The Jeweled Bird OS 93/94 Ante Cube

This is an Old School format and modular cube that is played for ANTE. The core of the cube is 240 cards, and an additional 120 cards are added prior to the draft, drawn from the various modules available for each color, plus additional lands, artifacts, and multi-color cards. More details about the modules and their archetypes are included below.

Once the cube is assembled, the draft experience is meant to be the same as with other traditional cubes, up to 8 players draft 3, 15 card packs from a pool of 360 cards, but when then the games commence, the players must play using the ante mechanic. Here is how it works:

1. After the draft, all players are provided with one copy of Jeweled Bird, with the following errata:
   T: Ante Jeweled Bird. If you do, put all other cards you own from the ante into your graveyard, then draw a card.
   T: Add one Mana of any color to your mana pool.

2. Players must build a deck with a minimum of 41 cards.
   The Jeweled Bird provided to each player is meant to be 41st card for each deck. Players are welcome to build bigger decks if they want, but that is up to them. Any cards not selected for inclusion in the initial build of their deck should be retained as that player’s sideboard.

3. Players may not add additional basic lands to their deck after the initial build.
   Most 41 card decks will use between 14 – 18 lands (~33% - 45%), but additional basic lands may be added to the players side board up to a maximum of 25 lands total. Be mindful of the total number of basic lands available to players so that a single color or two isn’t disproportionally depleted. Don’t be a dick and horde lands you might not actually need.
   Exceptions:
   • In the unusual event that a player’s deck and sideboard drops below 41 cards, that players is permitted to add extra basic lands from the land station to their deck.
   • If the proportion of lands in a players deck drops below 25% (so about 10 lands or less for a 41 card deck), extra basic lands may be added to bring the proportion of lands back up to 35%.

4. Each game is played for ANTE.
   After the initial shuffle, and before players draw their initial 7 cards, players must take the top card of their deck and place it face up in between the territories of the two players. Whoever wins the game “wins” all of the cards in the ante pile, and they must add those cards to their deck, they do not go into that players sideboard. The Jeweled Bird errata is meant to ensure that players always have access to all colors in their deck, but if a player loses their Jeweled Bird, that might not be possible. This also means that players who lose will need to add cards from their sideboard to ensure that they always have at least 41 cards minimum, and players who win, will eventually get decks that will grow beyond 41 cards, and possibly be full of cards that aren’t optimal for their initial build. Yes, this is meant to keep the winners in check! How fun!
   Example: Worzel and Thomil play a standard best-of 2 out of 3 match. Thomil wins the first game of the match and claims the ante which includes Worzel’s Ironroot Treefolk. Thomil is playing a monoblack deck however, but must keep that card in his deck since he still has his Jeweled Bird and can theoretically cast them. After winning the second game and Worzel’s Grizzle Bears, he must still keep them in his deck since he can still cast them making it a 43 card deck instead of the initial 41.

5. Mulligans: Standard Mulligan practice should be followed (probably London or whatever style is currently the norm), but if agreed, players can mulligan up to 7, if the Ante an additional card. This may only be done once per game.

Notes, Archetypes, Combos, and Modules

The core of this cube features a number of archetypes and combos of its own, but the modules provide their own archetypes and combos as well. But let’s start with a couple of notes, before getting into the combos and archetypes of the core of the cube, then I’ll discuss the modules.

~Notes~
Unpowered
This is an Old School format cube, which might lead some people to think that it is full of crazy broken cards. This is not really the case here. Much care has been paid to ensure that the core of the cube includes most of the strong reliable cards that the original sets are known for (and the modules often make up for the staples that are missing in the core), but the cube lacks most of the big over powered cards from these sets. So first and foremost that means that this cube is unpowered, but that doesn’t mean it has to be slow and durdly. Great aggressive builds can easily be had in this, but over-powered (Mishra’s Workshop) and often grindy cards like Library of Alexandra, Moat or The Abyss are avoided.

