General Desert Cubes

[spicewitch]

Prior art:
japahn scootin' thru the deserts of amonkar and tootin' about the deserts of amonkar
maindrafting lands with the Baldudeian Tape Hosts
LPR quick summary and landofmordor's pulp nouveau debut podcast and another article
Recross the Paths desert episode on Spotty and Appley

The latest episode of Recross Some Paths interviewed JudgeBones about desert cubes, and
I've been trying to convince folks to use spheres, cycling lands, and cascade caves as "draw smoothing"
(not merely as "gross taplands")
for awhile, and this helped me realize that
the proof will appear in everyone's puddings if i
simply convert my cube to a desert cube!

And the few drafters who already get it won't have an invisible leg up on the competition.
So I made a spreadsheet that helps me with the math required to super-size my cube to the point where 1/3 of it is lands, and 1/3 of those are nonbasic lands.
Have a spreadsheet!

Y'all having any novel experiences with lands in the maindraft, Desserts, Deserts, or indeed, Caves lately?
Are people still rockin' ULDs or does it feel extra or unnecessary these days?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I actually cut all utility lands. I know they’re an integral part of Magic, but a) the ULD felt a bit tacked on, I didn’t really like it as a solution to the problem. The problem being that utility take up too many slots for my liking if you really want to make them a thing in your cube, and not an afterthought. Also, when you really make utility lands a thing, you need answers, which take up even more slots. Incidentally, since I’m running a cube with a heavy multicolor component, both the utility lands and the answers were hurting my 3+ color decks, who needed fixing over utility lands (which often provide colorless or just one color of mana), and whose mana base was vulnerable to the same answers the utility lands were vulnerable to. In the end I just found it too much of a hassle for not enough gain, but that is probably at least partially down to the kind of cube I run.

 

[anotak]

it's been a long time since i built anything complete enough to draft but what i used to do was making custom utility lands that also are dual color taplands so the natural need for fixing pushes people to draft them and also the natural need for utility lands pushes people who underrate fixing to draft them

i've never actually had the pleasure of drafting a desert cube

 

[ravnic]

A cycle of these improves every cube.

Change my mind.

 

[Chris Taylor]

A cycle of these improves every cube.

Change my mind.

Just because I run a fast-land custom version doesn't mean I don't agree with you

 

[Brad]

I dislike utility lands because it adds unexpected scenarios for newer players. They're used to lands tapping for mana. Anything else adds too much mental baggage. They might be ready for it someday, but attacking into a Celestial Colonnade that they forgot was in the "non-threatening permanents zone" feels really bad.