Eco's Terrarium

[Ecophagy]

Introduction​

My original cube was very much designed for me - high complexity budget, intricate synergy, cute cards. However, the stark reality is that I do not currently have a play group that can support this kind of cube. Any play has been 1v1 between me and my definitely-not-an-enfranchised-magic-player partner, which has laid bare how important managing a complexity budget is.

So in the interests of actually playing more cube, I built a new one aimed at the audience I can consistently play with: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/30ccb01d-9311-432f-88cf-d0f1e4cc389e.

Design​

• 180 cards - Use all the cards when grid/pancake drafting with two players, but also supports four players using 5 packs of 9 cards.
• All five colours - I know many smaller cubes cut one or two colours to increase competition in draft. I might do this some day, but I am sticking with all 5 for now; albeit with relatively few artifacts as their flexibility is less valuable when there is less competition for on-colour picks.
• Lower complexity budget - cards should be grokkable, not too wordy, and easy to understand why it's good. Avoid having just one instance of a complex mechanic. All cards in english with reminder text where possible and no weird card frames.
• Higher individual power/lighter synergy - easier to build and play solid decks, ideally with some synergy sprinkled in for spice and to help players to feel smart.
• Midrange focus - Losing to a rock/paper/scissors matchup in a two player format is lame, so try to make decks more midrangey to have more back and forth games. I do want a spectrum here to allow more-aggressive decks to exist to avoid maximum raw value being the top dog. Painful mana-fixing to discourage too much soup.
• Matching removal to threats - cheap removal kills cheap guys, removal that kills big guys is more expensive. I am also trying to avoid "must kill" threats that snowball, at least unless appropriate time/mana has been invested in them.
• Not a bar cube - I'm a big fan of the bar cube zeitgeist, but this although this is 180 cards it is not a bar cube. So sleeves/counters/tokens allowed.

Playtesting​

The cube has succeeded in its primary goal of getting played, and the lower complexity budget has been well received. Synergy has been "discovered" to the delight of less experienced players. The games have usually had ebb and flow: rarely over too fast or coming down to protracted top-deck wars. No-one has yet endured a genuine trainwreck,

There are certainly areas to improve, such as a few power outliers (e.g. Baneslayer, Thundermaw, Virtue of Loyalty, Ethereal Forager? Bitterblossom?) and maybe the token synergy is a bit too on the nose. But ultimately I am very happy with this as an initial draft - even a broad power band with huge bombs can make for exciting games so long as it's not too frequent.

 

[Ecophagy]

4-Player Draft Report 26/12/23​

It wasn't officially one of my Christmas presents, but drafting this cube with some very lapsed MTG playing family members was one of my most enjoyable parts of this Christmas. They all played Back In the Day, but haven't touched the game for at least a decade (i.e. when I started spending more money on singles than them): providing an excellent acid test of how the cube would stand up. Overall, it did - players picked up the drafting quickly, build solid decks, and were keen to play. The two 0-2 players didn't feel like playing it out, so we didn't get the full round robin in, but 5/6 matches completed around the festivities was pretty impressive.

U/B Control 3-0​

Spoiler: Deck Image

https://imgur.com/a/UlpVXvb

My own list, so not surprising to 3-0 as the most experienced player. In retrospect, throwing some more games might have improved the experience, but that's something I struggle with. The deck worked very smoothly - enough draw, removal, and evasion to Get There. Ethereral Forager and Tasigur felt like a bit too much value, and Sower of Temptation was a house every time it hit the board.

B/G Midrange 2-1​

Spoiler: Deck Image

https://imgur.com/a/ZFCEhQF

A really solid deck that played well by playing big guys that provided enough value, although light on removal. Explosives was pivotal in a win over the B/W tokens deck, and Rankle was the stand-out card (especially when combined with Jadar for infinite fodder!), and Mosswood Dreadknight was understatedly impressive. Call of the Herd was very reasonable as two 3/3s, which is I think a good spot for the cube to be in.

B/W/r Tokens 0-2​

Spoiler: Deck Image

https://imgur.com/a/lL625n0

The drafter of this deck said that he was building something that he thought was unusual for these colours, but seemed to be working anyway: making tokens. This (respectfully) is informative of how lapsed these players are, but is a massive design win that a player could see "emergent" synergy and felt confident leaning in to it. This deck was way better than 0-2, perhaps lacking in two drops and a larger commitment to either early game or late game. It had potential for very aggressive starts, but lacked some staying power against the size of green-based threats. Hidden Stockpile worked well, and Virtue of Loyalty was an absolute beating every time it came down - possibly too good. Riptide favourite Weaponcraft Enthusiast was also great in this deck. The red spalsh was nicely added, and is the kind of thing I like being able to do with a fetch/shock mana base.

G/R/u/w Midrange 0-2​

Spoiler: Deck Image

https://imgur.com/a/df06gyW

Approaching the four-colour soup that is the fear of good mana bases, this was a very cool deck. I was particularly impressed that a very lapsed player could grasp the power of fetches+shocks, take them aggressively, and splash so smoothly - even if the final deck itself is kind of rough as it's playing too many aggro cards, and not enough two drops. Possibly I have a little too much lifegain in green that offsets the pain of playing 3+ colours?

