Nanonox's 1vs1 cube

[Nanonox]

Wanted to run a few swaps by you folks as I am considering some changes in Red.

Talking with Inscho confirmed some of my thoughts about Red cards I am running that should probably go.



These are situationally very powerful cards but they are also narrow and difficult to support. The random discard and the hit on card advantage means things can go poorly very quickly sometimes.

So here are some options to consider. Feel free to suggest your own if you have something cool in mind!

Storm



I keep coming back to Glimpse because I think the card is so versatile. Draw, token maker and/or ramp depending on your needs. With Esper: Valigarmanda, Big Red decks are looking legit. Eruption is a cool payoff, because you don't need a ton of spells to feel good about casting it.

As a third slot in this package, I could see a few neat cards



There aren't a ton of worthwhile expensive targets in the cube currently and I'm not sure I want to add Magma Opus or something to make it work. Casting a stocked GY is pretty nice though and this even triggers Storm.



Is Storm too convoluted? How about a free 4 to the face! This closes games out nicely in various decks and is a classic Red aggro card. Flare of Duplication becomes pretty valuable in this context too.



I like the idea of a Storm card affecting the board. In a traditional combo deck, you need to go off pretty hard to make this impactful enough, but I could see it in a more aggressive prowess-aggro type deck.

There is also Seething Song, but it's very one dimensional and in the past I haven't been impressed with straight up rituals.

Discard



I don't actually quite know what to think of this package. What I do know is that Artist's Talent and Rydia are cracked in this cube! Both let you cycle through a huge chunk of your deck since you will be casting a lot of noncreature spells and putting tons of lands into play. They likely won't find themselves in the same deck, but that is where the Monument comes in to tie the room together.

What I like about this set of cards is that I don't have an exact plan or deck in mind. They are open-ended enough that I am sure drafters will surprise me with some novel combos.

These open up some other avenues like further pushing discard aggro with these two (the Ravager should already be in tbh)



Or maybe a land combo angle



The Summon works well with all the discarding and with cards like Squandered Resources, whereas Scapeshift is more for Second Sunrise. Titan is also a saga for Rydia's second ability for what it's worth.

Role players



These are the first two that come to mind. Not a super compelling package, but one that would play well.

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I am leaning towards the discard package because it's pretty unique for this cube and opens up some decks and cross-synergy potential. Thoughts?

 

[Nanonox]

I decided to go with Monument and Rydia and they have proven rather easy to slot into decks and they look really good in them too!

First a couple of Monument decks that look quite different



Monument looks fantastic next to Jeskai Ascendency. It becomes trivial to trigger it. The other discard payoffs work nicely with the Monument and it gives me that extra density that I was looking for. Being colorless makes me less reliant on Red and Black and can instead use it alongside Currency Converter and Containment Construct as the build arounds.



In a more controlling reanimator shell, drawing extra cards and having more mana is great! All your removal should let you drop Monument on turn 3 on a creature-light board.

Rydia has applications in fast and slow decks as these two showcase.



In this madness aggro deck, Rydia is a perfect enabler. It comes down early and isn't difficult to trigger every turn thanks to Wrenn and Six or Elvish Reclaimer. Fetches let you trigger Madness whenever you want which opens up unique lines of play.




If this is what 5 color decks look like in this cube, I'm ok with that!

This combo deck uses land sacrifice and recursion as ways to generate mana, card filtering, damage, artifacts or mill. Rydia let's you blaze through your deck to find the right piece to complete your engine. I love that Bloodghast and Springheart Nantuko are the link that ties sacrifice and lands in this deck, opening up some really cool lines and the type of archetype crossover I want to curate.

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Trying to downsize my cheat targets in terms of mana value so that more decks can potentially use them.

Currently run



I like Battleball. At 7 mana, it's somewhat achievable and offers something unique: reach in case of a board stall and blockers to defend against a fast start.

I like what Triplicate Titan offers: a resilient fatty that can get sacrificed. Wurmcoil Engine does something similar for 6 mana which is very tempting, but I am not a fan of the lifelink here. Aggressive decks already have to contend with the leftover bodies once they answer Wurmcoil, one of which has lifelink too! For that reason, I am not going to make the switch.

On the other hand, I think Sundering Titan has to go. Getting a fatty cheated into play can feel unfair at times, but if that fatty also wipes out all of your lands? That's pretty tilting and removes a lot of room to maneuver out of the situation. I'll be opting for this one instead



Fleshgorger's lack of ETB is mitigated by a non-negligeable slap in the face if you want to answer it. It also has the upside of being a prime target for blink decks. Lifelink is dangerous on such a huge body, but at the same time, once you answer it you are good to go, unlike Wurmcoil.

