Jason Waddell's Cube

[Spiderdoofus]

Yeah, I guess I'm not saying Unearth is bad, it's definitely not.

Another consideration is the number of creatures in black. Because the cards are often color intensive, I think it's a good idea to keep a density of good black creatures. That's why I was looking to cut a spell, and Unearth seemed like a good option.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Let alone just
Animate Mishra's Factory > Swing > Zombie > Gravecrawler

 

[Jason Waddell]

Lazy man's route:
Animate Mutavault > Gravecrawler

 

[Chris Taylor]

Yeah, I guess I'm not saying Unearth is bad, it's definitely not.

Another consideration is the number of creatures in black. Because the cards are often color intensive, I think it's a good idea to keep a density of good black creatures. That's why I was looking to cut a spell, and Unearth seemed like a good option.

Black is as color insensitive as you want it to be, and unearth helps with those color requirements anyways.
How does more creatures help mitigate needing lots of black sources? The two don't seem related to me

 

[Spiderdoofus]

Color intensive creatures matter more than spells because it's usually more important to play creatures on curve. This is even more true in aggressive decks and it seemed like Jason's black section is more aggressive.

In colors that are more aggressive or intensive, there is a greater need for players to be able to build decks from that color. This is not hard and fast, but in my experience the bet aggro decks are heavy in one color so you want the tools to be there.

 

[Jason Waddell]

Yeah, I see what you're saying a bit. Like, because Bloodghast is color intensive, running him necessitates a heavier commitment to black. Therefore you need more of the supplemental tools for that deck to be in the deck.

Anyways, I think I'm taking out Lifebane Zombie. The two cards are at the same CMC and both put zombie(s) on the table, and as Chris said it's swapping pressure for pressure. Looking forward to cubing with the curse.

 

[CML]

Regrowth and Herd are simple cuts IMO

don't cut Mentor of the Meek and Wheel of Fortune

DONT CUT LIFEBANE COME ON MAN YOU HATE SELESNYA. look you only hate selesnya because you've never paired silverblade and silverheart, then attacked and selesnya charmed for 20. one of our local dudes thought himself a "storm player" who enjoyed grixis unplayable in standard and modern, so then we gave him a friend's affinity deck and he won a box with it and now is done pretending he doesn't LOVE attacking with creatures

i was being a LITTLE facetious with fabled hero, even putting a single counter on him is a big game

 

[Jason Waddell]

Regrowth and Herd are simple cuts IMO

don't cut Mentor of the Meek and Wheel of Fortune

DONT CUT LIFEBANE COME ON MAN YOU HATE SELESNYA. look you only hate selesnya because you've never paired silverblade and silverheart, then attacked and selesnya charmed for 20. one of our local dudes thought himself a "storm player" who enjoyed grixis unplayable in standard and modern, so then we gave him a friend's affinity deck and he won a box with it and now is done pretending he doesn't LOVE attacking with creatures

i was being a LITTLE facetious with fabled hero, even putting a single counter on him is a big game

You have other cuts in mind?

 

[Jason Waddell]

Also I'm probably one of the more aggro-skewed players on this board (did you read ChannelFireball today?), so I don't think you're going to sell me here.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Regrowth and Herd are simple cuts IMO

don't cut Mentor of the Meek and Wheel of Fortune

DONT CUT LIFEBANE COME ON MAN YOU HATE SELESNYA. look you only hate selesnya because you've never paired silverblade and silverheart, then attacked and selesnya charmed for 20. one of our local dudes thought himself a "storm player" who enjoyed grixis unplayable in standard and modern, so then we gave him a friend's affinity deck and he won a box with it and now is done pretending he doesn't LOVE attacking with creatures

i was being a LITTLE facetious with fabled hero, even putting a single counter on him is a big game

Herd is good #IgnoreCML
regrowth is good when you're regrowing things that aren't in jason's cube.
Mentor can go, he's a little slow. He is sweet though, but room is tight.
Wheel: Eh, sell me on this. I've never found the card to be good unless your on the mono burn plan, and even then it gives your opponent a handfull of answers anyways
He hates playing sylesnya, and designing for sylesnya, but why the hate if the decks are boring anyways?
I still like silverblade better, since he lets you start loading up on a creature with double strike happy stuff earlier rather than starting on T4.

 

[CML]

Yeah, I guess I'm not saying Unearth is bad

ah, but i am.

Wadds i am greatly amused that your inspiration came from the PVDDR list for this reason http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=10692 (one of my finer pieces IMO)

 

[DreamPaint]

Lifebane Zombie nuuuuuuuu! Is your cube list up to date? Cuz Bloodgift Demon has GATTA go. And call me crazy but lately I have been hating Vampire Nighthawk and here's why. Since it requires you to be heavier black and now with the Gravecrawler recursion package my black decks want a more synergistic card rather than a simple goodstuff card like Nighthawk and then when black isn't my main color Nighthawk isn't worth stretching the mana for. I haven't cut him yet but i'm leaning towards doing so soon.

