Eric Chan's Modern cube (405)

Eric Chan

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
But but but.. BG Zombies at the beginning of season no Sign in Blood! And c'mon, Vampires was a weird deck. Only Goth kids and Twilight fanfiction junkies played that.

You know, now that I think about it, Staggershock is mostly just a slower Pyroclasm. So why does it feel that much more gut-wrenching to be on the receiving end? Maybe it's the nature of the delay of the second casting that puts the Fear of God into you. With clasm, you bin all three of your 2/1's, and move onto Plan B. With Staggershock, you only ever lose two dorks, but I suppose it feels like having a loose tooth pulled out bit by painful bit, rather than yanked out hard in one go.

I think I'm gonna slot Inferno Titan back into my cube. It can handle the bearded man!
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Probably less reliant on sneak attack itself and more on what it drops for you. Primeval titan: cool. Ulamog: less cool. Isaumaru: You've got balls, I'll give you that.

That or Kranny's combo cube, where it's less "healthy" persay and more the baseline :p
 
Miasmir

Miasmir

Maybe a format without high-cost attacking bombs but with a lot of other synergies, like blinking effects?

You could use as the high end creatures only those that have neat effects, not those that put away games just for hitting the table or attacking. If the best you can do is jump from 5 to 8 for Scion of Darkness or Living Hive, using something like Restoration Angel or Nephalia Smuggler to get to keep the creature, it's basically just a ramp strategy with cute interactions. The problem arises when you sneak in stuff with annihilator, Griselbrand, Sundering Titan, stuff like that. Progenitus is actually interesting because most blinking effects target and so you don't get to keep it around. Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur is probably too much, Worldspine Wurm might be too much value, but Grozoth sounds hilarious. If you actually draft a deck that uses Sneak Attack for Grozoth to search out more unplayable beasties, you've gone so deep you deserve a medal. The environment therefore must contain Quest for Ula's Temple. I so decree.
 
Lucre

Lucre

I can see myself having a lot of fun with sneak attack and seeing it as an interesting environment staple if you somehow made it a likely card to see played and hence considered in teching.

Hahahaha can you imagine Kiki and sneak attack in some zany value guy or combo deck. It's too bad the really funny red cards are all so stilted.

Does anyone remember cubing with arcanis? Did anyone ever live the dream of sneak, block, tap, damage on the stack bounce?
 
CML

CML

Contributor
sneak attack pairs naturally with woodfall primus, who served as emrakuls 5-8 prior to the printing of Demon Veen

a cube that featured sneak attack could only be healthy if it contained playsets of the following cards: cursecatcher, master of the pearl trident, daze, force of will, wasteland, merrow reejerey
 
Lucre

Lucre

That was a blast. Love the power level plateau so far in your cube. I sorta feel bad for aggro still and the seers and crabs seem strange to me but I liked how all the decks seemed fair even while doing unfair things. I really think the 11 card pack system suits your cube too. Had a great time! When was the last time anyone had a good time playing grixis?
 
Eric Chan

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
Don't feel bad for aggro. I think I know what's happening. Your playgroup has a strong preference - if I could call it that - for midrange. Lots of bodies at all points along the curve, tons of synergies, planewalkers of all stripes; the good stuff. Naturally, midrange beats up on aggro, while you were able to mop up with grindy control. The other two playgroups I primarily cube with prefer hardcore control on the one hand and all-out aggro on the other. And as you might expect, the lone aggro deck rules the roost while playing amongst the first group, while midrange is the place to be when cubing with the second. All is right with the world!

Oh, the eleven card packs were just because we had a six man, and you get a lot of unwanted cards tabling with the normal fifteen card packs. If we had a seventh, I'd have gone with the normal pack distribution.

Fun fact: nobody's run the table with a Cruel Ultimatum deck before. Until now.

You broke it.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Man, I wish I coulda been there. I was too busy having the power out in the west half of the city. Are you out Eric?
Why isn't there a Denny's in the inner city?
 
Lucre

Lucre

Dude, Chris, we had the most harrowing tourney up Bryan was saying the lack of understanding about the 4 way stop reminded him of driving in vietnam. Coming back was also amazing, Etobicoke was actually deathly dark and still. I got home around 2. Bryan was such a trooper and thank god pmall had power!
 
Eric Chan

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
Yeah, props on you guys making the two hour (!!) journey through flooded streets and chaotic traffic intersections in a blacked out city to come up and play some Magic. I mean, in fairness, you guys left before the storm hit, so you were past the point of no return. Magic or bust. It was kind of funny seeing you guys step out of the car all loopy, nerves frayed, in no small part due to listening to all that bad pop music for two hours, I'm sure.

Lucas / Chris, let's do the next event in your neck of the woods. About time I experienced a harrowing road trip myself. Damn suburban sprawl makes life difficult. #greatertorontoarea #notthatgreat
 
Lucre

Lucre

lol not that great toronto area.

Yeah Toronto sorta serves as the core of a metropolis of smaller feeder cities. When you think of toronto you also tend to think of the suburbs directly adjacent to it. I live on the edge of South Western Toronto and Eric lives in one of the North Eastern Suburbs. We are still figuring out the fleet logistics but at least we get to go to a badass mall when we visit Eric.

I think the real issue was the massive flood though. I think if we beat rush hour the drive up from Bryan's place goes down to about half an hour in optimal conditions.

I really can't wait to cube with chris again. It's been way too long. It'll be funny if we get some rotation between Dandy and Mordern cubes.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
My heart always goes a flutter when someone calls it by it's name :p

My half of the city (IE West of bathurst) is out of power as far as I can tell, but downtown seems to be operating fine. Maybe there's a bar downtown that wouldn't mine a bit of noise/slow eating patrons?
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Also, since my brain thinks of weird things at night, I'd double up on burst lightning before I added shock eric. I know that's a discussion from weeks back, but I finally found a card for it :p
 
Lucre

Lucre

I'm still a fan of bolt. I don't care for eminent white removal but I think the threat of a single blot in a cube is pretty crux to cards like olivia etc. Peter was going crazy with his Emeria Angel making "skybabies". If only they'd make a sorcery bolt or a sorcery incinerate.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Modern only :p
I too resent the opinion that lightning bolt is too strong, but then again my cube has both recurring nightmare AND opposition :p
 
Lucre

Lucre

I find the decks I made with nightmare in them, nightmare is just inevitability and not the most unfair thing they do. Though these are usually like terrifying tinker decks or something.

I love opposition but I think it can get old fast. Plus who needs more good blue cards right?
Anyway completely off topic!
 
Lucre

Lucre

I think I just like cards that enable aggro and tempo decks to trade up. Preferably ones that diss-insentivize other decks to just capitolize on cheap removal or whatever. I like cards to be able to play well in lots of decks but I think I'm on a real kick for helping the lil guy.

(Despite having loved playing my Cryptic Command x Cruel Ultimatum deck.)
 
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