So basically only one fatty is getting swapped, but I am confident that the swap will result in more decks fighting over these cards.

 

[Schafkurai]

Rydia, Monument and Talent is also the package I would have suggested, had I read this post in time! I love the monument and you definitely convinced me about Rydia. I think I didn't consider her much for my own cube because of the additive distraction of Sagas, because I only have two in my own cube at the moment. But fetch lands and other ways to dump more lands into play for sure make her worthwhile enough (although there is the kavu coming in Edge of Eternities and hopefully some other cards too).

The Talent I never really considered because the two second levels are so expensive. But maybe it pulls it's weight? Either way I'm curious to hear how the changes play out. Also regarding the cheaper top end. It's something I have done since the beginning in my cube (curve tops at 5-6, there's not much ramp) but somehow reanimator is not a deck That happens in my cube.

 

[Nanonox]

Glad to hear the discard package is appealing to others!

First impression is that I’ve had a hard time slotting the Talent into decks while drafting. It’s not as good of a build around as Jeskai
Ascendancy and I don’t know that I need a second lesser copy. Being single color is huge, but not untapping or pumping creatures limits applications. It also doesn’t fit into madness aggro decks because of the noncreature rider.

 

[Nanonox]

I've been trying to make slower more controlling decks a thing and one area where I struggle is making them fit the explosive synergy idea of the cube. One thing that makes control decks unique is that they can use wraths as an X for 1 and gain huge card advantage and set up for the longer game. If my wraths ask that my players use synergy to maximize their effect, I think that is a step in the right direction. As an example, Dom drafted a really cool Naya control deck with Cataclysm and Balance.



You get to break the symmetry with a lot of effects, the splashiest of the bunch is probably Greater Gargadon. There is a ton of recursion and cards that get better post wraths.

Other wraths that fit the description in Black (I run LD and TMH already)



Deluge of Doom could be a clean swap for Toxic Deluge. Here is what Doom hits at different values of X (I didn't go through all of the corner cases, so actual numbers might be a bit off)

At X=5, it hits 93% of creatures
At X=4, it hits 90% of creatures
At X=3, it hits 83% of creatures
At X=2, it hits 69% of creatures

It misses most of the cheat targets and the top end of the curve which isn't bad and even allows you to break the symmetry.

Red has a few as well



I just cut Dreams because the random discard is too difficult to plan around.

However, I could see myself adding Firestorm again because of how high impact it is at one mana. I hadn't looked at it through this control synergy lens. It could also provide a sweet GY/discard based control deck for Rakdos if I do add Deluge of Doom.

Wildfire is on the other end of the spectrum where 6 mana is too much for my tastes especially when it's not a hard wrath.

Firestorm is a good example of why you need at least a few non-conditional wraths, because otherwise you limit your drafters too much in how they can build a deck and are actually forcing them to go on rails.

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I recently added an Esper artifact control package



Esper has all the tools to take advantage of slower games and these cards being artifacts tie into the existing architecture of the cube. They can be blinked, reanimated, cheated out or straight up ramped out giving the control deck some synergy to play with. There is also a GY angle between Deathmark and Dakkon milling cards and the Gearhulk. The planeswalker dodges most wraths leaving you with an advantage.

Here is an example decklist I drafted



This is in the right direction with some small card synergies and a very solid game plan. Not as compelling as the previous deck, but it works as a proof of concept.

In this style of deck, I come back to wanting to include



They are really cool tutors that give control the tools it needs at all points in the game. They are great hits for the newly added Torrential Gearhulk too. They are especially good at giving UG decks a boost since Life from the Loam, Regrowth and Eternal Witness are high picks for good piles. I would probably add Gifts before Intuition as the piles seems easier to make and you get two cards guaranteed. Not sure what to cut though...

Swaps

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Just a test to see how I like it. Definite downgrade, but want to see if I can get some GY control going.

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Never gave Tifa a fair chance, will have to try more seriously one day.

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Stock Up is likely the better card and certainly one that goes into more decks. However, the goal is to push slower decks a bit. Plus I hate that stupid Aetherdrift set symbol and the less card in the cube with them, the better.

Any other synergy suggestions for control decks? Any wraths you think I've missed? Would love to hear ideas.

