>>> **_"Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."_** <<< >>> [[!Ponder|af450adb-23be-4332-a54c-d647a1fd0248]] <<< >>> # Ponder Cube <<< Salut I'm Sebastian, this is my paper cube. I love Dan Scott's [[Ponder|af450adb-23be-4332-a54c-d647a1fd0248]] artwork, I do ponder a lot, hence this cube's name. It aims to be a more casual **outlet for playing competitive patterns** that reflect **current and past non-combo play** in constructed formats - mainly **Modern** and to some extend **Legacy**. --- ## Drafting The cube is drafted primarily with **2**, **4**, or **8** players with a deck size of **40** cards. At its heart, there's a small focused card pool of **360** cards which yields consistent decks when drafted at a lower player count. | Player Count | Draft Format | Packs | Cogwork Librarian in Pool | | :---: | :--- | :--- | :---: | | **2** or **3** | [Winchester][winchester-draft] | - | **No** | | **4** | [Burn][burn-draft] | **6** packs of **15** cards, burn last **5** cards of each pack | **Yes** | | **8** | [Booster][booster-draft] | **3** packs of **15** cards | **Yes** | >>> [[!Cogwork Librarian\|453de664-0f09-4772-a626-51d58d1173f3]] [[Cogwork Librarian\|453de664-0f09-4772-a626-51d58d1173f3]] <<< In **4** or **8** player drafts, players start with a copy of [[Cogwork Librarian\|453de664-0f09-4772-a626-51d58d1173f3]] in their draft pool to enable more synergistic decks and boost strategies reliant on Affinity/Improvise in the absence of [[Artifact Lands\|d80dc025-c2c4-48c2-8354-7d9ddb430eb9]], or to simply discard them as draft burn fooder. [winchester-draft]: https://luckypaper.co/resources/formats/winchester/ [booster-draft]: https://luckypaper.co/resources/formats/booster-draft/ [burn-draft]: https://luckypaper.co/resources/formats/burn-draft/ --- ## Archetypes | Colors | Archetype | Highlighted Cards | |---|---|---| | {R}{G} (RG) / {R}{W} (RW) | Aggro / Haste | <<[[!Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer]] [[!Vengevine]] [[!Guide of Souls]] [[!Lightning Bolt]]>> | | {U} (Ux) | Artifacts / Affinity | <<[[!Emry, Lurker of the Loch]] [[!Kappa Cannoneer]] [[!Urza's Saga]] [[!Mishra's Bauble]]>> | | {U}{R} (URx) | Tempo / Delirium | <<[[!Murktide Regent]] [[!Consider]] [[!Dragon's Rage Channeler]] [[!Underworld Breach]]>> | | {U}{B} (UBx) | Control | <<[[!Abhorrent Oculus]] [[!Psychic Frog]] [[!Thoughtseize]] [[!Fatal Push]]>> | | {W}{B} (WBx) | Tax / Reanimator | <<[[!Lurrus of the Dream-Den]] [[!Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] [[!Griselbrand]] [[!Reanimate]]>> | | {G}{B} (GB) | Graveyard Value | <<[[!Tarmogoyf]] [[!Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis]] [[!Nethergoyf]] [[!Deathrite Shaman]]>> | | {G} (Gx) | Lands / Landfall | <<[[!Elvish Reclaimer]] [[!Bristly Bill, Spine Sower]] [[!Dark Depths]] [[!Thespian's Stage]]>> | | {R}{G}{W}{U} (RGWUx) | 4c / 5c Domain | <<[[!Tribal Flames]] [[!Territorial Kavu]] [[!Scion of Draco]] [[!Leyline of the Guildpact]]>> | --- ## Card Selection ### ⚠️ Restrictions - **Baltimore Singleton** - only one copy of each card except fixing lands, **3** of each [[Fetchland|ff2f5f58-9a95-4ca6-93a0-813738f0072f]] and **2** of each [[Shockland|139b90cd-8272-457a-be32-1298145345be]] to support 3+ color decks and delirium/shuffle/life-loss/sacrifice synergies - **Companion keyword is treated as blank** (e.g. [[Lurrus of the Dream-Den]] can't be put in hand from outside the game) --- ### ✅ Notable inclusions - Includes cards banned in **Modern** and/or **Legacy**, which IMHO are less of a problem in singleton formats given enough density of spot removal <<[[!Deathrite Shaman]] [[!Lurrus of the Dream-Den]] [[!Oko, Thief of Crowns]] [[!The One Ring]] [[!Sensei's Divining Top]] [[!Treasure Cruise]] [[!Fury]] [[!Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis]]>> - Includes cards that snowball or put a hard clock on games, which encourage drafting enough efficient creature removal (these are still subject to exclusion at some point). <<[[!Goblin Rabblemaster]] [[!Adeline, Resplendent Cathar]] [[!Esika's Chariot]] [[!Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon]]>> - Includes a rotating pool of stronger recently released cards into Standard that support at least one archetype to keep the cube fresh <<[[!Iridescent Vinelasher]] [[!Voyager Glidecar]] [[!Fear of Missing Out]] [[!Kiora, the Rising Tide]]>> - ...and some non-competitive or fringe pet cards. <<[[!Titania, Protector of Argoth]] [[!Tourach, Dread Cantor]] [[!Mine Collapse]] [[!Monastery Mentor]]>> --- ### 🛑 Notable exclusions - No Mental Misstep, since it is an auto include in most decks [[!Mental Misstep]] - No hard locks or prison effects that are difficult to interact with (e.g. non-creature) <<[[!Blood Moon]] [[!Chalice of the Void]] [[!Ensnaring Bridge]] [[!Torpor orb]]>> - No fast mana or cost ignorer that lead to skewed explosive starts <<[[!Chrome Mox]][[!mox diamond]][[!Aether Vial]][[!Lotus Petal]]>> - No cards that only hate on colors <<[[!Pyroblast]][[!Mystical Dispute]][[!Sanctifier en-vec]][[!Red Elemental Blast]]>> - No cards that let you _Venture into a dungeon_, get _[[/The Initiative|2c65185b-6cf0-451d-985e-56aa45d9a57d]]_, or become _[[The Monarch]]_ <<[[!Forth Eorlingas!]][[!Caves of Chaos Adventurer]][[!Undermountain Adventurer]][[!Palace Jailer]]>> - No Power Nine, OG duals, and no cards from the reserved list <<[[!Ancestral Recall]] [[!Mox Sapphire]] [[!Underground Sea]] [[!Tundra]]>> - No silver-bordered cards or legacy legal cards only printed in `UN`sets <<[[!Comet, Stellar Pup]] [[!_____ Goblin]]>> - No Universes Beyond cards except the `LTR` release, regardless of their prevalence in **Modern** or **Legacy** <<[[!Mawloc]] [[!Basim Ibn Ishaq]]>> --- ## Aesthetics I try to go for old frame, foils, or special versions - such as judge foils, tournament promos, remastered retro foils, or secret lairs - from artists I enjoy when replacing cards (e.g. **Rebecca Guay** or **Magali Villeneuve**). For cards with none-evergreen keywords I sometimes opt for the regular version if it includes the rule text. All basics are **Rebecca Guay** retro foils. <<[[!Plains|b3344d18-e7b6-43ad-ab59-9ceaf49269f7]] [[!Mother of Runes|7a292b47-95b2-4e10-a31f-a619ed046b8e]] [[!Mystic Sanctuary|31f83f35-c4dc-46f0-9109-9d0d0181d9c8]][[!Deaths Shadow|f776cb6c-548f-45a9-b605-b386c5468885]] [[!Walking Ballista|6a696f69-ba08-4b0b-86e9-37e3671674ec]] [[!02805527-943c-4d88-9d80-50ed71a14af2]] [[!Mind Twist|5dd68790-cd9a-4527-8e53-798822ee2c6c]] [[!9f883c77-d5e1-400a-a45b-06654877248e]]>>