Pauper Multiplayer Cube 2022
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Update (and more!)
It's been a while and I'm pretty hyped about the upcoming release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm. The set is very powerful and as such, features quite a few Commons that will be introduced to this Cube.
The first inclusions come from the Dragon/Omen cycle. They're pretty much perfect. Getting value early on or a respectable creature later is great. They feel like Adventures, even if the drawback of shuffling them back into your library is higher.
Cruel Truths is basically Demon's Due, but I think Surveil 2 is more interesting than Scry 2. A couple of cards care about the graveyard and I think long-term, this will be a fine exchange.
Boulderborn Dragon joins the rank of few colorless creatures with interesting keywords. 5 mana for a 3/3 flying creature with Vigilance is not great. But the repeatable Surveil might prove interesting. I like it.
Heritage Reclamation is just the perfect all-around tool to deal with problematic cards. Long gone are the days of Naturalize being a staple!
Shock Brigade provides early pressure and token fodder. This is a replacement for Kiln Fiend, which doesn't work quite well in a format where you can't really be spellslinging. Even though the Beast has been in this Cube since the beginning, I feel like it's been outmatched a lot.
:: Other changes :::
I also took this opportunity to review other card choices I had made in the past, that no longer make sense to me.
Congregate: this usually nets you 20+ life at instant speed and can prolong the game a lot. As such, I decided to cut it and replace it with Radiant's Judgment.
Sprout Swarm: this card gets out of control fast, clogging up the board and stalling the game. Even with cards like Pestilence, it's a bit too annoying, and the aforementioned card is one of the handful of cards that can deal with it in a timely manner. Goodbye!
Planar Disruption: this is an esthetic change to not have Planeswalker since none are in the Cube, hence why Petrify takes its place now.
Greater Basilisk, Air-Cult Elemental, Mistmoon Griffin, Blight-Breath Catoblepas, Plundering Predators, Goblin Firebomb. Kiln Fiend: cards that felt worse than some of the recent additions.
Hunt the Weak: replaced with the strictly better Outmuscle.
Ikiral Outrider: removed to make place for Whitemane Lion.
Glint: replaced with Shore Up.
Ophidian Eye: replaced with Omen of the Seas. Wasn't doing enough to justify 3CMC.
Ambush Viper: replaced with Jewel-eyed Cobra.
Rotfeaster Maggot: replaced with Adorned Crocodile.
Dawntreader Elk: replaced with Undergrowth Leopard for more utility.
There will be further changes as I'm looking further into the Cube.