>>>**WELCOME TO UNLIMITED MTG's SYNERGY CUBE!**<<< >>>{w}{u}{b}{r}{g}<<< >>>**DESCRIPTION**<<< >>>To sum it up, this is my take on @gannoncd's Powered Synergy Cube. It's a cube focused on synergy and value. Stand-alone game-winning cards are rather rare in the list.<<< >>>Don't limit yourself to the archetypes listed below! A cube like this has a lot of possibilities. The archetypes and strategies that are mentioned below are just suggestions and I am also not writing down all the possible archetypes of the cube. If you've been playing MTG for a while and consider yourself a connoisseur, you definitely don't need this type of guide. Go directly to the full cube list or just try out a draft and see where your picks take you. From here, this overview is meant for readers that want to depthen their knowledge of MTG, specifically around this Cube.<<< >>>There's a list of Combos and cool card interactions below the "Archetypes" section, as well as some more info about the cube, if you're interested. For now, let's get to the fun part!<<< >>>**ARCHETYPES**<<< Most archetypes are well known or self-explanatory, but I would like to comment on most of them anyway, since I like to invite people to play with the cube. Although this cube is meant for experienced players, many not very experienced players have drafted this, so I want this overview to be as thorough as possible, to reward interest and knowledge during the drafts. * **Changelings** {w}{u}{b}{r}{g} Changelings are creatures with ALL creature types. The idea is to create synergies based on that quality with cards like [[Magda, Brazen Outlaw]] or [[Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]]. Changelings are mostly in the list as support for tribal decks like zombies, ninjas or faeries, but there's a lot of interesting things you can do with this concept. [[!Mirror Entity]] [[Mothdust Changeling]] [[Bloodline Pretender]] [[Shapesharer]] [[Masked Vandal]] A few Ideas besides the mentioned above: [[Spellstutter Sprite]] [[Deep Forest Hermit]] [[Earl of Squirrel]] [[Priest of Titania]] [[Undead Augur]] Sample Deck: Elves: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/wVOEUSmxPES1NUZNjpc_-g * **Ninjas/Faeries** {u}{b} This archetype looks to put early evasive threats in play that allow for very efficient tempo plays. To succeed with this archetype make sure to have enough cheap interaction! If you do, a few ninjas and some sneaky persistent attackers should suffice to close out games. There are not so many actual ninjas/faeries in the cube (excluding changelings), but if you put too many, it's gonna feel like you built a weak aggro deck. If you put too few, you're gonna feel like having a mediocre control deck. This is a tricky deck to build and to play, but if you do it right it can be very powerful and rewarding. Most importantly, it's gonna be a lot of fun! [[!Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]] [[Ingenious Infiltrator]] [[Spellstutter Sprite]] [[Bitterblossom]] [[Thoughtseize|65b7275a-5305-42e6-b5c3-8b88568b4e28]] [[Remand]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Lb6-wyA_LUuIKAmAVS-NVg * **Aggro:** {w}{b}{r} There are many archetypes in the cube that can be considered "aggro", but this cube still gives the option of drafting a very straight forward aggressive creature based deck. Most relevant threats for this particular strategy are in white, but supporting this with black or red can be of great help. Just be careful not to go into too many colors. What makes this type of deck good is it's consistency and speed. [[!Mother of Runes]] [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben|8e42df9e-95f2-4c79-9274-2d16e3cd91f1]] [[Luminarch Aspirant]] [[Esper Sentinel]] [[Selfless Spirit]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/3QYKcje7BUGQXGBOauJNDw * **Blink:** {w}{u} If you're into "enter the battlefield" effects and crazy value shenanigans, this archetype is for you. There are plenty of ways of exploiting cards like [[Flickerwisp|6931aad2-aa2c-4069-9e5a-2566b9f3eae4]] or [[Ephemerate]]. The deck tends to be blue-white, but don't be afraid of including other colors. [[Gray Merchant of Asphodel]] is great with this strategy, [[Eternal Witness]] keeps getting [[Ephemerate]] back and [[Imperial Recruiter]] or [[Recruiter of the Guard]] lets you build a very consistent creature toolbox to deal with anything your opponent throws at you. [[!Ephemerate]] [[Yorion, Sky Nomad]] [[Palace Jailer]] [[Restoration Angel|c2ad8639-e586-47f4-baca-2a1af5aa281b]] [[Flickerwisp|6931aad2-aa2c-4069-9e5a-2566b9f3eae4]] [[Soulherder]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/XVKZzrWme0qUXjMWUs921g * **Lands** {b}{r}{g} If