The Dandy Cube (Chris Taylor's Cube)

[Onderzeeboot]

Drafted an awesome monowhite deck, but I took to long (@work), so I can't save it anymore.



Edit: Oh. It gave an error during saving, three times! It still saved the deck though, so you now got three mono white decks in your decks section. Sorry

 

[Chris Taylor]

I love that deck Took me a while to figure out what the temple gardens were for!
I feel like you could have cut some of the more marginal equipment for a few of the token makers you left in the sideboard, and maybe worked dictate of heliod in instead, but either way it looks sweet!

However, I worry about something here. You've got Mutavault, Township, and 3 wastes, and Precinct Captain. Also Spear, Ajani's Twinclaws, Ajani Himself, all of which are WW. It's weird to think you'd experience color screw in Mono White, but I think it could happen. Eldrazi Displacer might be doing more harm than good here, but I'd have to test it

 

[sigh]

Got the eldrazi displacer, might as well go in on the geist-honored monk and resto! Looks like there's 12 white sources, which is just about ready for WW on turn 3 (one away).

Have you gotten any data on trying out the Displacer? Interested in knowing how it works out for people.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Got the eldrazi displacer, might as well go in on the geist-honored monk and resto! Looks like there's 12 white sources, which is just about ready for WW on turn 3 (one away).

Have you gotten any data on trying out the Displacer? Interested in knowing how it works out for people.

Unfortunatly no. White is super crowded on 3s, so he usually gets cut for more consistently/reputable things like Kitchen Finks or Blade Splicer. Thought Knot Seer and Reality Smasher have seen quite a bit of play though, so this will probably get better with time.

 

[sigh]

Funny that those are the very cards it is bonkers with lol

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I thought about pretty much all the mentioned cards, but in the end I decided to stick to a low curve. Dictate is really strong though, so maybe I should run that. Five mana though! Also, I think you'ld play all of the WW+ drops in a two color deck, with much less than 12 sources, so I think you're fine? The colorless mana ensures I can go off with Displacer in the later turns. Basically it reads : Tap target creature", but that's not a bad effect on a 3/3 for 3!

 

[Chris Taylor]

I thought about pretty much all the mentioned cards, but in the end I decided to stick to a low curve. Dictate is really strong though, so maybe I should run that. Five mana though! Also, I think you'ld play all of the WW+ drops in a two color deck, with much less than 12 sources, so I think you're fine? The colorless mana ensures I can go off with Displacer in the later turns. Basically it reads : Tap target creature", but that's not a bad effect on a 3/3 for 3!

And generally I'd agree, but some of the more marginal stuff like Ethreal Wings and Mana Tithe (Which I almost always board out anyways) could probably do with some swaps. Battle Screech is notably insane as well

 

[Chris Taylor]

So in terms of random stuff that happened over the week, I patched my cube up to 495 to support an 11 player draft because of attendance, and just finished finalizing patching it back down to 450

There's a replacement thragtusk because he was too strong, I've swapped out Consecrated Sphinx for something far less objectively powerful since it's proving very VERY strong, and I'm slowly starting to make some headway on my cube's glut of power at 3CMC. Still not all the way there though

As well, a lot of the second version of an already niche effect (or sometimes not so much) are coming out. The second remand, the second Evolutionary Leap, various superfluous and narrow burn spells, etc. I'm hoping this improves the variety of the experience a little, though I'm sure UR will still be popular.

I recognize the problem with Curse of Predation/Supply Raid being VERY efficient when on and horrible when off, so I'm exploring different ways to have the text "Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control" on a card WHILE having it happen more than once a game, AND having ways your opponent can deal with it (Like wasteland for Gavony Township, or Attacking/Burning/Dreadboreing Ajani Goldmane)

However I don't have any fast answers at the moment, so for now this powerful but problematic card remains.

 

[Lucre]

I wish I could post my winning decks from Chris cube but I still haven't bought a new computer...

