be game-winning removal or pump.)
Duress
Rend Flesh and/or Eyeblight's Ending (Another few cards that are in contention for best spot removal in Black)
Last Gasp (Another maybe.)
Twisted Abomination
Red:
Threaten (Gets better with better creatures.)
Thundermare
Rolling Thunder (The most flexible red X spell, ever.)
Lash Out (Maybe?)
Guerrilla Tactics (Maybe?)
Ryusei, the Falling Star
Shivan Hellkite (Eh? Kills everything on the table eventually. Plus we need more Dragons, for flavor!)
Greater Gargadon (How did we miss this guy?)
Char (Maybe?)
Magus of the Moon (This "maybe" will totally depend on the saturation of non-basics after adding the ten duals. I see it as a potential hoser to four or five color decks, but don't know how it will pan out.)
Green:
Viridian Shaman (We already have the Sex Monkeys, but this reprint will become more useful if there's Moxen floating around.)
Civic Wayfinder (An Elf!)
Sylvan Scrying/Farseek (Find those duals!)
Chord of Calling (Think of the stoopid good targets!)
Weatherseed Treefolk (This was one of the last cuts we made to last Cube, and I always felt like they deserved to get in there.)
Squall Line (If we have to cut Hurricane so be it- this is way better.)
Artifacts:
Duplicant (Maybe, even though the creatures are great, the P/T isn't always amazing.)
Sundering Titan (Control decks rejoice!)
Jester's Cap (Maybe?)
Culling Scales (Again, for control decks.)
Oblivion Stone (Same.)
Mindslaver (Because... Why not?)
I don't know whether or not adding the last five Signets will negate this problem, but if we still want MORE fixing, I would add; Wanderer's Twig, Prismatic Lens, Coldsteel Heart, Spectral Searchlight and Darksteel Ingot.
Multicolor:
I kept these numbers small, since they're competing against a lot of good Shadowmoor and Eventide cards.
Terminate
Vindicate
Teferi's Moat (Again, trying to make control competitive)
Rumbling Slum
POWER:
Since someone who has actually PLAYED with the Power 9 has stated that it's better to include only some of them, I won't pretend to know any better. And obviously, proxies are the way to go with Power. Oddly, it's the proxies that make me uneasy. This is just me, but I kind of feel like if we add proxies, then we have no excuse for not adding other cards that were printed before Ice Age. I'm no Vintage player, but if we're allowing proxies, it seems like we have a burden for explaining why Library of Alexandria, Bazaar of Baghdad, and Mana Drain aren't in there. That's just me. What do you think?
Finally, is there any non-joke use for the phrase "We'll have to eat our way out?"
T
Anyway, I did a quick count of all the proposed Shadowmoor/Eventide cards, and (with the proposed Power and older cards) the tally came out to about 105. So we are still around 75 cards short, if we can cram everything in there. I have been looking through some of our cuts from prior Cube versions, and came up with some other options for getting to 540. These are suggestions, feel free to refute them. These only include older cards, because Tabasco was so thorough with the recent sets.
White:
Blazing Archon
Soltari Crusader (I just like the idea of pumping for a shit load)
Stonecloaker (Versatile)
Soul Warden (How did this get cut?)
Knight of the Holy Nimbus (Maybe this is too many 2 mana Knights, but he's good)
Rule of Law (Control needs better tools in the Cube, Arcane Lab isn't good enough because Blue is so stacked. But in White, I think it works.)
Blue:
Ponder
Wonder (Another one that I don't know how we missed, especially because Blue always needs more creatures)
Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
Fathom Seer (Maybe. He's Gush on a dude, right?)
Mulldrifter (How did he not make the cut???)
Future Sight (Maybe? This is so sick in EDH, it seems like a card that translates well to Limited.)
Clone (Every creature is awesome. I want to copy them.)
Guile
Black:
Chainer's Edict
Slaughter Pact (Maybe? I don't know if it's the top tier of black spot removal, but it sure as hell makes things more interesting.)
Graveborn Muse (Another EDH port. It's a Hill Giant and a Phrexian Arena. Seems okay.)
Raise Dead (Classic.)
Ravenous Rats (When all your opponent's cards are awesome, discard is better.)
Funeral Charm (Ditto. Plus every once in a while it will be game-winning removal or pump.)
Duress
Rend Flesh and/or Eyeblight's Ending (Another few cards that are in contention for best spot removal in Black)
Last Gasp (Another maybe.)
Twisted Abomination
Red:
Threaten (Gets better with better creatures.)
Thundermare
Rolling Thunder (The most flexible red X spell, ever.)
Lash Out (Maybe?)
Guerrilla Tactics (Maybe?)
Ryusei, the Falling Star
Shivan Hellkite (Eh? Kills everything on the table eventually. Plus we need more Dragons, for flavor!)
Greater Gargadon (How did we miss this guy?)
Char (Maybe?)
Magus of the Moon (This "maybe" will totally depend on the saturation of non-basics after adding the ten duals. I see it as a potential hoser to four or five color decks, but don't know how it will pan out.)
Green:
Viridian Shaman (We already have the Sex Monkeys, but this reprint will become more useful if there's Moxen floating around.)
Civic Wayfinder (An Elf!)
Sylvan Scrying/Farseek (Find those duals!)
Chord of Calling (Think of the stoopid good targets!)
Weatherseed Treefolk (This was one of the last cuts we made to last Cube, and I always felt like they deserved to get in there.)
Squall Line (If we have to cut Hurricane so be it- this is way better.)
Artifacts:
Duplicant (Maybe, even though the creatures are great, the P/T isn't always amazing.)
Sundering Titan (Control decks rejoice!)
Jester's Cap (Maybe?)
Culling Scales (Again, for control decks.)
Oblivion Stone (Same.)
Mindslaver (Because... Why not?)
I don't know whether or not adding the last five Signets will negate this problem, but if we still want MORE fixing, I would add; Wanderer's Twig, Prismatic Lens, Coldsteel Heart, Spectral Searchlight and Darksteel Ingot.
Multicolor:
I kept these numbers small, since they're competing against a lot of good Shadowmoor and Eventide cards.
Terminate
Vindicate
Teferi's Moat (Again, trying to make control competitive)
Rumbling Slum
POWER:
Since someone who has actually PLAYED with the Power 9 has stated that it's better to include only some of them, I won't pretend to know any better. And obviously, proxies are the way to go with Power. Oddly, it's the proxies that make me uneasy. This is just me, but I kind of feel like if we add proxies, then we have no excuse for not adding other cards that were printed before Ice Age. I'm no Vintage player, but if we're allowing proxies, it seems like we have a burden for explaining why Library of Alexandria, Bazaar of Baghdad, and Mana Drain aren't in there. That's just me. What do you think?
Finally, is there any non-joke use for the phrase "We'll have to eat our way out?"
T
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)