Mana-fixing
The other big note is that the mana-fixing in this cube is not great. There are no dual-lands here. Rethink how useful cards like Rainbow Vale, or even Celestial Prism may actually be, and three copies of City of Brass are there as well to tempt you with more access to colored mana. I wanted this cube to challenge players, and utilize cards that otherwise never see play like Standing Stones and Implements of Sacrifice. But don’t forget that some old reliable options like Fellwar stone, Birds of Paradise, and even Fire Sprites are available to help out in a pinch.

~Archetypes~
Ante Cards
Of course a cube that is all about ante will feature every card that references the mechanic in Old School is included. This does give black an edge since it has the most cards of this sort, including what is arguably the most powerful card ever printed: Contract From Below! But red and green each get a card, Tempest Efreet and Rebirth, Bronze Tablet fits into any color deck, and of course each player gets their own souped-up Jeweled Bird. Contract being what it is should be an instant pick, maybe think about splashing for black if you draft it after investing in other colors. But don’t discount the other options. Tempest Efreet and Bronze Tablet are very similar and expensive to use, but can absolutely create a big effect, both short and long term, so don’t ignore them. Dark Pact is sweet for the in game shenanigans it can produce, and the Demonic Attorney is just too fun not to use, right? Rebirth is on the low end of the list here, but can be a great way to save yourself from imminent demise if you’re brave enough to use it.

Burn
Surprise surprise, there quite a bit of burn in red. Most of the heavy hitters are in the core of the cube, but the flagship option, Fireball, is hidden away in the Fire and Flames module for the warmer drafts.

Combo
There are a ton of 2+ card combos in this cube, many of which are detailed below.

Control
There’s plenty of classic control options available here. Blue has no shortage of options, but don’t rule out the other colors for opportunities to help support your overbearing and draconian play style.

Deserts Matter
Is this a combo or an archetype or a theme? I don’t really know but I wanted to mention it here. First, there are four copies of Desert in the cube. For one thing, these are quite useful on their own. But beware. The Nomads are roaming the Desert and they’ve brought their Camel, and they might walk all over that precious Desert of yours.

Reanimation
Not a ton of this in this cube. But the classic Animate Dead in available, plus Hell’s Caretaker too for a repeatable, if delicate, option. Resurrection makes an appearance as well, but there’s a little bit more of this theme hidden away in the modules.

Walls Matter
Let’s address this right away, walls slow down games and are often left out of cubes for this very reason. But I don’t care, walls need love too! Each color features at least a couple of walls, and there are a handful of artifact walls as well. Plus this cube includes as much wall interaction as possible, though some of the cards that interact with walls are in the modules, so there is more support for this archetype there.

~Combos~
• Royal Assassin plus Nettling Imp or Icy Manipulator: What more needs to be said? Tap the creature down or force them to attach, either way that Assassin is going in for the kill.
• Sengir Vampire and Nettling Imp: Use the Imp to force their weeny to attach into the Vampire for fun and profit!
• Initiates of the Ebon Hand and Drain Life: Use these together to Drain for more.
• Festival and Siren’s Call: Call off combat for the day so that the troops can party, then wipe them all out with the Call of the Siren.
• Mind Bomb and Animate Dead/Hell’s Caretaker: Toss your fatty to the yard and then bring them back to life for cheap!
• Merfolk Assassin and Warbarge: The classic combo courtesy of The Dark. Give your opponent’s creature islandwalk and then kill them dead with the Assassin.
• Stone Giant and Trolls (Sedge and Uthden): Fling your trolls at your opponent and regerate them on the way down.
• Power Surge, Manabarbs and mana-sinks: Punish everyone for having lands! Or protect yourself from the surge by dumping your mana into a sink like Mishra’s Factory, your choice.
• Land’s Edge and Land Tax: Fetch all your lands and then throw them at your opponent. Just watch out for their lands too. They also hurt.
• Lure and friends: Sure Lure is great with Thicket Basilisk, but don’t forget to slap that bad boy onto your rampagers like Craw Giant.
• Elephant Graveyard and the Elephants: There’s not enough Elephant Graveyards in the cube to constitute a full archetype, but War Elephant and War Mammoth are here to live again and again by visiting the yard.
• Petra Sphinx and Visions: Check out the top 5 cards of your library, memorize them, and then draw them. Simple as that.
• And many more! There probably a ton of other little combos I’ve left out, and some that become relevant depending on which modules are selected. Half the fun is figuring this stuff out on your own as you play.

