TooSarcastic's Cube Draft List v2.0 (includes Morningtide ideas)

It's finally here! The new, updated Cube List. We've done a lot of work on it since last entry, even if there has been a long hiatus in Cube Draft play since Morningtide came out. The card list is long enough without me gabbing, so here it is.

WHITE
Adarkar Valkyrie
Ajani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Armageddon
Arrest
Austere Command
Aven Mindcensor
Aven Riftwatcher
Blade of the Sixth Pride
Calciderm
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Cloudchaser Kestrel
Condemn
Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Crusade
Descendant of Kiyomaro
Devouring Light
Disenchant
Empyrial Armor
Enduring Renewal
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Faith's Fetters
Genju of the Fields
Ghostly Prison
Glorious Anthem
Goldmeadow Harrier
Griffin Guide
Honorable Passage
Icatian Javelineers
Jötun Grunt
Kami of Ancient Law
Kataki, War's Wage
Knight of Meadowgrain
Longbow Archer
Mirror Entity
Momentary Blink
Mother of Runes
Oblivion Ring
Order of the White Shield
Pacifism
Paladin en-Vec
Pariah
Radiant's Dragoons
Radiant's Judgment
Reya Dawnbringer
Sacred Mesa
Samurai of the Pale Curtain
Savannah Lions
Soltari Priest
Swords to Plowshares
Temporal Isolation
White Knight
White Shield Crusader
Wing Shards
Wrath of God
Yosei, the Morning Star

BLUE
Aeon Chronicler
Aquamoeba
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Body Double
Boomerang
Braingeyser
Brainstorm
Brine Elemental
Capsize
Compulsive Research
Confiscate
Control Magic
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Deep Analysis
Desertion
Dissipate
Drift of Phantasms
Evacuation
Forbid
Force of Will
Force Spike
Frantic Search
Gifts Ungiven
Hydroblast
Impulse
Jace Beleren
Keiga, the Tide Star
Looter il-Kor
Mana Leak
Man-o'-War
Memory Lapse
Merchant Scroll
Merfolk Looter
Mystical Teachings
Mystical Tutor
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ophidian
Pact of Negation
Propaganda
Ray of Command
Remand
Repeal
Repulse
Riftwing Cloudskate
Rushing River
Spell Snare
Stroke of Genius
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Thieving Magpie
Tidings
Unstable Mutation
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Vexing Sphinx
Voidmage Prodigy
Waterfront Bouncer
Willbender

BLACK
Animate Dead
Bad Moon
Black Knight
Bone Shredder
Carnophage
Consume Spirit
Contamination
Corpse Dance
Corrupt
Crypt Rats
Damnation
Dark Confidant
Dark Ritual
Darkblast
Dauthi Horror
Dauthi Slayer
Death Denied
Diabolic Edict
Diabolic Servitude
Dread Return
Exhume
Flesh Reaver
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
Hatred
Hymn to Tourach
Hypnotic Specter
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Knight of Stromgald
Liliana Vess
Living Death
Nameless Inversion
Nantuko Husk
Necropotence
Nezumi Graverobber
Okiba-Gang Shinobi
Oona's Prowler
Paralyze
Persecute
Pestilence
Phyrexian Arena
Plague Sliver
Priest of Gix
Profane Command
Sarcomancy
Shriekmaw
Skeletal Vampire
Skittering Skirge
Smallpox
Smother
Stinkweed Imp
Stromgald Crusader
Sudden Death
Tendrils of Corruption
Terror
Thoughtseize

RED
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Avalanche Riders
Bogardan Hellkite
Boom // Bust
Chandra Nalaar
Demonfire
Earthquake
Empty the Warrens
Fiery Temper
Fireball
Fireblast
Fireslinger
Flame Fusillade
Fork
Frenzied Goblin
Gathan Raiders
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Matron
Goblin Patrol
Goblin Recruiter
Gorilla Shaman
Grapeshot
Grinning Ignus
Hearth Kami
Hostility
Incinerate
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Jokulhaups
Kamahl, Pit Fighter
Keldon Marauders
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Kird Ape
Lava Hounds
Lightning Bolt
Magus of the Scroll
Mana Flare
Mogg Fanatic
Mogg Flunkies
Mogg War Marshal
Orcish Lumberjack
Pyroblast
Pyroclasm
Reckless Wurm
Red Elemental Blast
Seal of Fire
Shard Phoenix
Shock
Siege-Gang Commander
Sudden Shock
Sulfur Elemental
Tarfire
Tin Street Hooligan
Tribal Flames
Wheel of Fortune
Wildfire
Word of Seizing

