So a lot has changed since I last updated this cube, but I wanted to come back to it for two reasons:
- It is my favorite and probably most intentional cube
- With Wilds of Eldraine releasing later in the week (as of writing), I thought I'd add some rad new cards
That being said, the overview feels a little... outdated. I'm going to be reworking the overview, the scale of the unfinished parts of this cube (re: the Archenemy and board game-y parts of this cube). With that in mind I am pasting the original Overview as it stood for a year and a half here so I may refer back to it, and so that others can see where we started:
"This is an Aesthetic Wedge Cube built around a few key ideas: Snow Lands, Adventure, and sheer wonder. This cube is meant to be played with all snow basics, but can otherwise be drafted like any other cube (albeit with a 6-player maximum). This is however, not quite the intended experience, but I'll get more into that in a moment.
The Mono colors loosely follow the archetypes as follows:
White - Go Wide
Blue - Tempo
Black - Sacrifice
Red - Burn
Green - Ramp
From these humble beginning spawn the following Wedge Archetypes:
Abzan - Adventure/Venture
Jeskai - Enchantments/Artifacts Matter
Sultai - Snow Permanents
Mardu - Knights/Equipment
Temur - Landfall
There is one slight change to the functionality of the cube, or at least, there is one planned. I plan to make three or four custom dungeons for the "Venture Into the Dungeon" mechanic in this cube. These dungeons are not made yet, but I will link them here when they are done.
Now if you've gotten this far and are interested in something a little different, while drafting this cube normally is perfectly acceptable, there is another way: this cube is additionally designed to support Archenemy in a somewhat unique way, and this is intended to be done with 4 players.
With 4 players, everyone drafts the cube, but one player is pre-selected as the archenemy. That player, rather than drafting a deck, drafts a "Reward Deck". The goal for the archenemy in this phase of the game is to select cards that they think will be beneficial to the other players in the future, and reduce the power level of the other players' decks, understanding that any cards they take now will be used as rewards for future success.
In addition to those reward cards, the remaining packs (there should be 6) can be individually rotisserie drafted by the three allied players as a reward for defeating a strong enemy. Finally, there will be a "Group hug" rewards deck, that can be given for defeating enemies, providing a further variety for players to access cards they otherwise wouldn't to assist their fellow players.
That Group Hug Rewards Deck in moxfield: (To be linked here when it's done)
The Archenemy format for this cube has a few special rules, to keep things balanced, and they are as follows:
The Archenemy starts at 40 Life. Every other player starts at 20 Life.
The Archenemy has a starting board state. This is defined by the specific Archenemy deck (in the primer), but it essentially means that the Archenemy will start with a number of permanents in play (as defined in the Sideboard in Moxfield).
The Archenemy has a "Quest" face card. This is usually a creature, but can be a land, artifact, or multiple cards, depending on the specifics of the Archenemy Deck (as defined in the primer on Moxfield). These exist in the Command Zone, and may be cast by the Archenemy Player with normal casting rules.
The Archenemy has a Scheme deck made of 20 cards (as defined in the "Considering" category in Moxfield). The Archenemy reveals one card from their scheme deck immediately after their precombat main phase. They may cast that card for free and ignore timing rules. If they don't or the card would be put in the graveyard, exile it instead.
Like normal Archenemy, the players other than the archenemy are considered a "team" by the rules of magic, and take their turns as one, attacking, drawing, and playing at the same time (see rule 805 for reference).
The Archenemy Quest decks are Organized into three categories: Side Quests, Main Quests, and Grand Quests. These are vague indications of difficulty, but also a form of allied player agency. After the draft, the archenemy player selects three Side Quests, two Main Quests, and one Grand Quest. The allied players choose one, and face that challenge or enemy. If that Quest is completed (The allied players win) then rewards are given by the archenemy to the allied players according to the primer of that deck on moxfield, and the archenemy selects one or two more quests from any difficulty (either randomly or deliberately) to present to the players.
The pre-made Archenemy decks (Quests) in Moxfield are linked here:
Side Quests:
White:
Blue: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Jr4mDN5RtEWnwP0xPu9Flw
Black:
Red:
Green:
Main Quests:
Grand Quests:"
I am going to modify this in the coming days/weeks, given I have some free time.