Current info
Current cube version: 5.0.4
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/elegant
Original Post
Cube version: 4.6
Cube Tutor link - http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/4494
This is an evolution from my cube. The changes in philosophy and execution have been fairly drastic and I decided to make another post as to not mix the discussion. After years of crafting theories and testing them, I'm finally happy with the state of the cube.
Summary
The Elegant Cube aims to be a format that is, above all, fun. Fun for new players, who need a forgiving draft section and don’t know what most cards do. Fun for veteran players, who will explore a deep, interesting limited environment.
This cube rewards synergy, but does not mandate it. It has 20+ layered archetypes, ranging from obvious to obscure.
Card selection takes into account how simple a card is to grasp, which is a combination of its elegance and resonance. Drafting a pack should feel exciting, not overwhelming.
Principles
These are the guiding principles of the Slow Cube, the ideals that guide the design decisions. They should be followed in general for card choices, but not strictly since they often conflict.
Approachable - When deviating from the powermax cubes, cube environments vary a lot, and realistically only the owner will know it deeply, in some cases along with a group that plays it often. It is extremely important for the cube to be approachable by veterans and new players. Magic is already a daunting game. The mental challenge should be about making strategic decisions, not about grasping the board state.
Creativity - In today’s connected world, MtG constructed decks and draft strategies quickly converge, leaving a vacuum in which players who enjoy deckbuilding have to play homebrews or EDH. The Slow Cube should be a space for exploration and experimentation.
Unique decks - It is amazing how many different decks with different strategies have been in the history of MtG. Cube should provide a wide variety of decks so that each cube deck feels different and replayability is maximized.
Unique games - Cube games should be memorable. When decks are unique, we’re already halfway there. Decks should not be so consistent that the matchup is predictable, and different card interactions should happen each time.
Drafting is part of the game - Drafting is more anticipated than actually playing, and is a large and important part of the experience. It should be hard to draft a good deck, but easy to avoid a trainwreck.
Design
Slow - Cards that have no immediate impact need to be playable. Synergies need enough time to be realistically assembled. Many fun cards take setup and some investment. Explosive aggro can exist, but cannot be dominant.
Low power level - To keep a wide variety of cards, effects and archetypes playable, the power level needs to be low by today’s standards. As a benchmark, Serra Angel should be a 1-5 pick for a good stuff drafter.
Low power removal - To allow interesting threats not immediately impactful to be playable, removal should not be very efficient and most should be sorcery speed. This diminishes the necessity of threats to be recursive too, which is a source of repetitive gameplay. Control decks are encouraged to defend with blockers, rather than just have a lot of removal, making a board presence more relevant. High power removal is an easy pick, and decks can feel too similar with too much of it, while they cannot load up too much low power removal lest be overrun by cheap creatures. Finally, this allows combat tricks and auras to be playable.
Non-flat power band - A low power level excludes many cards that are simply too hard to keep in check, but below that there are some interesting, high power cards that are worth running. They need to be answerable, but some variation in power level is welcome for draft signaling, excitement, and easier pick decisions early on. Examples of the top of the power band are Siege-Gang Commander, Wall of Omens, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Mana Leak and Rishkar, Peema Renegade.
Avoidance of repetition - Limit tutor effects and especially repetitive play patterns, such as recursive cards and easy loops.
Elegant cards - A big component of approachability, especially for new players, is how easy it is to read a card.
Resonant cards - Another big component of approachability is how easy it is to grasp and remember what it does.
405-420 cards - To have some uncertainty about whether a card will appear or not, the cube will have at least 405 cards (88.9% used for 8 players). To make it feasible to maintain and foster familiarity, it should have at most 420 cards (85.7% used for 8 players)
Singleton - The simplicity of saying “there is one of each card” is important and elegant. The presence of each card is significant for the environment. The presence of two adds a level of consistency that makes a seeded deck obvious and cuts down on creativity and increases the consistency and repetition. It does have the drawback of making it difficult to draft a deck around a specific card, but overcoming that is considered part of the challenge.
Booster sizes for fewer players - To mitigate archetype dilution with fewer players:
Balance Synergy and Good Stuff - Synergy archetype decks and good-stuff decks should have the same average power level. Synergy deck can be potentially more powerful at the top of the power band, as they are harder to draft. There should be a spectrum of synergistic vs good-stuff decks, with a roughly even distribution along it.
Archetype design
Prevalence - Around 20-25 archetypes are supported, and it is expected all or almost all of them to be draftable in a given draft. It is generally safer to go into an archetype after picking a payoff.
