General [Almost Daily] Every Set in Magic, Cube Edition

[MilesOfficial]

Hey folks, I always am looking for fun ways to bring folks back on the regular here, since you all are my favorite people to talk about Magic with. While I did like the aesthetics thread from a few years back, it ended up being too much to actually maintain on a daily basis, so let's try this: what's your favorite design from each set in Magic from a Cube POV?

We've got over 150 days of this to do, and we can even make a cool Cube at the end out of our favorites in a way that represents every expansion in the game's history!

To keep every on their toes, I'll be picking sets at random using a spreadsheet that changes daily so that even I won't know what's coming next. However, for the first one, I'm going to start with the first new expansion I played with, and one of my favorites: Coldsnap.

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Day: 001
Set: Coldsnap
Release Date: July 21st, 2006
Cards: 155
Leads: Mark Rosewater (Design), Randy Buehler (Development)
All New Cards, Sorted by ELO: CubeCobra Link

Currently, I run just two cards from my beloved Coldsnap: Panglacial Wurm and Coldsteel Heart. Boreal Druid would be in my list if I weren't breaking singleton for Birds of Paradise themed after the European and African swallows, and Mishra's Bauble is always coming in and out of my list. However, my favorite design from the set for Cube is Haakon, Stromgald Scourge.



Haakon is a card that befuddles even enfranchised players at first glance. Most unique Magic designs have been printed during our current era of "no downsides allowed", making the effect on this Zombie Knight even more distinctive. How many Magic cards can't be cast from your hand??

But the power is obvious! Being able to endlessly replay your knights is no small benefit, especially in a Cube designed with Haakon in mind. And unlike the commander-focused cards of the 2020s, Haakon presents you with a puzzle: how are you supposed to cast him? You have to mill him or discard him to even attempt to cast him -- he fundamentally requires setup. But thankfully, like the all-in-one packages we see on the Inti's of today, he does help himself out synergistically at least somewhat: if you are milling yourself, you're much more likely to have a few more knights lying around in your yard to get some sweet value off of.

Add that to his evocative fantasy art and his frequently relevant zombie type-line and you get a Cube rockstar...if only for specialized Cubes quite a bit below powermax.

What are your favorite designs from Coldsnap?

 

[Nanonox]

Mishra’s Bauble is my favourite card by a mile, but Urza’s Bauble existed in Ice Age so not really novel.

My favourite design is probably



A legendary land with an epic payoff. Tells a story where you slowly thaw the ice and you get a 20/20 token! Now I’m not necessarily a fan of the various combos used to cheat on the mana as a lot of them are narrow, but having a cool land to tutor for and build around is great for cube.

 

[ravnic]

Great idea!

Coldsnap released also during my first couple years of playing mtg and I remember being stunned by it's cool frosty look. I got the theme deck and loved it. I also was a huge fan of the weird aurochs tribal

I also have a snow-covered basic pf each type from this set in my basic land box.

Spoiler: Honorable mentions

Drelnoch just for it's incredible artwork. It really captures and expands on the otherworldly feeling that a snow covered landscape can have.

But my number one has to be this snake that I still have in my Cube:



It's a nice value creature that draws cards in a super green way and has that little oohh-moment when you read it first and think how blocking it and not blocking it can both be super painful things to do. Also, like most cards from coldsnap, it has an incredible artwork too!

 

[Brad]

I run 0 Coldsnap cards.

Amongst those, my favorite is .

 

[shamizy]

Great idea for a thread, I go through my cube list once in a while sorting by set just to see what's stuck around for the long term.

Coldsnap was before my time, my first real set was M13, but looking over my list it's just Mishra's Bauble currently being run.



Nice all-around roleplayer, being able to go down to 39 total cards and also provide fuel for prowess triggers or some artifact-centric decks is fun. On a Constructed note it is funny to me that this card existed for a long time in the Modern card pool until someone had the idea oh yeah, I guess cards that freely cycle and replace themselves are pretty good. And then it's been a staple ever since.

I added it in a few years back when I started building out a dedicated U/R Artifacts archetype with the printings of Urza, Lord High Artificer and Goblin Engineer in Modern Horizons. More baubles and small value artifacts just make for smoother play in the long run and supplement a lot of card interactions ranging from Goblin Welder or Tinker fodder to additional hits for Urza's Saga. I can't really see myself ever cutting this one from my list.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I can’t believe no one has mentioned one of my favorite glue/engine/tutor cards yet!