 

[Ecophagy]

Pernicious Deed is another wrath option. Cryptic Command/Sleep/Evacuation?

You could use wrath-adjacent Big Spells that help you stablise (Cruel Ultimatum is what specifically springs to mind).

Maybe more Sagas like The Mirari Conjecture could support slower decks, since you have to stick around to get the payoff.

 

[Nanonox]

Pernicious Deed is another wrath option. Cryptic Command/Sleep/Evacuation?

Deed is an awesome suggestion. Reminds me of Engineered Explosives where you can split the payment over multiple turns. To break the symmetry, planeswalkers are obvious candidates. But I love that combined with White you can recur it via Sevinne’s Reclamation or something. Could lead to some Abzan control lists.

Cryptic Command is definitely a card that I consider regularly but space is tough to find!

Big spells are an interesting suggestion. How big depends on the speed of each environment. For this cube, Mystic Confluence comes to mind, but I find that spell too easy to abuse and get value from for zero work. I’m not a fan of strict A+B combos so no Magma Opus for Torrential Gearhulk or Mizzix’s Mastery. I’ll have to dig into scryfall here. My guess is that I can probably find a sweet X spell that scales that would work.

Sagas (and PW) are a cool thought. The Summons from FF are a sweet design because they intersect with a bunch of stuff, not sure any fit here (maybe the King Moogle?).

Appreciate the ideas, keep them coming!

 

[Erik Twice]

Pernicious Deed will prove too mana intensive for Nanonox, I had to cut it for that reason. It's also narrow because it often destroys valuable cards on your side (Say, Crucible of Words, Sylvan Library, etc.) and exploiting it with higher mana values is now rarer. I much prefer Engineered Explosives.

 

[Nanonox]

Thanks for the insight. I wasn’t actually going to include it because I have too many Golgari cards and it’s pretty slow as you mentioned. It is a great example of a “synergy” wrath that I had in mind.

 

[Ecophagy]

Yeah, I think you need Planeswalkers to break symmetry with Deed. Same with Death Cloud.

As for X spells, how about Sphinx's Revelation or Hydroid Krasis? I feel like Gain life + draw cards is a good combination for a control deck to turn the corner.

 

[Dom Harvey]

A lot depends on what 'control' means in that vision - I wouldn't call that Naya deck control (but also idk what label I would even apply to it if I had to choose), the (mostly) tap-out control deck is the usual model these days but the old-school control purists will tell you that having to tap out on your turn barring a desperation sweeper or including more than one or two win cons is a thought crime etc.

I think classic control is kinda antithetical to the Explosive Synergy mission statement - you're slower, more reactive, and rely more on cards that do a specific thing by themselves rather than working together, and you tend to want versions of effects that break up synergy rather than enabling it (Farewell is the platonic big control sweeper and certainly not a pro-synergy card) but combo-control/other hybrids or control with a synergistic flourish is doable.

I love the Solar Flare-style decks (midrange/control stuff with reanimation subtheme), Dakkon is definitely a step in the right direction there. There's more and more redundancy on Welder and Replenish stuff now for more variety there but stuff like Elspeth Conquers Death or personal fave The Mirari Conjecture too. Blink is an easy combo element to support - impend Overlord of the Mistmoors + Phelia/Flickerwisp/Ghostly Flicker/Teferi's Time Twist etc

There's a ton of recent 3/4-drops that are generically fine in decks of their colours but are ideally suited as control finishers. Most have unique mechanics/tokens or some other baggage so YMMV but I like all of:




And some cool Big Idiots:



Planeswalkers have become much less focal lately but the best recent examples are unique/exciting with their own thematic hook:



One thing that stands out from the list is few hard/unconditional counters; Cryptic Command is an all-time great (unique gameplay where it's often the card you most want to see while ahead or behind) and tempts you with its own synergistic endgames (Mystic Sanctuary/Stormchaser's Talent/Eternal Witness), Confounding Riddle is a nice flexible/castable counter (not 'hard' but close enough), Three Steps Ahead is strong and gives you lots of dreams to chase. Forbid is... a statement. They are more useful now with the cheaper finishers listed above - you want to be able to play your threat with counter backup on ~T6+

 

[Nanonox]

A lot depends on what 'control' means in that vision -

I’m not good enough to get into the details of that whole conversation. I was mostly thinking of decks wanting to go to the late game, using wraths to get there (tap out or not).

combo-control/other hybrids or control with a synergistic flourish is doable.

