>>> ### Introduction <<< *Let the Peasants Eat Bread!* is a cube that aims to imitate the spirit of classic archetypes from the eternal formats at a fraction of the price. Instead of costly staples such as [[Tarmogoyf]], the cube runs “Tarmogoyf at Home” cards like [[Reclusive Taxidermist]] and [[Saddled Rimestag]]. Some of the familiar strategies within the cube include Delver, Aristocrats, and Blade; a protect-the-threat build that utilizes a high count of instants and sorceries, a creature-based sacrifice deck, and an aggressive equipment deck, respectively. Many of the removal spells from eternal formats like [[Swords to Plowshares]], [[Lightning Bolt]], and [[Fatal Push]] remain, and as such, creatures must offer either immediate value upon entering or a continued threat if left unchecked. >>> ### Table of Contents <<< Last updated: January, 2023 **Identity** - Aesthetic Design Principles - Gameplay Design Principles **Archetypes** - Esper D&T Control // Abzan "The Rock" - Grixis Delver // Jeskai Prowess - Jund Attrition // Mardu Aristocrats - Naya Blade // Temur Blitz - Bant Flicker-bounce // Sultai Graveyard **Stats for Nerds (outdated)** - Removal - Card Advantage **To be Added** ---------------------------------- >>> ### Identity <<< ---------------------------------- **Aesthetic Design Principles:** - Only cards which have (at one point) been printed as common/uncommon - Modern card borders for consistency - No "Universes Beyond" - Despite their high power, I find these cards stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the MTG multiverse. - Minimal variety in the type of counters and specialty frame cards. - In this case, +1/+1 counters are the dominant type of counter, while transform and adventure are the dominant specialty frames. There are some exceptions to this rule, but only because the selected cards offer a very high power level. **Gameplay Design Principles:** - Fun, interactive games - Although there are a handful of hexproof and unblockable creatures to support control and equipment-based decks, they have been kept to a minimum. I've kept [[Lumberknot]] and [[Ascended Lawmage]] as finishers for B/G/x Aristocrats and U/W/x Control, but cut [[Vine Mare]] as it doesn't feed into a strategy and hates on one colour. - Similarly, stand-alone cards which would warp the format due to their power level such as [[Hymn to Tourach]], [[Sol Ring]], [[Skullclamp]], and [[Loxodon Warhammer]] have been excluded. - Minimal Double-Pip 2-Drops - Opportunity for high-synergy decks, but not at the cost of powerful spells - The aim here is to limit cards that with a high ceiling and low floor; cards like [[Zulaport Cutthroat]] and [[Elusive Spellfist]] what become a vanilla 1/1 and 1/3 for 2-mana frequently in decks not designed around their archetypes. Instead the cube has [[Blood Artist]] and [[Sky Theater Strix]], which offer more power when played outside of a synergy-heavy deck. - No use of the initiative or monarch; these cards are designed for multiplayer games and warp the 1v1 draft experience too much. >>> ### Primary Archetypes <<< ---------------------------------- >>>{W}{U/B} *Esper Control* {U/B}{W}<<< >>><<[[!Vryn Wingmare]][[!Kitesail Freebooter]][[!Hypnotic Sprite]]>><<< With a premium suite of removal spells and bulky creatures like [[Wall of Resurgence]] and [[Vampire Nighthawk]] at your disposal, the aim is to stall until the late-game. Replenish your hand with [[Deep Analysis]], [[Treasure Cruise]] or level the board with [[Inner Demon]] and [[Slaughter the Strong]]. Finally, close out the game with large, disruptive creatures like [[Archon of Absolution]] and [[Skymark Roc]]. If you can snap up [[Flickerwisp]] or other flicker effects, [[Keening Banshee]], [[Mist Raven]], and other ETB creatures allow you to pivot into a recursion build akin to the Bant model, but more focused on