>>> ### Welcome to my ever-evolving main cube: ### Decisions, Decisions <<< *** ### Overview *** It's an unpowered cube that can sometimes let you do powerful things. My design choices have generally been made to encourage clever play rather than dropping unstoppable bombs. You should expect to have to make a lot of decisions during the draft and the games, but don't make the mistake that you'll be experiencing analysis paralysis. Instead, because of the interwoven nature of so many of the cards, you'll find yourself exploring paths that don't get old. *** ### OK, Less Cryptically This Time *** Themes and mechanics in Decisions, Decisions, rather than being divided among two-color archetypes, appear primarily in three-color combinations. I'll list them below, but I can give you an example at this point. Naya ({W}/{R}/{G}) is the wedge that cares most about making tokens/going wide. Jund ({B}/{R}/{G}) is the shard of sacrifice and pain-for-gain. That means, among other things, that the only colors in which you'll find sacrifice outlets are Black, Red, and Green. Because of the overlap and distinctions, this suggests on the surface that a deck that wants to create and sacrifice a large number of creatures would be primarily Red or Green. But the larger picture shows us that a token/sacrifice deck could be {W}/{B}, {W}/{R}, {W}/{G}, {B}/{R}, {B}/{G}, or {R}/{G}. You could draft a token/sacrifice deck six times and never have the same "archetype." You should also know that I run some custom cards, so make sure to hover over any highlighted entries when viewing the list. I've filled out the Horizon land cycle. Red gets an adventurous dwarf. Green has a spirit that bridges enchantments and lands. Unicycle is actually a spooky vehicle designed by the one and only @CavsFangelo. And I created adventure lands. There are multiple copies of the fetch lands and shock lands. All basic lands are snow lands (and are legitimately snow lands in the paper copy of the cube). Oh, and each pack is guaranteed to have at least one card of each color, a multicolor card, a colorless card, and a land. *** ### Some Details *** {W}/{U}/{B} Esper <<[[!Approach of the Second Sun|c7167648-7ef3-4e2e-ad32-72e8bcfa4b9f]][[!Thassa's Oracle|cb3b9de4-0d31-431f-b060-69a33e9d9c85]][[!Profane Command|752bf7fd-c49e-42fa-bbdd-8ca5d4c89b2b]][[!Queza, Augur of Agonies|8be62891-93fa-4642-ad44-8c8695a9c960]]>> In White, Blue, and Black, you'll find ways to win the game that don't involve attacking your opponent, from cards like Approach of the Second Sun that literally win when cast to the persist combo (combining cards like [[Putrid Goblin]] with a [[Metallic Mimic|23caa9ce-057a-40f6-a9fe-073c60b69fc2]], and [[Sling-Gang Lieutenant|b419c3d8-0ea5-4a78-a647-b7e16c7f7ec5]]) to milling either yourself or your opponent with a [[Hedron Crab]] and Thassa's Oracle. Or, y'know, find a way to get a million mana (perhaps by tapping and then sacrificing all your lands to [[Rain of Filth|6143f4dc-3a32-4158-bb74-101810d1528d]]) and then casting a massive Profane Command. *** {U}/{B}/{R} Grixis <<[[!Tezzeret, Artifice Master|e5e12371-f05c-41cf-92ca-7cb17c2f7f1a]][[!Wishclaw Talisman|9ebcb070-953c-4b47-ad8a-ef207c65053f]][[!Legion Extruder|f1d67fd7-30c8-4cd7-ab1a-97225b9c9437]][[!Bladecoil Serpent|b10471a6-38ee-4a84-986a-779bdf4f1464]]>> Cards that care about artifacts and actual-factual colored artifacts are mostly contained to Blue, Black, and Red. These don't necessarily all go into the same deck, however. You might draft a controlling build based around [[Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge|9ee1eea2-961f-445d-b035-6baed454f289]] as a top end, or you might find yourself in a UR aggro build with heavy artifact emphasis, repeatedly casting a [[Reinforced Ronin|a69eec2f-eec0-491f-944c-ca944d9d320b]] to pump a [[Patchwork Automaton]]. *** {B}/{R}/{G} Jund <<[[!Village Rites|da3de5c0-acda-4116-b0c5-eceb2c19cb2d]][[!Goblin Bombardment|9a1960e6-00b5-44c6-9fd1-dca49f58f433]][[!Scapeshift|175e21a3-00f7-4c51-8a8e-fbfd7089efda]][[!Korvold, Fae-Cursed King|92ea1575-eb64-43b5-b604-c6e23054f228]]>> Black, Red, and Green feature ways to sacrifice permanents and ways to get value out of doing so. I have as often as possible tried to include free sacrifice outlets, including such creatures as [[Woe Strider|05500b14-d36d-49b3-82b0-d0c533d4ec00]] that also give you a scry off each sacrifice. Scapeshift is an odd cube card but not something you'll regret seeing if you need to change which lands you have or happen to have a [[Mayhem Devil|92e5c8cb-ef19-499e-b428-00dfb5e75b4f]] on the board. There is some "pod" support (no Birthing Pod or Vannifar), where [[Fiend Artisan|681a8036-7eea-4408-887b-a4efcee46124]] or [[Birthing Ritual|004bbc84-b57b-4393-889e-dff95e8f334c]] open up toolbox play for those who draft carefully. *** {R}/{G}/{W} Naya <<[[!Siege-Gang Commander|16bea810-1566-4132-bfb3-611f9b6b3333]][[!Earl of Squirrel|c3bbf567-bdb4-4f88-906c-eb1503c02d9f]][[!Virtue of Loyalty|9622e597-dc7c-4198-9ce5-4df53bb0c96c]][[!Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second|702f2011-be9c-4b83-b503-59a59284ab51]]>> Red, Green, and White is the primary grouping in which you'll find go-wide and build-up strategies. These are the colors for token-makers (except Zombies in B). Here's where most of the Modified support is (+1/+1 counters and auras). Sometimes tokens are made by creatures in a spell slinging manner, and sometimes they're made by spells directly. But this is also where you'll generally find anthemic effects, whether that's the flip side of [[Wedding Announcement|f3e60e71-bf44-475b-bfce-815ad8abf9e2]] ([[Wedding Festivity]]) or Earl of Squirrel making all your token creatures larger (and making them every time it does damage). *** {G}/{W}/{U} Bant <<[[!Garruk Wildspeaker|ca6f13a2-9243-4ce9-9f71-bed74355b781]][[!Hallowed Haunting|d0904640-40e8-45bf-ac9c-94b1dd0bab8f]][[!Jace, Wielder of Mysteries|802d126d-f56c-4990-ba85-9ecbe41f5c9a]][[!Brokers Ascendancy|2aa2713b-5df0-4e54-89bf-30b5aeba9ac7]]>> Green, White, and Blue aren't the only places you'll find planeswalkers and enchantments, but it is where you'll find most of them. White gets two walkers, and Blue and Green each have three (Black has one and Red has none), and most of the multicolor planeswalkers appear in Bant sub-combinations. Those are also the colors with the most enchantments and (if I did this correctly) the most things that benefit from enchantments, such as [[Setessan Champion|e8b2168d-38e5-429f-8663-f0d258c9c441]] and [[Sythis, Harvest's Hand|0babfe00-9bad-48fc-b3b1-df8280242fd2]]. Whether you're just including [[Teferi, Hero of Dominaria|f6721431-418e-4c92-818a-50417066c229]] as the only planeswalker in a control deck or building an entire engine out of Hallowed Haunting and enchantment-based removal like [[Oblivion Ring|1c7fffe8-709c-4cb4-bbad-e4a0c35b616a]], this is where you'll find permanents that accrue value over time. *** {W}/{B}/{R} Mardu <<[[!Guardian of New Benalia|d75168c8-6798-46cd-8dd7-22115203cb2b]][[!Waste