Onderzeeboot's Khans of Alara WUBGR Cube

[sigh]

Thanks for poking around! Good question as well! The two main reasons are that this way it's a true one drop, and that it becomes a combat trick. Both make it function more like a rattlesnake card. Your opponent can definitely see it coming (unless it's instantly used as sorcery removal), which means he/she gets to try to play around the effect, baiting it maybe, which adds a little bit more play to the card.

That does make a lot of sense! I think they missed an opportunity to extend the "seal of __" set in SOI, much like this is effectively a Seal of Deadweight. Adding more play to cards is always fun, imo. Same reason I've been eying Soul Snare over, say, Stasis Snare. Play it early, start a mini-game.

Speaking of Seals, seal of cleansing actually has enough targets in enough games to be largely worthwhile? Or just a unique SB offering?
And then speaking of things being worthwhile, is the theme working for you still?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

That does make a lot of sense! I think they missed an opportunity to extend the "seal of __" set in SOI, much like this is effectively a Seal of Deadweight. Adding more play to cards is always fun, imo. Same reason I've been eying Soul Snare over, say, Stasis Snare. Play it early, start a mini-game.

Speaking of Seals, seal of cleansing actually has enough targets in enough games to be largely worthwhile? Or just a unique SB offering?
And then speaking of things being worthwhile, is the theme working for you still?

Seal of Cleansing is generally good enough for the mainboard, especially if you've got a constellation theme going. If I have enough going on I might cut it from the main, but then I side it in half the time anyway Orim's Thunder has actually been called an MVP before, which shows there are enough targets I think!

The theme hasn't been tested in the wild yet, but in testing it's been worth it. There's enough fixing to support it, and the colorless cards are fun to play play with.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Woohoo! I forgot to celebrate here that my cube got featured on CubeTutor

The most obvious conclusion I can draw so far is that the Eldrazi cards don't get played. Well, hardly anyway. Thought-Knot Seer is in the top drafted cards, but it shows up in only one of the drafts since the cube got featured. I am wondering if I should just cut the colorless theme and go back to the old custom lands (which were pretty fun anyway and don't require an giant batch of printer paper).

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Oh, oh, wait! Suddenly people are throwing in Eldrazi!

 

[Onderzeeboot]

With more drafts comes more data, so I made some tweaks. First I've seen quite a few Eldrazi since I, well, didn't see any Eldrazi To make it a bit more obvious that they're viable, I've decided to add a few more to the cube, rather than remove the theme altogether.



Of course these should be powerful (like the original OgW colorless Eldrazi), weird, flavorful, and splashable. I'ld like to think I succeeded there (though it's really hard to judge, since these are so weird)!

Next I changed two cards that. Scavenging Ooze has long been just a bit too powerful against graveyard based strategies, but I didn't really have anything else to put in. Until I was looking for a place to reintroduce colorless mana to green and it suddenly clicked! Stonespiker was the 3/1 living weapon custom I played before, which had an equip cost of sacrificing a land. Then I saw someone draft it and Titania, Protector of Argoth together and decided the custom had to change. Building an army of 5/3's for no mana is a bit, ok, a lot too good! I still wanted it to favor aggro decks, so I changed it to the design below (and found much, much cooler art!).

 

[Chris Taylor]

These looks sweet! I definitely respect you for going the extra mile for the eldrazi goodness instead of abandoning the idea like I did

Individually, I think eldrazi spells spawn A) doesn't actually work, and b) should probably just cast it so you get creature and spell.
Love the new scavenging ooze, I've long felt the same way about that guy.

Love pigment usurper. That is a hell of a Thalia/Loxodon smiter

 

[Onderzeeboot]

These looks sweet! I definitely respect you for going the extra mile for the eldrazi goodness instead of abandoning the idea like I did

Individually, I think eldrazi spells spawn A) doesn't actually work, and b) should probably just cast it so you get creature and spell.
Love the new scavenging ooze, I've long felt the same way about that guy.

Love pigment usurper. That is a hell of a Thalia/Loxodon smiter

Thanks! I think you're right, Spellspawn isn't good enough. I never want to pick it when it comes up in CubeTutor, so even if I think the idea is cute and flavorful, the execution isn't good enough. You're probably right that it should just cast the spell as well as give the body, but that means the balance is delicate. The body has to be good enough to be worth it if you wiff, but not too strong if you hit a spell (see Oblivion Sower for comparison, though that is colorless and thus easier to cast, but also mythic). It also should match the exile wording of the existing eldrazi, so I'll update that as well. Hey, I probably should use Oblivion Sower's wording, so you're not limited to casting one of four exiled cards.

The other option is to give it flash, maybe? Then you can steal counterspells as well, though I don't know if that is a good thing. Maybe add another toughness or two in that case?

