Art by Victor Adame Minguez
The cube began as a common and uncommon only environment that has slowly relaxed this restriction to a select pool of rare cards. The rare cards included help define-archetypes, offer exciting-build-arounds, fill-holes unavailable at lower rarity, and strengthen mana bases to allow for creative deck building while still maintaining complexity and powerlevel just slightly above that of a typical unrestricted peasant cube.
The goal of the environment is relatively fast, creature-centric gameplay with synergistic strategies that cross pollinate well with one another. The open-ended archetypes and strategies should allow flexibility while drafting and, to encourage this, the bulk of the cards in the cube are chosen because they can fill multiple roles in different strategies. The most aggressive strategies supported in red, white, and black can close out a game as early as turn 4 or 5 if left unchecked so slower strategies need to have early game interaction and a plan to slow down the advance. Combo strategies are only lightly supported but include reanimator and persist-creature-combo.
White's themes include white-weenies, blink, tokens, flyers, +1/+1 counters, and humans. The color's primary theaters are aggro and midrange but it has access to some of the most versatile-removal and board-wipes making it a great support color for control decks.
Blue's themes include flyers, ninjas, self-mill, and spell-slinger. The aggressive decks tend to be tempo based relying on early creatures backed up by counterspell protection and cheap interaction. Blue provides card-filtering, card-draw, and a wide-array of counterspells that when paired with another color for removal and board wipes can form a potent control deck.
Black's themes include aristocrats, recursion, reanimation, and graveyard matters. Black supports aggro, midrange, control, and combo all of which primarily revolve around using the graveyard as a resource. It also has a variety of forms of hand-hate, creature-removal, and board-wipes.
Red's themes include aggro-burn, sacrifice, spell-slinger, & Wildfire. Aggro, midrange, and control are supported but, with the exception of wildfire decks or as a support color, red is primarily aggressive slanting. The color has a wide-array of burn-spells at its disposal as either creature kill or finishers.
Green's themes include ramp, +1/+1 counters, graveyard-matters, multi-color, and tokens. Green operates primarily in midrange but can support, both, more aggressive-creature decks and full elves style ramp decks with the ability to splash two or more colors for powerful-effects.
Blink, Flyers
Ninjas, Reanimator
Sacrifice, Recursion
Stompy, Ramp
+1/+1 Counters, Tokens
Aristocrats, Tokens
Spell-Slinger
Graveyard Matters, Ramp Reanimator
Tempo, Ramp
Go-Wide Aggro
Persist Combo
How this infinite combo works is not entirely intuitive if you have not seen it so I want to highlight how it works and the cards involved. Persist is a keyword that reads:
When this creature is put into a graveyard from
play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return
it to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
When combined with a card that gives the creature a +1/+1 counter when entering the battlefield the 2 counters cancel and the creature then has no counters on it. Here's how it works..
The Murderous Redcap is sacrificed by the Carrion Feeder which then returns to the battlefield from the persist trigger but the -1/-1 counter from persist is cancelled by Renata's +1/+1 counter effect and then you can repeat the process infinitely dealing damage each time to your opponent. Redcap can be replaced with Kitchen Finks to create infinite life, Renata can be replaced by Good-Fortune Unicorn or Rhythm of the Wild, and the feeder can be replaced by Goblin Bombardment or Nantuko Husk.
Birthing Pod
Birthing Pod and Prime Speaker Vannifar are build around effects for a base green deck that each have an ability that reads:
Sacrifice a creature: Search your library for a creature
card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed
creature's mana value, put that card onto the battlefield,
then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery.
A deck built around Birthing Pod hopes to take advantage of a toolbox-arsenal of creatures with enters the battlefield or exits the battlefield abilities that can be searched up at will. Turn by turn the deck can accrue-value while addressing-oncoming-threats and building up an army of its own.
When building around Birthing Pod the deck must be drafted with a particular mana curve in mind. The goal is that multiple chains of creature upgrades are possible without running out of things to search for all along the mana curve. Assuming a deck size of 40 with 16-17 lands and 23-24 spells a deck might have a mana curve something like this:
Creatures: 18-22 Total
- 1 Mana = 4-5
- 2 Mana = 4-5
- 3 Mana = 4-5
- 4 Mana = 2-4
- 5 Mana = 2-3
- 6 Mana = 0-2
- 7 Mana = 0-1
Non-Creatures: 2-5 Total
Example Decklists: Blink Pod
The deck's ability to trigger ETB effects and sacrifice creatures means it cross-pollinates well with Blink strategies, in white or blue, or graveyard-matters strategies in black. The tutor toolbox nature of Birthing Pod also makes it a great place to fit in a Persist Combo. An additional note is that token creatures are zero mana value so can be sacrificed to search for a one mana creature. This makes token-creators great in the deck to refresh new pod chains.
The deck can be a challenge to draft and pilot but quite rewarding if executed well. The logistics of searching for another card each turn can take some time in practice. There is no shame in and I would fully recommend anyone playing a deck based around Birthing Pod to take a snapshot of their decklist before play starts so you have a reference for what you could be searching to help alleviate some of the time constraints of making this work.
It's been a long time since the last update! Adding cards from Warhammer 40k, Brothers' War, March of the Machiens, Lord of the Rings, Wilds of Eldraine, Doctor Who, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Murders at Karlov Manor, Ravnica: Clue Edition, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Modern Horizons 3, Bloomburrow, Duskmourn, Foundations, & Aetherdrift.
