Swain (archaic) - noun - a country youth

Cube Philosophy

Simply put, this cube contains strong enablers with weak payoffs. Specifically, I do not like single cards or two card combos that win on the spot. Taking my vibes from the peak of Pauper gameplay, I enjoy the feeling of using powerful enablers without the game-ending results. See Tinker, for example. The best overall artifact to search for is probably Meteor Golem; however, Tinker card becomes much more of an interesting toolbox without a massive unanswerable threat to find. While cubing at this power level tends towards midrange, I strive to make sure distinct flavors of aggro, control, and combo are all possible to draft.

Expanding on these ideas, I want value-oriented synergistic games with possibilities for big swings from power outliers. However, those outliers should be symmetrical/unhelpful without other deck-building restrictions.

Since this cube is mostly drafted by novice players, I have made multiple concessions to that end. The number of unexplained keywords is kept to a minimum (see the list at the bottom of this description). Cards should be straightforward, understandable, and not include extraneous text (for example, no cards with the "Partner" keyword). Cards that have a set specific mechanic should have little else (e.g. Gurmag Angler with regards to delve). Planeswalkers are, of course, not allowed.

This cube was originally built to support 4 drafters, expanded to 6, then expanded again to a full 8. I am always happy and grateful for people to try out a draft in the playtest tab and give me feedback!

Main Themes

Gold cards should give good indications for these archetypes. There should be splashes of these archetypes in the other colors as well. Below I provide a vague outline for each color identity along with some archetypal examples; however, the color identities contain niches and engines that are not captured by the provided identifier. I hope those who play this cube will enjoy discovering such nuances!

Flicker

Life Manipulation

Small Creature Aggro

Heroic

Artifacts

Spellslinger

Magecraft

Aristocrats

Graveyard

Rainbow/Ramp

Undefined Keywords

Below are a list of keywords that appear but are not explicitly defined on various cards.

• Flash: You may play this card any time you could cast an instant
• Vigilance: Attacking doesn't cause it to tap
• Flying: This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach
• Deathtouch: Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it
• Lifelink: Damage dealt by the creature also causes its controller to gain that much life
• Haste: This creature can attack and as soon as it comes under your control
• Defender: This creature can't attack
• Trample: This creature can deal excess combat damage to a player it's attacking
• Scry X: Look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order
• Mill X: Put the top X cards from the library into the graveyard
• Treasure (You'd be surprised at how difficult it was for me to make this link properly)