Payoffs - A payoff should be the reward for drafting a deck around an archetype. It must be exciting in that archetype. Many are playable in other decks, but this is not a hard requirement. An archetype may have as few as 2 payoffs, and normally has at most 5, depending on their nature.
Real estate - An archetype should already have critical mass or be close to it to be considered. Real estate is very valuable, so cards that are not hard payoffs should either slot in at least 3 archetypes - counting the emergent control/aggro archetypes; or slot in at least 1 and be playable in most decks.
Some anchored on one color - The archetypes with payoffs in a single color and artifacts leave the secondary color(s) open, leaving space for exploration.
Some anchored on two colors - The ones with payoffs in two colors are more structured, but not very large and need to leave space for filling the rest of the deck. It’s also best to leave offshoots in other colors for a splash or a partial archetype to be possible. Creativity should not be stifled by the two color archetypes.
Card inclusion criteria
These aspects are taken into account when adding or removing a card:
How the cube aims to cater to the classic MTG psychographic profiles.
Johnny/Jenny - Engines, build-arounds, draft quests, synergies and open-ended cards. A wide array of archetypes that are open for experimentation. Many small synergies to consider. Many cards that make you think “Huh. How do I break this?” A slow and weak enough environment that many different decks are competitive.
Timmy/Tammy - Cards that are interesting and fun by themselves. Many synergies and corner cases, unexpected interactions. Payoffs that can be taken to epic levels. Rare cards allow a variety of experiences and some swingy gameplay.
Spike - This is a wide, complex and multi-layered drafting environment. Mastering it should be difficult. Games are longer and less dictated by the luck of the opening. Drafting requires some creativity to get the most out of your pool, with most cards requiring some kind of investment in deckbuilding or gameplay risk. Pick orders are subjective.
Booster sizes for fewer players
To mitigate archetype dilution and keep them roughly with the same power with fewer than 8 players, the booster setup depends on number of players:
Sample decks
Samples draft decks
These are the decks from a 6-player draft of version 4.5.
Current cube version: 5.0.4
https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/elegant
Original Post
Cube version: 4.6
Cube Tutor link - http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/4494
This is an evolution from my cube. The changes in philosophy and execution have been fairly drastic and I decided to make another post as to not mix the discussion. After years of crafting theories and testing them, I'm finally happy with the state of the cube.
Summary
The Elegant Cube aims to be a format that is, above all, fun. Fun for new players, who need a forgiving draft section and don’t know what most cards do. Fun for veteran players, who will explore a deep, interesting limited environment.
This cube rewards synergy, but does not mandate it. It has 20+ layered archetypes, ranging from obvious to obscure.
Card selection takes into account how simple a card is to grasp, which is a combination of its elegance and resonance. Drafting a pack should feel exciting, not overwhelming.
Principles
These are the guiding principles of the Slow Cube, the ideals that guide the design decisions. They should be followed in general for card choices, but not strictly since they often conflict.
Approachable - When deviating from the powermax cubes, cube environments vary a lot, and realistically only the owner will know it deeply, in some cases along with a group that plays it often. It is extremely important for the cube to be approachable by veterans and new players. Magic is already a daunting game. The mental challenge should be about making strategic decisions, not about grasping the board state.
Creativity - In today’s connected world, MtG constructed decks and draft strategies quickly converge, leaving a vacuum in which players who enjoy deckbuilding have to play homebrews or EDH. The Slow Cube should be a space for exploration and experimentation.
Unique decks - It is amazing how many different decks with different strategies have been in the history of MtG. Cube should provide a wide variety of decks so that each cube deck feels different and replayability is maximized.
Unique games - Cube games should be memorable. When decks are unique, we’re already halfway there. Decks should not be so consistent that the matchup is predictable, and different card interactions should happen each time.
Drafting is part of the game - Drafting is more anticipated than actually playing, and is a large and important part of the experience. It should be hard to draft a good deck, but easy to avoid a trainwreck.
Design
Slow - Cards that have no immediate impact need to be playable. Synergies need enough time to be realistically assembled. Many fun cards take setup and some investment. Explosive aggro can exist, but cannot be dominant.
Low power level - To keep a wide variety of cards, effects and archetypes playable, the power level needs to be low by today’s standards. As a benchmark, Serra Angel should be a 1-5 pick for a good stuff drafter.
