Shamim's Cube

I've been interested in cube ever since I first read one of Waddell's articles way back in Spring and participated in a couple of cube drafts on campus at my university. I've been a longtime listener of Maro's Drive To Work podcasts as well and have been intrigued by his thoughts on game design and his talks on what went into each specific set/block. The card-by-card stories were always very interesting and really helped me to imagine the kinds of environments that he had crafted and how they came together.

Over the summer I finally got down to designing and building up my first cube and it's finally to a point where I don't mind sharing it here with all the awesome people at Riptide! When I first began creating the cube, I would simply look at best-of lists featuring the premier cards in each color/archetype and tried using that as a base. However, I quickly found that many of these cards were broken and unfun to play with so I decided to look for an alternative. There's just nothing interesting at all about a game where you win on Turn 2 or 3 with some unanswerable threat or get so far ahead that there's no competition. That's fine in constructed, but I don't want that shit when I'm playing for fun. That's when I stumbled upon these forums.

It was super refreshing to see unique takes on cube design that were different from the typical power-max mindset. I wanted to build a cube that was fun, interactive, and allowed for cool synergies and strategies to shine rather than a race to see who drops the first bomb. I mean, the most memorable Magic games are those where you're trading blows with your opponent and fighting for inches. That's what I hope to create with my cube.

I've adopted and tweaked many of the common archetypes and themes that others have implemented in their cubes on these forums and I've been really happen with them. Recursive Black Aggro, Birthing Pod, Lifegain and other like archetypes are featured in my Cube. The Utility Land Draft has been a huge hit with my playgroup. Breaking singleton was the best decision ever and I can't understand why so many people cling onto such an outdated concept at the expense of better gameplay.

My goal is to create an environment that is intricate, multi-layered, and highly interactive. I will swap out raw power for synergy across multiple archetypes and possible decks to promote better gameplay. I want to have a Cube where there are complex decisions to make throughout, where it isn't simply the best decision to just draft raw power over synergies. I want there to be a real payoff for good drafting that will trump just picking up all the good cards that come your way.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the contents of my Cube: http://cubetutor.com/visualspoiler/14504

I update it pretty frequently whenever a new set comes out, sadly not as much time to get in real world repetitions nowadays but hey, that's what theorycrafting on a forum is for! Hit me up with any suggestions you have!
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Sweet 3-0 Decks:

Efreets and Demons [Jobeth] (10/1/14)










Grenzo's Dungeon (10/14/14)











BW Aggro (2/12/15)










GR Aggro [Peicong] (4/7/15)









Mardu Control [Leo] (09/24/15)











Sultai [Henry] (1/6/16)











Naya Bellower (1/6/16)











Little Abzan Combo [Peicong] (3-28-16)










Izzet Tempo [Bertran] (3-13-17)











Azorius Midrange [Leo] (6/2/17)










Grixis Artifact Control [Addison] (6/2/17)











UB Reanimator [Will] (7/26/19)











Classic UW Control [Ryan] (3/17/23)









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Even Color Distribution Method (for 15 card packs):

1) Divide everything in your cube by color into 5 piles (WUBRG) with gold/colorless/land cards together in a 6th pile.
2) Take cards from each of the 5 piles and shuffle it into the 6th gold/colorless/lands pile until the 6th pile equals half the size of your cube (At 420 I take 23 from each of the WUBRG piles and add it to the 95 + 50 in the 6th pile; end up with 260 total).
3) Distribute the mixed 6th pile evenly into each colored pile (should end up with 84 in each pile), then shuffle those piles thoroughly.
4) You should now be left with 5 mixed piles each leaning towards a majority of a specific color.
5) Take three cards from each of your five piles to make 15 card packs, repeat until you have 24 packs for a full pod.
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Quilt Drafting:
(credit to a user on MTGS who posted this years ago)

When you can't fire an actual draft with a pod of 6-8 people, another method for smaller groups (2-4 people) to get their fix is quilting. The process is very simple

1) Shuffle up your cube (perhaps with the method listed above) and deal out cards in an N x N grid, usually with N = 8 or 9.
2) The cards should be laid out in a grid with each card positioned 90 degrees rotated from the previous. It should end up looking something like this:

photo2.jpg

3) Each player may only choose a card that has a narrow edge exposed, alternating picks between players. In the picture above, for example, you can pick up the Go For The Throat in the corner but not the Vampire Lacerator a few cards down.

