Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Yes, I actually got to play with this configuration in November, and it worked nicely!
Sets (STX) Strixhaven Testing/Includes Thread
- Thread starter TrainmasterGT
- Start date
Mind sharing a link to an updated cube list if you have one? (updated, that is. Not cube list, I know you have that)
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
The cube link in my signature is, for now at least, current and updated
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/woc
The cube link in my signature is, for now at least, current and updated
https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/woc
I don’t think that is possible to view when on mobile phone. I also tried clicking on your profile.
(Checking out your cube……)
Signatures can be viewed on mobile by going into the persons profile page and looking at the 'about section
@Onderzeeboot
I've checked out your cube and it it extremely tight. The cube looks so very good because it's well balanced. I noticed some things you might want to take a look at (but maybe not because you already know):
1. Your white and red section has 50 cards. Your blue, black and green section has 49.
2. Your Dimir, Gruul, Orzhov and Boros section has 15 cards. Your Simic section has 14.
3. Your Esper, Naya, Mardu and Sultai section has 3 cards each. Your Temur has 4. One of them is Mythos of Illuna which you might have decided to be a mono blue card.
4. Your colorless section has a Porcelain Legionnaire, a Vault Skirge, a Scrapheap Scrounger, a Spellskite, a Spined Thopter. That's one card that's sleightly better in white, two in black, two in blue, none in red and none in green.
I think with very few tweaks you could actually make this perfect, which is not something you can say about most cubes (mine included).
I've checked out your cube and it it extremely tight. The cube looks so very good because it's well balanced. I noticed some things you might want to take a look at (but maybe not because you already know):
1. Your white and red section has 50 cards. Your blue, black and green section has 49.
2. Your Dimir, Gruul, Orzhov and Boros section has 15 cards. Your Simic section has 14.
3. Your Esper, Naya, Mardu and Sultai section has 3 cards each. Your Temur has 4. One of them is Mythos of Illuna which you might have decided to be a mono blue card.
4. Your colorless section has a Porcelain Legionnaire, a Vault Skirge, a Scrapheap Scrounger, a Spellskite, a Spined Thopter. That's one card that's sleightly better in white, two in black, two in blue, none in red and none in green.
I think with very few tweaks you could actually make this perfect, which is not something you can say about most cubes (mine included).
Perfection is a myth
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
I know the cube is not "perfect"-ly balanced, but by my quotes you can probably already tell I don't believe a cube has to be exactly balanced between colors in numbers. In my experience aggro decks require a slightly higher density of support than midrange and control decks, because unlike those last two, an aggro deck relies on critical mass to execute their game plan. White is typically the central color in aggressive strategies, so it has a slightly higher number of cards. Meanwhile, green has the best fixing, so it's the most likely to branch out into other colors. In the end though, these differences are so small, that they aren't going to be truly noticeable in packs. Ignoring archetypes, a
or drafter has 114/450 cards to choose from, a drafter has 117/450. That's less than a 1% difference, and I'm counting the Phyrexian cards as full on color cards in this count.Edit: The only perfect balance I do care about is an equal amount of fixing for every color. You'll note that I don't actually use exactly the same lands in each color pair though, because different color pairs like to pursue different archetypes, and different archetypes prefer different types of lands
I know the cube is not "perfect"-ly balanced, but by my quotes you can probably already tell I don't believe a cube has to be exactly balanced between colors in numbers. In my experience aggro decks require a slightly higher density of support than midrange and control decks, because unlike those last two, an aggro deck relies on critical mass to execute their game plan. White is typically the central color in aggressive strategies, so it has a slightly higher number of cards. Meanwhile, green has the best fixing, so it's the most likely to branch out into other colors. In the end though, these differences are so small, that they aren't going to be truly noticeable in packs. Ignoring archetypes, a
Edit: The only perfect balance I do care about is an equal amount of fixing for every color. You'll note that I don't actually use exactly the same lands in each color pair though, because different color pairs like to pursue different archetypes, and different archetypes prefer different types of lands.
One additional point why equal numbers are not needed: aggro decks have a lower land count hence more non-land cards... so one can get away with less cards for slow colors.
I rather have you commented. More eyes and views make things better! Sometimes you find something that is not a problem for the other sometimes you find something that the other is very happy about!
Thank you
Nonsense!
You generated some discussion that the rest of us got to benefit from. If no one ventured anything, the forums wouldn't be nearly as interesting.
Okay I will do this again if the opportunity arrives. I have to admit I felt bad. Sometimes I also like it when people like my comments even though I never chase it. It just feels good for the kid spirit inside me that still plays Magic.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
As long as you don't put Porcelain Legionnaire as a white 2, I'm fine with it.
It's a colorless 2, or a white 3. There is no option for that card that... *Incoherrent grumbling*
It's a colorless 2, or a white 3. There is no option for that card that... *Incoherrent grumbling*
Porcelain Legionnaire is CLEARLY a red 2
Onderzeeboot’s response got lots of likes. Think of your comment as the pass that set up the goal.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Oh no! I actually liked your post before commenting because, well, because I liked it! a) because you took the time to look through my cube, and b) because it gave me a chance to explaine why I made the choices I did. I didn't mean to make you feel bad <3
Also, yes, good point!
I have to say, I agree with Onde and Vel to some degree. I believe it is true, that a slight color inbalance doesn't matter. But aggro needing more slots than control doesn't really justify an inbalance either. First, I want all my colors to be able to play fast or slow. And second, there aren't just aggro support and control support cards. If my black section needs two or three cards less than red to support it's archetypes, than that is valuable real estate to maybe have a theme that's easy to support with a few colored slots (artifacts?) into that color, or to add a sweer build around card like Demonic Pact!
Of course nothing of this is impossible with a color imbalance. It just doesn't really have much to do with it imo.
Of course nothing of this is impossible with a color imbalance. It just doesn't really have much to do with it imo.
That's one possibility, or it could be valuable added real estate to support archetypes already being pushed in another, or a theme that's one card away from realization in another color.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
If the imbalances are as small as they are in my cube, it's not necessary to inform your drafters, imo. Knowing there is an imbalance is only bound to bias your drafters' picks when it shouldn't if the imbalance is statistically irrelevant.
I'd go as far as saying that tiny imbalances will only ever be noticed by the main cube designer when physically sorting out a cube and/or reviewing on Cubecobra. You've definitely spent like 1000x time poring over your own design and choices than anyone else so any small cracks would be visible to you. I've done a whole lot of moving around and reclassifying cards over the years just for the sake of "balance" on a cube managemetn site but it has never once mattered in actual practice.
Part of that is the fact that my cube is 420 and we don't see every card in a given draft nor form perfect packs, but the bigger thing is that in the long run the draft and gameplay experience supersede anything else. As long as you can provide an engaging and fun game experience for that 2-4 hours for everyone involved, that's all they're going to remember.
Part of that is the fact that my cube is 420 and we don't see every card in a given draft nor form perfect packs, but the bigger thing is that in the long run the draft and gameplay experience supersede anything else. As long as you can provide an engaging and fun game experience for that 2-4 hours for everyone involved, that's all they're going to remember.