Another year, another opportunity to review and update the cube...

2023 has been another record-breaking year for Magic with more than 10,000 cards* released across 92 releases. (This number includes alternate art, alternate frames, or promo versions and Secret Lair releases... but still!)

The last two years of Commander releases opened a lot more options especially if you consider the sheer number of reprints (Commander Masters, many many pre-cons...) and the fact that we got products devoted to the two "typal" archetypes featured in this cube: Elves, with the Lord of The Rings products; and Pirates, with the latest Ixalan set.

Drafting and playing the cube with different player counts has highlighted some areas that could be tweaked.

This update is a little more extensive than the previous one to address two areas previously left unaddressed when the cube was built in 2021: (1) underperforming Commander Legends (CMR) cards that were included in the cube by default as a starting point, and (2) options for 3-color commanders, which were initially just all the 3-color rares from Commander Legends.

The updates from last year proved to work really well: None of them created unforeseen issues and Hero's Downfall, and The Council of Four had a positive impact on games... The Big Top was used successfully in multiple games. Of course, future games may prove me wrong! But that's the joy of curating a cube.

So here are the latest updates:

• Destroy Evil (replacing Skywhaler's Shot): This first update is to give players more flexibility with white removal. Destroy Evil is creeping up in price so it's a popular card but not necessarily the budget all-star it was for a short time.

• Generous Gift (replacing Iona's Judgment): This is a similar update. Generous Gift is a staple of the format and gives more flexibility to players by having a lower mana value than Iona's Judgment and being instant-speed.

• Deconstruction Hammer (replacing Dispeller's Capsule): This is not necessarily an upgrade but an attempt to increase the equipment count in the cube for white-red decks. This cycle of common equipments from LCI fits in the cube effortlessly.

• Commit // Memory (replacing Out of Bounds): Assist is only viable when playing in teams... Commit does not improve on the mana value aspect (this is still a 4-mana counter spell) but it offers blue players some flexibility by also targeting nonland permanents at instant speed. The Aftermath half (Memory) also gives the player more options in the late game.

• Pirate Hat (replacing Spontaneous Mutation): Spontaneous Mutation is not a great card despite being a one-mana combat trick. It's not a popular card with players (draft or deckbuilding) where players want more removal. Instead Pirate Hat reward players for playing Pirates, and helps increase our equipment count in the cube.

• Haunt of the Dead Marshes (replacing Sanitarium Skeleton): For 3 mana, Sanitarium Skeleton returns to our hand. For the same cost this nightmare elf returns to the battlefield tapped. It's an elf, which is relevant in green-black. It scries which is always nice. The ability shouldn't be too hard to trigger given the high number of legendaries included in the cube.

• Skeleton Crew (replacing Lys Alana Scarblade): Lys Alana Scarblade is too conditional to work well in the green-black archetype. Skeleton Crew costs more but it interacts with your graveyard (relevant in blue-black) and creates tokens (relevant in white-black and red-black) so it's good value. Giving pirates +1/+1 is just an extra little bonus...

• Enterprising Scallywag (replacing Wily Goblin): The Scallywag is easier to cast, has higher power and toughness, and can create multiple treasures over the course of the game so it's relevant in blue-red and red-black decks... Wily Goblin is clearly outclassed.

• Gemcutter Buccaneer (replacing Storm-Kiln Artist): Storm-Kiln Artist was initially included in the cube to help red decks create treasures. The Magecraft ability may be too good. Gemcutter Buccaneer is a new kid on the block and seems more synergistic in this cube since it cares about Pirates. The ability to turn treasures into equipments is also quite relevant.

• Diamond Pick-Axe (replacing Impending Doom): The third card of the cycle of common equipments from LCI. Seems good value all around.

• Throes of Chaos (replacing Frenzied Fugue): There are few mono-colored cards with Cascade cards out there to make the Averna, the Chaos Bloom deck. Throes of Chaos should help. Another solution to this problem is to replace Averna with Maelstrom Wanderer. Let's see how this pans out. Frenzied Fugue is less relevant now that we're replacing Ghen (see below).

• Haldir, Lórien Lieutenant (replacing Wildheart Invoker): Wildheart Invoker's ability is relevant but a little too expensive. Haldir is also an Elf, it cares about +1/+1 counters (another theme in green) and the last ability is another finisher in green (see also Creeperhulk, Kamahl, Heart of Krosa).

• Elvish Archivist (replacing Pollenbright Druid): Elvish Archivist is an elf, cares about +1/+1 counters and artifacts and enchantments. There are a lot of Elves in the cube and the archetype is OK. We'll see if any of these new inclusions are pushing the archetype too far.

• Regal Behemoth (replacing Scaled Behemoth): This should have been included in Commander Legends to begin with. The four (!!) reprints of this card in 2023 helps make sure it's now a budget include. You can't go wrong with Monarch and the ramp is great for green-blue.

• Shower of Arrows (replacing Crushing Vines): Nothing is quite as frustrating as playing a modal removal card that does not let you target enchantments... On top of being a flavorful inclusion (Elves!), you also get to scry for the same cost. A no brainer.

• Rampant Growth (replacing Three Visits): With Three Visits, the land comes into play untapped. However, you can only get a Forest. Rampant Growth is simply more flexible. Three Visits is less relevant at the "limited" power level, especially when there is no non-basic Forests in the cube.

• Predatory Hunger (replacing Hydra's Growth): Exodus has some really cool spells. Predatory Hunger is less threatening than Hydra's Growth. I like that it's only 1-mana. Not the most crucial update to the cube.

• Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider (replacing Captain Vargus Wrath): There is a new pirate 2-cost Izzet Legendary pirate on this ship... Vargus has never been super popular so he's been ousted. We'll see how this goes...

Now in regards to three-color commanders:

• Bane, Lord of Darkness (replacing Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant): Nevinyrral is a great character and one of the few all-around good options in Esper colors... That being said, Nevinyrral's brand of Esper control proved to be too oppresive (especially in 3-player games). Just the threat of Nevinyrral has been enough to sway the game too much in favor of the control player. Since 2021, options for Esper commander have expended and Bane represents a better option for the kind of 3-color "good stuff" commander I want to include in the cube.

• Sol'Kanar the Tainted (replacing Obeka, Brute Chronologist): Obeka has not been a problem but the ability is a constant source of confusion for players. Sol'Kanar is a new commander who is interactive and fits in with the chaos/forced combat sub-theme present in the cube, especially on the Grixis side of things.

• Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter (replacing Ghen, Arcanum Weaver): Ghen, Arcanum Weaver cares about enchantments but this cube cares about artifacts a lot more. Jan Jensen is a new card since 2021 but it seems to fit right with the rest of Commander Legends.

