Cloned from [Bodleian Cube](/c/61454789685c83106293be3c) ## 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. #### Aggro-Control - Tempo & Reactive Aggro-Control 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} The aggro archetype use efficient, [[low cost threats|3c0f5411-1940-410f-96ce-6f92513f753a]] 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. *** ### Red Deck Wins {R} <<[[!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]]>> Red and 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. Overwhelm the opponent with one drops and use [[curve toppers|7bbfd905-8c71-4389-9174-6e84bcbcf05c]] to provide reach against stabilized boards. *** ### White Weenie {W} <<[[!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]]>> White and 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 more [[disruption|9d3a7998-ccac-45ad-a4e9-3a2cb057f63b]]. This clears the way for highly efficient creatures and planeswalkers to kill the opponent quickly. Prioritize white removal in the draft, the other white decks want it too. *** ### Boros Aggro {W}{R} <<[[!Kytheon, Hero of Akros|58c39df6-b237-40d1-bdcb-2fe5d05392a9]] [[!Inti, Seneschal of the Sun|fa7a55aa-ae61-4933-b7a4-dcc55dac6fcd]] [[!Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon|7fc97d16-c54c-4a2b-9691-39e8a41c7777]] [[!Elesh Norn|d8999135-ddb1-4e4c-b885-e25f23dac3d3]]>> Boros is the premier aggro deck in this cube. The untapped fixing is good enough that a deck can reliably cast one drops of multiple colors on curve. Prioritizing fixing in certain packs is frequently worth getting access to an entire second color of proactive threats. There are a lot of directions this deck can go, but all of them 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]] [[!Blood Artist|2e1fb442-68ff-4249-8e44-87edf6fae211]] [[!Forsaken Miner|1679f74d-00f8-436c-9f8c-aa3f843a546c]]>> The aggressive version of aristocrats seeks to take over the game early with strong, low curve threats then drain the opponent for victory using Blood Artist effects. Prioritize proactive threats that also work as engine pieces in the draft. *** #### 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]]>> There are lots of ways to commit crimes in magic. Aristocrats decks are uniquely setup to do this on a repeated basis. 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. *** #### Splashing {G} <<[[!Grist, the Hunger Tide|808a3770-057a-4985-ba5c-870d7b1cd527]] [[!Meren of Clan Nel Toth|17d6703c-ad79-457b-a1b5-c2284e363085]] [[!Esika’s Chariot|57a7d7e5-428d-4f42-8f13-9908fc65dcb4]] [[!Ob Nixilis, the Adversary|5bb93677-12a7-489c-a88a-0963dc5f3f1d]]>> Powerful token generators and recursive engines in green make for good splashes in the aristocrats deck. [[Esika’s Chariot]] + [[Ob Nixilis, the Adversary]] is a particularly potent combo when it comes together. *** ## Control {U}{W}{B} / {R} The control archetype is all about disrupting the opponents plan and winning with inevitability. Use [[counterspells|ffdf9d2a-c163-43df-9a2f-20b8749c86ae]] and [[removal|23b95b26-0bbf-4fa1-80c1-f621f1a1b947]] to stop the opponents gameplan, then win the game with [[card advantage|9914fb69-ebe8-469a-953a-763d89deb810]] and a few [[powerful threats|5d10b752-d9cb-419d-a5c4-d4ee1acb655e]]. *** #### 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. *** #### Splashing {R} <<[[!Lightning Bolt|4eaac4fd-95f5-4f38-b593-0101e79a20f9]] [[!Faithless Looting|b78f314a-a7c2-4441-9d46-67521ad570ba]] [[!Chandra, Torch of Defiance|c7bbb911-9de2-455d-9677-e1004db65dbd]] [[!Nicol Bolas, the Ravager|7b215968-93a6-4278-ac61-4e3e8c3c3943]]>> Grixis and Jeskai control lists are both powerful options.This can add a spells matter subtheme to the control deck, or just incorporate powerful red cards into the list for efficient removal. [[Nicol Bolas|7b215968-93a6-4278-ac61-4e3e8c3c3943]] is best within this Grixis control shell, and is one of the coolest cards in the cube. *** ## Flicker {W}{U} / {G}{R}{B} The flicker archetype is all about gaining value by repeating ETB [[triggers|ec18fa41-6948-4d94-8dcc-31fb63fb53ec]] with [[flicker effects|e5434026-a606-41df-8dfd-23694040b488]]. This can be incidental value from one time flicker effects or an entire engine that flickers creatures every turn. *** #### Flicker Aggro-Control <<[[!Elite Spellbinder|9d3a7998-ccac-45ad-a4e9-3a2cb057f63b]] [[!Twining Twins|38708b07-df7d-4ea4-b10e-ead7cd03d849]] [[!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 <<[[!Soulherder|e5434026-a606-41df-8dfd-23694040b488]] [[!Remand|69001c08-2541-47e3-8343-2e5089a9b193]] [[!Urza, Lord High Artificer|81329329-0154-4f89-a476-a54112dfa0b7]] [[!Skyclave Apparition|b83cfbaa-7890-4f6f-878b-4edb45677371]]>> The attrition based flicker deck uses [[removal|cc9ece2f-7eda-4fc5-a562-3e16e71560e9]] and counterspells to stop early threats then builds an engine to provide inevitability. *** ## Graveyard {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} This archetype is all about recurring creatures from the graveyard to overwhelm the opponent with value. These decks occur across the whole spectrum of colors and speeds within the cube and combine well with lots of other archetypes. *** #### “Jund” <<[[!Tarmogoyf|69daba76-96e8-4bcc-ab79-2f00189ad8fb]] [[!Bloodghast|63870c81-63bf-4a9a-aeb5-74c6eaded9f1]] [[!Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger|6186ca35-4d28-4176-aaff-5b384a688aa6]] [[!Serra Paragon|ce295f1e-fb31-4275-a5d3-8c6f29afff40]]>> Jund is not just a color combination, it is also a strategy. This is a proactive deck which uses the graveyard as a resource. Every card is a good topdeck and the threats do not stay dead for long. *** #### 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. *** #### Value Reanimator <<[[!Virtue of Persistence|f1e5cafb-b0e6-4ee5-8c58-6f8e5ef2b9da]] [[!Liliana, Death’s Majesty|40d8f490-f04d-4d59-9ab0-a977527fd529]] [[!Guardian Scalelord|94716d24-e8c6-4cd2-a3ac-20cdb929bfd4]] [[!Meren of Clan Nel Tothl|17d6703c-ad79-457b-a1b5-c2284e363085]]>> Dedicated cheat decks are not supported in the Bodleian Cube. Value Reanimator decks can recur threats from the graveyard but lack the “all in '', combo game plan that a reanimator deck in a powered vintage cube would have. The version of this deck that brings back [[large creatures|95c14c4d-6c16-4826-8d93-d89ad04aee09]] with cards like Virtue or Liliana 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. There’s also a version of this deck that focuses on bringing back smaller creatures with cards like Scalelord and Meren. This still provides a big mana advantage, but trades some explosiveness for some reliability when compared to the bigger version of the deck. *** ## 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]]. *** #### Stompy Lands <<[[!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]]>> This deck is a stompy list that specifically uses cards which interact with lands and the graveyard. 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. *** ## 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 an aggro-control 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} 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|f857bbe4-5619-4733-a0c7-69700f2ef4f3]] [[ramp spells|73f27b75-d400-46fd-acec-6b55a1e801ee]] are key to getting ahead enough of the typical mana curve to have high impact. *** #### Gx Ramp <<[[!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]]>> Green provides the tools to get multiple turns ahead on mana as well as premium threats to ramp out. What it lacks in interaction can be made up for by incorporation one or more other colors into a ramp deck. The [[“checkpoint”|45f763af-5a6a-404c-8e8c-4dbed71277bc]] cards that are hard to kill and add multiple mana are key to getting up the curve quickly. *** #### Five Color Ramp <<[[!Birds of Paradise|82ef6d6c-db50-4d24-8ebd-311613ddef06]] [[!Atraxa, Grand Unifier|e51e5d02-d3d0-45e5-a589-1fe25ff5082b]] [[!Coalition Relic|73f27b75-d400-46fd-acec-6b55a1e801ee]] [[!Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath|6f3b4542-bf78-4450-a4e0-bf757445c3c3]]>> Access to mana acceleration that can also fix colors makes ramp an ideal deck to take advantage of the best cards in all five colors. This deck requires a lot of picks dedicated to fixing but hardcasting any card in the cube is a great payoff. *** ### Cheat {U}{B}{G} <<[[!Virtue of Persistence|f1e5cafb-b0e6-4ee5-8c58-6f8e5ef2b9da]] [[!Liliana, Death’s Majesty|40d8f490-f04d-4d59-9ab0-a977527fd529]] [[!Eldritch Evolution|efcb00e5-2caa-45c8-ad19-05d45c683d16]] [[!Show and Tell|fa7b7897-36e0-415a-8bb7-602886164852]]>> There are no dedicated cheat decks in the Bodleian Cube. Ramp decks already want big creatures to ramp out, so they are great at taking advantage of the cards that can recur big creatures from the graveyard, get them from your deck, or drop them from hand. The addition of these cards to a ramp deck allows for some extra explosive plays. *** ## 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. The key component to drafting this archetype is to prioritize good spells over good payoffs. [[Lightning Bolt]] and [[Counterspell]] are always desirable, too many [[spells payoffs|f1a21287-e244-4960-84fb-c4f6e5c346d9]] with not enough spells will not provide the same benefit. *** #### Aggro-Control Spells <<[[!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]]>> Tempo and spells play together naturally by giving your answers additional upside with [[spells matter threats|7054012b-4f9d-44a0-aaf9-7fd3bddc7b2d]]. Keep the opponent on the backfoot with answers until victory is achieved. *** #### Spells Control <<[[!