The changes have been made. The spreadsheet is mostly updated. The time is now.
Magic 2011 is upon us, mostly.
It's not until this Friday when boosters packs, boxes, cases, and more of the fabulous new Core Set go on retail sale, but it was this past weekend when we all had the chance to dig in deep with the latest in engineer addiction from our friends at Wizards. (Note: No actual addictive ink was used in the production of M11, at least to my knowledge.)
It also means it's time for Cube enthusiasts gather around the holy Spoiler list and see what's new. It's a time of change and joy for the new, sorrow for the leaving, and way too many superfluous set reviews to actually itemize into a list.
So here, without fanfare or fuss, are the final changes I made for my cube. I'll post the updated link to my cube at the end of the stretch, and there will be only minimal explanation along the way: see my previous two posts for virtually all the details (and grammatical and spelling errors) you need.
ARTIFACTS
In:
Dross Golem, Oxidda Golem, Razor Golem, Spire Golem, Tangle Golem, Prophetic Prism, Adventuring Gear
Out:
Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star
I'm looking forward to seeing how these "fair" affinity dudes work out. Adventuring Gear with bouncelands also seems good.
WHITE
In:
Assault Griffin, Cloud Crusader, Shade of Trokair, Veteran Swordsmith, Veteran Armorsmith, Kirtar's Desire, Shelter, False Defeat
Out:
Akrasan Squire, Master Decoy, Pegasus Charger, Soul Warden, Benalish Trapper, Noble Templar, Dawn Charm, Wispmare
I thought I couldn't find a Shu Cavalry in time - instead it came with an order of foils. Look for a mini-update sometime soon as I'd like to shoehorn it in soon.
BLUE
In:
Æther Adept, Augury Owl, Diminish, Scroll Thief, Infiltrator il-Kor, Sea Gate Oracle, Double Header, Windrider Eel, Choking Tethers, Train of Thought, Remove Soul
Out:
Fowl Play, Thought Courier, Welkin Tern, Echo Tracer, Vedalken Dismisser, Prodigal Sorcerer, Shoreline Ranger, Wu Elite Cavalry, False Demise, Mystic Restraints, Miscalculation
Miscalculation loses a lot of its punch late in the game, though it can be cycled away. Blue wants creature kill but gets creature counters. I'm only running two (with the dual options of either bringing Miscalculation back or adding in two more versions of Remove Soul - False Summoning and Preemptive Strike.
BLACK
In:
Liliana's Specter, Okiba-Gang Shinobi, Null Champion, Duress, Warren Pilferers, Jagwasp Swarm,
Out:
Ravenour Skirge, Skittering Skirge, Prickly Boggart, Heartstabber Mosquito, Razortooth Rats, Cuombaj Witches
Usman got his wish: the Witches came out.
RED
In:
Act of Treason, Chandra's Outrage, Manic Vandal, Reckless Charge, Hissing Iguanar
Out:
Prodigal Pyromancer, Empty the Warrens, Martyr of Ashes, Fissure, Mudbutton Torchrunner
I have a little more room for changed in red as I still want to yank the Chartooth Cougar. Mini-update is definitely going to come.
GREEN
In:
Cultivate, Garruk's Companion, Sylvan Ranger, Hungry Spriggan, Wild Dogs, Wildheart Invoker
Out:
Gemhide Sliver, Acridian, Silhana Ledgewalker, Fists of Iron, Giant Dustwasp, Ferocious Charge
I forgot about Acridian and that it had echo - though I could see a 2/4 for two being printed straight up. I'm looking for an alternative to Wirewood Guardian but so far haven't been impressed.
MULTICOLOR
In:
Architects of Will, Mystical Teachings, Henchfiend of Ukor, Scuzzback Marauders, Cultbrand Cinder, Probe, Thrill of the Hunt, Shrieking Grotesque, Rendclaw Trow, Orim's Thunder, Temporal Spring, Jilt
Out:
Jhessian Zombies, Cavern Harpy, Gobhobbler Rats, Valley Rannet, Suicidal Charge, Vodalian Zombie, Valeron Outlander, Galina's Knight, Pale Recluse, Helm of the Ghastlord, Traitor's Roar, Runes of Deus
Going to 9 allied and 5 enemy colored should help encourage splashes and four-color specials. And getting rid of more landcyclers was also good.
SUMMARY
There you have it! Those are the changes I've made. And, as always, feel free to share your thoughts or ideas. I consider a lot of things and new perspectives are the only way to ensure continuous improvements occur!
I'll be updating the spreadsheet and I finish filing the foils into the cube. You can find the latest version here.
Monday, July 12, 2010
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Ding dong the witches are dead! :) Like I said on twitter, I think pretty much all of the changes are huge upgrades, especially with the purging of multicolor and the white tappers.
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about Darklit Gargoyle when making suggestions, it's a pretty solid BW creature and I think it's a safe cut for Putrid Warrior.
After having gotten some games in with my commons cube, I can vouch for the quality of Opaline Bracers (which I'd probably suggest over Moonglove Extract) - I find myself playing off-color bouncelands/panoramas and find that reaching 3 colors is pretty easy and turning stuff like Mulldrifters into dragons is quite good.
Similarly, for some reason, I forgot about Flood for a long time and after seeing it in action again, I'm not sure why. It's more suited for U/X decks, but still really good board control. I actually am not a huge fan of Diminish because I find that blue decks don't tend to have many creatures out (which is why I'm not a huge fan of Snakeform in powered cubes, but I think the cantrip/flexibility makes it good in commons.)
I also think Miscalc should probably stay.
I'm also really glad that red's getting an aggro boost due to the addition of stuff like Reckless Charge (turning stuff like a Shortcutter into a 5/1 hasty attacker for a turn) and Hissing Iguanar, who makes trades outright suck for an opponent. :D
Yo Adam - I'm actually putting together this cube right now, and as I'm going through the list I noticed 1) Rendclaw Troll is entered as "Rend Claw", also, that you have ponder as a full-art. I love foreign/full art cards, but it seems like a bad idea for someone who doesn't know the card? Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI personally like full-art/foreign cards, but I think their use depends ultimately on who drafts it. For example, if you draft it with a steady playgroup and/or people who know what the cards do, using foreign/full-art cards is no problem.
ReplyDeleteI generally find that it's better to have full-art/foreign cards on simpler cards like Lightning Bolt.
I'll also warn you that explaining what cards do can get old. I had a foreign Kira in my (powered) cube and I ultimately replaced it with an English one because I had to explain what it did so much.
I pretty much agree with Usman but, in general, I do that anyway.
ReplyDeleteI've found that I want my to cube to be open for any skill level of player to enjoy. Those who haven't tried cube before tend to really love it, but they have to read most of the cards. Punishing lack of deep card knowledge is both avoidable and, ultimately, detrimental to expanding the role of cube in Magic.