FlowerSunRain's Cube

[FlowerSunRain]

Right now my cube is sitting at an awkward 480 cards and I've got some issues on where to move:

1) I'm not sure how big the cube should be. It needs to be able to support 10 players. That means 450 cards for a typical booster draft, but I guess I could go a little higher to support 12 players. I'm not sure I'll ever have 12 players, but its certainly possible. For 12 I think 504 (42x12) would be sufficient.

2) For smaller drafts, I use variants that increase the number of cards seen (Westchester Draft, mostly) to compensate for the superfluous cube size, but I'm thinking about making a modular subdivision of cards that get drafted in these cases.

3) As of right now I think the balance between strong themes and generally useful cards is pretty good, but I'm wondering if I should tilt the cube harder. I just don't want to end up in the place where the only correct way to draft is "follow a theme". I love it when players create awesome decks that I never would have thought of and I think generally useful cards are probably important to giving the cube flexibility. If I want to get it down to 450, its going to be tricky to decide how much of these I should cut and how much should be withdrawing theme support. Going up to 504 would be "easier", but I think in that case making a modular subdivision for smaller drafts would be mandatory as variance would be out of control. A 4 player 32 card Westchester sees 136-196 cards and 40 card Westchester sees 178-254 cards, which are unacceptably small fractions of a 504 pool.

4) The new graveyard theme support is working really well in test I got to run and I'm assuming it will be even better at a full table.

5) I've made three color support packs. They each contain a triland and five three color cards of that combo. These can be given pre-draft as build around options in drafts if desired.

I'll probably play a 4 man at 504 and see how awful the variance is first, then make a 4 player subdivision, or just draft my friend's smaller cube when we do 4 player.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Have you gotten a chance to test a constellation version of celestial ancient? I was thinking of doing a enchantment subtheme and was looking at sigil of the empty throne but I saw earlier in the thread that you didn't like it because its uninteractive by nature, and I agree on that.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Funny you should mention that!

This card was just added to the cube along with the Khans update. I've only played with the new cube in a quick series of 2 man test drafts and it was a pretty hilarious replenish finisher in one of the brews we came up with. I decided to run it as a 2/2 as the trigger hits itself. This change might not have been needed, but an air elemental + an extra power on all dudes + potential growth seemed a bit over the top. I'm not sure how good it will be in a "normal" deck, but I'm optimistic.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Pontential Drops

One of the White 2/xs? They haven't seemed necessary
Auramancer: Awfully narrow in function
Jace, Architect of Thought: Seems cool, but no real use
Sindbad/Merfolk Looter/Jeskai Elder/Looter il-Kor/Enclave Cryptologist: Its an in demand effect, but might have too many.
Entrails Feaster: Narrow
Baleful Eidolon: Worst of the bestows, hasn't been maindecked much
Oona's Blackguard: Too swingy?
Tibalt: Buffing to remove "at random" makes it a really strong card, as is seems weak, not sure if there is an acceptable middle ground.
Cunning Sparkmage/Guttersnipe/Markov Blademaster: Cards are great, but so much at red 3 right now
Lotus Cobra: A bit over my cube's curve for mana production, particulary if I increase the fetchlands in the LD.
Hooting Mandrils/Become Immense: Green might be the wrong place for these effects
Drosgol Reaver: As on theme as it is, white doesn't tend to want 7 mana cards in this list. Might be better off as some mono-blue animal.
Kiora's Follower: Swingy, tough to get the most use out of it as most of the good tap for ability dudes are red.
Scroll Rack: Not that many deck top effects in here, might be the wrong card.
Perilous Myr: Sac deck filler, could be the right card, though.