GREEN
Arrogant Wurm
Basking Rootwalla
Birds of Paradise
Blanchwood Armor
Briarhorn
Caller of the Claw
Carven Caryatid
Channel
Crop Rotation
Desert Twister
Elves of Deep Shadow
Essence Warden
Fertile Ground
Fyndhorn Elves
Gaea’s Anthem
Garruk Wildspeaker
Giant Growth
Golgari Grave-Troll
Harmonize
Harrow
Hurricane
Hystrodon
Indrik Stomphowler
Kodama of the North Tree
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Grip
Life from the Loam
Llanowar Elves
Might of Oaks
Moldervine Cloak
Mtenda Lion
Natural Order
Naturalize
Overrun
Phantom Centaur
Protean Hulk
Quirion Ranger
Rancor
Regrowth
River Boa
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scryb Ranger
Simian Grunts
Spectral Force
Tarmogoyf
Thelonite Hermit
Timbermare
Troll Ascetic
Uktabi Orangutan
Verdant Force
Vinelasher Kudzu
Wall of Blossoms
Wall of Roots
Werebear
Wild Mongrel
Wing Snare
Wood Elves

MULTICOLORED
Angel of Despair
Armadillo Cloak
Azorius Guildmage
Burning-Tree Shaman
Dimir Cutpurse
Electrolyze
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Grave-Shell Scarab
Lightning Angel
Lightning Helix
Loxodon Hierarch
Mortify
Mystic Enforcer
Mystic Snake
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Putrefy
Rakdos Guildmage
Recoil
Savage Twister
Selesnya Guildmage
Stormbind
Void
Watchwolf
Who/What/When/Where/Why

ARTIFACTS
Azorius Signet
Bottle Gnomes
Coalition Relic
Cursed Scroll
Dimir Signet
Fellwar Stone
Gruul Signet
Icy Manipulator
Ivory Tower
Juggernaut
Lotus Bloom
Lotus Petal
Loxodon Warhammer
Memory Jar
Mirari
Mox Diamond
Nevinyrral's Disk
Pithing Needle
Platinum Angel
Rakdos Signet
Razormane Masticore
Scroll Rack
Selesnya Signet
Sensei's Divining Top
Serrated Arrows
Sol Ring
Tormod's Crypt

LANDS
Academy Ruins
Azorius Chancery
Blood Crypt
Boros Garrison
Breeding Pool
Dimir Aqueduct
Godless Shrine
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Hallowed Fountain
Izzet Boilerworks
Mutavault
Orzhov Basilica
Overgrown Tomb
Rakdos Carnarium
Sacred Foundry
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber
Steam Vents
Stomping Ground
Temple Garden
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolarian Academy
Volrath's Stronghold
Watery Grave

COMMENTS
Okay, I could write an entire post just on this section, but I've already spent hours going through the old list and adding the new entries. First off, the color balance got off somehow. Not as bad as I actually expected (by my count all the colors have 57 cards except for blue, which has 58 for a total of 361) but a little off. I would recommend cutting either Evacuation, Ray of Command, or Vexing Sphinx. What say you? I took out five artifacts that everyone kept complaining about to add the on-color signets. Sorry Winter Orb, but nobody cared about you. Most of the cards that were cut were clearly inferior to other cards that were added. Some cards were just unpopular to play with. Man, I have never seen hatred like that levied against Pox. My playgroup really hates Pox! Many unfun cards like that were removed and replaced as we played. There's still room for improvement. I don't know about you guys, but I would guess that Fire//Ice would be more powerful than Niv Mizzet as a U/R multi spell. Objections? Uh, anybody actually have a Fire//Ice that we could put in the Cube? I proxied a Ghostly Prison because apparently I have only one copy and it went into my EDH deck. So if anyone would borrow one of those to the Cube, I'd be obliged as well. Also, this is more subjective, but what would you guys think of Finkel over Dimir Cutpurse? In honor of his Kuala Lumpur win? Well, anybody have one?

MORNINGTIDE!
There are a few Morningtide cards already in the cube (no arguments about Mutavault going in, right?) but we have been delinquent in adding most of these. These are the adds I'm proposing:

Mutavault (in there)
Bitterblossom
Chameleon Colossus
Countryside Crusher
Reveillark
Vendilion Clique
Maybe Kinsbaile Cavalier? (We have gobs of knights in the cube)

What great cards am I missing? Are the above good? I have copies of all them that can go in, so no one would need to worry about finding extras.

SHAMELESS PLUG
Believe it or not, I don't just rip on people for what they create. I actually make something that might (charitably) be construed as art myself. I recently DJed a few mixes on some new CD/MP3 players that I bought to replace the old turntables. I was so taken with the little bit of theory I wrote about on this here blog that I decided to name the mixes after the respective concepts. So if you are interested in electronic music you might want to check out this page where you can find descriptions, links to, and tracklistings of these mixes. I will hopefully be putting more mixes there in the future. If you want to take the leap and downlaod one or both mixes they are here: Scalpel. Hammer. They are about 100 megs each. Play them while you are drafting on MODO, or hosting a house party, or beating face at a PTQ or Vintage tourney. I will leave you with a short description of the mixes and then (finally!) shut up.

Happy St. Patricks Day!
T

Scalpel: A smooth mix shifting from the beauty of sunset, to the eerie shadows of twilight, to the darkness of midnight.

Hammer: A crunchy, stomping mix of diverse styles with the singular focus of making bodies move. Turn it up, tap the keg, call up some freaky people, shake something.

(For any real headz the first mix is mostly techy house, the second is funky house and breaks, leaning toward a hip hop tip.)