Esper has a number of fun archetypes that lean heavily on enchantments, like discard matters, and there is a bunch of excellent enchantment-based removal in all three colors as well. As a bonus he’s excellently statted imho. At 1/4 his attack trigger is what matters rather than his power, and he has a nice big butt that can survive a Lightning Bolt. The evasion means he can get in for that attack trigger as well! I love that you don’t run the chance of accidentally killing your opponent while you’re doing your thing like with some other “buildarounds”. I’ve found Zur to be a really nice pickup in my cube and a major reason why I like Esper as a shard!

 

[Velrun]

Pertition to everyone uploading pictures of the card from the real expansion instead of using ci to get the most modern version with wrong art, frame, set logo, wording etc.

I believe this thread loses its value if the cards we are looking at doesn’t look like they are from the set in review.

Thank you all <3

 

[Mown]

It's Mishra's Bauble, I like cantrips and this plays both quicker and in more interesting ways than its predecessor. Honorable mention to Vexing Sphinx, which is a really cool design. Also Vanish Into Memory for being extremely underrated in EDH.

 

[MilesOfficial]

Day: 002
Set: Dragon's Maze
Release Date: May 3, 2013
Cards: 156
Leads: Alexis Janson (Design), Zac Hill (Development)
All New Cards, Sorted by ELO: CubeCobra Link

Dragon's Maze! It's a famously poorly-received set, and one of the many sets that demonstrated that the 3-set block structure was incredibly restrictive from a design POV (though I think the draft format was bomb and the haters are wrong). This set introduced the FUSE mechanic, as well as bringing back all 10 guild mechanics from the earlier two sets in the block, and expanding on the Gates theme. Like most sets from this era, it's not meant to be drafted alone, but because it was always Pack #1 in draft, the limited cards are designed to send you in dozens of different directions.

I currently do not have any representation of this set in my Cube. It was the fourth set or so to come out after I initially built my list, and I remember jealously wanting a Voice of Resurgence but still really enjoying new additions like Far // Away and Renegade Krasis. Sin Collector was a sorely-needed Orzhov card that played well in many strategies and Cubes. People talked up Blood Scrivener like it was the new Bob. I recall thinking the people who were swapping out Rakdos Shred-Freak for Spike Jester were mad, which I still stand by but am amazed at how far we've come in just 12 years. I really liked Aetherling for being a modernized version of Morphling, and still think the design is neat.

But my favorite design for limited from the set?



It's not great. It didn't last very long in my Cube. But it was explosive in power...when it worked. I feel like a 2 or 3MV version of this card would be really interesting today, but without something like flying or trample, it'll have the same problem this had: it was very slow, and even when it worked, it still just got chumped. It doesn't make tokens on its own; that's not how they designed things back then. But it told you what to do, and told you what the benefit was. It's a straightforward puzzle, but a fun one all the same.

 

[ravnic]

Dragon's Maze was kinda weird. I loved the idea of having a third set that could expand on all ten guilds and their mechanics that appeared in RtR and GTC - but many cards were whatever. I have a Ravnica Cube and DGM is currently the least represented Ravnica set in it, with only 23 cards from 485 being from that expansion. It does have some cool ones though. Varolz giving scavenge to everything is super appealing to me and Sire of Insanity feels as rakdos as a card ever could.

But I am giving my vote to the one card in my main cube from the set, which funnily enough isn't in my Ravnica cube for mechanical reasons:



It is a perfect embodiment of what I want Orzhov to do in my CCC. make lots of exposable bodies and sacrifice them for great effect. This card doesn't look like it, being a dorky 3/3 for five, but in the right deck, it is almost an Overrun that sticks around. It's even solid when you are on defense. Additionally,it ready so simple. It is easy to comprehend but plays so dynamically and rewards good decision making. A very elegant, yet deep card and thus perfect for me.

 

[Mown]

I jammed this thing into every early draft I made when I started out tinkering with cubes, a modern version that cost like at most to rebuy would have been really cool, I want to play more Bloodrush cards.

 

[Nanonox]

This is my favourite design from Dragon’s Maze. It ties a lot of themes together and even helps gets the process started when protecting itself.

It’s even better now with the prevalence of leave the GY triggers. Didn’t cube with it a lot, but enjoyed every moment of it!