• Aragorn, King of Gondor (replacing Gnostro, Voice of the Crags): Gnostro is a pretty bad creature but it's also the only commander that allows you to play a white-blue-red deck in this cube. Aragorn, King of Gondor will likely prove to be too strong (4/4 for four mana with Vigilance, Lifelink and two other abilities) for this cube but I like to have a Monarch commander in the cube aside from Jared Carthalion, True Heir. Aragorn still dies to removal (and is susceptible tobeing turned into a fish with Ichthyomorphosis).

• Crown of Gondor (replacing Pennon Blade): Both cards have the same costs and have the same ability but Crown of Gondor cares about Monarch, which is one of the most important mechanic to the cube. SOLD!

• Promising Vein (replacing Evolving Wilds): Promising Vein (or its LOTR printing, Shire Terrace) is a new budget option where it comes to color fixing. Early, you can sack it, to search for one of your missing basics. In the late game, it's still a land that comes into play untapped.

• Throne of the High City (replacing Foundry of the Consuls): Not unlike Regal Behemoth, this recent reprint seems like it belonged in Commander Legends in the first place. It's a good utility land if your play a lot of cards that care specifically about being the Monarch. Foundry of the Consuls 5-mana ability is proving to be too expensive.

Other cards that were considered but ultimately didn't make the cut: Francisco, Fowl Marauder, Fathom Fleet Captain, Shire Terrace, Faramir, Steward of Gondor, Admiral Brass, Unsinkable, Bloodthorn Flail.

That's it! Happy New Year! GLHF in 2024!

It's been a while.

2022 was another boon of a year when it comes to budget Magic. Much has been said about the increasing number of releases, cards, and reprints.
This is a quick update to talk about the few changes I recently made to this cube. Each new set brings a lot of new, exciting cards and affordable reprints so it only seemed natural to try to replace a few cards in an attempt to improve or just reinvigorate the cube:

• Lay Down Arms (replacing Bring Down): This new piece of removal seems decent and cheap despite being a sorcery. It gets better as the game progresses and you can exile 90% of the commanders in this cube for 1 mana as long as you control at least 5 plains. It also deals with Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh very easily. It's no Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares but it's also under $1.

• Body Double (replacing Experimental Aviator): Instead of trying to find an alternative to Prosperous Pirates to reinforce the Pirate, Flying and Artifact Matters archetypes (which are all getting a lot of love already), I chose to include Body Double to give more support to the Graveyard (and Mill) strategies and get more clone effects in the cube aside from Sakashima's Protege and Sakashima's Will. This allows blue decks to copy powerful creatures that they self-milled away or creatures from other graveyards that are outside of their color identity... which could lead to some surprising plays. (Let's copy a Rakshasa Debaser, Gonti, Lord of Luxury, or Ulamog's Crusher out of the blue!)

• Hero's Downfall (replacing Gang Up): Not unlike Bring Down, Gang Up works better in theory than in practice. Hero's Downfall just got a reprint and it's costed appropriately in the context of this cube. It's now considered a "bad" card by most but it can deal with the few planeswalkers in the cube. Eyeblight's Ending is a cheap and thematic alternative. Go for the Throat is another cheap alternative. It's no Cut Down or Infernal Grasp but it's also under $1.

• Mishra's Command (replacing Fiery Confluence): Fiery Confluence was included originally to increase the number of modal spells and board wipes in the cube. It turned out to be too good when paired with Sengir, the Dark Baron. Mishra's Command remains a solid modal spell and its "X" casting cost makes it only better in the late game.

• Descent into Avernus (replacing Share the Spoils): Share the Spoils was included as part of a bunch of cards that would bring in some "chaos" elements. Some players dislike that Share the Spoils adds a "game within the game" and increases the number of decisions each turn. Descent into Avernus has been trending around $0.50 for 6 months which makes it a cheap card to include. By providing players with tons of treasures and dishing out extra damage, this is a good way to speed up the game if things start to drag for too long (think Havoc Festival but in mono-red). If this card becomes too problematic in the cube, Guild Artisan could be another alternative.

• Creeperhulk (replacing Owlbear): Owlbear was initially included as a second copy of Silverback Shaman. Not the most exciting card to draft by a long mile... Creeperhulk just got reprinted in Jumpstart 2022 and gives green another win con by turning a small creatures into 5/5 tramplers. This could help get commander damage through more quickly or close out the game for green decks struggling in the late game. It could combo with Kamahl, Heart of Krosa's ability fairly well too.

• The Council of Four (replacing Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer): In theory, Gwafa Hazid is a fun political commander. In practice, deals are very hard to make because your opponents may not want to "sacrifice" a creature to get that extra card draw. He can shut down a voltron deck by turn 4 (potentially increasing the length of games) or simply become a magnet for removal. The Council of Four allows you to go wide and play politically through "group hug" and pillow fort" strategy, with cards like Flumph or Orzhov Advokist. Being a 0/8 and generating creature tokens is also great to help you remain the Monarch.

• The Big Top (replacing Study Hall): Study Hall is not bad in the context of this cube. The Big Top basically acts as a second copy of Command Tower in most cases. This is a silly card from Unfinity and kind of a meme inclusion really... In the future, it's not impossible that it will be replaced by Uncharted Haven or Crystal Grotto (or Study Hall).

I finally sorted my cards, ordered and received the missing cards I needed for this cube, and got everything sleeved up and ready to be shuffled and distributed into packs for a draft with friends...

However, as I'm doing more testing through CubeCobra, it seems that I didn't take into account how I wanted to have lands/colors distributed. Currently, lands are set at different rarity levels (1 rare, 1 uncommon, 25 commons) which means we could have a booster pack with multiple lands--not ideal. Instead, we'll opt to have a designated land slot in each booster to guarantee 1 land per pack. We'll also want to make sure the spread of colors is fairly even in each pack.

Here is how we'll want to build each booster:

1. Legendary Card #1
2. Legendary Card #2
3. Rare Card #1
4. Rare Card #2
5. Uncommon Card #1
6. Uncommon Card #2
7. Uncommon Card #3
8. WHITE Common Card #1
9. WHITE Common Card #2
10. BLUE Common Card #1
11. BLUE Common Card #2
12. BLACK Common Card #1
13. BLACK Common Card #2
14. RED Common Card #1
15. RED Common Card #2
16. GREEN Common Card #1
17. GREEN Common Card #2
18. COLORLESS Common Card #1
19. COLORLESS Common Card #2
20. Land Card (Common #13)

This land slot is a dedicated slot but I'm choosing to treat it as a common slot that's restricted to lands. This means we'll make a couple of adjustments to the list by downshifting the rarity of Command Beacon and Guildless Commons to common and upshift the rarity of two cards from our pool of commons to take their place. Here is what I chose:

Command Beacon: Downshift from Rare to Common
Coveted Jewel: Upshift from Common to Rare

Guildless Commons: Downshift from Uncommon to Common
Victory Chimes: Upshift from Common to Uncommon

Upshifting the rarity of these cool rocks shouldn't have much of an impact given the upside of having a dedicated land slot. This is made very convenient by the fact that we have 27 lands in our cube, which is also the maximum number of packs we'll create out of this cube.

