>>># Welcome to The Peon Cube!<<< This is a peasant cube that I made because having a cube is pretty cool, but rares are pretty expensive. My goal with this cube was to create an environment full of high synergy without the strict railroading issues some archetype-focused cubes can run into. To achieve this goal, the cube ironically has 20 prepared archetypes, two per color pair. However, each color is filled with enough staples that traditional aggro, midrange, and control decks will throw out just as strong of a punch as any archetype-focused deck. >>># Archetype Guides<<< >>>### {W} Azorious {U}<<< >>>#### Fliers<<< >>><<[[!Battle Screech]][[!Empyrean Eagle]][[!Favorable Winds]][[!Frost Trickster]]>><<< This is a tried and true archetype used in every core set known to man. It's simple, easy, and effective. Pick creatures with flying. Hit them in the air. It just works. >>>#### Flicker<<< >>><<[[!Ephemerate]][[!Soulherder]][[!Mulldrifter]][[!Reflector Mage]]>><<< If the birds are just a little too aggressive for your taste, this archetype may be for you. With a critical mass of creatures with "enters the battlefield" abilities like [[Wall of Omens]] or [[Mulldrifter]] and a few cards to blink them like [[Soulherder]] or [[Flickerwisp]], you can durdle around accruing value all day. If you survive long enough to get your engines rolling, you can gain an advantage large enough that your opponent will have no way of coming back. >>>### {U} Dimir {B}<<< >>>#### Graveyard Abuse<<< >>><<[[!Looter il-Kor]][[!Waker of Waves]][[!Lazotep Chancellor]][[!Diabolic Servitude]]>><<< This archetype can take many forms based on the exact card packages drafted, but they all share one thing in common: Get cards in the graveyard, and abuse them once they're there. This could be simply filling the graveyard to make a cheap [[Gurmag Angler]] or swinging with a big [[Psychatog]]. It could be discarding a [[Waker of Waves]] to reanimate with [[Diabolic Servitude]] or [[Victimize]]. It could even be amassing a gigantic army with [[Tolarian Winds]] and [[Lazotep Chancellor]]. At the end of the day, if it's using the graveyard, Dimir can abuse it. >>>#### Ninjas<<< >>><<[[!Changeling Outcast]][[!Moon-Circuit Hacker]][[!Ingenious Infiltrator]][[!Curiosity]]>><<< Tempo, Saboteurs, or Ninjas; whatever you call it, this archetype wants one thing, and that is to never be blocked. By using small, evasive creatures like [[Changeling Outcast]] or [[Wingcrafter]], you can chip in for small damage early, or you can gain even more value by swapping in a ninja or slapping on a [[Curiosity]] effect. Smart uses of Ninjutsu to re-use ETB effects like [[Faerie Seer]] and cheap removal can make sure you break down your opponents with damage and value before they can even react. >>>### {B} Rakdos {R}<<< >>>#### Sacrifice<<< >>><<[[!Reassembling Skeleton]][[!Mayhem Devil]][[!Gut, True Soul Zealot]][[!Goblin Bombardment]]>><<< If you've ever seen a 1/1 on your board and really just wanted to eat it or throw it at something, then Rakdos sacrifice may be the archetype for you. The deck usually needs three types of cards: Sacrifice fodder like [[Nested Shambler]] and [[Mogg War Marshall]], sacrifice outlets like [[Carrion Feeder]] and [[Goblin Bombardment]], and finally death payoffs like [[Blood Artist]] and [[Mayhem Devil]]. Gather enough pieces, and you can assemble a chain reaction with only one possible outcome: Death, and a lot of it. >>>#### Madness<<< >>><<[[!/Heir of Falkenrath]][[!Azra Oddsmaker]][[!Blazing Rootwalla]][[!Containment Construct]]>><<< Instead of throwing away the precious resource of creatures, Rakdos can also specialize in throwing away the precious resource of cards. While discarding is usually a downside, the madness ability can instead turn it into a more efficient way to deploy your threats. With enough madness cards and discard outlets, Rakdos can deploy some of the most ahead-of-curve aggressive threats in the cube. >>>### {R} Gruul {G}<<< >>>#### Stomp Fast<<< >>><<[[!Rabbit Battery]][[!Burning-Tree Emissary]][[!Targ Nar, Demon-Fang Gnoll]][[!Strangleroot Geist]]>><<< **Gruul play aggressive creature! Gruul be fast! Gruul attack! Gruul stomp face hard! Gruul keep stomping!