So, I found a way to do a rematch with the abzan graveyard deck and the white based lifegain aggro deck. The first game ran into exactly the same problem, no one could finish the game, boards had time to get bigger and bigger until both players didn't even bother to think anymore – it was like god damn commander! The Abzan deck won, but it wasn't... a real win.
So for games two and three we decided to implement a change I had considered after my initial analysis.
Tireless Provisioner made the Abzan impossible to kill, gaining like 15 through food tokens in game one, so I decided to test Toph, Earthbending Master. (Toph was strong, like anticipated, but felt fair enough because you really don't always have a attack and it's all kinda slow).
Soul Warden should probably have been cut already when I cut Blood Artist like 5 years ago for also triggering from opponents stuff. She just sits there and makes some games take twice as long. I replaced her with Traveling Minister. Still a 1-drop to trigger the Pridemates but trades 1-2 extra life each turn cycle for a power boost that should help life totals go down.
These already made a huge difference in the two games we played afterwards. The green deck had a card that turned lands into real threats instead of one that makes six food tokens in the late game. The lifegain deck still had enough triggers to grow Voice of the Blessed but also a way to pump evasive creatures for extra damage where huge ground threats would have just been chumped. Both decks won a game then, it was good magic, sometimes grindy but still enjoyable.
Now after Cube Open Wilhelmshaven I wanted to take another look at some "data", regarding the decks that got played in the eleven drafts since I implemented the core/occasionals structure.
Aggro 49-51
W Lifegain Aggro 4-3
RW Prowess Aggro 1-5
W Lifegain Aggro 4-1
R Goblin Aggro 1-5
R Goblin Aggro 6-2
R Goblin Aggro 6-2
W Artifact Aggro 3-5
BR Goblin/Reanimator Aggro 6-2
W Lifegain Aggro 5-3
BR Aggro 1-5
W Lifegain Aggro 5-4
RG Madness Aggro 4-4
Wr Lifegain Aggro 3-4
R Goblin Aggro 0-6
Aggro decks seem balanced, which is an improvement compared ro other impressions in this cube's past. However, I don't like that it's mostly mono goblins and mono lifegain with only one Madness and one Prowess deck.
A lot of midrange decks is not surprising, given the nature of my cube. Overall, it seems that the midrange decks with a synergistic plan are doing better than the ones that I just labeled midrange with the one 6-0 outlier.
Control 29-22
U Spells Control 3-4
UB Spells Control 4-1
Ub Spells Control 1-2
GU Dredge Control 4-3
Ur Spells Control 2-4
U Spells Control 6-2
WU Spells Control 5-4
U Spells Control 4-2
I like the diversity in colors. Most decks are labeled spells control, which is not surprising though. All the blue based control decks (no non-blue ones in these drafts) pack a bunch of interaction/draw and win with payoffs like Talrand, Pteramander or Rise from the Tides. It's cool to have every color represented though. I think non-blue control is viable with the right occasionals but it's okay that you don't see it here.
Combo 4-3
BRG Reanimator Combo 4-3
Only one deck that really felt like combo. Considering that both reanimator and persist combo got only added somewhat recently, that's not saying much.
Huh, all the EtB-abusing decks are doing quite well. But it's not that many decks considering you could divide these lists into up to three different sub categories.
Either a lot of black cards signal a sacrifice theme or people just really like these decks. 11 from 11 drafts is a lot, but I like that once again every color is represented here, although it is obviously a black-based theme (and the one try with went badly). Another plus: Sacrifice has been successfully merged with three other themes.
As reanimator is still a new thing in the CCC, established as draftable deck past winter, three decks is okay. I guess it's cool that two decks only incorporated this as a secondary game plan, but I would like to see more all-in reanimator lists in different color combinations.
Madness 17-18
UR Madness Midrange 4-3
RGb Madness Midrange 4-2
GUR Lands/Madness Midrange 1-6
UR Madness Aggro-Control 4-3
RG Madness Aggro 4-4
Only five madness decks is a little sad, considering how heavily this theme is supported in temur colors. But I guess it's not a level one deck? However, I am certain at that point that madness is an above average deck here.
Tokens 0-0 ?!?
Wow, this was a revalation. I think I accidently killed the (usually) tokens deck with the switch from 500 cards to 300 + 360 occasionals. I tried to force the deck on cubecobra and it just doesn't come naturally most of the time. Most cards I tagged as support for it are actually more tempting for other decks. Considering that and the fact that the tokens deck had some baggage anyway (token creep, boardstalls, does not spark that much joy for me) I am considering to cut the support and maybe find another archetype that's more interesting, yet possible to integrate within the rest of the cube.
Golgari, Simic or full Sultai. I know that Dimir dredge is possible. I'm surprised that there is one deck splashing white but none splashing red.
Lifegain 23-19
W Lifegain Aggro 4-3
W Lifegain Aggro 4-1
Wb Lifegain Midrange 2-4
W Lifegain Aggro 5-3
W Lifegain Aggro 5-4
Wr Lifegain Aggro 3-4
Thw two decks splashing are the only ones not with a positive record. But as I have no interest in supporting a huge variety of lifegain decks, that fine for me. It's purpose is to give mono white aggro an angle that's a little more interesting than just curving out, but I don't want lifegain decks that make games go long.
Spells 26-24
U Spells Control 3-4
UB Spells Control 4-1
Ub Spells Control 1-2
RW Spells Aggro 1-5
Ur Spells Control 2-4
U Spells Control 6-2
WU Spells Control 5-4
U Spells Control 4-2
Again, I like the variety of blue-based control decks utilizing spells matter payoffs. I am a bit sad that there is only one deck, which was drafted by a new player and went 1-5. There is a lot of support to draft a more aggressive version in Boros with lots of spells making creatures and prowess guys. But people just don't draft that deck.
Goblins 21-24
R Goblin Aggro 1-5
BRu Goblin Midrange 1-3
R Goblin Aggro 6-2
R Goblin Aggro 6-2
BR Goblin/Sacrifice Midrange 1-4
BR Goblin/Reanimator Aggro 6-2
R Goblin Aggro 0-6
Kinda fitting that Goblins either trophy or trainwreck a draft
Lands 16-21
GU Lands Midrange 2-3
Gr Lands Midrange 5-3
GUR Lands/Madness Midrange 1-6
G Lands Ramp 4-4
GUb Lands Midrange 4-5
Green-based lands matter decks however, had no trouble getting drafted. They did so far not perform too well, but I want to see more results first.
Artifacts 11-13
BRw Artifact/Sacrifice Midrange 4-3
W Artifact Aggro 3-5
B Artifacts/Sacrifice Midrange 4-5
Artifacts is another theme that didn't get picked up really. I can only assume that was some bad luck, there are clearly many sweet treats for such a popular theme, between cards like Ravager and Mystic Forge.
Persist 0-0
A persist win has yet to bw assembled. But the theme has only been in the cube for three drafts now.
I want to revisit the idea to have Sagas as a theme that could primarily cover . I'll just dump some thoughts here for the moment so I can focus on my thesis again. This is just a first pitch, nothing too concrete yet.
Sagas for the core:
Payoffs for the core (everything from Pixie onwards is already in there for blink)
goblins and mono 