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 control uses blue for card draw and counterspells, red for removal, and [[spells payoffs|a146ea07-ec1c-448d-b67a-dd9f9e27c2e0]] to close out the game. *** #### Splashing {B} or {W} <<[[!Damnation|dca972d7-fcf8-4ac4-a98b-fffb2fbb4dbc]] [[!Infernal Grasp|0655bae1-d33b-4bac-856a-ca4518f192e8]] [[!Day of Judgement|5bf85d00-52cc-4594-b4fd-5ec424210524]] [[!Swords to Plowshares|cc9ece2f-7eda-4fc5-a562-3e16e71560e9]]>> Black and White are both excellent third colors for spells decks. They can provide wrath options for control and access to more effective spot removal for all versions of the deck. *** ## Stompy {G} / {W}{U}{R}{B} 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. *** #### Stompy <<[[!Mawloc]] [[!Ignoble Hierarch|9417f14c-a853-42c6-a992-29139484260a]] [[!Bloodbraid Elf|81c46232-bfd6-4661-953d-84f31ed94a9a]] [[!Goldspan Dragon|9d914868-9000-4df2-a818-0ef8a7f636ae]]>> Stompy is a highly effective midrange deck with [[threats|81c46232-bfd6-4661-953d-84f31ed94a9a]] that end games quickly. It will want access to removal from at least one of the Mardu colors to shine, but green’s fixing gives the drafter a lot of options for the specific direction to take this deck. *** ## 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. *** #### Aggressive Tokens <<[[!Adeline, Resplendent Cathar|18092f68-b96e-4084-9eba-b240d2195d81]] [[!Hero of Bladehold|8536e50d-81b3-4b1d-9469-22fad35fe145]] [[!Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin|37ed04d3-cfa1-4778-aea6-b4c2c29e6e0a]] [[!Kari Zev, Skyship Raider|72495879-39ce-449d-ad2f-ef32ea46f3aa]]>> The aggressive slanted tokens deck is centered in Boros and is the fastest version of the tokens deck. It plays the low cost [[token generating threats|72495879-39ce-449d-ad2f-ef32ea46f3aa]] and closes games with powerful [[top end|8536e50d-81b3-4b1d-9469-22fad35fe145]] threats which overwhelm the opponent. *** #### Stompy 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]]>> Access to green mana dorks can create a token deck that gets its threats out ahead of curve. This deck plays good token generators and cards which benefit from having tokens or an otherwise wide board. *** #### 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. *** ## Packages Archetypes and packages are often used interchangeably. The distinction between them for the Bodleian Cube is that Archetypes are broadly supported while packages consist of a few cards which add texture to an existing deck. As a result, the packages also come together less frequently based on the density of their effects in the 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 package makes use of cards that care about artifacts as well as good artifacts. There is not a mono-artifact deck in the Bodleian Cube, but artifacts can be added as a subtheme in a variety of decks throughout the cube. This package requires the key cards such as Urza or Stoneforge to come together. *** ### [[Counters]] {W}{R}{G} <<[[!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. *** ### Legends {W}{R} <<[[!Flowering of the White Tree|2203b2cd-48e5-471a-85fe-dc81012e5d61]] [[!Merry, Esquire of Rohan|d9d21bce-a381-4c5d-9e0f-b2cdc96a20b6]] [[!Adeline, Resplendent Cathar|18092f68-b96e-4084-9eba-b240d2195d81]] [[!Andúril, Flame of the West|7e7b9eea-a224-4db1-a089-cb385f7af20c]]>> The legends package in Boros pays off the drafter for using legendary creatures. There are only a handful of payoffs, but these are enough to give a different texture to a WR aggro or midrange shell and provide some significant threats when built around. Anduril in particular feels like cheating when equipped to a legendary creature. *** #### Lurrus <<[[!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. *** ### Self Mill {U} <<[[!Jace, Wielder of Mysteries|6adb7d73-4482-4930-8497-cffd169b57e2]] [[!Occult Epiphany|6920c895-bc98-4871-a53f-219fa27a74e5]] [[!Nexus of Fate|f163cfbf-6df6-4af5-9fe4-23b0d511586a]] [[!Shelldock Isle|4216656e-90e8-45fc-a0f6-0d0d79d0a021]]>> The self mill package combines well into attrition based decks in the cube. Using Jace and/or Nexus of Fate, this deck can win the game by milling all of the cards from its library. Keep in mind that this is not a turbo self mill strategy, it’s an alternative win condition for attrition or controlling decks. *** ### Soul Cauldron {W}{B}{G} / {R} <<[[!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 creates a package 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. *** ### 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 is a minor package that 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. *** Old Cube Overview (Not packages/alphabetically) ## Design Philosophy: The Bodleian Cube is a nexus of synergistic and interactive game play. The archetypes in this unpowered, eternal cube are designed to be numerous with high synergy and significant overlap while the density of removal provides ample opportunity to disrupt the opponent's plans. While there are many powerful cards in the Bodleian Cube, cards powerful enough to invalidate the archetypes are intentionally excluded. To further facilitate synergy in the draft, each player starts with a copy of [[Cogwork Librarian]]. ***