Cloned from [Bodleian Cube](/c/61454789685c83106293be3c) ## Clone Notes: This is a time-frozen clone of @Deinonychus's masterpiece as of 2024.10.03-10:40 PDT. This cube will be playable in CubeCon 2024's Open Play area. Some printings and conditions of cards differ from the source list. These were chosen solely of convenience. Such changes will be noted in card details. *** ## Design Philosophy: The Bodleian Cube showcases iconic and powerful cards with an emphasis on strategies that combine cards to be more than the sum of their parts. The power level is designed to allow these iconic cards to shine within and alongside archetypes which often suffocate in cubes designed to maximize individual card power. The strategies within the cube are set up to combine and cross pollinate to encourage emergent deckbuilding and present drafters with many possible directions throughout the draft. Each drafter begins with a [[Cogwork Librarian]] to enable them to speculate more effectively on many buildarounds within the cube. *** ## Upcoming Events: These events will feature Bodleian Cube in the main event this year. * [California Cube Championships](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/second-annual-california-cube-championship-tickets-864236553797?aff=oddtdtcreator) * [Boston Cube Party](https://bostoncubeparty.com/) * [Cubecon 2024](https://cubecon.org/) *** ## Design Goals: * Cultivate an environment with exciting synergistic plays where card combinations are greater than the sum of their parts. * Maintain a high density of efficient threats and answers within the cube while omitting cards which are so [[powerful|928036c9-11b8-493e-b9f2-8fbd3487cd19]] that they make [[synergy irrelevant|3462a3d0-5552-49fa-9eb7-100960c55891]]. * Ensure that games are fun to lose as well as win. People lose in every game of Magic and there’s a notable difference between a fun and unfun loss. * Archetypes are not typically tied to one specific color or color pair. This encourages emergent decks and prevents on-rails drafting. * The weakest cards in the cube should be among the most powerful in the decks they’re desired by. * Generic removal spells are typically kept out of gold sections to encourage cross pollination of archetypes and discourage five color good stuff. * Cards with hexproof, shroud, and protection are minimized to enable more interactive gameplay. * Game state agnostically [[powerful blue instants|81bbffc2-6f58-4baa-8f95-168eab106b15]] are restricted to encourage blue decks to engage in combat. * There is main-deckable removal for [[planeswalkers|65864680-9520-4eb3-9774-fa478e54a290]], [[enchantments|564e378a-f033-44ca-8295-855382cc838d]], and [[artifacts|cccbc616-5592-4051-a066-a325209f349e]] to ensure that these card types are still interactive. As a result, there is no cap on any specific card type. * Bodleian Cube is Baltimore Singleton (There are duplicates of fixing lands). As a result, there is great fixing in the cube to support all decks. Five color good stuff piles are kept in check by the speed of the fastest decks in the format. * Fast mana is not present in this cube. * There are no free spells in this cube. *** ## Draft Rules: 1. Every player starts with a copy of [[Cogwork Librarian]] as the draft begins. 2. For 8 players, draft 3 packs of 15. 