Introduction

The Jund Cube is my dedication to the eponymous midrange decks of the past and a monument to its impact on Magic: the Gathering. I've designed it to showcase the ingenuity, intensity and identity of all that Jund has to offer.

This cube was created in October 2022, and since then has been featured at many major cube circuit tournaments. I appreciate every person who has drafted, participated and collaborated in creating this environment. It brings me great joy that I can share this slice of magic with the community that gathers.

TL, DR: You're about to Draft it? Cube Breakdown:

Cards: 360 (8 players x 3 packs x 15 cards)
Cube Identities: Eternal, Unpowered, Color Restricted, Thematic
Power Level: Modern power level with some Universes Beyond outliers
Singleton Breaks: Bloodstained Mire, Wooded Foothills, and Verdant Catacombs
Please be Careful with: Taiga alter, rare foils and Custom Sleeves
Vibes: My JUND 'EM OUT Spotify Playlist

Archeytpes at a Glance:

: Bring out your Dead! (Survival of the Fittest, Fiend Artisan, Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis)
: 28 Discards Later! (Cryptbreaker, Rotting Regisaur, Waste Not)
: Artificial Aristocrats! (Oni-Cult Anvil, Marionette Apprentice, Mayhem Devil)
: Goblin by Tyler the Creator! (Goblin Matron, Sling-Gang Lieutenant, Siege-Gang Commander)
: Big Discard Energy! (Inti, Seneschal of the Sun, Anje's Ravager, Detective's Phoenix)
: Get Delirious! (Dragon's Rage Channeler, Fear of Missing Out, Wildfire Wickerfolk)
: We bought a Zoo! (Patchwork Beastie, Territorial Kavu, Bloodbraid Elf)
: Get your Ramp on! Aftermath Analyst, Blossoming Tortoise, Titania's Command
: Golgari Grindfest! (Pernicious Deed, Convert to Slime, Tasigur, the Golden Fang)
: Jund 'em Out! (Jund 'em Out, Soul of Windgrace, Gluttonous Hellkite)

Overview Last Updated 1/22/2025. Cube List Last Changed 01/21/2025.
"Big Discard Energy" is shamelessly stolen from @RosencrantzDies 's Elysian Cube

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But, what is "Jund"?

Jund is the canonically named combination of the colors which debuted with 2008's Shards of Alara expansion. Unlike the other named combinations, Jund earned its reputation by slaying the dominant Faerie kindred deck from Lorwyn block before forging an archetype all of its own.

Jund trampled over Faerie's corpse and went on to become a tournament mainstay for years, reforging the midrange archetype and bringing it into Modern and Legacy formats. A popular saying (thanks to LoadingReadyRun) became "Jund 'em Out" which would reference the efficient and relentless onslaught that came to define the color identity. Curving Putrid Leech into Blightning into Bloodbraid Elf plus free spell was enough to win most games of Standard, ascending as the new king of the hill until Caw-Blade overtook the meta in 2011.

When I was inspired to create a cube, I drew on my own personal experience from grinding Jund through a slew of tournaments, from my introduction to Bloodbraid Elf with Alara Reborn to the resurgence of Jund with the printing of Deathrite Shaman in Return to Ravnica. I always found the mirror matches engaging, skill-testing and dynamic. Since 2008, Jund has entrenched its signature style into competitive magic while also becoming a fan favorite "brand" of a color combination.

It has a detailed history of its own that many fans and content creators have to chronicled:

MTGGoldfish's SaffronOlive's 2015 article on The Evolution of Modern Jund.
Cardmarket created an amazing History of Jund video featuring Reid Duke.
CubeHeads interviewed me about The Jund Cube and my oral history of its legacy.

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Design Constraints

Besides the implied absence of , and cards, the following restrictions also applied:

No Easy Wins or Combos: There are no A+B infinite combos or direct game ending threats like Craterhoof Behemoth. Every point of damage matters in this cube. No single two cards will end the game or invalidate the previous turns.

No Protection, Hexproof, or Shroud: Creatures are vulnerable in both the Battlefield and the Graveyard zones. No creature is un-interactable, but many 6 and 7 mana threats will outclass most removal with their immediate board presence.