4) As more cards are picked, you'll unlock cards deeper into the grid. You usually want to draft around half the grid (so 32 picks in a 64 card quilt) before laying out a new one. Repeat for 3 quilts or until each player has approximately 44-48 cards within their chosen pool.

I've found that this is a great draft variant that leads interesting decks and is a kind of mini-game unlocking the depths of the quilt. Maybe you don't make a certain pick based off what your opponent might get as a payoff. Is it really worth it to pick up this filler creature if it unlocks an absolute bomb for your opponent the next pick? Should I focus upon this piece of fixing right now or can I pick it up later down the line? The open information makes the drafting process very interactive and might actually be a way to get new player to cube more familiar with what you've designed. Being able to discuss picks and make analyses on the fly is great.

For added difficulty/more fun/randomness, you can set up a quilt with only the outer edges visible and the inner cards flipped down until the narrow edge is exposed. Enjoy!
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In Depth Archetype Breakdowns I've Written:

{W/B} B/W Humans{W/B}
{U/R} U/R Artifacts{U/R}
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My Utility Land Draft:
 
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Currently testing out Delve and Reanimator (hopefully one that isn't too poison-y) with the additions of these:



All of the enablers currently in the cube:
 
Haven't had a chance to draft Cube w/my playgroup yet since the Delve/Reanimator update, but I've since gone and made other big changes. Picked up a copy of Crucible of Worlds in a trade the other day and got a 2nd copy of each KTK fetch so I can now play with 10 fetches in the Cube. Sweet! Also picked up a handful of other cards that I've been wanting to try out for a while. I really want to see if I can push U/R spellslinger a bit more, the 2nd Delver should help a bit in that regard. Artful Dodge is being taken out for a bit to try out Squelch b/c I think the card is sweet, but it'll probably come back in the future.

Adds and Subtractions in spoilers, too damn many:

In:




Out:
 
After reading a number of threads on here, I'm kinda hyped to try out GB Constellation. For commander, I actually run a Karametra Enchantress deck so I have no idea why I ignored Constellation for so long. After updates, I'm currently at these for playables:



I'm thinking of whether it would be worth it to add cards like Brain Maggot or Grim Guardian (is this even playable?) or a second Courser of Kruphix to push this even further. Are there any sweet cards I've missed or just cards that might not be explicitly enchantments, but stuff that plays well in this kind of deck?
 

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
Off the top of my head, you could also try any number of these



And it's not a stretch to extend this theme to white

 
I've found that you don't need to add any explicit support for delve to make it good. All you have to do is play Magic, and eventually the delve cards all get awesome.
 
Yeah, I'm planning on pushing Constellation to white as well. After going over the Breaking Singleton thread, double Eidolon seems like a go to get it going. Totally forgot about the curses from Commander. I'll give the black one a run again (wasn't too great the first time), but I'm really wary of the 2nd one b/c it just seems like it'll get out of hand quickly. Especially if that same person has picked up Kitchen Finks.

And yeah, Delve really doesn't need any explicit support after running through two drafts post Khans update. I'm really excited to see how Tasigur, the Golden Fangturns out. I just really want to see super value plays in the late-mid game. Like, boardwipe followed by Tasigur for {B} just seems so sweet. I've played two games of sealed with a friend and Yasova Dragonclaw was such a beating. 4 power is like the perfect number to Threaten creatures from. Kind of useless versus another green deck, but it steals stuff from so many of the other colors. He actually beat me off a topdeck Yasova in the late game where he stole my Flickerwisp and attacked for lethal with fliers.

Also this guy:



Is amazing. He helped push in like 7 extra damage through a Boros Reckoner. Dash is pretty awesome.
 

FlowerSunRain

Contributor
Heelcutter looks pretty good, though at 4 mana you start getting to your flametongue kavu type of cards that just kill a dude rather then simply stopping them from blocking. That said cards like arena athlete, chandra, pyromaster and hammerhand play so much better then they read that I think this guy might be the real deal. Sneaking in three damage immediately is no joke.
 
Counting my two prereleases and the one Cube sealed pool I played against my friend, Heelcutter is almost never cast for 4 unless you really need a body. At 3 mana he's just fantastic. He's just able to push in 2-3 extra damage on every attack step. It's just insane. Like a board trying to stabilize with a Boros Reckoner on one end versus a Rakdos Cackler on the other is usually just a stone wall, but with Heelcutter it becomes 5 damage straight to the face. Just think of all the times that a guy tries to stabilize versus aggro with one huge dude in the late game. Usually you've gotten them down to like 3-4 but you just can't get through the final points of damage. Heelcutter makes him irrelevant and sneaks right by. He's technically a 4, but I see him as a 3 like 90% of the time.
 