The final consideration to keep in mind is that we have 20 multicolor cards at the common rarity which won't fit nicely into our 10 "monocolor-labeled" common slots. I believe it will be easy enough to distribute them evenly among the other piles of common cards whether we choose to split the guilds evenly among the two colors of their color identity (i.e, put one Golgari card in the Black commons and the other one in the Green commons) or have specific guilds show up in specific color slots.

If you, reader, need a quick and easy method, you can shuffle in common cards from these guilds into the following piles:

Azorius and Orzhov in WHITE Common Cards
Dimir and Izzet in BLUE Common Cards
Rakdos and Golgari in BLACK Common Cards
Gruul and Boros in RED Common Cards
Selesnya and Simic in GREEN Common Cards

Please see the Blog tab for all notes on the cube.
More updates to come in the future...

Let me know if you have any questions.

Let's see where we are now:

55 Legendaries (one of which will be our 81st uncommon)
54 Rares
80 Uncommons
280 Commons
17 Additional Lands
20 Common Multicolors
Total: 506 cards

This leaves us with 34 cards to fill in the last few common slots... Let's experiment and try to include cards that would add a bit of uniqueness to our cube and shake things a bit... We'll be looking at cycles of cards that could work in any deck, cards designed for multiplayer formats, cards that encourage politics/negotiations at the table or cards that bring a bit more chaos... Looking at ways to include more forms of interaction and removal (for example via modal cards or just "soft" removals) could be interesting in this context...

Here are the final 34 cards:

The Omen Cycle:
Omen of the Sun
Omen of the Sea
Omen of the Dead
Omen of the Forge
Omen of the Hunt
These cards are enchantments but they can be cast at instant speed which can both be relevant in some decks (Nymris, Ghen). Their abilities are useful in any deck (tokens in white, card draw in blue, recursion in black, removal in red, ramp in green). The mana sink ability can also be a good way to go around Yurlok's pesky ability. Needless to say, Scrying is very relevant with Eligeth.

The Impetus Cycle:
Martial Impetus
Psychic Impetus
Parasitic Impetus
Shiny Impetus
Predatory Impetus
The cycle is very maligned online but if there's ever a place for these cards, it will be in the Commander Cube. Very similar to the Vow cycle of Commander Legends, this is another cycle of enchantment that offer a form of control or "soft removal" in multiplayer thanks to the Goad mechanic. In a pinch, they can also be great auras to equip our own creatures.

Modal Cards:
Collective Effort
Inscription of Insight
Inscription of Ruin
Fiery Confluence
Inscription of Abundance
These spells offer a bit of flexibility for players because they offer a variety of options. They even have additional costs (kicker, escalate) to make sure they're relevant even in the late game.

Chaos! Politics!:

White
Herald of the Host
Martyr's Cause
Stalking Leonin

Blue
Order of Succession
Manifold Insights
Polymorph

Black
Infernal Offering
Cannibalize
Visions of Brutality

Red
Share the Spoils
Mob Rule
Arc Lightning

Green
Evolutionary Escalation
Quirion Ranger
Lull

Colorless
Assault Suit
Key to the City
Mimic Vat
Bucknard's Everfull Purse

Now that we double the number of commons and complemented the land options, let's take a look at adding more multicolor cards into the cube. These multicolor cards should point the players towards certain archetypes. First, we'll want to include a signpost uncommon (2-color non-legendary creature) for each of the 10 archetypes. Then, to spice things up a bit, let's add each of the 10 uncommon multicolor planeswalker from War of the Spark. These planeswalkers have relevant passive abilities and no "+" abilities. However, players can take advantage of the few cards that proliferate to have them stick around. Because these planeswalkers are the only cards with a hybrid costs in our cubes, we can house rule whether or not they can be included in mono-color decks (or 3-color decks without the), or even if they can be used as commanders.

Alternatively, we can swap out these planeswalkers for the Guild Charm cycle. Modal cards are not necessarily bad to have in a cube. They're just harder to draft here since they will need to match the commander's color identity.

Azorius
Dovin, Hand of Control
Thunderclap Wyvern

Dimir
Obsessive Stitcher
Ashiok, Dream Render

Rakdos
Mayhem Devil
Angrath, Captain of Chaos

Gruul
Samut, Tyrant Smasher
Savage Ventmaw

Selesnya
Good-Fortune Unicorn
Huatli, the Sun's Heart

Orzhov
Corpse Knight
Kaya, Bane of the Dead

Golgari
Shaman of the Pack
Vraska, Swarm's Eminence

Simic
Maraleaf Pixie
Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner

Izzet
Storm Fleet Sprinter
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer

Boros
Iroas's Champion
Nahiri, Storm of Stone

We're getting close! Next, we'll take a look at colorless options. I think the goal here is to add more tools that could be used in any deck but could find a home in a specific color or archetype: artifact creatures, mana fixing, flexible ramp, draw, removal, and equipment options...

Colorless:

Ramp:
Marble Diamond >> Gold Myr
Sky Diamond >> Silver Myr
Charcoal Diamond >> Leaden Myr
Fire Diamond >> Iron Myr
Moss Diamond >> Copper Myr
Commander's Sphere >> Bonder's Ornament
Seer's Lantern >> Bonder's Ornament
Spectral Searchlight >> Victory Chimes
Sisay's Ring >> Hedron Archive
The cycle of Myr "dorks" is the closest equivalent to the Diamond cycle. There's a lot of room to explore with 3-cmc mana rocks. This cube could be a good home for Bonder's Ornament and Victory Chimes.

Mana Fixing
Armillary Sphere >> Wayfarer's Bauble (I kinda had to, you know...)
Prophetic Prism >> Springleaf Drum

Pilgrim's Eye >> Farfinder (Skittering Surveyor may be more on theme...)

Removal
Universal Solvent >> Unstable Obelisk

Equipment
Amorphous Axe >> Bloodthirsty Blade
Armory of Iroas >> Sword of the Chosen
Haunted Cloak >> Chariot of Victory
Pirate's Cutlass >> Prying Blade

Card Draw/Advantage
Jalum Tome >> Credit Voucher
Filigree Familiar >> Runed Servitor
Howling Golem >> Soldevi Sentry
Workshop Assistant >> Scaretiller
Staunch Throneguard >> Coveted Jewel (should be a commander cube all-star!)

Creatures
Foundry Inspector >> Chief of the Foundry
Lumengrid Gargoyle >> Akroan Horse
Maelstrom Colossus >> Ulamog's Crusher
Perilous Myr >> Arcbound Stinger

Lands
I'm adding the following lands to the 6 lands already in set (1 rare, 1 uncommon, 4 commons) to allow players for more color fixing options, which could help avoid players being completely mana screwed. In total, we'll have 27 lands so we could also make sure to include 1 in every booster.