Scalpel vs. Hammer: A Word on Multiplayer Strategies

After playing two whole Elder Dragon Highlander games I feel qualified to deliver a theoretical discourse on deck building. That’s sarcasm people, look at my screen name. However, you might want to read further since my lifetime record in EDH games is 2-0. I’m undefeated! Actually I just noticed a difference in strategy that might be worth noting. There are, I’m sure, many different philosophies that can undergird any multiplayer deck choice. I’ll talk about two general ones today; the first being a “Toolbox” approach, the second being “Generalist” approach.
I’m not saying that either way of building is superior (actually, I have a definite slant, as you’ll see later, but I really do believe that both views are potentially successful ways to build a multiplayer deck), and yep, there’s plenty of other ways of conceptualizing deck building too (anybody ever heard of “Recursion,” for example?). I’m just giving a bipolar framework for looking at EDH or any other multiplayer deck building. Maybe it will be useful the next time you sit down to build. Let’s start with the Toolbox approach. This term is ubiquitous enough within Magic writing that most of you already know what I mean. In EDH, you have 100 card choices which must be unique (yeah, yeah, except for basic lands, Whiny McWhinerson). Given that the number of different threats others will be playing will be quite diverse, why not include pinpoint answers to many different types of threats along with several redundant ways of searching out theses answers? We could be using Idyllic Tutor to fetch Oblivion Ring to get rid of an opposing Garruk, or Cream of the Crop in an otherwise creature-laden deck to put the Shriekmaw on top. Maybe it means transmuting Dimir Houseguard for Damnation, or Mystical Tutoring for Disenchant. You get the idea. Card advantage comes from dealing with threats (or, I suppose, making the most abusable threats) so efficiently that other players can’t execute their plans effectively.
On to the “Generalist” approach. This is not simply the converse of a Toolbox strategy. The two philosophies share similar core ideas about how games are won. Generalists also believe that the way to win in multiplayer is to deal efficiently with threats and provide the best threats of one’s own at the right time. The difference is in the execution. Oblivion Ring is a great card- the perfect card to get rid of a single planeswalker. But Apocalypse gets rid of every planeswalker, every scary enchantment and artifact, and every dude in play (and your hand, but hey, you can always suspend guys prior, right?). We know there will be many times when O-ring will be better, but Apocalypse is a more consistently useful way of removing things from the game, and that is more valuable to the Generalist. That is the essence of this strategy- no scalpels, only hammers. If any of you have read Anthony Alongi’s multiplayer stuff, this would be sort of a cross between Cockroach and Gorilla strategies. Keep your things around, affect as many permanents as possible, and hopefully the quality of your threats and answers will net you card advantage (and the win) long term. The Generalist wants every card to be as useful as possible in as many situations as possible. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo is a 3/3 for seven mana. That’s pretty much the antithesis of efficiency. But he also lives through 75% of your opponent’s removal (and your own board sweepers) so Konda is a lot better than his stats belie. Speaking of board sweepers, they all get in the Generalist’s deck, not because sometimes they would be the perfect answer to have when you’re behind on the board (that’s a Toolbox ideology) but because most of the time they’ll deal with most of the threats that most of your opponents throw at you.
To whit: You know what two card combo is really amazing? Triskelavus and Acadmey Ruins. Make the Trike, make dudes, kill stuff, rinse repeat. Some good. And they’re even okay cards on their own. That’s the scalpel approach. Here’s the hammer. Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Yes, Trike/Ruins combo will remove opposing creatures, chump block, and given enough turns and mana, win the game all on their own. And yep, Akroma will never kill that annoying Royal Assassin. But she will beat face. Most of the time, against most opponents, the better threat is Akroma. Hey, it’s good to be one of the best creatures in the game. Let’s try some more examples. Scalpel: Mystical Teachings. Hammer: Whispers of the Muse. Teachings is objectively better on the first (and even second, flashbacked!) use. But with the buyback Whispers only gets better the longer the game goes. Scalpel: Sundering Titan. Hammer: Armageddon. I know everybody really wants a 7/10 after binning all your opponent’s land and none of your own non-basics, but Armageddon does the job, every time, against all opponents. Suck it up and sandbag some lands prior to blowing up the world. One more. Scalpel: Cryptic Command. Hammer: Time Stop. “But wait, TooSarcastic! Cryptic Command gives a player all sorts of flexibility- it should be the epitome of a Generalist card!” Au contraire, voice in my head. You can counter exactly one spell. You may also bounce a guy (useful in multiplayer, but not usually backbreaking) or tap an opponent’s team (again, less useful since tempo is glacial in multiplayer games) and or draw a card (cantrips are only exciting if the original effect is good as well). Now look at the hammer. Time Stop ends the turn. It ends the freakin’ turn! No more Storm count. No more attack step. No nothing. See how the Cryptic Command is really a scalpel masquerading as a hammer? It deals with very specific needs, not general ones. It’s still a good card for multiplayer, but only if you buy into the Toolbox strategy to begin with. If you want to be a Generalist, just end the turn already.
And yes, in case you can’t tell, I am a Generalist. So come to Captain Bondage Goth’s place on Friday nights to beat me with your Toolbox EDH decks. I’ll have a hammer waiting for you!