Bag of Devouring is a nonbo with Bloodghast, need a d10 to be used properly (it work fine with halving a d20 but that's not aesthetically pleasing). Drawing card for doomed creatures is fine but it encourage a attentist gameplay.

These six cards are often underwhelming by doing too little, too late and/or having too narrow uses.

Stolen by the Fae would be better and more interesting as an instant but maybe the most infuriating hurdle of this card is it's cost which significantly reduce it's range of applications. Meanwhile, while I was keen to insert token generators in all colors, it doesn't feel like a good design as it send a wrong message: the Populate and token doublign mechanics are in and the Death and sacrifice mechanics are in . Hence, if it doesn't hurt to get token generators in blue, this tag shouldn't be counted when comparing contributions toward the cube's mechanical themes. Stolen by the Fae contribute to Blink/Twin/Bounce, Removal, Token and Evasion (3 pertinent contributions) while Change of Plans contribute to CombatTrick, Collective, CA, Counters and Protection while being easier to cast (5 pertinent contributions).

...

Playing a lot with newcomers this last months and aiming to show them an accurate depiction of MtG's color identities, I made 10 bicolor 40 cards decks of each color pairs with clear mechanical theme:
Blink, Control/Appropriation, Agression/Suicide/Reanimation/Rudeness (!), Landfall, Token/Populate, Aristocrat, -1/-1 counters/Graveyard, Counters Proliferation, Spellslinger, Agression/Decisive Strike. Aiming to play at least 10 cards of my multicolor section in each deck, It happens that some cards wheren't able to make the cut for the wrong reasons: mainly being non-synergistic with what the colorpair does. Not every 2-color cards should be good together as they may be synergistic in 3-color deck. One exemple is Huntmaster of the Fells wich doesn't bring anything to a Landfall deck but should be great in a token/anthem/aggressive deck. Therefore, here is the first batch of card swaps that I made while testing my cube as a gauntlet of 2-color decks.

Ancient Grudge is too narrow for draft purposes. But this card cannot be replaced easily as its slot require a red card with an optionnal green cost, wich doesn't let me lots of options. Other pertinent options to replace it where Primitive Justice or Tin Street Hooligan but it happens that the cube is in more dire need of manaramp and manafixing than anti-artifact spells. Hence, Sprouting Goblin should do the job !

Impromptu Raid isn't worth it, Impromptu Raid isn't worth it, Impromptu Raid really isn't worth it. I though for a long time this card was an hybrid Sneak Attack but it isn't: the cost is too steep and even with a deck containing 22 creatures and 17 lands (plus that fatefull card), you'll alway have around 42% chances to fumble and lose your mana. Maybe if the activation cost was only one mana the card could work but what an horrible deck you would have to build to take advantage of that one card. On the other hand, Giantbaiting contribute to the Collective and Token Mechanical themes without hurdle. However, this last card could be way better and not that overpowered if only the giants wouldn't disapear at the end of turn (I'll probably make a custom version of that card soon).

Prosperous Partnership may just be a stricly better Goblin Trenches: it creates it's tokens rightaway and makes mana instead of sacrificing lands. Sure, it cannot be use to make a sudden and suicidal strike force of goblins but that last scenario happens so seldomly that I don't remember if it happens at least once !

Figure of Destiny is a deceptive design: yes it can be played turn one in lot of decks but only pure RW decks can get it to the Avatar level. More so, in an environment with levelers, it feel strange to not being able to spend mana more gradually to level it up. Boros Reckoner may also be the temporary choice for the RW hybrid section as it can be hard to play outside of a pure RW deck, but it's a solid creature that doesn't pose many more problems and may open the door to some combos. Spitemare could be a more playable alternative but it is way less agressive nor attractive.

Winding Constrictor is an anti-combo when using -1/-1 counters wich makes it awkward to draft most of the times. Making it go liberate more room for other mechanics and make the counter ramping/proliferating/doubling strategy an exclusively GU mechanical theme wich makes mechanical themes clearer overall.

Necropolis Fiend being replaced was predicted a long time ago but I never found a big black creature that could replace the top of my black section's curve. Including another -1/-1 counter themed card with Obelisk Spider was the occasion to rediscover Carnifex Demon when I rummage through old reddit posts about this average but interesting spider (maybe Obelisk Spider should be a candidate to a slight redesign to make it more potent and/or synergistic).