 

[Jason Waddell]

Lifebane Zombie nuuuuuuuu! Is your cube list up to date? Cuz Bloodgift Demon has GATTA go. And call me crazy but lately I have been hating Vampire Nighthawk and here's why. Since it requires you to be heavier black and now with the Gravecrawler recursion package my black decks want a more synergistic card rather than a simple goodstuff card like Nighthawk and then when black isn't my main color Nighthawk isn't worth stretching the mana for. I haven't cut him yet but i'm leaning towards doing so soon.

Bah, am I the only one who loves Bloodgift Demon? Are there even suitable replacements? I've won so many games with that card in a ton of different deck builds.

Part of black's thing is paying life for various advantages, and I like to have pepperings of lifegain in there. Zombie decks will run Nighthawk, as will a ton of other decks (even control, yay!). I don't know what the status of your cube is, but 1BB is fairly manageable in a multicolor deck with my level of fixing. I can see your argument, but I think there is plenty of synergy to be had in my black section already, and if we push too hard on the Zombie package we limit black's ability to do other things.

 

[CML]

How do I love thee, Lifebane? Let me count the ways;
Thou art evasive, and attack for three;
Thou exiles a green and white creature from their hand and shores up a natural Black weakness;
Thou have a nice tribal upside,
Thou encourageth good sideboarding habits,
Thou art a powerful creature in a color that needs them

etc.

Wadds you are being hard-headed here

I just think Bloodgift is a mediocre card, Graveborn Muse is probably a little worse but I'm not sure Black wants more effects than arena and bob here

 

[Jason Waddell]

How do I love thee, Lifebane? Let me count the ways;
Thou art evasive, and attack for three;
Thou exiles a green and white creature from their hand and shores up a natural Black weakness;
Thou have a nice tribal upside,
Thou encourageth good sideboarding habits,
Thou art a powerful creature in a color that needs them

etc.

Wadds you are being hard-headed here

I just think Bloodgift is a mediocre card, Graveborn Muse is probably a little worse but I'm not sure Black wants more effects than arena and bob here

Find me another cut. Proposed changes in []'s.

Carrion Feeder
Carrion Feeder
Gravecrawler
Gravecrawler
Gravecrawler
Gravecrawler

Blood Artist
Dark Confidant
Blood Scrivener [Skirsdag High Priest/Pack Rat]
Oona's Prowler
Bloodghast
Bloodghast
Rotting Rats
Vampire Hexmage

Bone Shredder
Vampire Nighthawk
Geralf's Messenger
Fleshbag Marauder
Lifebane Zombie [Curse of Shallow Graves]
Pawn of Ulamog

Skinrender
Disciple of Bolas
Abyssal Persecutor
Nekrataal

Shriekmaw
Bloodgift Demon

Grave Titan
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
------------------------------ (28)

Snuff Out

Innocent Blood
Tragic Slip
Undying Evil
Thoughtseize
Inquisition of Kozilek
Duress
Dark Ritual [Hero's Downfall]
Entomb
Unearth
Cabal Therapy

Doom Blade
Chainer's Edict
Go for the Throat
Smallpox
Hymn to Tourach
Demonic Tutor
Bitterblossom

Liliana of the Veil
Phyrexian Arena
Stupor [Toxic Deluge]

Consuming Vapors
Damnation
------------------------------ (23)
--------------------------------------- (51)

 

[Chris Taylor]

FWIW I am actually trying Shadowborn Demon and he's been sweet. Being card nutrality is a big step up from previous pit lords, and He's cheap enough that trading one off guys for lava axes is worth it some of the time.
Also Tuktuk


If you really feel so attached to lifebane zombie, we could cut a medicore 2 drop like prowler (since no reanimation) or Hexmage (Because I think you yourself said so )

 

[Jason Waddell]

Quick poll, how many people have actually seen Hexmage kill a planeswalker?

 

[Chris Taylor]

I've never ran him

I think it might have the seal of cleansing problem where they just kill it and then play their threat, but with a WAY easier to deal with card type

 

[anotak]

Quick poll, how many people have actually seen Hexmage kill a planeswalker?

just in cube? ive seen it twice but ive only played cube with walkers a handful of times

outside of cube, many many many times

 

[Jason Waddell]

Hmm... Hexmage is probably the cut here. I have too many cards already. I like the design (in theory), but...

Oh, this reminds me of the time I included Hex Parasite as part of a Trinket Mage package. Speaking of a card that never kills planeswalkers...

 

[DreamPaint]

Quick poll, how many people have actually seen Hexmage kill a planeswalker?

 

[CML]

Rotting Rats has gotta be worse. beyond that i will kick the dead bloodgift horse demon in the mouth

 

[Eric Chan]

Yeah, I'm as all-in on the Gravecrawler plan as it gets, and even with a light reanimator theme in my cube to boot, I can't say I've ever once wanted to start Rotting Rats. Even when it's in my card pool.

 

[Spiderdoofus]

It's hard because so many of the cards are synergy cards, not "good stuff" cards.

 

[Jason Waddell]

Na na na na I 3 - 0d with Rotting Rats.... unearth rats, Gravecrawlers come back, sack to bobmbardments, gg