# Kamigawa's Onslaught on Mirrodin (2002-2006-ish nostalgia cube). This cube is inspired by (but not limited to) the look and feel of Magic from the times when I first started playing, which was around the Onslaught Block. A nostalgic journey through Magic’s "golden age", built around iconic creatures, classic spells, and powerful synergies across all five colors. Remembering the pre-modern era and early 2000s design, it captures the essence of what made Magic timeless—tight gameplay, memorable legends, and strategic diversity. It also tries to achieve a balance for some of my pet cards and strategies (which may have never really made it elsewhere). Cards like [[Akroma, Angel of Wrath]], [[Arcanis the Omnipotent]] or [[Silvos, Rogue Elemental]] may seem like nothing for today's power-creeped standards but for kids in high school in the early 2000s, these blew our minds! I remember thinking "how in the world would they make something more powerful than [[Darksteel Colossus]]??? There's no way right? It's just not possible... Ignorance really is bliss. ## "Fair Magic" Gameplay One of my goals is to create a more "Fair Magic" environment, like we used to play back then. For this goal I didn't include any 2 card combos or any unfair synergies so that games feel more grindy. The cube features efficient creatures, premium removal, and haymaker threats without relying on the most broken staples of that time. It rewards clever drafting and deckbuilding, offering a fair but dynamic environment that highlights interaction and synergy. There are also a couple of trap cards, so be careful. # Archetypes and Design This cube emphasizes interactivity, synergy, and mid-to-late game decision-making. All five colors are equally represented, with mana-fixing provided by shocklands, tapped duals, and talismans to encourage multicolor decks. The cube is mainly designed for two color decks but many archetypes can blend seamlessly into each other, leaving room for splashing a third color for those who draft wisely. >>> ## {W}{U} Control / Flyers <<< ### Control the board with removal, bounce, and counterspells while deploying evasive threats to win over time. <<[[!Blinding Angel|21e502c5-ae2f-4d2e-b5d4-0e8f255eebcc]][[!Wrath of God|0619d670-7b53-4185-a25d-2fab5db1aab5]][[!Mana Leak|56707af4-eb74-4b33-8741-6cc9b547d919]][[!Grand Arbiter Augustin IV]]>> >>> ## {U}{B} Control / Reanimator <<< ### Slow the game with discard and removal, then win with your evasive creatures (or your opponets) and reanimation. <<[[!Dimir Doppelganger]][[!Zombify|4ed70fa9-b0ff-4874-ab81-75cd2f39cad3]][[!Gifts Ungiven]][[!Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni|a0abf36e-a038-4645-ba39-12e610b9e135]]>> >>> ## {B}{R} Aggro / Sacrifice <<< ### Aggressive creatures plus sac outlets and burn. Creature attrition value. <<[[!Kokusho, the Evening Star]][[!Siege-Gang Commander]][[!Grave Pact|c87fe9b8-3dae-4b22-bceb-be48cd082921]][[!Goblin Sledder]]>> >>> ## {R}{G} Ramp / Beatdown <<< ### Ramp or drop efficient threats early, then smash with large creatures and burn to remove blockers. <<[[!Darksteel Colossus]][[!Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker]][[!Symbiotic Wurm]][[!Explosive Vegetation]]>> >>> ## {G}{W} Go-Wide / Tokens <<< ### Token generation, anthem effects, and enchantresses. <<[[!Tolsimir Wolfblood]][[!Mobilization]][[!Centaur Glade]][[!Verduran Enchantress|cff050e6-cd70-4289-bd15-e5c3437bef2d]]>> >>> ## {W}{B} Control / Taxes <<< ### Removal-heavy control with some reanimate subthemes and prison elements. <<[[!Angel of Despair]][[!Geth's Grimoire]][[!Ghostly Prison]][[!Megrim|82d8a020-fa68-4db6-bbe8-671bff043e06]]>> >>> ## {U}{R} Spellslinger / Tempo Burn <<< ### Cast lots of instants/sorceries to generate value and win with burn or draw advantage. <<[[!Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind]][[!Slice and Dice]][[!Guttersnipe|937e6fd7-ff20-46cd-8107-1f5339267a6f]][[!Magma Jet]]>> >>> ## {B}{G} Graveyard / Midrange <<< ### Use the graveyard as a resource with recursive threats and efficient removal. <<[[!Stinkweed Imp]][[!Vigor Mortis]][[!Tooth and Nail]][[!Scion of Darkness]]>> >>> ## {R}{W} Aggro / Equipment <<< ### Fast beatdown with equipment synergy and burn. Very proactive archetype. <<[[!Sunforger]][[!Auriok Steelshaper]][[!Goblin Piledriver]][[!Sword of Fire and Ice]]>> >>> ## {G}{U} Ramp / Card Draw / +1+1 <<< ### Creature-based ramp and draw, +1/+1 counters, and value creatures. <<[[!Arcanis the Omnipotent]][[!Krosan Tusker]][[!Rush of Knowledge]][[!Experiment