** >>>#### Hit Hard<<< >>><<[[!Charging Monstrosaur]][[!Svella, Ice Shaper]][[!Joraga Treespeaker]][[!Plated Crusher]]>><<< Spend some time. Play some land. Play more land. Make a lot of mana. **PLAY MONSTER! HIT! HIT! DEAD!** >>>### {W} Selesnya {G}<<< >>>#### Tokens<<< >>><<[[!Intangible Virtue]][[!Sprout Swarm]][[!Ironroot Warlord]][[!Clarion Spirit]]>><<< Selesnya has the ability to deploy a lot of bodies at once with cards like [[Sprout Swarm]], [[Battle Screech]], and [[Servo Exhibition]]. While these cards may seem innocuous on their own, combining them with anthems like [[Intangible Virtue]] and [[Gaea's Anthem]] can quickly turn them into an insurmountable army. >>>#### +1/+1 Counters<<< >>><<[[!Cytoplast Root-Kin]][[!Curse of Predation]][[!Conclave Mentor]][[!Abzan Falconer]]>><<< Just as well as it can go wide, Selesnya can also go tall. Stacking +1/+1 counters on top of creatures can quickly get out of hand, especially if you can find the right payoffs like [[Wildwood Scourge]], [[Evolution Sage]], or [[Herd Baloth]]. >>>### {W} Orzhov {B}<<< >>>#### Aristocrats<<< >>><<[[!Doomed Traveler]][[!Cruel Celebrant]][[!Blood Artist]][[!Lingering Souls]]>><<< Orzhov aristocrats is basically the classier version of Rakdos sacrifice. While it still uses a combination of sacrifice fodder, outlets, and payoffs, it tends to lean more heavily on the [[Blood Artist]] effects with cards like [[Cruel Celebrant]] added to the mix. Combine that with white's ability to create an army of tokens and a few recursive cards like [[Abiding Grace]] or [[Vesperlark]] and you have a sacrifice deck that is more than willing to play for the long game. >>>#### Life Gain<<< >>><<[[!Soul Warden]][[!Ajani's Pridemate]][[!Markov Purifier]][[!Silversmote Ghoul]]>><<< While some say the best defense is a good offense, that is simply not true with Orzhov. The white/black color combo is great at gaining life, and it can turn that life gained into a powerful weapon. Cards like [[Ajani's Pridemate]] and [[Cleric Class]] reward you by giving you the biggest creatures on the battlefield, [[Silversmote Ghoul]] and [[Markov Purifier]] can help you grind out the mid-game, and [[/Indulging Patrician]] and [[Grey Merchant of Asphodel]] are great for providing the reach needed to finish things out. >>>### {U} Izzet {R}<<< >>>#### Spellslinger Aggro<<< >>><<[[!Pteramander]][[!Sprite Dragon]][[!Young Pyromancer]][[!Firebolt]]>><<< Izzet is a master at casting dozens of tiny spells to annihilate their opponents. Just get some payoffs like [[Sprite Dragon]] or [[Guttersnipe]] on the field and chain together a ton of cantrips like [[Brainstorm]] and [[Preordain]] intersperced with burn spells like [[Lightning Bolt]] and [[Play With Fire]]. Aimed at the face, of course. >>>#### Spellslinger Control<<< >>><<[[!Condescend]][[!Everdream]][[!Rootha, Mercurial Artist]][[!Breath of Darigaaz]]>><<< If you'd rather take your time in the match, Izzet has some spells for that too. The classic [[Counterspell]], [[Lightning Bolt]], and friends can be used to keep a battlefield free of creatures. Add the occasional boardwipe like [[Slice and Dice]] or [[Breath of Darigaaz]] for good measure and you can wait it out until you draw your finishing threat of choice; perhaps a [[Rise From The Tides]] or a slow death with [[Electrostatic Field]]. >>>### {B} Golgari {G}<<< >>>#### Graveyard Value<<< >>><<[[!Stinkweed Imp]][[!Spider Spawning]][[!Grapple with the Past]][[!Timeless Witness]]>><<< As it turns out, in Magic, victory through