Edit:

vs.

Ok, fight! Which one do you guys and gals like best? I think I personally like the flash version better as its slightly less repetitive, but I also worry that that one's a bit too strong maybe?

 

[Chris Taylor]

Man I'm good at reading. I thought it was a 4/3 originally

I'd go with the flash version. This card is to snapcaster mage as Thought-Knot Seer is to Tidehollow Sculler?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Man I'm good at reading. I thought it was a 4/3 originally

I'd go with the flash version. This card is to snapcaster mage as Thought-Knot Seer is to Tidehollow Sculler?

I love that analogy! Flash version it is!

 

[anotak]

Woohoo! I forgot to celebrate here that my cube got featured on CubeTutor

just saw this when i went to CT, congrats!

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Long post incoming!

just saw this when i went to CT, congrats!

Thanks! It's awesome, so much data!

It actually made me realize I probably need to change some cards. Naya, for example, is severely underdrafted. Abzan is the most popular shard, followed by Jeskai I think. Sultai and Grixis also get drafted, but Naya? Poor Naya gets neglected. I think I can count the Naya decks since the cube got featured on one hand. This is reflected in the bottom picks, which grants some insight into underdrafted archetypes. Since this is going to be a long blogpost anyway, let's just go over some of the bottom picks!

PS. I'm aware these statistics are not 100% meaningful, I mean, Shelldock Isle is #44 on the bottom picks list, and that is certainly a card I would happily add to every blue draft deck in existence.

#1. Contagion Clasp

Just to be clear, #1. means dead last in the pick order. It's hard for me to believe this little tool is passed so often (51:567 passick ratio, or 8.3% picked) , but apparently people don't appreciate it. Maybe they feel it's just too slow? Anyway, I think this is a prime candidate for replacement with an Everflowing Chalice, once I get around to implementing the great cheaper mana rocks/expensive wraths swap.

#2. Woolly Thoctar
#3. Realm Razer
#46. Javelineer's Cache (custom card)

That's right, there's the Naya cards for you, right at the bottom of the pick order. I personally think Realm Razer is a fine card, that can really lock up an advantageous board position, and Thoctar has crazy efficient stats for its converted mana cost, but obviously that doesn't entice players to go . There aren't really obvious multicolor Naya cards that would attract drafters, I feel, except maybe Fiery Justice? What do you think? I might just need to bite the bullet and design customs for this shard.

Javelineer's Cache is easily pushed a bit by having it enter the battlefield with four counters instead of three.

#4. Mask of Memory
#10. Sword of Vengeance
#13. Empyrial Plate
#14. Weapons Trainer
#21. Stoneforge Masterwork

There's 10 equipment in my cube, mainly supporting aggro strategies, and two equipment-related cards (Weapons Trainer and Stoneforge Mystic). A little under half of these cards is in the top 21 of the bottom picks. Now, Empyrial Plate can hit like a truck and is generally undervalued, and Weapons Trainer is just fine I think in a Boros deck, if the equipments are good enough to maindeck, but the other options are a little trickier. It's not the first time I agonized over what equipment to include, as the line between overpowering and underwhelming is very fine in this case. For reference, I've cut Grafted Wargear in the past for being too strong. I've already created two equipment (both using the living weapon mechanic) to fill the void of fairly costed but playable equipment, but it looks like I might need to design some more equipment that straddles this line just right for my cube. Maybe something like this?

(edit: images removed, because they are refined and repeated in a post below)

#5. Cogwork Doppelganger (is Cogwork Librarian for and with changeling)
#24. Deal Broker
#28. Cogwork Doppelganger

This is a result of the draft cards not working in CubeTutor. I'm pretty happy with how they affect the draft. Deal Broker doesn't always work, because people are too miserly when determining what card to give away, but it's still a respectable looter. I love how far apart both Cogworks appear, though in reality they are very close together: 71:619 (10.3% picked) versus 79:630 (11.1% picked).

#6. Smokestack

People are objectively nuts. This card is awesome and never leaving my cube. If it's in Eternal Masters, I might actually double up on it

#7. Slayer's Stronghold
#9. Firemane Angel
#14. Weapons Trainer
#29. Wojek Halberdiers
#45. Iroas's Champion

Yeah, people are not hot on Stronghold. Firemane Angel is a bit of a standout, Boros Aggro is actually very popular, but Boros-based control decks get drafted less often. Maybe I should put in a bit more support. Tears of the Phoenix instead of Stronghold and Nahiri, the Harbinger for Ajani Vengeant? The aggro drops are generic but fine, I guess? Better equipment should raise the stock of both Weapons Trainer and Iroas's Champion, right?

