Turbo Cube

Players begin the game with an emblem:

If you have more fun casting Arcum's Astrolabe than Prophetic Prism, get ready for the next level. This is a Cube for you.

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This cube is an adaptation of Anthony's Turbo Cube, check out the original list!

Qs

Doesn't that make Prophetic Prism is a rainbox mox that draws a card!? Yes. Enjoy it, as a treat.

Isn't cycling an activated ability!? Correct. Have a good time.

Isn't equip an activated ability!? You've solved my sword puzzle.

If I draft only 2 mana artifacts do I even put lands in my deck!? They certainly won't help you cast your spells.

Is this finally the format that breaks Bag of Holding!? You can bet I intend to find out.

Draft Guide

Drafting the Turbo Cube is simple. Take the most broken stuff. Prioritize cheap spells as much as possible — cards that cost an effective 0 or 1 mana. The discount you get on a spell that normally costs 3 is so much better than 6.

There are no cards that are "actually broken" by the rules (think Basalt Monolith). You (probably) wont be able to assemble an infinite combo. Instead, overwhelm your opponent with ruthless efficiency and the ability to turbo through your deck for key cards with absurd cantrips, or assemble efficient loops to grind out victory in "the long game". Games can end in the first two turns, so be prepared to have a fast start or answer one.

Mana fixing is as important here as anywhere, but might not look like you expect. Because of the mechanics of the environment decks tend to have extremely high relative devotion and very few ways to use colorless or off-color mana. Free Landcycling provides some of the best fixing you'll ever have. Think of any card with Basic Landcycling as a better Prismatic Vista. Igneous Pouncer is just as good as Bloodstained Mire and pairs with shock lands just as well. If you're thinking "I don't want lands that can be thoughtsized!", maybe don't look too closely at the black section.

Take cards with cycling and other free cantrips highly and play every one you get. They reduce the effective size of your deck making it much more consistent, and frankly taking a lot of game actions in a turn is fun. There are plenty of ways to generate value from the cards you're pitching, and I've heard you can even win games by casting Step Through.

Cheap artifacts that draw cards and generate mana are the highest priority. You might not want to pass Jace, the Mind Sculptor over a Terrarion, but you can and should. Off color eggs provide less value than you'd expect, but the floor is still mighty high.

Because of all these factors (cheap cards, land cycling, free cycling, and free artifact ramp) you can play far fewer lands than you'd expect. Most decks never want to draw more than 2 or 3 lands. Consider the size of your deck minus free cycling cards and cantrips when evaluating the proportion of lands to run. Count land cyclers and other free ways to grab a land as lands. Most decks probably include 8-12 "lands". The exception is green decks that are deliberately focused on putting many lands into play.

Other neat things to try:

• crack clues and eat food for free
• cast Harrow and see how you feel
• attack for 27 (or maybe more!) on turn one
• survive that attack
• ramp into... Jade Mage?
• draw your whole deck before your opponent notices

It's also important to keep in mind since cards are changed wildly by the special rules, simulated bot-drafts will not look like a real draft against humans. All feedback is welcome!

A Note From Our Rules Lawyer

This discount applies to spells and activated abilities. This does not reduce any other costs such as the tax imposed by Convolute or triggered abilities like on Drake Haven.

The cost reduction only applies to generic mana. It doesn't reduce colored, colorless, or phyrexian mana costs.

The cost reduction does not change the mana value of cards. Tribute Mage still fetches artifacts with a in the corner, and it can be targeted with Epic Downfall.

The cost reduction does effect alternate costs including morph.

Cost reduction effects are applied after any additional costs, this means they can reduce the cost of effects like kicker or effects that impose an additional cost on spells or abilities.