Selling my T2 and Ext. stuff

I am looking to sell this stuff for cash money. LMK if anyone is looking for anything (I prefer not to break playsets of duals/pains)

4 Watery Grave
5 Overgrown Tomb
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple Garden
4 Stomping Ground
4 Steam Vents
2 Godless Shrine (I have 4 but I lent 2 to a dumbass who hasn't returned them yet. I need to track that shitter down)
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Blood crypt
4 Breeding Pool

4 Brushland (IA)
4 Underground River (IA)
4 Sulferous Springs (IA)
4 Karplusan Forest (IA)
4 Adakar Wastes (IA)
4 Caves of Koilos (AP)
4 Shivan Reef (AP)
4 Yavimaya Coast (AP)
4 Llanowar Wastes (AP)
4 Battlefield Forge (AP)

4 Flagstones of Trokair
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (1 Foil)
3 Nimbus Maze
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Scrying Sheets

4 Coalation Relic
4 Chameleon Colossus
4 Birds of Paradise (RAV)
4 Bogardan Hellkite
4 Damnation
4 Wrath of God (4th Ed.)
4 Lightning Angel
4 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
2 Aeon Chronicler
3 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
3 Venser, Shaper Savant
4 Repeal (Foil)
4 Remand
4 Delay
4 Call of the Herd (TSP)
5 Saffi Eriksdotter (4 English, 1 Jap.)
2 Mystic Enforcer (TSP)
4 Mystic Snake (AP)
4 Glittering Wish
4 Serra Avenger
4 Spectral Force
2 Quagnoth
1 Teneb, the Harvester
3 Stormbind (TSP)
4 Sedge Sliver
4 Urza's Mine (AQ)
4 Urza's Tower (AQ)
4 Urza's Power Plant (AQ)

3 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Lightning Helix
4 Savannah Lions
X Kird Apes (of all editions)
4 Putrefy
4 Mortify
4 Vindicate
4 Plow Under (UD)
4 Living Wish
4 Troll Ascetic (MD)
3 Life from the Loam
3 Slaughter Pact (1 Foil)
3 Astral Slide (FNM Foil)
5 Eternal Witnesses (1 FNM Foil)
4 Loxodon Hierarch
4 Doran the Siege Tower
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Haunting Echoes
3 Gaddock Teeg
4 Chill (TE)
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
1 Urza's Factory (Russian Foil)
4 Seismic Assault (Xth Ed.)
4 Destructive Flow
4 Boom/Bust
2 Fact or Fiction
3 Chrome Mox

Cats with tits? That's nothing

I have no comment

Beating a Dead Cube Draft Horse

I know everyone is pretty bored with Cube Draft discussion, but honestly I've got nothing else Magic-related going on lately. Like CBG, I am kind of burned out with the whole 4 set per year thing. I am very glad I did not buy more than a box of Eventide, as it turned out to be shit. I think the move to multiformat Pro Tours is really good for Magic, but otherwise all that other policy change crap going on lately is really boring to me. But I am really pushing to have the next iteration of the Cube complete by Shards of Alara previews, so I will write this last post about it.

We had a great weekend for Cube Drafts, with GU hosting an 8 person Draft on Friday and a 12 person on Saturday. I was at first leery of store-based Cube drafts because so many of the people playing haven't contributed cards, and it was easier for all those pimped out cards to walk out the door surreptitiously. But I was wrong. People seem to genuinely enjoy the format, and every card is still accounted for after about a half dozen of these store based drafts. Not bad, considering how easy it is to even just misplace cards when they're scattered all over the store. There is a lot of love for this format. We also have more data to come to some conclusions about the soon-to-occur changes to the Cube.

