Why am I making this change?
I have tested Urza's Saga before and was unimpressed?
Well now that the aggro package has been bolstered significantly I think Urza's Saga may have a role to play. As a pseudo fog (-2,0) again aggro and a combat trick to drop a construct I can see a time where the control player wants to produce a immediate response state.
I have been watching Cube Con 1 coverage again and again, and I want to ensure that there is a control deck that can combat the fast attack decks now less Selesyna but now Boros and Gruul.
Master of Etherium has seen its time in the sun and has felt very aged compared to what blue does now.
Also prepping for UberCubeathon and Cube Con 2025 where this cube has been submitted for vote (Cube Con 2025).
Happy cubing!
Adding Welding Jar to protect fragile strategies such as KCI or POD and is a excellent loop for those type of decks as well. Everflowing was the low card to cut when cuts are very tight. Mana rocks are important since I do not have access to BOP etc with my personal restrictions placed upon the cube. Prepping for UberCubeathon 2025! Happy cubing!
Adding Palantir to provide additional control routes to see up reanimator in addition aggro on the mill penalty. This card support such a wide array of deck styles from aggro to graveyard matters etc.
cutting Coalition Relic simply based on the saturation of rocks most landing around 2 MV
Test results of Palantir coming soon!
Happy cubing!
Adding Phyrexian Flashgorger for a large scale threat. Arcbound Condor has yet to prove its value in the cube being a one off color for modular.
Paladin Danse adds to the protection strategy and the life link will balance against aggressive decks or support them TBD? Dollmakers shop is being cut for complexity and reduction of token types.
Cybermat is being added to help aggro stategies that lean into artifacts. Dollhouse of Horrors is neat but needs support or cards in the yard for a high cost.
Increasing Aggro to challenge mechanical decks midrange and control counters etc.
Patchwork Automaton plays into multiple strategies. Chromatic Sphere is supplimented by the star so it can go. Keeping real mana rocks.
Goldhound is a strong aggro card that has sacrifice synergies etc.
Clockwork Droid is replacing Hope of Ghirapur. Hope has been in for a long time and has seen a few instances of being a control piece. Replacing with a more aggressive card in Clockwork.
Cyberman is on a immediate watchlist. This card maybe too strong time will tell.
Arabella is there to push aggro under 2 mana. Bladegraft is too narrow and the equipment decks do not require a specific card as they are mostly generic or centered around a direct strategy. Sure Menace is great but it mostly lands as that.
Now that aggro is picked up I am adding Simulacrum Synthesizer back. Brainstorm is medium with no access to fetches.
Royal Warden I just added, but I want to avoid more tokens frankly. I am adding Eviscerators Insight to add a flash back draw for black over the other that makes a treasure token for the same MV.
Adding Nest Bot to help aggro and sacrifice stratgies. Wanderglyph is expensive for an anthem and the gnomes are something I do not want to support. Cutting tokens.
Added Piggy Bank and Splitskin to provide more aggressive lines to combat the midrange and control decks.
Cutting Damn to lessen board wipes down to 3 total at 360. Also cutting generically powerful cards a little at a time. Royal Warden is a Grave Titan at home and creates a progressive board state. Happy cubing!
I have been working on 2 fronts.
Stoic Rebuttal encourages players to embrace the enviroment versus Mana Leak just rewards players for playing Magic. After seeing numerous P1P1s observing that players always chose Mana Leak overed themed points I decided to make the switch. Players now will not be rewarded for playing artifacts or pay 3 mana for a psuedo Cancel.
Barbed Spike, this is an interesting one. We had Justin Parnell on the show recently and he mentioned that this card is a 2 piece card making 2 artifacts. This will enhance stratagies as well as bolster Aggro. With the additon of Stridehanger Automaton this card gets even better making a Thopter Army. Not sure why I cut Barbed Spike to begin with as it has always performed. Mana Tithe is a strong gotcha card that I love but it is a one off in white for this cube not tracking the direction of play I wish to embrace.
Happy cubing!
Adding Repurposing Bay to assist with the Pod Package. Skystrike is a great card but has seen little play.
Voyager Quickwelder is being added for mana reduction and Losheel is simply unfair in the enviroment and should have not been in.
Intimidation Tactics is a strict upgrade to Divest with cycling.
Pactdoll Terror helps the sac and loss decks and synergizes more with the cube over Emissary of Depair. Depair not being an artifact is the reason and has been in the cube since it was constructed. Rotation reasons.
Grim Bauble is a favorite from the set and is solid removal and selection. Bladed Battle-Fan is being replaced by another counter play card.
