Art by Johan Grenier
Stew cube is a 4 player commander cube (20 card packs, pick 2, 60 card decks) that emphasizes freedom and creativity in the draft. Partner commanders and 5-color commanders help support multiple 4- and 5-color draft decks per pod. Instead of assigning a theme to each color pair, I built up four broad themes that span all five colors. Decks within a theme can vary in assertiveness, but slow midrange decks predominate. A common plan is to prepare an over-the-top game winning play by ramping and drawing cards.
The commanders themselves are not the star of the show. While the draftable commanders enable synergies with various other cards, many decks are driven by the 99 rather than built around their commander. Legendary creatures with 3 or fewer colors could see more play in the 99 than as the commander.
ThemesGraveyard
Similar to sets taking place on Innistrad, Stew Cube invites you to use your graveyard as a resource. Cheap removal is scarce, providing the graveyard decks with a good early game. Prioritize attacking players who you suspect could have Lion Sash, Selesnya Eulogist, or Cling to Dust. Your most important color is 
, followed by 
.
A. Reanimator (linear, proactive)
B. Recursion Value (flexible)
Populate
Create tokens that are copies of beneficial creatures, then watch them multiply. Given there aren't too many naturally good tokens, you'll need cards like Trickster's Talisman and Arcane Artisan to kick things off. Given its tendency toward being 
, this deck can be less all-in on its plan, and also having good responsive plays. is the least important here, but does offer Shriekmaw and The Scarab God. Eternalize forms a bridge with the "Recursion Value" archetype.
A. Elementals (situational in draft, explosive)
B. Pod (heavy in , grindy, low synergy goodstuff)
Artifacts Matter
Bzzzt! Robots offer the only actual aggro deck in the cube, as well as the most degenerate individual card. Naturally, you have the least interest in , but you also have an amazing token to proliferate, say with Esika's Chariot. Other players are going to have an edge over you going long, so go after them.
A. Steel Stompy (aggressive)
B. Value Engine (grindy, combo finish)
Lands
This archetype contains the fewest dedicated cards, and is likely to be drafted as an added deck plan. Life from the Loam and Lord Windgrace both point to a graveyard theme, while Titania, Protector of Argoth makes elementals to populate. Some clone cards, such as Replication Technique, can create copies of Field of the Dead, which can also be populated. This deck is a favorite to win most long games.