COLOR FIXING
The Captain and I spoke about cutting the color-fixing in the Cube by one ten-card cycle, since three color decks and beyond are eminently achievable. But the response that I got when I asked people about the fixing was that they really like the flexibility. I seemed to be the only one who actually thought of it as a problem. This may be because I am trying to squeeze other good things in the Cube as well, so I am always looking for cuts. But maybe we can leave the color fixing as is for now. Major_Luck likes the idea of cutting the Ravnica shock lands for the five fetch lands. The fetches are probably more powerful (especially with ten original duals floating around) and they would free up five slots that could still be used to expand, oh I don't now, say the five enemy color combinations featured in Eventide? Clever, eh? The issue is far from settled however.

RECURSION
I deliberately forced a reanimator deck on Friday night. I can attest to its raw power. I played terribly and somehow still managed to make it to the finals, against Fugie, of all people. He got there with a three (or was it four?) color control deck, which also gives us some data about the format, even taking into account Fugie's notoriously rainbow-flavored deck building predilections. I think that we can safely pare back some of the reanimation, and even add a little graveyard hate, with no real damage to the archetype. Trust me, when a guy like me can mill 30 cards of his deck into the graveyard by turn six, and then win before decking himself, the archetype is too strong. I am no combo player.

MULTICOLOR
More multicolor cards should arrive with Eventide. That is really all there is to say about this change. Hybrid versus gold cards are not as important an issue as I first thought. As The Captain pointed out, in a pool of 540 cards, whether or not two of the cards can be played only in U/W decks vs. U and W decks just isn't significant.

AGGRO
Control is really quite juiced since our move to 540. Everyone is in agreement on this. Our cuts and adds should leave a more balanced picture than before.

CREATURES
Although our current configuration has a reasonable creature/spell mix (about 50% overall), the ratio of creatures to spells should be increased, if only slightly. It seems very difficult to draft enough creatures. Most of my recent decks have sported only 12 or so dudes. This is probably a function of how amazing controlling strategies are (why play 18 dudes when you can just counterspell/kill/bounce/sweep the board instead?) but it warrants a mention.

CUTS
You know it has to happen. We have to get rid of some cards to make room for other juicy stuff. I haven't thought huge amounts about this, but these are cards I would consider. I am skewing toward working toward the goals above, in case it isn't obvious. Let me know your own ideas as well, if you have any. I don't think the below links will work and am too lazy to change them.

Aegis of Honor
Divine Offering
Enduring Renewal
Kataki, War's Wage
Pariah
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Prison Term
Rule of Law

Braingeyser
Collective Restraint
Cunning Wish
Evacuation
Hydroblast
Propaganda
Threads of Disloyalty

Darkblast
Corpse Dance
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Night of Souls' Betrayal
Nihilith
Priest of Gix
Rend Flesh
Living Death
Diabolic Servitude

Demonfire
Flamebreak
Ghostfire
Lava Hounds
Mana Flare
Pyroblast
Seal of Fire
Shock or Tarfire or Sudden Shock, just one of them.
Shard Phoenix

Basking Rootwalla
Carven Caryatid
Defense of the Heart
Mirri, Cat Warrior
Fyndhorn Elves
Spawnwrithe
Spidersilk Armor
Survival of the Fittest
Tower Above
Vinelasher Kudzu

Desolation Giant
Fiery Justice
Firemane Angel
Grave-Shell Scarab
Lightning Angel
Memory Plunder
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
Silkbind Faerie
Void
Vulturous Zombie

Icy Manipulator
Lotus Petal
Serrated Arrows

Volrath's Stronghold
Wasteland
Terramorphic Expanse Probably just to add City of Brass
Tolarian Academy
Maybe the Rav duals

I was going to have a new mix today, but I have no web host any more. I don't know what happened to all the data I uploaded, but the whole beatspro site appears to have vanished. That's what I get for expecting free online hosting for 1000 megs of files. I am looking at other options.

As usual, sorry for the length.
T

In other news

According to Devin Low, 17% of the people who answered the poll prefer cats with tits to any other theme (including lions with hooves! Hooves, people! Come on! That's friggin badass). Damn. Just...damn.

