Foundations Downshift

+Bushwhack -Flourishing Strike: the ability to search for a land OR fight is great. Strike was there as a tool to fight the large number of creatures with flying, but I feel like Green has enough tools without the need for it.

Foundations Jumpstart

+Shardless Outlander -Sylvok Lifestaff: I don't remember the last time this equipment was used efficiently. Landcycling will always be valuable, and the 6/5 trampler can come in handy too in the late game.

Foundations Update

Foundations is a huge set with lots of interesting new cards for Pauper. Here are the changes I'm applying to the Cube:

W
+Fleeting Flight -Congregate: although a classic, Congregate can prolong a game by easily netting you 20+ life. This is a bit problematic and I chose to cut it in an effort to make combat damage more relevent. With that in mind, combat tricks are common place in the Cube, and Fleeting Flight is strong for one mana. You can easily eat an opponent's creature or get there for additional damage should you need it.

+Squad Rallier -Kor Cartographer: while fetching a Plains is good, it's less exciting at four mana, even with a 2/2 body. Despite considerations with bounce effects, I'm removing it for Squad Rallier. The number of cards it can find is huge. As a 3/4, it's also a respectable blocker. While I wish the activated ability would cost one less mana, I'm confident this will play better.

U
+Elementalist Adept -Halimar Wavewatch: let's be real, Wavewatch is a remnant of older times. The mana investment to have a 6/6 with Islandwalk is just too much. Although it can block a lot of stuff on the ground by being a 0/6 for four mana, it's still an unexciting card to play. On the other hand, Elementalist encourages proactive gameplay.

+Strix Lookout -Riptide Turtle: one of the reasons why I included the turtle in the first place was so drafters could leverage Vent Sentinel's power. However, taken at face value, the turtle just doesn't do much. Having beefy blockers sure helps, but it also leads to stonewalling games. Strix Lookout is very different and can act like a costly Merfolk Looter.

B
+Infestation Sage -Zulaport Enforcer: as much as it saddens me to remove older cards, this had to go. Much like Halimar Wavewatch, the rate you get for the mana investment is not great. Infestation Sage works well with cards that care about sacrifice like Eviscerator's Insight or Viscera Seer. Plus, it's a great chump blocker.

+Sanguine Syphoner -Audacious Thief: this new vampire has good stats for two mana and a trigger that, while not as good as Creeping Bloodsucker, is still nice to have. The Thief is simply underwhelming most of the time, and you would rather have plain card draw instead.

+Vampire Soulcaller -Briarblade Adept: how many Gravediggers can Black have? Never enough. Kidding aside, this new flier also reminds me of Cadaver Imp, which is also in the Cube. The downside is not being able to block, which I think is fine considering the value you get here. Briarblade's stats are on the lower end, even taking into consideration the ability to shrink a creature on attack. The Encore ability isn't much of a consideration either.

R
+Sower of Chaos -Chainwhip Cyclops: one less toughness for one less mana, but most importantly, the activated ability also costs one less mana.

G

+Apothecary Stomper -Dread Linnorm: adventure is fun because it's basically two spells for a single card. However, paying four mana for a combat trick is rarely worth it. The body is OK at best. On the other hand, Stomper has Vigilance (very valuable in Multiplayer) and can grow to a 6/6 or help another creature get bigger. Also fun with bounce effects and can net you some life should you need it.

+Treetop Snarespinner -Lurking Green Dragon: in the Cube, Green is definitely the anti-air color. The dragon was a discounted flier, but mostly held back as a blocker due to its important restriction. This new spider does an amazing job at defense with the combination of reach and deathtouch. But the icing on the cake is its ability to grow into an even bigger threat, or help beef your other creatures. A well-rounded creature and mana sink!

Duskmourn: House of Horror Update! 👻

Here's what's changing in the Cube with the latest set. This will be a quick update as the set doesn't jive well with this Cube thanks to situational keywords like eerie and a focus on delirium.

U
-Shoreline Ranger +Daggermaw Megalodon: the old islandcycling staple is finally retired. In its stead, we have a big beater with one of the most useful keywords in multiplayer: vigilance. Plus, it's a shark!

-Ghostform +Enter the enigma: unblockable cantrip for one mana is good. I'm not a huge fan of unblockable in the first place (and shroud/hexproof even less), so this is me also balancing the blowout effect of possibly having two big beaters being unblockable for a turn. I just wish this was an instant for politics.

R
-Turret Ogre +Ripchain Razorkin: one more power and the ability to draw cards makes this a good replacement.

Modern Horizons 3 Update

This one is a doozy! MH3 introduces lots of powerful commons, which means this is one of the biggest updates in months.

.: W :.

+Expel the Unworthy -Congregate: Much like the now retired Momen't Peace, Congregate only serves to prolong the game. Considering this is a Multiplayer Cube, the card can singlehandely net you 15+ life. There's already Riot Control for that, but one had to go. Expel is not the strongest card out there, but it hits so many creatures for the cost that it's fine. Exile is stronger than destroy, and the Kicker means you can hit anything later in the game.

