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Thats the method I used when I did the first draft of the innistrad theme cube, and have since moved away from it. The problems I ran into was that because I wasn't thinking in terms of color pairs, certain pairs would become neglected. In addition, because I was trying to spread mechanics...

Its ok. The first article I wrote is basically a response (addendum?) to it. I think its more that when you come to the site, its very easy to find the cube academy articles, but all of the other articles you have to use the search function to find. And to be fair, any article is going to...

Like I stated, I start with guild theme pairings and make those as reasonably definite as I can on the first draft. I try to provide strategic space for the different archetypes to develop in using some sort of reasonable conditionality on the cards to create format constraints. Than you...

I don't really see the confusion: the OP asked questions about defining and supporting archetypes/themes, which is what the post was about.

In the interest of not absolutely destroying the conversation, here are the conclusions I've come to after designing several cubes, and finally achieving an environment that I am happy with. A long time ago I read an article that analogized cube design to telling a story, and I think there are...

I think the easiest example would be manlands, and thats if we stay within a fairly traditional rubric. Most archetype elements given for control decks revolve around answers and inevitability, and neither of those two things require high cc spells. With the low cost of many answers, and...

Why does a control deck need high cc spells to control the game? :p

As far as cube design is concerned it should probably be remembered that these terms are heuristics, and the exact meaning is going to change depending on format context. A lot of the examples and meanings behind them have also changed substantially over the years. In addition, many decks can...

Here is the first draft I'm kind of curious about combining cloudfin raptor with bloodsoaked champion, as champion seems to makes cloudfin look a lot more reasonable when you can use value reanimation to consistently grow the raptor. Still is pretty rough though.

Yeah, creatures that are going to work with a death trigger plan: sac. outlets, sac targets, token makers, and creatures that die. The problem with black 2s and blue 1-2s is that there aren't many individually powerful cards, so it makes sense to look at synergy based strategies.

Its not that you want to sac it, its that its an easy death trigger. I have G/B decks in the penny cube that work around death triggers, and basically just anything thats G/B and likely to die works in the deck: fading, tokens, sacrifice creatures, evoke, cheap death touch cards. And thats...

You don't really have to go very deep. You have two blood artist effects, new lil, high priest, and haruspex; all of which are cards that are currently being played, or have seen play in riptide enviorns. It folds in neatly with the existing black sac. package, so not much boat rocking there...

Grim haruspex, new lil, that diregraf captain, skirsdag high priest etc. I could probably go on, but I feel like good death trigger cards (even at higher power) aren't rare in cube. It also has good cross-over with delve in UB, or unearth creatures with ETBs.

Has anyone been paying attention to this UB aristocrats deck? Its big trick is using sidisi's faithful as a repeated sac. outlet with ETB effects and death triggers. I'm wondering if this isn't what I've been looking for in terms of higher power U/B identity. Black has bad aggressive two...

How does this work mechanically? Do you just do the draft in another program, trade the cards, and than play the games?

It would be fun to see that cube in action, I've always wondered how it played.

The games are pretty great. One of the appeals of budget formats is that you get to run bouncelands, which solve most negative variance issues. The formats also slow down, so there tends to be more back and forth, with more time to draw out of poor draws. For example, you dont have problems...

Its become arguably the best card in modern, hence the price jump.

If you run blood soaked champion you have a way to continually grow champion of the parish in a b/w humans deck.

Traditionally, all white offers control is efficient answers. There are no card draw mechanisims like in blue, black (or even red now), and it offers nothing in terms of disruption outside of removal. It does have exile effects, which are somewhat important, and all of the enchantment...