compost is a legitimate strategy. By spending the early game filling your graveyard, Golgari has the tools to gain you value and game-winning boards. Cards like [[Golgari Thug]] and [[Grisly Salvage]] are important to bring all the boys to the yard. Form there, you can eke out an advantage with cards like [[Masked Admirers]] and [[Timeless Witness]], get big, cheap threats like [[Gurmag Angler]] or a reanimated [[Titanoth Rex]], or make a massive board with [[Spider Spawning]]. >>>#### Morbid<<< >>><<[[!Shriekmaw]][[!Morbid Opportunist]][[!Poison-Tip Archer]][[!Ulvenwald Mysteries]]>><<< Instead of grave digging, Golgari can also help you do some grave filling. The morbid deck can play out similar to Orzhov aristocrats with sacrifice outlets and cards like [[Blood Artist]] and [[Poison-Tip Archer]], but the true power of the deck comes when you're gaining your value by killing your opponent's threats. Cards like [[Deathreap Ritual]] and [[Morbid Opportunist]] don't care whose creatures are dying, just that the graves are being dug. This lets you Play double duty with removal spells, and possibly more with creature removal like [[Shriekmaw]] and [[Bone Shredder]]. >>>### {R} Boros {W}<<< >>>#### Artifact Aggro<<< >>><<[[!Court Homunculus]][[!Arcbound Shikari]][[!Arcbound Tracker]][[!Patchwork Automaton]]>><<< The most traditional aggro archetype in the cube is Boros's marching machines. The cheap artifact threats like [[Court Homunculus]], [[Goldhound]], and [[Signal Pest]] combined with modular creatures like [[Arcbound Prototype]] or [[Arcbound Shikari]] make a strikingly resilient combination. For a polished deck, keep an eye out for all the colorless options. Cards like [[Foundry Inspector]] and the Phyrexian artifacts like [[Spined Thopter]] that everyone has access to are really brought to the next level. >>>#### Equipment<<< >>><<[[!Plate Armor]][[!Bruenor Battlehammer]][[!Fireblade Charger]][[!Colossus Hammer]]>><<< [[Bruenor Battlehammer]] or [[Kazuul's Toll Collector]] + [[Colossus Hammer]] = big bonk. No big hammer? No matter. Try small hammer. [[Kor Blademaster]] + [[Loxodon Warhammer]] = bonk too. [[Koll, the Forgemaster]] = eternal bonk and [[Bronzeplate Boar]] = boar bonk. >>>### {G} Simic {U}<<< >>>#### Ramp<<< >>><<[[!Beanstalk Giant]][[!Tatyova, Benthic Druid]][[!Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty]][[!Capsize]]>><<< If Simic is good at one thing, it's lands. If lands are good at one thing, it's making mana. If you want to go truly big, this is probably the best way to do it. Play ramp like [[Rampant Growth]] and [[Cultivate]] and compliment it with some landfall like [[Tatyova, Benthic Druid]] and [[Tireless Provisioner]]. Finally, this is probably the only deck where you'll be able to hard cast the giants like [[Waker of Waves]] or [[Artisan of Kozilek]], or you can get spicy and return your opponent's everything to hand with [[Capsize]]. >>>#### Flash<<< >>><<[[!Wilderness Reclamation]][[!Brineborn Cutthroat]][[!Frilled Mystic]][[!Great Oak Guardian]]>><<< The flash plan is a rather unique one in this cube. If you manage to fill your deck with enough instants and flash cards, you will be able to pass your turn and wait to make every move on your opponent's end steps when you have full information. This deck usually uses a lot of counterspells like [[Miscalculation]] and [[Condescend]]. Creatures with mana sinks like [[Spectral Sailor]] and [[Duskwatch Recruiter]] are also perfect to make sure you can use all your mana each turn if you don't have to counter anything. In fact, this is also the best place to play werewolves like [[Hound Tamer]] since you will consistently pass your turn and make it night. Finally, make sure to pick up a [[Wilderness Reclamation]] if you see one. Playing out your hand and still having mana for flash shenanigans on your opponent's turn is truly *flashy*.