.: U :.

+Serum Visionary -Cloudkin Seer: part of my goal with such changes is to make sure Blue doesn't only get evasive creatures. Since most of that color's gets to fly over blockers, I like to twist it some and Visionary fits well. There are a number of ways to generate good card advantage and I think it'll be fun.

+Drownyard Lurker -Striped Riverwinder: if you ask me, mechanics like Hexproof (and to a lesser extend-ward) actively harm the game. Hexproof is bad because it basically means you can't interact with cards outside of combat tricks. Riverwinder felt unexciting for a while and the Lurker has Vigilance, which is weird on a Blue cycling card for sure but incredible in Multiplayer. The cycling cost is high, but Blue doesn't get that many big beaters so I'm looking forward to including this big baddie.

.: R :.

+Deputized Protester -Molten Gatekeeper: Red is the king of pings in this Multiplayer Cube. This allows you to inflict damage despite clogged up boards. The Unearth on Molten Gatekeeper is a nice bonus for one last hurrah. I'm less hot on Melee in general and purposely phasing it out completely.

:. B :.

+Accursed Marauder -Hoard Robber: hello upgraded Fleshbag Marauder! You will have much more utility than Hoard Robber, because that card unfortunately is better at defending than attacking, making the treasure-making effect kinda not that appealing.

+Retrofitted Transmogrant -Tormented Soul: at some point I wanted each color to have unblockable tools at their disposal. However, Tormented Soul is very fragile and doesn't do much. There are a number of enchantments that can pay off having such an evasive critter, but it's mostly not worth it. Retrofitted Transmogrant is another fun take in the league of Persistent Speciment that give Black sacrifice fodder and chomp blockers. It's also fun to activate during an opponent's EOT. I wish to see a common creature that you can bring back without being tapped.

+Scurrilous Sentry -Crypt Lurker: I like the fact that the Knights lets you fuel your graveyard while possibly growing bigger doing so. Repeatable effects are strong in Cube and the Menace isn't to be overlooked. This can be a 4/5 on its first attack and the ceiling is high.

+Eviscerator's Insight -Village Rites: one mana less for the same effect is better in faster environments, but here the Flashback and ability to choose an artifact make Eviscerator's Insight a great upgrade.

.: G :.

+Nyxborn Hydra -Skyshroud Archer: Green is basically the anti-flying color with so many Reach creatures that Skyshroud Archer felt a bit underwhelming. Although not being able to kill creatures on a whim, Nyxborn Hydra has a lot of interesting implications. First, its ceiling is high, making it a much better late-game inclusion. Secondly, Bestow is a fun mechanic especially when the first creature eats a removal, leaving you with another one in most cases. Lastly, being an Enchantment also means you can get it back with cards like Ironclad Slayer (W pairs well with G in this Cube).

+Gift of the Viper -Moment's Peace: Gift is probably one of the best 1CMC combat tricks ever. It also shows just how powercrept the game is even looking back only a few years. Momen't Peace is the kind of card that is just unfun to play against: it grinds the game to a halt, making combat a slog. Add the fact that there are quite a few spells letting you fetch cards from your graveyards and you can play it more than twice in a game, which is just too much.

+Eldrazi Repurposer -Brightwood Tracker: although I enjoy trying to find creatures in Green, the Tracker's ability simply costs too much. Repurposer is basically Kozilek's Predator for one less mana, although you get the second token on death. The reason I'm having both is because they fit well in sacrifice/ramp strategies.

+Colossal Dreadmask -Repopulate: let's be real-I'm switching one meme card for another here! Truth be told, I'm not sure I've ever seen someone cast Repopulate in my Cube in the 5+ years I've had it. The reason for its existence was some kind of silver bullet against the fringe milling strategy or some late-game refuelling of your library (games tend to take a LOT of time). Six mana for a 6/6 trampler is fine but not really exciting. HOWEVER, the fact this is an Equipment makes all the difference. You get a creature thanks to Living Weapon, then you can equip this and basically get any creature to be a real threat. Dreadmaw is OP! ^^

.: Multicolor :.

OTJ Update

MKM Changes

Wilds of Eldraine Update

+Unruly Catapult -Lobber Crew: Almost the same card, but easier to untap.

+Quick Study -Winged Words: basically a better card due to being an Instant, although we lose the Flying-matters.

+Grabby Giant -Zealot: 5 mana to deal 2 damage is a lot to ask for. Grabby has early game utility and late game card draw, which is something Red needs.

So Commander Masters 2023 introduces quite a few downshifts, and one of the most exciting ones is Dread Return. So long, Rise Again, we barely knew ya!

Generous Gift is also exciting at common. Since it's any permanent, I feel it has more applications than Afterlife, so that card is out too.

Talking of sweepers, Sulfurous Blast is neat. On the other hand, Swirling Sandstorm is a sorcery that can sit in your hand doing nothing. Bye!