~Modules~
First it’s important to know how these are designed to work, so that the cube can be constructed properly. Since the core of the cube is only 240 cards, another 120 cards need to be added to the cube to make it playable for a standard group of 8 people. More cards are available though, so if 9+ people show up to draft, no worries, just select more cards from the modules to increase the size to accommodate them.

Normally though, one module from each color, plus one artifact module, one land module, and one multi-color module are selected and added into the cube. This can be done at random, or by selecting them one by one. Each colored module has 20 cards, the artifact modules have 10, and the land and multi-color modules have 5 cards apiece. That said, there are occasionally cards in the colored modules that are not the same color as the rest of the module, or are multi-colored legends. These cards were selected as they fit the theme of the module for some reason or another. Most modules follow some theme, some more loosely than others, but they may also contain a hoser as well, to counteract what the rest of the module is all about. The modules also often break the singleton rule that the cube otherwise mostly follows. This is to allow for more support for a tribe or theme that is otherwise underrepresented in the Old School sets.

Black
The Plague: Thirteen copies of Plague Rats! And they count as Zombies! That’s right, draft all the rats and swarm your opponent for the win. But since they’ve been errata’d in this cube to include the zombie creature type, that means they get support from Zombie Master and Evil Presence, to swampwalk their way to victory.

The Undead: Mostly Zombies, but some ghosts and specters make an appearance here too. Be sure to double check the oracle text for some of these cards and quite a few have been officially updated to the zombie creature type, so that they get support from Zombie Master. Khabal Ghoul, Headless Horseman, Murk Dwellers, The Fallen, Scavenging Ghoul, Cyclopean Mummy, Walking Dead, and even Frankenstein’s Monster, all count as Zombies now, so don’t for get to jam those along side their master.

Thrulls: At least they’re better than Homarids, right? Thrulls are what this module are all about, but they come with two copies of Breeding Pit to keep both the Ebon Praetor and your Lord of the Pit happy, plus you can always sac them to Soul Exchange for a powered up reanimator strategy.

The Unholy: Lead by Sol’kanar the Swamp King, demons, devils and other evil creatures and spells populate this module. Not much else to elaborate here, though there are some fun cards to try out, and any player who manages to give their unsuspecting opponent a Cosmic Horror with Gauntlets of Chaos should be heartily rewarded.

Blue
Merfolk: It’s all about the merfolk for this one, folks. A pile of little blue finned humanoids is supported by three copies of Lord of Atlantis, plus Phantasmal Terrain and Magical Hack support their land-walking abilities. Even Voldalian War Machine makes an appears because even though it sucks, it deserves to see some play from some one who is brave enough to do so!

Homarids: It’s the crab-people, people! Sure they also suck, but who cares! This isn’t some crazy cibe that’s all about high powered play. We’re playing for ante folks, if you lose, at least you get the satisfaction of forcing your opponent to play with a Homarid.

Blue Mages Spellbook: This is a fun pile of miscellaneous, and often weird, blue spells and creature. Some are brutal like Amnesia, others are difficult to use but oh so satisfying if they payoff like Juxtapose, while others are just useful draft pieces that fit into all sorts of builds like Clone and Recall. Add this one to the mix for some extra variety.