(edit: image removed, because it is refined and repeated in a post below)

#8. Sphinx of Lost Truths

The final card in the bottom 10. Sadface for draw-discard Sphinx. Reanimator could be a bit stronger, maybe I should add more reanimator spells? Anyway, I personally like Sphinx. It has quite a reasonable body for the cost, so the huge amount of card filtering is essentially free, and in the late game, when you can pay the kicker cost, it absolutely pulls you ahead hard.

Also, before I forget, a shout-out to Safra!

This might actually be the perfect place for the weird spins on Cascade I tried with Izzet Pyrocrat. I'm thinking specifically:

Eldrazi Ambushers
Creature - Eldrazi Drone
Flash
Cascade into Eldrazi
4/2

(or Cascade Into Colorless, which might need a different keyword, like Extrude or something)



but Cascade letting you have the Eldrazi cast-triggers is a big deal so 3/2 flash might be more fitting. Also, what's the problem with Thought-Knot Seer? That guy rules!

Also, thanks Safra! I added Eldrazi Bloodbraid Elf (3/2 haste instead of 4/2 flash, cascade into colorless), and it's actually a card I was excited to draft. Awesome suggestion!

 

[Onderzeeboot]

If I look at the bottom picks, I can't ignore the top picks, can I? Unlike the above post, this post is not going to be an in depth review of the top 10. Instead I wanted to simply show you the dots. Here the cards are, from number 1 on the left to number 49 on the right.



That's an awful lot of black mana symbols at the top. Blue is also overrepresented. I might need to take a look at my black section and dial it down a bit?

More musings later, when I have more time.

Edit:
Using Riptide as kind of a Notepad to document possible swaps...

Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet > Daxos's Torment
Javelineer's Cache* > up to four counters
Damnation > Crux of Fate
Languish > Feast for the Crows*
Sword of Vengeance > Staff of Turmoil*
Mask of Memory > Mask of the Arch-Thief*

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Still using Riptide as kind of Notepad.

Stoneforge Masterwork > Dancing Dagger*
Wojek Halberdiers > Sunhome Purist*
Day of Judgment > Hallowed Burial
Martial Coup > Rout
Contagion Clasp > Everflowing Chalice
The Talon Gates* > custom 2 cmc rock (Cathedral of War)
Pristine Talisman > custom 2 cmc rock (Radiant Fountain)
Seer's Lantern > custom 2 cmc rock (Pithing Needle or Phyrexian Revoker)
Unstable Obelisk > custom 2 cmc rock (Mishra's Factory or Mutavault) (Pillars of Lost Thoughts*)
Ajani Vengeant > Nahiri, the Harbinger
Slayer's Stronghold > Tears of the Phoenix*
Woolly Thoctar > Soil Stomper*
Realm Razer > Hexpulse Hawker*

I'm still wondering what I want to do with the green mana ramp spells, now that I reintroduced colorless 2 cmc rocks.

Do let me know what you think of these changes if anything stands out to you. The Naya and equipment customs especially need to pull in more people without being overpowering. There wasn't actually a single custom card in the top 50 picks, which is perfectly fine with me!

 

[Chris Taylor]

I'd recommend Pithing Needle over Revoker for your rock. I've played with both, and randomly hitting someone's Birds of Paradise isn't as nice as not dying to manlands, at least in my list.

 

[sigh]

Speaking of custom mana rocks, why not guardian idol? I get that mutavualt/the factory are cooler, but comprehension etc etc.

Basically it's already there so why not?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Speaking of custom mana rocks, why not guardian idol? I get that mutavualt/the factory are cooler, but comprehension etc etc.

Basically it's already there so why not?

I guess even a 2 cmc mana rock that does nothing else besides producing one colorless mana is playable, but I do like the interaction that Mutavault Rock would have with the Mishra's Factory's and Gravecrawlers in my cube. That's mostly why, it's simply more exciting than Guardian Idol.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I forgot of course about my desire to add some generic graveyard control, so it looks like I won't be adding the man-a-rock, ah ah!

Unstable Obelisk > Pillars of Lost Thoughts*

Black removal is very high up in the charts, probably also a factor why black is overdrafted.

#01. Liliana of the Veil
#05. Shriekmaw
#07. Damnation
#10. Go for the Throat
#29. Hero's Downfall
#30. Murderous Cut
#31. Skinrender
#32. Languish

Liliana is just a perfect planeswalker to me. Feeds the self-discard decks while being removal on a stick as well. I find her very satisfying to play with, and not at all impossible to beat, so she's not getting cut soon.
Shriekmaw, likewise, is just a perfect card. Sorcery speed Doom Blade, and an added evasive body if you spend five mana. Interacts nicely with graveyard recursion. Awesome card.
Damnation > Crux of Fate, like I said above.
Go for the Throat > Ultimate Price. It's still the efficient two-mana removal spell at instant speed, but Ultimate Price hits roughly 2/3 of the creatures instead of practically everything.
Hero's Downfall was Ruinous Path, but my experience is that the sorcery speed really harms a 3 mana spell. Hero's Downfall plays much more smoothly.
Murderous Cut is a good removal spell, and also not going anywhere I think.
Skinrender could be Bone Shredder or Nekrataal, but those are not necessarily lower picks, plus it's important to supply a critical mass of zombies for Gravecrawler, and it's nice that it operates on a slightly different axis from normal removal spells (-1/-1 counters instead of destroy).
Languish > Feast for the Crows, like I said above.

