Card/Deck Birthing Pod

Suicufnoc

Suicufnoc

2hzh3ib.jpg

I guess I'll start the thread. Feel free to PM me blurbs/cards etc to have them added to the main post. I'll dig through the original google groups thread for cards and stuff too. Or feel free to change it yourself if you're an admin. And feel free to make a better graphic or complain about this one.

Jason Waddell said:
Here's the basic premise: I'm including 3 copies of Birthing Pod. Bye bye Survival (which has been less than stellar). Pod is a pretty unique card to build around, and is pretty much ideally suited for cube design. It's not mechanically isolated, all you need are creatures on a curve. It offers tons of creative drafting options, and doesn't force you to commit to the Birthing Pod line as your cards will have plenty of overlap with other archetypes. I think as far as cube combos go, engine cards like this are the way to go. As we've seen from Standard and Modern, there are all sorts of cute synergies and interactions you can pull with pod.
I know there will be some reservations about supporting an archetype so explicitly with multiples, but it's really not so different from using mechanically similar reanimation spells / burn spells / counterspells / whatever makes archetypes tick.
This is for random discussion and brainstorming of how these changes should affect a cube's design.
For one, I'm going to be adding Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, as a bit of an overlap between Pod and the Gravecrawler aggro idea. This card is a fairly outrageous pod top-end. Undying Acidic Slimes and random dorks are pretty ridiculous. Also, we open up some real combo possibilities that take set up: Mikaeus + Murderous Recap / Kitchen Finks and a sac outlet (Carrion Feeder, Greater Gargadon, Goblin Bombardment)
It also provides another archetype that can conceivably get Geralf's Messenger into play. I know the card is pretty narrow, but the pool of black three-drops is pretty awful all around.
Click to expand...
Truth is, I don't know if it will work, but here's something to consider:
When you only have one copy of Pod in your deck, it's not really worth building your whole deck / curve around. It's kind of a "nice to have" if you get it. But if you have 2-3 in your 40 card deck? Then you can really expect to draw it with consistency.

I also imagine (again, unverified), that it is very skill intensive to draft. Unlike Reanimator, where all the support cards are obvious, Pod takes anything. It just wants creatures. What you draft and how you fill out the curve is something you'll need to think about the entire time. It's one of those decks that you'll get better at drafting each time you play it, and you start to evaluate certain cards completely differently. Yeah, maybe now the Vorapede does look sweet. Blade Splicer? Yes sir.
Click to expand...

Cards by color.
Green:
Support Cards:

Creatures:
Black:
Support Cards:

and the rest of the tutors

Creatures:
Red:
Support Cards:

Creatures:
White:
Support Cards:


Creatures:
Blue:
Support Cards:

Creatures:
Gold:
Support Cards:

Creatures:
Colorless:
Support Cards:

Creatures:
Other Archetypes/etc that play well with Pod cards:
Blink
Zombies
Sacrifice
Life Gain?

For Newcomers:
2-3 Pods at 360, 3-4 Pods at 450
 
Lucre

Lucre

Please friends, stop cubing 4 copies of birthing pod in your green sections or even just your drafts in general, it's really railroading green and many of us just aren't into planning intricate midranged curves during our drafts for weird value decks with a wrote playstyle. You might even find people are more excited about trying to play pod when there are only two copies floating around in a draft.

I'm just saying 3 should be enough, it's not a card for every deck, its not even a card for every green deck. Is drawing more than one something you are really pumped about? Shouldnt a deck that is excited to curve from elf to pod be pretty content when it draws its finks or ophiomancer to play on turn 2 instead?


How many times do you have players fighting over pods? Is that the sorta thing you want to encourage by cubing 4?
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah, I mean, my bad on this topic. In the beginning I had a friend who played Pod 100% of the time in Standard / Modern, as well as others who identified as Podcurious, so my playgroup easily supported 4x pod, with the pods being split between 2-3 drafters every time. I think 3 is more correct for a 360 list.
 
shamizy

shamizy

3 Pods at 420 has been the sweet spot for me. You only ever need two to ever make the archetype work out from my experience.
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

Ecstatic Orb
I have 2 at 450. If a player gets both, great, they got a pod deck. If not, also fine, they got a cool cog in their deck, and they get a little bit more conscious about curve. I could see going to 3, but so far I haven't really missed the reliable pod deck at my table.
 
James Stevenson

James Stevenson

Steamflogger Boss
Staff member
A few cards to add to the list:

To be honest there a many more from my list that I'd be happy to run in a pod deck, just because they have ETB effects.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Is viridian emissary really what we're looking for here?
I know not every creature is voice of resurgence, but I thought the central conceit of pod was that it was a midrange deck first, and a Conjurer's Closet deck second. Is 2/1 for 2 a midrange guy we wanna play?
 
Eric Chan

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
Viridian Emissary is a weird card; it's much better in aggro lists that can take advantage of the 2/1 body, and recklessly send him into the red zone knowing that they'll get some benefit either way. If you just plan to have him sit on defence, though, your opponent can play around his presence by holding back attackers if they know you desperately need the land. Without any additional support, I'm not a huge fan of Emissary in cube, but I suppose if Birthing Pod makes it into a lot of aggro decks in your environment he might be worth a shot.
 
B

blacksmithy

You make a good point.
However, i'd argue that if your opponent is holding back attackers for multiple turns against your midrange/control deck to avoid proccing VE... Then VE is going to be your MVP in that game win.
 
shamizy

shamizy

Viridian Emissary is sweet if you have a way of saccing him if you can't bait an opponent attack. The ability to just sac STE whenever is great because sometimes you need a speedbump against aggro, other times you just wanna ramp on T2. Having options is great. VE is kinda miserable if you aren't able to get rid of him and you're hurting for land drops.
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
I think Dom was looking for Pod shenanigans in the draft. Specifically, a Delve card -> pod it into a 9 or 10 drop. Do we want these plays, and if so, which cards would work as pod targets (that would also see play elsewhere)?
 
Jason Waddell

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
I think Delve 6 -> 7 drop is as far as we're going to get. I don't really want to run any of the other cards in my current list.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top