Evolving Wilds
Evolving Wilds
Evolving Wilds
(With Terramorphic Expanse, we will have 4 copies of the "same" land so a table of 4-players have a chance to draft a copy. We'll want to make sure each copy of Evolving Wilds has different art.)

Bloodfell Caves
Blossoming Sands
Dismal Backwater
Rugged Highlands
Scoured Barrens
Swiftwater Cliffs
Thornwood Falls
Jungle Hollow
Tranquil Cove
Wind-Scarred Crag
(Lifegain lands are also the other cheap option. They are slow but Commander Legends draft/sealed is not the fastest, most competitive format either.)

Thriving Bluff
Thriving Grove
Thriving Heath
Thriving Isle
Thriving Moor
(This cycle of Thriving land is cheap and good to pad out our fixing options. They are also easier to draft than the lifegain lands since they have only one color. The cycle of Vivid lands could also work here.)

Rogue's Passage
Study Hall
Foundry of the Consuls
(Utility lands any deck could use.)

Next is Green...

Green archetypes care about +1/+1 counters (with White), Ramp/Big Spells (with Blue), Elves (with Black), and Big Creatures (with Red).

Creatures
Fyndhorn Elves >> Elvish Mystic
Ambush Viper >> Pollenbright Druid
Elvish Visionary >> Evolution Sage (U, downshifted to C)
Scrounging Bandar >> Pridemalkin
Farhaven Elf >> Civic Wayfinder
Fertilid >> Mana Bloom
Lys Alana Bowmaster >> Chlorophant (R, downshifted to C)
Ivy Lane Denizen >> Llanowar Empath
Wildheart Invoker >> Lys Alana Huntmaster
Entourage of Trest >> Heartwood Storyteller
Molder Beast >> Rhox Maulers
Sentinel Spider >> Skysnare Spider (U, downshifted to C)
Silverback Shaman >> Owlbear
Fin-Clade Fugitives >> Renata, Called to the Hunt (U, downshifted to C)
Annoyed Altisaur >> Caller of the Pack (U, downshifted to C)

Sorceries/Instants
Ancient Animus >> Ram Through
Crushing Vines >> Return to Nature
Wildsize >> Vines of Vastwood
Lifecrafter's Gift >> Scale the Heights
Natural Reclamation >> Foundation Breaker (U, downshifted to C)
Soul's Might >> Hydra's Growth (U, downshifted to C)

Enchantments/Artifacts
Gift of Paradise >> Beanstalk Giant (U, downshifted to C)

Next is Red commons.

Red archetypes care about Auras/Equipments (with White), Pirates (with Blue), Sacrifice (with Black), and Big Creatures (with Green).

Creatures
Impulsive Pilferer >> Wily Goblin (U, downshifted to C)
Champion of the Flame >> Kazuul's Toll Collector (U, downshifted to C)
Goblin Trailblazer >> Fanatical Firebrand
Dragon Egg >> Goblin Cratermaker
Rummaging Goblin >> Merchant of the Vale
Valakut Invoker >> Captivating Crew (R, downshifted to C)
Brazen Freebooter >> Brazen Buccaneers
Crimson Fleet Commodore >> Crown-Hunter Hireling
Skyraker Giant >> Storm-Kiln Artist (U, downshifted to C)
Sparktongue Dragon >> Hunted Dragon (R, downshifted to C)
Wild Celebrants >> Warchief Giant (U, downshifted to C)
Boarding Party >> Dreamshaper Shaman (U, downshifted to C)
Ripscale Predator >> Skyline Despot (R, downshifted to C)

Sorceries/Instants
Fiery Cannonade >> Flame Sweep (U, downshifted to C)
Soul's Fire >> Fling
Welding Sparks >> Jaya's Greeting
Stonefury >> Unleash Fury
Renegade Tactics >> Expedite
Portent of Betrayal >> Frenzied Fugue (U, downshifted to C)

Enchantments/Artifacts
Dragon Mantle >> Crystal Slipper
Makeshift Munitions >> Ghirapur Æther Grid (U, downshifted to C)
Undying Rage >> Impending Doom (U, downshifted to C)

Let's move to Black commons...

Black archetypes care about creature tokens (with White), Graveyard tricks (with Blue), Sacrifice (with Red), and Elves (with Black). We'll also want to look at cards that care about creatures dying as pay-offs for the token, graveyard and sacrifice strategies.

Creatures
Sanitarium Skeleton >> Carrionette
Viscera Seer >> Woe Strider (R, downshifted to C)
Dhund Operative >> Mire Triton (U, downshifted to C)
Elvish Doomsayer >> Lampad of Death's Vigil
Crow of Dark Tidings >> Koma's Faithful
Defiant Salvager >> Liliana's Elite (U, downshifted to C)
Eyeblight Assassin >> Elderfang Ritualist (U, downshifted to C)
Fleshbag Marauder >> Demon's Disciple (U, downshifted to C)
Phyrexian Rager >> Skemfar Avenger (R, downshifted to C)
Exquisite Huntmaster >> Prowess of the Fair (U, downshifted to C)
Thorn of the Black Rose >> Vile Entomber (U, downshifted to C)
Briarblade Adept >> Lys Alana Scarblade (U, downshifted to C)
Eyeblight Cullers >> Bond of Revival (U, downshifted to C)
Maalfeld Twins >> Grixis Slavedriver

Sorceries/Instants
Ghastly Demise >> Gang Up (U, downshifted to C)
Supernatural Stamina >> Unholy Indenture
Bladebrand >> Rune of Mortality
Corpse Churn >> Funeral Rites
Murder >> Power Word Kill (U, downshifted to C)
Spark Harvest >> Bone Shards
Bitter Revelation >> Minions' Murmurs
Eyeblight Massacre >> Drown in Sorrow (U, downshifted to C)

Next are Blue commons.

As a reminder, Blue archetypes care about Fliers (with White), Graveyard tricks (with Black), Pirates (with Red), and Ramp/Big Spells (with Green). More broadly, there is also a focus on Scrying (Eligeth?), self-mill, artifacts/treasures, instants and sorceries, and of course, card draw... This is blue after all.

