Some big changes for the cube!

• Ninjutsu package - @Griff pointed out that these could be interesting for the flicker/self-bounce deck. Despite my skepticism that Griff is just trying to buff his favorite deck in this cube, I'm inclined to agree because it incentivizes the blink player to attack more aggressively than they might right now (the current build is basically just stall, generate value, and then win with fliers). The swaps here are just random cards that either haven't really performed or I don't find that interesting.
• Final Vengeance > Eaten Alive - mostly a strict upgrade (not enough enchantments in this cube for it to not be)
• Whitemane Lion > Rescuer Chwinga - Strict upgrade. Also the Chwinga is cute. No one bazingas the Chwinga.
• Compulsion > Trade Routes - Strict upgrade. Wish compulsion would work because I love the art, but I don't think it's ever been run in a deck in the ~6 months it's been in the cube.
• Militia Bugler > Containment Construct - Construct is too cool to not double up on, and Bugler a) has vigilance for no good reason (yes there's a flavor reason, but I hate vigilance), and b) has been a bugbear of the flicker deck for far too long; despite my efforts to nerf the deck, this card has continued to be a key value driver.
• Terisian Mindbreaker > Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer - @Ahnkili pointed out at Vertex that this could be a trap to new players who don't realize that killing half your opponent's deck is actually giving them a gift. I do think there's probably a build where this thing is sick, but agree the risk of misinterpretation by less experienced players is too high for the card to continue being in the cube.
• Repopulate > Funeral Charm - Repopulate got played very little, and I ran Piracy Charm for a while and was sad to cut it.
• Oona's Grace > Rotting Rats - Despite having a ton of fun playing Grace in @PseudoTriangle's Lands Cube this week (and it being quite good there), I don't think it gets there in Penrose
• Lodestone Myr > Emberstrike Duo - I love the Myr a lot, and wish he was good enough, but the artifact deck has better things to be doing. I'm not sure Duo is right here though. I love the synergy with the red/black aggro deck, but is that interesting enough?

Grim Flayer has been updated to a version that has correct oracle text.

The other changes are some last minute swaps.

For being annoying and repetitive

This update is a mix of Foundations cards I'm testing out and general cube tweaks based on results and feedback from 2024's cube tournaments.

• Cathartic Pyre - If the rummage effect on this wasn't so bad (and was more like Tormenting Voice so you were at least not negative on cards, or even better, had some modality like Highway Robbery so you could be card positive), this would probably stay. But this mode is basically never used for this card, so the incidental exile effect on Smite is much more powerful and useful.
• Appendage Amalgam - Tentatively tested this, it doesn't really get there.
• Stromkirk Condemned - Sends a signal that there is a vampire deck here, which I don't want. There are enough incidental vampires that this is more than just a Psychatog in certain decks, but I don't want to have players forced to think about and track the creature types.
• Candelstick - Seems very cool, but not quite enough of an effect to justify taking a turn off to get it onboard and on a creature.
• Frogmite - Is free, sure, but it also just doesn't do anything.
• Foul Watcher - A totally fine card. It could come back in the future. I honestly just needed something to cut to test Inspiration from Beyond.
• Sanctum Gargoyle - I'm really not sure why, but this has always felt underpowered for me.
• Diresight - Just didn't quite get there. Discussed this extensively in my MTG Cube Talk thread.
• Piracy Charm - I'm sad to see this one go; on paper each of the modes is so unique and applicable to a bunch of interesting scenarios... but in practice it never makes the 23/24. Maybe it could come back again in a future update (perhaps as Funeral Charm?) but for now we're saying adieu.
• Collapsing Borders - Requiescat in pace to a real one. This red life-gaining enchantment is a weirdo. Unfortunately, he's perhaps too weird for the Domain deck, which really wants to be more of a zoo beatdown build that can't take off turn 4 to play a crappy Sulfuric Vortex.
• Creeping Chill - Just doesn't do enough to be worth including in 99.99% of decks. If this cost a bit less to cast or did anything else as well (drew a card, lightning helix'd a creature, had flashback so you could get it again from the yard, whatever...) I could see this being a real deck... Wizards, please print a better version of this, I want to see a Pauper dredge deck! Narcomoeba is staying in for now, as it doesn't feel as bad to draw.
• Bite Down on Crime - Collect evidence is a bit too cute here. I don't find any of the green bite/fight spells interesting enough to do a straight replace here, but am open to suggestions.
• Portable Hole - Not enough of an effect to be worth a card in all but the lowest to the ground decks.
• Glassdust Hulk - Never seems to get included in the artifact builds, which lean much more agroo. Glint Hawk Idol does the same thing, but as a 2 drop.

