I've been vacillating about whether to include Theros here, and I finally decided to bring it in because it doesn't have a significant presence in any of my other live cubes. Previously, I'd replaced Eldraine with Theros, but I rolled those changes back and am now just incorporating cards from Theros wherever it makes sense. Bestow is the keyword "shout-out" at common, and devotion shows up at uncommon. In general, swaps increase synergy at common, power at rare, and either/both at uncommon.

Having worked through the commons and uncommons, I'm making a few tweaks at rare to maintain variety and address some corner issues.

The mythics present some issues I'll have to iron out before finalizing the set, but it's good for now.

Most of these changes are about updating and spreading the keyword "shout-outs" around. The shout-outs are intended to be unique to the uncommons and evenly spread across the colors:

• White: boast (Kaldheim), exalted (Alara)
• Blue: mutate (Ikoria), magecraft (Arcavios)
• Black: exploit (Tarkir), afflict (Amonkhet)
• Red: alliance (New Capenna), ascend (Ixalan)
• Green: adamant (Eldraine), wither (Lorwyn-Shadowmoor)
• Colorless: living weapon (New Phyrexia)

I also tried to line the uncommons up with the design skeleton, though I wasn't able to get it quite there for UB or UR.

Finally, I made adjustments to get the proportion of creatures to spells right. Overall, each color could still stand to swap a creature for a spell, which shouldn't feel all that noticeable since the uncommons are in fact less common.

If these changes are like those at common, hopefully the set still plays about the same.

I have been going along with my original configuration of lands for a long time without stepping back to reconsider if this was the best arrangement. Adding Shimmerdrift Vale in recently revealed how having just one very flexible snow land is more useful than three dual snow lands.

• Microdecks don't need as much need for dual lands, but I don't want to remove them entirely. My solution here is to consolidate them into the thriving lands. If they still aren't that useful, then I've got five new slots to use.
• The space opened up through consolidation allows for more utility lands to support a variety of themes, including life gain, artifacts, restocking, and cycling. Some of these new additions make up for cards that have been removed. The monocolor lands in particular seem a little narrow, so these could also be slots eventually opened up to other stuff.

These changes look like a lot, but they're really just tweaks to smooth things out some rough edges after the recent playtests.

• Some changes align the common module more closely with the standard design skeleton used for most Magic sets. This step is usually not taken for typical cubes, but I find it really helps make the set feel a little more even and taps into the underlying architecture that makes Magic sets work.
• At long last I'm pulling the plug on the Phyrexian mana. I'd originally thought Porcelain Legionnaire and Vault Skirge would be "payoffs" for lifegain decks, but I soon realized they were more useful in aggressive decks. Now I'm realizing they're just good in almost every deck, and they get poached from white and black too often.
• Other changes smooth out the mana curve and P/T figures. For example, there were too many green 2/2s for two, not to mention tons of 2/2s running around the format at other costs and in other colors. This was noticeable in playtests, as a few matches stalled with 2/2s staring each other down.
• The weakest of the recent additions--Gnarled Sage--gets replaced by basically the same thing, except without the requirement that you've drawn multiple cards.

While this is a significant revision to the common module, it should be all I do here until I playtest. I am bending over backwards to get my keyword "shout-outs" in here, adding UR Raid for Ixalan and BG Adventure for Eldraine here. In so doing, I have to move around foretell, move keyword counters from UR to GU, and so on.

The more important aspect I'm paying attention to is the mana curve for each color. At uncommon and rare, it doesn't matter as much, but all the commons are going to show up in every session, so it is important to avoid gluts and gaps. With these changes, I'm bringing blue's curve down a bit and am using Stone Golem to address an overall gap in 5-drops. (Bottle Golems is more interesting and suggests a couple different deck types, which I really like, but there are tons of other 4-drops here, so it has stiff competition in every deck.)

I have not paid close attention to the mana curve with all the recent changes, and quite a few issues have cropped up as a result. These swaps try to bring in somewhat similar cards at better points on the mana curve of each color. There will be more to come.

I'd originally left card draw effects in here, acknowledging that they wouldn't be as good as they typically are. However, I'm now trying to extricate them to the extent possible so players don't fall into the trap of taking them as they normally would, only to find their library's run dry without a way to replenish it. There are plenty of other ways to discover the peculiarities of this format, such as by running out of cards at a normal pace or accidentally discovering how useful graveyard recursion is. (Getting milled would also do the trick.) I'm all the more cautious about draw effects because they're typically excellent, but here they are actively bad, creating whiplash for players new to the format.

• Gnawing Zombie replaces Bushmeat Poacher as a sac outlet, and it can also finish off games in some circumstances.
• Miasmic Mummy is disastrous for you unless you're using the Tarkir pane card or have built your deck around discard payoffs. There are plenty of other ways to discard (i.e., cycling). Meanwhile, Soulstinger provides a new source of -1/-1 counters and another LTB effect for sacrifice decks.
• Orazca Relic just got here, and I'll have to find a new "shout-out" for Ixalan. Universal Automaton ought to help tribal decks get their creature count up.
• Arcum's Astrolabe just isn't as good here as it is elsewhere, as you don't really want to cantrip. Shimmerdrift Vale serves exactly the same function--fixing your mana and upping your snow count--without requiring snow mana to cast or taking up a precious nonland slot.

Prior playtesting showed me that ways to get cards back once your library is depleted are essential to this format. Cards like Cogwork Archivist, which were okay in their original formats, are all-stars here, often valuable as early picks and the targets of swift removal once played. In order to retain some balance, I've kept things somewhat measured across colors, but if memory serves the set could actually use more recursion. These swaps advance that need at common.

• I mentioned previously that Dawning Angel feels a little repetitive with Winged Shepherd. Sanctum Gargoyle swaps P/T with Dawning Angel and does not trigger lifegain, but it's still a flyer than can help end games. It also ups the artifact count for the WU artifacts subtheme and (most importantly) allows you to grab an artifact back from the graveyard.
• Scribe of the Mindful has felt far less useful than it seems. When it hits the battlefield, you likely haven't even played an instant or sorcery, so you're leaving it out there for removal (often immediately after you've played the very instant or sorcery you want back). Not only that, you have to give up your creature to get the spell back, which is a tough sell in a format with only 15 cards in your deck. Maybe it will make a return just to max out the recursion, but for now I'm replacing it with Salvager of Secrets, which will more reliably get your spell back while also providing a 2/2 you don't have to give up to get the spell.
• Jousting Dummy has been pretty useless so far. Looking at the commons overall, the set is not hurting for 2-drops, so it is not really filling any gaps there. Meanwhile, one of the challenges has been the inability to get lands back from the graveyard. If you're being milled and two lands get binned, suddenly you're limited to four mana for the rest of the game. Rather than eliminate milling, which is blue's main way to gain real card advantage in this set, I'm adding Scaretiller. Unlike other spells that merely retrieve lands from your graveyard, Scaretiller has other uses, and in a BGU shell with untapping shenanigans it could completely negate the milling strategy.

These swap reposition shield counters in GW and persist in GU, while also addressing the overabundance of blue's 2-drops. The final result is not perfect. Dawning Angel feels a little too similar to Winged Shepherd. I prefer the variety of a mana discount (Etherium Sculptor) to another mana dork (Apprentice Wizard), but blue also has a couple creatures too many. (Apprentice Wizard's 0 power makes it count as a spell in Wizards of the Coast's design skeleton.) Finally, green's got a hybrid GU; I might be able to smooth this out with other hybrid cards, or I'll have to mess

New Capenna gets its keyword "shout-out" through the addition of shield counters in GU. Shield counters are a nice, clean mechanic, and they play well with the "counters matter" subtheme that's already in the set.

Shield counters displace mutate, which is rather complex and underwhelming in this set because there isn't a critical mass of mutate effects. In addition, Dreamtail Heron's card draw effect is pretty weak with microdecks, so it is basically a 3/4 flyer for 5.

Keyword counters become the new "shout-out" for Ikoria, now positioned in UR. While you can't double or manipulate keyword counters, they can still interact with cards like Backstreet Bruiser and provide a nice influx of flexibility. For more than Dreamtail Heron, Wingfold Pteron adds 2 toughness and the option of hexproof instead of flying. Overall, it is not a great rate, but it is on par with Dreamtail Heron's actual power level in this environment.

I'd originally had treasure as Ixalan's signature mechanic at common, but treasure has become so ubiquitous that it no longer feels like a hearkening back to that plane. To address this, I'm swapping Golden Egg for Orazca Relic, which basically does all the same things while also tossing in ascend. Neither is all that impressive in this format, since card draw is meaningless; the relic costs more but provides one of the few ways to get to over 6 mana. Hopefully I come up with a more useful "shout-out" for the plane, but this will have to do for now.

