>>> # Old Man Cube <<< >>> ### A nostalgic draft experience with a twist <<< --- >>> #### This cube was featured at Washington Cube Champs 2024! <<< --- This is an old border cube that emphasizes fair and synergistic Magic. With this cube I have tried to capture the feeling of playing Magic in the early 2000s, while adding some unique gameplay through a sprinkling of new retro frame cards that I feel play well with the old cards or fit specific themes I am trying to include. Why limit this cube to old border? I think the cards are prettier and having a consistent aesthetic helps evoke the Onslaught-era vibe. And I like the cards better. Yes, there are a ton of terrible and awkward old cards, but there are also a lot of simple cards with elegant designs. There are a lot more synergies in this cube than might appear at first glance. Drafters are strongly rewarded for taking advantage of synergies between specific cards, but I also try to ensure "midrange good stuff" is playable as well. --- **Cube Design Rules:** - Old frame only - Singleton (except for lands) - No proxies **Design Philosophies & Goals:** - Emphasize "fair" Magic, while still allowing for powerful synergies if you put the work in - The cube is targeted at players with at least moderate drafting skill who have a good knowledge of older cards - 3 color decks are possible, but not always easy to draft - Some tribal is supported, but usually as a way to pick up some synergies instead of as a full deck strategy - "Auto-pick" cards should be nonexistent (this does not mean there are not powerful cards - just that they should require some work to fully utilize) - "Build-around" cards are fun! They should be included as long as the cube does not get too diluted - As much as possible, the specific card versions in the cube should: - Have beautiful art ([[Priest of Titania|965c33c3-0c68-4516-b8b0-5a0552ed44b6]]) - Be the most understandable printed version that exists ([[Control Magic|56e72fec-76eb-445d-854d-a269872ba05a]] instead of [[Control Magic|d8ab7fb5-9903-4723-a4a0-d142ef3aae8e]]) - Avoid extraneous text ([[Sram, Master Edificer|adc08ef6-61fc-4d01-a78b-df0cf99585d9]] ~~is~~ was an example that breaks this rule - there are no Vehicles in the cube.) **Design Challenges:** - It's hard to find interesting white cards. I've tried to make white decent at "doing everything" and also supporting an enchantress strategy when paired with green. - Multicolor cards are few and far between for some color pairs. This is getting better as more retro frame cards are printed, but {R}{W} in particular is still challenging. - Red creatures kinda suck. They are either terrible old Goblins, or overpowered [[Goblin Rabblemaster]] reprints. I am trying to find a balance that makes red creatures playable without having overpowered bombs included. - The mana curve is higher than I'd like. This is partially because low CMC old frame cards are generally pretty weak, and I really enjoy having some of the more powerful midrange cards in the cube. Not sure what to do about this, but I may experiment with cutting a significant number of the top end costed cards at some point. --- >>> # Archetypes and Themes <<< >>> ## 2-Color Archetypes <<< These are the archetypes I have often seen in each color. There is usually at least one deck each draft that surprises me, so this shouldn't be considered an exhaustive list of the "correct" way to draft the cube. ### {W}{U} Fliers / Control ### {U}{B} Control / Reanimator (value) ### {B}{R} Reanimator (Value) / Aggro ### {R}{G} Stompy ### {G}{W} Enchantress ### {W}{B} Efficient Removal ### {B}{G} Graveyard Stuff / Midrange ### {G}{U} Tempo / Big Mana ### {U}{R} Spells ### {R}{W} Aggro --- >>> ## **Tribal Archetypes** <<< Tribes are supported but not required for a good deck. Not every color has tribal support. **Supported Tribes** # of mana symbols shows how heavily the tribe is supported {w}: Clerics (very light support - only 2 cards care: [[Rotlung Reanimator]] and [[Cabal Archon]]) {b}{b}: Zombies {r}{r}{r}: Goblins {g}{g}: Elves You *can* build decks around these tribes, but usually will just pick up a few tribal creatures for synergies. **Note:** The following cards have relevant creature types that are not printed on the card: - [[Coffin Queen]] - Zombie - [[Goblin King]] - Goblin (and affects *other* Goblins) - [[Elvish Champion]] - Elf (and affects *other* Elves) - [[Karmic Guide]] - Angel (can't target with [[Restoration Angel]]) --- >>> ## **Retro Frame Wishlist** <<< These are the cards I actively hope get a retro frame print at some point so they can go in the cube: [[Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth]] - Sick old school flavor, adds another reason to bring back [[Crop Rotation]], and does fun stuff with [[Drain Life]], [[Crypt Rats]], and maybe some Swampwalk stuff [[Elvish Visionary]] - Simple, clean, is bananas with [[Wirewood Symbiote]] [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] - I'd like to have some decent taxing effects in {w}. Current options (i.e. [[Glowrider]]) are just not appealing enough. I'd also like to see [[Vryn Wingmare]] alongside Thalia, but probably wouldn't add it by itself. [[Ulcerate]]/[[Disfigure]]/[[Fell]]/[[Dead Weight]] - 1-2 more removal spells that don't say "non-black" would be nice [[Tarmogoyf]] - This is a maybe, but it feels old and iconic, and is probably fairly strong here --- Original list was based on this cube, but *quite* a lot has changed: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/old_border Interesting list of cards to consider for the cube: [Morph Cards](https://scryfall.com/search?q=is%3Aold+game%3Apaper+o%3Amorph&unique=cards&as=grid&order=color) [Madness Cards](https://scryfall.com/search?q=is%3Aold+oracle%3Amadness) [Discard Outlets](https://scryfall.com/search?q=is%3Aold+oracle%3A%22discard+a+card%3A%22&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name) [Saprolings](https://scryfall.com/search?q=is%3Aold+game%3Apaper+%28o%3A%22saproling%22+or+o%3A%22thallid%22+or+t%3Athallid+or+o%3A%22spore+counter%22%29&order=color&as=grid&unique=cards) [Good Artists](https://scryfall.com/search?q=%28artist%3A%22rebecca+guay%22+or+artist%3A%22john+avon%22+or+artist%3A%22kev+walker%22+or+artist%3A%22terese+nielsen%22+or+artist%3A%22nils+hamm%22+or+artist%3A%22seb+mckinnon%22+or+artist%3A%22quintin+hoover%22+or+artist%3A%22richard+kane+ferguson%22+or+artist%3A%22christopher+rush%22%29+and+game%3Apaper+border%3Ablack&unique=art&as=grid&order=name) [Cards that prevent lifegain - works with [[Laquatus' Champion]]](https://scryfall.com/search?q=ci%3C%3Drb+is%3Aold+game%3Apaper+%28o%3A%22no+life%22+or+o%3A%22can%27t+gain+life%22+or+o%3A%2Fgain+life.*instead%2F%29&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name) ~~[Cycling cards / enablers](https://scryfall.com/search?q=is%3Aold+game%3Apaper+%28o%3Acycling+or+o%3A%2Fwhenever+%28you%7Ca+player%29+%28discard%7Ccycle%29%2F%29+-necropotence&order=released&dir=desc)~~ ~~[Aluren / Cavern Harpy Combo Creatures](https://scryfall.com/search?q=cmc%3C%3D3+type%3Acreature+o%3A%22enters+the+battlefield%22+%28c%3Au+or+c%3Ab%29+is%3Aold+game%3Apaper&order=color&dir=desc&as=grid&unique=cards)~~ Newly printed old frame cards: https://scryfall.com/search?q=is%3Aold+year%3E%3D2022+language%3Aenglish+new%3Aframe&unique=cards&as=grid&order=released&dir=desc