New players, and the late summer blues

First, I apologize for not having drafts at the house lately. I've been pretty busy on Fridays. If you are jonesing for EDH action, apparently Thursday is Elder Dragon Highlander Night at the store now. That sounds like a fun thing to check out and Thursdays might be good for me. Of course, I always say that and yet, my time always seems to be rather limited.

Second, we have a new dude in the playgroup, at least marginally attached. Swizz-Dizzle has sucked another person into the vortex that is Magic:the Gathering and he is hoovering up knowledge and cards at a phenomenal pace. Like most new players, he is totally into his not exactly standard legal casual constructed deck that does completely broken things for the casual table. It's fun to watch someone go through basically the same process I did three years ago and a little humbling. I am much more jaded about the game now and it's fun to see that wide eyed wonder. I don't know if I am ever going to get that back. Of course, every time I think I am out they keep sucking me back in. I am already on the hook for at least two boxes of Shards but I don't know. That might be the last hurrah for me for a while. The pace of cards is too much for me. I feel like I have barely played with Shadowmoor and it's not even going to be the newest set by the end of next month. Eventide is tremendously uninteresting to me for some reason. I am beginning to think they really had shit wired when they released three sets to a block and one block a year. It really allows your brain some rest time in between before you have to hit the feeder bar again.

Maybe the problem is that Wizards is trying to do some contradictory things that aren't necessarily conducive to 100% enjoyment. Their number one goal is to sell cards. It has to be. Magic is by far the biggest property Wizards owned and is probably only approached on that front by D&D. Hell, Magic is one of Hasbro's top 10 properties and they fucking own My Little Pony. Anyway, their basic sales tactic is to generate an addiction (or at least addictive behaviors) in their clientele. One part of hooking people is fun, but anyone who has been addicted to drugs, gambling or anything else will tell you that the pleasure of the activity is not the promary motivator after a while. Magic is very carefully calibrated to keep people hitting the feeder bar, keep them wanting more new stuff and keep them cracking packs. All the things they do have other motives, but ultimately they want to get you addicted and keep you addicted. Frankly, I wish Wizards would quit trying to sell us other shit (Dreamblade, Hecatomb, etc). Magic players spend all their gaming budget on Magic. If only they'd realize this and focus all their resources, they'd print even more money than they already do. Anyway, my point is, fun is going the way of the dodo bird for me right now and I am losing my addiction. Who knows though? Maybe they wil come up with something sick that I will just have to have in the fall. A new format, a new card type, a new color. Something like that.

Eventide Additions to the Cube

Today's post comes in the form of a poll. For each enemy color pair, rate the top five cards. What are the criteria you should use to evaluate these cards, you ask? Let's go with a mix of Constructed power level and Limited playability. A composite of both formats, if you will. This exercise is of course for determining the new class of additions to the Cube, a Limited format with power levels closer to Constructed. A gander at the current list of multicolor cards reveals that only about three cards from each enemy color pair will probably make the cut (some pairs will have more, others less), but listing the top five will help to delineate which cards are best over all. Post your picks in the comments. I'll do so too, in case you want to preserve your own opinions prior to seeing anyone else's.

Gwyllion (W/B)
Batwing Brume
Beckon Apparition
Bloodied Ghost
Cauldron Haze
Deathbringer Liege
Divinity of Pride
Edge of the Divinity
Evershrike
Gwyllion Hedge-Mage
Harvest Gwyllion
Nightsky Mimic
Nip Gwyllion
Pyrrhic Revival
Restless Apparition
Stillmoon Cavalier
Unmake
Voracious Hatchling
Duergar (W/R)
Balefire Liege
Battlegate Mimic
Belligerent Hatchling
Double Cleave
Duergar Assailant
Duergar Hedge-Mage
Duergar Mine-Captain
Figure of Destiny
Fire at Will
Hearthfire Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin Dragoon
Moonhold
Nobilis of War
Rise of the Hobgoblins
Scourge of the Nobilis
Spitemare
Waves of Aggression