Oviya helps to cheat out threats with Trample for the team and Sweet Gum was in for filler until something came out in Green that supported Artifacts.
Defend the Rider is adding to the counter play protection package and helps vehicles. Galadhrim was kinda filler in green for the same reasons mentioned aboved.
Thunderous Velocipede helps the counters deck and vehicles in green. Thundering Tanadon has been in since the cube was formed and is being rotated out for new cards.
Adaptive Omintool is a perfect fit for the cube providing scale for the equipment deck and card selection. Sword of the Animist will shine in The Femme Cube but the lands are not needed in this enviroment.
Stridehangar will be amazing with token strategies as it counts clues, treasures, food, etc to make a Thopter army. Chromatic Lantern is less needed as rocks are in spades in this cube and the multicolor fixing is less needed.
Marketback Walker will play into the go big and sac decks for card advantage. Etched Champion is being cut for the protection and cost of the card. I love it but it has had its time in the sun.
I’m adding more thematic counter magic.
Adding a few more counter protection pieces to the cube to allow a response to removal in the cube.
Celestial Armor both protects and supports the equipment deck. Angel of Invention is a fun card but has been in since the cube was created. I am giving other cards a changes to shine and my White top end has become heavy.
Bladed Battle-Fan fills a similar role. Herald of Anquish has never performed the way I intented. It being a Demon and the general high cost even with improvise has proven overly effective during games. The Discard portion of the card has never been relevant either. Its has been in the cube since first built and I think it is important to churn the cube a bit.
Happy cubing!
I wanted to add another build around card that signaled counters. Cuts are difficult, Arcbound Prototype felt the most safe cut. Adding Collector's Cage to help with adding counter in general over a single card that is french vanilla outside of just modular. Happy cubing!
Changes Based on feedback from Cube Con 2024 (Benjamin Wheeler) attempted to pull off the KCI combo.
After having conversations with Chris a.k.a. Sammich I decided to mimic the same idea that he does in his peasant Cube by providing protection cards to counterbalance removal.
I have counted the amount amount of hard removal for artifacts, excluding counter Magic and it seems like it’s at a reasonable point even prior to the Con.
Balancing continues…..
Happy Cubing!
Dragon Spark reactor is too slow for the enviroment now. I am adding Crainal Ram for Cube Con.
Cube Con 2024 Duskmourn Update. This is the final list change prior to Cube Con 2024 where this cube will be featured for the third time. Having been featured the cube has formed metas that I wish to shake up by increasing aggro and providing key tools for other decks to challenge Selesnya and Boros Equipment. Now playes can play proliferation counters themes, sacrafice themes, and aggro strategies to challenge the machine decks. Happy cubing!
Twitching Doll is just an fantastic mana dork with late game potential. The spiders can take on Thopters nicely.
Dollmaker's Shop//Porcelain Gallery equals a constant value engine making 1/1 artifacts and has late game potential for a large anthem. Barbed Spike while great make a thopter, once that is removed its medium compared to other equipment currently in the enviroment. Its a tough decision but needed.
I recently played with Dissection Tools and was very impressed with the 2nd Batterskull variant. Adding Manifest Dread adds a layer of setup for the artifact reanimation in the cube.
Unidentified Hovership made for some fun and interesting plays during testing. While the Manifest Dread for OP can be not ideal having a flying vehicle proved to be fun to take out a flyer and attach with another vehicle. This has provena fun aggro/control card that played well. Caprichrome is being removed since it has seen little play and not really adding to any strategies outside of the Devour ability that some decks want.
Clockwork Percussionist- during play testing it proved to be the aggro card this enviroment needed. Also had some cool interactions with the sacrafice deck with the added value of discarding a card off the top. I love this card as a second "Bomat Courier" type line of play. Aggro needed a push. Lightning Spear proved too slow for the enviroment with the additon of new cards that ETB damage.
Into the Pit- this is another engine card that orginally I only looked at for my Horror. I think plays can capitalize on this "Bolas Citadel" "Dark Confidant" type of variant. Excited to see this card in action. Black needed a boost to the machine technically driven cards. Necrogen Spellbomb, while I do love Baubles.dec I am not currenly on Bomberman strategies that proved too slow for the enviroment. I do love the strategy and may bring it back post Cube Con 2024
After play testing and discussion I am adding Sunfall over Day of Judgement for the synergies with Incubate tokens.In additon the exile effect of Sunfall seems warranted. Happy cubing!
Decided the Golem is valuable to the Welder plays. Steel Hellkite is a pet card and has had its time.