With all the current world events going on, I decided that now would be the perfect time to start a cube. No matter the card game, I always gravitate towards graveyard decks, so it seemed like the natural theme for this cube. This cube is low power with the following restrictions: I'm not the biggest fan of planeswalkers, so there are no cards from Lorwyn or beyond. I don't like the look of the cards prior to Mirage, so nothing from before then either. Finally, I loathe white border, so the only core set cards available are from 10th edition.
This is my second cube after a disastrous attempt at a Lorywn block cube. I was too naive to see that tribal leads to terrible games of limited. After a few drafts, that cube was taken apart.
Color Pair Breakdown:
Tokens/Buffs: White and Green are the colors that make the most tokens, with powerhouses such as Grizzly Fate, Promise of Bunrei, and Call of the Herd. Both colors also have temporary anthems such as Overrun, Marshaling Cry, as well as permanent ones like Glorious Anthem and Mirari's Wake. W/G should have the strongest mass of creatures on the battlefield.
Beatdown: Red and Green try to end the game fast with large creatures like Reckless Wurm and Silvos backed up by Fires of Yavimaya and Reckless Charge to get them into the red zone. They also have the largest creature with trample, Shivan Wurm.
Draw/Removal: Black and Blue are about inevitability. Black kills creatures, blue counters spells and keeps the resources coming. The main idea is to stick a big threat such as Meloku or Laquatus's Champion to finish off the game. Black can also take advantage of blue's card selection spells to revive an end game threat.
Weenie Rush: White and Red have the most one drops combined of all the two color pairs, making it very likely for them to have a strong start. Goblin Bombardment and Scorched Rusalka finish the game by turning weenies into burn.
Scorched Earth: White and Black combined have the best creature removal, easily outing anything. Angel of Despair is one the best creatures in the cube, able to end the game and remove a threat simultaneously.
Counter Burn: These two colors try to slow the opponent down while digging for burn spells and hasty creatures.
Evasive Fatties: Blue provides protection for Green's creatures in the form of counterspells and flying enchantments, such as Levitation and Launch.
Flying: Both colors have several cheap fliers at their disposal, and can use disruption to tie down threats. Battle Screech, Pride of the Clouds, Launch, and Wonder are what you're looking for.
Threshold/ Flashback: This color pair wants to aggressively hit threshold in order to get maximum value from cards like Grizzly Fate and Stitch Together. Green can use ramp spells, cycling, and mulch to contribute, while black can sacrifice creatures, discard cards with Putrid Imp and Zombie Infestation, or utilize dredge cards like Golgari Thug.
Sacrifice: Lots of overlap here. Carrion Feeder, Goblin Bombardment, and Phyrexian Plaguelord are great sacrifice outlets, and cards like Abyssal Gatekeeper, Golgari Thug, Mogg War Marshal, and Squee are more than happy to enter the bin.
Concluding Thoughts:
This is the product of brainstorming for the last few weeks. I am a huge fan of Odyssey and Onslaught, so several cards are from those blocks. It's a bit tricky to nail down some color pairs, so hopefully they can be nudged in the right direction.
This is my second cube after a disastrous attempt at a Lorywn block cube. I was too naive to see that tribal leads to terrible games of limited. After a few drafts, that cube was taken apart.
Color Pair Breakdown:
Tokens/Buffs: White and Green are the colors that make the most tokens, with powerhouses such as Grizzly Fate, Promise of Bunrei, and Call of the Herd. Both colors also have temporary anthems such as Overrun, Marshaling Cry, as well as permanent ones like Glorious Anthem and Mirari's Wake. W/G should have the strongest mass of creatures on the battlefield. Beatdown: Red and Green try to end the game fast with large creatures like Reckless Wurm and Silvos backed up by Fires of Yavimaya and Reckless Charge to get them into the red zone. They also have the largest creature with trample, Shivan Wurm. Draw/Removal: Black and Blue are about inevitability. Black kills creatures, blue counters spells and keeps the resources coming. The main idea is to stick a big threat such as Meloku or Laquatus's Champion to finish off the game. Black can also take advantage of blue's card selection spells to revive an end game threat. Weenie Rush: White and Red have the most one drops combined of all the two color pairs, making it very likely for them to have a strong start. Goblin Bombardment and Scorched Rusalka finish the game by turning weenies into burn. Scorched Earth: White and Black combined have the best creature removal, easily outing anything. Angel of Despair is one the best creatures in the cube, able to end the game and remove a threat simultaneously. Counter Burn: These two colors try to slow the opponent down while digging for burn spells and hasty creatures. Evasive Fatties: Blue provides protection for Green's creatures in the form of counterspells and flying enchantments, such as Levitation and Launch. Flying: Both colors have several cheap fliers at their disposal, and can use disruption to tie down threats. Battle Screech, Pride of the Clouds, Launch, and Wonder are what you're looking for. Threshold/ Flashback: This color pair wants to aggressively hit threshold in order to get maximum value from cards like Grizzly Fate and Stitch Together. Green can use ramp spells, cycling, and mulch to contribute, while black can sacrifice creatures, discard cards with Putrid Imp and Zombie Infestation, or utilize dredge cards like Golgari Thug. Sacrifice: Lots of overlap here. Carrion Feeder, Goblin Bombardment, and Phyrexian Plaguelord are great sacrifice outlets, and cards like Abyssal Gatekeeper, Golgari Thug, Mogg War Marshal, and Squee are more than happy to enter the bin.Concluding Thoughts:
This is the product of brainstorming for the last few weeks. I am a huge fan of Odyssey and Onslaught, so several cards are from those blocks. It's a bit tricky to nail down some color pairs, so hopefully they can be nudged in the right direction.