Not|f5dd0247-f6a0-4f1d-ac27-a49a7e022e5b]][[!Hazoret The Fervent]][[!Tergrid, God of Fright|9ff4efdf-c0bb-443a-a100-2f3850571e91]]>> Discarding for value is a game that you can play in combinations of White, Black, and Red. There are number of cards that can cause you and/or your opponent to discard cards, and not only is there Waste Not to give you mana, zombies, or cards when your opponent discards, I've included a custom card called Want Not that mirrors Waste Not's effects for yourself. Tergrid grabs your opponent's discarded stuff for you and forms a nice top end. You can just go face in a couple of different ways with a hasty Hazoret. And multi-format all-star [[Pack Rat|f3864bc8-f86e-4c41-b454-e19d1939147b]] happens to make an appearance as an army in a single card. *** {U}/{R}/{G} Temur <<[[!Thassa, Deep-Dwelling|27b52628-de05-4ec1-9978-e998cf17bb26]][[!Shivan Devastator|beadc5fe-1c55-4707-a3c8-2ba318cc8846]][[!Nightpack Ambusher|507f9439-f9d6-4d81-ab51-09ed2777c84e]][[!Surrak Dragonclaw]]>> Temur's identity is twofold. The largest creatures in the cube (roughly defined as naturally having 4 or more power) are in Blue, Red, and Green. Giants (e.g. [[Primeval Titan|f046212e-9b3e-4605-b1f1-fd1540236d95]]), dragons (e.g. [[Terror of the Peaks|ac35ea21-fef4-4000-9b22-c8d07420827b]]), and other large critters should only appear in these, though it's possible for creatures in other colors to get bigger through other means. I will also note that there's a flash sub theme running through these colors. Some creatures like Nightpack Ambusher naturally have flash, but there's something to be said for drafting [[Vivien, Champion of the Wilds|9967520f-3c8e-42a2-b9dd-887714477c2d]] and playing on your opponent's turn. *** {B}/{G}/{W} Abzan <<[[!Call of the Death-Dweller]][[!Eternal Witness|0574d09f-5667-4ecf-bbbb-a1a0ed24068d]][[!Elspeth Conquers Death]][[!Eerie Ultimatum|fdbe5a6f-82a2-4c6b-a69d-3a07917e15c9]]>> The graveyard is a resource most often for cards that are Black, Green, and/or White. This is where you'll find recursion effects like [[Abiding Grace|1eaccb5a-76f9-4250-9bf0-0baa2d905868]] or [[Lurrus of the Dream-Den|097ff232-477b-4b50-a8ea-4391b4ae9efe]]. You can accrue value and grind out an opponent with [[Meren of Clan Nel Toth|91190972-7c9d-4a16-b7b8-0fcf3dbcebd5]]. Actual-factual Reanimate is no longer in the cube, as I've introduced a small number of powerful creatures that basically mean "Game Over" for the opponent if they enter the battlefield on turn 2. I am also trying to be careful regarding the reanimation of two creatures at once. The most prominent combo deck is Black (sometimes splashing green and/or red) sacrifice, but it's possible to interact with its pieces. [[Dewdrop Cure]] can potentially bring back two or even all three of the creatures necessary to start the combo again. *** {R}/{W}/{U} Jeskai <<[[!Impatient Iguana]][[!Usher of the Fallen|d7811579-0d01-4fae-b621-98eb6c0355f6]][[!Brazen Borrower|d42a57b2-fbe9-4024-a593-f6dc711a2e9d]][[!Satya, Aetherflux Genius|65a9bda0-80eb-4aa9-ad89-9f73e65dbce3]]>> Red, White, and Blue are generally where you'll find aggressive cards. Aggressive decks get praised for being the fun police, but often have a reputation of not being particularly fun themselves. I've tried to offer variety and decision-making if you go down one of these routes. Sure, something like Impatient Iguana is just flat-out aggressive, but you'll find yourself in one or more sub-archetypes in Jeskai variations. {W}/{R} shows up in a handful of flavors: it cares about