This cube will become a high-end version of "Jennies on the Dollar".

Context

Right now, playing heads-up draft with my roommate is the primary target. We see about half of the ~400 card cube per draft. We’re experienced as both Magic and cube players, so I want to layer in as much viable variety as possible. Complexity is a feature, not a bug. Cards can start out as “pet cards” but eventually have to demonstrate some results. It’s important that the cube remain theoretically viable for an 8-person draft for the future, when I still want to see a variety of colors and archetypes represented across 8 decks, and most or all of the cube is used.

Restrictions

I’m following singleton restrictions, but otherwise any physically printed Magic card is in-bounds, including silver-border and playtest cards.

The goal of the cube is to maximize gameplay variety thru synergy, so every card should provide multiple angles to consider and require thoughtful deckbuilding to maximize. I don’t want cards that are generically powerful with little regard to your other picks, so no Lightning Bolt, Questing Beast, Thoughtseize, etc. This cuts out a ton of “cube staples” and impacts interaction the most. Interaction generally requires setup effort or a higher mana cost than most cubes. One minor exception — a subtheme of the cube is maximizing visual variety and I’ve allowed a handful of simpler cards due to unique frames or presentations. Mana fixing also has relaxed complexity rules.

Power

As powerful as it can be without sacrificing other goals. I don’t want “must pick at any stage” cards. I originally had Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, and Moxen as they theoretically have lots of interesting synergies, but in practice those never came up and instead they overshadowed and overpowered the synergistic gameplay. These are the only cards I’ve cut for pure power reasons, although I’m considering cutting Recurring Nightmare.

The cube currently has Skullclamp, Fastbond, Balance, Winter Orb, etc. so there is no shortage of powerful plays as long as they still increase overall gameplay variety rather than homogenize it. The best cards have high ceilings and low floors. The wider the band of power for a card, the better. For example, a card like Ephemerate ranges from “really bad combat trick” to “W: draw 4 cards via Mulldrifter”. I don’t want cards that consistently underperform outside of Magical Christmasland, but I do want cards that require effort to maximize.

Gameplay

Draft: Experienced drafters should never feel like they’re “on rails”. Instead, there should be multiple layers to their choices. I don’t want complete red herrings, but scrubbing out because you chased a minimally-supported archetype is an acceptable cost. Mana fixing should support two color decks; anything beyond a splash in a third color should require sacrifices in the draft. A drafter should be able to find cards that mitigate screw and/or flood if they are willing to prioritize that.

Gameplay: True board stalls should be rare, because most cards will offer options beyond plain combat. Barring bad mulligans, players should feel like their drafting and gameplay decisions mattered. “Big finishes” (combo, locks, etc.) should take effort to set up, conscious deckbuilding, and/or play out over multiple turns. Being surprised by strange interactions is expected to occur regularly.