Eric Chan

Hyalopterous Lemure
Staff member
To me, Goblin Heelcutter is fighting for the same slot as this guy



The wolf has been great here, making blocking a real conundrum, but I'm beginning to wonder if the hasty goblin might just be better, as the damage he contributes himself is non-trivial.
 
Forgot that wolf existed tbh. They both work across the same spectrum, but seeing as most of the red guys are just tiny 2/x's trying to get through, I think damage might be more important since your just racing to get them down from 20 ASAP. It depends on how wide you can go with red I suppose, where the wolf would clearly be better. I just like the idea of a hit-and-run threat who comes down, clears a blocker, can hit for 3, and comes back to my hand. I get insurance from sorcery speed removal, I'm committing less to the board in case of a wrath, a hasty 3/2, and a way to get through a roadblock.
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Quick point on Yasova: the threaten is power less than, not less than or equal to. So only 3 power creatures without pump (Which is still insane)

Wolf is a fine man, but he really frustratingly does no damage on his own. horrible when you're behind.
 
Quick point on Yasova: the threaten is power less than, not less than or equal to. So only 3 power creatures without pump (Which is still insane)

Wolf is a fine man, but he really frustratingly does no damage on his own. horrible when you're behind.

Yeah, she's been amazing so far in the two sealed pools I've tested her out with. Assuming your mana-base is good, she can put in so much work. It was disgusting in Worldknit Pod. Even if it's just to clear a blocker and force through another 2 points of damage, that's already great value. I just quickly eyeballed the various P/Ts in my cube, and Yasova can Threaten like 80% of the creatures in the Cube. Especially versus White where the likes of Resto and Hero of Bladehold are both 3/4s. That's pretty amazing.
 
Thinking about going up to 405 soon, looking to put in the entire Theros Temple Cycle for some more fixing (I don't have any ZEN fetches to double up on, no pains either), so I've got 35 more slots to put in sweet stuff. So far on my short list I've got:



Any suggestions? I'm open to pretty much anything, mostly interested in gold and colorless.
 

FlowerSunRain

Contributor
I'm like two weeks late, but Pyreheart Wolf was the best card in my last cube on Saturday and it wasn't that close. I think running it and the goblin is safe, they are similar enough, but completely different that it wouldn't feel bad.

Of the cards you listed I think Jace B. and Pharika are the most interesting, but what direction are you looking to push in.

Also, I hadn't looked at your list in a while and it looks really good. While I enjoy my own gimicky list, this one looks like a much more straight forward take on a lot of the same principals. Double Eidolon of Blossoms seems pretty loose with your enchantment count, does she really work out? Seems like she's usually a striped bear.
 
I'm like two weeks late, but Pyreheart Wolf was the best card in my last cube on Saturday and it wasn't that close. I think running it and the goblin is safe, they are similar enough, but completely different that it wouldn't feel bad.

Of the cards you listed I think Jace B. and Pharika are the most interesting, but what direction are you looking to push in.

Also, I hadn't looked at your list in a while and it looks really good. While I enjoy my own gimicky list, this one looks like a much more straight forward take on a lot of the same principals. Double Eidolon of Blossoms seems pretty loose with your enchantment count, does she really work out? Seems like she's usually a striped bear.

Pyreheart sounds fine. If I can find a copy somewhere, might include it in the 405 update.

With the 405 update I'm looking mostly at expanding on current archetypes that are underdeveloped and giving more support to those that might be suffering. Also, I just want more diversity in our drafts. Birthing Pod and Gravecrawler aggro are both awesome, but it's not as fun if you see it 2 out of 3 drafts, you know? I really want Pharika there to serve as both grave hate and a cool win con for the enchantment deck, it's pretty much the bridge. Jace Beleren is a card I really really like but never got around to putting it in the final 360 b/c Mindsculptor is something my drafters wants in here and Tamiyo is my favorite walker of all time. Also gives me a chance to put Braids back into here after taking it out for about a week with Brutal Hordechief now in the Cube. I didn't want so many Black 4s at 360, but I love how she plays and want to see the Staxy crap that could be pulled with a T3 Mardu Strike Leader into T4 Braids.