 

[shamizy]

Dragon's Maze was a real stinker of a set all around, but I have a weird affection for it because it was the main set that had just come out when I was getting back into Magic during college. I was reading a ton of coverage for GPs, watching Pro Tour recaps, and just fully immersing myself back into Magic. There were a bunch of interesting designs that really piqued my interests, but the most impressive one was also the only card that ever ended up seeing play in my cube for an extended period of time:

Still holds up very well, creates a lot of decision points in a game via taxing instant speed interaction, and it's just a fun card to play with. I love it for midrange-y G/W decks and especially G/x Pod or Birthing Ritual builds. You're not really living until you can recur it with Renegade Rallier. I'd probably still be running it now if I wasn't giving Brightglass Gearhulk a run. It's been in and out of my cube a lot over the last decade but it's always available on the bench if I ever want to mix things up and I'm never really disappointed seeing it in the draft pool.

 

[Velrun]

For me

An entire draft strategy in one card.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Dear lord what a train wreck of a set! I run 16 (!) two-color cards in my main cube, and none of the DMG gold cards stuck (let’s not even talk about the monocolored cards from the set…)

In the past I have run the cards below. They’re quite alright in a lower power environment, though there are largely better options available. Of these, I think Ruric Thar is my favorite, just because it has such a massive impact on most games if it sticks. It’s a proper challenge to your opponent: “How are you going to deal with this mofo? I dare you!” I could see myself re-adding the card in the future!

 

[ravnic]

Didn’t cube with it a lot, but enjoyed every moment of it!

Sounds like you really should give it another run somewhere.

 

[MilesOfficial]

Day: 003
Set: Kaladesh
Release Date: September 30, 2016
Cards: 264
Leads: Mark Rosewater & Shawn Main (Design Co-Leads), Eric Lauer and Ian Duke (Development Co-Leads)
All New Cards, Sorted by ELO: CubeCobra Link

I am on record in considering the two-set blocks the least compelling era of Magic design. Riding high off of the design reboot of M10, R&D adopted a new paradigm which saw creatures as the totalizing center of gameplay.

The biggest issue with this time period? Draft sucked. The New World Order era of design (2011 - 2018) was focused on making the game accessible, but by setting that as their North star, they undermined the goal and broke MaRo's cardinal rule: make a game that's everything for someone, not something for everyone. With the reduced complexity of NWO, Just look at Tarkir Dragonstorm: you absolutely can lose with a ton of bombs -- and not just because you didn't draw them. The ability to make great synergy decks in limited and have cards in the format that let a more skilled player catch up if they fall behind was almost nonexistent. Looking through KLD, I'm reminded of a lot of really unfun draft nights, even the ones that I won.

I know many of us do not like the FIRE era of design (WAR/2019 to present, though one could argue it ended with the introduction of Play Boosters). But I like feeling like every card matters. They definitely dumbed some parts of the game down with having the enabler and the payoff on the same card so frequently, and minimizing the impact of the "feelbad" parts of the game like counterspells and removal by offering guaranteed value on haymakers, but I think this is the preferable to what preceded it. And the bombs don't feel as out of touch with the rest of the pack like they did in KLD.

On to Cube... I only run three cards from Kaladesh at this point.



I took out Torrential Gearhulk last night. I probably would say it's my favorite design of the set for its simplicity and its gameplay. I miss that card already, even if I don't think I like it as much as the rest of my 5MV+ blue creature suite, or even as much as Arcane Savant. I really like Scrapheap Scrounger and Angel of Invention as straightforward cards with staple-like effects.

Kaladesh brought us vehicles, a necessary subtype from a lore POV but not that interesting of one gameplay wise. I think the way they work, but I think the approach WotC took for mounts is a little better, where they have more limited opportunities to get activated. I don't think this is a digital issue (though Aetherdrift proved it was annoying there too), but rather, it feels like an onboard "gotcha" when people can activate them at any time, and can activate them over and over again theoretically. Just feels a little looser of a design than was necessary.

I do like Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. I like the titan-like ability on a 5MV card, but it does make you work for it, which I appreciate, especially compared to the M11 Titans. Saheeli Rai is one of my favorite planeswalker designs for not doing the then-normal PW thing of "draw, removal, explode" and for having so many creative applications.

My favorite card of Kaladesh, though, is Toolcraft Exemplar.



