In conjunction with Lucky Paper's Year in Review for Cube (which I found it incredibly smart and insightful, particularly comments from our own @Jason Waddell and @Dom Harvey!!), I wanted to start our own thread here capturing our thoughts on the year we've had.
I'm eventually going to answer the questions in the article myself (plus make a top 10 list for the year), but in the meantime, I wanted to go through the most-cubed new cards of 2021 according to Cube Cobra:
1. Usher of the Fallen
Advantaged by its printing in Q1 and its ability to go into Peasant cubes, Usher of the Fallen is hard to argue with. As one of the premiere 1-drops in white, the Usher passed up long-time cube favorite Isamaru, Hound of Konda to become the 8th most cubed white one-drop creature in its first year of printing, even overtaking the dog when only examining cubes without rarity restrictions. I personally prefer the second point of toughness and edge Legendary-matters benefits to the Usher's token generation, but in terms of 1 MV 2/1s, it's hard to ignore the spirit, or the warriors it brings with it. The Boast ability is mostly a trap, making Usher play similarly to Doomed Traveler in the average case scenario, but the inoffensiveness and raw power as a t1 play of Usher of the Fallen makes it an understandable - if unexciting - top of the list.
2. Ignoble Hierarch
The least surprising entry on the list -- a multi-format Magic staple that's been favorited in cube lists of all shapes and sizes for a decade, but shifted to a color combination even more well-suited to thrive with a feisty accelerant of a one-drop. There's not much to complain about with the Hierarch, and its role in many cubes is already cherished based on its ranking on this list.
3. Abundant Harvest
First revealed as part of Strixhaven's Mystical Archives, Abundant Harvest is Green's premiere cantrip, and often more useful than blue's Ponders and Preordains in terms of getting what you need. Green's instants and sorceries have long been a place of sparseness in typical cube lists, with a fairly narrow set of effects to choose from at the most popular power-levels. However, in recent years, green's card selection has itself ramped up, and with the likes of Once Upon a Time, Grapple with the Past, and now Abundant Harvest, there's a great selection of tools available in the color's tool belt.
4. Dragon's Rage Channeler
DRC has been moving up the list faster than most, and with its ubiquity in Modern and Legacy it's not hard to understand why. Unlike its cousin Delver of Secrets, whose reputation in the cube community is substantially more modest, the Channeler is value-added without needing to "flip", providing a free surveil on the regular at just 1 MV. Surveilling isn't quite worth as much as drawing a card, but with the ubiquity of interesting cards that love to be in graveyards printed recently, it's a meaningful ability. Once you've hit delirium, the card turns into a serious threat, making DRC a one-drop you'd be happy to play early and late.
5. Prismari Command
It's Izzet Charm 2.0! This cycle of Commands had a well of interesting capabilities, but as with Kolaghan's Command before it, there was a clear leader of the pack this time around as well. Four abilities, all with unbelievable utility on their own, mix and match beautifully to create one of cube's most compelling Swiss army knife spells. This very well may be my favorite Izzet card for cube after the greatest thief in the multiverse.
6. Elite Spellbinder
PV's World Champ card, like the Brazilian himself, is impressive up and down. The reasons why PV has joined over 4,000 cubes are self-evident: like Clique, the information you get from your opponent, the disruption you can provide to their game plan, and the aggressively costed threat you get at the end of it make Elite Spellbinder a worthy inclusion into most white decks.
7. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
The menace of Modern! The monkey is undoubtedly the king of Red 1s and the most powerful card in my own cube that was added this year. As I've gleefully been able to experience time and time again at modern events, an unopposed t1 Ragavan is not quite a death sentence but makes the games thrilling nonetheless. This is the maximum power you can get while still feeling "fair", but then again, how fair is it that Ragavan can essentially function as a Phyrexian Arena where your opponent is the one losing life at 1MV if unopposed?
8. Sedgemoor Witch
Black's take on Young Pyromancer truly makes you feel like you're getting your money's worth on that extra CMC -- with better stats, Menace, Ward, and slightly improved tokens, Sedgemoor Witch has already proven to be a high-pick build-around that inspires as many new archetypes as it fits snugly into. Needing a special token style just for her in most cube lists is her biggest downside, but that's unfortunately not new for black 3s.
9. Damn
One of my favorite cards printed this year. Exceptionally clever design and practical, even if it's just wrath #3 something like 80% of the time. The flexibility is all the more delightful here as both sides are highly desirable and fairly costed, as is the ability to Snapcaster it back as a targeted kill spell, as is the name and way that overload is employed. Love love love.
10. Expressive Iteration
Mr. Wadell's card of the year! This isn't your uncle's Divination -- Expressive Iteration is a multi-format staple for many reasons, and for cube, being one of the most interesting mini-games definitely makes it a strong contender for most lists beyond its flexible power level.
I haven't updated my own cube to VOW on CubeCobra yet, but after that, I'll have over 100 new cards first printed this year in my 720 list. What a year!
