It's nice playing paper magic again. That kinda goes without saying but dang it, I enjoy playing paper magic with people again. It's a great motivator to get back to this and other projects.

Biggest choices: Treacherous Terrain and Ancient Excavation, the last Commander allied basic landcyclers in the cube.

  • Predatory Advantage: I'll admit! Worried about this one! May finally justify putting more enchantment removal elsewhere, as this could take over some games. But inevitability seems like something I should be adding, and sometimes it just doesn't do anything. But if someone stumbles, there you are.
  • Soulquake: I felt that I needed more sweepers and there's not really a Living Death style situation in cube yet, y'know? (The big "Lets pick everything up/massive reanimator" hit). Feels like an effect I want at that mana cost in this cube, but may be too cute.

A lot of the other choices are about interaction or a desire for more multiplayer scaling effects.

  • Noble Benefactor: Voting is interactive, but Jays... is kinda bad, frankly. You WILL die to drawing too many cards in this cube. Benefactor makes games SPICY when it's on the board, especially with Araumi RIGHT THERE to abuse it. It's a great way for people to actually get to do things, too.
  • Kamahl's Summons: Melee wants a lot of creatures, this makes a lot of creatures. This makes combat happen on the spot, at the cost of information. But it's a nice way to make folks feel less bad too - oh no I'm mana screwed, well here's the 6 creatures in my hand.
  • Order of Succession: Ok, personal admission. I was cutting mind control effects during <that whole thing> because they were hard to play. Getting back to paper magic, I'm not the only person saying it's WEIRD to be able to touch other people's cards again. Illusory Gains just keeps heading all over the place, Order only does it twice - once when you gain control, and once when you lose it. Little more comfortable and, frankly, a better effect anyway.
  • Deftblade Elite: I wish there were more good Provoke cards! Doomed Traveler should likely come back, but for now I just wanted Provoke! Great in Melee, great for breaking stalemates!
  • Bearded Axe: Taking advantage of already having cut one copy, I feel this makes a lot of red's smaller creatures into appreciable threats, and this is important to me. Slipper may turn out to be better than other choices, so may come back at common, but for now I'm trying this out instead.