Had some good talks with Jon Fernando on Thursday about the awkwardness of through to draft and build your deck with all the evolve creatures and the frustrating games they can lead to. We ended up concurring that the deck needed a new direction for some custom cards to push it in, but not being sure how to help it in a way that felt fun and interesting and non-toxic.

Decks with an evolve plan feel a lot like domi rade decks, dig? And in the cool comes into play or gradual value creatures we put into green to make it feel like "a real boy now" often involve smallish bodies which are kinda unhelpful I guess...

Maybe more modal spells are the answer, maybe it's more cards that die and leave a modal token. I had some ideas set aside for you but none of them really solve the problem. Boon satyr is pretty sick with evolve dudes though. Maybe the deck just needs waaaay too playable incentive?

G
Snake
Deathtouch
Evolve
1/1

1G
Vigilance
Evolve
Remove a +1/1 counter from a permanent you control: draw a card. Play this ability only once per turn and as a sorcery
1/3

^ yuck rite?

Maybe think of small creatures you can cram evolve on to like Elvish Visionary or Boarderland Ranger? Maybe think of ways to make 2-3 drops with high power bodies that have utility to multiple decks. A smaller boon satyr? Charms that are also bodies? Being able to find, replay or loot away your dead evolvers is also great.

 

[Chris Taylor]

You think I need more G 1/1 evolves or the deathtouch guy should replace an experiment one? I've got "Three" right now, since one is a trample lord.

I like that 2 drop guy, but man it looks strong. Should it cost ?

Maybe like a G1 3/1 thats like playable?

Also shriekmaw is a sweet evolve bro, but I'm not sure adding a second would be healthy.

 

[Lucre]

I've learned second shriekmaw is kinda toxic. But you also cube fewer multicolour than most and fewer artifact creatures. It's actually kinda less depressing when maw is trapped in your hand against grave crawlers even.

Making creatures 2 colour makes them like infinitely less useful for a lot of design purposes and clogs up drafts. Think about editing this one and comparing it to other ubiquitous powerful 2cc creatures.

If you're gonna fill green draft with spells that are really time dependant like acceleration or evolve guys or things with upkeep triggers, they could use a little more draw control. I don't think it's insane to print green cards that would be nutty blue cards if you're a reasonable human being and you know your environment.

Make Green Great Again!

 

[Chris Taylor]

Lucas, RE: our discussion last draft, drummed these up, they seem like they'd help.
Would this make green great again as you say?

 

[Chris Taylor]

Also a possibility: Iron War Axe from hearthstone (My apologies for my horrible mangling of the weapon mechanic, magic doesn't really have the means to an easy analogue. Also this card is basically the hearthstone equivilent of Swords to Plowshares, removal power level wise, and may need some nerfing despite magic's lower starting life totals/creature size)

In a review of shadowmoor limited (Famous for it's 1 color archetypes), this sentence sprang up: "Green is the color of hexproof, but mono green gives all your opponent's stuff hexproof". I've brought in off color interaction when the color needed it, as in blue's 1cc discard spell Idea Plant when it lacked a useful t1 play, and white's Volcanic Hammer (Police Brutality) when all it's 2cc removal spells were enchantments, leading to some...disagreements with snapcaster mage and eternal witness. Both of those spells feel blue/white respectively, and I'm hoping I can do the same thing here, if I need to

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Oh man, you might have solved the removal "problem" in green, I would definitely keyword that!



Tell me this does not totally look on color?!

PS Also

 

[Chris Taylor]

Not the first time I've borrowed actual magic art:

Sometimes I could look around for something that fits the mood like this one does, or I could use the artwork I have in front of me which is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't like doing it, but it's REALLY hard to find something appropiate for a magic card that involves someone being tied up by vines. Earthbind is on the tame side by comparison.