Creatures
Deranged Assistant >> Curious Homunculus (U, downshifted to C)
Kitesail Corsair >> Storm Fleet Aerialist (U, downshifted to C)
Omenspeaker >> Sigiled Starfish (U, downshifted to C)
Sailor of Means >> Nimble Obstructionist
Trove Tracker >> Mulldrifter (U, downshifted to C)
Azure Fleet Admiral >> Cryptic Annelid (U, downshifted to C)
Kitesail Skirmisher >> Burdened Aerialist
Scholar of Stars >> Whirler Rogue (U, downshifted to C)
Aven Surveyor >> Coveted Peacock (U, downshifted to C)
Prosperous Pirates >> Experimental Aviator (U, downshifted to C)
Skaab Goliath >> Canal Courier
Scrapdiver Serpent >> Gearseeker Serpent

Sorceries/Instants
Run Away Together >> Curfew
Galestrike >> Think Twice
Forceful Denial >> Out of Bounds (U, downshifted to C)
Prying Eyes >> Keep Watch
Preordain >> Scour all Possibilities
Flood of Recollection >> Pull from the Deep (U, downshifted to C)
Strategic Planning >> Fact or Fiction (U, downshifted to C)

Enchantments/Artifacts
Aqueous Form >> Curious Obsession (U, downshifted to C)
Spontaneous Mutation >> Ichthyomorphosis
Fall from Favor >> Bubble Snare

Let's continue filling our Common card slots by finding cards that synergize with the other cards in that color and support the archetypes of that color. Let start with White...

As a reminder, White cards should care about Fliers (with Blue), Creature Tokens (with Black), Auras and Equipments (with Red) and +1/+1 Counters (with Green). We can also leverage the fact that there are a number of "Enter The Battlefield" effects to include some ways to blink creatures. Let's also look at the CMR commons we have already included and find comparable cards in terms of effects and mana value...

Creatures
Doomed Traveler >> Garrison Cat
Ninth Bridge Patrol >> Throne Warden
Court Street Denizen >> Banisher Priest (U, downshifted to C)
Kinsbaile Courier >> Flickerwisp (U, downshifted to C)
Slith Ascendant >> Flumph (R, downshifted to C)
Trusty Packbeast >> Auramancer
Kor Cartographer >> Knight of the White Orchid (R, downshifted to C)
Palace Sentinels >> Palace Jailer (U, downshifted to C)
Seraph of Dawn >> Soltari Champion (U, downshifted to C)
Angel of the Dawn >> Abzan Falconer (U, downshifted to C)
Squad Captain >> Elite Scaleguard (U, downshifted to C)
Anointer of Valor >> Sentinel of the Eternal Watch (U, downshifted to C)

Sorceries/Instants
Raise the Alarm >> Rousing of Souls
Skywhaler's Shot >> Bring Down (U, downshifted to C)
Captain's Call >> Battle Screech (U, downshifted to C)
Inspiring Roar >> Basri's Solidarity (U, downshifted to C)
Iona's Judgment >> Angelic Purge

Enchantments/Artifacts
Angelic Gift >> Rune of Sustenance (U, downshifted to C)
Benevolent Blessing >> Saving Grace (U, downshifted to C)
Cage of Hands >> Heliod's Punishment (U, downshifted to C)
Dispeller's Capsule >> Seal of Cleansing
Ancestral Blade >> Murder Investigation (U, downshifted to C)

After taking care Legendaries/Rares/Uncommons, we still have 351 commons to slot in our cube.
This is where we have more room to experiment but let's start with the easiest cards to include: the 141 commons from CMR:

White:
Doomed Traveler
Ninth Bridge Patrol
Court Street Denizen
Kinsbaile Courier
Slith Ascendant
Trusty Packbeast
Kor Cartographer
Palace Sentinels
Seraph of Dawn
Angel of the Dawn
Squad Captain
Anointer of Valor
Raise the Alarm
Skywhaler's Shot
Captain's Call
Inspiring Roar
Iona's Judgment
Angelic Gift
Benevolent Blessing
Cage of Hands
Dispeller's Capsule
Ancestral Blade

Blue:
Deranged Assistant
Kitesail Corsair
Omenspeaker
Sailor of Means
Trove Tracker
Azure Fleet Admiral
Kitesail Skirmisher
Scholar of Stars
Aven Surveyor
Prosperous Pirates
Skaab Goliath
Scrapdiver Serpent
Run Away Together
Galestrike
Forceful Denial
Prying Eyes
Preordain
Flood of Recollection
Strategic Planning
Aqueous Form
Spontaneous Mutation
Fall from Favor

Black:
Sanitarium Skeleton
Viscera Seer
Dhund Operative
Elvish Doomsayer
Crow of Dark Tidings
Defiant Salvager
Eyeblight Assassin
Fleshbag Marauder
Phyrexian Rager
Exquisite Huntmaster
Thorn of the Black Rose
Briarblade Adept
Eyeblight Cullers
Maalfeld Twins
Ghastly Demise
Supernatural Stamina
Bladebrand
Corpse Churn
Murder
Spark Harvest
Bitter Revelation
Eyeblight Massacre

Red:
Impulsive Pilferer
Champion of the Flame
Goblin Trailblazer
Dragon Egg
Rummaging Goblin
Valakut Invoker
Brazen Freebooter
Crimson Fleet Commodore
Skyraker Giant
Sparktongue Dragon
Wild Celebrants
Boarding Party
Ripscale Predator
Fiery Cannonade
Soul's Fire
Welding Sparks
Stonefury
Renegade Tactics
Portent of Betrayal
Dragon Mantle
Makeshift Munitions
Undying Rage

Green:
Fyndhorn Elves
Ambush Viper
Elvish Visionary
Scrounging Bandar
Farhaven Elf
Fertilid
Lys Alana Bowmaster
Ivy Lane Denizen
Wildheart Invoker
Entourage of Trest
Molder Beast
Sentinel Spider
Silverback Shaman
Fin-Clade Fugitives
Annoyed Altisaur
Ancient Animus
Crushing Vines
Wildsize
Lifecrafter's Gift
Natural Reclamation
Soul's Might
Gift of Paradise

Multicolor:
[None, for now...]

Colorless:
Universal Solvent
Amorphous Axe
Armillary Sphere
Armory of Iroas
Charcoal Diamond
Fire Diamond
Marble Diamond
Moss Diamond
Prophetic Prism
Sky Diamond
Commander's Sphere
Haunted Cloak
Jalum Tome
Pirate's Cutlass
Seer's Lantern
Spectral Searchlight
Sisay's Ring
Perilous Myr
Filigree Familiar
Foundry Inspector
Howling Golem
Pilgrim's Eye
Workshop Assistant
Staunch Throneguard
Lumengrid Gargoyle
Maelstrom Colossus
Command Tower
Terramorphic Expanse
Opal Palace
Path of Ancestry
[Note: We're leaving Rupture Spire out of this list to make room for other land options... More on that topic later.]

After these 140 cards, we are left with 211 slots which means we can start looking at expanding the range of options for each color, find exciting cards to include for multicolor, and more utility for colorless.

Next, let's take a look at the Rare card slots.

