Jovial's Free Magic Box!

Jovial

Jovial

Hello, friends!

List for easy access: http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/92483

My buddies and I have been playing this alternate format forever, but we never bothered to get the list written down nor talk about it with anyone but ourselves.

The gist of the format is this: a large stack of randomized cards that form a shared library for everyone playing (this is a multiplayer-encouraged format, but 1v1 is doable albeit kinda boring). Each player's starting handsize is zero (0), each player draws one (1) card during their draw phase, and each player has their own respective graveyards. Each player has infinite mana of every color at their disposal at all times. Also, there's a shared Exile zone among all players. Other than that, normal MTG rules apply.

The point of this format that we called "Free Magic" (origins unclear to me, but I'm sure we didn't think of it [the name or the format as a whole]) was to just slam cards together while waiting for food at the 24-hour diner near our LGS.

We tend to cap out the number of players at a time at six (6) for simplicity's sake, but theoretically, this game can handle the whole LSG at once.
_______________________________________________

What I'm looking for here is just a dump of cool/interesting/pet cards that you wish you could jam in your Cube, but the the cost/power level is constricted by your design.

Trust me, there are a lot of BAD, AWFUL, TERRIBLE, NO-GOOD cards in my current list since I just made it about a month ago from my actual Cube leftovers, but I'd like to keep this a purgatory for cards that are just not quite good enough, but not just shoved in a box under my bed.


"Rules" for card suggestions:
  • Since you have infinite mana, X spells that just outright kill someone are heavily frowned upon.
    • Flaming Gambit gets a pass because you can disrupt it, but to each their own.
  • Yes, there are 27 copies of Kindle. That is not a typo.
  • Cards that search libraries are generally frowned upon, but there have been times where we instituted the house rule of the following:
    • "If you win the round of Free Magic, you get all of the cards from the defeated players' hands, battlefields, and graveyards into a separate winner-only Exile zone that you can use in conjunction with library search cards". In the end, I don't play that way, because it makes the games go longer than I want.
  • Power level isn't taken into consideration, but due to the nature of the format, card drawing is even more at a premium, so try to keep things balanced.
Tell me what you guys think!
Also, if this post belongs in a different subforum, please move it. <3
 
Kirblinx

Kirblinx

Developer
Staff member
This seems like a tamer version of my communal type 4 stack. The difference is that mine starts with cards in hand, and you can only cast one spell per turn, to stop people dumping all cards at once. Your's sounds like it would be slow going at the start. How long would you say that each game goes for?

I have plenty of suggestions for cards that are great in type 4, just the most ridiculous cards possible.
But my actual suggestions that would suit you format as much as it does mine, is top of library effects.

The shared library makes these cards take on a different light, Totally Lost now becomes a terrible control magic, as you can cast it on the turn before you draw to put it on top of the communal library. Aven Fateshaper is also pretty interesting as it can dictate what everyone draws at all times. This may be a bit unfun for your stack, but it is pretty standard in mine.

I too also found that card draw is pretty busted when you have infinite mana. In my case, I have put a hard limit of no more than 3 cards can be drawn off any one card. As cards like Tower of Fortunes and Consecrated Sphinx can draw you enough counterspells to keep your opponents locked out.

I feel like one in every 11 cards being Kindle may make it a little boring. When you play this format enough, I feel people will be sad every time they draw a Kindle, even though it may be stronger than other cards later in the game, there is no excitement with random cards they may have not seen or used before. At least that is what I try to aim with in my stack. I recently upgraded it to 400 cards, just so there is even less chance to see the same cards interact throughout a match.

Just noticed Retether in you list as well, I don't think it is a good card for a random format. If you could choose the cards in your deck then it would be sweet, but you are relying on what the deck gives you, and you alone. At least with Open the Vaults it effects everyone, so you can use it as politcal leverage, but this, more often than not will be just a dead card as the person who drew it had never drawn an aura.

I would be glad to talk more about infinite mana formats, as I have really been high on my type 4 stack recently. Introduced it to a couple of the new guys at the LGS and it is all we do in between rounds now. You can check out my list here. We share a lot of the same ideals, just mine is like a 'powered cube' and yours is a 'low-powered riptide cube'. If anything, I am hoping you can give me some ideas ;)
 
Jovial

Jovial

Forgive me for the late response! Work and other such excuses. You know how it do.

As for your points, I'm in 99% agreement with all of them. :) And I'd like to go point-by-point to address them.

  • The only reason why Kindle is in the Free Magic Box (FMB) is an ongoing joke with the friends. Kindle is one of those cards that isn't that good, but never had a chance to shine in any format that I'm aware of. Plus, since you need six copies to kill a player outright, this was the only way I could see it happen.
  • The speed of the format is surprisingly faster than it appears. Individual games last not more five or six minutes. Since we're drawing only card a turn, the physical action of drawing and passing takes no time. With the inclusion of better cards, the games become more interesting and blowouts are bound to happen.
  • The TOL cards are the best inclusions to this format. Cards like Sigiled Starfish and Crystal Ball become hilarious, but I totally forgot about the existence of cards like the ones you mentioned.
  • Retether is awful. I'm sorry you had to see that. I removed it promptly.
Infinite mana formats are probably my most favorite format simply because being able to go off with Weatherseed Treefolk and Greater Good is my kind of a good time.
The amount of card drawing, I feel, is necessary in this particular FMB because it both allows for both the player ahead to absolutely crush his opponents and have that "Still had all these" moments, but also allow players to be behind and then hit a run of Council of the Soratami into Dregs of Sorrow (new inclusion that I blatantly stole from your list) into an Endbringer and just wipe the floor with everyone. It's a good kind of chaos that we tend to appreciate after many rounds of Cube or constructed that can take the brain juices out of you.
I am, however, torn on the inclusion of Tempting Wurm. It's a pet card from my EDH days when my general was the mighty Pheldagriff. It makes for some silly turns, but generally just gives the opponent the upperhand. Do we hate it enough to just cut it?
 
Jovial

Jovial

Addendum:

I hate having millions of different tokens in this kind of game, so I've taken out the cards that make stupid tokens. Also, they weren't very powerful and felt worse than drawing a Kindle like 90% of the time. I also removed the do-nothing cards. They weren't very powerful or created unique gamestates. They just... happened and it was stupid.

Removed:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top