Noggle (U/R)
Call the Skybreaker
Clout of the Dominus
Crackleburr
Crag Puca
Dominus of Fealty
Inside Out
Mindwrack Liege
Mirror Sheen
Noggle Bandit
Noggle Bridgebreaker
Noggle Hedge-Mage
Noggle Ransacker
Nucklavee
Riverfall Mimic
Shrewd Hatchling
Stream Hopper
Unnerving Assault

Selkie, and/or Kelpie (U/G)
Cold-Eyed Selkie
Fable of Wolf and Owl
Favor of the Overbeing
Gilder Bairn
Grazing Kelpie
Groundling Pouncer
Invert the Skies
Murkfiend Liege
Overbeing of Myth
Selkie Hedge-Mage
Shorecrasher Mimic
Slippery Bogle
Snakeform
Spitting Image
Sturdy Hatchling
Trapjaw Kelpie
Wistful Selkie

Um, Hag? No... Trow! Trow! (B/G)
Canker Abomination
Cankerous Thirst
Creakwood Liege
Deity of Scars
Desecrator Hag
Doomgape
Drain the Well
Gift of the Deity
Hag Hedge-Mage
Noxious Hatchling
Odious Trow
Quillspike
Rendclaw Trow
Sapling of Colfenor
Stalker Hag
Woodlurker Mimic
Worm Harvest

Mono Colored Monoliths
There will also be a few mono colored cards that break into the Cube from Eventide. I expect this list to be brief, given the overall power level of the Cube. Here are the mono-colored Eventide cards I think might have at least a shot.

White
Archon of Justice
Ballynock Trapper
Cenn's Enlistment
Endless Horizons
Hallowed Burial

Blue
Cache Raiders
Glen Elendra Archmage
Wake Thrasher
Black
Ashling, the Extinguisher
Raven's Crime
Soul Snuffers
Soul Reap
Umbra Stalker

Red
Flame Jab
Puncture Blast
Heartlash Cinder
Outrage Shaman
Stigma Lasher

Green
Aerie Ouphes
Bloom Tender
Primalcrux
Talara's Battalion

Some of these are dubious, but I wanted to cast a wide enough net that I wouldn't be accused of missing great cards. I still probably have. The only cards that seem guaranteed are Archon of Justice, Puncture Blast, and maybe the Wake Thrasher or Glen Elendra Archmage. Eventide seems really juiced in terms of White mono-colored cards, and I expect to see more of them make the cut. I think Ashling, the Extinguisher also looks like an absolute blowout, even if she only connects once, but I've never played with her, so I'm not making any predictions.

In non-Magic news, what I had chalked up to a bad joke over at Penny Arcade is apparently either deadly serious or a long, Family Guy-esque drawn out punchline that ceases to be funny long before it ends (I'll guess the latter). Witness "Bogey Golf, Part Two of Thirty." (Totally NSFW.) So I can only assume that they've finally gone insane, since the punchline is not only boring but also not at all about golf. Wait, that last thing is a positive.

(CW)TS out.

Okay, dog fucking is a little bit funny.

Previews

I am kind of looking forward to Shards of Alara, even if it does have cats with tits. Honestly, I know those artists study anatomy. What is up with the cats with tits?

So I am one of those guys who doesn't like checking out the unofficial spoilers. I know this puts me in the distinct minority in the present playgroup but there's something tremendously fun for me about cracking packs and reading cards for the first time. I am fairly certain that I would quit Magic if they stopped printing new sets. Opening packs at a prerelease and reading every card (even though I know I should just be sorting by color as fast as I can) is the bomb. It's fun to categorize (here's the new naturalize, I can't believe they printed a 5/5 flyer that draws cards for 5 in blue (actually I can believe that) here's a bear, etc...) as they come fresh from the pack. I totally understand the impulse for spoilers but for me, the prerelease is my one chance to understand the set in a pure way, uncolored by other people's perceptions. I get to experience it as entirely my own. I wish they were able to release a set 100% spoiler-free sometime, but if wishes were horses, we'd all smell like horseshit. That's all for this week.

--CBG

And the beats go on...