I'm also looking to expand on other minimal archetypes that don't really come together as often as I'd like. For instance, I went up to double Champion of the Parish recently, so I figure that now is a pretty good time to expand on that with a Mayor of Avabruck. Some more aggro decks based around green sound interesting. Also b/c I picked a foil Mayor up at the GP over the weekend so yeah. I'm super stoked to try out Sidisi, Brood Tyrant and Jeskai Ascendancy as well. From people I know that have used them, they seem like they'd be really really fun in here. Same goes for Crackling Doom which is a nice card and I'd like to see Mardu Control emerge as a potential archetype. I did put together one during a 6 man draft a few weeks ago and it was awesome fun to play. Resolving a Goblin Rabblemaster and following it up with a Cataclysm was just so sweet :)I can't really justify these at 360 without explicit Wedge support, but at 405? Sure, why not. Mostly just looking for fun Gold cards honestly.

I actually haven't had the chance to try out this list with all of the recent changes. Double Eidolon and Constellation in general is something I began pushing with updates like about a week and a half ago. I won't have the chance to host a draft for about a week, but I'm thinking that it'll work out pretty well. I've done 2 quilt drafts with friends and while it isn't the best indicator, the Eidolon decks can definitely come together if you get the right pieces. And it's just disgusting if you somehow end up with Phyrexian Reclamation as well. That card is just better and better with each draft.
 
Been a long while since my last update here, but I'm up to 405 for the Cube and made a good number of changes since the last time. Like I mentioned in another thread, Dash has been a fantastic mechanic thus far, I love giving aggro a way to apply pressure without committing to the board and getting wrecked by a 3-for-1 or something. The dash guys I'm currently running are:



Kolaghan is a far more interesting card to me than Falkenrath Aristocrat who is just way too powerful imo. It's a quick clock and if you've got a supply of Gravecrawlers to work with, damn near unkillable. Kolaghan's Dash has been relevant in helping to push through the last points of damage on the ground as well, sweet card.

A quick list of notable updates/card performances in the two drafts I've held since my last post:

  • 3 Gravecrawler was nice for a while without much competition as far as black aggro was concerned, but it became way too powerful after a while. After bumping up my Champion of the Parish to two, I decided to double up on Bloodsoaked Champion because it could pull double duty allowing me to cut a Gravecrawler. With the 405 increase, I threw in a Bloodghast since I finally acquired a copy and I'm pretty happy with that suite now as far as early drop black creatures go.
  • Mardu Woe-Reaper was a great addition from FRF and he's been really sweet thus far. Good for the aggro decks that want him, and randomly generating some value by eliminating cards from the graveyard has been a nice touch. I like the tension that comes from playing a recursive black aggro deck versus one with Woe-Reaper and a number of relevant warriors. Feeds the lifegain theme (which is still present, though not very pushed anymore).
  • Prior to last night's draft, I wanted to introduce a few more spells that would help push Prowess decks a bit so I slotted in two copies of Defiant Strike and got rid of some do-nothing sideboard type white cards (like Solemn Offering). I figure that in the worst case, it's basically a cycling card so no real problem there.
  • I got to play with Citadel Siege yesterday in my Mardu Aggro deck and it was pretty good, both modes were very relevant. I can see how it can warp some cubes (like it did FRF limited), but I feel it's pretty tame here. What was most interesting is that in one match, I had to sideboard into control b/c my deck just couldn't punch through his beefy ground blockers so I ended up using the tap down mode pretty often. I like how one mode pushes you towards aggro, the other towards a more controlly approach, thus guaranteeing that there will be some competition for it in the draft.
  • Recently added a Kira, Great Glass-Spinner and I'm hoping that it might offer enough incentive (alongside Opposition) to push someone towards a Mono-Blue deck. We were close last night, but the guy jumped into a Jeskai deck once he saw the ascendancy in pack 2. Maybe it'll work eventually, but I probably need to put in another Cloudfin Raptor soon. Silumgar Sorcerer from DTK seems sweet as well.
  • I've been looking for another black wrath type of effect for a while and wasn't much interested in Crux of Fate after increasing my dragon count, but Consume the Meek totally fit the bill. Wasn't in our draft last night (only had 6 guys so there were 135 left in my box), but hope to see it in action some time soon. It seems like the right type of card to help a B/x control deck come back and stabilize after being overrun by small creatures early.
  • Zurgo Bellstriker was sweet last night as was Lightning Berserker and they made Shrine of Burning Rage all the more ridiculous off of Dashing in and out of play over a few turns. Allowed me to take out the opponent even if I was unable to attack past his beefy ground blockers. Also being able to buff Champion of the Parish numerous times was also pretty awesome haha.
  • Jeskai Ascendancy was spectacular last night. Even a lone Shu-Yun was damn scary with a grip full of cards and an active ascendancy. I couldn't just apply pressure with my army of 2/1's because there was just such a huge chance of getting completely wrecked by blocks and maybe on the crackback. It's a keeper for sure, definitely recommend running it.
I'm hoping to host a few more Cube drafts in the early part of this semester before I have a ton of school work, specifically working towards toning down some of the power level and cutting chaff. The big one I had recently was just getting rid of Grave Titan who was just too degenerate. There were too many games that I could recall where the game was really tight, someone dropped a Grave Titan, and then just ran roughshod. Swapped him with the new Sidisi who wasn't in our draft pool, but hopefully next time! I love the effect, a 4/6 deathtouch for 5 is a reasonable rate even off a topdeck, and it's a zombie to boot. Enough of an imposing board presence and creates more interesting decision trees.