3. For 4 players, draft 4 packs of 15, burn the last 5 cards in every pack. 4. For <4 players, Housman Draft with 9 packs of 10. These draft rules enable the highly synergistic decks to come together, even without the entire cube being drafted. *** ## The Origin of the Name This cube is named after the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England. It shares two key similarities with this famous library.The Bodleian Library was among the first to popularize an elaborate registry of donors to showcase their generosity. In the Bodleian Cube, the winner of each draft signs a basic land, showcasing their skill to all drafters to come. In addition, a helpful [[Cogwork Librarian]] will find players what their deck needs during the draft. *** ## Gameplay The decks in the Bodleian Cube all complete on the tempo vs attrition axis and the proactive vs reactive axis. There are no combo decks in the cube and nearly all decks must play to the board in order to win. These two axes can be used to describe the four macro archetypes of the Bodleian Cube. All of the decks are fundamentally using one of these four gameplans. There are many archetypes within the cubel, but a “Spells Matter” deck is still going to fundamentally have a gameplan such as Midrange, Aggro Control, or Contro. Decks which do not have a cohesive identity among these four macro archetypes tend to struggle in their games. #### *Tempo vs Attrition* Decks which fall on the tempo side of the axis are focused on winning before their opponent can stop them, while attrition slanted decks can play a longer game and win with inevitability. #### *Proactive vs Reactive* Proactive decks are focused on deploying threats to win the game and use answers to stop their opponent from stopping them. Reactive decks are focused on having answers to their opponent’s threats, and deploy a much smaller number of threats to win the game. #### Aggro - Tempo & Proactive Aggro decks win the game by deploying threats to reduce their opponent’s life to zero as quickly as possible. They are the speed ceiling of the format. #### Midrange - Attrition & Proactive Midrange decks are also focused on deploying their threats to defeat the opponent, but they sacrifice speed to get access to higher card quality at high mana values. This allows midrange decks to grind opponents out in a longer game. #### Control - Attrition & Reactive Control decks are focused on answering their opponent’s threats and winning the game once the opponent’s game plan has been stopped. They play mostly answers and ways to find more answers, their threats are of secondary importance. #### Tempo - Tempo & Reactive Tempo decks deploy a small number of threats and then use their large number of answers to keep the opponent on the backfoot for just long enough to win. These are the least common decks in the cube by far, but are incredibly flexible and powerful when they come together. *** ## Archetypes This is not a cube where each color pair has a given archetype. This design approach is often an oversimplification which can lead to on rails drafting and lack of emergent decks in the format. Instead, the Bodleian Cube focuses on having a diverse selection of archetypes that cross pollinate well with each other and encourage emergent deckbuilding. This rewards creative drafters and enables them to find unique decks that can change multiple times in a given draft based on the cards they choose to add. Below are descriptions