As of these changes, blue has an extra common, and green is missing a common. I'm also noticing blue has too many commons that cost 2, so I'm going to need to make some changes to smooth the mana curve.

Before deciding on a keyword "shout-out" for New Capenna, I am making a small adjustment to the planes already in the set. I've never been a fan of the "power matters" mechanics (e.g., Tarkir's formidable), and Alara's unearth asks too much of microdecks, where exiling your own cards is usually terrible. I realized Alara is also represented by landcycling in RG, and Tarkir's dash mechanic is the perfect fit for microdecks, which would love to get multiple uses out of their precious few cards.

This shift does open up a couple gaps that I'll address soon enough.

This swap is the only one at common that seems obvious. Aegis Turtle was a generic filler fulfilling the role of a blue creature with defender or 0-toughness. Backstreet Bruiser is a more interesting alternative that provides a minor payoff for counters, a subtheme I've been trying to push in UBR.

I do want to bring in a keyword from New Capenna at common and uncommon, and these additions will be part of a broader tweaking of planar keywords.

• I have no room for multicolor cards at common, excluding a significant swath of New Capenna's commons.
• Again, mechanics like connive and casualty do not work well in this cube.
• Most of the green noncreature commons produce treasure.

Full integration of New Capenna will probably be a bit more of a project, but adding rares is fairly straightforward. Rares in this cube are kind of like a more traditional "power max" cube, where the only considerations are power level and variety. Of course, budget is a factor here, as I try not to include cards that cost over $1.

While there are a number of contenders from Streets of New Capenna, these three swaps are the only ones that seemed like no-brainers.

• Verdant Sun's Avatar, while seeming like it could contribute to the WBG lifegain theme, really fit only into the GUR ramp, because it requires more mana than a typical 15-card deck can provide. Workshop Warchief does a nice job of actually working in either theme.
• Sedraxis Specter was always awkward because unearth requires you to exile a card, which is horrible in this format. Maestros Diabolist provides more straightforward value.
• Meglonoth seems unpopular here perhaps because of its high mana value. Fleetfoot Dancer should address that worry while providing plenty of keyword and P/T value.

Some more cards are in the mix as potential swaps in the future. Their addition will depend on other changes I might make to the set and a broader consideration of the overall variety of the rare module. These cards include Rabble Rousing, Depopulate, Extraction Specialist, Reservoir Kraken, Undercover Operative, and Jaxis.

• At this point, cards that are a "B-" or worse have a tough time breaking into this module. They might be perfectly fine in a typical limited format, but here the bar is higher.
• None of the allied rares seemed compelling. Corpse Explosion might be potentially more powerful than Cut // Ribbons, but it requires exiling card from your graveyard.
• Quite a few candidates were excluded for using +1/+1 counters. I also found quite a few cards providing card draw or pseudo-draw, which is not great in this format. For example, Ziatora's Envoy provides great value in a typical deck, but in microdecks you're just accelerating yourself to no library.

Lorwyn is already partially represented in this cube with the inclusion of cards from Shadowmoor (Lorwyn's darker half), the minor tribal synergies, and the prevalence of changeling, which was Lorwyn's signature mechanic. These swaps just finish the job, so that the full expanse of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor gets its due, rather than just Shadowmoor.

• Cloudgoat Ranger dominated in my Lorwyn cube, but hopefully is less oppressive here. Even without Angel of the God-Pharaoh, white still has more cyclers than any other color.
• Pestermite is a cube staple, and I'm a little worried its popularity might indicate it is too strong for this environment. While there are no ridiculous mana rocks or Gaea's Cradles for it to untap, it could advance the obnixous Cathartic Adept strategy a little too much. Blue could use another all-star at common, so I'm okay with the swap. Etherium Spinner's main purpose here is to give blue a second artifact card to make WU Artifacts occasionally viable, so I might want to find a way to get Corridor Monitor in here at some point.
• Mistwalker is pretty standard fare, and there's probably something to be said for having a 1/4 flyer in here. However, in the spirit of amping up the tribal synergies, I'm replacing it with Amoeboid Changeling, which can both extend your own tribal synergies and hinder your opponent's. It also fits into the tap/untap theme I've got going in BGU. Blue does lose a flyer, but it also just gained one with Pestermite.
• Umbral Juke and Warren Weirding are very similar. Both provide an instant-speed edict effect, with Warren Weirding providing the advantage of costing less. Alternatively, both can net you a creature, with Warren Weirding providing two meager 1/1 goblins, though that creature type is ever so slightly better due to Siege-Gang Lieutenant and the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor plane card. Without that context, Umbral Juke might be the better choice, as paying more for +1 power and flying is probably a good deal.
• I'm not sure about replacing Reach of Shadows, which is nigh unconditional removal, but Violet Pall is almost as strong while also tossing a 1/1 flyer into the deal. The additional flyer helps make up for the loss of an occasional flyer off Umbral Juke, but this slot might be worth monitoring.
• Clockwork Servant is basically a 2/3 for , as nobody should care about drawing cards in this format. Obsidian Battle-Axe provides a nice incentive for aggressive decks and is even better if you've got warrior tribal going in your deck. I retain the adamant "shout-out" to Eldraine by swapping Restock for Once and Future.
• It turns out Sigil of the Empty Throne is already in one of my commander decks, and I do have a "collection singleton" rule. Fortunately, Feudkiller's Verdict is available from Lorwyn, presenting a big payoff for lifegain decks or a nice timing/pacing puzzle for other decks.