Sea Creatures and Modules: This module is full of big clumsy blue creatures like Leviathan and Sea Serpent, and the ships that sail the Old School seas. Phantasmal Terrain also makes an appearance here to support the Islandhomeboys and the OG pirate, Ramirez himself makes an appearance to terrorize the high seas, at least until he gets bolted.

Green
Thallids: If you love the upkeep phase then this is the module for you. You’ll be adding spore counters all over the place, and then swinging in for the kill with your Thallid Devourer after clearing the board with your Thorn Thallid… assuming you have about 1000 turns to build up anyway. Jacques le Vert is here too to beef up the toughness of the Thallids. To be fair though, if this cube is ever drafted for multi-player, this is a really strong module to include.

Druids and Beasts: The name says it all, nearly all the druids available in Old School are included here, and they’ve brought a bevy of beasts with them to flood the battlefield. A good option for some interesting utility creatures and early to mid-game threats.

The Elven Wolf-Riders: Elf and Wolf tribes aren’t really all that strong or well represented in Old School, but this module is all about them anyway. Cards like Elvish Hunter and Wyluli Wolf can be seriously useful, and who doesn’t enjoy the Bands with other Wolves mechanic that only the Master of the Hunt can provide. Living Plane also makes an appearance here.

Treefolk: This is another underrepresented tribe in Old School, but there’s a fun mix of tree folk, forest types, and plants to spice up the cube in this module. Also Wood Elemental. Anyone who legitimately kills another player with a Wood Elemental wins the entire cube on the spot.

Red
Goblins: A strong module full of goblins. Three copies of Goblin King support the hordes of other goblins who might also be hiding out in their Goblin Caves, or paying tribute at their Goblin Shrines before going back to their Goblin Warrens to practice tossing the one Goblin Grenade they all share.

Kobolds: Probably weaker than Goblins, but hey, they’re free to cast! Four copies of Kobolds of Kher Keep are here to be supported not just by the Taskmasters and Drill Sergeants, but also by Rohgahh himself. That said, only the Roc of Kher Ridges from this module can survive the Earthquake that might strike at any moment.

Orcs and Dwarves: These two ancient enemies are represented in this module. The Dwarves bring with them the support of the Dwarven Lieutenant, plus the anti-Orc tech of Dwarven Soldier, and the anti-Wall tech of Dwarven Demolition Team. The Orcs on the other hand have both Iron and Brassclaws, while their Mechanics fling artifacts, and the Artillery shoot at you any your enemies at the same time. Orgg makes an appears here too, but don’t discount the usefulness of the instant Dwarven Catapult, and the Gauntlet of might.

Fire and Flames: Need more burn? Then this is the module for you which is all about the fire and the creates that use it. More direct damage available here from the Fireball, while Inferno clears the field and the Eternal Flam burns on. Plus Dragon Whelp and his little cousin from Nalathni (who is skipping out on band practice), breath the fire, while the Brothers and Sisters work it to your benefit.

White
Soliders: A reliable module to give a big boost to white weenie builds. Three Icatian Lieutenants boost the powers of their fellow soldiers, many of who are one drops to keep the pressure on your opponent. Watch out for the combat tricks in this one too.

The Shield: If protection is what you need, then this module is here for you. Both Bodyguards are present, waiting in the Castle with their Holy Armor in the Fortified Area, ready to be a Great Defender just for you! Oh and they brought a Pearled Unicorn along too just for fun.

The Holy: The antithesis to the Unholy module, this one sports lots of Clerics, Priests, and other Clergy. Some reliable weenies in here, plus the obscure but effective combo of Martyr’s Cry and Heaven’s Gate. It even works as a decent draw mechanic if you can pull it off.

White Mage’s Spellbook: Another pile of miscellaneous white spells and creatures for spice and utility. Personal Incarnation can be a legit threat alongside other reliable weenies like Tundra Wolves and the Order of Leitbur. But don’t discount the usefulness of a card like Farrel’s Mantle, a late game Alabaster Potion, or a surprise Eye for an Eye.