Long-time lurker, first-time poster (Hello!). My cube list, an explanation, then a question:
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/36069
The Cube:
- Small [360] cube intended for 4-8 drafters or 2-4 sealed pools
- Commons/Uncommons for the most part, with a handful of synergistic rares
- Singleton broken for staple card effects
- Intended to provide a deep limited format with a relatively flat power level (hopefully no overpowered rares, and only a few sideboard-only cards)
- Designed to have more than one way to draft any given color combination (for variety's sake), while also having enough overlap to allow you to pivot if one of your colors dries up half way through a draft
My inspiration for that last bullet is Khans of Tarkir draft, where you could (for example) begin by drafting red-white looking to Mardu, only to later shift into Jeskai if the black dries up, WITHOUT losing too many of your previous picks. The same principles are at play here, but with a focus on two-color decks necessitating plenty of overlapping archetypes.
The Archetypes:
Renown, combat tricks
Scry and skies
Sacrifice effects and 2/2 Zombie tokens
Elemental tribal
Ramp
Azorius
Awaken Tempo - Halimar Tidecaller + Clutch of Currents and creatures with Prowess and/or Flying
Awaken Control - the same Halimar Tidecaller, now with Planar Outburst, walls, and countermagic
Orzhov
Orzhov Bleeder - wins with repeatable life drain effects like Extort and Shadows of the Past
Auramancer - cheap, aggressive creatures supplemented with Bestow and black disruption
Dimir
Dimir Control - removal, countermagic, Flashback, and Dinrova Horror
Saboteur Tempo - Mask of Riddles and such. I should probably use Ninjutsu here
Izzet
Pyromancer - Guttersnipe & co., with plenty of Flashback and Rebound spells
Elementalist - Elemental tribal: Incandescent Soulstoke, Mulldrifter, etc.
Rakdos
Rakdos Attrition - hand disruption, burn, and difficult-to-deal-with creatures
Mutiny Combo - Mark of Mutiny + Blazing Hellhound, aggressive sacrifice and burn
Golgari
Golgari Aristocrat - tokens, sacrifice outlets, death triggers, and more tokens
Graveyard Rock - black-green good stuff with a self-mill/reanimator sub-theme
Gruul
Wolves Aggro - Wolfbitten Captive, Kruin Outlaw, other friendly dog people
Geomancer - "lands matter" stompy. Landfall effects + things like Zendikar Incarnate
Boros
Boros Voltron - a more all-in Bestow build. Can Double Strike an opponent to death out of nowhere
Battalion Aggro - "go wide" aggro strategy. Tokens + mass pump like Inner-Flame Igniter
Selesnya
Selesnya Aggro - creatures with Renown and Soulbond backed by tons of combat tricks
Token Swarm - Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage, other token producers, and Sigil Blessing
Simic
Flash Tempo - countermagic and Flash creatures work well with werewolf transformations
Eldrazi Ramp - Nest Invader and Eldrazi Skyspawner evolve into Bane of Bala Ged
...and some general mechanical overlaps (these are not necessarily 3-color decks):
Abzan - Tokens
Jeskai - Prowess, "spells matter"
Sultai - Flashback, "graveyard matters"
Mardu - Bestow, direct life loss effects
Temur - Multicolor elementals
The Question:
First, does this really work? I could use some more draft data, to see if packing this much mechanical layering into such a small cube actually pays off for people like I've intended. I appreciate any time you're willing to give this!
Second, and more specifically: how easy are clear first picks coming to you when drafting? This cube was originally common and uncommon only (lands aside), with a very flat power level, and my drafters and I were having trouble finding a pick to zero in on when confronted with 15 solid B-level cards. I have since added in a smattering of rares, to better mimic an actual limited environment. If any of you have experience adding rares to a formerly pauper or peasant cube, I'd appreciate your input. How'd I do?
Any other more general input is also welcome! Thanks!
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/36069
The Cube:
- Small [360] cube intended for 4-8 drafters or 2-4 sealed pools
- Commons/Uncommons for the most part, with a handful of synergistic rares
- Singleton broken for staple card effects
- Intended to provide a deep limited format with a relatively flat power level (hopefully no overpowered rares, and only a few sideboard-only cards)
- Designed to have more than one way to draft any given color combination (for variety's sake), while also having enough overlap to allow you to pivot if one of your colors dries up half way through a draft
My inspiration for that last bullet is Khans of Tarkir draft, where you could (for example) begin by drafting red-white looking to Mardu, only to later shift into Jeskai if the black dries up, WITHOUT losing too many of your previous picks. The same principles are at play here, but with a focus on two-color decks necessitating plenty of overlapping archetypes.
The Archetypes:
Awaken Tempo - Halimar Tidecaller + Clutch of Currents and creatures with Prowess and/or Flying
Awaken Control - the same Halimar Tidecaller, now with Planar Outburst, walls, and countermagic
Orzhov Bleeder - wins with repeatable life drain effects like Extort and Shadows of the Past
Auramancer - cheap, aggressive creatures supplemented with Bestow and black disruption
Dimir Control - removal, countermagic, Flashback, and Dinrova Horror
Saboteur Tempo - Mask of Riddles and such. I should probably use Ninjutsu here
Pyromancer - Guttersnipe & co., with plenty of Flashback and Rebound spells
Elementalist - Elemental tribal: Incandescent Soulstoke, Mulldrifter, etc.
Rakdos Attrition - hand disruption, burn, and difficult-to-deal-with creatures
Mutiny Combo - Mark of Mutiny + Blazing Hellhound, aggressive sacrifice and burn
Golgari Aristocrat - tokens, sacrifice outlets, death triggers, and more tokens
Graveyard Rock - black-green good stuff with a self-mill/reanimator sub-theme
Wolves Aggro - Wolfbitten Captive, Kruin Outlaw, other friendly dog people
Geomancer - "lands matter" stompy. Landfall effects + things like Zendikar Incarnate
Boros Voltron - a more all-in Bestow build. Can Double Strike an opponent to death out of nowhere
Battalion Aggro - "go wide" aggro strategy. Tokens + mass pump like Inner-Flame Igniter
Selesnya Aggro - creatures with Renown and Soulbond backed by tons of combat tricks
Token Swarm - Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage, other token producers, and Sigil Blessing
Flash Tempo - countermagic and Flash creatures work well with werewolf transformations
Eldrazi Ramp - Nest Invader and Eldrazi Skyspawner evolve into Bane of Bala Ged
...and some general mechanical overlaps (these are not necessarily 3-color decks):
Abzan - Tokens
Jeskai - Prowess, "spells matter"
Sultai - Flashback, "graveyard matters"
Mardu - Bestow, direct life loss effects
Temur - Multicolor elementals
The Question:
First, does this really work? I could use some more draft data, to see if packing this much mechanical layering into such a small cube actually pays off for people like I've intended. I appreciate any time you're willing to give this!
Second, and more specifically: how easy are clear first picks coming to you when drafting? This cube was originally common and uncommon only (lands aside), with a very flat power level, and my drafters and I were having trouble finding a pick to zero in on when confronted with 15 solid B-level cards. I have since added in a smattering of rares, to better mimic an actual limited environment. If any of you have experience adding rares to a formerly pauper or peasant cube, I'd appreciate your input. How'd I do?
Any other more general input is also welcome! Thanks!
! Had a fun time drafting this! Who needs other things when you can just two-drop lol. In all seriousness, I guess I ended up in a sort of go-wide RW deck, with 