Still slighly lowering the mana curve by replacing value oriented higher mana cards with synergistic 2 and 3 mana value creatures or efficient removal. I'm making an effort to slightly combat peasant's tendancy to lead towards slower grindy games of 2-for-1s to allow a bit quicker tempo synergistic aggressive decks to have a place to shine. No, I'm not cutting staples like FTK but reducing the number of ETB 2-for-1 creatures, espeically ones that just draw a card on entry. Related, I'm thinking about cutting Soulherder for leading to these sorts of board stall value games. Get your fill while he's still here!
I'm also going to be pulling together a more curated 90 card bonus pool that can be thrown in to accomodate 12 drafters with 60 cards left over for Booster Tutor. This might allow me to be a little less sentimental over cutting some favorite prints like Calciderm that are strong enough but don't really support any particular archetypes.
White
Court Homunculus > Cheeky House-Mouse - The artifact aggro stuff hasn't really solidified and if it does I don't think it needs a card like this to operate. The mouse is just more versatile.
Accorder Paladin > Seasoned Hallowblade - Paladin did it's job and did it well since the cube's launch. Hallowblade should wear equipment well and be able to force through damage similar to Adanto Vanguard and also maybe find some other uses as a discard outlet.
Timely Hordemate > Sun-Blessed Healer - Does a similar thing while also being playable turn 2.
Patron of the Valiant > Urdnan - Moving a higher mana +1/+1 synergy card down to a 2 MV. I debated between cutting this or Elite Scaleguard. Thoughts?
Spirited Companion > Reprieve - Removing value pup for good interaction.
Intangible Virtue > Recommission - I think virtue has been quite beloved but definitely leads to board stalls. Recommission does a decent unearth impression while having some +1/+1 & artifact synergy.
Blue
Thopter Mechanic > Mischievous Mystic - Mystic is doing exactly what I want blue tempo decks to be doing. Decided cuts between Mechanic & Faerie Vandal Flash & Flying trumpted the artifact token.
Sea Gate Oracle > Oracle of Tragedy - Oracle generates a decent bit of value for a mana less without being a direct 2-for-1.
Prosperious Thief > Plumcreed Escort - Thief seems fine but doesn't make me excited to ninjutsu. Plumcreed isn't terribly exciting but a 2/1 flyer for 2 is already on rate and flash and a combat trick are the kinda things I want to see from blue decks.
Looter il-Kor > Shoreline Looter - Goodbye obscure keyword. Hello Ratconnaissance!
Exclusion Mage > Slickshot Lockpicker - Slickshot is a bit wordy but seems like a neat Snapcaster like effect. Wasn't sure what to cut and ultimately decided not to cut Cloudkin Seer, for being a flyer, despite it falling into that category of 2-for-1s I'm targetting for cuts.
Cruel Witness > Meneldor - Emeritus & Murmering Mystics are already doing similar things for spells matter at 4 mana. I considered swapping out Galepowder Mage, which is nearly identical, just to reduce the number of rares but figure leaving one in each color will help keep up support when Soulherder gets the axe.
Jetting Glasskite > Eddymurk Crab - Glasskite makes a great control finisher but doesn't really support any synergies or fit anywhere else. The crab should still be able to fill that role while also being a haymaker for faster tempo spell slinger decks. It shares space with Tolarian Terror but I think there is room for both.
Sweep the Skies > Faebloom Trick - Instant speed and less committal casting cost.
Rain of Revelation > Brainsurge - Surge doesn't support graveyard decks the same way Rain does but is more efficient and will be very strong with double fetches.
Black
Changeling Outcast > Faerie Dreamthief - Outcast played fine as an enabler for Ninjas. Dreamthief does that too while also having graveyard synergies.
Dread Wanderer > Frosaken Miner - WotC has finally started printing some recursive 1 drops at uncommon. Cutting some of the rares that were filling that hole.
Gutterbones > Snarling Gorehound - Fills a similar slot as Dreamthief and replaces a rare.
Weaponcraft Enthusiast > Marionette Apprentice - Enthusiast was a fine role filler for +1/+1 and aristocrats. So is Apprentice except better!
Putrid Goblin > Triarch Praetorian - Praetorian seems pretty strong especially if Unearthed or Recommissioned.
Legion Vanguard > Vampire Gourmand - Vanguard was fine but I like that Gourmand incentivises attacking.
Vile Entomber > Isareth the Awakener Isareth is a rare downshift from commander. Might be a bit too cute of an effect but at least it is stapled to a 3/3 deathtouch. Entomber hasn't been around long enough to see play but seems a bit overcosted and is a mana value I'm trying to cut from.
Callous Bloodmage > Lord Skitter's Butcher - Skitter's serves a very similar menu at uncommon.
Dead Reveler > Yahenni - Another downshift from rare. Like Reveler, Yahenni supports +1/+1 counters while also being a sac outlet and a strong body.
Dark Hatchling > Shefet Archfiend - Been looking for a creature in black that pitches itself for reanimator. We'll see if this is good enough to hang. Really wish Scion of Darkness had a cheaper cycling cost.
Collective Brutality > Bitter Triumph A removal spell that can also pitch your reanmation target or other food for your graveyard. Brutality filled the same role but is more wordy and a rare.
Far // Away > Wither and Bloom - Removal for removal. Far // Away really seemed like you needed to fuse it to get the desired value. Wither & Bloom is a slightly below rate removal spell that synergizes with +1/+1 and graveyard play.
Skinrender > Fell - Desite being sorcery, Fell is a very clean removal spell replacing a 2-for-1 187 creature.