General Revisiting "Squadroning"

[Aoret]

Hey gents, it has been a while. I was just thinking about this thread again and considering finally implementing the concept.

Some context:

• I'm still working with a lower power level cube. I've got a somewhat "classical" Riptide cube as well, but I like exploring some different design spaces from what our little leftist hive mind here generally works on.
• For the purposes of this discussion "squadroning" refers to the practice of either stuffing a sleeve full of multiple copies of a card, or writing a giant "X3" or something on top of a card to designate that one draft pick gets a player multiple copies of the card.

My thought is to "squadron" cards that are, by themselves, essentially harmless if not kinda shitty. I'm looking at enabler cards like Pyretic Ritual or Tracker's Instincts that basically don't actually do anything, but could be pretty cool if, say, you have a Guttersnipe or whatnot in play (in the case of the ritual).

All concerns about power level aside, what cards come to mind for you guys? The original thread was pretty focused on Squadron Hawk and other self-referential cards. I'd like to expand the discussion to cards that fall into "way too shitty unless you have a high density of them".

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I use squadroning to increase my one drop density without needing to use more slots. Lots of these cards are functionally interchangeable, so rather then pretend that they're different, I just give you two of the one that's at the power level I like better. The change has been well received, but I'm considering scaling it back a little with either less doubles or restrictions (you can only include one multiple in your final deck). I'm also considering expanding it to include doubles on narrowish, but buildaroundable drops at other CC (currently Grim Guardian, Ajani's Pridemate, Young Pyromancer and Reverent Hunter are being considered). These cards all see play, but with only one copy the really don't/can't fully shine.

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

I'm actually not a big fan of tracker's instinct and have been considering running a second mulch in its place.

 

[CML]

Tracker's Instincts looks cool until you have to put your land in the yard and your fatty in your hand.

So far I've tried
the 4 eponymous Squadron Hawks -- a conditional success (goes well with Birthing Pod, though!)
the 3 Demigod of Revenge -- didn't really work, which surprised me (so much to do with this; Intuition and dredge and reanimator and B/R devotion, even!)
the 4 Accumulated Knowledge -- meh
2x2 Rune Snag -- too confusing and weird to be worth it

In general I have negative feelings about how Squadroning outside Hawks has worked in my Cube with my playgroup.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

is another sort of build around me. There seems to be some different schools to this, one being enabling fringe decks and another being reducing the amount of samey one-drops in packs. I think adding enablers is the style that is least likely to change pick dynamics to drasticly, since pick-1-get-2 one drops might make it easier to get critical mass with less picks? In the skype chat someone recommended enforcing the entire squadron hawks to be played if any of them are played (so you have to run a 42 card deck if its a pick-1-get-3).

 

[FlowerSunRain]

In the skype chat someone recommended enforcing the entire squadron hawks to be played if any of them are played (so you have to run a 42 card deck if its a pick-1-get-3).

I posed that solution before, but ended up not using it. It just feels so out of place. Granted, only being able to use one duplicate is similar, but it seems like finicky then messing with the deck-size limits.

 

[Lurker]

I've run Squadron Hawk as a draft-one-get-four, but found that it gets really repetitive and fills up too much deck space. Recently I've had it so that if you pick the only one in the cube, you get 3 others that must be in your sideboard at the start of every game, but with errata that Squadron Hawk can search up the Squadron Hawks in your board, too. So only 1 of the 40 cards in a maindeck can be a hawk, but the card still functions as players expect. There's still issues with people forgetting to unboard and such, though.

 

[Tom]

This is a neat idea. I hadn't thought about using this technique to boost aggro (for example). I could imagine putting an "x2" on something like Elite Vanguard or Young Pyromancer.

However, personally, I'm really sensitive to simplicity and elegance. Every extra "rule" you tack on to your cubing experience has a cost and, for me at least, I'm not sure the benefits of squadroning outweigh the cost.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Currently contemplating the following cards for Squadroning, what do you think?