interrupting your opponent rather than developing your own resources. >>>{U}{B}{R} *Grixis Delver* {R}{B}{U}<<< >>><<[[!Curious Homunculus]][[!Agony Warp]][[!Sprite Dragon]]>><<< Under-costed evasive threats such as the namesake [[Delver of Secrets]], [[Tolarian Terror]], and [[Gurmag Angler]] form the backbone of this archetype. Once one sticks on the board, protect it with blue counterspells and clear blockers with cheap removal such as [[Lightning Bolt]], [[Arc Trail]], and [[Fatal Push]]. >>>{U}{R}{W} *Jeskai Pyromancer* {U}{R}{W}<<< >>><<[[!Murmuring Mystic]][[!Young Pyromancer]][[!Seeker of the Way]][[!Third Path Iconoclast]]>><<< Ever wanted to cram as many [[Young Pyromancer]]s as you can in one deck? The Jeskai archetype is here for exactly that. [[Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart]] and [[Rally the Peasants]] alongside Blue, White, and Red's cheap instants and sorceries make for a token-generating, prowess-triggering, card-drawing machine. >>>{B}{G}{R} *Jund Attrition* {R}{G}{B}<<< >>><<[[!Creeping Bloodsucker]][[!Battle Cry Goblin]][[!Sunbathing Rootwalla]][[!Putrid Leech]]>><<< JUND. EM. OUT! - Similar to the rock, this is a classic value-based archetype. Both want to play as many high-power two-drop cards as they can: [[Battle Cry Goblin]], [[Reclusive Taxidermist]], [[Bloodsky Berserker]] and their like. However, the deck plays less mid- to late-game threats in favour of Red's burn spells: [[Magma Jet]], [[Stoke the Flames]], and [[Curse of the Pierced Heart]]. Green and Black support the deck with must-be-dealt with creatures like [[Wolfir Avenger]] and [[Falkenrath Noble]]. ***Variant:*** >>>{R}{W}{G} *Naya Blade* {G}{W}{R}<<< >>><<[[!Hexgold Halberd]][[!Barbed Spike]][[!Skyclave Pick-axe]][[!Reyav, Master Smith]]>><<< Utilize small creatures with big keywords: [[Mayhem Patrol]], [[Adanto Vanguard]], [[Untamed Kavu]] and sharp objects that they can and WILL run with. Couple the lil' guys with artifacts such as [[Rosethorn Halberd]], [[Plate Armor]], and [[Grafted Wargear]] or enchantments like [[Madcap Skills]] and [[Rancor]] to bash down your opponent's life total. To round out the deck, [[Galvanic Blast]] and [[Sweatworks Brawler]] reward playing additional artifacts. >>>{R}{G}{U} *Temur Blitz* {U}{G}{R}<<< >>><<[[!Kiln Fiend]][[!Quirion Dryad]][[!Incursion Specialist]]>><<< Pivoting between aggro and tempo, Temur Blitz plays threats that grow with game actions you intend to take already: [[Brushfire Elemental]], [[Electrostatic Infantry]], [[Jeskai Elder]]. Couple these with pump spells like [[Sylvan Might]], [[Reckless Charge]], [[Temur Battle Rage]] and [[Become Immense]] while restocking your hand with Blue draw to deal mass amounts of damage. >>>{W}{U}{G} *Bant Recursion* {G}{U}{W}<<< >>><<[[!Distinguished Conjurer]][[!Ghostly Flicker]][[!Prosperous Innkeeper]][[!Soulherder]]>><<< A tempo deck which utilizes enter-the-battlefield effects such as [[Mist Raven]], [[Relief Captain]], [[Resolute Reinforcements]], and [[Elvish Visionary]] to outvalue the opponent. Flicker, bounce, and graveyard recursion - [[Flickerwisp]], [[Quickling]] and [[Eternal Witness]] - allow the deck to repeat these ETB effects and seize the victory. >>>{G}{W}{B} *Abzan Rock* {B}{W}{G}<<< >>><<[[!Go-Shintai of Boundless Vigor]][[!Clarion Spirit]][[!Vampire Sovereign]][[!Qasali Pridemage]]>><<< A timeless midrange deck that plays a suite of premium removal spells such as [[Swords to Plowshares]] and [[Fatal Push]] alongside hand disruption:[[Raven's Crime]], [[Kitesail Freebooter]], and [[Inquisition of Kozilek]]. [[Quirion Dryad]], [[Bloodsky Berserker]] and other efficient creatures form the lower curve, while [[Bestial Menace]], [[Cloudgoat Ranger]], and [[Arborback Stomper]] close the game. >>> ### Stats for Nerds <<< ---------------------------------- A healthy suite of removal and card advantage spells