That should nerf the black removal suite a bit, though the color will still remain the best at snuffing out other creature's life.

 

[safra]

What if Sunhome Purist was a 2/3 with 'each player sacrifices an artifact or enchantment' as the ETB trigger?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

What if Sunhome Purist was a 2/3 with 'each player sacrifices an artifact or enchantment' as the ETB trigger?

Then you'ld have to sacrifice the equipment I am trying to get RW in particular to play more cards of I know the 2/2 body is not super good, but if Reclamation Sage taught us anything, it's that Naturalize strapped onto an inefficient body still makes for a super playable card, and Sunhome Purist has a considerable better body than Sage. It might be that it is entirely unnecessary to add Sunhome Purist though, because Orim's Thunder and Nahiri, the Harbinger deal with artifacts and enchantments as well, but Puris is better than either in aggro decks. Maybe I can cut Seal of Cleansing now?

Edit: Oh, I know, I could make Purist a base 2/1 and give it the Outcast treatment of getting to choose between Disenchant or a +1/+1 counter! Does that sound like a better/more playable design?

Edit edit:
Seal of Cleansing > Arashin Cleric? White is mostly used in the aggro role, maybe it needs a little push to enable white-based control decks as well?
Gisa's Bidding > Profane Command. Bidding is pretty inefficient when you don't madness it, and basically a bad Under the Floorboards anyway.
Stupor > Vampire Nighthawk. I don't know what I was thinking, making this swap...
Call of the Herd > Rabid Bite.

Thought a bit on green ramp, and decided to move the 2 cmc ramp (which overlaps with the new mana rocks) to other cmc's to reinforce green being better at ramping.
Invigorating Overgrowth* > Invigorating Overgrowth* (was Rampant Growth variant)
Vantage Point* > Vantage Point* (was Rampant Growth variant)
Nacatl Briarsage* > Emrakul's Hatchling*

 

[Onderzeeboot]

There. I think that's it? Anything else that looks suspicious to you guys and gals? How do you feel about the new customs?

...

Ok, fair enough, mostly indifferent, but feedback is welcome anyway I've gone back and updated the last few posts with the latest "scans" for your viewing pleasure!

Maybe I'll rename Nullstone Monolith to Voidstone Monolith, just because it's slightly different (etb untapped, because the layout looks way prettier that way) so as not to confuse people who also draft Chris's cube.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Alright, per flash of insight I have kept the 3 cmc rocks in, and even added two more. I also tweaked Chain Reckoning, again, as it was floating around the bottom picks. There's a few changes I haven't mentioned above as well, but I accidentally deleted the change log while browsing on my iPad, so I don't know exactly what. Linvala, the Preserver replaced Sunblast Angel, and Vampire Nighthawk got swapped in for Stupor, which I replaced the other way around a month ago, probably while in a stupor? Anyway, I've made some pretty sweeping changes, so I decided to reset my pick order (*eek!*) and see if stuff is more balanced now.

I weakened black a bit further, replacing Murderous Cut after all (with Consuming Vapors, and adding another "wrath" to black, because it naturally pairs with blue and green, who lack such effects (Ribbons of Night became Living Death).

 

[Chris Taylor]

oh man I love the art for voidstone monolith, I might switch!

Linky?

Also: Spawndog? Really?
That's gotta be a playtest name, right?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

oh man I love the art for voidstone monolith, I might switch!

Linky?

http://jjcanvas.deviantart.com/art/Monolith-557971351

Also: Spawndog? Really?
That's gotta be a playtest name, right?

Uh, is there some connotation I'm hopelessly unaware of? I mean, it looks like a dog, and it spawns stuff. Though, in proper English I guess it should be Spawn Dog, not Spawndog, it's very Dutch to just string words together. Anyway, if there is indeed some stupid association with the name, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[safra]

No your name is fine, just not any better than 'fine'. The other similarly named El Dorados use the 'Eldrazi [verb] -er' suffix so it stands out more and feels 'off'.

I spent a couple of minutes and thought of 3 options at different naming conventions:

Eldrazi Conjurer
Eldrazi Fatespinner
Loom Chronarch

 

[Chris Taylor]

I just think it sounds derpy, but that might just be me