you like to play around your resources and mess with you opponent's, playing around lands will get you there. There are many ways to build a lands deck. You can go for a combo, using [[Squandered Resources]] and [[Titania, Protector of Argoth]] for example, or you can bury your competition in card advantage by getting a threat like [[The Gitrog Monster]] on the battlefield. Your deck can be about getting lands back from the graveyard directly into play with effects like [[Crucible of Worlds]], or getting lands into your hand with [[Life from the Loam]] to be discarded again with [[Molten Vortex]], giving you a repeatable source of removal or direct damage. WARNING! Play this archetype at your own risk! Destroying your rival's lands repeatedly with [[Strip Mine]] or [[Wasteland]] can be very tough for them, so be a good lad and be sportsmanlike while playing this! If you happen to play against it, don't let the playstyle defeat your spirit. This cube has a very low curve and there's ways to disrupt the lands strategies. Graveyard disruption is a good place to start. [[!Exploration]] [[Dryad of the Ilysian Grove]] [[Oracle of Mul Daya]] [[Ramunap Excavator]] [[Life from the Loam]] [[The Gitrog Monster]] Sample Decks: Midrange: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/IdkdyUwl0UGfgB1-ARgcGA Combo: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/XWEHyUA_T0qzHKazBEePyA * **Madness/Discard/Bridgevine** {u}{b}{r}{g} Use discard and mill synergies to get the upper hand and overwhelm your opponents. This archetype uses the graveyard a lot and it requires some thought to really squeeze out the best lines of play. It is reckless, risky and fun to play. You can go the aggro route, overwhelming your opponents early with [[Basking Rootwalla]] and [[Vengevine]], or you can go for a value-centered build using great classic interactions, like [[Recurring Nightmare]] and [[Survival of the Fittest]]. [[!Survival of the Fittest]] [[Basking Rootwalla]] [[Squee, Goblin Nabob]] [[Master of Death]] [[Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis]] [[Vengevine]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/BG72NC-oME2w0o9Sg0sCBA * **Zombies/sacrifice** {b} This is all about small creatures dying and coming back over and over and OVER again. You'll draw cards sacrificing [[Gravecrawler]], you will drain your opponent's life with [[Blood Artist]], you will pressure your rivals and they will try to stop you. They won't have it the easy way. Just watch out for graveyard hate or exile effects. [[Swords to Plowshares]] and [[Scavenging Ooze]] are cards that can ruin your day. [[!Carrion Feeder]] [[Priest of Forgotten Gods]] [[Gravecrawler]] [[Scourge of Nel Toth]] [[Undead Augur]] [[Relentless Dead]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/QSZ_0pPUVUm2NDN_1G93pg * **Persist** {w}{b}{r} If you liked to kill your own stuff, why not going infinite with it? For the unexperienced: If you put a -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter on a creature, they will cancel each other out, leaving the creature with no counters at all... Look at the cards below to get to your own conclusions. [[!Murderous Redcap]] [[Kitchen Finks]] [[Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit]] [[Metallic Mimic]] [[First Day of Class]] [[Goblin Bombardment]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/UJsBXdCySEalVoBN8i9SZg * **Modular/Counters** {w}{g} This artifact-centered archetype offers complex gameplay, a lot of decision making and big aggressive creatures. The "Modular" mechanic is very important for this strategy, as well as "Proliferate" or things that give you additional +1/+1 counters, like [[Ozolith, the Shattered Spire]]. Pump your team with those counters and re-distribute them as your opponents try desperately to deal with your board. [[!Arcbound Ravager|211b1279-0f37-47a9-8eb5-db91159d0cf2]] [[Hardened Scales]] [[Walking Ballista]] [[Hangarback Walker]] [[Scrapyard Recombiner]] [[Steel Overseer]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/lqDwg5evq0GNaps2k26Q1g * **Artifacts/Value** {u}{r}{w} You like playing with your graveyard a lot but you're tired of zombies and their smell? You can have a clean, rot-free experience with the goblin brothers, [[Goblin Welder|6171e136-1167-4329-acb2-6853d3a814e5]] and [[Goblin Engineer]]. These two guys can be a lot of fun to play with and will take the term "value engine" to a whole new level. [[Emry, lurker of the loch]] and [[Sai, Master Thopterist]] are similar blue counterparts for this type of strategy. Build your deck like a well oiled machine and you will drown your opponents in value or win through infinite loops. [[!Scrap Trawler]] [[Myr