of many of the high level archetypes within the Bodleian Cube. There are far too many combinations to list all of them, but this list is a great starting point for anyone trying to draft the cube or learn about its design. Each archetype has colors listed next to it which are in the format of Primary Color(s) / Secondary Color(s). For example, an archetype listed as {W}{R} / {B} is primarily in white and red and secondarily in black. As a final note, this list is not going to cover the generic two color midrange decks that are achievable in all color pairs. One can absolutely combine the bread and butter cards in two color pairs to make a coherent deck, but these are not explicitly designed around. The Bodleian Cube is designed to reward drafters for synergy in their decks. *** ## Aggro {W}{R} / {B}{G} The aggro archetype use efficient, [[low cost threats|636603a2-98d7-4d1e-a270-68756024b448]] to get the opponent's life total to zero as quickly as possible. This deck wins by killing the opponent before they can get their bigger threats into play and stabilize. The mana base of Bodleian Cube tends to enable two color aggro decks more readily than monocolor ones. *** #### Red Deck Wins <<[[!Goblin Guide|636603a2-98d7-4d1e-a270-68756024b448]] [[!Lightning Bolt|4eaac4fd-95f5-4f38-b593-0101e79a20f9]] [[!Squee, Dubious Monarch|0f39ecc9-0a4c-47e7-b8e6-7e00d4cb61e3]] [[!Hellrider|7bbfd905-8c71-4389-9174-6e84bcbcf05c]]>> Rx aggro decks are the fastest in the format due to their [[hasty threats|636603a2-98d7-4d1e-a270-68756024b448]] and [[burn spells|4eaac4fd-95f5-4f38-b593-0101e79a20f9]] which can kill the opponent if they stabilize on board. These decks define the speed of the format. *** #### White Weenie <<[[!Giver of Runes|4e117771-5a8b-4812-b487-32ba34b7f724]] [[!Thalia, Guardian of Thraben|9716a5ff-f1ed-4285-a0a7-68114eeb1ba7]] [[!Luminarch Aspirant|42bdb2bd-fb25-4715-9754-42ab0c5c8cf7]] [[!Adeline, Resplendent Cathar|18092f68-b96e-4084-9eba-b240d2195d81]]>> Wx aggro decks lack the burn of their Red counterpart but make up for it with access to [[stronger removal|90460227-6f34-4403-b2ef-d79f95f44790]] and [[disruption|9d3a7998-ccac-45ad-a4e9-3a2cb057f63b]]. This clears the way for highly efficient creatures and planeswalkers to kill the opponent quickly. *** ## Aristocrats {W}{B}{R} / {G} The aristocrats archetype attacks opponents on a different axis by gaining value from its own creatures dying. By combining [[sacrifice outlets|81564970-23ad-41a3-b5e0-21bdf13f6248]], [[sacrifice fodder|b9640cbf-b016-410e-9eff-e8924883517b]], and [[sacrifice payoffs|2e1fb442-68ff-4249-8e44-87edf6fae211]] this deck can grind the opponent out or kill them outright. *** #### Aggrocrats <<[[!Goblin Bombardment|e92af114-ad34-4106-a7fa-5676dbcd4960]] [[!Rankle, Master of Pranks|93c2c11d-dfc3-4ba9-8c0f-a98114090396]] [[!Ob Nixilis, the Adversary|5bb93677-12a7-489c-a88a-0963dc5f3f1d]] [[!Forsaken Miner|1679f74d-00f8-436c-9f8c-aa3f843a546c]]>> This deck seeks to kill the opponent quickly and make all of their removal hurt to cast. If the opponent manages to stabilize on board, blast them out of the game with Bombardment or Blood Artist. *** #### Attrition Aristocrats <<[[!Yawgmoth, Thran Physician|81564970-23ad-41a3-b5e0-21bdf13f6248]] [[!The Meathook Massacre|08950015-eee5-4327-888c-82dfd13bb9ad]] [[!Adeline, Resplendent Cathar|18092f68-b96e-4084-9eba-b240d2195d81]] [[!Lingering