Listed in order of how excited about them I am:

• Dreadwing Scavenger - This thing is a tank--it is going to do a ton of work across a lot of different decks.
• Raise the Past - Excited to see some crazy Goblin Bombardment / Scrap Trawler / Psychomancer combo wins.
• Cephalid Inkmage - Love these kind of Threshold cards!
• Perforating Artist - I am a sucker for a B/R aggro creature.
• Billowing Shriekmass - A 4/4 flier is scary!
• Vampire Gourmand - May not be powerful enough without tokens, but I'm hoping Bloodsoaked Champion and Reassembling Skeleton can make this work.
• Inspiration from Beyond - I think this is strong enough to hang! I wish the flashback was a bit cheaper.

• Vengeful Rebel - Trying to provide more fodder for the aristocrats deck
• Mardu Outrider - There is just something fun about a massive creature for 3 mana
• Flash of Insight - Dig Through Time at home. Kudos to Bones or Kade (can't remember who) for the suggestion!
• Mishra's Juggernaut - I'm always down to try out more Unearth cards.
• Resourceful Return - This is exactly where I want my black recursion spells to be.
• Hedge Shredder - Penrose's first Vehicle, and it's in green! Wish the mill on this wasn't a 'may'. Thanks to Wills for donating this card!
• Embrace the Unknown - Trying this out as the cube's first venture into Retrace.
• Makeshift Munitions - I'm not sure Goblin Bombardment needs redundancy, but I like letting artifacts get in on this effect as well.

That's all for now!

Lots of exciting new delirium tech in this set. Manifest dread is also very interesting as a way to get "tokens" into this cube.

Also, still trying to rework the flicker deck to be a more balanced value engine, based on feedback from the playgroup.

Capitol Cube Championship and Steel City Cube provided some solid data for further adjustments to the cube.

Most notably, Pre-War Formalwear was flagged by several players across both events as being too powerful and leading to unfun play patterns (no one wants to be facing down an Inspiring Overseer that's a 4/3 with vigilance). It only appeared in decks that achieved 2-1 or better across both events, including the 1st place deck in Top 8 at Capitol Cube Championship. For its crimes, Pre-War Formalwear is banned from the Penrose Cube after a short three month run.

A second copy of Scrabbling Claws is coming in to replace Soul-Guide Lantern. Completely hosing certain decks leads to bad feelings. Scrabbling Claws fills a similar function but in a more fair manner. With it goes Trinket Mage, a founding card of the cube. There aren't the kind of value 1 and 2 drop artifacts that make him really shine, and Ghostly Pilferer is a more interesting value engine that also fits into the Madness deck.

All of the other changes are aiming to make the Madness deck actually good. It is consistently one of the worst performing decks in the cube. (Although ironically, it got what I am pretty sure is its first 3-0 at Steel City, with a GB deck running double Arrogant Wurm, double Basking Rootwalla, and Tortured Existence.) My hope is that recentering it firmly in red-black will give it more cohesion and make it more successful as a value engine deck. The green Rootwallas are staying in for now because 0 cmc madness costs are hard to come by and I just love those little guys so much. (Also, in the same vein, sad to say goodbye to Aquamoeba, another founding card of the cube, but very curious to see how "Trade Routes at home" works out.)

Also, I would be remiss if I let this update pass without noting that Hogaak has achieved his first 3-0 in this cube that I am aware of. Rachel F., who went on to trophy the Penrose Cube for a second time in the same day to become the inaugural Capitol Cube Champion, piloted a very nice GB Hogaak deck to a 3-0 in the morning round at CCC. I still do not feel he is too strong for this cube, but perhaps I will look back on this day as the moment his fate was sealed.

There are just two weeks left before lists have to be locked for CubeCon 2024, so there is a pretty good chance this is the last update to the list before then.

Not 100% certain about a lot of these cuts, but really want to get some playtest data on the Bloomburrow cards at Capitol Cube Championship. In particular, I think there's a reasonable chance these cards come back in:

• Grapple with the Past
• Highway Robbery
• Orcish Hellraiser
• Underhanded Designs

Landscapes - these play so much more cleanly than the Capenna cycle, don't have incidental life gain, and aren't dead late game draws. Easy swap.

Ritual of the Machine - Love this card, but there are just not enough valid targets in this cube for it to play very well. Need to build another cube where it can shine.

Golgari Thug - dredge doesn't need the help. Molten Gatekeeper slots in so well to several different decks.

Pitiless Carnage - I don't know why I ever thought this card might be good in this cube. Without tokens, this thing goes from deeply mediocre to absolutely terrible.

More swaps to come as I get the cards.