Slimefoot, the Stowaway may work by itself if you get enough mana to generate saprolings quickly. But played on turn three, it isn't a great card by any metrics. It was included because I loved it's character design. But, like we humans do sometimes, I didn't nurtured it enough to make it thrive. on the other way, Glissa Sunslayer feels like a sturdy creature wich check lot of boxes.

Phyrexian Colossus is thematically a better fit for this cube than Traxos, Scourge of Kroog. It contribute to the Life and Tap/Untap mechanical themes by combining them in an interresting way. On the other hand, Traxos just contribute to the Tap/Untap mechanical themes while hinting to an Historic mechanical theme that is not in the cube even if its many legendary and artifacts cards could support it. But the fact that Phyrexian Colossus is almost never picked because of its really steep costs Traxos, Scourge of Kroog a sound replacement. Depth Charge Colossus could have been a good Prototype version of its Phyrexian cousin but WotC seems to have dropped the ball on this one.

Ashnod, Flesh Mechanist would be a dubious inclusion if it wouldn't have Deathtouch wich makes it a fine one drop. Her mechanical themes are quite similar to Qarsi High Priest but the side advantage of her trade is ramping for activating abilities instead of an uncertain card advantage. I think she's a better card overall that the former but not with a high margin if not for the deathtouch.

Mizzium Tank had a custom version who tap creatures with lesser power and untapped creatures with greater power: an interresting feat but not a really usefull one in this cube finally. I'm always ambivalent about adapted cards as they should be taylored for my needs but they're also welcomed with defiance by other players if they deviate too much from their original design. In any case, Brotherhood's End bring more Sweeper and Artifact removal effects.

Phyrexian Soulgorger is almost implayable on turn three and do so little in the short time it is sustainable. Originally, the plan was to get as much counter removal as possible to keep at the lowest the number of age counters on the Soulgorger. But there will never be a critical mass of these effects even if WotC suddenly printed a bunch of them, simply because there are a lot of other mechanical needs in this cube to cater for a norrow one such as this. On this topic, Mystic Remora should stay for now as it's a potent card without shenanigans. Meanwhile, Wheatherlight Compleated contribute to the same mechanical themes as Phyrexian Soulgorger and even more !

For one more mana, Aether Channeler is a more flexible Owl Familiar. It doesn't discard wich is a drawback designwise as the card no more fill the graveyard but better for almost anyone playing it... and in any case, the drawed card will probably end up in the graveyard sooner than later. With an endless supply of card slots, both could be in the same cube.

Bloated Contaminator doesn't contribute to the Sacrifice mechanical theme as Scourge of Skola Vale did but beyond that it's a better and funnier card by any other metrics. The poison win condition isn't atteinable in this cube most of the times but as the card stand by itself, it's the first stone to a potential latter inclusion of this mechanics (even if it isn't in my current plans).

Three swaps that are continuing this discussion: https://cubecobra.com/cube/blog/blogpost/61030bda61529044ad731afc

These three new cards lower slightly this section's density of graveyard interactions but increase the number of combat tricks and removals (both always welcome) while upgrading the overall attractiveness of these kind of cards.

In fact, I don't remember any time where Travel Preparations, Spider Spawning nor Deadly Allure where played and I'm sure was never thrilled by the prospect of picking one of these.

These kicker cards from DMU also add to the diversity of offcolor mechanics in this section (flashback, Aftermath), making Ongoing Investigation and Geistblast less awkward... wich could be better... maybe ? I would prefer if Strength of the Coalition and Tear Asunder where interracting with the graveyard in some way but one cannot get everything.

Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos shouldn't be counted as a pure black card while Sanguine Spy feel better on most counts (surveil>scry ; lower cost, draw for life instead of mana).

Voidwalk is too expensive for too little effect most of the time. Paradoxical Outcome has lot of potential: combat trick, card advantage, synergize with ETB reward abilities.

Adding three more cards to each color, this final structural update on my road to a 540 cards cube, monocolored sections get to 53 card each. Now the proportions of monocolored sections is 1/11<53/540<1/10, wich means that a nine card pack (in grid draft) will rarely get one card of each color: that would happen regularly with a proportion of 1/9. That's not unexpected nor a problem as the aim is to encourage multicolored decks with mixed mechanics. But it is a change from my original plan as it was originally planned to let the monocolored sections at 50 or 51 cards. This wouldn't change drastically the proportions but getting as close as possible to 1/9 to assure a coherent gameplay.