Perhaps just as notable are the exclusions, many of which were essential to the Lorwyn cube but don't stack up against the alternatives here:

• Crib Swap made a case for replacing Divine Gambit, but I like the mini-game Divine Gambit presents around timing and counter-play from your opponent.
• Kithkin Greatheart provides a nice little tribal incentive than any changeling could fulfill, but I prefer Herald of Dromoka, which provide a similar promotion of tribal decks through a more powerful effect that's also more likely to get hits due to the prevalence of warriors in the set.
• Knight of Meadowgrain has a decent collection of keywords, but I like Thunderous Orator's build-around upside.
• Mulldrifter is a cube staple, but as mentioned before, card draw is pretty useless in microdecks. I'm also trying not to clutter the set with too many keywords, so I'm avoiding evoke (unless I remove another keyword).
• Drowner of Secrets would fit right into the set's milling theme, but I'm worried it would be too oppressive if someone actually built their deck around it. I'd rather keep the one-time effect of Overwhelmed Apprentice.
• Marsh Flitter is too similar to Siege-Gang Lieutenant. I'd rather have the lifegain trigger of the latter than yet another flyer.
• Makeshift Mannequin
• Weirding Shaman and Piper of the Swarm fill a similar niche of black 2-drops that can pump out tokens. While I appreciate that Weirding Shaman pushes you to build your deck in a particular way, there are enough ways to produce goblins for it to work reliably, whereas Piper of the Swarm is pretty self-sufficient.
• Brighthearth Banneret supports a lot of the set's themes but brings in +1/+1 counters, which I've been trying to avoid. Many of Lorwyn's most popular cards provide +1/+1 counters and were therefore excluded from consideration.
• Smokebraider is nice way to promote GUR Ramp in red, but it has only a few targets apart from changelings.
• Ambassador Oak and Lys Alana Huntmaster are similar to Professor of Zoomancy, but they give up 1 power and shift from pest tokens, which feed into the set's lifegain theme, to elf tokens. There are other ways to produce elf tokens from Lorwyn, but none provide the persistence or combo potential of Presence of Gond.
• Masked Admirers was a tempting replacement for Ramunap Hydra, largely because of the value it presents in a format where decks run out and you desperately need to recur cards from the graveyard. However, it provides a function very similar to Genesis, while Ramunap Hydra gives a little boost for including deserts.

BGU and WUB have been challenging throughout this set's development. It's tough to stock your graveyard. Once you do, you want all those cards back immediately. As a result, the usual theme for BGU is pretty limited. Meanwhile, exile effects in WUB have been so strong that I had to rein them. I also noticed some decent skies decks in playtesting, and these are naturally based in WU.

I could just leave things as they are, but that would leave BGU lagging behind other wedges and WUB considerably stronger than other shards. For the sake of balancing the color combinations, I'm making a few tweaks. I further downgrade exile effects in white, which ought to minimize the unfun games where a player's cards are just gone forever. I don't want white to be weakened overall, so I'm replacing these effects with perfectly decent removal that simply does not exile. However, I am upping the ways to exile cards from graveyards, which require ways to get cards into graveyards in order to be effective and can double as a way to win with the Ixalan plane card. Overall, I hope this strengthens BGU and diminishes white's ability to do better at grinding people out of the game than any of the colors in the wedge intended for that purpose.

I'm also upping the number of flyers in black slightly, hoping that it can join WU to make skies a decent theme for WUB. These shard themes are meant to be fairly minor, showing up once in a while but not as much as wedge themes.