What is a cube? A cube is a custom draft format, composed of cards from throughout Magic: the Gathering’s illustrious history. As a cube creator, you play the role of game designer, selecting a mix of cards to create a unique and compelling gameplay experience. Cubes are most commonly drafted using the Booster Draft format, using a pool of upwards of 360 cards that comprise a “cube list”.
Determining the contents of a cube list is entirely up to you, the designer. Want your cube to look like a greatest hits list of constructed Magic? Go for it! Looking for a cube that recreates the experience of your favorite set? By all means. An original combination of ideas the world has never seen together before? Perfect! As designer, you decide which strategies will be present in your set, and how those sets interact with each other.
Here at Riptide Lab, our goal is to help you go from an idea to a finely tuned set that brings joy to you and your fellow players. How does one start with this labor of love? Ernest Hemingway famously stated that the most frightening thing he had encountered was a “blank sheet of paper”. To escape such horror, check out our suggested beginners cube outline.