No Colorless Game Wreckers: Cards like Ugin, the Spirit Dragon or Wurmcoil Engine are typically the enemies of Jund, and as such are not included in the cube. Exceptions are made for Urza's Saga, now a mainstay of Modern Jund decks, Field of the Dead and Palantír of Orthanc.

No Extraneous Game Object Mechanics: That means no Initiative, Ring Tempting, Daybound/Nightbound, Wilds of Eldraine Roles or Venture into the Dungeon. When possible, this cube eschews these "outside the game" rules objects.

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Designing for Fun? Jund!

This cube is meant to be a reflection of my values, experiences and intentions around bringing Jund to the masses. Jund isn't here to play nice, win popularity contests or help you move into a new place. It's here to overrun, overwhelm and out-value you, relentlessly. This cube is meant to entice players to build around powerful cards, enact that game plan and outmaneuver their opponents' plan.

What started as three color "soup" has been iterated and battle tested to become a two-color, graveyard and delirium focused environment that rewards discipline but entices greed.

This cube is designed to hone your skills in a format where removal is potent, threats are efficient, and each turn is a grindy contest for value.

Power Maximums

In this cube, you will find these cards to be dominant and game warping. While individually strong, they are often archetype signposts that expect to be built around. There are a variety of cards available to empower and optimize these power outliers, yet few ways to come out ahead when trying to thwart their game plans. Dealing with these troublesome cards will be paramount to building a winning deck.

Two Mana Value Engines

There are also a variety of ways to spend your first two mana. You can expect these cards to tax your opponent's removal or dare them to fall behind. In a cube about aggression, value and escalation, this is the floor. You should be establishing a board with a powerful two-drop to begin a curve out, test your opponent and begin your game plan.

The Graveyard Always Matters

This cube treats the graveyard like an entire second hand and resource to utilize. There are virtually no "exile the entire" graveyard effects, forcing players to surgically and decisively choose what cards to exile with many singular, repeatable exile effects that have costs associated. This places the decisions on players and creates tension as they compete over this zone.

Get Delirious, Get Counting

There are also a wealth of inclusions which have multiple card types, focus on delirium/goyf counting or demand a stocked graveyard. Delirium isn't a constant or given in this cube, it will be a fluid state that has to be earned through deck building, library manipulation and interaction. In the past, Tarmogoyf's dynamic power and toughness had to be constantly tracked and this cube asks you to do the same. Cards with multiple types will aid you in keeping this count high and diversifying the number of types in your graveyard. (Note that Kindred and Tribal count the same.)

Attacking Wins Combat, Value Wins Games

Even with a powerful two-drop, a stocked graveyard and a power outlier in hand, you can still die to a beatdown curve out. Since the cube is so creature focused, creatures that force awkward blocks, generate card advantage or tokens through attacking are always useful and this cube is no exception. You need to attack to win the game, and these are some of the best attackers in the cube.

Instant Speed Interaction Isn't Ignored

Jund is notorious for efficient removal that can be surgical in applications, but narrow in scope. While those effects do exist, there are also many flexible and lenticular removal options. These modular answers give players options which scale along with the power of threats or length of game.

Heckin' Chonkers: Oh Lawd, they comin'!

However, should you stabilize or answer all your opponents threats, you will be rewarded with these very powerful end game threats. Most will come with immediate value and shift the board state into your favor while also being difficult to kill. But they still require attacking to close out the game or breaking your opponent's will.

The Brutal Basics

They're heckin' metal!

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Six Feet JUNDer (this Cube's Banned List) Power Level:

• Chaos Defiler (March'23)
• Fireblast (April'23)
• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician (May'23)
• Reanimate (July'23)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Sept'23)
• Orcish Bowmasters (April'24)
• Fury (April'24)
• Immersturm Predator (April'24)
• Wasteland (May'24, thanks @magesandmentors)
• Unstoppable Slasher (Dec'24)

Complexity:

• Reckless Stormseeker (March'23)
• Graveyard Trespasser (March'23)
• Scute Swarm (May'23)
• Pack Rat (May'23)
• Lavaclaw Reaches (Sept'23)

B&R Announcements:

• March'23
• April'23
• May'23
• July'23
• Sept'23
• April '24

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Thank you for reading, and happy Junding!