Yo. I'm MinorBug. I've been known to do this "cube" thing, though I've been running low on motivation recently. But a cool blog location might motivate me to think about cube more, so let's do this!
List: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/nogimmicks
Design Restrictions
Gimmickless Unpowered is entirely singleton, and tries to support aggro, midrange, and control, in a way that somewhat resembles how they often show up in standard. It excludes combo, and it excludes "micro archetypes" - no tribal decks, or super synergy heavy decks like aristocrats. These restrictions are in place to ensure the environment does not stray too far from its original or current form, as the environment is used as a reference point for multiple people and I do not want it to become so different that it is no longer useful to them.
Draft Format
3 packs of 16, drafted among 8 people. I prefer the entire cube to be drafted, and so the target size is 384, though the cube often sits higher than that for long periods of time.
Power Level
Gimmickless Unpowered is practically built around the "Savannah Lions" style aggro - the deck should be a powerful deck in the environment, and should have game against all other decks. As a result of this, the environment produces decks that resemble unoptimised constructed standard piles, which is around where I want to be sitting.
The environment aims for a tight power band, though naturally due to the singleton restriction it cannot be perfectly tight, especially since we often want lots of redundant versions of an effect. Additionally, some power outliers are allowed if they lead to gameplay I prefer - for instance, cards like Brainstorm and Once Upon a Time are cards that have been banned in standard, but their power is in enabling consistency, which I am fine with. Some power outliers may be included because I simply like them, and will be removed once I stop lying to myself and claiming they're fine.
Ideal Gameplay
In play, I want games to be interactive and board-focused, and I want to minimise non-games that result from draw rng (flooding out, getting mana screwed, extreme power outliers deciding the outcome of a game, etc.) or matchup rng (aggro may be favoured against control, but it should not be so favoured that it feels bad). In draft, I want to ensure that it is difficult for a competent player to trainwreck and that players are not mislead into thinking a deck is supported when it is not.
List: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/nogimmicks
Design Restrictions
Gimmickless Unpowered is entirely singleton, and tries to support aggro, midrange, and control, in a way that somewhat resembles how they often show up in standard. It excludes combo, and it excludes "micro archetypes" - no tribal decks, or super synergy heavy decks like aristocrats. These restrictions are in place to ensure the environment does not stray too far from its original or current form, as the environment is used as a reference point for multiple people and I do not want it to become so different that it is no longer useful to them.
Draft Format
3 packs of 16, drafted among 8 people. I prefer the entire cube to be drafted, and so the target size is 384, though the cube often sits higher than that for long periods of time.
Power Level
Gimmickless Unpowered is practically built around the "Savannah Lions" style aggro - the deck should be a powerful deck in the environment, and should have game against all other decks. As a result of this, the environment produces decks that resemble unoptimised constructed standard piles, which is around where I want to be sitting.
The environment aims for a tight power band, though naturally due to the singleton restriction it cannot be perfectly tight, especially since we often want lots of redundant versions of an effect. Additionally, some power outliers are allowed if they lead to gameplay I prefer - for instance, cards like Brainstorm and Once Upon a Time are cards that have been banned in standard, but their power is in enabling consistency, which I am fine with. Some power outliers may be included because I simply like them, and will be removed once I stop lying to myself and claiming they're fine.
Ideal Gameplay
In play, I want games to be interactive and board-focused, and I want to minimise non-games that result from draw rng (flooding out, getting mana screwed, extreme power outliers deciding the outcome of a game, etc.) or matchup rng (aggro may be favoured against control, but it should not be so favoured that it feels bad). In draft, I want to ensure that it is difficult for a competent player to trainwreck and that players are not mislead into thinking a deck is supported when it is not.