All of these can act like the cogs in their respective draft decks, work way better in multiples, and aren't necessarily interesting for more than one drafter at the table, which means that doubling up (i.e. using up two spots in the cube) might not be the most desirable thing.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I will say you're probably underestimating blood artist. That card just being active on a table is a beating, even if only combat math is affecting it

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I've never seen two in action at the same time, that might be more brutal than I imagine. It is a card I doubled up on, but which I'm considering for squadroning instead.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

I'm going to have to say that a lot of those cards either are fine on their own or benefit more from breaking singleton rather than being squadron hawks. I think singletonbreaking is good for cards that are unique but also benefitial or enabling for several archetypes (gravecrawler being a good black one drop as well as a nice toy for sacrifice decks) whereas squadron hawks are for cards that only one player on the table ever possibly could want more off given they have one (say, cloudpost, which is something a player should have all the ones that are available or none at all, not split amongst two or three drafters).

In the case of eidolon of blossoms, its probably better to have an enchantment subtheme in the cube or in the color rather than making it a multiple, as too maintain the draftin tention?

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I pulled the trigger on squadroned Grim Guardian and Pridemate, but held off on Reverent Hunter and Young Pyromancer. I also dropped squadroning on 3 "no frills" one drops as usually people are keeping a couple of one drops in the sideboard anyway. We'll see the effect on this soon.

I think squadroned birth pod and loam has merit, but I'd also agree with the sentiment that squadroned blood artist seems over the top.

 

[Eric Chan]

I don't even run two Blood Artists, period, anymore. They were a little much in tandem, especially combined with multiple recurring creatures.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

In the case of eidolon of blossoms, its probably better to have an enchantment subtheme in the cube or in the color rather than making it a multiple, as too maintain the draftin tention?

There already is an enchantment theme in my cube, and Eidolon of Blossoms is good in that, but it seems exactly the card you wouldn't really be happy with unless you played a lot of enchantments?

I am definitely undervaluing Blood Artist it seems, maybe I should move one of them out of cube then instead of squadroning it.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

I think its a matter of philosophy. I'd run it as a 2x maybe in the same way you'd run young pyromancer as a 2x if that is what you're out for, as a sort of "build around me" base.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Next cube session is in two weeks, so I could also just pull the trigger and squadron all of these so I can give you proper feedback on how bad of an idea squadroning some of these is

 

[Chris Taylor]

Generator Servant and Perilous Myr are the two that don't make much sense to me to squadron. And Springleaf Drum seems like an odd choice. Is there an inspired deck? o.O

Servant and Myr are fine on their own. Like red 5 drops may mostly have haste, but he's fine, and myr is a pain to attack through

 

[Grillo_Parlante]

Champion of the parish also isn't a card I would be quick to squadron with some deeper considerations. I've ran it in two different cubes: one where it was terrible and one where it is great. What type of support do you have for is? And is some of this motivated by a desire to push people into specific archetypes?

 

[CML]

Currently contemplating the following cards for Squadroning, what do you think?



All of these can act like the cogs in their respective draft decks, work way better in multiples, and aren't necessarily interesting for more than one drafter at the table, which means that doubling up (i.e. using up two spots in the cube) might not be the most desirable thing.

I like all of these choices enough to at least try most of them. I think Pridemate, Raptor, Loam, Myr, and Drum all need the extra help and are ideal candidates. Champ, Servant, Pyro, Eidolon, Pod are fine being picked 1-by-1 in my pretty high-power environment, but they could work with minimal squadroning. I'm not that interested in Ghostly Flicker or Grim Guardian and am kinda on the fence about Perilous Myr, too.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

There's an artifact deck, a black inspired deck, and aggro in general that could benefit from double Drum. Wait, you can see for yourself: http://cubetutor.com/visualspoiler/6914

I was just going through my list too see which cards were nice to have in multiples in certain archetypes, but we're maybe too narrow to take up two slots in the cube.

 

[Dom Harvey]

Birthing Pod is the perfect card to Squadron, in any deck where it's good it's the card you most want to draw and taking additional Pods out of the draft means you don't have to take a Pod at the expense of a good Pod-able creature.

 

[CML]

squadroning pod sounds like the worst because it's hard to beat just one and then you can't build a "kind of" birthing pod deck

 

[Jason Waddell]

I've been really surprised by the number of drafts where multiple people go for pods and people still run 1-pod decks because they have ways to get value out of it.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Really, squadroning if done I feel should be done on cards that are close to unplayable as a singleton, ie the post-lands or the tron lands