Hello there fellow cube-enthusiasts!

I'm not a spike player. I like brewing fun and synerginistic decks; so my cube is a hodgepodge of the durdle-types around which I like building and brewing.

Some might suggest there's a wealth of 'sub-optimal' card choices, but there's hopefully more synergistic decks rather than some unfair cube experiences and the feel-bads of getting Channel-Emrakul'd in a Vintage cube...

Cube Building 'Restrictions'

Cards should be budget friendly - try to limit individual cards over £5 - with the current caveat of the duals - they're proxies; and if I can trade up then the £5 budget can be ignored
No cards from Universes Beyond sets
Most cards should try to be archetype-modal; Trying to reduce the number of 'last pick' cards to try and promote the deckbuilding 'fun' rather than "oh this is a 'X', but I'm drafting 'Y'"

The Power Delta

As this is meant to be a durdle-themed cube, there are generally going to be some potential swingy cards, but as this is designed as cube where there are more likely gameplay intricacies, hopefully the card selections are maintaining a level of balance. However, I've also built this cube from a collection I started from back in 8th Edition, so I have still included cards like Umezawa's Jitte and Jace, the Mindsculptor just because I enjoyed playing with them as well, so yeah, there are some pet cards that have gotten around the terms and restrictions
Counterspells should generally be higher mana costs, be softer permission, or be blue-heavy, i.e. Miscalculation or Counterspell's pips respectively
Black kill spells will mostly have some drawback, i.e. Eliminate or Bitter Triumph
Red has a burn problem, but there are more 'creature or planeswalker' type red spells than just typical 'Bolts.
Fewer artifact sources of coloured mana than quite a number of cubes to try and give green the main mana ramp themes - again trying to promote a bit more strategy, so yes, there's the typical 'brown' of Mind Stone, but green gets the Rishkar, Peema Renegade's and Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary's of the cube

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There are plenty of cross-overs between archetypes, themes, and to a lesser degree the shards (I'm planning out these shard-e-types at the end of this primer), but the guilds have the following 'meta-types':

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I like the etb-style decks; being able to generate value from your creatures and permanents is fun. There's opportunity to use either or bases and use the flicker abilities with other colours. For example, can utilize cards like Whip of Erebos and then exiling creatures with Teferi's Time Twist to keep them and negate the Whip's EoT clause

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I'm a fan of the Ninjutsu mechanic (and the Kamigawa block in general), but lots of the Ninja are a bit too weak. But with the Rogues like Zareth San, the Trickster I can include the ninja-esque theme to keep combat interesting.

The reanimator theme is a must as well, and the subtle milling elements from the Rogues as well as being able to pinch things from any graveyard like Beacon of Unrest, I think the Reanimate deck feels right.

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I wanted Rakdos to feel like it was more skillful to draft than just aggro (I hope that the equipment decks fill that niche). So I wanted to get more disruptive and use the mechanics like Flashback and Madness to give more flavour to this guild. I think there is also some synergy with a pseudo-vampire subtheme as well as elements of aristocrats (looking at you Murderous Redcap) (which is a bit of a cross-over with the taxes themes)

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I just wanted to abuse Norin the Wary in a deck and go back to my favourite standard season of Time Spiral-Lorwyn; homebrewing the Norin-demonium deck to take on (and beat a few of) the Faeries decks in their prime was magical Christmas land for me. Here's to many a game wherein Ilharg, the Raze-Boar gets to 'Through the Breach' a Craterhoof Behemoth!

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Unfortunately, I find 'little-kid' decks a bit boring, so I have tried to push the Selesnyans toward the Divine Visitation and Cadira, Caller of the Small/Recruit the Worthy decks; getting to turn little bunnies into undercosted Angels is a definite feels-good-man-situation!

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So... there's death and, well... taxis?! Dermotaxi just makes me want to play it just for the word play!

But this is the Orzhov all over, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and a bunch of Afterlife creatures supported by the God of the underworld... yeah, it's pretty linear, but after all, there's nothing more certain in life than... wanting get your opponent with a mana tithe :)

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I like the 'big X' and mega-spellslinging feel that you can get from casual Commander and kitchen-table games, so that's what I've tried to emulate with the Izzet in my cube. There's still the Young Pyromancer and Balmor, Battlemage Captain decks, but why not try to cheaty-face a few big spells with Vadrik, Astral Archmage and Aminatou's Augury?!

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One of my favourite pauper decks is the Threshold, and one of my favourite EDH builds is my Tasigur, the Golden Fang Sultai value deck... so here they are in the cube... although here I get to play with the powerhouse of Recurring Nightmare to build that value!

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The equipment deck pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin. Although, abusing Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist's ability to shove a Captain's Hook on the opponent's creatures is a blast... what else can you want from ?!

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As I'm sure you've picked up from reading the other themes, I LOVE a durdle! So what's better than a durdle?? A durdle-wincon! Welcome, Simic Ascendancy. I loved trying to break the Helix Pinnacle, but with the Ascendancy, you get to evolve your creatures too! And to further the Simic theme of constant search for improvement, there's the investigation sub-theme using the clues.

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Thanks for reading this far - I hope you'll give my cube a draft!
I'd really enjoy hearing feedback or card ideas if you have any.

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Work in Progress

Working on updating the cube with the 'shard' meta-types moving forwards.
I'm looking to develop the cube with the following:

?? WIP - no clear direction yet

?? WIP - no clear direction yet

Tribal aggro-sticrats

(?)

?? WIP - some sort of 'counters matter' theme

(kind of low-hanging fruit)