Combo-control is definitely a thing in this cube. Be it Breach combo, Jeskai Ascendancy or a Paradox Engine +Urza/Emry deck.
If you have other sweet ideas for combo packages that can slot into control decks, shoot!

It's that synergistic flourish that is tough to get and why I was happy to see that Naya deck you drafted (whatever you want to call it).

I'll have to ponder on the list of cards you suggested as some really speak to me (Welcome the Dead, Summon: Good King Moogle XII for example). There are some I won't include because I think they are too strong by themselves and can ignore synergy. At the same time, those cards can pop off and lead to the gameplay I am looking for (Sheoldred + Wheels, Pyrogoyf + clones).

There are some single card archetypes that could scratch that synergistic itch, chief amongst them



Recur it as many times as possible for maximum fun/misery depending on your point of view. Plays nicely with grindy engines (PW and sagas). Like Gifts, better in Simic decks.



Now this is a pretty crazy card. Chaining spells isn't difficult and you can go off with multiple permanent types. Goes off with 3 mana Teferi + a 0 drop. Biggest downside is how fragile it is.
Question for all of you: Do you think Kitten is too fragile and expensive for the removal suite in this cube? Is it a trap (my inclination is yes fwiw).



Easy combo with Thassa's Oracle. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries would be a nice redundant piece that fits the value over time idea of slower decks. Sometimes you can Yawgmoth's Will + Tendrils of Agony off Doomsday too!



Fits the bill, but 2x 7 mana is no joke.

I don't know if I'll Doomsday, but Jace + Time Warp seem like decent adds!

laneswalkers have become much less focal lately but the best recent examples are unique/exciting with their own thematic hook:

As much as I'd like more sagas in the cube, I have a tough time finding any that are at the right rate. This means that PW are probably my best bet for that long term advantage where you want to drag out the game. Ral and Teferi are my favorites here.

One thing that stands out from the list is few hard/unconditional counters; Cryptic Command is an all-time great (unique gameplay where it's often the card you most want to see while ahead or behind) and tempts you with its own synergistic endgames (Mystic Sanctuary/Stormchaser's Talent/Eternal Witness),

Appreciate you calling out the holes in the cube. I really have to include Cryptic Command everybody is suggesting it and I personally love it! Not sure why it's not in the list yet except it's four mana and I've been too strict with limiting the higher mana value cards. Not quite there yet on Three Steps Ahead because of the Spree mechanic, but I do see the appeal.

 

[Nanonox]

Blue card draw

I am being somewhat overwhelmed by the options of Blue card drawing spells these days. So many cool and powerful ones are being released that I feel the need to lay down some thoughts and hopefully pick out the best ones for my goals.

1 mana cantrips



These are the ones I currently run. Big omissions are Ponder and Preordain, arguably the GOATs. Rather than power maxing, I decided to include cantrips with more synergistic hooks. I am quite happy with my density and selection, but could see myself

1. removing Mental Note in favor of Preordain if I wanted a small power spike
2. Straight up adding Preordain to increase density since so many decks want these.

I am not as keen on option 2 because there are other cantrips available (Gitaxian Probe, Mishra's Bauble and friends for example), the Surveil lands help smooth out draws a lot and space is finite and could be used for more unique effects.

Combo



These are broken down into three categories:

1. Free spells. These don't look like much, but they really enable decks to go into overdrive. I don't see these going anywhere and if anything, I'd like more of them!

2. Draw 7s. Combo decks need mana, cards and a win condition. These let you come back if you got disrupted or if a key piece got milled or destroyed as well as letting you find your engines. Timetwister is the big one that is absent, but at this size, I haven't felt the need for more (especially because Wheel of Fortune and Memory Jar exist).

3. "Tutors". I am using the term broadly, but essentially it's all about digging deep to find what you need in the right situation. Given that the nature of the cube is all about assembling synergy decks, these are really important! This is a category of cards I would like more of, which might mean I need to cut from the generic draw effects.



Grouping this with Dig Through Time and Consult the Star Charts. The only reason Dig is still here is nostalgia. It's a classic and Delve is a fun mechanic. That said, it's more of a mid to late game card whereas the two others have utility in the early game too! I've cut plenty of classics and I think my cube is really cool all the same.
It's not clear to me which is better between Consult and Stock Up though (if I end up running both it doesn’t matter).

Instant vs sorcery, Consult wins.
Consistency, Stock Up wins (floor = ceiling).
Versatility in archetypes, Stock Up wins (more decks want the effect).
Versatility in gameplay, Consult wins (playable at different mana costs).
Synergy possibilities, neither?