As the song goes . . . La de da de de, la de da de da

That's kind of my view on the last week of magic, at least for me. If you are unsure of what I speak, I mean my luck has changed (an abysmal 4-7 in games and 1 in 3 in matches). Where last week I dominated with my white blue build, everyone else has passed me up with the addition of one lonely pack of Eventide. I am still puzzled how one pack can make all that difference, but I am sure it is probably that many people were able to successfully switch colors and build more powerful decks then me. So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Here's what I opened:

Wickerbough Elder
Stream Hopper
Gift of the Deity
Aeries Ouphes
Beckon Apparition
Monstrify
Clout of the Dominous
Smoldering Butcher
Wilderness Hypnotist
Duergar Assailant
Ballynock Trapper
Outrage Shaman
Cache Raiders
Suture Spirit
Worm Harvest

As you may notice, a 2nd Ballynock Trapper, but not a lot else for blue white. So I added the Ballynock Trapper in favor of the Belligerent Hatchling and proceeded to get my face crushed by all but Bill (thanks for playing a higher curve then me). It was at the end of the night that I decided to give red white a try and here's what I came up with.

Creatures/Spells/Lands:
Archon of Justice
(2) Ballynock Trapper
Belligerent Hatchling
Briarberry Cohort
Hobgoblin Dragoon
Kithkin Spellduster
Mistmeadow Skulk
(2) Noggle Bandit
Noggle Hedge-Mage
Rune-Cervin Rider
Safehold Elite
Tatterkite
Twilight Shepherd
Windbrisk Raptor
Aethertow
Armored Ascension
Cenn's Enlistment
Fire at Will
Last Breath
Recumbent Bliss
Unmake
10 Plains
7 Mountains

Well, we'll see how this latest build fairs. Until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.

Cube 3.0 Owners Spreadsheet

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the-

Cube 3.0 Owners Spreadsheet

Major_Luck spent most of last weekend entering the new Cube data (including who owns what) into an .xls document, so now we have ownership of the majority of the cards ironed out. I have put the data into a Google Doc and published it, so now anyone can see not only the Cube cards, but also information about ownership, premium cards, card color, even converted mana cost! Big thanks to Major_Luck for his help here. It would have taken me two months just to stop procrastinating.
We have a large number of cards that were cut that need to be returned to their owners. I will be doing this as I see people in the next few weeks. If you loaned a card that is no longer in the Cube and it isn't among the cards you receive back, contact me.
When viewing the document you will notice that there are still a few cards that do not have identified owners. I have perused the list and many of these are mine, but not all. If you are one of the half dozen people who contributed cards and see that one of the cards you loaned is not credited to you, please let me know. Obviously if you see something that is not accurate let me know about that as well.
As a Google document people all over the web can do all the neat stuff that you can do with any spreadsheet. Want to check the average casting cost of all the White cards in the Cube? You can do that! How many creatures does Blue really have? Just sort by color and then creature! Unfortunately, it looks like document that is published by Google cannot be manipulated (which is good, obviously we don't want some joker in the Czech Republic messing up all the work Dan did, just for laughs), but it also means that all the cool analytical stuff can only be done by collaborators. You need to have a Google account to be collaborator, so you can sign in to the document. If you own cards in the Cube and want to play around with this stuff I would suggest signing up and then emailing me so that I can add you to the collaborators list. It makes discussing cuts, adds and Cube balance one hell of a lot easier. Plus you can sort by the owner name, so it makes finding out which cards you actually own really simple.
Questions or suggestions on how we can make this system work better- let me know. I think we've got a pretty nice resource now. All we need to do is update it when changes occur and we should be in good shape for Eventide additions and beyond.

T

The Secondary Sexual Characteristics of Felines

I can't possibly be the only person who is seriously weirded out by buoyant, helium filled balloons stapled to the front of these cat people. Can I?

The Video from Magic Nats

Well, I guess the sad news that we all washed out of the grinders falls to me to deliver, since Fugie is in his undisclosed location and TooSarcastic has decided to emulate Ansel Adams rather then Ernest Hemingway for once.



