Small update here! Had someone draft goblins in my cube without realizing there weren't any payoffs besides [Battle-Cry Goblin]. I'm testing out two additional payoffs, which are also bolstering the persist deck (and adding Moggwarts, which makes infinite red). There currently aren't any X spells, so we'll see what players are going to do with it. All of the cuts were removing cards that aren't particularly interesting, in my opinion. Brain freeze specifically is coming in as one more storm payoff that can be effective enough at 5~ copies.

The overall goal here is to make the GW deck more go-wide tokens as opposed to the currently-more-powerful GW goodstuff. This is all very tentative and will likely get tweaked a lot more.

• In: Raise the Alarm | Out: Shepherd of the Flock

Pretty standard tokens card! Shepherd always felt like the worst flicker and was otherwise an okay attacker but nothing special.

• In: Release the Dogs | Out: Thraben Watcher

Who doesn't like 4 dogs for 4? Strongest rate for this spot on the curve. Watcher didn't really have a home, because both Wx go-wide strategies are already pretty token-dominant.

• In: Ministrant of Obligation Out: Fairgrounds Warden

Warden is probably the least exciting version of a creature o-ring in the cube. It blocks well, but the WB deck has more efficient answers and the WR and WG decks would rather have something that attacks better. Ministrant is a bunch of bodies in one, and is generally just more powerful.

• In: Saproling Migration | Out: Timeless Witness

Witness very well may find a new home back in this cube soon, but for now it's cut. Migration works on multiple spots on the curve, which is great!

• In: Nest Invader | Out: Wall of Blossoms

After shifting the UG deck to bogles, the only deck that even remotely wanted wall of blossoms was GB. Nest invader actually attacks, and the token is both relevant for GW and as ramp for GR.

• In: Scatter the Seeds | Out: Acidic Slime

Slime is an okay catch-all, but it was always a cut from the UWg flicker deck and wasn't aggressive enough for GR so it became a little homeless. Scatter is definitely cheaper than a 5-drop, and can better play along the curve.

• In: Hunting Triad | Out: Foundation Breaker

We'll see if I've cut too much artifact and enchantment hate! That's my main worry here. Triad is an okay rate, but has more utility with its other mode (and isn't the worst 23rd card in GB counters).

• In: Ratcatcher Trainee | Out: Heartfire Immolator

I generally wanted to slim the UR spells deck a little, so this seemed like a fine place to start. Trainee is more aggressive for the RW deck and has more utility to see crossplay into RB aristocrats.

In: Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit | Out: Leonin Relic-Warder

I’m expecting Anafenza to see play in RW aggro and GW(B) if the drafter leans into counters over tokens. It also exists as another piece to the ever-difficult persist combo. Relic-Warder is… fine, but spends a lot of time riding sideboards. There aren't a ton of ways to blow up artifacts and enchantments in this cube, so that’s something I’ll need to monitor to make sure it’s not getting out of hand (especially with the addition of bogles).

In: Kirtar’s Wrath | Out: Felidar Guardian

I wanted another big wrath alongside Feast of Succession, and Kirtar’s downshift seemed like a good fit. Ideally they make a cheaper one, but I’m not too hopeful. Guardian comes out because it’s not a particularly amazing version of the slot it’s filling.

In: Confounding Riddle | Out: Forbidden Alchemy

This swap is pretty 1:1. I figured the gain in flexibility of having an okay counterspell was worth the loss of an expensive flashback. I’ve only ever seen alchemy flashback’d once anyway. I’ll be sad to have to rehome my signed foil FNM promo though

In: Thirst for Discovery | Out: Thirst for Knowledge

Idk man, there just aren’t many artifacts in my cube. This switch should’ve been made awhile ago, whoops.

In: Rise from the Tides | Out: Brain Freeze

This is part of a push to make a “viable” “storm” “deck”, focused on a bigger payoff that needs fewer copies to get there, which is why freeze is coming out. Tide is going in as a backup finisher in case you spin your wheels too hard.

In: Cloud of Faeries | Out: Delver of Secrets

I’ve watched a T1 delver flip on T5 too many times to think it’s good. Oh well. Faeries are in here for the storm deck but might be able to see play elsewhere because I hear free spells are playable.

In: Snap | Out: Blink of an Eye

See above. I really like blink as a second copy of into the roil, but I figured a free version that doesn’t cantrip can still be good, and this one helps the storm deck

In: Rowan's Grim Search | Out: Read the Bones

Similar effect, but search digs deeper and works at instant speed. The sac can also sometimes be synergistic.

In: Isareth, the Awakener | Out: Gurgling Anointer

Isareth is just a cooler card Anointer never really got there with either clause, worked a lot better in my head. I’m hoping to loop many a baleful strix with isareth.

In: Gloomfang Mauler | Out: Scion of Darkness

Yes, troll of khazad-dum is better. I just don’t want any Universes Beyond in my environment, so I’m switching to the worse version. Scion’s trigger was always pretty win-more, so I want to try this out instead. If any more interesting cycler comes through, this guy is out. Honestly, it might come out regardless, because reanimator doesn’t really need the extra payoff.