Thundermaw papered over a lot of cracks, and Hexdrinker was widely criticised for being uninteractive/too much of a cheap removal check. I was on the receving end of Bloodbraid -> Bonecrusher Giant (oof), but I am OK with having a few exciting cards like the elf. Nev's Disk + Loxodon Hierarch combined to make a very creative one-sided board wipe!

Overall​

It was really gratifying to have lapsed players - who rarely ever drafted even when they did play - come together and draft decks which were all functional, cool, and had a bit of creativeness going on, and then be genuinely excited to play with them. I probably dampened some enthusiasm by playing a fun police control deck and countering/killing everything and playing hard, but that's a lesson for me too. Thanks for reading, hope you all had a good Christmas and have a happy New Year!

 

[jms]

I like how your list looks, and I looked at it with particular interest because I'm on my own path to building a 180-card cube as well.

At first pass, I think the largest number of power outliers exist within white, black, and red, and tokens/going wide looks well supported. With this in mind, I dove in and drafted a BR deck making use of (what I think are) some of the strongest cards in your cube: https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/0e86df50-85f4-4096-a3f6-5cb37d65ca6b?seat=0

Lighter on synergy, heavier on raw power...perhaps dangerously so?

 

[Ecophagy]

Thanks for having a go! TBH I think the deck you drafted looks very cool. Too good? Maybe - there's a lot of value in an aggressive shell, and the entire top end has haste (and some kind of evasion), which is a bit of a concern. But I don't think it's obviously unbeatable.

Were there any particular cards you think stand out in that draft as taking it over the edge? When drafting were the picks (colours or individual cards) very obvious to you?

 

[Ecophagy]

Proposed Changes:

White
Mentor of the Meek -> Welcoming Vampire
Mentor is just underpowered - the body is too small, and the additional mana is awkward and slow. I am worried Vampire is too good, but I'm prepared to try it!

Baneslayer Angel -> Timeless Dragon
Baneslayer is just too good! First Strike means you can't attack into it or block and trade, and Lifelink makes it unraceable. None of this is new, but experiencing it first hand makes it very stark. Dragon is a cool callback to an old favourite of mine, and I like that it has early value if needed or can be a resiliant (but not unraceable) finisher.

Virtue of Loyalty -> Raffine's Informant
Every time Virtue hit the board it immediately made the game about it - can you clear the board or apply enough pressure before it takes over the game? It would be more resonable if I was running disenchants, but I don't really want to - so I should avoid these kinds of uninteractable threats. White's curve was a little high, so I've replaced it with a real 2-drop.

Blue
Supreme Will -> Confounding Riddle
This is what I wanted in the first place - putting the cards in the graveyard.

Frost Titan -> Mirrorshell Crab
Frost titan was very binary - it sits in your hand doing nothing or it rather takes over the game. Mirrorshell provides a reasonable finisher (5/7 is rather big in my format), while also providing more options. This might be too much of a downgrade in power, but we shall see.

Red
Staggershock -> Exquisite Firecraft Char
Almost all my burn does 2 damage, so I'm diversifying it mostly so it can function as more flexible removal. Staggershock is the most "luxury" burn spell (despite being very cool with prowess), so it gets the chop. Firecraft Char is a bit of a shrug - there are lots of options!

Thundermaw Hellkite -> Goblin Darkdwellers
5/5 + Haste + killing most flyers is too much pressure. Darkdwellers is still solid at 4/4, and gives a bump of extra value instead of a raw must-answer threat. Possibly this is not the right replacement, and there's a more appropriately dragony top-end red finisher.

Green
Hexdrinker -> Cenote Scout
Hexdrinker requires a lot of mana investment, but it ultimately too much of a "did you draft/draw cheap removal?" gearcheck. It was deemed by my players to be very not fun - the faces made when explaining what "protection from everything" means were unequivocal. Maybe in a format with more sweepers or just faster overall it would be more reasonable. Cenote scout is a cool-looking 1-drop that can be aggressive.

Mother Bear -> Urborg Lurgoyf
The bear was simply boring. It was rarely played, and its ability was basically never used. Goyf provides a threat that rewards graveyard nonsense, and is a self-contained synergy piece with the kickers. Much more interesting! I also feel like my fixing works well with off-colour kickers, so if this experiement goes well I would be looking to add more.

Multicoloured
Showdown of the Skalds -> Heroic Reinforcements
I like Showdown a lot, but exactly one saga is not worth the rules overhead for players who have literally never seen one. I could definitely see sagas coming back since I am personally a big fan, but if they do it needs at least a few to make the rules overhead more acceptable. Reinforcements takes the place as a R/W finisher, and it's not totally embarrassing on an empty board.

Rite of Oblivion -> Fleshtaker
Removal is boring. 2-drops that offer clear synergy payoff while also working by itself are cool.

Faithful Mending -> Reflector Mage
UW was quite underdrafted, and Mending was never very exciting. Relfector mage is basically always good, so a general power bump.