I guess I am leaning towards Consult the Star Charts, would love to hear your takes.



These are very solid tutor effects and I would love to have one of them in the cube. Fae of Wishes offers a nice spread as it is a very potent blocker early and a late game repeatable tutor. Being restricted to noncreature and being a sorcery might disqualify it.
I tend to favor cheaper cards, but not when considering Gifts vs Intuition. If I am being honest, I am afraid of Intuition. I feel like the brain power to get the piles you want are above what I can process, so I like Gifts Ungiven more between the two. Adding Gifts means a few subtle changes in the list, the main one being the switch from Takenuma, Abandoned Mire to Volrath's Stronghold.

“Generic” draw



This is my current suite, but there are so many more. As mentioned above, I feel like this cube wants card selection more than raw card advantage. The two missing that I am most interested in are



This is an instant that digs deep and has the benefit of letting you put back cards you didn't want to draw (for Oath or Tinker for example). It also actually draws 4 cards meaning it's going to trigger Proft's Eidetic Memory or Astrologian's Planisphere. With a double set of fetches, I should probably find room for this, though Scroll Rack does a decent impression (minus card draw).



A super versatile card all rolled up in one. Feels like I could probably cut Chart a Course, Phantasmal Image and Stern Scolding and add this in instead saving A LOT of slots. Like Cryptic Command, this allows you a very late game loop with Eternal Witness which is a narrow cornercase, but still great.

I hadn't considered cutting Chart a Course before (and that is why I write in this thread!), and looking critically, Chart a Course is a card that might be too generic. The simplicity, the rate and the effect are all fantastic. But! It's not as efficient as the one mana cantrips at smoothing draws. It doesn't dig as much as the other cards. It's a sorcery rather than an instant. Where it shines is in aggressive or tempo decks which use the cheap card draw really well. Based on my cube goals, I think Chart a Course is a prime candidate for replacement. It's not you Chart, it's me.

As a side grade, I am thinking of switching my Jace's up. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries can similarly win the game for slower GY centric decks, but does so in a much less frustrating way than Perfected Mind IMO. It also lets me cut the Compleated mechanic which I don't particularly like.

Spoiler: Other "generic" good options

Creatures
Thundertrap Trainer
Fallaji Archaeologist
Sicarian Infiltrator
Overlord of the Floodpits
Thought Monitor

Noncreature
Ancestral Visions
Standstill
Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim
Deep Analysis
Fact or Fiction
Treasure Cruise

Looters



This isn't card advantage but I think it fits the discussion. These fill the GY and smooth draws as well as having other utility. Big fan of all five, not in danger of getting cut. What could be more interesting is to discuss ones that didn't make it in

Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel: This is perfect because it has flash, evasion and the looting ability. It also has a bunch of extra words that come up once in a while but make the card way more complex than it needs to be. Giving Blue more creatures is a plus in my book and maybe this guy needs to come in for another noncreature option (Chart a Course?).

Duelist of the Mind: Another great fit (loot, draw 7 combos), but the lack of reminder text on Crime is a real bummer. Can't let that slide unfortunately.

Where does that leave us?

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Cutting Chart a Course hurts, but aggressive decks get access to a new way to convert cards into board presence. The proactive decks can also play Stock Up just fine, making it a positive for them.

Three Steps Ahead is another hard counter, semi-blink effect or card draw spell all rolled into one. I like preserving a draw/discard spell to make up for cutting Chart.

Stock Up will go into almost any Blue deck but will shine most in decks assembling engines. I wouldn’t be surprised to switch this up for another effect (maybe bringing back Chart or adding Brainsurge of Fae of Wishes). It’s an awesome card, but one I don’t have a particular attachment to.

Gifts is the big one I am happy to include. It turbocharges slower GY decks, let’s you assemble combos and synergies that much easier. It’s long to resolve and only for slower decks, but it’s a classic and will have me adjusting the cube to maximize it a bit.

As always, I welcome your feedback be it positive or negative. I find it tough to find the right mix of card draw/smoothing effects, I can’t be the only one!

 

[Schafkurai]

Nice write-up!

We have a lot of overlap, because both our cubes are heavy in the graveyard department, but mine lacks most of the generically efficient and combo/draw 7 stuff. I don't have too much to contribute, except maybe one thing that's become more apparent to me recently.