We plan to have 2 rares per pack so we have a total of 54 card slots to work with:

• 8 white rares
• 8 blue rares
• 8 black rares
• 8 red rares
• 8 green rares
• 10 multicolor rares
• 4 colorless rares

Most of these are from CMR but we'll need to make a few substitutions since a few of these are a little off budget. Here is the list (notes/comments are between brackets):

White:
Armored Skyhunter
Emeria Angel [replacing Keeper of the Accord. This is a budget card and it supports tokens and flying strategies of the white archetypes.]
Soul of Eternity
Akroma's Will
Slash the Ranks
Austere Command
Promise of Tomorrow
Court of Grace

Blue:
Corsair Captain [replacing Hullbreacher. It supports the Pirate U/R archetype.]
Amphin Mutineer
Laboratory Drudge
Body of Knowledge
Sakashima's Protege
Wrong Turn
Sakashima's Will
Court of Cunning

Black:
Plague Reaver
Gonti, Lord of Luxury [replacing Opposition Agent. Gonti is an all-star in commander.]
Nightshade Harvester
Elvish Dreadlord
Rakshasa Debaser
Szat's Will
Necrotic Hex
Court of Ambition

Red:
Agitator Ant [replacing Wheel of Misfortune. Agitator Ant is another "agent of chaos" in red's toolbelt.]
Flamekin Herald
Emberwilde Captain
Coercive Recruiter
Aurora Phoenix
Jeska's Will [this is now quite expensive. Another budget alternative would be Mana Geyser or Rousing Refrain.]
Blasphemous Act
Court of Ire

Green:
Rootweaver Druid
Biowaste Blob
Immaculate Magistrate
Magus of the Order
Sweet-Gum Recluse
Dawnglade Regent
Kamahl's Will
Court of Bounty

Multicolor: [Here, we're slotting the remaining 3-color commanders we couldn't fit in the Legendary card slots]
Yurlok of Scorch Thrash
Jared Carthalion, True Heir
Amareth, the Lustrous
Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant
Obeka, Brute Chronologist
Gnostro, Voice of the Crags
Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
Archelos, Lagoon Mystic
Colfenor, the Last Yew
Averna, the Chaos Bloom

Colorless:
Nevinyrral's Disk
Horizon Stone
Bladegriff Prototype
Command Beacon
[We're cutting Rings of Brighthearth, Staff of Domination or other budget replacement like Mimic Vat or Manascape Refractor.]

It seemed important to keep the "Will" cycle and the "Court" cycles here.
This is probably the most interesting category to develop a larger card pool to draw our 54 cards from.

Next is an easy category...

We need 81 cards to fill the "Uncommon" card slots. Luckily, CMR includes 80 uncommons (not counting the Partner commanders), all supporting the different archetypes. This gives us:

• 12 white uncommons
• 12 blue uncommons
• 12 black uncommons
• 12 red uncommons
• 12 green uncommons
• 20 colorless uncommons

Here is the list (notes between brackets):

White:
Fencing Ace
Kangee's Lieutenant
Orzhov Advokist
Patron of the Valiant
Make a Stand
Return to Dust
Open the Armory [One of the few tutors in the cube. If you've played R/W in EDH, you know those colors could use some help.]
Slaughter the Strong
Intangible Virtue
Vow of Duty
Faith's Fetters
First Response

Blue:
Siren Stormtamer
Daring Saboteur
Skilled Animator
Warden of Evos Isle
Merchant Raiders
Horizon Scholar
Scholar of the Ages
Supreme Will
Thirst for Knowledge
Interpret the Signs
Vow of Flight
Confiscate

Black:
Cuombajj Witches
Nadier's Nightblade
Null Caller
Gilt-Leaf Winnower
Revenant
Noxious Dragon
Cast Down
Victimize
Feast of Succession [Boardwipe and Monarch? Yes, please]
Demonic Lore
Vow of Torment
Pride of the Perfect

Red:
Humble Defector
Coastline Marauders
Lightning-Rig Crew [Really good in a Malcolm+(Red partner) deck]
Fathom Fleet Swordjack
Frenzied Saddlebrute
Volcanic Dragon
Volcanic Torrent
Explosion of Riches
Furnace Celebration
Vow of Lightning
Burning Anger
Meteoric Mace

Green:
Imperious Perfect
Reclamation Sage
Armorcraft Judge
Stingerfling Spider
Scaled Behemoth
Sifter Wurm
Hunter's Insight
Three Visits
Monstrous Onslaught
Strength of the Pack
Ordeal of Nylea
Vow of Wildness

Colorless:
Codex Shredder
Arcane Signet
Hero's Blade
Mask of Memory
Sunset Pyramid
Thought Vessel
Angelic Armaments
Grafted Wargear
Pennon Blade
Dreamstone Hedron
Loreseeker's Stone
Ingenuity Engine
Burnished Hart
Shimmer Myr
Mindless Automaton
Golem Artisan
Brass Herald
Meteor Golem
Sandstone Oracle
Guildless Commons [The only land of the bunch]

That's a total of 80 cards so now we need one more to fill all 81 uncommon card slots. So what about card #81?
If you remember the discussion about the Legendary card slots, you'll remember that we actually have 55 cards instead of 54. So, when building packs before the draft, our 81st uncommon will always be the 1 remaining Legendary card that did not fill one of the 54 legendary card slots. Easy enough, right?

That's it for uncommons. I think this category could use a bit improvement but overall, sticking to CMR cards allows us to make sure we keep a certain balance between colors, archetypes, number of creatures vs. non-creature spells, overall curve, utilities, etc.

Let's start by picking our Legendaries. As discussed in the previous posts, we'll need 54 cards to fill the 54 Legendary cards slots with a focus on "Partner commanders". (We'll actually end up with 55 but more on that later...). Here is the breakdown among colors:

• 7 white Partners
• 7 blue Partners
• 7 black Partners
• 7 red Partners
• 7 green Partners
• 20 two-color Commanders

Because I want to keep this cube fairly budget, I chose to include uncommons and rares rather than mythics (e.g, the partner planeswalkers) or two-color partners (reprinted in CMR). I also believe these partners also support the 10 draft archetypes better than more flashy cards.