I think Hero of Bladehold is next on the list, just too efficient and there's not really much play to it. It shares the Titan syndrome of plopping down and requiring an immediate answer before getting wrecked. Ojutai Exemplars is one that caught my eye and could be an interesting card that fits into a number of archetypes. I can already see it as a mini-finisher for control, a curve topper for a Prowess deck, or just a way to push through damage in weenies. I mean, could you imagine burning a blocker, tapping down another, then pushing through like 8 damage and forcing your opponent into bad blocks? Sounds fun as hell and way more interesting than hurr durr Hero.

I'm really hoping to see these three in action sometime soon:



Atarka is the GR ramp target I'd love to see people get to, some incentive for making the ramp deck, and I have especially high hopes for Ojutai and Silumgar. Ojutai as a finisher for Control with a reasonable semi-hexproof body and generating card advantage, Silumgar as a U/B curve-topper who could help stabilize the board. Also, Minamo, School at Water's Edge might finally be worth a pick in the utility draft!
 

FlowerSunRain

Contributor
I have big hopes for Exemplars, though for me it was Restoration Angel that was the card I was looking to axe. It has more play then the Hero, but that card just does too much for basically no opportunity cost.

How is blue devotion working for you? Would you run it without running opposition? Do Cloudfins do work in that list?

I really like the idea of Shorecrasher Elemental and I already run Nightveil (and am thinking about wistful selkie). I also run a lot of enchantments, which are good at providing devotion, so I was trolling lists to see who runs it and getting there opinion on it. No one really likes blue that much so maybe a blunt, powerful theme like this would be good for morale.

Unrelated note, double defiant strike? Maybe I should jump on that bandwagon. . .
 

Laz

Developer
Dash seems really sweet. I haven't had a chance to add any of it to my cubes yet, but hearing good stories like yours is giving me the itch to try to fit it in. I am always a little hesitant to add big splashy cards from the latest sets due to the price tag, so I will be watching your experiences closely.
 
I have big hopes for Exemplars, though for me it was Restoration Angel that was the card I was looking to axe. It has more play then the Hero, but that card just does too much for basically no opportunity cost.

How is blue devotion working for you? Would you run it without running opposition? Do Cloudfins do work in that list?

I really like the idea of Shorecrasher Elemental and I already run Nightveil (and am thinking about wistful selkie). I also run a lot of enchantments, which are good at providing devotion, so I was trolling lists to see who runs it and getting there opinion on it. No one really likes blue that much so maybe a blunt, powerful theme like this would be good for morale.

Unrelated note, double defiant strike? Maybe I should jump on that bandwagon. . .

I could definitely see the Resto cut as well, it's just a really really good card requiring only a light splash of W in any deck. I just haven't had anything interesting happen with a Hero in all the times I've cubed with my list. Resto/Tusk could definitely be obnoxious, but there are enough decks that would want either of these two along that I haven't seen them wind up in one list yet. I just like the idea of buying back ETB effects and more intricate lines of play with mana up than just dropping a Hero, untapping, and going to town. It may also be because Aggro has been bled through to 4 colors that I'm also wary of such a monstrous curve topper that could force through big damage by curving out perfectly.

