Laz
Developer
Still in theory craft mode, but I am assuming I can seed enough spell-oriented cards to create a gradient of decks, from all-in UR decks, to decks which just run Seeker of the Way and occasionally get some value from casting O. Ring or Lingering Souls.
The Lucre-cube (aka. Draw-a-card cube) has shown me that blue-based aggressive decks can be terrifying, and a lot of the potency comes from the fact that the opponent has no idea what is going to happen in the upcoming combat phase. That deck runs a lot of can-tripping cards, for instance, doubling up on Leap, so creatures can suddenly become large and difficult to block as cards cantrip into one another. A large volume of instant speed protection adds a lot of inter-play to tackling threats, though the fact that virtually all decent removal costs 3 mana might have something to do with that dynamic. There are a lot of very strong tempo elements at play there. It is this experience that I am drawing on when I try to create that experience in this environment. I feel I can raise the power-level a fair way without compromising the experience.
There is certainly a scale of how spell-dependant cards are, from Delver of Secrets to Abbot of Keral Keep, though the fact of the matter is that none of these are wildly unplayable in an average 8-10 spell deck. They just scale really well with more spells being cast, which is a pretty natural thing for aggressive decks to do. I feel it is more important to focus upon adding appropriate spells to the environment. Emerge Unscathed and Feeling of Dread seem like powerful tools for a tempo-oriented deck, but have also been selected because of the multiple casting triggers. Likewise Firebolt and Staggershock. There is also the possibility of some interesting disruptive aggro deck which uses the 1 CMC black discard spells to do fun things. On that note, Raven's Crime only takes a single slot, and I have had my hand ripped apart enough by that card to recognize its power. Previously it was only really for grind-y GB decks, but it might be nice to give it some utility.
Aside: I just realised that Molten Vortex is basically a 2-damage Flame Jab... It is however, probably too dangerous to just Sharpie a 2 onto Flame Jab, mostly because you could Dredge it with Life from the Loam.
Ultimately, I feel that a lot of the Prowess and 'when you cast' cards are about generating value from what you wanted to do anyway. In this regard, the cards are a key component in out-tempoing your opponent. If you gain a little bit of extra value from every spell, you are in a good place. That said, lots of these cards force interesting sequencing decisions, and so add a little more complexity to the interactions. I premised this cube with 'I want a cube with Legacy-style decision trees, where games are won by inches' and so I see this as a good path towards that goal.
The Lucre-cube (aka. Draw-a-card cube) has shown me that blue-based aggressive decks can be terrifying, and a lot of the potency comes from the fact that the opponent has no idea what is going to happen in the upcoming combat phase. That deck runs a lot of can-tripping cards, for instance, doubling up on Leap, so creatures can suddenly become large and difficult to block as cards cantrip into one another. A large volume of instant speed protection adds a lot of inter-play to tackling threats, though the fact that virtually all decent removal costs 3 mana might have something to do with that dynamic. There are a lot of very strong tempo elements at play there. It is this experience that I am drawing on when I try to create that experience in this environment. I feel I can raise the power-level a fair way without compromising the experience.
There is certainly a scale of how spell-dependant cards are, from Delver of Secrets to Abbot of Keral Keep, though the fact of the matter is that none of these are wildly unplayable in an average 8-10 spell deck. They just scale really well with more spells being cast, which is a pretty natural thing for aggressive decks to do. I feel it is more important to focus upon adding appropriate spells to the environment. Emerge Unscathed and Feeling of Dread seem like powerful tools for a tempo-oriented deck, but have also been selected because of the multiple casting triggers. Likewise Firebolt and Staggershock. There is also the possibility of some interesting disruptive aggro deck which uses the 1 CMC black discard spells to do fun things. On that note, Raven's Crime only takes a single slot, and I have had my hand ripped apart enough by that card to recognize its power. Previously it was only really for grind-y GB decks, but it might be nice to give it some utility.
Aside: I just realised that Molten Vortex is basically a 2-damage Flame Jab... It is however, probably too dangerous to just Sharpie a 2 onto Flame Jab, mostly because you could Dredge it with Life from the Loam.
Ultimately, I feel that a lot of the Prowess and 'when you cast' cards are about generating value from what you wanted to do anyway. In this regard, the cards are a key component in out-tempoing your opponent. If you gain a little bit of extra value from every spell, you are in a good place. That said, lots of these cards force interesting sequencing decisions, and so add a little more complexity to the interactions. I premised this cube with 'I want a cube with Legacy-style decision trees, where games are won by inches' and so I see this as a good path towards that goal.
too expensive. 4 CMC is probably a sweet spot for a curve-topper for this sort of deck. 