Potenial Adds

Attended Knight: Possible buff to get an actual better token? Akroan Squire?
Jace, the Living Guildpact: Very likely swap in for other Jace
Mistblade Shinobi: Black/Blue etb reuse
Quickling: As above
Mental Note/Opt: Get cantrip count up. Maybe just more brainstorm, though
Triton Shorestalker: Random unblockable body
Glowing Aenemone: At 2U, dumbest idea ever?
Auger of Bolas/Sea Gate Oracle: Bounce target?
Glistening Oil: Bouncing Enchant tech?
Skullsnatcher/Throat Slitter: Black/Blue etb reuse
Skinrender: Removal dude
Recurring Nightmare: Reworked version, lower cost, return to hand. Sac/etb crossover card.
Hissing Ignaur/Rockslide elemental: Sac Rewards.
Priest of Titania: Elf/Human supertribe?
Cavern Harpy: Black/Blue etb reuse
Baleful Strix: Bounce target, but the power level seems pointlessly high
Izzit Charm: Spells matter support
Chromanticore: The glorious return of a hero?

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Changed my mind of bounce recursion and recurring nightmare, made some changes, still am not playing mental note for some reason.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I'm thinking some combination of these artifacts could be mixed in:

Brass Man, Hex Parasite, Chromatic Star, Sylvok LifeStaff
Steel Overseer, Iron Myr, Epochrasite, Shrine of Burning Rage, Baleful Strix
Shrine of Loyal Legions , Godsend
Bonehoard, Bident of Thassa
Triskelion, Scuttling Doom Engine

Possible Theme Cards:

Daretti, Goblin Welder, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, Tinker, Disciple of the Vault and Stoneforge Mystic

Other Potential Adds

Comeuppance
Lifeblood Hydra
Flesh Carver
Hallowed Spiritkeeper
Song of the Dryads
Titania
Unstable Obelisk

Resolute Archangel
Mental Note

Land Binder

Buried Ruin
Myriad Landscape
Flamekin Village

Sweet Cards I probably won't run due to poor fit or power level
Ghoulcaller Gisa
Stitcher Geralf
Ob Nixilis
Reef Worm (could change my mind on this one)

Many of these cards won't make it, but I'd love to get Welder and Daredetti in here to get a different angle red one drop and a powerful red looter in here, they just need to be made useful using as few slots as possible.

Not sure if pursuing the white control card avenue is worthwhile or not.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

If you want to add the goblin planeswalker due to the card filtering (which I would too) then you don't actually have to add anything other than artifacts. I'd add the welder too because good with your discard and adds another dimension but less keen on your other theme cards. I think Tezzeret requires an even larger number of artifacts (but could be wrong here).

In your cube would deffo add triskelion, bonehoard and epochrasite. The two shrines are interesting too and the iron myr is cute.

Unconvinced on lifeblood hydra and comeuppance.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

And don't forget about unstable obelisk!

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I've played Tezz in other people's cubes enough to believe that you don't need that many artifacts to make him work. I'm 100% sure I actually like what he does that much.

I've gotten epochrasite suggested to me numerous times, so I might try him, but it just doesn't seem that good.

I like trike, but I don't like the infinite combo with Big Mike, so I'll need to do something there.

Bonehoard is a nobrainer here.

I hope the power level on Godsend is right, it seems like a good fit.

Iron Myr could be Fire Diamond if I want it to be more reliable.

I'm playing tomorrow, so hopefully I can identify some superfluous cards to make room.

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

Yeah, I took out big mike in order to put triskelion in. I really like epochrasite, give it a whirl.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

After much consideration and discussion, the "minimalist artifact theme" will consist to 3 cards:

Goblin Welder
Daretti, Scrap Savant
Shrapnel Blast

In the land draft, Academy Ruins will continue to hang out with new friend Buried Ruin.

Double pick Iron Myr is going in to support this along with a couple more artifacts.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I'm 80% of the way through a very big update, which includes:

Full table 12 player support
The disbandment of all squadrons, at least temporarily and doubling up the cards worth keepin
Doubling up on brainstorm and preordain (or should it be triple ponder or something else stupid?)
Rebels (sort of)
Doubled Fetches in the Land Binder
Three color cards
The stupid artifact theme

Highly experimental errata ideas that came to mind and would need some thought, but could open up interesting space:

Goblins are artifact creatures
Elves are enchantment creatures

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I'm slowly but surely hacking my way through this update. Green and white seem to be the toughest spots right now. Green might be overloaded. Some random ideas.

