General Free spells

[Nanonox]

I currently don't include free spells in my cube and was hoping to hear your thoughts on them.
For this post, what I mean by free spell is an interactive instant or flash card that can be cast for 0 mana. I'm thinking of these:

Free counter spells



Free removal



I've left out some of the more fringe ones (Misdirection, Pyrokinesis, ...) and Fury which while free, isn't an instant.

I know that these are powerful, but how are the play patterns? Do your answers change if you are in a synergy based cube environment?

 

[blacksmithy]

i just recently added FoW and the Freevokers to my cube but haven’t tested yet. my hope is that they help control deal with the mega-high level of cheap threats that my cube’s proactive decks can run, so that control isn’t always on the tempo back foot.

 

[Nanonox]

my hope is that they help control deal with the mega-high level of cheap threats that my cube’s proactive decks can run, so that control isn’t always on the tempo back foot.

For that goal, the Freevokers make a lot of sense since they will be less impactful in the proactive decks against control, making it more likely that it ends up in the wanted deck.

But with FoW, there is the fear that said proactive decks just use them to further plant control. Unless your proactive decks aren't playing Blue, in which case it makes it less risky.

 

[blacksmithy]

For that goal, the Freevokers make a lot of sense since they will be less impactful in the proactive decks against control, making it more likely that it ends up in the wanted deck.

But with FoW, there is the fear that said proactive decks just use them to further plant control. Unless your proactive decks aren't playing Blue, in which case it makes it less risky.

my blue section is pretty slanted towards control and/or creature-light tempo, yeah. not too worried about the Territorial Kavu deck playing FoW effectively

 

[Dom Harvey]

I know that these are powerful, but how are the play patterns? Do your answers change if you are in a synergy based cube environment?

Dodging the question a bit but free spells often make good synergy pieces - Solitude is a top tier pick in my Cube not just as a removal spell but as the perfect pairing for blink, reanimation, sac, Vengevine/Clarion Spirit etc

I think hard rules about the shields being down go a long way for setting the tone of a Cube - even just a single Force of Will in the Cube as a free counter makes me second-guess every play at all times if I'm against someone who could have it. Khans of Tarkir had an explicit rule that no morph could trump another morph in combat for less than 5 mana - a lesson learned the hard way from Onslaught, where morph combat felt like a random shell game vs Zombie Cutthroat etc. There won't ever be enough free interaction in a Cube to reach that saturation but it's worth keeping in mind.

Once you decide on the principle and get into the specifics, the free spells don't have much in common. Force of Will is a powerful, iconic card but can be used proactively or reactively; Pact of Negation rewards setting up fights over individual high-impact plays but takes a while to come online; Daze is a tiresome mistake that just punishes someone for being on the draw. Snuff Out's life payment means it's much better on offence than defence while Slaughter Pact creates great stories - you can use it to push your edge and steal a win out of nowhere or swing a combat in your favour to stay alive by the skin of your teeth. If you have to use Fireblast as normal 'interaction', something's gone badly wrong - it's usually the last play of any game it's cast in.

 

[kModz]

I think hard rules about the shields being down go a long way for setting the tone of a Cube - even just a single Force of Will in the Cube as a free counter makes me second-guess every play at all times if I'm against someone who could have it. Khans of Tarkir had an explicit rule that no morph could trump another morph in combat for less than 5 mana - a lesson learned the hard way from Onslaught, where morph combat felt like a random shell game vs Zombie Cutthroat etc. There won't ever be enough free interaction in a Cube to reach that saturation but it's worth keeping in mind.

I originally shied away from free spells so players didn't feel blindsided by a free spell while the opponent's shields are down. I reevaluated the stance once the new hotness freevokers appeared and now follow basically what Dom suggested: I established a rule that all free modes on spells require the caster to exile a card from hand. The goal is to have players weigh card advantage versus immediacy of the effect and ask the question "do I need to answer this now?" (I also have a bias against Daze, feeling that it doesn't create good play patterns or strong decision points.) So far it's created a great experience for my players and gives them more tools against unfair strategies like Reanimator.

 

[Chris Taylor]

If you have to use Fireblast as normal 'interaction', something's gone badly wrong - it's usually the last play of any game it's cast in.

I was recently re-evaluating my removal suite and found a tier list of interaction over on the Cube Talk discord, wherein Fireblast was in the A tier

 

[blacksmithy]

yeah i greatly like the tempo vs value choice the freevokers and force represent. like you can weigh the snowball potential of the threat you’re killing vs the value of the pitch card vs whether you’ve got a way to catch up on cards (like maybe hard casting Hieroglyphic Illumination or painful truths in a couple turns)

 

[Nanonox]

Dodging the question a bit but free spells often make good synergy pieces - Solitude is a top tier pick in my Cube not just as a removal spell but as the perfect pairing for blink, reanimation, sac, Vengevine/Clarion Spirit etc

This is the exact reason I've created this thread. Solitude is a card I am dying to include, but that then opens the floodgate of free spells. However, I like the criteria kModz and blacksmithy suggest:

I reevaluated the stance once the new hotness freevokers appeared and now follow basically what Dom suggested: I established a rule that all free modes on spells require the caster to exile a card from hand.

yeah i greatly like the tempo vs value choice the freevokers and force represent.

This is an interesting axis to play along and one I think I will enjoy.

Thanks for the insight!

 

[LadyMapi]

reject free spells

embrace the free cube