Starting a cube is a daunting task. Many would-be cubers are unsure of what a cube list should look like. As retail Magic sets have displayed, there is no simple formula for a great Magic experience. Some sets have lots of multicolor cards, and other care about the Graveyard, lands, or some other mechanical space. However, if you’re looking for some direction for an introductory cube list, I recommend the following structure:
50 White Cards (30 creatures, 20 non-creature spells)
50 Blue Cards (20 creatures, 30 non-creature)
50 Black Cards (25 creatures, 25 non-creature)
50 Red Cards (25 creatures, 25 non-creature)
50 Green Cards (30 creatures, 20 non-creature)40 Artifacts
40 Lands
30 Gold-Cards (3 gold cards of each guild)
TOTAL: 360 cards
Keep in mind that these numbers are simply guidelines to help you get started. My first cube was a haphazard collection of cards pulled from my trade binders and borrowed from friends, and by no means followed a rigid structure. Cube building is an exploration of design and game mechanics, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box and experiment.
For larger cubes, simply scale up the numbers accordingly. A 720 card cube, for example, could start with 100 cards of each color. As you get more experience as a designer, you’ll tinker with these numbers and figure out what arrangement works best for you!