In: Yahenni, Undying Partisan | Out: Skullport Merchant

For awhile, I shied away from free sac outlets because it made aristocrats too strong. I’m back on the train now Yahenni will see cross-play in sac, GB counters, and the wily persist deck. While it’s nice that skullport could sac artifacts to draw and came with a treasure, it was just a bit too cumbersome.

In: Ignite Memories | Out: Grapeshot

This is one of the main payoffs for the “fair storm” deck, focused on more expensive payoffs that you have to trigger fewer times.

In: Empty the Warrens | Out: Fireball

See above. I was honestly kind of surprised when I noticed fireball was still in my cube lol.

In: Strike It Rich | Out: Monastery Swiftspear

This is probably objectively wrong, but I want to give it a whirl. This is purely for storm, but could hypothetically see play in sac or monsters. Swiftspear is powerful and should probably stay in this cube, I just gave up trying to figure out a better cut lol.

In: Gut, True Soul Zealot | Out: Goblin Heel-Cutter

I’ve heard Gut is an absolute house but have never played with her. She seems really strong, and would see cross-play in several archetypes. Heel-cutter always ended up being a 23rd card, which Gut will not be.

In: Rishkar, Peema Renegade | Out: Tireless Provisioner

Rishkar is gas all around. Goes in monsters, goes in tokens, goes in counters, sorta just anywhere. Tireless provisioner is fine, but making treasure wasn’t as relevant with the exclusion of a dedicated ramp deck. I could see it coming back in down the road though.

In: Farseek | Out: Rampant Growth

Go find your new duals

In: Nature’s Lore | Out: Cultivate

See above.

In: Experiment One | Out: Llanowar Mentor

Experiment one used to be in this cube, but came out to make room for generous visitor. I always liked llanowar mentor in theory, but without a dedicated ramp or elves deck, it was always a little behind the curve. I’ve now got this foil hanging around in my collection that I need to find a commander player for.

#MULTICOLOR
In: Akawalli, the Seething Tower | Out: Binding of the Old Gods

Akawalli is really a test card here. I’m not super convinced that it’ll be an exciting card, but I think it’s a cool task to try to complete to get an undercosted beater. This very well could become something else, like ravenous squirrel. Binding is coming out because chapters 2 and 3 are rarely relevant. For the same cost, I could play mortality spear, tear asunder, or something similar that has more flexibility.

In: Juri, Master of the Revue | Out: Mahadi, Emporium Master

Mahadi just didn’t seem to be worth building to. There was always something else better to be doing on your turns in sac, and this card never made many treasures. Juri is much more streamlined, has a higher floor, and doesn’t make you work as hard for value.

In: Bartolome del Presidio | Out: Maw of the Obzedat

Maw is pretty clunky for the effect, Bartolome is not. Simple as that. Also helps lower the curve

In: Invasion of Amonkhet | Out: Ingenious Infiltrator

These next two are just because I got kind of bored with the infiltrator effects and wanted to push UB to be a more controlling deck. I think Invasion is quite strong in general. I’m not really sure what I want out of my UB gold cards, and both inkfathom witch and obsessive stitcher are on the chopping block, so the infiltrators might come back in.

In: Halo Forager | Out: Shadowmage Infiltrator

See above. Forager also flickers well, in case you end up in that deck and are splashing.

In: Lesser Masticore | Out: Hedron Archive

Hedron Archive is a pretty clear cut because I no longer really support the ramp deck. Masticore’s discard can be randomly helpful, it can ping as a mana sink, and it persists for the persist deck. It’s not great at any one of those things, but I think it’ll be better than archive at the very least

In: Spawning Pit | Out: Batterbone

Batterbone was added as a downgrade from loxodon warhammer when that got cut for being too strong. Turns out, batterbone kinda sucks. Spawning pit is a free sac outlet for both RB and the persist deck. I don’t think it’s a particularly strong card outside of being a free sac outlet, but we’ll see.

In: DMU Basic-Typed Lands || Out: Signets

The signets were always better in theory than in practice in my environment. It usually wasn’t really worth taking turn 2 off, and these helped contribute to more 3-5c soup. The typed duals will hopefully be more playable across all decks, and are searchable off a few things in my cube.

In: KHM Basic-Typed Snow Lands || Out: KHM Utility Lands

The utility lands just never got popped, which made them enters-play-tapped basics. Those are pretty bad. Like the DMU lands, these are also searchable for better fixing.

In: CLB Gates || Out: Vryn Wingmare, Murmuring Mystic, Night Clubber, Mad Ratter, Beast Within

This will take me up to 44 fixing lands, which is waaaay higher than I’ve ever been. Everything but mystic is getting cut because it wasn’t good enough. Mystic is getting cut because a 1/5 is a pain to get rid of, and the bird tokens were a little too strong. This could definitely find its way back in in the future, but for now I’ll use this chance to knock UR spells down half a peg.