Kristof's Cube

[Kristof Ketels]

http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/710

So this is my rather budget cube, which I built sometime last year.
It's come a long way from my first version which was all craprares and janky commons and uncommons. Many from the Mirage block, which for some reason I am incredibly nostalgic for.

Some of the jank is still in there, either as placeholders for better cards or because they proved to be good. I just moved from 405 to 360, but it hasn't been played yet so I don't know if it's balanced now.

I am also going to replace the keyrune cycle, it just didn't do what I hoped it would. These cards just wheel every draft. I'll add the more common mana rocks (coalition relic, coldsteel heart) when I get a copy. And I want to add some lands that do more than fix mana.

As a legacy player who likes building decks way too much I don't have the resources to add fetches and expensive staples. But any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[Chris Taylor]

My suggestion: Proxy. Your players wont mind (A cube is a huge financial undertaking) and it'll really help you do what you want with your list. I find it helps the most in testing cards that are really popular right now, but might not be later (Eg: Now is not the time to go buy a Gaea's Cradle because there's speculation about that card in legacy with the incoming legend rule changes)

Now onto Actual Card suggestions:
I'm noticing a few budget concerns, but I've also noticed you have quite the knight theme going on. Is this intentional? Are you going to add Knight Exemplar and Kinsbale Cavalier?
Austere command always proved lackluster for me, often just being 6 mana wrath, no upside. I like rout, and you may want to consider either wrath of god or another day of judgement, as wraths need to be really timely these days.
Also you might want another finisher, because I've noticed Jareth is your only white 6 drop Maybe Captain of the Watch? Sun titan is insanely awesome, and quite cheap due to the prerelease versions available. He's way less broken than the other titans like Grave and Inferno, and rewards skilled drafting.

I'm curious to see how faerie impostor /c] preforms. I've always had high hopes for that guy.

 

[Kristof Ketels]

Huh, what do you know. I do have a knight theme, I honestly never noticed that...
Guess that's why an outside perspective is useful

I agree with your opinion of austere command, it's too slow most of the time. I'll cut it for Wrath of God when I can trade one.
I really like your suggestion of Captain of the Watch, there are a lot of soldiers in white which adds some nice symmetry. I have also been thinking about increasing the token subtheme in white, so captain would fit in great.
I am a bit hesitant to include the titans, as they are pretty bonkers. Though Sun does seem less broken and capable of pretty fun plays.
Guess I'll try to trade both and maybe alternate between both.

Faerie impostor has been fun as a non-broken version of cavern harpy. That card led to a very broken Dimir deck which just locked out every game by bouncing value creatures like Man-O'-War and Nekrataal.
But the Impostor is a good way to rebuy a value creature for a second ETB trigger. And if you have none it's still a good beater.
Blustersquall does get cast normally from time to time, though of course the overload is the most popular mode.
I think I'll keep it in because much like choking tethers it provides options, which is something I like in blue cards.

For the most part I'm trying to create a fun draft environment where the three big archetypes are supported.
There is usually a healthy balance of decks during drafts, so that seems to work out pretty well.
Only exception is the black recurring aggro type which I'm now trying to support. This because black really needed a change and I hope this is the right one.
My cube is always drafted by the same set of players, so I do try to cater to their tastes and comments. Which is incidentally why Mogg flunkies is out and Ashmouth Hound is still in. My players never really liked Flunkies so it was always a last pick. When I see this happen a couple of times I tend to replace those cards.

My multicolor cards represent what I feel the guild is about, I like Rakdos to be aggressive so it gets some very aggressive three drops. Simic is mostly about creatures who are also spells, as green is thecreature color and blue is the spell color. Azorius to me is about cheap flyers. And so on.

I tried to build green so it was very midrange, but with enough support for gruul aggro decks. It's a very popular color that I think really adds a lot to the decks that splash it.

Whew that's a big wall of text, guess you gave me a lot to think about .