If you want to see all the cards printed this year in your cube on Cube Cobra, use this filter:
I'm eventually going to answer the questions in the article myself (plus make a top 10 list for the year), but in the meantime, I wanted to go through the most-cubed new cards of 2021 according to Cube Cobra:
1. Usher of the Fallen
Advantaged by its printing in Q1 and its ability to go into Peasant cubes, Usher of the Fallen is hard to argue with. As one of the premiere 1-drops in white, the Usher passed up long-time cube favorite Isamaru, Hound of Konda to become the 8th most cubed white one-drop creature in its first year of printing, even overtaking the dog when only examining cubes without rarity restrictions. I personally prefer the second point of toughness and edge Legendary-matters benefits to the Usher's token generation, but in terms of 1 MV 2/1s, it's hard to ignore the spirit, or the warriors it brings with it. The Boast ability is mostly a trap, making Usher play similarly to Doomed Traveler in the average case scenario, but the inoffensiveness and raw power as a t1 play of Usher of the Fallen makes it an understandable - if unexciting - top of the list.
2. Ignoble Hierarch
The least surprising entry on the list -- a multi-format Magic staple that's been favorited in cube lists of all shapes and sizes for a decade, but shifted to a color combination even more well-suited to thrive with a feisty accelerant of a one-drop. There's not much to complain about with the Hierarch, and its role in many cubes is already cherished based on its ranking on this list.
3. Abundant Harvest
First revealed as part of Strixhaven's Mystical Archives, Abundant Harvest is Green's premiere cantrip, and often more useful than blue's Ponders and Preordains in terms of getting what you need. Green's instants and sorceries have long been a place of sparseness in typical cube lists, with a fairly narrow set of effects to choose from at the most popular power-levels. However, in recent years, green's card selection has itself ramped up, and with the likes of Once Upon a Time, Grapple with the Past, and now Abundant Harvest, there's a great selection of tools available in the color's tool belt.
4. Dragon's Rage Channeler
DRC has been moving up the list faster than most, and with its ubiquity in Modern and Legacy it's not hard to understand why. Unlike its cousin Delver of Secrets, whose reputation in the cube community is substantially more modest, the Channeler is value-added without needing to "flip", providing a free surveil on the regular at just 1 MV. Surveilling isn't quite worth as much as drawing a card, but with the ubiquity of interesting cards that love to be in graveyards printed recently, it's a meaningful ability. Once you've hit delirium, the card turns into a serious threat, making DRC a one-drop you'd be happy to play early and late.
5. Prismari Command
It's Izzet Charm 2.0! This cycle of Commands had a well of interesting capabilities, but as with Kolaghan's Command before it, there was a clear leader of the pack this time around as well. Four abilities, all with unbelievable utility on their own, mix and match beautifully to create one of cube's most compelling Swiss army knife spells. This very well may be my favorite Izzet card for cube after the greatest thief in the multiverse.
6. Elite Spellbinder
PV's World Champ card, like the Brazilian himself, is impressive up and down. The reasons why PV has joined over 4,000 cubes are self-evident: like Clique, the information you get from your opponent, the disruption you can provide to their game plan, and the aggressively costed threat you get at the end of it make Elite Spellbinder a worthy inclusion into most white decks.
7. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
The menace of Modern! The monkey is undoubtedly the king of Red 1s and the most powerful card in my own cube that was added this year. As I've gleefully been able to experience time and time again at modern events, an unopposed t1 Ragavan is not quite a death sentence but makes the games thrilling nonetheless. This is the maximum power you can get while still feeling "fair", but then again, how fair is it that Ragavan can essentially function as a Phyrexian Arena where your opponent is the one losing life at 1MV if unopposed?
8. Sedgemoor Witch
Black's take on Young Pyromancer truly makes you feel like you're getting your money's worth on that extra CMC -- with better stats, Menace, Ward, and slightly improved tokens, Sedgemoor Witch has already proven to be a high-pick build-around that inspires as many new archetypes as it fits snugly into. Needing a special token style just for her in most cube lists is her biggest downside, but that's unfortunately not new for black 3s.
9. Damn
One of my favorite cards printed this year. Exceptionally clever design and practical, even if it's just wrath #3 something like 80% of the time. The flexibility is all the more delightful here as both sides are highly desirable and fairly costed, as is the ability to Snapcaster it back as a targeted kill spell, as is the name and way that overload is employed. Love love love.
10. Expressive Iteration
Mr. Wadell's card of the year! This isn't your uncle's Divination -- Expressive Iteration is a multi-format staple for many reasons, and for cube, being one of the most interesting mini-games definitely makes it a strong contender for most lists beyond its flexible power level.
I haven't updated my own cube to VOW on CubeCobra yet, but after that, I'll have over 100 new cards first printed this year in my 720 list. What a year!
If you want to see all the cards printed this year in your cube on Cube Cobra, use this filter:
Code:
set:khm OR set:stx OR set:mh2 OR set:afr OR set:MID OR set:VOW OR set:c21 OR set:AFC OR set:VOC OR set:MIC OR set:KHC OR set:SLD is:firstprinting
