Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Yep, something like: pick a land, a creature, and a sorcery spell.
General Embrace the Chaos / Cube Occasionals
- Thread starter japahn
- Start date
I like the idea of making one them an Enchantment, actually. Both because Enchantments tend to be a bit more build-around-y (so you're less likely to have people just pick a big bruiser as one of their companions), and because it's relatively easy to find build-around enchantments that aren't necessary for the deck to function.
I also just really want to draft a Heartless Summoning deck, so...
I also just really want to draft a Heartless Summoning deck, so...
Has anyone here ever experimented with this card in black aggro or go-wide in cube?
I'm suddenly curious about it.
No, but I do not think classical aggro is the correct fit. I think the summoning wants big bruisers with mana cost 4 or more.Has anyone here ever experimented with this card in black aggro or go-wide in cube?
Not on turn 3… then I rather have it without the -1/-1Or, you know...
This guy seems pretty good as a Savannah Lion, huh?
Is anyone still cubing with occasionals? Or has been doing so for a longer period of time?
I am currently working on a version of my CCC that utilizes occasionals, once again. I experimented briefly with it, years ago, but felt like I didn't really know what to make an occasionals card and why. But now I think I have a pretty good idea of what are the ~330 cards that I really want to make my archetypes click consistently. And there are also a ton of cool things I would love to cube with every now and then, but they don't contribute to the pretty dense synergy matrix my cube has become.
I feel like my approach was indeed to approach it from the inverse angle. Which cards are essential load-bearing pillars to your cube's architecture? Keep those ones in, and sprinkle almost whatever seems fun in occasionals.
Is anyone still cubing with occasionals? Or has been doing so for a longer period of time?
I am currently working on a version of my CCC that utilizes occasionals, once again. I experimented briefly with it, years ago, but felt like I didn't really know what to make an occasionals card and why. But now I think I have a pretty good idea of what are the ~330 cards that I really want to make my archetypes click consistently. And there are also a ton of cool things I would love to cube with every now and then, but they don't contribute to the pretty dense synergy matrix my cube has become.
Yeah, I use them pretty extensively, but I also seed them into earlier packs--3 in pack 1, 2 in pack 2, and 1 in pack 3. I'm loving it, though it's definitely more work than shuffling up and playing. Jason has the right idea, and it sounds like you've arrived at the same conclusion as well!
Is anyone still cubing with occasionals? Or has been doing so for a longer period of time?
I am currently working on a version of my CCC that utilizes occasionals, once again. I experimented briefly with it, years ago, but felt like I didn't really know what to make an occasionals card and why. But now I think I have a pretty good idea of what are the ~330 cards that I really want to make my archetypes click consistently. And there are also a ton of cool things I would love to cube with every now and then, but they don't contribute to the pretty dense synergy matrix my cube has become.
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/the_mdfc
More people should do this tbh.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
This is essentially how I patch my cube TBH
Whatever cool but probably overpowered bullshit got printed in EoE is fun to try for a draft or two. I got some reps in with Cori Steel Cutter before we all realized it was too much
I fully on the occasionals train again. I turned my cube into a core of 330 and a 330 occasionals module. I don't know why the first time I tried this, I had trouble defining what goes into the occasionals and why. This time it felt easy to find cards of different categories that make perfect sense to only have in every tenth draft or so.
If you want to read my thoughts, I made a long post on it here: https://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/500-ccc-casual-champions-cube.1823/page-6#post-137362
If you want to read my thoughts, I made a long post on it here: https://riptidelab.com/forum/threads/500-ccc-casual-champions-cube.1823/page-6#post-137362
I've been thinking about this for my cube as well, inspired by Ryan Saxe's Buildaround cube. You basically have a core of glue cards and basic effects in the cube and then a rare module with spicy build arounds. Don't know if I'll actually implement it, but reading your post makes me want to try and categorize what my core cube is.
I would highly recommend trying this. My drafters have already voiced their excitement for these new possibilities. And while you're getting more variety and all that, you are also making everything more lean and consistent - that's less exciting for drafters but really nice for us as designers.
I just have 720 cards. It's a great means of variety, and lets me have 16 people when needed -- something that used to be necessary all the time, and now is only once a year or so.
This is the first time I've seen Ryan's build around cube. There are a lot of cards familiar from other synerg-focused cubes, as well as some intriguing choices. Removal seems to be reigned in, particularly at instant speed, which makes sense if you want to allow players to build synergistic engines. Similarly counterspells and hand disruption are limited.
I think I understand what makes a card eligible to be a rare: it is narrow in application but powerful. These are seeded one per pack and I could imagine give a lot of direction if you open them in pack one, or possibly pack two, but I wonder if they are either dead picks or coincidental bombs in pack three.
Some choices I don't understand, for example the Ravnica bounce lands. Together with the surveil lands and triodes as the main fixing lands, it suggests that Ryan wants there to be a tempo cost to playing multiple colours, which is not a common choice.
As an aside, how do you indicate which cards are part of an occasionals package? I have found narrow washi tape, applied to the bottom of the card, to be clear but unobtrusive.
My solution for this is to seed 3 in pack one, 2 in pack two, and just one in pack three. But I use a ton of occasionals, so there is that (48 in a given draft).
I just have a big printout and sort them myself afterwards--but if I'm being totally honest, I just kind of eyeball it. If an occasional feels core, or a core feels occasional, who's to say it wasn't that all along?
The washi tape is a really good idea, though.
This is a great idea, and could be varied for more or less occasionals (seeding 2, 1 and 0, or 4, 3 and 2).
I read this as "you can pick up your fixing lands for value (cycling or the free surveil) later", with the tempo loss mostly being a side effect.