1-Mono-Color Legendaries (35 cards)

Here are the cards I picked (notes appear between [brackets]):

WHITE
Keleth, Sunmane Familiar (U)
Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel (R)
Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist (U)
Prava of the Steel Legion (U)
Rebbec, Architect of Ascension (U)
Alharu, Solemn Ritualist (U)
Radiant, Serra Archangel (U)

BLUE
Esior, Wardwing Familiar (U)
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro (U)
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator (U)
Siani, Eye of the Storm (U)
Eligeth, Crossroads Augur (R)
Glacian, Powerstone Engineer (U)
Brinelin, the Moon Kraken (U)

BLACK
Miara, Thorn of the Glade (U)
Falthis, Shadowcat Familiar (U)
Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor (U)
Armix, Filigree Thrasher (U)
Tormod, the Desecrator (U)
Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel (U)
Sengir, the Dark Baron (R)

RED
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh(U)
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar (U)
Krark, the Thumbless (R)
Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith (U)
Breeches, Brazen Plunderer (U)
Alena, Kessig Trapper (U)
Dargo, the Shipwrecker (U)

GREEN
Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood (U)
Numa, Joraga Chieftain (U)
Anara, Wolvid Familiar (U)
Halana, Kessig Ranger (U)
Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer (U)
Slurrk, All-Ingesting (U)
Kamahl, Heart of Krosa (M, downshifted to R) [I think Kodama of the East Tree could also work here. I like Kamahl more in this context as a late game finisher]

2- Multicolor Legendaries (20 cards)

I chose to include the 10 two-color uncommon commanders from CMR because they support the 10 archetypes and 10 other two-color commanders. Commander Legends has 10 two-color rare commanders. Some of these have really specific abilities that might not be very well supported in the set so we may want to pay close attention to them to see if there are better options out there...
Here are the (notes appear between [brackets]):

Azorius
Kangee, Sky Warden (U)
Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer (R) [Kwain, Itinerant Meddler seems like a fun ability but in a cube without payoffs like Hullbreacher, Smothering Tithe or Ominous Seas, Gwafa Hazid seemed more promising as a policital tool.]

Dimir
Araumi of the Dead Tide (U)
Nymris, Oona's Trickster (R)

Rakdos
Juri, Master of the Revue (U)
Kardur, Doomscourge (U) [Blim, Comedic Genius looks fun but may be hard to build around in this cube. Kardur is not the most popular commander out there but it could lead to some interesting gameplay. He's no Judith but Kardur should be pretty fun.]

Gruul
Tuya Bearclaw (U)
Tahngarth, First Mate (R) [Like Kwain and Blim, Hans seems hard to build around in a cube environment. Luckily, Gruul alternative abound... Tahngarth looks like the kind of card that's perfect for what we want here.]

Selesnya
Hamza, Guardian of Arashin (U)
Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn (R)

Orzhov
Thalisse, Reverent Medium (U)
Liesa, Shroud of Dusk (R)

Golgari
Abomination of Llanowar (U)
Belbe, Corrupted Observer (R)

Simic
Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty (U)
Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist (R)

Izzet
Captain Vargus Wrath (U)
Zara, Renegade Recruiter (R)

Boros
Reyav, Master Smith (U)
Tiana, Ship's Caretaker (R) [Bell Borca is kinda weird... I was also considering Adriana, Captain of the Guard here.]

Coming up next: Uncommons...

Now that we know how many cards we’ll need and how we’ll build the packs. We can start looking into what cards we want to include in our cube. Let’s start with Commander Legends (CMR)...

1- Commander Legends: The Skeleton

CMR is a set specifically designed to support the play experience we want to re-create with this cube by mixing Commander and Limited (Draft/Sealed). So let’s dive into CMR. Relying on the work of the experienced designers at WotC will make our job easier when it comes to making sure our cube has a strong base to build upon.

A few Scryfall.com searches will reveal the following:

• There are 360* cards in the set (around 53 in each color). If we were to include 1 copy of each in our cube, we’d still need another 180 cards to complete our cube.
• 40* cards are Partner commanders. We’ll want to include most—if not all—of them in our cube. These will likely take most of our 54 Legendary card slots.
• 30 cards are 2- or 3-color commanders. We’ll want to include them if they support the different color archetypes or find better suited alternatives.
• 80 cards are non-legendary uncommons. That’s exactly what we need for our Uncommon card slots. (Well, we actually need 81 cards but more on that later…)
• 141 cards are commons. We’ll likely want to include most of them in our cube.

• This is not counting The Prismatic Piper (which we won’t include in our cube but will be available to anyone after draft, per the rules).

2-Commander Legends: The Archetypes

Because our cube will mostly revolve around CMR. It’s also important to understand what draft archetypes are at the center of the set.
Understanding the strategies encouraged by each two-color combination will allow us to include cards that support one or more of these strategies. Here are the 10 draft archetypes of CMR per the rules insert:

White/Blue: Fliers
White/Black: Creature Tokens
Blue/Black: Graveyard (Self-mill, Reanimation)
Blue/Red: Pirate Tribal
Black/Red: Sacrifice
Red/White: Auras and Equipments
Red/Green: Big Creatures
Green/White: +1/+1 counters
Green/Blue: Extra Mana (Ramp + Big Spells)
Black/Green: Elf Tribal

Each of these archetypes are represented by a “signpost,” a two-color uncommon commander. As a general rule, we’ll want to make sure all cards we include fit within these commanders’ overall strategies.

There is also a sub-theme in all colors of “Artifacts Matter," which makes sense since a lot of artifacts will go around the table (After all, what is commander without its many mana rocks?). This is represented by 5 uncommon partner commanders with the “artificer” sub-type: Rebbec, Glacian, Keskit, Toggo, and Ich-Tekik. We'll want to make sure this strategy is viable by making sure we include enough artifacts and key "pay off" cards, rewarding players for playing many artifacts.

To start with, our cube will include and expand on these archetypes. In the future, we may experiment and look into replacing entire archetypes with new ones. For example, replacing the Elf Tribal strategy with Sacrifice strategy in Black/Green and give Black/Red its own tribal strategy like Vampires or Minotaurs.

Now that we have a better grasp on Commander Legends… Let’s start filling our cube.

Before we start looking at what exact cards we want in the cube. It's important to determine what pieces we need: How many cards in total? How many cards in each color? How many creatures in each color? What about legendaries? lands? colorless cards?

So, let's build a skeleton, starting with some very quick and simple math.

1-How many cards?

As noted in the introduction, we want our cube to allow 4 players to run a sealed event. Since we'll need 6 packs per player, and each booster will include 20 cards, we'll need a minimum of 480 cards. If we do a draft with 4 players, only 240 cards from the pool will be used (3 packs per player), allowing for some variance between drafts. Knowing this, let's take a look at what cards we'll need in each pack...

2-The "As-fan" or Booster Composition

Each normal booster pack of Commander Legends includes: 2 legendary cards, 1 rare or mythic rare (non-legendary), 3 uncommons, 13 commons, and 1 foil. For our cube, we could simply decide to put 20 random cards from our pool in each booster... However, because players will draft 2 cards per pack and because we will want to make sure enough legendaries go around the table, we will want to make sure packs have some consistency. Understanding what type or rarity of cards we'll need in each pack will help us exactly establish how many cards we'll need for each card slot.

The "As-fan" is a R&D term to describe how a booster pack looks like "as fanned" (in your hand or spread out on the table).

Here is what I propose:

• 2 Legendaries: Because we're replicating a normal Commander Legends pack, two slots will need to be dedicated to legendary creatures. This will guarantee packs are seeded with enough legendaries and partner commanders that players will be able to pick a commander without resorting to using a copy of The Prismatic Piper.

