Art by Zoltan Boros & Gabor SzikszaiUpdated 3/23/2025
This cube is a Peasant+ cube. The vast majority of the cards are commons and uncommons with a small number of rares added to support specific archetypes and decks and provide fixing.
Some of the goal supported themes:
Aggro in White and Red
Aristocrats in Black and Red (and White)
Blink in White and Blue (possibly splashing Green or Red)
Cast from Exile in Blue-Red (and Green)
Control in White-Blue-Black
Discard Matters (Madness, Draw 2 with looters/rummagers) in Blue-Black-Red
Flash in Blue and Green (and White)
Graveyard Matters in Blue-Black-Green
Delirium in Black-Red-Green
Ramp in Green
Reanimator in Black (likely paired with Blue, Green, or Red)
Tokens in White-Red-Green
I expect most decks to be two-color, possibly with a small splash for a third color for 1-3 strong cards. I've also made efforts to limit the number of CC cards present at lower CMCs to allow for splashing.
In general, I've de-powered removal slightly throughout the cube. Hard, unconditional removal tends to start at 3 cmc; same with hard counter spells.
I currently don't play any Monarch cards and have removed all DFCs.
Strong/Staples:
None.
Interest:
None.
Similar:
None.
Unique/Synergy:
Jeskai Monument (U): If you have the mana to activate the sac ability these are functionally 2-mana draw 2s that fix for themselves. This means they are “hybrid”-y cards that can fit 3 of the 2-color pairs. Unfortunately, the value of the additional “card” they provide varies greatly. 4-mana for two 1/1 flyers is unexciting, but not unplayable. The advantage here is that this is a good control card that can fix early and provide a slow win con later. It also provides fixing without Green.
Watcher of the Wayside (C): A colorless version of Mire Triton. It doesn’t do the job as well, but its floor is fine.
No Interest:
Abzan Monument (U): If you have the mana to activate the sac ability these are functionally 2-mana draw 2s that fix for themselves. This means they are “hybrid”-y cards that can fit 3 of the 2-color pairs. Unfortunately, the value of the additional “card” they provide varies greatly. And the Abzan one is likely the worst since it has a terrible floor.
Boulderborn Dragon (C): I like this more than the various 6-mana 4/4 flyers we have had access to, but I worry that a 3-power flyer just isn’t worth 5-mana.
Dragonstorm Globe (C): Starting Column is a better Manalith with upside in most cubes.
Embermouth Sentinel (C): Puting the land on top of your library is upside, but is significantly worse than something like Pilgrim’s Eye. The problem here is that you are unlikely to control a dragon when the ramp option would be most useful.
Jade-Cast Sentinel (C): I like Hoverstone Pilgrim more.
Mardu Monument (U): 5-mana for 3/3 worth of menace and haste is fine, but the decks that likely want this is aggressive and I don’t think wants to take Turn 2 off. This has been over-performing in limited, but I think most cubes are simply faster formats.
Sultai Monument (U): 4/4 worth of power for 5-mana. Totally fine. The question to ask is whether you’d play a vanilla 4/4 for 5-mana with a 2-mana adventure that searched out a land. I think that card is playable, but unexciting. And this is slightly more mana-restricted than that.
Temur Monument: Probably the best rate at 6-mana for a 5/5, but it doesn’t have evasion and it touches Green, so the value of the fixing is lower.