Retriever]] [[Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle]] [[Foundry Inspector]] [[Thopter Foundry]] [[Sword of the Meek]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-ForoRSuHkazfNCgm7FeNA * **Food/Clues/Treasures** {u}{b}{g} This strategy wants to use the "Investigate" mechanic, as well as Treasure and Food tokens to get lots of value. Once you get it going, it's gonna be hard to stop you, but it's not easy to get there. You can have very different approaches while building around food, clue, and treasure tokens. You can use discard synergies with [[The Underworld Cookbook|4f24504e-b397-4b98-b8e8-8166457f7a2e]] and [[Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar]] (also while trying to pronounce that), you can use the sacrifice theme, playing [[Cauldron Familiar]] and [[Witch's Oven]] or playing multiple lands every turn, using [[Tireless Tracker|ee8e9928-d9b2-4570-adb8-44b34115decd]] and/or [[Tireless Provisioner]]. [[!Academy Manufactor]] [[Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar]] [[The Underworld Cookbook|4f24504e-b397-4b98-b8e8-8166457f7a2e]] [[Lonis, Cryptozoologist]] [[Gilded Goose]] [[Tireless Tracker|ee8e9928-d9b2-4570-adb8-44b34115decd]] Sample Deck: "Value Town": https://www.moxfield.com/decks/yi1dPhtUtkWus5Noo9fiyw Discard: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/7hu9QmHaIUeEO5zXddW7uw * **Storm** {u}{r} Be patient and wait for the right moment to chain a ridiculous amount of spells to finish your opponent in one single turn! You'll want to make mana while playing spells and drawing cards. Sounds simple, but it is without question one of the most challenging archetypes to build and to play. It can feel like a game of solitaire sometimes. So, if you play against it, try to follow what your opponent is trying to do. If you do, it can be fun for you too. [[!Mind's Desire]] [[High Tide|4686bbb9-517f-4cce-aa7a-5db41e22c02b]] [[Turnabout]] [[Brain Freeze]] [[Frantic Search]] [[Manamorphose]] [[Grapeshot]] Sample Deck: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ZtlpeMyL7UWUwbZYhC_Tdw * **Combos and Ideas** You're looking for inspiration for your next draft? Here's a list of combos and interactions you can build around: [[Emry, Lurker of the Loch]] & [[Jeskai Ascendancy]] or [[Intruder Alarm|7e55f653-0952-4713-8d43-ca50acff9e3b]] [[Augur of Autumn]] & [[Exploration]] [[Intruder Alarm|7e55f653-0952-4713-8d43-ca50acff9e3b]] & [[Elvish Piper]] [[Intruder Alarm|7e55f653-0952-4713-8d43-ca50acff9e3b]] & [[Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker]] [[Animate Dead|4c732dc7-dd6b-4cc1-bbe0-ff3b1d2c7419]]/[[Angelic Renewal]] & [[Sun Titan]]/[[Renegade Rallier]] [[Ghave, Guru of Spores]] & [[Ashnod's Altar]] [[Goblin Welder|6171e136-1167-4329-acb2-6853d3a814e5]] & [[Scuttling Doom Engine]] [[Tameshi, Reality Architect]] & [[Lotus Bloom]] [[Goblin Welder|6171e136-1167-4329-acb2-6853d3a814e5]] & [[Scrapyard Recombiner]] [[Faith's Reward]]/[[Second Sunrise]] & [[Zuran Orb]]/[[Squandered Resources]] [[Deep Forest Hermit]] & [[Mystic Reflection]] [[Mizzix's Mastery|89978bd5-8222-4052-9625-3a5db81baa27]] & [[Upheaval]] [[Mothdust Changeling]] & [[Magda, Brazen Outlaw]] [[Chatterfang, Squirrel General]] & [[Pitiless Plunderer]] [[Survival of the Fittest]]/[[Fauna Shaman]] & [[Squee, Goblin Nabob]] or [[Master of Death]] [[Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]] & [[Mirror Entity]] >>>**More Info**<<< * **Squirrels** Squirrels are a good support for token strategies in the cube. Although there are not many actual squirrels, you'll find yourself picking them gladly and often to support different strategies. They're good friends with sacrifice themes and Food/Clue/Treasure enablers. The infamous [[Chatterfang, Squirrel General]] can go nuts (pun intended) with [[Academy Manufactor]] or [[Lonis, Cryptozoologist]]. It is very easy to go infinite when you get a squirrel anytime you make a token. Squirrel cards in the cube: [[!Chatterfang, Squirrel General]] [[Earl of Squirrel]] [[Deep Forest Hermit]] [[Ravenous Squirrel]] * **Not a Powered Cube** A lot of cube enthusiasts love the infamous "power 9". My cube is not powered (meaning no Black Lotus, no moxen, time walk, ancestral recall, etc.). I've found the draft and gameplay experience to be a lot of fun without power. I prefer it that way. * **Personal Adaptation** I have shaped the cube to be as much fun as possible to me and to the playgroup that I usually play with. For this reason I made some personalized changes, comparing to Caleb's original cube. The premise is the same though: It's a cube focused on synergy and value. Stand-alone game-winning cards are rather rare in the list.