Keywording the "You fight" idea is probably a solid plan. Now just to figure out the numbers on it

 

[genericco]

Regarding the weapon specifically, there are some tweaks I'm thinking about.

Two charges of three damage, even at the cost of life, is crazy good. The effect is probably better than stuff like Staggershock for removing creatures because it leaves behind a resource you can cash in at any time, one that your opponent will be hard-pressed to play around. Just like Fiery War Axe in Hearthstone, their two-mana removal kills your turn two AND turn three; you have no choice but to offer up a sacrificial lamb and go behind on board.

Maybe an echo cost would be good here? It makes the opponent's decision in the face of the remaining charge more interesting - do I trot out a target and tie up his mana, or do I just land drop and durdle and see if he pays to keep the charge? Some hands will be able to out-scale the three damage, or have plays they can make in response to the activation once they have more lands in play, so for them passing turn three will be a risky but viable option.

Another idea: If it only targets attacking or blocking creatures, then the opponent gets to decide when you have opportunities to use the charges, and it becomes much more vulnerable to artifact removal. It becomes more about getting attacks through with the threat of chopping down blockers assigned to trade.

I'm not sure it's still playable or an attractive design with that change, but it does feel less like a trespass into not-green design space.

 

[Chris Taylor]

It's definitely more proof of concept at this point. Fiery War Axe is one of the better cards in hearthstone, so unaltered there's no way it's getting into magic. One charge weapons are probably more the way to go, but they should probably just be instants A la Bootman's suggustion.

Now, the other thing is, black gets an indefinite ammount of damage for B:


So we can probably crank the hell out of the numbers for this mechanic

 

[Chris Taylor]

How about this? Vendetta is a strong card as well, very similar to dismember, and I think 2CC is a good place to start for green's first foray into interaction. This pitches to force, and has some upside to make up for the fact that incinerate now deals damage to you as well

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Sure, try it out! To be fair (to Incinerate) though, direct damage is red's thing, I don't mind that red's thing is better in red than in green

 

[Chris Taylor]

Oh yeah. I always feel like an individual color's version of X should have its own draws, like red can hit players, white detains as well, so it works on larger targets, black works on creatures of all sizes, etc

Mana leak isn't a great analogue, but it does have its advantages over the others. I'd love a proactive blue spell though.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

/

I think these are fairer analogies for blue. Both show expertly that the color mainly stalls, using delay tactics until it's fully prepared[/ci]. Its solutions are temporary, but can hit almost anything.

 

[Chris Taylor]

oh they're totally fair analogues, but they just aren't as powerful as their compatriots
Like rate Lightning Strike, 0-5 stars, then look at disperse. They might be similar slots in the color's identity, but they aren't equal, that's for sure.

We had a similar problem a while back with prey upon (Decent to bad) vs Doom Blade (4.5/5). WotC has gone the direction of making black worse, while keeping green about even (A totally fine approach)


and I think we might be on to the green doom blade. Hopefully I can find the blue one at some point, but there's less of a hurry on that one because mana leak is so close to what I want

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Anchor to the Aether as an instant at would probably do the trick! Maybe make it an "each player may scry 1"? Anyway, the Repel mechanic never has been pushed. That ability has been printed on commons and uncommons only so far.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Honestly I wonder how powerful Reflector Mage's ability at U1 would be

 

[sigh]

I personally think that Epic Confrontation or savage punch are "doom blade-y" enough. 2 mana, powerful removal effect, in color. That's the biggest sticking point I have with your white and green designs above. There is little to no color precedence for this sort of effect in these colors.
Now being customs, you can planar chaos them all you want, it's still something to take into account. For white I'm a big fan of either gideon's reproach or immolating glare. If I was to design a custom, I guess I'd just amp those up and make it "destroy attacking/blocking" for , or more damage. Your current card could limit it to tapped creatures only? Your green would be a ton more in color if it was a one color dromoka's command without other options.

Again, your customs. If they work out, even being out of color, cool beans .