Souls|278e97cf-312d-4e9e-bc39-023f4e547121]]>> The attrition version of aristocrats grinds the opponent out of the game with repeated token generators and blood artist effects to win with inevitability. This deck excels at winning in combat focused games and uses removal to slow the opponent down. *** #### Crime <<[[!Yawgmoth, Thran Physician|81564970-23ad-41a3-b5e0-21bdf13f6248]] [[!Gisa, the Hellraiser|db7c07b2-02b2-4e62-bf1b-4848e06eec28]] [[!Blood Artist|2e1fb442-68ff-4249-8e44-87edf6fae211]] [[!Forsaken Miner|1679f74d-00f8-436c-9f8c-aa3f843a546c]]>> Yawgmoth, Blood Artist, [[Goblin Bombardment]], and many other cards commit a crime every time a creature dies. This can loop Miner for {B} or make two Gisa tokens every single turn. When this engine comes together it wins the game quickly, and comes about as close to combo as one can get in this cube. *** ## Artifacts {W}{U} / {B}{R}{G} <<[[!Urza’s Saga|c1e0f201-42cb-46a1-901a-65bb4fc18f6c]] [[!Urza, Lord High Artificer|81329329-0154-4f89-a476-a54112dfa0b7]] [[!Stoneforge Mystic|eb49805c-8546-463d-b78c-f4ea109851b4]] [[!Karn, Scion of Urza|07a3d9e8-8597-498b-869c-cff79e0df516]]>> The artifacts archetype is somewhat self explanatory. Build around the engines which care about artifacts and include artifacts and card that create them in your deck *** #### Stoneforge <<[[!Stoneforge Mystic|eb49805c-8546-463d-b78c-f4ea109851b4]] [[!Maul of the Skyclaves|f18f2608-0d44-442c-97a1-12ac94b7abac]] [[!Embercleave|aaae15dd-11b6-4421-99e9-365c7fe4a5d6]] [[!Cryptic Coat|0c3d7e2c-a104-4757-9984-fb31088f92c4]]>> Stoneforge decks are powerful in Bodleian Cube, but play much more fairly than in cubes where [[Kaldra Compleat]] is an option. Do not let that trick you into thinking the card is not worth including in your deck. Looping Cryptic Coat or dropping a snap on equipment like Maul mid combat are powerful lines that win games. *** ## Control {U}{W}{B} / {R} The control archetype is all about disrupting the opponents plan and winning with inevitability. *** #### Draw Go Control <<[[!Counterspell|ffdf9d2a-c163-43df-9a2f-20b8749c86ae]] [[!Swords to Plowshares|cc9ece2f-7eda-4fc5-a562-3e16e71560e9]] [[!Damnation|dca972d7-fcf8-4ac4-a98b-fffb2fbb4dbc]] [[!Snapcaster Mage|4cbdacc1-7a1b-4633-85f5-eb50c2bf406d]]>> This is the classic control build. Your opponent’s turn is just your turn in disguise. *** #### Tapout Control <<[[!Teferi, Hero of Dominaria|5d10b752-d9cb-419d-a5c4-d4ee1acb655e]] [[!Jace, Vyrn’s Prodigy|02d6d693-f1f3-4317-bcc0-c21fa8490d38]] [[!Counterspell|ffdf9d2a-c163-43df-9a2f-20b8749c86ae]] [[!Virtue of Persistence|f1e5cafb-b0e6-4ee5-8c58-6f8e5ef2b9da]]>> Control where you actually take your own turn. This variant of the deck plays a lot of planeswalkers and other spells that generate value by being on the board. You still need counterspells and removal, but you’re going to be more selective about what you hit with them. *** ## Counters{W}{R}{G} / {B} <<[[!Luminarch Aspirant|42bdb2bd-fb25-4715-9754-42ab0c5c8cf7]] [[!Incubation Druid|075bbe5d-d0f3-4be3-a3a6-072d5d3d614c]] [[!Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon|7fc97d16-c54c-4a2b-9691-39e8a41c7777]] [[!Walking Ballista|329a8738-3e17-403a-857a-0ba529ce8cd1]]>> There is not a [[hardened scales]] deck in this cube, but there are plenty of good cards that put counters on creatures and several creatures that get significantly more powerful when extra counters are put on them. When both kinds of cards are added to a deck the player gains access to some explosive lines of play. *** #### Soul Cauldron <<[[!Agatha’s Soul Cauldron|019b51b0-e5c6-4208-922b-7736686dddcd]] [[!Yawgmoth, Thran Physician|81564970-23ad-41a3-b5e0-21bdf13f6248]] [[!Grist, the Hunger Tide|808a3770-057a-4985-ba5c-870d7b1cd527]] [[!Giver of Runes|4e117771-5a8b-4812-b487-32ba34b7f724]]>> Soul Cauldron is a card which changes a deck all on its own. The floor on the card is reasonable grave hate that can buff creatures. The ceiling is an army of Grists that create an insect every turn and take over the game. There are lots of great activated abilities to make use of with Cauldron, and your opponent’s cards ensure that every matchup provides unique lines to find. *** ## Flicker {W} / {U}{B}{R}{G} The flicker archetype is all about gaining value by repeating ETB [[triggers|ec18fa41-6948-4d94-8dcc-31fb63fb53ec]] with [[flicker effects|7be5092f-cd24-4aea-824e-67b9767019b2]]. This can be incidental value from one time flicker effects or an entire engine that flickers creatures every turn. *** #### Flicker Tempo <<[[!Elite Spellbinder|9d3a7998-ccac-45ad-a4e9-3a2cb057f63b]] [[!Reprive|1bd3fa8a-6c50-4f7f-9ae3-0810eec5e3db]] [[!Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd|95505d46-fc4f-4e2d-8e08-380d392b74a4]] [[!Ephemerate|7be5092f-cd24-4aea-824e-67b9767019b2]]>> The tempo version of flicker wants to play [[early threats|7ea4b5bc-18a4-45db-a56a-ab3f8bd2fb0d]] and disrupt the opponent’s gameplan by blinking [[creatures|9d3a7998-ccac-45ad-a4e9-3a2cb057f63b]] to keep the opponent on the backfoot. Combine this with a lot of [[answers|cc9ece2f-7eda-4fc5-a562-3e16e71560e9]] to win before the opponent’s plan can come together. *** #### Flicker Attrition <<[[!Restoration Angel|fc1266de-3a58-4579-9781-78aaf852bbac]] [[!Touch the Spirit Realm|5d02afc8-0192-4e7d-9d10-60a4434ed8db]] [[!Blade Splicer|b8e56a28-713b-4a13-a601-1128cf117539]] [[!Skyclave Apparition|b83cfbaa-7890-4f6f-878b-4edb45677371]]>> The attrition based flicker deck uses [[removal|cc9ece2f-7eda-4fc5-a562-3e16e71560e9]] to stop early threats then builds an engine to provide inevitability. *** ## Graveyard {U}{B}{R}{G} / {W} All the decks within this archetype use the graveyard for value. The pilot must decide whether to lean into cards that want to accumulate cards in the graveyard and cards that want to use up cards from the graveyard. *** #### Delirium <<[[!Tarmogoyf|69daba76-96e8-4bcc-ab79-2f00189ad8fb]] [[!Bloodghast|63870c81-63bf-4a9a-aeb5-74c6eaded9f1]] [[!Emrakul, the Promised End|8d74a469-c71d-4773-99d3-5456b31df424]] [[!Dragon’s Rage Channeler|c75cc38d-aee6-44ab-be69-26491fb9b808]]>> Delirium decks seek to accumulate many card types within the graveyard. They can cover the entire range from proactive to reactive, but all of them need to be careful about how many cards they include which need to [consume cards from the graveyard](6186ca35-4d28-4176-aaff-5b384a688aa6) in order to function. *** #### Rock <<[[!Grist, the Hunger Tide|808a3770-057a-4985-ba5c-870d7b1cd527]] [[!Harvester of Misery|a3012af9-621d-4fae-b00d-079a89ae35fe]] [[!Dread Return|977dc1ce-a224-4271-86f1-31b3fe53405c]] [[!Ignoble Hierarch|9417f14c-a853-42c6-a992-29139484260a]] >> Rock decks use green’s [[mana acceleration|aba51852-af8f-49d8-8fb6-22d52a1742b8]] to get [[premier threats|808a3770-057a-4985-ba5c-870d7b1cd527]] out early. They use removal and recursion to grind the opponent out of the game. *** #### Self Mill <<[[!Six|de4ff685-8694-4939-8f92-d91bb7ae5b76]] [[!Jace, Wielder of Mysteries|6adb7d73-4482-4930-8497-cffd169b57e2]] [[!Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath|6f3b4542-bf78-4450-a4e0-bf757445c3c3]] [[!Grist, the Hunger Tide|808a3770-057a-4985-ba5c-870d7b1cd527]]>> Self mill decks specialize in filling up their graveyard very quickly. This can provide pure card advantage via threats like Uro, Options for engines like Six, and even can be used to win the game with Jace in the right circumstances. *** ## Lands {G} / {W}{U}{B}{R} The lands matter archetype is all about getting additional value from playing lands. Fetch lands and ways to play lands from the graveyard are key to powering up the payoffs such as [[Tireless Tracker]] and [[Titania, Protector of Argoth]]. *** #### Land Recursion <<[[!Lotus Cobra|a4b759f0-901f-4be3-93fa-224609b08d48]] [[!Wrenn and Six|169fcff7-58f2-420b-a5f1-642ad38709b3]] [[!Tireless Tracker|7e656b81-43b6-4d92-b68b-fbf8848620c2]] [[!Titania, Protector of Argoth|bab161d9-45d7-48b7-af47-21e3dbae4d85]]>> Ramp out your payoffs early then use crucible effects to repeatedly play lands from the graveyard to gain value. *** #### Field of the Dead <<[[!Field of the Dead]] [[!Golos, Tireless Pilgrim]] [[!Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath|6f3b4542-bf78-4450-a4e0-bf757445c3c3]] [[!Wrenn and Six|169fcff7-58f2-420b-a5f1-642ad38709b3]]>> Field of the Dead uses its namesake card as a value engine in games that go late. This tends to come together as a ramp deck that can play multiple lands per turn and uses Field as a win condition. [[Tutors for lands|a15570c0-4210-4959-8584-987ec85f8283]] as well as [[extra|a81a49a0-995a-4311-894d-5cbfba59db14]] [[payoffs|c1e0f201-42cb-46a1-901a-65bb4fc18f6c]] for those tutors both help the deck succeed. *** ## Legends {W}{R} <<[[!Flowering of the White Tree|2203b2cd-48e5-471a-85fe-dc81012e5d61]] [[!Merry, Esquire of Rohan|d9d21bce-a381-4c5d-9e0f-b2cdc96a20b6]] [[!Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful|f15c8803-f33a-4530-9882-bff1bf810c19]] [[!Andúril, Flame of the West|7e7b9eea-a224-4db1-a089-cb385f7af20c]]>> The legends deck rewards the drafter for using legendary creatures or permanants.These payoffs give a different texture to a {W}{R} aggro or midrange shell and are significant threats when built around. *** ## Lurrus {W}{B} / {U}{R}{G} <<[[!Lurrus of the Dream-Den|4b32771b-d89f-46b1-8c70-95a4f058ef05]] [[!Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger|6186ca35-4d28-4176-aaff-5b384a688aa6]] [[!Dauntless Bodyguard|a3f82012-5c33-47bc-a3c8-56ae2eea1fb9]] [[!Dark Confidant|62895ba2-49d9-4c6e-8545-687cc6c8ef0a]]>> The Lurrus deck is dependent on an early Lurrus open, but is one of the strongest in the cube when it comes together. Recurring the best one and two drops gives the deck a shocking amount of inevitability without sacrificing the ability to win early against unsuspecting opponents. *** ## Ninjas {U}{B} <<[[!Mist-Syndicate Naga|65c8f074-e260-4f8e-85d1-1904ca928b51]] [[!Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow|3bd81ae6-e628-447a-a36b-597e63ede295]] [[!Remand|69001c08-2541-47e3-8343-2e5089a9b193]] [[!Dismember|08d405dc-180f-4edb-8c53-80a034ee622e]]>> Properly speaking, the ninjas deck is a tempo deck in UB colors that uses ninja cards as threats. This deck’s goal is to play creatures which are [[hard to block|3d3025a2-4a17-4137-ba0b-bd676c6f5f88]], then ninjutsu in one of the [[haymakers|900c9dfd-ece1-4b09-a801-0fa05e1994b9]] which can be protected with counterspells and spot removal while it generates advantage to win the game. *** ## Ramp {G} / {W}{U}{B}{R} <<[[!Birds of Paradise|82ef6d6c-db50-4d24-8ebd-311613ddef06]] [[!Etali, Primal Conqueror|95c14c4d-6c16-4826-8d93-d89ad04aee09]][[!Nissa, Who Shakes the World|f857bbe4-5619-4733-a0c7-69700f2ef4f3]] [[!Hulking Raptor|45f763af-5a6a-404c-8e8c-4dbed71277bc]]>> The ramp archetype uses [[mana acceleration|9417f14c-a853-42c6-a992-29139484260a]] to play [[large threats|e51e5d02-d3d0-45e5-a589-1fe25ff5082b]] ahead of curve. Mana dorks as well as [[muti-mana ramp spells|f857bbe4-5619-4733-a0c7-69700f2ef4f3]] are key to getting ahead enough of the typical mana curve to have high impact. *** ## Reanimator {B}{W} / {U}{R}{G} Dedicated cheat decks are not supported in the Bodleian Cube. There are several flavors of reanimator here, but they are all making value plays. There are no [[entomb]] + [[reanimate]] style combo decks #### Tiny Reanimator <<[[!Zoraline, Cosmos Caller]] [[!Serra Paragon|ce295f1e-fb31-4275-a5d3-8c6f29afff40]] [[!Unearth|656127b7-21c4-40ce-8fff-5cc3d38398f8]] [[!Sevinne’s Reclamation|02ec5dc4-a40d-41d4-ba50-47c494632037]]>> There are a number of cards across black and white that can return creatures or permanents with mana value 3 or less from the graveyard to the battlefield. Tiny Reanimator decks grind the opponent out with an army of these smaller creatures. *** #### Value Reanimator <<[[!Virtue of Persistence|f1e5cafb-b0e6-4ee5-8c58-6f8e5ef2b9da]] [[!Liliana, Death’s Majesty|40d8f490-f04d-4d59-9ab0-a977527fd529]] [[!Emperor of Bones|df9d9075-2d1e-4848-b661-816d539e05eb]] [[!Trumpeting Carnosaur|edc035ca-f0a3-4814-9405-d6dc6f048315]]>> This is the version of this deck that brings back [[large creatures|95c14c4d-6c16-4826-8d93-d89ad04aee09]] with cards like Virtue or Liliana and tends to come in the form of a Ramp/Rock deck, or a Control deck. Virtue in particular can be a one card, value reanimator engine. *** ## Spells Matter {U}{R} / {B}{W} The spells matter archetype plays lots of instants and sorceries as well as cards that care about casting them. *** #### “Delver” <<[[!Dragon’s Rage Channeler|4ced112a-e775-4f97-97b3-74877e9dce12]] [[!Mana Leak|247939d9-87e9-4f01-b223-fb4cfa7dbbe1]] [[!Brainstorm|11d27509-07c2-4445-a1d5-e56523fb8566]] [[!Brazen Borrower|c2089ec9-0665-448f-bfe9-d181de127814]]>> Delver is a tempo style spells matter deck. Your early threats care about casting spells, and your answers fuel these while keeping the opponent on the backfoot until you can win. *** #### Attrition Spells Matter <<[[!Chandra, Hope’s Beacon|a146ea07-ec1c-448d-b67a-dd9f9e27c2e0]] [[!Prismari Command|866b7fd4-86e3-4b42-b1ea-33bad0db1f9f]] [[!Counterspell|ffdf9d2a-c163-43df-9a2f-20b8749c86ae]] [[!Preordain|fa6a22a2-2c97-4279-a7c8-4033698ac108]]>> Spells decks also lend themselves to grindy midrange and control decks. These tend to use higher curving payoffs and are more likely to splash white or black for access to more board clearing effects. *** ## Stompy {G} / {W}{U}{R}{B} <<[[!Mawloc]] [[!Ignoble Hierarch|9417f14c-a853-42c6-a992-29139484260a]] [[!Bloodbraid