General Fight Club
- Thread starter Jason Waddell
- Start date
Assault Strobe and Armed // Dangerous are both in my list, and they've proven rather popular and quite strong. I dislike instant-speed double strike because it can be such an unexpected blowout (see: many of Grillo's posts on the matter, which I agree with), but sorcery speed has been just fine with my current removal power level and quantity. (Armed tends to be played as a red spell only, for what it's worth).
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Isn't that the whole point?
Dom Harvey
Contributor
The trample is super important for Battle Rage in the Death's Shadow deck, it's too easy for it to just get chump blocked otherwise
Battle Rage has to be the pick here. The instant speed and the trample put it way over the top of the others.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
RavebornMuse makes an excellent case for why it does not have to be the pick here.
These options are also at least on par with the three options you listed Fulcrum, though the last two are not mono red.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
The big issue with the double strike enhancers is that you don't want to promote a feeling where you can't not block random midrange threats without risking random death.
I'm sure their is some leeway with specific affects, but I like there to be a combo feel, and the sense of building to a show down turn.
Battle rage specifically scares me because it grants both double strike and evasion at instant speed.
I'm sure their is some leeway with specific affects, but I like there to be a combo feel, and the sense of building to a show down turn.
Battle rage specifically scares me because it grants both double strike and evasion at instant speed.
Which one in a vacuum?
Xenagos > Arlinn > Domri >>> Vol
I ended up disliking Vol because act of treason bad, haste enabler is slow, ult is vanilla. Domri is interesting but asks for a lot of help. Xenagos is super sweet, I love balanced Cradle. Arlinn I tentatively like but haven't played with yet. I imagine she's basically Huntmaster.
I ended up disliking Vol because act of treason bad, haste enabler is slow, ult is vanilla. Domri is interesting but asks for a lot of help. Xenagos is super sweet, I love balanced Cradle. Arlinn I tentatively like but haven't played with yet. I imagine she's basically Huntmaster.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
I also tentatively like Arlin, though agree its probably better to compare her with huntmaster than the other three. In a vacuum, I actually like huntmaster better than all of them, since incidental sources of lifegain can be scarce in cube.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Xenagos was always fun when I still ran Gruul cards. On most planeswalkers I find the ability to make tokens for free annoying, but with Xenagos it works. Maybe because he requires two colors, and because those colors happen to like spamming the board with creatures anyway? I don't know, but it works.
After you flip her, can you activate another ability?
No, unfortunately. She's still the same object, so her first ability still counts. Same with flip Garruk.
Dom Harvey
Contributor
if you could you would just flip it back and forth and get 3 Wolves + 3 Bolts in the same turn
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Oh right.
I like (and run) Sarkhan Vol. Mostly because I support both wide aggro and aristocrats decks, so the 1st and 2nd ability can both be relevant to my drafters.
Domri is a great card, but even in constructed formats it's sometimes difficult to get a lot of value out of it. I can't imagine it being better in Cube.
Domri is a great card, but even in constructed formats it's sometimes difficult to get a lot of value out of it. I can't imagine it being better in Cube.
Domri Rade is pretty fun over here; he's been picked and played way more than Xenagos (who is pretty dull imho) and Vol (who we got bored of quick). When his draw whiffs, it's a bit of a downer, but with any TOL manipulation, he can be really awesome in a stompy deck, and he can do some work as a removal tool and win-con, too. He's in no danger of getting cut over here; he's partly responsible for the resurgence of 
in my cube. I think walkers under 4 mana have a lot less demands placed on them, and feel inherently more exciting since they can really ratchet up the early pressure.
in my cube. I think walkers under 4 mana have a lot less demands placed on them, and feel inherently more exciting since they can really ratchet up the early pressure.I like Xenagos a lot, and he's done lots of good work, but the RG 'everything costs 4' thing bugs me. I think I'll give Domri a try as a change of pace.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
For the aggro curve topper:
aggro curve topper:
Hellrider > Hero of Oxid Ridge >> Battledriver
Hellrider and Oxid are very similar cards. Hellrider is better at pushing damage through big blockers, and Oxid is better at pushing damage through small blockers. The prevalence of big blockers and the greater consistency give Hellrider the nod.
I don't see Battledriver as an aggro curve topper at all, since it does nothing the turn you play it. It's really a midgame setup card for the tokens deck, much like Purphoros. In that deck, Battledriver is often better, but it's playing a different role.
Hellrider and Oxid are very similar cards. Hellrider is better at pushing damage through big blockers, and Oxid is better at pushing damage through small blockers. The prevalence of big blockers and the greater consistency give Hellrider the nod.
I don't see Battledriver as an aggro curve topper at all, since it does nothing the turn you play it. It's really a midgame setup card for the tokens deck, much like Purphoros. In that deck, Battledriver is often better, but it's playing a different role.