------------

And as an added bonus, more photos!


Richard Garfield is an officer and a gentleman. Not sure about the officer part actually. Sorry about the flash. New camera. New to me anyway.



TS's opponent! Will he be good? Will he not be good?


That's an Underground River and a Grove of the Burnwillows on the other side. Umm, no.


There are rumors of the existence of photos of Alan Comer not smiling. These rumors are unconfirmed, of course, because Alan Comer is always smiling.


See. I told you.


He also signs autographs for obvious pedophiles.

And finally, your moment of zen for the day.



Yes actually, that is a luck counter on a Gemstone Caverns. In Standard. In a sanctioned 32k event. I knew I misbuilt!

Jedi Mind Trick

Ordinarily, I wouldn't publish this, but since a Cubs fan was the unfortunate mindtrickee, here we go. Game 2 of 8 man draft. I owned game one, because as bad as I am, he was terrible(r). Unfortunately, he drops Godhead of Awe. Fuck, what will I do? I have 1/1s, he has Godhead of Awe. And Talonrend. Oooh! I have a pumpable retrace spell. But I am on 8. 2 swings of the Godhead (pr0n!) and I am dead. I have no trample. And retrace pump is sorcery pump. Fuck. Wait, what if he forgets he can't activate the Talonrend? Well, if that happens, he's fucked. Cause then I have 9 unblockable coming through. And he's on...wait for it...9. Attacks? Sure. Block with Talonrend. Effects? Pump Talonrend. Sure, bin him. (he tries to back up). Awkward, no. I did that on purpose. Fucking Cubs fan. Now all I have to do is draw a land. And I do. +8/+8 just gets there sometimes.

PS. Scoops really loves retrace. He hasn't told me this, I just know, given his ability to draw 12 lands in a 16 land deck.

Back on Track, Old Fart resumes, Week #2

Greetings and salutations. To all of you fortunate to make it down to nationals last week, I hope you had a good time. While I was not so fortunate, I was able to get so other things I had been putting off completed and was able to get down last Tuesday for my second taste of Eventide Sealed (see previous post about Eventide launch party).

I am definitely more excited then I have been in quite a while, about the release of Eventide. I definitely believe that Shaddowmoor, Shaddowmoor, Eventide drafts will be much more fun (I haven't drafted it yet, but look forward). I liken this to the same type of excitement when Guildpact first came out (Guildpact was very good to me, 15-1-2 in matches).

Well enough about draft and on to sealed. Before I post my pool, a couple of thoughts about the format. First, hybrids make almost mono decks viable (restating the obvious). Second, white continues to be very powerful (thanks for the assist TS). And finally, Bombs continue to win games are still quite prevalent.

Here's the pool by color (Eventide in italics):

White:
Apothecary Initiate
Armored Ascension
Last Breath
Mistmeadow Skulk
Rune-Cervin Rider
Twilight Shepherd
Windbrisk Raptor
Cenn's Enlistment
Kithkin Spellduster
Recumbent Bliss

Blue:
Briarberry Cohort
(2) Cerulean Wisps
Deepchannel Mentor
(2) Parapet Watchers
Sinking Feeling
Dream Thief
Wilderness Hypnotist

Black:
Disturbing Plot
Hollowsage
Sickle Ripper
Smolder Initiate

Red:
Blistering Dieflyn
Crimson Wisps
(2) Ember Gale
Power of Fire

Green:
Gloomwidow's Feast
Howl of the Night Pack
Toil to Renown

Hybrid:
Aethertow
Mistmeadow Witch
Thoughtweft Gambit
Turn to Mist
Divinity of Pride (foil)
Nightsky Mimic
Nip Gwyllion
Unmake
Fate Transfer
Gravegill Duo
Inkfathom Infiltrator
Scarscale Ritual
Inside Out
(2) Noggle Bandit
Noggle Hege-Mage
Unnerving Assault
Din of the Fireherd
Emberstrike Duo
Sootwalkers
Drain the Well
Odious Trow
Sapling of Colfenor
Stalker Hag
Woodlurker Mimic
Mudbrawler Raiders
Scuzzback Marauders
Belligerent Hatchling
Hobgoblin Dragoon
Moonhold
Barkshell Blessing
Safehold Elite
(2) Favor of the Overbeing
Sturdy Hatchling
Shorecrasher Mimic
Chainbreaker
Chainbreaker (foil)
Elsewhere Flask
Tatterkite
Altar Golem
(2) Antler Skulkin
Shell skulkin

