# DUSTY'S KAMIGAWA CUBE Latest update: November, 2020 Welcome! Thanks for your interest in my Kamigawa cube. This is the primer, which is useful for familiarizing yourself with the block and getting an edge on the draft. <<[[!That Which Was Taken]][[!Konda, Lord of Eiganjo]][[!O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami]][[!In The Web of War]]>> ##### The Abridged Story of Kamigawa On Kamigawa, a unique plane, the **Kakuriyo** or **Reikai** is the spirit realm, where the kami dwell, while mortals live in what's called the **Utsushiyo**. Together these two halves form a sphere that makes up the plane. We arrive in the midst of a planar civil war. Some years ago, the human daimyo, **Takeshi Konda**, was able to steal a piece of **O-Kagachi**, the supreme kami, with the help of the Moonfolk and an unwitting [[Sensei Eight-and-a-Half Tails]]. In retaliation, the kami declare war. [[That Which Was Taken]] is held imprisoned within an artifact, which can now grant eternal life to those in Utsushiyo. Konda uses the artifact on himself to stop aging, and vows to never tell the denizens of Kamigawa that he is the reason the kami started the war. ## Introduction Kamigawa was a bad block in many ways. It was created at a time when the previous block was running roughshod over basically every formats. As a result, Wizards of the Coast deliberately pulled back on Kamigawa's power level, leading it to have almost no impact on constructed formats. With very few exceptions, everyone kept playing the broken stuff from Mirrodin, but the bad news for Kamigawa doesn’t stop there. The inspiration for the setting, **Japanese Shinto-ism**, was unfamiliar to North American audiences. The card names were based on Japanese words, making them challenging for players around the world to pronounce and remember them, and the references were totally obscure. Remember, Kamigawa were released at a time when Wizards visited planes three sets at a time. This meant active players who didn’t enjoy Kamigawa would be stuck there for nine months. Artistically, Kamigawa was all over the place. The kami were bizarre creatures with little tying them together besides their uniform weirdness. In many ways, kami were a prototype version of Eldrazi, without a cohesive visual identity and colourless costs to take the pressure off drafters. Not to mention the downright stupid choice to give us four-armed-humanoid snake people. Maybe they were ninja turtles that had to be changed at the last minute for behind-the-scenes "legal reasons," but they definitely missed the mark. The designers themselves didn’t help things either. The mechanics were insular, **Splice to Arcane**, **Soulshift** and “***Spiritcraft***” only really care about one card type. Spiritcraft, possibly the most important theme in the block, is spread across five colors, forcing drafters to fight one another for the same groups of cards. Channel and Sweep were difficult to ballance, and there’s a Legendary-matters theme that’s practically invisible. The "wisdom" mechanic (number-of-cards-in-hand matters) is difficult to track; players have to constantly check the number of cards in hands, making it difficult to plan ahead. I could go on about this, but I think you get the picture: Kamigawa block had a lot of problems. In hindsight, Kamigawa is viewed as a failure by Magic’s developers. The mistakes made during its development would be studied as examples of what not to do. Some themes, like Legendary-matters, wouldn’t be revisited for more than a decade, and the lessons learned would inform the designers decisions for years to come. My goal for this cube has been to revisit the best parts of Kamigawa while minimizing its inherent problems. ## Gameplay ##### Drafting the Cube This cube is a low-power, combat-focused draft experience. Drafters are rewarded for finding an archetype early, but the relatively flat power level of these cards makes it difficult for experienced Magic players to evaluate them. The challenge is amplified by the block's rather undefined draft archetypes, which causes many players to pass cards when they shouldn’t. Overall, most cards in this cube simply look bad, but believe it or not, this has helped make it a highly replayable and fun draft experience. To start, it feels very different from other cubes that players may have experienced and even repeat players will notice some changes which have impacted how the cube plays year-to-year. ##### Evaluating Cards As mentioned, Kamigawa is considered one of the lowest power blocks ever printed. Every card seems to cost at least one more mana more than it should. In fact, a common technique for assessing Kamigawa cards is to subtract a mana from the cost and then consider the card as though it were in a “normal” set. If you would be happy to pay one less for the card in a normal limited