
Outline
- Type: Commander bar cube
- Identity: Desert with color restriction
- Plays: 3-4
- Speed: Unpowered midrange multiplayer
- Variance: The entire cube is drafted
Introduction
For some time I've wanted to build a 4 player commander cube that can be quickly shuffled up, drafted, and immediately played. This is that cube.
Design Restrictions
- All cards in this cube are 3 mana value or less. Yes, that's just like Tiny Leaders, and it's not a mistake. I've been a long time fan of Gwen's Tiny Leaders cube
- Cards are color restricted to Jeskai (white, blue, red). This cube is only 240 large (including lands), so color restricting it deepens the card pool.
- Singleton has been broken only for lands. You will find 2 of each land and 10 of each basic.
- While there is no rigid budget restriction, I designed this cube to be under $100 when I finished it on 7/28/2024.
Drafting the Cube
- This cube is a desert cube, so there is no land station. Players will have to draft any lands that they wish to play.
- There are exactly 240 cards. You shuffle and draft the whole thing. By the end of draft each player will have a card pool of 60 cards (including lands) from which they will build their 40 card decks.
- When you are ready, players should each create 5 packs of 12 cards each.
- During draft, players will pick 2 per pack before passing and picking 2 again until the pack and all packs have been drafted.
Building your Deck
- Once draft is finished players will construct 40 card decks from their 60 card pool.
- Since this is a commander cube, each player will select a legendary creature to act as their commander, which counts as 1 of the 40 cards.
- Color identity is enforced, so any pips that go in your deck, must appear printed on your commander.
- The exception to color identity is lands. You may put any lands you drafted into your deck.
- This cube has 5 commanders of each included guild pair and 2 commanders for the Jeskai wedge if you want to try to greed pile. There are technically monocolor commanders; feel free to experiment and push the environment.
Playing the Game
- This is a commander cube, so you will play 3 or 4 player multiplayer games.
- Unlike typical commander, players each start with 20 life, so adjust your game plan accordingly to be the last standing.
- Good luck, planeswalker!
Archetypes
As I've grown as a designer, I've leaned away from forcing archetypes. While you will find some "rails" because drafting a commander automatically forces you to "do a thing," I encourage you to explore the broad synergies that exist here across the 3 colors. Be on the look out for payoffs for spells/storm, artifacts, equipment, casting from exile, and combat tricks.
Special Thanks
I love cube and, more so, my friends who are way better at designing cubes than me. If any of this overview felt similar, it's because it was a bit of a love letter to projects designed by many of my good friends - Tiny Leaders, Descend to Avernus, The Amonkar Desert, and The original Bar Cube.