General Personal Cube Staples, AKA Chicken Soup for the Cube Curator's Soul

Zoss

Zoss

I know I've been teasing a cube update for a month or so, not that I'm egocentric enough to think that anyone is waiting with bated breath for me to post it, but the process of reviewing my cube sketches has helped me realize that I have a couple fistfuls of cards that I always like to build around. They're the staples of my personal main cubes, and while I like to experiment and try to make cubes without them once in a while, I inevitably wind up with 80% or more of them in every "goodstuff" cube I build. I'll list them in a moment, but I'm curious--what are your staples? Do they start in your initial sketches, or do they just pop up one day like fungi? For me, I'll populate a new cube with some of these and then go from there.





Okay, this is probably more cards than are truly "staples," but when I looked at my list as a whole this is what came up first as "cards I would never think of replacing." What're yours? Is that what makes cards staples for you?
 
TrainmasterGT

TrainmasterGT

I used to be really big into these...


But then my interests shifted as I became a Cuber...


But I couldn't run some of my favorites because the design framework of the era just didn't work for the cards I wanted to play.

So I came up with my own design methods, and it works really well!


Follow your dreams, kids!
 
Last edited:
sigh

sigh


These form the (representative) core of the card advantage suites I find most compelling and interesting. Basically any cube format (and many other types of decks besides) start with this core in mind. Power level, archetypes, etc. always coalesce around what I'm representing above.
 
ravnic

ravnic

I understand this thread as "cards you would never cut/exclude for mechanical reasons, even outside a specific cube", so I won't come up with my nostalgia and altered art stuff for once.



I love this card, it is so elegant, good in every deck with creatures. It held it's worth in every limited format it appeared from Tempest to Amonkhet. And it has a lot of synergy potential: blink, sacrifice, selfmill, a very relevant creature type. I have a hard time coming up with a cube without him.



Another classic I amost always end up adding hen brainstorming an idea and I would never cut him from my CCC. Fuels all kinds of graveyard strategies, madness, dra/discard matter and is just a good card. And also very elegant.



Been loving this since it came out. Does so much, fuels gy strategies, gains you life, trades with anything. Always a good feeling dropping this undead lady on turn two.



I think having these tappers is great for an environment as they can keep back a threatening fattie without completely getting rid of anything, so there is always tension and hope on both sides to eventually gain an advantage. Harrier is my favorite version, as it is elegant and cheap in casting and activation cost.



I think 3 damage for 2 is the perfect rate, so I always take good ol' incinerate as an orientation when forming red's removal suite.



Similar, I think getting rid of any problematic permanent for 3 mana on an enchantment is just right for white, and I love having these around as they are like an swiss army knife removal.



This or similar cards like Steve are always a given for me, at least in small doses. I love how they form greens identity with strong fixing and ramp on turn two.



A speculative addition, but I think this guy might become an all time staple for me. Phyrexian Rager is already in my cube since forever and this Dwarf is arguably better and brings more synergy potential with the lifegain and being in the blink color number one.



I like having at least one of these X damage spells around, as they give red a red way to deal with bigger stuff - at a fair cost.



Cycling lands all the way, man.
 
Velrun

Velrun

Dear @ravnic
I just wanted to ping you and tell you that there is a card identical to Goldmeadow Harrier (in case you didn’t know) and was looking for a replacement art or a duplicate.



It’s Human instead of Kithkin but otherwise has the same casting cost, activation cost, creature type and power and toughness.
 
ravnic

ravnic

Thanks, but I knew it. It is only that human isn't a relavent creature type in my cube and I prefer the cute drawing of a kithkin over the human with the weirdest hairline. I am also not a fan of the referenced Gideon :p

Of course there are several playable variants.



For various power levels.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
I've always found Chart a Course so frustrating.
I want to cast it precombat for prowess, but postcombat for the extra card.
I still run it and I'm sure it's good, but grrrr
 
Velrun

Velrun

ravnic said:
I love Gravedigger, it is so elegant, good in every deck with creatures. It held it's worth in every limited format it appeared from Tempest to Amonkhet.
Click to expand...

From Portal to M20 actually.

Unless of course you don’t think it held its worth in its first and last set :p

I have never run it in cube before. Because of this thread, you’ve made me include it in my low-powered!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top