Zanderthopters is a 360 card Vintage Cube inspired by the Andy Mangold/Lucky Paper Radio cube “100 Ornithopters.” Those geniuses created this format, the Dandan of cubes, but I couldn’t resist taking 100 Amy Weber OG art ornithopters and putting my own spin on the environment. Any environment where I can play Carnival of Souls is a place where I want to be playing Magic, so I had to.

Their podcast on LPR is a brilliant introduction to the format

Here are a few things I’ve done a bit differently:

Counterbalance and Powerbalance because I think they play hilariously with so many Thopters and offer tons of value with a little chaos.

I have a few cards that make tokens and go against the “no creatures other than OG Ornithopter” rule. They’re all dumb cards that make me smile.

I violently disagree on not having one Ornithopter of Paradise in the cube, as it helps with fixing. Only one though, let’s not be cutting into the Thrum count of regular thopters.

Mechtitan Core is a very dumb card that offers the option of going all in on a bunch of thopters to make a big Timmy token while others are storming off in various ways. 4 Ornithopters and 7 mana is a lot to break the rule.

Yotia Declares War isn’t a great card but it’s the only card that makes Ornithopters.

Resculpt is bad removal that you can go all in on turning your own Thopters into threats, and I think it gives different colors the option of being the aggro. I’ve given blue The Black Staff of Waterdeep to turn Ornithopters into threats too.

Murmuration storms off and turns Ornithopters into really big Storm Crows. That amuses me tremendously, so it’s in.

I added the MH3 Landscapes, as I find myself doing to every cube. Amazing fixing. I also like Thran Quarry as a fun 5 color option that can get you blown out.

Improvised Club and Shrapnel Blast add to the aggro power.

Denied! is a perfect counterspell for this cube.

Communal Brewing and Rootcast Apprenticeship are both very strong adds from Bloomburrow Commander.

Drannith Ruins is a colorless land that can buff a Thopter with two counters every turn. An alternative to Novjen that goes into more decks.

Pact of the Serpent is a mass card draw spell that can also bolt your opponent out of nowhere, Plunge into Darkness is a great way to hunt for combo pieces, Starlight Spectacular is an interesting anthem, Galvanic Relay because one of my cube friends is obsessed with storm, and Blind Obedience is an absolute house with Ornithopters.

Also, Opposition. Because Thopposition adds a little bit of missing control element.

Finally, I do have a couple of the best artifact and enchantment spot removal spells as P1P1 level additions: Disenchant, Nature’s Claim, and Force of Vigor. I’m not convinced the last one isn’t insanely busted yet, but we’ll see.

Build an Ornithopter cube, the gameplay is pretty fun.