>>> *“The blessing is not the strength itself, but the knowledge of how to use it.”* <<< --- >>> # Intro <<< Welcome to my cube! My goals are the following: * Support a healthy combination of aggro, midrange and control decks * Enable players to actually play the game with an emphasis on driving the average MV low while including modal spells and promoting interaction * Combat the inherent inconsistency of a singleton cube while still preserving the feel and variability of the drafting process --- >>> # Card Inclusion Philosophy <<< >>> ## Individual Card Quality <<< The simplest criteria for inclusion and the one that requires the least explanation. A card strong enough in a vacuum to warrant being added to a high-powered legacy cube environment usually gets tested or added to the list of cards to eventually get and include. However due to the focus on playing to the board, some cards that are good enough end up excluded due to creating polarizing gameplay states. >>> ## Critical Mass Archetypes <<< Many decks require both quantity and quality in their cards in order to function. For aggro decks specifically, this means that a number of {1} MV and {2} MV creatures that may not have otherwise been included in the cube on the basis of power level alone need to be present in order for these decks to function. [[Goblin Guide]] isn't comparable in raw power level to [[Craterhoof Behemoth]], but both spells need to be present in order for their respective decks to work. A card can be eligible for inclusion in the cube even if its individual card quality isn't in the highest tier as long as the decks that do need the card require it enough that N number of similar cards are necessary. (See [[Rabbit Battery]] or [[Adanto Vanguard]]). However, I have taken steps to ensure that the {1} and {2} MV creatures present in the cube support a variety of archetypes and have engaging play patterns so as to not flood the cube with linear aggro creatures. >>> ## Card Modality <<< Knowing that you'll see every card in an 8-person draft encourages me to look at including more modal cards in order to avoid the same sideboard cards being picked last every time. They do need to be roughly powerful enough to warrant their inclusion, but currently cards like [[Knight of Autumn]] represent a baseline for me - a card with three modes that are reasonably costed and worth playing in the same deck. MDFCS, cards with cycling or channel and spells with abilities that can be used in different or extended ways (such as overload or cleave) are also worth looking at if their modes can reasonably stand on their own in power. >>> ## Outliers <<< Currently [[Umezawa's Jitte]], [[Hymn to Tourach]], [[Gaea's Cradle]], [[Balance]], [[Mana Drain]] and, perhaps most egregiously, [[Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes]] represent the highest individually powerful cards in the cube. They are either so individually effective as to be immediate first picks or powerful enough to warp any game around them when they are played. These cards remain in the cube primarily because I think they're exciting to open in a draft and fun to play with, but I'm aware of how their inclusion can create poor play patterns and they aren't guaranteed to stay in the cube. >>> ## {W} {U} {B} {R} {G} <<< Gold cards generally need to meet the following criteria: - be efficient - reinforce archetypes or possibilities open to that color pair - provide an appealing reason to draft those colors >>> ## Average MV <<< My goal is to keep this as low as possible while still having higher MV spells that are interesting both to draft and to cast. Average MV doesn't tell the whole story, but it is a valuable metric to ensure that cards can be reasonably expected to be cast in an average paced game. --- >>> # Archetypes <<< NOTE: The approach I take to archetypes in my cube is more of a light touch. Pushing archetypes while maintaining a high individual card quality can be difficult because many traditionally archetype defining cards fare poorly in the face of efficient removal and powerful threats. Because of this, most archetypes are built to supplement the three pillars of aggro, control and midrange as opposed to being an all-in combo strategy. >>> **Lands** Primary: {G}, Secondary: {R} <<< >>> **Blink** Primary: {W}, Secondary: {U} <<< >>> **Spellslinger** Primary: {U}{R}, Secondary: {W}, Tertiary: {B}{G} <<< >>> **+1/+1 Counters** Primary: {G}{W} <<< >>> **Equipment** Primary: {W}{R} <<< --- >>> ### TODO <<< * Create a reference sheet for abilities such as Boast, Blitz, Investigate, Protection, Evoke, Fading, Vanishing, Enlist, Modified, Channel, Sagas, Adventure, Ninjutsu, Manifest, Delve, etc. --- >>> ## Areas of Concern <<< * Is the prevalence of removal too high? * The cube is currently 1/3rd creatures - is that too low? * I'm interested in including more {1} and {2} MV creatures that help define potential archetypes - are there any interesting ones I've missed? * There are a number of powerful artifacts and enchantments. Are there enough removal spells to deal with these? * Without Combo to curtail Midrange, is playing Control too difficult? Aggro decks are much stronger in the current iteration of my cube and Midrange benefits from the many ways to accrue value while Control can feel left behind. --- >>> ## Notable Exclusions <<< __Combo__ [[Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker]], [[Splinter Twin]] & friends (with the exception of [[Restoration Angel]]) [[Sneak Attack]] & [[Show and Tell]] [[Tinker]] and company [[Entomb]] ([[Reanimate]] is present but intended to be cast for value) __Mana Positive Spells and Lands__ [[Sol Ring]] [[Mana Vault]] & [[Mana Crypt]] [[Ancient Tomb]] __Notable Creatures and Walkers__ [[True-Name Nemesis]] & [[Knight of the Kitchen Sink]] [[Arcane Savant]] & [[Clocknapper]] [[Weathered Sentinels]] [[Oko, Thief of Crowns]] __Cube Staples__ [[Upheaval]] [[Mind Twist]] [[Opposition]] __Initiative__ [[Seasoned Dungeoneer]] [[White Plume Adventurer]] [[Undermountain Adventurer]] [[Caves of Chaos Adventurer]] [[Passageway Seer]] ... and the rest --- >>> *The person who finishes a journey is rarely the same as the one who starts it.* <<<