I appreciate the comments and suggestions, and some of the cards you pointed out as outdated will be getting the axe pretty soon.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Now, I assume by the "Big 3" you mean control/aggro/midrange. Good to know you want to keep those balanced, but what about more niche strategies?
Here's a few to ponder on:

• Tinker
• Reanimate-or
• Cheatyface (Show and Tell, Eureka)
• Wildfire (Check out my primer!)
• Ramp
• Blue Aggro
• Pox / Stax (Smokestack)
• Tokens (Derranged Hermit, Opposition, Cloutgoat Ranger)

Additionally, which colors do you plan supporting the big 3? Is red a control color, is black an aggro color? Do you want them to be?
Quick once over of your multicolor cards:

• Azorious: Seems to be tempo oriented. Sky Spirit seems lackluster, a flier that basic isn't going to make me want the second color Is Celestial Colonnade out of your price range? It also fixes mana. While pricier, Geist of St Traft is just as insane as people say he is.
• Dimir: Also tempo oriented with the bounce spells, but Finkel is in here too. Countersquall might not be strong enough to make people add the second color. Creeping Tar-Pit? I know I sound like a broken record here but these manlands are amazing. Alternatively, Probe is a serious beating most of the time, and Duskmantle Seer is insanely powerful.
• Rakdos: all fine here. Some options: Spike Jester could be swapped out for one of the 3 drop guys to add some diversity, and Dreadbore becomes a nice answer if your cube has walkers in it. (That reminds me, are you intentionally leaving them out or did it just happen as a result of budget?)
• Gruul: Savageborn Hydra never really did that much for me; He was basically a 2 color Primordial Hydra unless you specifically got Rancor or Ghor-Clan Rampager. If you specifically want another ramp focused card, Ruric Thar was good for me, otherwise I can recommend either Raging Ravine (Last one, I promise ) or Flinthoof Boar
• Sylesnya: Armadillo Cloak is a sweet one alright If you want a tokens guy, My personal new favorite is Trostani's Summoner, for sweet interactions with flickering and Reveillark. Knight of the Reliquary can be awesome if you have fetchlands or nice nonbasics to go find with it (Mishra's Factory, Kor Haven, Krosan Verge etc) Gavony Township is an amazing card for the tokens deck as well.
• Orzhov: I imagine Vindicate is a bit much, but Mortify is also amazing. Treasury Thrull seems slow, sweet combos with Seal of Doom aside. I'd recommend my longtime favorite Angel of Despair, or Unburial Rites here if you like a slower reanimator deck.
• Golgari: Treasured Find isn't all that great If you can find a Maelstrom Pulse it's a sweet one, or the new Pernicious Deed: Gaze of Granite.
• Simic: Also seems to be rather tempo-y. Have you tried simic charm? I ran it for a long time, and I think it'll probably help your drafters more than Gaea's Skyfolk. If you insist however, I'll point out Jehessean Infiltrator, who is on average more effective.
• Izzet: Looks solid! If you can spare it, Either Niv Mizzet works really well here, and Mercurial Chemester is quite vulnerable for how much he costs. As well, Electrolyze is a favorite of mine, though sometimes worth excluding for diversity's sake.
• Boros: Also Solid. The only card that confuses me is Blaze Commando: I'm not sure people will still have burn spells left after turn 5. Slayers' Stronghold is an amazing utility land, and Figure of Destiny is one of the better 1 drops ever printed if you'd prefer either of those.

Also Concerning Mogg Flunkies: Do they like stormblood berserker? The cards are remarkably similar (As both require you to have a 1 drop to function well)
The key to making aggro strategies work in cube is an abundance of quality 1 drops, which I see you have covered in white perfectly. There are a few more you could include in red however, and I think Jackel Pup's days might be over. He got searing blaze'd a few drafts back in my cube and I've swapped him out for someone else since then
Obviously the king of the red 1 drops is goblin guide, but there are a few other sweet ones to consider: Spikeshot Elder, Reckless Waif (YMMV) , Goblin Patrol, Frenzied Goblin etc