• 2 Rares: Unlike a Commander Legends pack, we can make sure each pack has at least 2 rares, instead of 1 rare and 1 foil. Ideally, we'll want non-legendary rares in these slots. Double the rares, double the bombs!

• 3 Uncommons: Ideally, we will want to reserve these slots for non-legendary uncommons. At the very least, the uncommon Partner commanders should not be in these slots (and appear in the Legendary card slots instead).

• 13 Commons: These card slots should be reserved for cards supporting each archetype. As Mark Rosewater said “If your theme is not at common, it’s not your theme.” 13 is also a good number if we want to somewhat make sure there are cards of each color in each pack. We could easily split this as 2 white, 2 blue, 2 black, 2 red, 2 green, 1 multicolor, 1 colorless card and 1 land.

(- 0 Foil: Instead this slot is used for one additional rare or mythic rare, see above.)

(- 0 Tokens: Tokens and copies of The Prismatic Piper will be available separately, after the draft. No need to include them in each pack.)

Note: While I use Rare/Uncommon/Common here as names for the card slots. It does not mean that we won't be able to put rare cards in the uncommon slot or uncommons in the common slots. We'll talk more about downshifting/upshifting in the future...

3-The Card Pool

Now that we know how many cards we'll need and what will go in each booster, we can know exactly what we'll need in our cube:

480 cards (24 packs of 20 cards):

• 48 Legendaries (2 per pack):
• 48 Rares (2 per pack)
• 72 Uncommons (3 per pack)
• 312 Commons (13 per pack)

So let's check what the color split could look like if we want a minimum of symmetry:

• 6-7 Legendaries for each of the 5 colors + 13-18 multicolor Legendaries
• 8 Rares for each color + 8 Rares in any combination of multicolor and colorless.
• 12 Uncommons for each color + 12 in any combination of multicolor and colorless.
• 52 Commons for each color + 52 in any combination of multicolor and colorless.

Although, this looks great on the surface and we have a nice, even split between colors, it looks like 48 cards might be too
restrictive to fit all or most of the cool partners and dual-color commanders from Commander Legends. Without The Prismatic Piper, we have 70 Legendaries we would potentially include:

• 40 partners (8 for each color)
• 20 two-color commanders (2 for each guild/two-color combination)
• 10 three-color commanders

It seems important to include as many Partners as possible in the cube but on the other hand, it also seems important to offer a decent selection of multicolor commanders and not have them clog the Rare card slots where they could replace valuable spells... so what if we just increased the card pool instead?

4-The 540-card cube

Increasing the card pool from 480 to 540 cards will allow us to do multiple things:

• It solves our Legendary card slot problem. We now have 54 card slot for Legendaries instead of 48.
• It lets us build 27 packs. We'll need 24 at most for a 4-player sealed event so it allows us to make sure no two games feel the same. Alternatively, we can find ways to use these extra packs in creative ways...
• It allows us to be creative and customize our cube. There are 360 cards in Commanders Legends (more or less) so, assuming we don't include multiple copies of cards, we have more room to experiment and include unique, interesting cards we wouldn't normally see if we were just playing using only Commander Legends boosters.
• It allows us to include some dual lands and non-basic lands in the card pool without feeling like they're taking important card lots.

Here is what we have as a result:

540 cards (27 packs of 20 cards):

• 54 Legendaries (2 per pack):
• 54 Rares (2 per pack)
• 81 Uncommons (3 per pack)
• 351 Commons (13 per pack)

With the following color split:

• 7 Legendaries for each of the 5 colors + 19 multicolor Legendaries
• 8 Rares for each color + 14 Rares in any combination of multicolor and colorless.
• 12 Uncommons for each color + 21 in any combination of multicolor and colorless
• 54 Commons for each color + 54 in any combination of multicolor and colorless.

or, tentatively:

76 white cards
76 blue cards
76 black cards
76 red cards
76 green cards
50 multicolor cards (including 3 for each two-color combination and 2 for each three-color combination?)
110 colorless cards (including lands)

Of course, this is just a skeleton and things may be adjusted and shift a little bit as we pick cards and flesh out the cube...

When Commander Legends was first announced, I was not particularly interested in mixing Limited and Commmander. Turns out I was wrong: WotC designed a great set and gave us all the pieces needed to really make this possible. Commander Legends really is all the fun of limited and all the fun of commander all in one experience. An experience I want to be able to replicate with the help of a dedicated cube.

The idea here is to design a cube that can easily re-create the booster draft/sealed experience from Commander Legends, with a personal twist, and some room to experiment.

What makes this possible?

• Deckbuilding Rules: Reducing the deck size to 60 cards, using The Prismatic Piper, and getting rid of the “singleton” rule are key parts for drafting a Commander deck.
• New Partner Commanders: The 40 new mono-colored Partners are an essential part of this limited environment to allow players to find new and interesting synergies with each new draft.
• 20-card Booster Pack: Having more cards in each pack allows players to draft two cards rather than one each turn. This also allow for more Legendaries (and rares!) to show up in each pack (at least 2 in each pack).

Some other considerations:

• Cube Size: To be able to run a sealed event for 4 players, we will need 24 packs of 20 cards. This means we will need a minimum of 480 cards to create the cube.
• Product Availability: With Commander Legends (CMR) being a new product and 2020 being the year of Commander, a lot of the cards we will need are easy to find and fairly cheap. This cube will inevitably be a larger cube, so not breaking the bank will be a plus!
• Draft Archetypes: This cube will need to use a lot of pieces from Commander Legends so it makes sense to keep the same draft archetypes in each two-color combination and expand from there.
• Power Level and Expensive Cards: It can feel bad to have expensive cards in your cube (when you’d rather include them in your favorite EDH deck) so we’ll have to find creative ways to replace the more expensive cards. (Do we really need a Jeweled Lotus to have a fun time here? No.) We can also look at including more interesting/unique/janky cards that do not see much play and would take advantage of being played in a multiplayer format with lots of legendaries... We can also try to include more “bombs” to make sure interesting things happen at the table.
• Color Pie: It will be important to keep some sort of balance between the different colors so that they are all equally represented and playable. This also include keeping an eye on lands, multicolor (for each guild and shard) and colorless options.

So what are the next steps?

Build a Skeleton: Before deciding what cards will be included, we’ll need to know how many cards we’ll need and how they’ll be divided (based on color, type, rarity, etc.) and how we’ll template each booster pack.
Flesh It Out: Once we have the blueprints, we can start adding cards to our cube based on all the criteria we established.
Refine and Playtest: Once we have all the cards we need, we can look at refining our card selection based on a variety of factors and solve issues we didn’t really anticipated.
Improve: Finally, we can look at ways to make the cube more fun, look at freshly spoiled cards for inspiration, and experiment.