Cloned from [Vintage Cube](/c/8340fc89-2237-47af-864d-7371317c40cb) ### Custom cards: There is a set of 5 custom cards in the cube: Single land-type fetchlands. Recruitment officer is misprinted to have a cheaper activation, and we play it as it lies. Isamaru has been renamed "Peppercini" and has skulk. ### Talismans: All non-green talismans are in the cube, but no green talismans. <<[[!Talisman of Dominance]][[!Talisman of Hierarchy]][[!Talisman of Conviction]][[!Talisman of indulgence]]>> ### Special Rules: All basic lands count as snow lands. This is only relevant for 1 or 2 cards: <<[[!arcum's astrolabe]][[!ice-fang coatl]]>> You can get any land with Park Map, even if it has the same art as a basic land you have in play. <<[[!park map]]>> At the end of the team draft, each team can choose a single card to transfer from one player to another. Choose wisely. >>> ### Vintage Cube Guide <<< ### The Best Cards: The "Power ~9." You probably shouldn't pass these cards: <<[[!black lotus]][[!mox sapphire]][[!mox jet]][[!mox ruby]]>> <<[[!mox pearl]][[!mox emerald]][[!time walk]][[!ancestral recall]]>> <<[[!sol ring]][[!mana crypt]]>> Beyond that, there is lots of debate regarding which cards make the top 50. But the types of cards that belong here are: Cheap or free spells that interact with your opponent (disrupt their hand, kill their creatures, etc...) are very good: <<[[!thoughtseize]][[!swords to plowshares]][[!solitude]][[!fury]]>> <<[[!force of will]][[!lightning bolt]][[!mana drain]]>> Cheap creatures and planeswalkers that take over the game: <<[[!ragavan, nimble pilferer]][[!oko, thief of crowns]][[!sheoldred, the apocalypse]][[!dack fayden]]>> <<[[!grist, the hunger tide]][[!orcish bowmasters]]>> Cards that just do a lot and/or are flexible: <<[[!parallax wave]][[!pest infestation]][[!umezawa's jitte]][[!fable of the mirror-breaker]]>> <<[[!forth eorlingas!]][[!fractured identity]][[!karakas]][[!skullclamp]]>> Some of the top combo pieces: <<[[!tinker]][[!urza's saga]][[!entomb]][[!reanimate]]>> >>> ### Supported Combos / Archetypes: <<< ### Aggro: Aggressive strategies without any combo shenanigans are very viable. Red and white are the most classic aggro colors. Red is a bit more all-in on killing quickly, whereas white has some great removal and disruption, and can grind a bit better. But any color can be included in an aggressive deck. <<[[!ragavan, nimble pilferer]][[!laelia, the blade reforged]][[!thalia, guardian of thraben]][[!Adeline, Resplendent Cathar]]>> ### Sneak/Reanimator: There are a number of ways of getting powerful creatures into play without paying their mana cost. The most supported way is by getting them into the graveyard and reanimating them. This is sort of a 3-part combo, because you need the big creature, a “discard outlet,” and a reanimate spell. However, Entomb and unmarked grave take care of 2 / 3 on their own. <<[[!entomb]][[!unmarked grave]]>> Reanimation spells are all in black, and the deck can be mono-black, but there are good discard outlets in red and blue also. <<[[!reanimate]][[!bitter reunion]][[!chart a course]]>> Archon of Cruelty is the best reanimate target. Griselbrand and Atraxa are good too. <<[[!archon of cruelty]][[!griselbrand]][[!atraxa, grand unifier]]>> Sneak attack (and to a lesser extend Through the Breach) can also get the fatties into play (briefly). So you really want a great ability that triggers when they enter the battlefield, attack, or die. <<[[!sneak attack]][[!through the breach]][[!emrakul, the aeons torn]]>> And flash can get them in even more briefly (but does get you enter the battlefield and death triggers). <<[[!flash]]>> A few creatures that work well here: <<[[!worldspine wurm]][[!woodfall primus]][[!ashen rider]][[!gruff triplets]]>> Oath of druids can also get big creatures into play (but does so less frequently). With Channel, you technically pay the mana cost, but do you really? And there’s also show and tell <<[[!oath of druids]][[!channel]][[!show and tell]]>> ### Artifacts: There are a few artifact synergies in the cube. Most notably, these reward you for playing lots of artifacts: <<[[!tolarian academy]][[!urza, lord high artificer]][[!urza's saga]][[!ingenious smith]]>> These can make lots of artifacts: <<[[!retrofitter foundry]][[!third path iconoclast]][[!chrome host seedshark]][[!tireless tracker]]>> Tinker (and to a lesser extent goblin welder and Daretti) can get big artifacts into play: <<[[!tinker]][[!goblin welder]][[!daretti, scrap savant]][[!goblin engineer]]>> <<[[!portal to phyrexia]][[!sundering titan]][[!cityscape leveler]][[!triplicate titan]]>> Here’s another artifact combo (foundry inspector optional): <<[[!Mystic Forge]][[!Sensei's Divining Top]][[!Foundry Inspector]][[!urza, lord high artificer]]>> Some more notable artifact cards: <<[[!mishra's workshop]][[!balance]][[!mox opal]][[!the one ring]]>> ### Lands: There are a number of lands-related combos. They mostly involve recurring lands from the graveyard: <<[[!crucible of worlds]][[!ramunap excavator]][[!wrenn and six]][[!life from the loam]]>> These combo well with lands that you sacrifice for value: <<[[!strip mine]][[!wasteland]][[!wooded foothills]][[!horizon canopy]]>> But there are other ways to get lands into your graveyard, and bonuses for doing so: <<[[!zuran orb]][[!lotus field]][[!knight of the reliquary]][[!squandered resources]]>> <<[[!titania, protector of argoth]][[!slogurk, the overslime]][[!deeproot wayfinder]]>> And cards that let you play multiple lands per turn and/or play them off the top of your library: <<[[!fastbond]][[!exploration]][[!oracle of mul daya]][[!courser of kruphix]]>> Fastbond plus the right combinations of these cards can let you: Gain infinite life, make infinite mana, kill all your opponent’s lands, and/or make infinite 5/3s. Some other land themed effects: <<[[!omnath, locus of creation]][[!crop rotation]][[!elvish reclaimer]]>> ### Draw 7s: There are 6 cards that cause you and your opponent to discard (or shuffle in) your hand, and draw 7 new cards. <<[[!wheel of fortune]][[!timetwister]][[!time spiral]][[!echo of eons]]>> And some cards that they combo really well with: <<[[!sheoldred, the apocalypse]][[!orcish bowmasters]][[!narset, parter of veils]][[!leovold, emissary of trest]]>> <<[[!lion's eye diamond]][[!fastbond]]>> ### Big Spells: There are a number of big powerful instants/sorceries, whose purpose is primarily to be cast with dream halls (and to a lesser extent, Mizzix’s mastery): <<[[!dream halls]][[!mizzix's mastery]]>> <<[[!cruel ultimatum]][[!summon the pack]][[!magma opus]]>> Dream halls also plays well with draw 7s and big creatures (like Atraxa). ### Storm The idea with storm is to have one big turn that wins you the game. This is typically with a card that explicitly rewards you for casting lots of spells that turn: <<[[!brain freeze]][[!tendrils of agony]][[!aetherflux reservoir]]>> You can generate lots of mana either with rituals: <<[[!lion's eye diamond]][[!rite of flame]][[!cabal ritual]][[!seething song]]>> Or maybe high tide plus untap effects: <<[[!high tide]][[!frantic search]][[!time spiral]][[!snap]]>> And have access to lots of cards to cast with draw 7s, and/or things that let you cast your cards again from the graveyard: <<[[!underworld breach]][[!yawgmoth's will]]>> Cheap cantrips can help find your pieces and increase spell-count: <<[[!preordain]][[!brainstorm]][[!gitaxian probe]]>> If you were to distill storm down to one three card combo, it would be this: <<[[!underworld breach]][[!lion's eye diamond]][[!brain freeze]]>> ### Twin Combo (NOT CURRENTLY INCLUDED): You can win the game by having one of these: <<[[!Kiki-jiki, mirror breaker]][[!splinter twin]]>> And one of these: <<[[!pestermite]][[!deceiver exarch]][[!zealous conscripts]][[!Restoration Angel]]>> As long as it's not Splinter Twin and Resto Angel. ### Spells Matter: There is a subtheme (mostly in blue/red) of getting value out of casting non-creature spells. <<[[!stormwing entity]][[!mercurial spelldancer]][[!murktide regent]][[!young pyromancer]]>> <<[[!monastery mentor]][[!khenra spellspear]][[!sprite dragon]][[!monastery swiftspear]]>> Blue has a lot of cheap cantrips to help support this. ### Infinite mana: Basalt monolith goes infinite with either of these, grim monolith needs zirda: <<[[!zirda, the dawnwaker]][[!kinnan, bonder prodigy]][[!grim monolith]][[!basalt monolith]]>> ### Top of library: There's a small amount of synergy possibility around controlling the top card of your library. These cards (and more) give you significant control over the top card: <<[[!sensei's divining top]][[!scroll rack]][[!brainstorm]][[!split screen]]>> And some cards care about what's on top: <<[[!vesuvan drifter]][[!temporal mastery]][[!bonfire of the damned]][[!etali, primal conqueror]]>> <<[[!mystic forge]][[!oracle of mul daya]][[!augur of autumn]][[!laelia, the blade reforged]]>>