Just some last-minute tweaks, mostly for balance. On second thought, Eidolon's value outweighs the bit of speed lost with the Gorger, who has likely played exclusively as a Sav Lion since being introduced in any case. This switch is in line with this update's more general approach of removing aggro's speedy, but otherwise weak one-drops (in both red and white) for more reach/fortitude. Orzhov gets two much better cards to match the upgraded strength of some other guilds this update. I have always been a big fan of Obzedat and have personally seen the card service the Esper Lock/Prison archetype well. Bloodghast was benched when black aggro was, but I'm thinking that might have been a mistake--that he actually provides enough value for black decks more broadly. There is also a bit of second-thinking the Ugin cut, so I figure a little more time to see for sure is in order.

With the loss of power and the completion of the Triome cycle, the guilds are given room to expand: rather than 4-6 slots, each color combo can now include 5-7 cards. Aragorn and Atraxa also represent the potential expansion of more multicolored cards in general. Minsc & Boo, Mawloc, Forth Eorlingas!, and Atraxa are all supposed to be pushing vintage cube limits, so my hopes are high for all of these cards, whereas Aragorn, Ob Nixilis, and the Defiler are more just getting trial runs. Tezz (the Agent) couples with the inclusion of the other Tezz (the Seeker), with the idea that less power means more opportunity for Izzet Artifacts to shine. The Relic and the Cleric could return alongside other anti-Reanimator cuts made this update in the event that the archetype were to prove too much. But in general, I am using this update to take the opportunity to cube for the very first time without any hoser/sideboard cards.

A lot of these swaps are a matter of better diversifying white's approaches. Gone are the WW taxers, as powering down likely does enough to nerf Storm in itself. Like the Cackler cut just before him, a naked 2/2 Isamaru has simply become out-classed, which is a bit sad given his OG status as one of the original 360s. Great run though, Hound! On the bright side, the Rector (another OG) makes a return, as I believe powering down will boost the Orzhov prison strategy that she best supports. I've never liked Avacyn, nor have I ever really seen her impress, so I bid her good riddance. Conversely, I can see either of these planeswalkers being called back off the bench at a later date.

Of all the aspects of this update, I am most excited about Green, mostly because I believe powering down will allow the Lands Matter archetype to finally bloom. How competitive the deck will be is the question at hand. I would bet that, despite the additions of Exploration and the Conduit, the archetype probably still needs Wizards to give it 2-3 more cards. But we'll see. While the Den Protector has served the cube well, the loss of the cards he best regrew ultimately cost him his job. The Veil comes out alongside all of the other hoser/sideboard cards I'm subtracting for the time being, but if that package is reintroduced, Veil is at the top of that list. Likewise, Garruk and the P. Druid could also return, as neither ever did anything wrong so much as they were more just bottom of their class.

A lot of these subs are logical upgrades, if with archetypical attention turned to spell-slingling, GH Gruul, and Big Red. In light of the latter, D. Force makes a return, but might well turn into (or play alongside) a Xinye if Big Red goes as planned. Others notably contending for a return are Khenra, the Gatekeeper, Eidolon, and the Bugbear Den.

Much of this U update helps to serve Spellslinger strategies, which is welcome because our playgroup largely neglects spells mattering if they aren't storming off with them. As with the upstart of all archetypes, I have admittedly overcompensated in an effort to see it happen. My guess is that a number of the cards in this update are the ones that ultimately get cut back when re-balancing in this regard, but we shall see. I am still skeptical of Delver, but a 15/22 stat line encourages me to try (again) to be wrong about him, as the deck has never had this much support before. I may also be wrong to cut the Spellseeker along with the power (cf. Trinket Mage), so I earmark her with this remark for potential return. The Forager/Regent swap seems coin-flippish to me, but I make it because I've read otherwise. I'm a little more certain about the Tezz-for-Tezz swap (back) here, but only a little.

Assuming black's role as the cube's predominant control color, MBC takes a big step forward with this update, particularly with the various Sheoldreds, the additional Massacre, and the Bowmasters. If MBC still feels a bit underpowered, I may revisit the Perish/Virtue's Ruin package, and possibly other assorted options, with the idea of making black the exclusive hoser color. With powering-down inevitably slowing the cube down a bit, I am thinking MBC should be able to make better use of its prime lands again (fingers crossed). Tourach was rendered trash by his kicker clause, whereas Henrika was likely always just trash. Unmask is getting a test run--still looking for room to squeeze Snuff Out back in. And I want my fondness for Massacre Girl on the record, if only she wasn't too situational...