The comparison between Chart a Course and Three Steps Ahead. On first blush Three steps seems fare superior, it has the draw mode and in addition it can counter or copy a creature. Chart also has some hidden modality though, as it's card advantage if you attacked and otherwise fills the grave for reanimator and friends. The reason why I took out Three Steps Ahead again is, that it has all the cool modality but for my cube each mode is too expensive/not impactful enough. I would not be happy with a Cancel in most cases and Catalog is fine, but again probably the worst draw spell in the cube. The clone effect has a good rate and is instant but is limited to your artifacts/creatures.

Maybe in your faster environment the flexibility is more important though, whereas in mine the tempo/efficiency loss can be rough. Also, take all these musings with a grain of salt, as I don't draft my cube enough to know for sure that my theorycrafting is sound.

Otherwise I agree with most of your musings and choices!

 

[inscho]

Chart a Course is such a classy card. I love it. There’s not really a better 1-2mv discard spell option that provides card parity (and optional advantage). Give me more cards like CaC!

I like Three Steps Ahead as a late game control piece that has some early game modality when needed. The instant speed clone can be occasional removal, it is also fun to clone your tinker/show and tell targets…catalog + clone are very relevant in the izzet welder decks. It’s also a fun card

Cutting Dig Through Time seems like a solid idea. I’ve been less enthusiastic about it for a while. I still like treasure cruises’s single blue pip

 

[shamizy]

Both Preordain and Ponder are well worth finding slots for. I used to be in the multiple Brainstorm boat early on in my cube design thinking well if I'm running double fetches, why not have the card with the most potential upside as cantrips? What I learned over time is that having the variety is actually much more engaging and also being able to smooth out your draws and/or shuffle away a bad batch is underrated. Especially in a cube environment when card complexity and impact is as high as it's going to get. These are still premier cantrips for a reason and there is so much more play to them than you'd think. I'm more than happy to see either one come my way when I'm drafting a U/x deck.

I disagree with the cutting of Chart a Course; cards that promote sequencing decisions are always a positive from a gameplay perspective (especially in Blue) and it's such a clean and simple card design. Plays so much better than it looks and slots into just about every deck I can think of featuring Islands. I've loved the modality of it in reanimator builds where it can serve as a way to pitch cards into the grave earlier in the game and just straight card advantage once you've already gotten the fatty back.

I think Stock Up is a strong if unexciting card and like you mentioned it's competing in the same space as DTT and Consult the Star Charts. For me personally I've had no real interest in including Stock Up since it's been printed since there's such a plethora of card draw and virtual card advantage available to so many decks at sorcery speed. It's pretty good, but I think Consult just has more lines of play by virtue of being instant speed and scaling with the game. I like having Impulse effects available but I don't actually like Impulse as a card if that makes sense. Also you have the options to flash it back with Snapcaster Mage or something spicier like a Torrential Gearhulk (just kick it for free!). Also, Stock up has the disgusting Aetherdrift set symbol (one of the ugliest in recent memory), so I'm totally out on it with so many other viable options available.

In general I'd lean towards card draw > card selection depending upon the power level of a cube, but the more reliant you are on assembly X and Y and Z together the more the card selection becomes important.

 

[Nanonox]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I knew I would get some backlash with Chart a Course, but figured I could handle it and generate some responses.

The reason why I took out Three Steps Ahead again is, that it has all the cool modality but for my cube each mode is too expensive/not impactful enough. I would not be happy with a Cancel in most cases and Catalog is fine, but again probably the worst draw spell in the cube. The clone effect has a good rate and is instant but is limited to your artifacts/creatures.

I am with you on this one! However I have no experience playing it and seeing as inscho and Dom keep suggesting it to me, I figure I am probably off on this one. So I'll fall back on the opinions of curators I respect. As inscho mentioned, it does seem like a lot of fun too!

I am ok having some more controlling cards for late game decks like this, Gifts Ungiven or Nexus of Fate that could see play in lower curving decks in a pinch.

Chart a Course is such a classy card. I love it. There’s not really a better 1-2mv discard spell option that provides card parity (and optional advantage). Give me more cards like CaC!

I disagree with the cutting of Chart a Course;

It’s easy going back to CaC by cutting Stock Up (I share your aversion to the set symbol shamizy!).

Both Preordain and Ponder are well worth finding slots for.