Also, have larger monocolored sections is an advantage when trying to test new cards and balance the environment as WotC print a lot more nice monocolored cards. Hence, it is quite impossible to balance every aspect of the multicolored sections around more than one or two parameters (mana value, creature/noncreature, power level, mechanical anchor, removal density...). On the contrary, monocolored sections could be finely tuned to be balanced against each other (and it will be one of my main concern in the future), therefore, having more leeway may be a good thing.

Ultimately, to nuance this rationalisation, I think it would be possible to replacing with multolored cards 10 carss (or even 20) from monocolored sections without changing dramatically how drafting this cube would feel. But for this first draft it's wiser to lean toward the safe side: with an amount of cards that large, variance can already be wild and it's often hard to decide what to pick when facing lots of multicolored cards.

This last addition aim to consolidate major mechanical themes of each colors:

• Cleric Class, Gala Greeters: Life
• Clever Lumimancer, Splicer's Skill, Storm of Forms, Hullbreaker Horror: Prowess
• Splicer's Skill, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker: Token
• Storm of Forms, Hullbreaker Horror, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Evolution Sage, Gala Greeters: Blink/Bounce/Twin
• Vedalken anatomist, Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker: Tap/Untap
• Cleric Class, Storm of Forms, Vedalken anatomist, Glistening Oil, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker: _Counters
• Bag of Devouring, Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos, Nahiri's Lithoforming: Sacrifice
• Nahiri's Lithoforming, Evolution Sage, life from the Loam: Landtraffic
• Gala Greeters: ETB/LTB

It also increase the proportion of card advantage in the cube thanks to Bag of Devouring, Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Conspiracy Theorist, Nahiri's Lithoforming and Life from the Loam.

The next updates will aim to breakdown each sections and mechanical themes and try to streamline them all.

Faithfull Mending is an instant speed repeatable cantrip, it doesn't do much to advance the game but these cards tend to improve the fluidity of the game and they're scarse in this cube. Gaining life is also a deciding factor to justify this card.

Mnemonic Betrayal add to the appropriate mechanical theme found in . This mechanical theme has 12 cards (2,2%) at this point: Daring Thief, Desertion, Supplant Form, Necroskitter, Puppeteer Clique, Nightveil Specter (wich has a too restrictive cost), Connive // Concoct, Gyruda, Doom of Depths, Expansion // Explosion, Spitting Image, Nihiloor, Geyadrone Dihada. The role of this mechanical theme is to provide more redundancy and surprises in interactions between cards (as lot for cards do more than one thing, it's probable that the opponent bring something usefull to your gameplan...

Judith, the Scourge Diva will help agressive decks. And contribute to aristocrat strategy.

Wrenn and Six is powerfull as a two mana planeswalker and has a card type far too rare in this cube. It also contribute to the landtraffic mechanical theme and may ping some blocker or damage an opponent directly, two usefull things in a aggro deck.

Emmara, Soul of the Accord contribute to life, tap/untap and token mechanics wich is decent for a 2-drop.

Hidden Stockpile is perfect for the aristocrat strategy and even provide card advantage.

Old Rutstein, fill the graveyard and pack three more effects helpfull in any deck. may need a tighter focus in the future but for now this value engine should work.

Tatyova, Benthic Druid contribute to the landtraffic mechanical theme wich now have 49 cards (9,1%). This mechanical theme is centered on with and secondary. As a widespread mechanical theme, it is imperative that every card also contribute to other mechanical themes: in this regard, Tatyova, Benthic Druid contribute to life and card advantage, two other widespread mechanical themes.

Cryptic Pursuit is very interesting annd fit well with everything is know for.

Nahiri, the Harbinger is one more planeswalker wich make for a total of 16 (3%) by also counting sparklers. The card provide card advantage and is multipurpose removal but doesn't add something singular to the cube (wich isn't bad and somewhat inevitable as both of her abilities are needed effects in every decks).

The now complete Triome cycle is final structural addition to this cube's land section: with 50/540 color fixing lands (+7 colorless utility lands), there are a little less than 1 land to pick every pack of 9.

The new cycle of common lands from SNC is a big upgrade from the good old "1 life" taplands. As fetchlands, they contribute to landfall archetype, but also fill the graveyard and even fix for three colors instead of 2... A shame that the cycle is incomplete !

