Flavor Pack: Slivers
8bitJesus posted to 8bit's Multiplayer Cube -
Entertaining the idea of including "flavor packs" a group of cards that add a temporary theme to the cube. The first of which is slivers.
Monarch cont.
8bitJesus posted to 8bit's Multiplayer Cube -
Mainboard Changelist+11, -6
Initiative > Monarch
8bitJesus posted to 8bit's Multiplayer Cube -
I'll be honest here, I like the idea of Initiative over Monarch as a mechanic. In theory it seems like it should continue to push the game forward in a way that drawing a card at the end of turn just can't guarantee.
There are just two things I don't like about the mechanic.
- Without the game aid in front of me, I just can't seem to remember exactly what Initiative offers. This becomes an issue during draft where I can't properly evaluate the choice until I re-read through all the rooms in the Undercity.
- Outside of the white creatures I just don't find the rest of the initiative cards all that interesting or powerful. I find that I only include them in my picks to grab the Initiative, which can be accomplished by just taking it from someone else with a better creature.
To that end I am making the switch to Monarch. In this post I am only adding the court cycle from CMR which I think are powerful cards that not only introduce the Monarch, but instill a sense of urgency around taking/protecting the Monarch for all players due to the powerful upgrade it provides the controller of the court.
Mainboard Changelist+1, -1
Blue
8bitJesus posted to 8bit's Multiplayer Cube -
Consecrated Sphinx and Hullbreaker Horror were too big a shift towards straight up good stuff in Blue. They also weren't all that exciting due to their ubiquity in the Commander format.
I've always had a soft spot for Sphinx Ambassador and the mind games it can create. Djinn of Infinite Deceits looks like it can create some interesting scenarios and also provides a solid blocker for a Blue based control deck.
Murmuring Mystic, Whirler Rogue, and Feywild Caretaker all created a different 1/1 flying token and felt a little cluttered, so I swapped back to Venser as an all around solid card that gets better with some flicker shenanigans supported in U/W.
Lastly, Lier was an interesting card and I liked being able to replay instants/sorceries, but shutting off counter spells just didn't feel like something Blue wanted to do since I don't run any real combos that the color would want to protect through counter magic. I also wanted to make combat tricks matter a bit more in Blue and adding prowess is one of the ways Blue can get in on the action.
Feedback pt. 2
8bitJesus posted to 8bit's Multiplayer Cube -
Mainboard Changelist+23, -23
- Frost Trickster
- Murmuring Mystic
- Syncopate
- Run Away Together
- Displace
- Commit // Memory
- Windfall
- Step Through
- Warchief Giant
- Lightning Bolt
- Volcanic Fallout
- Artillerize
- Arc Trail
- Cosmotronic Wave
- Embercleave
- Experiment One
- Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
- Mycoloth
- Great Oak Guardian
- Verdant Force
- Brago, King Eternal
- Thunderclap Wyvern
- Juggernaut
- Slagstorm
- Gravitic Punch
- Wizard's Lightning
- Disrupt Decorum
- Planar Incision
- Aether Tradewinds
- Yorion, Sky Nomad
- Reflector Mage
- Order of Succession
- Unsubstantiate
- Triton Tactics
- End-Raze Forerunners
- Wild Beastmaster
- Pelt Collector
- Slicer, Hired Muscle
- Tendershoot Dryad
- Oakhame Adversary
- Venser, Shaper Savant
- Aether Channeler
- Bronze Walrus
- Javelin of Lightning
- Insult // Injury
- Multiple Choice
Maybeboard Changelist+0, -23
- Thunderclap Wyvern
- Syncopate
- Run Away Together
- Displace
- Brago, King Eternal
- Murmuring Mystic
- Commit // Memory
- Frost Trickster
- Warchief Giant
- Embercleave
- Artillerize
- Cosmotronic Wave
- Lightning Bolt
- Juggernaut
- Verdant Force
- Great Oak Guardian
- Mycoloth
- Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
- Experiment One
- Arc Trail
- Volcanic Fallout
- Step Through
- Windfall
More moves based on feedback.