I mentioned I was ok adding another cantrip in Preordain. A thought that somehow just occurred to me though. Why don't I just slot in Preordain instead of Consult the Star Charts?
I know they don't serve exactly the same function, but Preordain is still plenty good in the late game and its simplicity and elegance are tough to match. Saving complexity points for splashy effects rather than a draw spell that has a fantastic replacement seems like the way to go. I don't mind a color having a generic good stuff card at one mana (see StP, Bolt, Thoughtseize).

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[alvoi]

I like these last two changes. I feel that both Chart and Preordain are very clean designs and "classic" cards, and this also helps with the complexity fatigue.

 

[Nanonox]

I've been experimenting building my cube layout for fun and one area that kind of tripped me up was this circle:



What I am trying to convey here are decks/archetypes that use the glue cards in the center to make them tick.

1. The KCI deck is a known quantity. You loop artifacts and generate mana or cards (depending on what you are recurring) that you can dump into a big Ballista or something. The artifacts are mana dumps but also zero drops to bring back with Scrap Trawler.

2. Right now, the Ascendancy/Engine/Cauldron are not coming together as often as before. They are leaning hard on Agatha's Soul Cauldron to do all of the work. I just realized that it's because I cut a critical card for the archetype



This little dude doesn't look like much, but it really ties the counters to the untap abilities of Jeskai Ascendancy and Paradox Engine. Without it, you feel like your deck is lacking that little something to take it into overdrive.

3. The aggro-sacrifice deck using the emblematic Arcbound Ravager is doing just fine. Rust Harvester is a narrow card in a vacuum, but the cube is full or artifacts that end up in the GY either naturally or with help. The Harvester is a fantastic target to receive counters or use your Cranial Plating on and will also benefit from Steel Overseer coming back.

4. I may have exaggerated the existence of the Green artifact counter deck. The one card that is really good with all of the artifacts is Rishkar, Peema Renegade by either ramping them out or giving them the ability to tap for mana. With Earthcraft and Tolarian Academy, you can absolutely build a great artifact ramp deck, but you aren't a +1/+1 counters deck anymore which was the original plan.

A few options
a. Add more Green +1/+1 counter payoffs/enablers.
b. Add a color that meshes well with Green counters and scaling creatures.
c. Don't stress about the artifact +1/+1 counter deck and have Rishkar be a card that sometimes pops.

Option a. has a some interesting cards that play well



Hardened Scales is the most explosive and plays the best with the artifacts, but is also the most narrow. It has zero play outside of the archetype which I am not a big fan of. I already have The Ozolith in that space, don't want too many or drafting becomes too linear. Ozolith, the Shattered Spire is the self-contained version of it, but

The two mana options are generically solid. I like Ranger Class a bit more than Talent because it offers board presence and card advantage later. It doesn't really synergize a ton with the artifacts, so maybe not the right direction.

The Ape hits a lot of the right notes save one, the mana cost! I already have a ton of Green 3 drops, so the bar is pretty high to clear. It's a little underpowered too compared to the rest of the cube.

The obvious color for option b. is undoubtedly White.



The Gearhulk is already in and has zero to do with counters, but is a fantastic tutor for Ballista and friends. In the same vein, Ranger-Captain of Eos is a neat three drop that also serves as disruption against combo, giving fair decks a chance. It's also a great Soul Cauldron target to lock out the opponent or act as a sacrifice outlet. I have a similar problem in White as in Green, a lot of 3 drops. Unlike the Ape though, it gets there on power level.

Luminarch Aspirant was cut for its snowballing potential, but to be honest, I kind of miss it as a pull towards White aggro. Red still has Inti and Green has Bristly Bill so it wouldn't be outrageous. It's obviously very good by itself but even better with the artifacts.

Trooper is a card I appreciate because it's a link between counters and sacrifice, just like The Ozolith. Alongside Steel Overseer (him again!), you can effectively double your fodder if you are sacrificing artifacts (sac Ballista to Goblin Bombardment and get another creature to sacrifice for example).

Enduring Renewal is a narrow combo card, but works wonders with 0 mana creatures. Not adding it, just a shout out.

Option c. sucks, I am here to make it work!

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The takeaway here is that I am a fool for cutting Steel Overseer. I also like the idea of pairing White and Green for this and will be adding Luminarch Aspirant only for now. Ranger-Captain and Trooper are great, but these two colors are already heavy on three drops, so they're a pass for now.

->
?? ->

I've been checking my CubeCobra draft decks and the only times I've seen the Cookbook played was alongside Goblin Welder or Asmo. Those cards already have plenty of support and can stand to lose a dedicated piece IMO.