Ainok Bond-Kin as a one drop after taking away outlast? Incidental support on an aggro workhouse sounds like elegant design.

Still pondering over which and how many Ajanis to run. Love that guy when he isn't red.

I feel like I might need one more Sac Outlet now that Shivan Harvest got axed.

Will people deck themselves with Sidisi, Brood Tyrant?

Also, I finally added a second gravecrawler, so yeah, can we make him the site mascot or something?

 

[Chris Taylor]

Specifically the second one should be the mascot

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I think I need a second Carrion Feeder.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I think I need a second Carrion Feeder.

I had fun with it. I'm always on the lookout for more sac outlets, and carrion feeder is really really fair.

At one point I had a B 1/1 that had sac a creature: drain them for 1, but he was way worse usually and way more broken some of the time

 

[FlowerSunRain]

After recent performances, I'm very happy with the way it plays, so the goal right now is simply maintenance. One of the few things I'd like to do is focus the gold cards: a bunch are going to get cut and the only ones remaining will be archetype signals that help point players in the right direction. So Izzit Charm will be leaving because it communicates nothing, but crap like Boros Swiftblade gets to stay because it tells everyone "hey, you can draft a doublestrike deck and its totally not a crap!"

 

[Chris Taylor]

After recent performances, I'm very happy with the way it plays, so the goal right now is simply maintenance. One of the few things I'd like to do is focus the gold cards: a bunch are going to get cut and the only ones remaining will be archetype signals that help point players in the right direction. So Izzit Charm will be leaving because it communicates nothing, but crap like Boros Swiftblade gets to stay because it tells everyone "hey, you can draft a doublestrike deck and its totally not a crap!"

Can it be boros charm instead?
Even if all people see is the burn mode, saving a creature is sweet for a double strike deck and giving a creature double strike means your opponent doesn't get to save all their removal for fencing ace

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Yeah, sure why not, Swiftblade is pretty unexciting.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I did want to ask: Checked over your custom cards in the first post, and it says "Mental Note: Can target any library"
So...thought scour? Come to think of it you don't run thought scour either, so this isn't even to work in a double of something

Also this:
Amrou Scout: "Rebel" changed to "human"
Is fucking genius. This is why-didn't-I-think-of-that level good

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Yeah, I was running mental note as though scour. The reason I use a custom card instead of the actual card that does the same thing: I don't like the art.

Either way, its not surviving the next update so its moot now, the effect was just too narrow.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Yeah, I was running mental note as though scour. The reason I use a custom card instead of the actual card that does the same thing: I don't like the art.

Either way, its not surviving the next update so its moot now, the effect was just too narrow.

Eh, I've done worse

 

[Chris Taylor]

Also, before I leave work:

[TJS]Dandy_Lions's draft of 16.2.2 on 14/01/2015 from CubeTutor.com

Am I doing this right? this seems like it'd be good, a little less heroic than I was trying for, but it looks like it'll work out on sheer power level.
I went back looking for a heroic list, and there's one there but it seemed an inexact science.

 

[Eric Chan]

Also this:
Amrou Scout: "Rebel" changed to "human"
Is fucking genius. This is why-didn't-I-think-of-that level good

I agree, this is awesome. I think I'm going to break my no-custom-cards rule with this one.

Do you have any other rebel/human swaps in your cube?

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Chris: Curse of Predation and Delver seem pretty bad, I'd wanted a better one drop and another piece of removal/disruption. I guess soldier of the pantheon and maybe Faith's Fetters? I'd really want force spike, spell pierce or daze in that. I'm considering doubling up on spike.

Eric: I don't have any other human/revel swaps as of now. I was thinking about the one drop revel. Amrou scout is key, because the one drop can't search for it, so there wouldn't be any chaining.