I like how it only gains its ability on your combat. It tells you "you better attack with me!" in a way that still allows for you to opt out if entirely necessary. Like I said about vehicles, this kind of templating doesn't add many words, but actually decreases complexity by narrowing when you have to factor it in to your decisions. It's a more compelling Metalcraft card than any in the expansion from just a few years prior where that was a major mechanic, partially because of the power boost here but mostly because it's variable. MaRo has talked at length about how Threshold and other "threshold mechanics" can be unforgiving because you don't get the knobs to play with on a card-by-card basis, and I think the knobs here work for me. You get the bulk of the effect from just one artifact. You get even more from 3+ in a way that feels like a legitimate reward, but not a requirement for entry. Lovely!

I should probably put it back in my Cube.

 

[ravnic]

I value aesthetics highly, and I really didn't and don't like the sleek, modern aesthetics of Kaladesh, now Avishkar. That probably explains why I drafted that set like once or twice and why I only have two cards in my cube at this point. One is Bomat Courier, which could easily get replaced when we get more red 1-mana discard outlets. But there is one card I actually really like, even though it has been outclassed and is more of a workhorse card.




I know that there is Circuit Mender, which is not only less avishkar-ish but also stronger. However, the little Fox is not only cute, it's also already very good in my environment, slotting so smoothly into different archetypes. I also like the 2/2 body that trades with morphs over the 2/3 that eats them, for my purposes. I could only imagine cutting the fox if we get a 2/2 version that says leaves instead of dies.

Edit: Ooops, I just realised that I am also running retro frame versions of Marionett Master and Key to the City. Especially the latter is such a constant overperformer, that enables madness and ninja decks like crazy and ... maybe I should change my vote to it instead.

 

[Velrun]

Yep that Fox is cute and I put it into every cube I make.

 

[Nanonox]

This set is right up my alley and I love all of the nonsense it enables. Check out this Aetherflux Reservoir combo draft deck from Numot. It's crazy (granted it's Kaladesh remastered, but you get the idea)!

Although my favorite card is Paradox Engine from the set, my choice of best design goes to



First of all, you Fabricate as a fantastic glue mechanic. But especially on the Master, there is some real tension between growing it if you have other fodder or creating fodder if you can grow it. It's also a uniquely Black twist on artifacts which was among the first back then.

 

[shamizy]

Kaladesh came out right after I graduated from college and was taking a break before really entering the working world. I was mostly broke so I think I just played the prerelease and didn't do much else with the set, I might have taken a good 6-8 months off of even picking up anything else Magic wise until I was employed the following Spring.

I don't really have a whole lot of memories with either Kaladesh or Aether Revolt aside from keeping up with competitive Magic via GPs and Pro Tours from this time period. It does look like a good number of cards have stuck around however:

I'd say in general a "good set" for my cube generally has 4+ cards that stick around for the long term. Whenever a new set comes out I'll likely jam 8-10 new inclusions for an extended period before really culling it down or relegating things to my binder to revisit in the future. Of these options above, 5 of them have stuck around since they were first added.

I think I ran all of the original Gearhulks at some point, but the Blue and Black ones have always been the two that were much more impressive and effective in practice. And of all the cards in the set Torrential Gearhulk is probably my favorite design. It's a giant Snapcaster Mage that rewarded you for flashing back big impact spells. You trade the flexibility of Snap flashing back really efficient cards for a big haymaker. It's always been a great finisher for control decks and living the dream flashing back a Mystic Confluence or Dig Through Time is probably one of the biggest highs you can ever have as a control player. If I see this card and a wrath early in a draft many times I'm deciding then and there to go in on a Control deck for that session.

Filled a specific need, great design, and it helped to later flesh out Artifacts as a real archetype as we slowly got more support over the following decade.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I think Kaladesh is one of my big loves, and it was the core of my rebuilt cube until Eldraine hit, so for a good three years. I even ran an energy archetype in Temur colors for a while! I believe Kaladesh is still in my top 10 of sets with the most inclusions. (A little hard to check atm, since Cube Artisan is unfortunately still down.)

My greatest love has always been Marionette Master. Such an incredibly fun card to build around, and very glad they printed a mini variant to go along with it.

Apart from that there’s a bunch of elegant effects that just work really well, like Fumigate, Blossoming Defense, and Bomat Courier.

Here's a few other cards that I think are interesting. Some of them I run or have run, some of them never made sense for my cube but are cool nonetheless. I don't think any of these have been mentioned yet, so that's why I wanted to throw them out here!

 

[Velrun]

I love reading all replies in this thread.
Than you to the official @MilesOfficial !

 

[ravnic]

[Daily]

 

[Velrun]

[Daily]

Been there