I am having a really tough time cutting a card for the Aspirant. Most of the cuts I find are in Red (Great Furnace, Magmatic Channeler), but it's already the color with the least cards. I don't mind color imbalance, but this might be pushing it.

 

[inscho]

I am having a really tough time cutting a card for the Aspirant.

Glancing at your list....maybe one of:


I don't know if Flagstones really pulls its weight. It's a fun +2% juice type of card, but in comparison Aspirant is a p1p1 level card with loads of utility and draws someone to draft white.

What role are you envisioning for your archetypes with Haliya? I initially wrote it off as a win-more card, because if you are churning out 3+ creatures/artifacts a turn you're likely in pretty good shape. Is the lifegain important for combos? like with Soultrader?

Timeless Dragon is a very solid card that's generally appealing. It cycles in and out of my list, because it often feels like the 24th-25th most important card in my draft pools, but that general appeal/utility always draws me back. It's currently cut from my list.

 

[Nanonox]

Good stuff, thanks!

You are 100% right about the Flagstones. I am hesitant to cut it because I tend to end up with draft pools where I could build a deck with 30 nonland cards so having utility lands feels like adding more cards to the deck even though they aren't always super impactful.

What role are you envisioning for your archetypes with Haliya?

A big selling point with Haliya is how good she can be with a plethora of cheap creatures or artifacts, acting as a cantrip. You Warp her, draw a card and then effectively draw another card by casting her for full price. I agree that triggering her a second time is a lot tougher.

Turn 2
Warp here for and then draw a card with

Thraben Inspector
Novice Inspector
Hard Evidence
Voldaren Epicure
Gilded Goose

Or you can 1 mana artifact/creature + Bauble/Mox/Evoke elemental

Turn 3
Warp here for and then draw a card with

Staff of the Storyteller
Astrologian's Planisphere
Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
Marionette Apprentice
Ivora, Insatiable Heir
Tough Cookie

Or double one drops.

I feel like getting that first card is super easy for a single White mana at most points in the game.

I don't particularly care about the life gain tbh (though sacrificing a food to trigger her is easy mode). She could be replaced by Bennie Bracks, Zoologist which is a neat card too.

I see her being played in
- Bant tokens with Lonis and Samwise
- Land decks with Tracker and Provisioner
- Spell velocity decks with Saheeli/Mentor/Pyromancer/Iconoclast
- Grindy artifact decks with Lurrus/Welder/Engineer/Emry
- Sacrifice decks with Gravecrawler/Miner/Soultrader

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I'm currently on board with Timeless Dragon for slower decks, but I definitely see your point that it is often a relatively easy cut when you have juice lower down the curve.

---

I'll have to think if I can stomach cutting the Flagstones or not, but it is a good shoutout. Thanks again.

 

[inscho]

Have you considered Voice of Victory? I'm grappling on whether I want to introduce mobilize in my environment or not, but it's a very cool card and it would be good with Haliya.

 

[shamizy]

Voice of Victory has been really good for me, had it during TDM Prerelease where it was great and it's been in my cube ever since. Being able to just freely do your thing on your turn without fear of disruption is a godsend for W/x Aggro decks. New tokens are always annoying to include, especially ones with an additional EOT sacrifice rider, but it just plays so well and being able to continuously create bodies each combat leads to a ton of synergies to exploit.

 

[inscho]

New tokens are always annoying to include, especially ones with an additional EOT sacrifice rider, but it just plays so well and being able to continuously create bodies each combat leads to a ton of synergies to exploit.

Yeah, this feels like one to make an exception for...I think it could be a good replacement for Clarion Spirit

 

[Nanonox]

Have you considered Voice of Victory?

I have!

I love that it's an aggro card that could also see play in a combo deck as a way to make sure you are uninterrupted during your turn against interaction heavy opponents. I was mentioning Ranger-Captain of Eos in an above post, this can be similar (only protective though, not disruptive).
The fact that the tokens are tapped and attacking limits their applications to mostly sacrifice fodder, but that is still plenty good. Maybe I am missing an anthem effect.

Yeah, this feels like one to make an exception for...I think it could be a good replacement for Clarion Spirit

Man, this cut makes sense, but I don't know if I am ready to cut Clarion Spirit yet. The evasive tokens are so good and it isn't difficult to trigger with Baubles and low curves.

New tokens are always annoying to include, especially ones with an additional EOT sacrifice rider,

I don't really mind these new tokens since they go away and don't clutter the board. Appreciate you sharing your experience though.