Sets Set Cube Design: Remastering NEO

[blacksmithy]

Hey folks, I am sure i’m not the only one contemplating a NEO set cube after the full spoiler release today, so i wanted to post this here to help people get/share ideas for building a cube around the home-run set that is NEO.

full spoiler can be found here and (soon) here:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/card-image-gallery/kamigawa-neon-dynasty?asdfa

https://scryfall.com/sets/neo?as=grid&order=spoiled

and here is the list of draft archetypes, according to some WOTC fella:

WU - Vehicles
UB - Ninja Rogues
BR - Artifact Sac
RG - Modified
GW - Enchantments
WB - Controlling both an Artifact + Enchantment
UR - Artifacts ETB
BG - Recursive Strategy
RW - Samurai Warriors
GU - Channel / Ramp


How would you take this set and run with it to create a cohesive cube experience? Discuss here!

 

[TrainmasterGT]

RW - Samurai Warriors

How would you take this set and run with it to create a cohesive cube experience? Discuss here!

I would start by cutting most of the "attack alone" cards and replacing them with an Equipment Matters theme. I would leave Ancestral Katana, Norika Yamazaki, the Poet, Heiko Yamazaki, the General, and Raiyuu, Storm's Edge because they are either powerful in other decks, flavorful, or or go in equipment decks, but cut the rest.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I haven't played with it yet, but I agree with Train, the RW attack alone theme seems really awful. Replacing it with an equipment matters theme is going to be hard though, if you want to keep the Kamigawa flavor intact.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

I haven't played with it yet, but I agree with Train, the RW attack alone theme seems really awful. Replacing it with an equipment matters theme is going to be hard though, if you want to keep the Kamigawa flavor intact.

I think there are enough generic equipments matter cards that you could probably make it work, especially taking into account that there were a bunch of equipment in the original Kamigawa.

For example, Weapons Trainer is flavor-agnostic enough where it could reasonably be in a Kamigawa cube without breaking the flavor.

 

[PyreDream]

I may be in the minority on this, but I don't recall exalted being too unplayable in Alara limited. The black isolation mechanic from Avacyn Restored was pretty awful though. Since it's 50/50, I think it could be worth at least exploring potential contenders before writing it off. A deep dive on Gatherer returns some interesting results (not all of them are flavor wins, unfortunately):

Stuff that make you exalted:
Akrasan Squire
Angelic Benediction
Angelic Exaltation
Goblin Champion
Guardians of Akrasa
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
Sublime Archangel
Sigil of Valor
Cathedral of War

Stuff that make solo attack gud:
Blood Mist
Battle Plan
Citadel Siege
Nahiri's Machinations
Reconaissance
Siege Striker
The Triumph of Anax
Triumph of Gerrard
Valor Singer

Stuff that make solo attack gud but also gud by themselves:
Ajani Steadfast
Collective Effort
Combat Calligrapher
Combat Professor
Conclave Tribunal
Dueling Coach
Eidolon of Inspiration
Elite Scaleguard
Luminarch Aspirant
Reckless Stormseeker
Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice

Stuff that make extra creatures lying around gud:
Diversionary Tactics
Gaze of Justice
Sandsower
Springleaf Drum

Stuff that turn solo attack into many attack:
Seize the Day
Warstorm Surge
Waves of Aggression
World at War

Stuff that make solo attack tricky:
Blessed Defiance
Hundred-Talon Strike
Lunar Frenzy

And of course saving the best for last:
Dueling Grounds
Silent Arbiter

All that said, yeah Equipment Matters is probably better

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I may be in the minority on this, but I don't recall exalted being too unplayable in Alara limited.

Exalted was fine in limited both times it was used (it was the WB mechanic in M13 as well). The difference is that exalted buffed your guys, including, importantly, the attacker's toughness. The implementation in NEO seems to be about gaining increment advantages without pressuring your opponent. If it does work, that would be great, because that means they got RW to do something else than attack for a lot and hope the opponent doesn't stabilize, but I have my doubts.

 

[Zoss]

If the set winds up being as fun to draft as it looks, which I'm hopeful on, I think my two biggest questions are what cards from the original block I'm going to include and whether it might be best to make this a Peasant cube. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that the commons and uncommons look like they might be the best part of the whole set, lol.

 

[Morphling]

And of course saving the best for last:
Opposition
Glare of Subdual

In my experience, these are the meanest things I ever put into an exalted deck..they'll probably never block you again!

I agree it feels very out of place in NEO Kamigawa but they always do 'equipment matters' for Boros and it's usually pretty underwhelming.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I agree it feels very out of place in NEO Kamigawa but they always do 'equipment matters' for Boros and it's usually pretty underwhelming.

That's because you can't run even remotely close to equal numbers of creatures and equipment, meaning a lot of equipment matters creatures are left out in the cold. Reconfigure actually addresses part of that problem really neatly though!