are essential to a successful draft environment. For this cube's reference, I used original Innistrad and Modern Horizons 2 due to their fast-paced and synergy-driven environments. The statistics below do not account for cards with more than one function and as such, these were counted twice; [[Archmage's Charm]] is counted as both off-field removal (counterspell) and board removal (gain control) while [[Dihada's Ploy]] is counted as a card replacement and card selection effect, depending on whether it was cast for its first or second time. **Innistrad (Set size: 264)** *Removal in Innistrad* | Board Removal | Off-field Removal | Temporary Removal | Total | |---|---|---|---| | 27| 4 | 3| 34| | 10.2%| 1.5% | 1.1%| 12.9%| *Card Draw in Innistrad* | Advantage | Replacement | Selection | Total | |---|---|---|---| | 12| 4 | 3| 19| | 4.5%| 1.1% | 1.5%| 7.2%| **Modern Horizons 2 (Set size: 303)** *Removal in Modern Horizons 2* | Board Removal | Off-field Removal | Temporary Removal | Total | |---|---|---|---| | 37| 10 | 12| 59| | 12.2%| 3.3% | 4.0%| 19.5%| *Card Draw in Modern Horizons 2* | Advantage | Replacement | Selection | Total | |---|---|---|---| | 15| 5 | 7| 27| | 5.0%| 1.7% | 2.3%| 8.9%| Based upon these results, 1-3 removal spells and 1 draw spell should appear on average in packs. Excluding removal that is off-field or temporary and card draw that is replacement or selection brings these numbers to between 1.5 and 1.8 removal spells per pack and between 0.67 and 0.75 card draw spells per pack. **Removal in Let the Peasants Eat BREAD** | Board Removal | Off-field Removal | Temporary Removal | Total | |---|---|---|---| | 60| 13 | 14| 87| | 13.3%| 2.9% | 3.1%| 19.3%| **Card Draw in Let the Peasants Eat BREAD** | Advantage | Replacement | Selection | Total | |---|---|---|---| | 38| 18 | 14| 70| | 8.4%| 4.0% | 3.1%| 15.6%| For every 15-card pack of *Let the Peasants Eat BREAD*, there will be about 3 general removal spells (19.3%) or 2 board removal spells and 1 other, be it temporary or off-field removal. The consistency of removal is akin to Modern Masters 2, albeit with more board removal. Card draw in *Let the Peasants Eat BREAD* is significantly higher than the two reference sets, averaging at 2 spells per pack (2.34). Unlike removal spells, which I will aim to keep below or akin to that of Modern Horizons 2, I see an increase in card draw as an absolute advantage. Where removal can result in "feel bad" gameplay, card advantage often feels great for the player who gains advantage without any negative feelings from their opponent. >>> ### To be Added <<< ---------------------------------- *is marked for replacements I have already found In recent plays of the cube, I've found aggro suffered and aristocrats could be easily outpaced by larger creatures and that the cube is lacking in powerful on-board investments which are of crucial importance in a format with few available draw spells. I want any activated ability to threaten the board in a way that is akin to "oh, a couple more activations of that could the game" in order to justify inclusion in a removal-intensive environment. See [[Dreadmalkin]], [[Evernight Shade]], [[Fearless Pup]]. - [[Ghoulish Procession]] -> [[Weaponcraft Enthusiast]]* - [[Thrull Parasite]] -> [[Dreadmalkin]] - [[Hagra Constrictor]] -> [[Gurgling Anointer]] - [[Fire Prophecy]] -> [[Fearless Pup]] - [[Tibalt, Rackish Instigator]] -> [[Battle Cry Goblin]] - [[Wasteland Viper]] -> [[Kessig Prowler]]* - [[Gnarlwood Dryad]] -> [[Young Wolf]]* - [[Arlinn, Voice of the Pack]] -> [[Bookwurm]] - [[Thrill of Possibility]] -> [[Burst Lightning]]* - [[Beetleback Chief]] -> [[Heartfire]] - [[Deceiver Exarch]] -> [[Inspired Sprite]] [[Viconia, Drow Apostate?]] - Monocolor land cycle: Secluded Steppe, Lonely Sandbar, Mortuary Mire, Ramunap Ruins, Treetop Village - Rare land cycle? Cut golden lands + lairs