environment, it’s probably good enough here. This trick won't always be correct, but it does help players assess the environment using their usual metrics. ##### Deck Construction For the most part, players should look to build two-colour decks. Many cards cost two or even three of the same colour of mana, and a near complete lack of multicolour cards makes splashing colours more painful than usual. Three-colour decks are fine, but one-colour decks are not recommended, as no one colour offers enough tools to be successful during all parts of a game. The dearth of mana fixing also means players who like to stay open will waste more picks than a drafter who dives into a strategy early. Players who do stay open are almost always going to be on some version of the Spiritcraft deck but going this route will lead them to fight other players for the best Spirit cards. ## Rules - Equip is a targeted ability. This means [[Horobi, Death's Wail]] will destroy creatures targeted with equip abilities and if a creature cannot be the target of spells or abilities, then it cannot be equipped. For example, [[Humble Budoka]] says he cannot be the target of spells of abilities, so sadly he can’t be the target of Equip abilities. - Splice to Arcane is a weird mechanic. To Splice, you reveal a Splice card from your hand at the same time that you cast an Arcane spell, then pay any additional costs. Doing so does not cast the Splice card, it remains in your hand. The act of Splicing doesn’t use the stack and the Splice card cannot be countered because of this, although the Arcane spell *can* be countered. If the Arcane spell resolves, it does so with the text from the Splice card added onto it. - Stolen creatures have summoning sickness. On any turn where they change controllers, creatures cannot attack or use activated abilities unless they have or gain Haste. - Kamigawa was printed with old terminology. Triggered abilities such as the one found on [[Kitsune Dawnblade]] have been updated to be enters the battlefield triggers. Some cards have abilities which trigger whenever you play a spirit or arcane spell, these have been updated to cast triggers today. - Spells which check the number cards in your hand are not in your hand when they resolve. For example, Jack casts [[Spiraling Embers]] targeting a creature, the spell then leaves his hand and goes on the stack. When it resolves, Spiraling Embers will check the number of cards in Jack's hand, then deal that much damage. - Be thorough when reading cards. Kamigawa is filled with non-flying spirits that look like they should fly. Actually, many cards have unexpected text that can be easily overlooked, so remember to read all the cards carefully. ##### Splice onto Spirit House Rule One of the mistakes Kamigawa made was Splice to Arcane being so parasitic. It’s a flavourful idea afterall, but being so narrow and complicated made it so the mechanic almost never mattered. Since then, Wizards of the Coast has experimented with easier to cast versions of Splice (eg. Splice to Instant or Sorcery), and this house rule looks to accomplish something similar. *Spells with Splice to Arcane may be spliced onto Arcane AND Spirit spells.* With this rule, when a player splices a spell onto a Spirit creature it triggers when the creature enters the battlefield. For example, imagine Julie wants to splice a [[Spiritual Visit]] onto a [[Lantern Kami]]. To do so, she would first put the Lantern Kami on the stack and simultaneously reveal Spiritual Visit from her hand. Julie would then pay Lantern Kami's cost and Spiritual Visit's splice cost. If the Lantern Kami resolves, Spiritual Visit’s text would trigger when it enters the battlefield. Once the trigger resolves, Julie will control a Lantern Kami, a 1/1 Spirit token, and still have Spiritual Visit in her hand. ## Draft Archetypes ##### Spiritcraft There is an unnamed mechanic in Kamigawa block, unofficially called Spiritcraft. Essentially, these are the cards with triggered abilities that activate whenever you cast a Spirit OR Arcane spell. This mechanic would have been keyworded if it were made today, and much more than Soulshift, Spiritcraft will form the backbone of Spirit decks.Drafters looking to build one of these decks will be looking for as many ways to trigger Spiritcraft as possible. On Kamigawa, spirits are in every colour, so it makes sense that Spirits and Arcane spells would also be found in every colour. This makes each colour combination unique, and rather than try to walk through every possible deck in detail, this section highlights what each colour offers to Spiritcraft decks. This is important because players on a Spirit deck will need to know what to look for during the draft. ##### White-based Spirit Decks <<[[!Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens]][[!Tallowisp]][[!Kami of the Painted Road]][[!Moonlit Strider]]>> Proof that Wizards has been giving White the shaft since at least 2004, White-based spirit decks tend to be defensive and evasive. On paper it seems these two elements would work well together, but the reality is they win too slowly and can be overpowered by other colours. This is not to say White decks are weak; White actually offers some powerful spirit synergies and payoffs, but it's the colour with the least well-defined "spirit identity" and seems to just support whatever its partner colour is doing. For reference, White-Blue Spirits is a tempo deck, White-Black Spirits is control, White-Red Spirits is aggro, and White-Green is midrange. ##### Blue-based Spirit Decks <<[[!Sire of the Storm]][[!Guardian of Solitude]][[!Teller of Tales]][[!Evermind]]>> Blue spirit decks have the tools to protect themselves and draw cards, so it's the colour which lends itself best to control decks in the format. Blue's creatures are both evasive and defensive. Attentive readers will notice this sounds a lot like White, but Blue's spirits are on average better than the ones White offers by a wide margin. Blue Spirit decks also have more ways to cheaply trigger Spiritcraft than any other colour and will have an easier time splashing a third colour if they want. With the right bombs, Blue spirit decks will be a solid contender, but may find themselves struggling against aggressive strategies. ##### Black-based Spirit Decks <<[[!Kyoki, Sanity's Eclipse]][[!Thief of Hope]][[!Kami of the Waning Moon]][[!Scuttling Death]]>> Black as a colour has the tools to supplement controlling or aggressive strategies, but generally speaking, Black spirit decks tend to be controlling. Black's Spiritcraft abilities and Soulshift creatures allow it to grind out opponents more easily than White or Red, and Black has fantastic removal options and solid creatures all along its curve. Black and Green offer the best four-and-five mana spirit creatures, and Black offers a few powerful Arcane spells as well. Black can also access a few Ninjas, which benefit from the evasive creatures in White and Blue. Unfortunately, Black tends to be overdrafted, so assume the good Black spells won't table. ###### Red-based Spirit Decks <<[[!Kami of Fire's Roar]][[!Glitterfang]][[!Earthshaker]][[!Devouring Rage]]>> Using creatures and arcane spells, Red spirit decks have many ways to continually trigger Spiritcraft turn after turn. Red has some of the best removal spells and the best three-mana creatures, which makes it suited to benefit aggressive, midrange, or control decks. Whether it be Red's reusable and cheap spirit spells, or being the colour tied for most Arcane spells, Red Spiritcraft decks will be able to use these triggers more easily than any other colour. The downside is that Red's own Spiritcraft triggers are difficult to take advantage of, making it best to turn to another colour for these triggers. ##### Green-Based Spirit Decks <<[[!Briarknit Kami]][[!Kodama of the South Tree]][[!Forked-Branch Garami]][[!Elder Pine of Jukai]]>> Green offers spirit decks the most efficient creatures at the four-and-five mana slot, along with a solid ramp package to accelerate into them early. Players who find themselves in Green can safely pick the ramp cards over the spirit payoffs, as spirit bombs will continue to appear throughout the draft, but the supporting spells are less common. Green decks will struggle on the opening turns, unless their colour partner can lend a hand. Green spirit decks do well when paired with Red, as the pair's Spiritcraft cards will help each other immensely. Green-Red spirits is the quintessential midrange deck, with a solid plan against practically every deck. ##### Non-Spiritcraft Archetypes ##### Legendary-Matters <<[[!Reki, the History of Kamigawa]][[!Kitsune Healer]][[!Jiang Yanggu]][[!Day of Destiny]]>> The beta test that led to Historic, Kamigawa's Green-White Legendary-Matters theme tries to take full advantage of legendary creatures/lands to eventually exhaust and overpower its opponents. This creature deck can feel a bit like a control deck. It wants to drag the game out and maneuver toward making combat unfavourable for opponents. Combat tricks and stall-breakers are valuable here, and the deck can put up a decent offense as well. Beware that the best pieces in this deck also tend to be overdrafted (people love Legendary cards), so don’t count on your pick to table. ##### Samurai <<[[!Nagao, Bound by Honor]][[!Takeno, Samurai General]][[!Call to Glory]][[!Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho]]>> A classic draft strategy is the White-Red all-out aggressive deck, where games are won quickly by attacking with many low-cost creatures before the opponent has a chance to stabilize. Drafters who find themselves on this archetype are looking for creatures with the highest power-to-cost ratio possible. If possible, the Samurai payoffs will give this deck a big boost. With a decent draw against slow decks, Red-White Samurai will be unbeatable, but falter against midrange decks that also play creatures on curve and the other aggressive strategy in the format... ##### Hyper Aggro <<[[!Nezumi Cutthroat]][[!Ogre Marauder]][[!Goblin Cohort]][[!Nezumi Graverobber]]>> In this format, bears are very good, and Black has access to the most power at 2 mana. Red brings in the most aggressive 3-drop creatures, andback up its explosive starts withthe efficient removal in both colours. Remember, this is a combat-focused cube, being the most aggressive deck is often a recipe for success. Unfortunately for would-be Black-Red drafters, Black is the most heavily drafted colour in the cube, making it difficult to assemble this strategy without luck. Players who draft the aggressive 2-drops will be rewarded, but be careful, or they will find themselves with a bad version of the Demons & Ogres deck. ##### Control <<[[!Tamiyo, the Moon Sage]][[!Jushi Apprentice]][[!Kitsune Diviner]]>> ##### Landfall Matters <<[[!Azusa, Lost but Seeking]][[!Masumaro, First to Live]][[!Kiora, the Crashing Wave]][[!Lifegift]]>> Blue-Green Landfall is easy to miss, but this deck is capable of making use of the Moonfolk activated abilities thanks to a plethora of additional land drops. This deck wants to slow the game down and attack with evasive creatures, playing a tempo game until it can assemble critical mass. One other often overlooked aspect of this deck is the ability to change the number of cards in its hand instantly, making cards like [[Soramaru, First to Dream]] particularly deadly. This is another deck that should consider taking a stall-breaker more highly than normal, as well as overvaluing the ramp spells that Green brings to the table. ##### Ninjas <<[[!Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni]][[!Phantom Ninja]][[!Veil of Secrecy]][[!Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]]>> Description here ##### Demons & Ogres <<[[!Gutwrencher Oni]][[!Bloodthirsty Ogre]][[!Yukora, the Prisoner]][[!Blood Speaker]]>> A hallmark of old-school Magic design is big creatures with big drawbacks and that design philosophy is at the heart of the Demons & Ogres deck. Fortunately, these creatures are mostly better than they look, and tend to be under drafted, so players are usually able to assemble this deck if they want to. Unfortunately, this deck can lack the Spiritcraft payoffs needed to put it over the top, and even the biggest Demon will have trouble beating a Dragon, should it come to that. Demons & Ogres can expect to beat most loosely-built creature decks, but in a midrange mirror, it will still fall just short of what Green is able to put forward. ##### Five-Colour <<[[!Sovereign's Realm]][[!Sanctum of All]][[!O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami]][[!Genju of the Realm]]>> Players looking for a challenge can try playing all five colours, but be warned: this deck is not for the faint of heart! The five-colour bombs in this cube are some of the best, but the near-complete lack of fixing will make it especially difficult to cast them. One trick is to nab a Sovereign’s Realm early, doing so allows access to every Zubera, every Shrine, and every Spiritcraft payoff in the cube. The other route for this deck is to prioritize the fixing green offers, such as [[Kodama's Reach]] and [[Sakura-Tribe Elder]]. Once on the five-colour path, the goal then becomes finding the best synergy between the payoffs as possible. Overvalue removal relative to a normal draft and hope the five-colour payoffs will come back to you. Shrines and Spiritcraft synergies are also maximized across all five colours. If this deck can stay alive long enough, it will generate a huge advantage over the opponent, and reward drafters with more choices per turn than any other. # Cards Not from Kamigawa Block Currently, this cube features 23 cards which were not printed in the Kamigawa block. This section tracks and explains their inclusion. The key thing to remember, I want to maximize the number of Kamigawan cards in the cube ##### The Sanctums: 6 <<[[!Sanctum of Tranquil Light]][[!Sanctum of Calm Waters]][[!Sanctum of Stone Fangs]][[!Sanctum of Shattered Heights]][[!Sanctum of Fruitful Harvest]][[!Sanctum of All]]>> ##### New Removal Options: 3 <<[[!Pariah]][[!Umezawas Charm]][[!Spitting Earth]]>> ##### Ninja Support: 6 <<[[!Mist-Syndicate Naga]][[!Moonblade Shinobi]][[!Phantom Ninja]][[!Changeling Outcast]]][[!Azra Smokeshaper]][[!Yuriko the Tiger’s Shadow]]>> ##### Control Cards: 2 <<[[!Tamiyo, the Moon Sage]][[!Mana Leak|dea41eb7-5828-4735-bca1-0dbb0fda04e3]]>> ##### Draft Strategy Payoffs: 3 <<[[!Kiora, the Crashing Wave]][[!Jiang Yanggu]][[!O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami]]>>