Tinkerer's Cube on MTG Arena

Apr 3, 2023
David McDarby

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Welcome to Tinkerer's Cube, where you draft from a cube to create an engine that's more than the sum of its parts! Read on for this cube's philosophy and the complete card list. Players will draft three fourteen-card packs, but cards selected will not be added to collections.

EVENT DETAILS

Dates: April 10–17, 2023

Format: Phantom Draft Best-of-One and Phantom Draft Traditional Best-of-Three

Entry: 4,000 gold or 600 gems

Match Record:

• Best-of-One: 7 wins or 3 losses (whichever comes first)
• Traditional Best-of-Three: 3 matches (regardless of win/loss record)

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TINKER LIKE A THINKER

Arena Cube showcases some of the strongest cards in MTG Arena, while Chromatic Cube features some of the most expensive and colorful cards.

But Tinkerer's Cube asks you a question: "What can you make?"

Many of the cards in Tinkerer's Cube aren't ones you'll see performing at the highest level of competitive play and wouldn't be included in many "good stuff" decks. But almost all of them ask you to recontextualize what to care about while drafting, and to look between the lines to uncover unique interactions that you might not otherwise be able to find.

SYNERGY VS. COMBO

Tinkerer's Cube is a "synergy cube." That means that many cards, while certainly playable in a vacuum, ask you to build around them to make them stronger than they would function alone.

On the other side of the spectrum, a "combo" cube is one where, when you assemble specific cards, you instantly win the game, usually with two or three cards. In Tinkerer's Cube, perhaps you can find a combo! But probably not with only two cards.

Silverquill Command is a perfect example of a Tinkerer's Cube card. It's a little less efficient than many cards you might find at the Pro Tour. It has a high enough floor that you don't feel bad if you don't build around it. But if you look a bit deeper, there are numerous little synergies you might discover!

Whether you find a combo or a synergy, the goal is still the same: look for unique ways to combine cards for maximum results! Whether that's winning, proving you can do it, or just having a good time. Magic is a game after all!

TINKERING IS AN ARCHETYPE

Many Magic cubes have specific "archetypes" that guide you into "doing the thing" that a particular color pair wants you to do. Such as white-blue "blink," or blue-red "spells matter." However, in Tinkerer's Cube, color pairs don't pertain to such "un-tinkery" mindsets, and many cards are a unique archetype amongst themselves! It's up to you to knock on the sky and listen to the sound each card is making.

If you open a pack of Magic cards, and your mind is immediately filled with ways of expressing yourself through sublime interactions, bizarre ideas, or simply doing the undoable, then Tinkerer's Cube is the event for you.

Happy Tinkering!