Kraj]]>> # Additional synergies The Onslaught block was very creature heavy and aimed to promote tribal mechanics. I wanted to recreate that environment to some degree, but not make it the main focus of the cube. There are some monocolored tribes, like {R}Goblins, and some tribes that extend across all five colors, like {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}Dragons. ### Here are the most represented tribes >>> ## {W} Soldiers <<< <<[[!Daru Warchief]][[!Intrepid Hero|592d08a6-730c-45a3-9d17-d724d2bdfbcd]][[!Leonin Den-Guard]][[!Auriok Steelshaper]]>> White wants to build a board of efficient small creatures, often going wide with tokens like those from [[Mobilization]] and use anthem effects or equipments to pressure. It also plays the control role, using taxes effects like [[Ghostly Prison]], fog spells like [[Holy Day|cb72baf7-d9fe-41b4-862d-3709834ee46b]], and removal enchantments. Angels act as late-game bombs. >>> ## {U} Wizards / Birds <<< <<[[!Willbender]][[!Meloku the Clouded Mirror]][[!Thieving Magpie|ed3a1c44-4f2b-4277-935c-a337776c023a]][[!Sage Owl|c21f6c39-f879-452f-a643-f503d88206d6]]>> Blue doesn't have strong tribal synergies, as it's not a creature heavy color. Instead, it leans into a tempo-control playstyle, using bounce spells like [[Boomerang|2275b0a5-7777-49cb-9056-aef0a82424db]] and counterspells like [[Mana Leak|56707af4-eb74-4b33-8741-6cc9b547d919]] to stall the game while winning through flying/evasive creatures. It also features a few theft effects like [[Chromeshell Crab]] and [[Confiscate|48acfd80-eba3-4aa9-804c-563259ca84de]] to swing board states in your favor. Blue excels at generating card advantage and thrives in draw-go or spellslinger-style decks. If you're really into tribal, well... there are some white {W} Birds floating around. Just saying. >>> ## {B} Zombies <<< <<[[!Graveborn Muse]][[!Carrion Feeder]][[!Undead Gladiator]][[!Twisted Abomination]]>> Black thrives on attrition, using discard and removal to grind down opponents before reanimating powerful threats like [[Kokusho, the Evening Star]] or [[Havoc Demon]]. Sacrifice based combos and recursion create deep synergies with graveyard centric play. >>> ## {R} Goblins <<< <<[[!Warbreak Trumpeter]][[!Goblin King|c5448159-0516-4f35-a212-c3e1efa84c71]][[!Goblin Warchief]][[!Skirk Prospector]]>> Red is your primary aggro color. It wants to curve out fast with Goblins or burn, then finish with Dragon bombs like [[Ryusei, the Falling Star]] or [[Fireball|967465c4-619a-4407-bffc-ffadb89726cd]]-style spells. It also has tools for sacrifice decks, especially when paired with {B}Black or {G}Green. Don't sleep on [[Through the Breach]], you can cheat in some big dumb creatures like [[Darksteel Colossus]] to steal some wins out of nowhere or [[Symbiotic Wurm]] and and leave behind the 7 [[Insect]]s to clean up the mess. >>> ## {G} Elves <<< <<[[!Llanowar Elves|ed8a8cfd-baef-4198-b1f3-4926139588b2]][[!Taunting Elf|6b24af94-9632-47da-9bf3-e81bb743cd43]][[!Elvish Champion|88c329c4-6c40-467a-ab37-95896a0c1159]][[!Tribal Forcemage]]>> Green goes big and wide with ramp, efficient creatures, and combat dominance. It supports tribal Elf synergies, which can be explosive when paired with pump or overrun effects. It’s also the best color for splash fixing. >>> ## {c} Colorless <<< <<[[!Platinum Angel]][[!Sword of Light and Shadow]][[!Mindslaver]][[!Gilded Lotus]]>> Each color has its own identity except colorless. Even though I included many cards from the Mirrodin block, I want colorless to be more in the support role. If you played back when Mirrodin came out you should know how broken affinity decks and some artifact mechanics were around that time, so I just left those out. ( [[Seat of the Synod]], [[Frogmite]], [[Skullclamp]], [[Thoughtcast]], [[Disciple of the Vault]], [[Arcbound Ravager]] ) Artifacts play a huge role in fixing with the talismans [[Talisman of Dominance]] and the myr mana dorks [[Leaden Myr]] and have some value engines like [[Solemn Simulacrum]] or [[Sensei's Divining Top]], even board wipes like [[Oblivion Stone]]. # Wrapping up This cube is built for drafters who value tight gameplay, clean archetypes, and deep decision-making. Every color is has its own tribal synergies like Goblins, Elves, Soldiers, and Zombies adding layers of interaction without locking players into narrow builds. Draft flexibility is key, players who recognize open lanes and optimize their curve, mana base, and synergy will find themselves rewarded. [Back to top](#kamigawa's-onslaught-on-mirrodin)