equipment and vehicles (see [[Reyav, Master Smith|465c1e86-e828-44a0-802e-1cbba356c524]] or [[Depala, Pilot Exemplar|b27b8285-69f7-441e-91b0-7519f306b512]]) but it can also care about subtypes (see a Dwarf lord like [[Magda, Brazen Outlaw|ab551f0e-7a9c-4c99-b199-042ab018dd9a]] or a card that rewards you for threading the needle between humans and non-humans like [[Winota, Joiner of Forces|750c7d63-b07d-456d-95ca-d3c3f346715e]]). {W}/{U} wants to blink things for value, even in its aggressive forms, where a card like [[Cloudkin Seer]] flies over for two every turn and then keeps drawing you cards, and it also houses the core of a Soldiers-themed deck. {U}/{R} emphasizes spell slinging and prowess, very much playing the tempo game with an ever-growing beater like [[Sprite Dragon|7172db88-2208-47c4-8226-bc094fd04a9b]] and protecting it with counter magic like [[Lose Focus]]. *** {G}/{U}/{B} Sultai <<[[!Boseiju, Who Endures|2488a80b-6882-4b59-8232-f02f800204a9]][[!Daze|d03bff25-0d5e-4dcf-8d75-6df846afea3b]][[!Dead of Winter]][[!Ice-Fang Coatl|1950aed0-f34b-4dc6-a01e-31313fa442bc]]>> Green, Blue, and Black have cards that care about lands. If there's a modal double-faced card in the cube wherein one side is a land, it'll only be in these colors (like [[Glasspool Mimic|fee79733-4df7-4870-9e42-03407b5e1528]]). Dead of Winter depends on snow permanents, and all basics in the cube are snow, so this is one of the ways I make basic lands matter. Ramp is almost exclusively in green, whether it's grabbing more lands via [[Flare of Cultivation|719cbb26-54a9-402f-9043-e177552fd1c0]] or enchanting them to be more effective with [[Utopia Sprawl|15625580-3cbd-459c-a667-87efdcdaf2b2]] or [[Wild Growth|64f299eb-9cd6-40bc-ad44-22e3aeb5c930]]. *** {C} Colorless <<[[!Arcbound Ravager|6a898fbf-5c73-4a50-8bf5-126051747659]][[!Shadowspear|131cb967-9569-4fbf-8143-c410d3a94538]][[!Smuggler's Copter|2680ed41-da35-475a-9d80-ae2f4686feed]][[!Karn, Scion of Urza|0cd43687-0ae1-47e9-b0d6-2af56bdbe2e9]]>> Colorless cards in this cube are mostly artifacts and mostly fit into decks that require one or more colors. Shadowspear slots into {W}/{R} equipment decks readily but also can find a home in one of the midrange, large-creature decks. Smuggler's Copter is just a solid vehicle even if you're not running a "vehicles deck." Karn, Scion of Urza is a colorless planeswalker that boosts just about any deck emphasizing artifacts. But one drafter should also be able to go whole hog on modular cards, perhaps grabbing a late [[Treasure Vault]] and surprising their opponent out of nowhere with an Arcbound Ravager kill. *** Lands <<[[!Field of the Dead|470ca3f4-29aa-4c4c-8ff2-8cdd70c69943]][[!Sunbaked Canyon|c36820fa-ee86-4206-9a0d-737a67cf5208]][[!Blast Zone|08f9b863-10b7-46d6-badd-97381e6c7c5e]][[!Mana Confluence|4eafa4f8-3b9b-4e20-97bf-8f547e970752]]>> Field of the Dead is absolutely a deck here, which you can fetch up with [[Golos, Tireless Pilgrim]] or [[Crop Rotation|187abedf-c2eb-453b-bea0-a10afa399e03]]. There are some utility lands like Blast Zone, and one creature land in the form of [[Mutavault|bed54db2-20a8-400e-acd8-16d4e5d7c307]]. And, as mentioned above, I've added custom cards so that every two-color pair has access to horizon lands like Sunbaked Canyon. *** Lastly, here is a blog post I'll update from time to time going over typal syngergies in the cube: https://cubecobra.com/cube/blog/blogpost/4e9bf962-7ae6-453f-b38b-a59d0f2f504d *** >>>Thanks to @Spootyone for inspiring me to finally clean up this overview.<<<