Cycling is great, but a sweeper is greater. Drown in Sorry at common is sweet. Swat was a bit narrow and costly for the effect, so it's out.

All That Glitters is an exciting build-around card for White. I feel like the color has enough removal as-is, and decided to cut Radiant's Judgment to make place for the new enchantment and artifact-matter card.

And then there's Crash of Rhino Beetles. Talk about a downshift! From rare to common. This is an exciting card in the end game.

Nettle Drone is fun as a pinger, however it's very difficult to get it to untap more than once. I feel the inclusion of Guttersnipe will be interesting, plus it's a goblin which is a tribe supported in the cube.

Murmuring Mystic synergizes well with UR shells, and I feel like Phantasmal Dreadmaw is too fragile to see real play. Another card I'm excited about!

Joining the ranks of fallen rares is Goliath Sphinx, which I feel is more fun to face than Gearseeker Serpent. Unblockable and hexproof are two mechanics I kinda hate as they're not interactive.

Galvanic Alchemist never saw real play even though the ability can be powerful...but at 3 mana it was a bit much. Vizier on the other hand has cycling and doesn't require mana to use it. I feel it's a strict upgrade.

That's it for now. Commander Masters delivers in this regard, that's a pretty big changelist from a single set.

Hello everyone!

Here's the March of the Machine (MOM) update for this cube.

Lots of things to be excited for, so let's jump right in!

.: White :.

Kor Halberd: I expect this equipment to be very good in the context of a multiplayer cube. Vigilance is no joke and the low cost makes this a slam dunk. I looked at possible cuts and Caravan Escort felt underwhelming, not having a sizable reward until level 5 with a total investment of 9 mana.

Bola Slinger: create-your-own Star-Crowned Stag! The added utility from Backup makes this card a bit better than the elk.

Alabaster Host Intercessor: this might be my favorite common from MOM. It's either utility in the early game or removal in the late stages, so it's never dead. Plus, it's a Phyrexian Samurai, which is pretty damn cool. Noble Templar was cut.

.: Blue :.

Preening Champion: a basic flier that creates a token for sacrifice effects or chump blocking. Frost Trickster has thus been replaced as I feel 'stun' effects are less fun to play against.

Moment of Truth: anticipate with extra steps. What I like is that dumping a card in the graveyard enables cards like Stitched Drake or reanimating strategies.

.: Red :.

Furnace Host Charger: I like it better than firebreathing cougar.

Crasmasher Yeti: another landcycling creature! Desert Cerodon played a similar role and was cut.

Coming In Hot: very similar to Furious Below, but one less mana. I think combat tricks should be cheap most of the time, so this should see more play.

.: Black :.

Gloomfang Mauler: a great landcyling creature. 7/7 Menace for 7 is fair. I don't expect this card to be played much for the body but rather its utility. Shambling Attendants is yet another Deathtouch zombie and we can easily cut it even though Delve is fun.

Flitting Guerilla: black doesn't get that many fliers and this one can bring back a creature at the cost of your next draw phase. It seems like an interesting card to me. Urborg Siphon-Mage wasn't that fun to play with since discarding cards is an important cost when you have few ways to truly bank on that like you can see in other cube environments.

.: Green :.

Wildwood Escort: Gravedigger effect in green. The stats are not insane and the battle keyword will be ignored (sadly no common battles!), but I still think this can be valuable. I'm trying losing a potential 6/6 trampler to a utility creature as green already has tons of big bodies but few recursion engines.

Timberland Ancient: the new landcycling creatures are very exciting. For the same mana, I feel like Elvish Aberration is now outclassed by this new shiny creature. Reach is great on top of trample.

.: Colorless/Artifacts/Lands :.

Flywheel Racer: quiz time. What's the difference between a bike and a longboat? Clearly 1 toughness and the ability to tap for mana. Joke aside, I feel like the new vehicle has more utility but worse in combat.

ONE Update

Phyrexia: All Will Be One is a great and powerful set, but not that much for this cube. As I don't plan to include Poison Counters/Toxic/Corrupted, this really limits the number of changes you will find below:

W

+Planar Disruption, -Pacifism: strict upgrade

U

+Meldweb Strider, -Errant Ephemeron: the ephemeron wasn't really great even if you managed to suspend it early. Meldweb Spider is a nice vehicule for multiplayer thanks to Vigilance, and can even attack on a whim by removing its oil counter. A great design and hopefully a nice addition to the cube.

B

Nothing, although Offer Immortality might make the cut someday.

R

-Academy Raider, +Chimney Rabble: the raider was a bit too fragile at 1 toughness for 3CMC. Chimney Rabble is a good creature that can surprise opponents with its haste and provide a blocker for one more mana. Also both are goblins, which is relevant.

G

Hooting Mandrills-, +Skyscythe Engulfer: Delve rarely makes that huge of a difference and the Engulfer is a great all-around creature that can be a real pain for flying-centric decks like U/B.