Blue is still finding its place within the cube. I want it to have its own identity while also creating unique decks when paired with another color as opposed to simply support for those other colors.
Red also got a little tightening of the belt to narrow the band between bombs and utility cards within the color. I also feel like the new additions have a bit of a broader appeal.
Green has been another tough color to figure out when paired with another color. Too often it became ramp into the other color's top end which often paled to Greens own top end. I pushed some of that top end into the middle to see if more midrange decks emerge from Green pairings.
Lastly a number of these changes were to push the overall power down a bit to allow some of the more fun cards to shine. A number of drafts have shown that going two color with a splash of a third often means a majority of your deck can be Rare/Mythic which pushes the fun cards out to the sideboard. The three drop slot was among the worst with so many solid options across all colors, and will require further monitoring to see if this can be spread out a bit more.
Maybeboard Changelist+0, -33
- You See a Pair of Goblins
- Mystic Snake
- Immersturm Predator
- Chasm Skulker
- Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
- Mist-Syndicate Naga
- Consecrated Sphinx
- Hullbreaker Horror
- Spectral Sailor
- Ajani, the Greathearted
- Elspeth, Sun's Champion
- Authority of the Consuls
- Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
- Snake Umbra
- Wolfwillow Haven
- Magnus the Red
- Indulging Patrician
- Slagstorm
- Baird, Steward of Argive
- Custodi Squire
- Angel of Invention
- Raving Dead
- The Long Reach of Night
- Havoc Demon
- Okiba-Gang Shinobi
- Fallen Shinobi
- Grateful Apparition
- Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
- Nesting Dragon
- Storm-Kiln Artist
- Mina and Denn, Wildborn
- Ambush Viper
- Bane of Bala Ged
Mainboard Changelist+33, -33
- Grateful Apparition
- Baird, Steward of Argive
- Angel of Invention
- Custodi Squire
- Elspeth, Sun's Champion
- Authority of the Consuls
- Spectral Sailor
- Chasm Skulker
- Mist-Syndicate Naga
- Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
- Consecrated Sphinx
- Hullbreaker Horror
- Okiba-Gang Shinobi
- Raving Dead
- Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
- Havoc Demon
- The Long Reach of Night
- Storm-Kiln Artist
- Nesting Dragon
- You See a Pair of Goblins
- Slagstorm
- Ambush Viper
- Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
- Wolfwillow Haven
- Snake Umbra
- Fallen Shinobi
- Immersturm Predator
- Mina and Denn, Wildborn
- Ajani, the Greathearted
- Indulging Patrician
- Magnus the Red
- Mystic Snake
- Bane of Bala Ged
- Meteor Golem
- The Wandering Emperor
- Simic Charm
- Bloodwater Entity
- Markov Purifier
- Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
- Savage Ventmaw
- Fatal Grudge
- Thief of Sanity
- Divine Reckoning
- Slice and Dice
- Ranger Class
- Season of Growth
- Wild Growth
- Mishra's Onslaught
- Inspired Sphinx
- Rionya, Fire Dancer
- Enthralling Victor
- Ethereal Investigator
- Moonblade Shinobi
- Geist-Honored Monk
- Scourge of Nel Toth
- Portal Mage
- Banshee of the Dread Choir
- Torrential Gearhulk
- Trusty Retriever
- Archangel of Thune
- Hypnotic Grifter
- Thornweald Archer
- Luminarch Aspirant
- Vindictive Lich
- Rakshasa Debaser
- Night Incarnate
First impressions of the cube were positive, though there were a couple of criticisms.
First White & Black both seemed to overshadow the other colors in power, and often drafting one or both those colors was the correct choice.
Blue was often relegated as solely a support color and had little appeal by itself.
The overall power level and number of Rare/Mythic bombs seemed to push out some of the more niche "fun" cards. (I think there is still some work needed beyond this update to get the balance right.)