I've pushed Blue devotion a bit more recently (Opposition is a new addition), but I haven't yet seen it in play. The drafter last time was very close, showed me all his picks after our match, but Jeskai Ascendancy was just too sweet for him to not play with. He was well on his way though. Kira, Great Glass Spinner is also an addition here just to see if I can push anyone into that archetype or something U/G. What I'm really interesting in now is seeing if Silumgar Sorcerer could be a good enabler. It's a flash 2/1 flyer, can change into an Essence Scatter at it's worst w/no Exploit targets, or otherwise just apply some pressure and curve out in devotion. I just love cards that promote flexibility and this is one I've got high hopes for. And it has two relevant creature types!

I love what Shorecrasher could potentially do, but I just think my removal is too efficient for a morph creature with such a high flip cost to be viable. I'd probably need to run more blink effects to get it working to the point where it's actually not a bad play. T3 is a pretty critical point in the game when playing against many decks in my Cube and aside from some hardcore control, decks are usually employing relevant threats by this point. A vanilla 3/3 for 3 blue or a morph isn't so awesome. On curve, casting a Shorecrasher isn't very impressive and playing him with flicker mana up just requires such a heavy blue commitment. Sure, it would definitely work in a Mono-U shell which is all you ever want, but then only deck would ever want him in a draft. And if that deck doesn't come together, which is very likely as many of my blue creatures are good elsewhere, he's just not that great. If I can acquire a copy for cheap or open one in a draft, I'll definitely test it out, but I prefer the likes of Sygg, River Cutthroat and Nightveil Specter who are solid cards on their own without devotion and can actually pull double duty in either U or B Devotion shells.

I've been looking for combat tricks for a while and Defiant Strike was one that I had forgotten about. It fits the bill for what I'd want to see as a cheap pump spell that can generate more value with Prowess creatures (I think I run like 4), help Aggro to push through just a little more damage (every point counts!), create chances for better blocks/attacks in the combat step, and in the worst case it cycles itself. I don't think there's any downside to running it to be honest. The biggest issue I have with most combat tricks is that they usually aren't worth potentially 2-for-1ing yourself and going down two cards, but a cycler is just perfect. It's a very recent addition, I'll let you know if it ends up as sweet as I think it could be!
 
Dash seems really sweet. I haven't had a chance to add any of it to my cubes yet, but hearing good stories like yours is giving me the itch to try to fit it in. I am always a little hesitant to add big splashy cards from the latest sets due to the price tag, so I will be watching your experiences closely.

Dash is really really good. They knocked it out of the park in Khans block with giving us so many interesting keywords and cards that are super effective in making use of them. I love that they allow you to attack the game differently with your aggro decks. It's always been difficult to apply extensive pressure with the threat of a wipe looming overhead. Dash gets around this completely and also turns your late game topdecks into relevant threats immediately, especially something like Lightning Berserker that can actually make use of a land flood in the mid-game. I've often seen aggro just spuuter out in the middle of the game after being walled off by bigger creatures or answered efficiently, then they just fold. That's not the case with Dash which is capable of generating so much value since you don't have to commit cards to the board. Doesn't seem like much, but it's huge. I only run five total Dash creatures, and these are the plusses for each of them:

Zurgo Bellstriker: A red one-drop that applies pressure early on curve, just your regular 2/2 for one. Aggro needs cards like this and he just does a fine Goblin Guide impression. Dash makes him an equally good turn 2 play which could just allow your T1 2/1 to get through for damage.

Lightning Berserker: I love this card so much. Another red one-drop that applies pressure, but with the upside of turning any superfluous land draws into another point of damage. He trades up effectively, can act as a mana-sink to push through damage, leads to interesting blocks/attacks in the combat step, and best of all is a GREAT draw in the late game when in a topdeck situation. I can't think of the number of times I've drawn a dumb 2/1 for one on turn 7 or 8 that could do nothing for me at all. This guy can come down hasty and firebreathe to force certain blocks that otherwise would never occur. Great design, great card.

Mardu Strike Leader: Haven't actually gotten the chance to use him, but he's a nice bleeder card into other archetypes (tokens, some stax-y builds). Not so much a great aggressive creature, but one that just generates value by leaving behind 2/1 bodies every time he attacks. That's pretty sweet against a deck that might just be looking to wipe you out then stabilize as you can hit and run by applying little bits of pressure here and there. I really want to curve this into Braids or Smokestack someday.