 

[ravnic]

I like that you're cutting from the top too.

A little surprised to hear you call Mentor underpowered. Looking at your list, of course without having played with it. It seems fitting. I mean, unlike the vampire, it has a high ceiling of drawing you 2+ cards a turn.

 

[Ecophagy]

I like that you're cutting from the top too.

A little surprised to hear you call Mentor underpowered. Looking at your list, of course without having played with it. It seems fitting. I mean, unlike the vampire, it has a high ceiling of drawing you 2+ cards a turn.

Being intentional with the curve was a big thing I picked from the Overturf Twobert articles - you don't need many 5/6+ drops in the cube if you're drafting the whole thing and wouldn't want more than a couple in a deck. I also really like expensive cards having a cheaper mode of some kind for flexibility.

I'm working off a small smaple size, but paying 3 for a 2/2 with no immediate impact was risky, and the mana cost for drawing slowed down future turns. Vampire has a lower ceiling, but also a higher floor - easier to curve out with, harder to kill, can push damage with flying.

 

[ravnic]

Being intentional with the curve was a big thing I picked from the Overturf Twobert articles - you don't need many 5/6+ drops in the cube if you're drafting the whole thing and wouldn't want more than a couple in a deck. I also really like expensive cards having a cheaper mode of some kind for flexibility.

You are 100% correct of course, but I meant cutting from the top of your power band. It's easier to cut the worst cards than to cut the best, but I think sometimes the latter can be more beneficial to an environment.

 

[Ecophagy]

You are 100% correct of course, but I meant cutting from the top of your power band. It's easier to cut the worst cards than to cut the best, but I think sometimes the latter can be more beneficial to an environment.

Oh right! My objective is not necessarily to cut off the top of the power band, but to cut off the bits that feel too powerful/unfair or snowball without effort/risk/investment. I am trying for a more jagged rather than purely flat power band because it's helpful for less experience players to see a card and think "this is great I should pick it" instead of a swathe of being unsure in a world of low floor (but cool) niche synergy cards.

 

[Ecophagy]

I've managed to get a few more drafts in, so time for another update! The objective here is again to curb things at the peak of power, to reduce the amount of lifegain to make the mana base pain a bit more impactful, and trim off complexity where possible. I'm also spicing up boring/underplayed cards, and reducing double colour pip cards where possible as well.

White
Steel Seraph -> Venerated Loxodon
Seraph is above the curve, and represents a big threat by jumping something else or lifelinking itself; it is the only instance of prototype. Loxodon is a payoff for going wide that isn't totally ridiculous, so I'm giving it a try.

Monastery Mentor -> Mage's Attendant
Mentor is absolutely bonkers and very snowbally, so needed to go. The Attendant is two bodies and well costed for it, and can help aggressive strategies maintain a bit of tempo.

Serra Paragon -> Restoration Angel
The paragon is a chunky flyer, providing an awful lot of value (especially with fetchlands), and a sprinkling of lifegain and memory issues. Resto might well be too strong, but at least the blowout is one-shot and cool/memorable, so I'm prepared to try the iconic card.

Blue
Riftwing Cloudskate -> Jhessian Thief
Cloudskate was very slow and pretty boring. Skipping T2 isn't great, and at 5 it's mediocre - plus the only instance of suspend. I have been impressed by Shadowmage infiltrator, so another Ophidian (which works on offence and defence with the toughness) plus more signalling of Prowess synergy.

Green
Deadbridge Goliath -> Briarhorn
Goliath was a very boring block of stats that was picked low, despite actually being very large in the format. I don't think I've yet seen the scavenge used either. Briarhorn is a vastly more interesting card - as a trick or blocking as a 6/6 it gives green a bit of removal which it needs, and can reward a canny player with a 2-for-1.

Red
Fiery Confluence -> Sweltering Suns
Confluence is a very strong finisher, and is probably too good in a world where I'm trying to reduce lifegain. I would still like red to have the sweeper effect from it, so I picked SS. We'll see if it actually gets play though.

Brimstone Volley -> Lava Dart
Also a very strong finisher, and 5 damage is not that valuable a breakpoint for removal. Lava dart is cheap, can be played after milling over, but most importantly is two spell casts for prowess synergy, which has been difficult to activate. Possibly cute rather than good, but something I want to try.

Figure of Destiny -> Bomat Courier
Figure requires a lot of investment so is quite binary - either a blowout in response to activating, or a big threat. We also has some memory issues with it, so replacing it with a different one drop that can provide value regardless of when drawn. Not totally sure I need the one-drop here - maybe a Roast-like piece of removal or actual card draw would be better?

Multicoloured
Loxodon Hierarch -> Regengade Rallier
Big lifegain chunk and explaining what regeneration does it complicated. Rallier is just a Good Card, works well with fetchlands

Artifact
Mazemind Tome -> Sensei's Divining Top
Tome is again a big lifegain bump, but I like a colourless source of card selection. Top works well with fetchlands, and can be used for prowess mischief.

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Thanks for reading, always happy to take constructive feedback on these changes, or others you think might be a good idea!