A quick couple of notes about the pool. First no mono black, green, or red cards from Eventide. Second, White has access to all of the amazing bombs. And third, white has access to all of the amazing bombs (white is so good, it warrants mentioning twice). Without further ado, here is what I played last Tuesday.

Creatures/Spells/Lands:
Belligerent Hatchling
Briarberry Cohort
Divinity of Pride
Dream Thief
Hobgoblin Dragoon
Kithkin Spellduster
Mistmeadow Skulk
Mistmeadow Witch
Nip Gwyllion
(2) Parapet Watchers
Rune-Cervin Rider
Safehold Elite
Tatterkite
Twilight Shepherd
Windbrisk Raptor
Aethertow
Armored Ascension
Cenn's Enlistment
Last Breath
Recumbent Bliss
Turn to Mist
Unmake
12 Plains
5 Islands

Seems pretty solid, and it was, for the most part. I did manage to go 6-1 in games on the back of getting to one of my bombs (four of the six wins ended after I got one of my three bombs on board). I do have to give props to Scoop_Phase for managing to curve out on turn four. While, for the most part, I did have good draws, I like to think that I did out play some of my opponents.

Looking ahead to next week, here is the pack of Eventide that I opened:
Wickerbough Elder
Ballynock Trapper
Stream Hopper
Gift of the Deity
Fire at Will
Raven's Crime
Aerie Ouphes
Cenn's Enlistment
Wilderness Hypnotist
Drain the Well
Hobgoblin Dragoon
Bloodied Ghost
Savage Conception
Duergar Cave-Guard
Archon of Justice

Quick note on changes for next week:
- Belligerent hatchling (need to make room at the four slot.)
- Dream Thief (Only once did I get to draw a card.)

+ Ballynock Trapper (auto include when playing almost mono white).
+ Archon of Justice (bomb creature #4)

Well, until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.

Magic the Gathering Nationals 2008 Chicago: A Photoblog.

On the road with the boys to Nationals. With the top down. What could be better? Wait, what's that noise?

Captain Bondage Goth inspects a flat tire while The Fugitive Wizard observes. TooSarcastic takes photos and watches for drunken Illinois drivers swerving.

Yeah, that lug nut is stripped. What we need is...

An Illinois State Highway Tow Truck, and in less than fifteen minutes!

The doughnut is on! We are headed to Nationals. The venue is huuuge!

Ah. Here we are!

This is where the fun stuff happens!

That's one festive Goblin King!

That's Richard Garfield in red, giving me the eye.

Rich Hagon interviewing Richard Garfield, creator of Magic the Gathering.

That's one big stack of Menger Cubes!

Fugie laughs it up with an opponent in an 8 person Constructed flight. Then Fugie crushes him.

Judges open up several thousand dollars worth of boosters for a massive two headed giant sealed event.


Players draft online- to win the computer they are playing on!

This guy is seriously considering raredrafting that Graven Cairns for his fifth pick.

Rich Hagon hosts Magic: the Game Show.

A pack of Zebras walk by.

The WUBRG closing montage.

Sorry for the short post. I reckon CBG and probably Fugie will fill you in on the pertinent details of the trip in non-pictorial form.

T

Quick Cube Update

Quick update on the cube. I've got all of the current cards entered and am still working on inputting what belongs to whom. I hope to have it completed by thursday so I can post the completed list to the blog.

Until next time, may the mana gods not hate you.

How to Top 8 without much effort

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.

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

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.

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