https://cubecobra.com/cube/playtest/re:desert
Several years ago, an enlightened Balduvian Trading Poster released a cube with a simple premise.
What if there were no basic land box?
They called it “The Desert Cube,” and it captured the imagination of many a cube architect, myself included. The cube was beautiful, stylish, thematic, and innovative. And here is a link to it:
https://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/10432
But that was years ago. A lot has happened, and a lot of new cards have been released. It’s time to ask the question, “what if the Desert Cube had been made today instead of back then?”
And so, I have made a humble attempt to do just that.
This cube has no basic land box, but instead drafts 4 packs with lands sprinkled into each pack. You must draft the lands you wish to place in your deck, and there are no (!) fixing lands, only Desert lands.
The cube follows a Peasant restriction with a few select exceptions. This is done to help me avoid the temptation to throw in powermax bombs that would otherwise warp the format.
There is a large focus on smoothing draws to avoid mana flood and mana screw. Lots of cantrips, lots of scrying, lots of cycling.
The mana curve is intentionally low, with most cards in the 1-3 casting cost range, and most cards above that having a cheaper alternative cost (such as cycling.)
The cube is still under construction but i think you can start to see where i’m going with what is in the list. At this point i’m adding signposts and fleshing out the mana curve on my way from 300 to 400, then adding finishing touches from 400 to 480.
Please check out the list and give any feedback that comes to mind! I am way out of my comfort zone in this design process, but i felt it had to be done. Enjoy the Desert!
Several years ago, an enlightened Balduvian Trading Poster released a cube with a simple premise.
What if there were no basic land box?
They called it “The Desert Cube,” and it captured the imagination of many a cube architect, myself included. The cube was beautiful, stylish, thematic, and innovative. And here is a link to it:
https://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/10432
But that was years ago. A lot has happened, and a lot of new cards have been released. It’s time to ask the question, “what if the Desert Cube had been made today instead of back then?”
And so, I have made a humble attempt to do just that.
This cube has no basic land box, but instead drafts 4 packs with lands sprinkled into each pack. You must draft the lands you wish to place in your deck, and there are no (!) fixing lands, only Desert lands.
The cube follows a Peasant restriction with a few select exceptions. This is done to help me avoid the temptation to throw in powermax bombs that would otherwise warp the format.
There is a large focus on smoothing draws to avoid mana flood and mana screw. Lots of cantrips, lots of scrying, lots of cycling.
The mana curve is intentionally low, with most cards in the 1-3 casting cost range, and most cards above that having a cheaper alternative cost (such as cycling.)
The cube is still under construction but i think you can start to see where i’m going with what is in the list. At this point i’m adding signposts and fleshing out the mana curve on my way from 300 to 400, then adding finishing touches from 400 to 480.
Please check out the list and give any feedback that comes to mind! I am way out of my comfort zone in this design process, but i felt it had to be done. Enjoy the Desert!