Goblin Heelcutter: Much, MUCH better than he looks on paper. You don't realize just how great faltering a blocker is until you see it in play. On curve with the Dash cost could lead to as much as 7 damage getting through to your opponent, his 3 power is definitley not irrelevant. Where before a player might just wall off your two 2/1s with a Courser of Kruphix and a Wall of Omens, you could now Dash Heelcutter, falter the courser, and push through at least 4 damage. Incredibly relevant, an awesome card.

Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury: I just like this better than Falkenrath Aristocrat which was a bit too strong for my liking. It has a bigger butt, pumps your whole team on a swing (allowing you to push through the last points of damage), and can fit into many other decks aside from just straight aggro builds. I'm really really looking forward to someday building a Grixis Dragons deck in a future draft.

The big thing here is that Dash allows you to dodge all sorcery speed removal. Instead of having your creatures answered one-for-one or O-Ringed away, even boardwiped on a 3-for-1 wrath, you don't have that worry anymore. For the price of having to replay them each turn, you have the chance to go aggro without getting blown out. You don't always have to dash your guys, often times you're better off just casting, but having that option allows for so many more decisions and interesting plays.
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TLDR; Dash is sweet, the cube-viable cards aren't very pricy (maybe 5 cards set you back $6 at most), and they promote a ton of cool gameplay. Definitely try them out, I didn't realize how great they were until I actually saw them in action.
 
So I think I'm going to be able to host a cube draft most Tuesdays on campus for the rest of this quarter so that's pretty sweet. I'll be sure to report back with card performances and whatnot. For now, cards I'm looking forward to trying out next week (assuming I acquire all of them):



Sorcerer has many keywords on it and I like its position on curve. It could act as a counterspell for creatures in decks that need it to buy time, a flash 2/1 blocker to force a trade, or a way to apply further pressure to an opponent (U/x Flash Flyers.dec?). 2 pips of blue for Devotion as well, Riptide Lab bouncable!

Surrak seems like a fine curve-topper in some blends of green aggro. With removal as efficient as it is in my list and aggro applying as much early pressure, there should be more play than just plop a fatty and go to town. That's not to say that the right G/x curve won't be absurd, but I think he's just fine to be honest (especially once I get a copy of Ojutai's Exemplars to offset him in white). While he will have haste on curve, 4 toughness is easier to chump and burn than 5 like Polukranos (can even be Stoked), and he's just cool. Also a Human Warrior, which is sweet tribal-wise and bleeds both of them into green.

Replacing Brimstone Volley with Impact Resonance because Volley is usually just burn to the face and it's way too easy to just point 5 with all the sac outlets and whatnot in my list. I don't think I've ever seen it used to clear a big creature, which was the reason I put it in the list in the first place. Impact Resonance does what I want it to do and could actually lead to more interesting plays like chumping a fatty, killing an opponents two blockers, then hitting them on the crackback. Seems fun.

Ire Shaman is just an evasive 2 drop in red I want to see in action. It's one of the few Megamorphs in the cycle that looks serviceable on curve without morphing.

Accoring to Cubetutor, my cube is around 40% creatures (and I assume most of yours are as well), and I see all modes of Ojutai's Command being relevant at different points of the game. 4 life is also a non-trivial amount when most games come down to inches and correct play sequencing (barring the nut draw/curveout). This would be replacing Sphinx's Revelation which actually hasn't done much in any game I've seen except a control mirror, where it's obviously insane late game. I prefer giving UW a card that is actually important on curve, can have an immediate impact, and gives multiple options you can use. I really want to see a match where UW is against aggro and it brings back a Lone Missionary while gaining 4 life. Gain 8, trade? Or how about bringing back a Wall of Omens with a Pridemate out then gaining 4? Get 2 blockers, draw a card, gain 4, and kill a 2/2 with a 3/3? Seems sweet :D

Finally, Dromoka's Command is making noise in Standard and I think it could be good in Cube as well. The modes are all applicable in many different scenarios. It's like a super combat trick for GW, which is different from what they usually get. You can prevent a burn spell while growing a dude for a timely block, grow a dude and have it fight something during combat to force through, or even use it as a removal spell in corner case scenarios against enchantment creatures. It's a sacrifice effect, so you can actually kill active gods (no matter how rare these are). Freeing guys from an O-Ring or Faith's Fetters also isn't bad at all. Another sweet one from Dragons, the set just surprises me more and more with the number of cards that I like.
 
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