In total, if I count the new common cycle as complete, there are 26 fetch lands in the cube, making it safe to play enough land to rarely get a manadeath at the beginning of the without risking overflow later as the proportion of lands in the library decrease faster than nonland cards.

But it also isn't too cheap a price to rely heavily on multicolored lands because every one of them will make your deck slower or will cost life over time. The combination of fetchlands and triomes isn't as versatile as with shocklands having both types in the cube make fetches playable in more decks than they would by themselves (without dual- or trilands, fetchlands are only usefull in decks that play both of their colors.

On thing missing now is more ability to retrieve or use lands from the graveyard. At this point, there are 12 (2,2%) cards that do so: Scaretiller, Lord Windgrace, Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Tayam, Luminous Enigma, Deathrite Shaman, Worm Harvest, Topplegeist, Sun Titan, Mindwrack Demon, Dragon's Rage Channeler, Cavalier of Flame, Elvish Reclaimer

Scepter of Celebration is basically a more expensive Rancor but it also can create lots of token wich is a nice contribution to lots of archetypes.

Nature End can be a combat trick and instantly deal with artifacts and enchantments. Quiet Disrepair was thought about as a continuous lifegain but it is seldom worth it.

Jetmir, Nexus of Revels is simply the best anthem card you can get by rewarding you for playing the "go wide" strategy.

Falco Spara, Pactweaver win over Rafiq of the Many by giving card advantage and playing into counters synergy.

Obscura Confluence fit 's control strategy better than Varina, Lich Queen whose tribal theme can be mistaken as signposting.

Shadowspear is a small Loxodon Warhammer that can remove annoying keywords from creatures: both are qualities !

While having the same cost, Magmatic Channeler is more robust than Abbot of Keral Keep, will let you cast one of the impulsed cards most of the time (the former cannot be played turn two if you want to use its trigger) and also synergize with instant and sorcery while being a bigger creature most of the time.

Nethroi, Apex of Death and Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt are problematic for two reasons:

1. They don't need the three colors to be casted with their mutate ability, hence aren't really 3-color.
2. There are four other Mutate cards in the cube: three and one , therefore the two big legends act as misleading signposts.

Merieke Ri Berit is fine but doesn't do a lot of different things, Varina, Lich Queen is the opposite. The tribal part of Varina, Lich Queen isn't supported in the cube wich make it a misleading signpost but the card can combo with itself, making it "ok" (probably). I'm still waiting for a more suitable card (Nihiloor without customisation isn't also the most appropriated card in this cube).

This update continue my plan to upscale this cube to 540 cards.

As tricolored cards are meant to be anchors helping players to choose a color combination and stick with it, each of those cards should be powerfull bombs and/or aim the drafter toward a set of mechanical themes. => Finding cards that suit that description is particularly hard for but I feel any of these cards isn't a perfect match for the cube... Eventually, new releases will bring better suitors.

With these 10 new cards, there are now a proportion of 30/505 three-colored cards wich makes 9.6/162. As a grid draft uses 162 cards and distribute cards between 18 grids of 9 cards, there's more than one three-colored card seen every two grids during a draft. When the cube will reach 540, the proportion of three-colored cards should be 40/540=12/162 wich should make an average of 12 cards of this category seen during a draft.

Because cards of this category cannot be played together most of the time and at least ten of them should be seen during a draft to get a chance of engaging players on any of the 10 three-color combinations, there is a delicate balance to find:

• This category should be seen at least 10 times on average in a 162 card draft: if not, the probability to see all three-color combinations will be pretty low (proportional to less than 1/10!... I know I should do the maths properly but it doesn't seem necessary to get an idea of what proportions I should have).
• This category should be seen less than 20 times on average in a 162 card draft: if it where higher, that mean each grid of nine cards would have a tricolored card in it wich would be a dead card in 8/10 of times (unless a player is drafting four or more colors).
  Hence, 40/540=12/162 is a round number and satisfy these two conditions.

But there is more to it: When this cube was 180 cards big with only 10 three-colored cards, almost each draft showed every combinations. It was nice as players was sure to get a reward for sticking to a combination early on. But it was also a problem because playing three color was only rewarded by only one specific card. One advantages of having a larger cube is that it allow more variance. A player choosing early on may get between 0 and 4 three-colored cards. If the former isn't appealing and may suggest a switch in that player strategy, having up to 4 three-color bombs in a 40 cards deck may lead to a cohesive and rewarding gameplay.