Elf|81c46232-bfd6-4661-953d-84f31ed94a9a]] [[!Goldspan Dragon|9d914868-9000-4df2-a818-0ef8a7f636ae]]>> The stompy archetype is about using [[manadorks|9417f14c-a853-42c6-a992-29139484260a]] to cast [[midrange threats|808a3770-057a-4985-ba5c-870d7b1cd527]] ahead of curve to take over the game. They differ from a traditional ramp deck in that they are more about playing three, four, and five drops faster than normal rather than the larger creatures ramp decks want to cast. *** ## Tempo {U} / {W}{B}{R} <<[[!Remand|69001c08-2541-47e3-8343-2e5089a9b193]] [[!Cryptic Command|02fe76b0-86eb-4f5b-8877-657cb8a37fc3]] [[!Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student|2a717b98-cdac-416d-bf6c-f6b6638e65d1]] [[!Tishana’s Tidebinder|907b3d1d-8c85-4707-80b5-c4d832df9846]]>> There are Ux tempo decks which don’t lean into any of the other archetypes in the format. These all aspire to play early threats and use answers to disrupt the opponent just long enough to win. *** ## Tokens {W}{R}{G}{B} The tokens archetype is the quintessential go-wide strategy in this cube. Overwhelm the opponent with too many attackers to block, or pump the entire board to go for the kill. *** #### Tokens <<[[!Esika’s Chariot|57a7d7e5-428d-4f42-8f13-9908fc65dcb4]] [[!Virtue of Loyalty|ea7e7daf-7c06-4c74-8bcf-e42c1f611861]] [[!Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon|7fc97d16-c54c-4a2b-9691-39e8a41c7777]] [[!The Wandering Emperor|fab2d8a9-ab4c-4225-a570-22636293c17d]]>> Go wider than the opponent and take over the game with [board pumping effects](ea7e7daf-7c06-4c74-8bcf-e42c1f611861) or [other payoffs for multiple creatures](7bbfd905-8c71-4389-9174-6e84bcbcf05c) *** #### Drain Tokens <<[[!Blood Artist|2e1fb442-68ff-4249-8e44-87edf6fae211]] [[!Bitterblossom|349f13c9-9a4e-4460-873e-fec58798646c]] [[!Lingering Souls|278e97cf-312d-4e9e-bc39-023f4e547121]] [[!Sanguine Evalgelist|269ddd84-fdc4-4c94-b183-32ecec56967c]]>> The drain based tokens deck leverages [[death triggers|2e1fb442-68ff-4249-8e44-87edf6fae211]] in black to force a no win situation by attacking with tokens to force damage through and kill the opponent. *** #### Esika’s Chariot <<[[!Gruff Triplets|f8760ab9-ac76-4e2e-b82f-0ee2a6dc5634]] [[!Vaultborn Tyrant|62b3f560-262b-4bc3-9aef-535fd7082c28]] [[!Esika’s Chariot|57a7d7e5-428d-4f42-8f13-9908fc65dcb4]] [[!Ob Nixilis, the Adversary|5bb93677-12a7-489c-a88a-0963dc5f3f1d]]>> Chariot is such a cool card that it is worth highlighting a couple unique tokens it can copy. [[Esika’s Chariot]] + [[Ob Nixilis, the Adversary]] feels like cheating the first time it happens, but the X value for the token is copied, resulting in an army of Mob Nixilis tokens. Vaultborn and Gruff Triplets are more straightforward, but explosive to pull off. *** ## Winota {W}{R} / {G} <<[[!Winota, Joiner of Forces|5dd13a6c-23d3-44ce-a628-cb1c19d777c4]] [[!Hero of Bladehold|8536e50d-81b3-4b1d-9469-22fad35fe145]] [[!Blade Splicer|b8e56a28-713b-4a13-a601-1128cf117539]] [[!Bomat Courier|425bff89-ad15-4d22-bce9-a4a07dbafd87]]>> The Winota archetype centers all around the namesake card. She requires a deck that’s split between human and non-human creatures to overwhelm the opponent with a tide of humans from the deck. Prioritize [[larger humans|2eb6fc54-77e7-4e90-abc9-fd88581b57bf]] and [[lower MV non-humans|24e58478-c6a8-4f86-854a-a489c99bd777]] to maximize her potential. ***