Overview
I love Investigate, so when Murders at Karlov Manor spoilers started, I immediately wanted to design a Cube inspired by this simple yet extremely useful mechanic. The Clue theme from Shadows Over Innistrad and (partially) Modern Horizons 2 appealed to be as a possible archetype, and Detectives as a creature type sealed the deal. However, something was still lacking. Not all colors were going to be well represented, so I still needed some sort of creative inspiration to tie in additional themes.Enter @landofMordor's Pulp Nouveau Cube. I'll admit, I have zero interest in Desert Cubes, but the flavor of the project inspired me. Combine that with the recent release of Outlaws of Thunder Junction and it all started coming together. I also want to shout out Ryan Overturf's Star City Games content on 180-card Cubes, or "Twoberts." Since I don't have a regular Cube group, a 180-card Cube not only made sense but also offered a way to support some unique and narrow archetypes in a smaller environment due to the limited card pool.
The Cops and Robbers Cube is an attempt to pit Ravnica's Detectives against Thunder Junction's Outlaws while evoking a Pulp Noir feel throughout the draft and gameplay. Currently it is a 180-card Cube meant to be drafted by 2-4 players.
Detectives and "law"-related cards are primarily set in 
, Outlaws and "crime"-related cards are primary set in , and serves as a third creature type axis representing Citizens. The rest of the Cube is built around what these three creature types bring to the game. To support the urban Pulp Noir theme, I've attempted to limit card selections to Streets of New Capenna, Murders at Karlov Manor, and Outlaws of Thunder Junction where possible. Cards from other sets have been introduced to support archetypes or fill in curves.
I have intentionally avoided Mythic Rares due to complexity and Planeswalkers due to their impact on gameplay and play patterns. I also avoided MKM/OTJ mechanics like Disguise and Saddle because I feared they would demand too much additional support outside of my main themes. I've avoided Hexproof, Ward, etc. to encourage interaction. Finally, my goal for color distribution is for the majority of draft decks to be 2-3 colors. Ultimately I want this Cube to play on the power level of a Master's set, where fun archetypes like Clues can support a viable deck. Gameplay should be interactive and allow for traditional aggro, midrange, tempo, and control decks.
, Outlaws and "crime"-related cards are primary set in , and serves as a third creature type axis representing Citizens. The rest of the Cube is built around what these three creature types bring to the game. To support the urban Pulp Noir theme, I've attempted to limit card selections to Streets of New Capenna, Murders at Karlov Manor, and Outlaws of Thunder Junction where possible. Cards from other sets have been introduced to support archetypes or fill in curves.I have intentionally avoided Mythic Rares due to complexity and Planeswalkers due to their impact on gameplay and play patterns. I also avoided MKM/OTJ mechanics like Disguise and Saddle because I feared they would demand too much additional support outside of my main themes. I've avoided Hexproof, Ward, etc. to encourage interaction. Finally, my goal for color distribution is for the majority of draft decks to be 2-3 colors. Ultimately I want this Cube to play on the power level of a Master's set, where fun archetypes like Clues can support a viable deck. Gameplay should be interactive and allow for traditional aggro, midrange, tempo, and control decks.
Major Themes
Detectives, Outlaws, and Citizens. Secondary mechanics and themes emerge from the sets from which the bulk of these creatures are borrowed and help form additional color pair archetypes. is designed to support the Detective creature type and includes cards that reward you for playing Detectives. The goal is to enable a creature-based tempo deck similar to MKM. is meant to play out more like the SOI Clues deck and includes some cards from that set to help support a midrange value deck based on accumulating value through generating and sacrificing Clues. marks the second creature type theme with Outlaws aggro. takes a more controlling approach, taking advantage of targeted removal to commit Crimes. Both are largely lifted from the OTJ draft archetypes. rounds out the three major themes with Citizens, lifted from SNC and bolstered by some MKM cards. borrows some Cabaretti cards but also introduces Treasure as a sub-theme.Minor Themes
, and to an extent , is a crossover archetype meant to combine White Citizen tokens with Red/Black Mercenary tokens to support an aggressive go-wide strategy. combines Clue tokens and Treasure tokens in an Artifact-focused deck and seeks to leverage those tokens for additional value.Finally,
plays a fairly standard midrange game with graveyard and sacrifice value. can also use Citizen and Mercenary tokens for sacrifice effects.Sample Decks
Decklists are pending once an acceptable draft is finalized and I can start doing test drafts. In the meantime I will be working on manually creating decks to reflect my design intentions.Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Final Thoughts
My biggest initial concern is power level balance, as some themes in the Cube have a very narrow card pool and therefore limited options. I want archetype synergy to be prominent in gameplay, but themes like Crimes and Citizens have only really gotten direct support from a single set. I am very open to card suggestions--my only soft stipulation is I want card choices to stick to the Noir theme as much as possible. I also fear that Green is underpowered right now.Right now the Land section is more thematic than anything, so I'm definitely open to discussion on land choices. OTJ Deserts make sense to be to enable Crimes, but graveyard themes aren't prominent enough right now to make the Surveil lands totally necessary. The Shocklands are, well, Shocklands. But they are from Ravnica at least.
Eventually I would like to expand this Cube to 360 cards, especially if it generates some level of interest. However, that will probably require breaking singleton or a shift in archetype definition (again, limited card pool).
Changelog
- 5/10/24: Inaugural post.
- 5/12/24: Declaring this Version 1.0. Subsequent changes will be logged and explained.
Last edited: