Third iteration of a "cards we had lying around" cube, now re-made with more thought. Currently the cube is divided into 'core', 'tryouts' and 'occasionals'. The core is the heart of the cube: it contains all the card needed for the cube to function and is color-balanced. Occasionals are cards that are either stronger, harder to build around, or both and are meant to spice up the draft. Tryouts are cards in the middle ground: we are not sure if they are functional enough to be in the core, or powerful enough to be in the occasionals. As the cube gets tested, this cards will either be removed, added to the core, or promoted to occasionals. The core is made up of 320 cards (45 per color, 3 per bi-color, 20 dual-taplands, and 45 flex slots shared between hybrids and artifacts). The cube is built around two-colored archetypes, gathered in tri-color triangles: altough its possible to make mono-colored decks, the majority of the time drafters will go two colors + a splash of a third. Gold cards are not necessarily meant to go in every deck that uses those colors. Here I will do a quick rundown of the possible two-color archetypes. >>> {W}{U} <<< The main strategy of WU is to slow down the game, either with a tempo based approach with [[Sharae|600bc36a-3ef0-459c-9a93-94ec45b8c3d9]] or a defensive approach with [[Elite Guardmage]]. Meanwhile [[Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart|651c3dd6-e1a8-4a65-a200-f86d308570ac]] offers an alternative option in a slow go-wide strategy. >>><< [[!600bc36a-3ef0-459c-9a93-94ec45b8c3d9]][[!Elite Guardmage]][[!651c3dd6-e1a8-4a65-a200-f86d308570ac]] >><<< >>> {U}{B} <<< This is the combination of color for a traditional control game, with removal, counterspells and card draw. [[Dinrova Horror]] plays the role of a finisher as well as removal, and [[Atris|db6c91ec-df14-460f-967c-f182562fe7d8]] is lower costed menace paired with card draw. UB also has a option of going aggressive early on with [[Shadowmage Infiltrator]] giving it a tempo-like approach. >>><< [[!Dinrova Horror]][[!db6c91ec-df14-460f-967c-f182562fe7d8]][[!Shadowmage Infiltrator]] >><<< >>> {B}{R} <<< RB is the most aggressive combination, either going fast with [[Lightning Reaver]] as top curve, or grinding out the opponent with aristocrat-like stategies with [[Mayhem Devil]] and [[Stormclaw Rager]] >>><< [[!Lightning Reaver]][[!Mayhem Devil]][[!Stormclaw Rager]] >><<< >>> {R}{G} <<< This color combination is based around creatures. [[Ruby, Daring Tracker]] likes them big, [[Gruul War Chant]] wants a lot of them, but also makes your big beaters difficult to block. In the middle,[[Grand Warlord Radha]] lets you swing and ramp at the same time >>><< [[!Ruby, Daring Tracker]][[!Gruul War Chant]][[!Grand Warlord Radha]] >><<< >>> {G}{W} <<< GW likes having a lot of creature, and generating them as well. [[Sigil Captain]] makes your army of 1/1s stronger, but you can also use numbers to empower a single creature with cards like [[Bronzebeak Moa]] or [[Sigil of the Nayan Gods]] >>><< [[!Sigil Captain]][[!Bronzebeak Moa]][[!Sigil of the Nayan Gods]] >><<< >>> {W}{B} <<< This combination has options that are both good aggressively, [[Hero of the Dunes]], and in a more grindy match, [[Restoration Gearsmith]], with [[Blind Hunter]] performing double duty as a good option for both strategies >>><< [[!Hero of the Dunes]][[!Restoration Gearsmith]][[!Blind Hunter]] >><<< >>> {B}{G} <<< RB uses an attrition-recursion based strategy centered around the graveyard with [[Acolyte of Affliction]], but also has two subthemes in [[Savvy Hunter]] for food and [[Slimefoot, the Stowaway]] for saprolings >>><< [[!Acolyte of Affliction]][[!Savvy Hunter]][[!Slimefoot, the Stowaway]] >><<< >>> {G}{U} <<< This combination is all about mana efficency and +1/+1 counters, with [[Merfolk Skydiver]] as main signpost, while [[Maraleaf Pixie]] edges towards mana generation and [[Eutropia the Twice-Favored]] pulls towards +1/+1 counters >>><< [[!Merfolk Skydiver]][[!Maraleaf Pixie]][[!Eutropia the Twice-Favored]] >><<< >>> {U}{R} <<< UR is a spellslinging archetype that can be approached either in a tempo shell with [[Teleportal]] as a finsher, or in a slower manner with a draw 2 stategy with [[Improbable Alliance]] and [[Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind]] topping the curve >>><< [[!Teleportal]][[!Improbable Alliance]][[!Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind]] >><<< >>> {R}{W} <<< RW is an aggressive color pairing headed by [[Tenth District Legionnaire]] and backed up by [[Fallaji Vanguard]], but also allows for a slower build using [[Stun Sniper]] and 'stealing' control pieces from other white and red archetypes >>><< [[!Tenth District Legionnaire]][[!Fallaji Vanguard]][[!Stun Sniper]] >><<<