I am using this major, year-plus update to help pull the power plug on the cube. As anyone who drafts enough powered vintage cube likely knows, the novelty of power wears off, the skill-level of the playgroup improves, and eventually it just seems time to move on. I intend to keep the power for some, yet unknown future use, but for now it is officially retired. This A&L portion of the update, then, is largely a reflection of my attempt to keep enough cheap, brown toys around for Storm to play with, as I very much want to keep the archetype alive. The Zuran Orb is especially notable, as it also doubles to help with my formal introduction of a Lands archetype (not to mention the Orzhov/prison/Bargain package I'm working on). The maps are also swapped for Lands (as the E. Map, notably, also syncs better with Urza's Saga). And ditto--Lands--for the D. Depths/T. Stage/M. Mirror/Field of the Dead package. Of the individual cards here, I am most excited about The One Ring, mostly because I never really bought into the Portal. I don't know that the Ring will ultimately prove worth it either, but it at least has some slap enough to it to make me hopeful.

Not a whole lot to work with. The Reality Chip, C. Kirin, and Boseiju all seem like fairly straightforward upgrades. The W. Emperor, C. Construct, and Eater of Virtues are all (if promising) tests. The R. Battery is also a test, but its specific fit into the GH Gruul archetype is notable (not to mention the "Big Red" deck that is emerging). Rector is dead, so that was just an open slot--whereas, the C. Construct can (maybe?) replace the Desperate Ritual's slot in whatever combo deck might have used it. Lastly, my thinking is that both the Leviathan and the Sphinx are past their primes, as they only played well with Tinker, and the deck hardly wants to tinker for either, as they are probably its worst two payoffs. In any case, I am perhaps most hopeful about the residual value the reconfigure mechanic is adding to Stone (Cold) forge (Austin).

Cleaning up U5.0 a bit. Watching recent MODO drafts sparked a renewed interest in the Portal, particularly in its flexible ability to O.Stone in a pinch; and no one O.Stones anymore in any case, so it seemed like an easy swap. Jace is benched along the same lines that the Vault was: it simply may not be interactive enough to be "properly competitive." The quotes here are to indicate conjecture (cf. a stated position). The slippery slope in this regard is also duly noted here. The other U-->G swaps were more for color-balancing purposes--though I do believe that the Craterhoof redundancy will be appreciated. Yarok is a requested experiment, which, to be fair, I am optimistic about given the impressive performance Pod has recently put on.

The Hostage Taker deserves to be in and is only sitting until gold's presence is lowered a bit. She will replace The Scarab God if it doesn't prove itself better than one of the other Dimir cards. I figured the (more than serviceable) Aristocrats might get another go-round, perhaps prop up some Persist or Rakdos shenanigans. Because she is also a Persist partner, Arlinn over the rarely-shown-love Reveler was an easy swap. I am a pretty big fan of both F/I and (especially) the Snake, but I figured they might take a break while this Spells Slinger thing gets figured out. And I'm not convinced that either of these artifacts will last long (cut as many times as they both have been), but I would love to see them prove themselves.

Azusa and the Augur are added alongside Future Sight in order to get a better look at distinguishing Simic's identity... TBD. I have faith in the Huntmaster. With the openings from the Vault, I was also able to (finally) squeeze Melira in as the last (viable) piece of the Persist Combo, so that also works.

While I am probably most excited about this new fireball, I also have high hopes for this Gatekeeper character, as he will extend RDW's fighter's-chance against the big broken decks (if even only by a bit). The Phalanx is a long-shot, for sure, and can easily tag Chandra back in. I am also rather fond of the Emissary for Greatest-Hits Gruul, so I imagine he'll get another go once consideration returns to that archetype. GS Dragon? Still meh. Guess I'll have to see it for myself. Conversely, the loss of Pillage saddens me, as it seems indicative of the gradual decline of a pre-W&S version of LD that I much liked to run. And to Pup, though I never really knew ya, all the best...

Mostly temporary test-swaps. The benching of the Thief, for instance, is only due to the move to push the gold section down bit, but I suspect he is going to find his way back in. I am also inclined to get the Persecutor back in, despite the overwhelming numbers that his time is done. Otherwise, I am hopeful that Henrika will play nicely with the Prankster, while rather skeptical of the Opp Agent being as good as he reads he will. I would also like to see Yawgmoth and the Mass. Girl do some things this time around. 🤞🏻

In what would be better characterized as an indefinite trial-benching, the removal of Time Vault marks U5's most significant change. It of course pleases me to clean the CQ of the cube, but I am also nowhere near going to miss losing locked-down games because I cannot get my turn passed back to me. I am also pleased to have cleared enough room to bolster an entire archetype: inspired by the recent 540 podcast on "Spells Matter" (or "Spellslinger"), it turns out that most of the pieces were already locked and loaded. Thus, I have admittedly added more support for it here than will be held onto, but I want to see which pieces best fit the tokens-take angle on it that I decided to test first. Future Sight is welcomed back in support of a new land-based line that might be opening up in Simic. It is also worth noting that this marks the second time cutting Gyruda's sushi.

A pretty straightforward swap into the new stuff that seems to lend a little speed to WW. Otherwise, I would only have it noted that I held onto you, Wall of Reverence, for as long as I believe I could.