Low power removal - To allow interesting threats not immediately impactful to be playable, removal should not be very efficient and most should be sorcery speed. This diminishes the necessity of threats to be recursive too, which is a source of repetitive gameplay. Control decks are encouraged to defend with blockers, rather than just have a lot of removal, making a board presence more relevant. High power removal is an easy pick, and decks can feel too similar with too much of it, while they cannot load up too much low power removal lest be overrun by cheap creatures. Finally, this allows combat tricks and auras to be playable.
Non-flat power band - A low power level excludes many cards that are simply too hard to keep in check, but below that there are some interesting, high power cards that are worth running. They need to be answerable, but some variation in power level is welcome for draft signaling, excitement, and easier pick decisions early on. Examples of the top of the power band are Siege-Gang Commander, Wall of Omens, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Mana Leak and Rishkar, Peema Renegade.
Avoidance of repetition - Limit tutor effects and especially repetitive play patterns, such as recursive cards and easy loops.
Elegant cards - A big component of approachability, especially for new players, is how easy it is to read a card.
Resonant cards - Another big component of approachability is how easy it is to grasp and remember what it does.
405-420 cards - To have some uncertainty about whether a card will appear or not, the cube will have at least 405 cards (88.9% used for 8 players). To make it feasible to maintain and foster familiarity, it should have at most 420 cards (85.7% used for 8 players)
Singleton - The simplicity of saying “there is one of each card” is important and elegant. The presence of each card is significant for the environment. The presence of two adds a level of consistency that makes a seeded deck obvious and cuts down on creativity and increases the consistency and repetition. It does have the drawback of making it difficult to draft a deck around a specific card, but overcoming that is considered part of the challenge.
Booster sizes for fewer players - To mitigate archetype dilution with fewer players:
- 8 players: 3 packs of 15 cards
- 7 players: 3 packs of 16 cards
- 6 players: 4 packs of 13 cards
- 5 players: 5 packs of 11 cards
Balance Synergy and Good Stuff - Synergy archetype decks and good-stuff decks should have the same average power level. Synergy deck can be potentially more powerful at the top of the power band, as they are harder to draft. There should be a spectrum of synergistic vs good-stuff decks, with a roughly even distribution along it.
Archetype design
Prevalence - Around 20-25 archetypes are supported, and it is expected all or almost all of them to be draftable in a given draft. It is generally safer to go into an archetype after picking a payoff.
Payoffs - A payoff should be the reward for drafting a deck around an archetype. It must be exciting in that archetype. Many are playable in other decks, but this is not a hard requirement. An archetype may have as few as 2 payoffs, and normally has at most 5, depending on their nature.
Real estate - An archetype should already have critical mass or be close to it to be considered. Real estate is very valuable, so cards that are not hard payoffs should either slot in at least 3 archetypes - counting the emergent control/aggro archetypes; or slot in at least 1 and be playable in most decks.
Some anchored on one color - The archetypes with payoffs in a single color and artifacts leave the secondary color(s) open, leaving space for exploration.
Some anchored on two colors - The ones with payoffs in two colors are more structured, but not very large and need to leave space for filling the rest of the deck. It’s also best to leave offshoots in other colors for a splash or a partial archetype to be possible. Creativity should not be stifled by the two color archetypes.
Card inclusion criteria
These aspects are taken into account when adding or removing a card:
- Maximize: Fun - the subjective criteria that I do not dare to try to explain.
- Maximize: Execution Elegance - how long it takes to understand what a card does.
- Maximize: Concept Elegance - how easy it is to remember what a card does.
- Balance: Power level - must be high enough to be playable but not too high that it warps win rate.
- Maximize: Synergies - how many archetypes want this card.
- Balance: Genericness - how many decks want to play a given card.
- Balance: Options - how difficult it is to decide an optimal play with this card. Too few options and the decks plays themselves. Too many and the games drag on for long with a lot of irrelevant decisions.
How the cube aims to cater to the classic MTG psychographic profiles.
Johnny/Jenny - Engines, build-arounds, draft quests, synergies and open-ended cards. A wide array of archetypes that are open for experimentation. Many small synergies to consider. Many cards that make you think “Huh. How do I break this?” A slow and weak enough environment that many different decks are competitive.
Timmy/Tammy - Cards that are interesting and fun by themselves. Many synergies and corner cases, unexpected interactions. Payoffs that can be taken to epic levels. Rare cards allow a variety of experiences and some swingy gameplay.
Spike - This is a wide, complex and multi-layered drafting environment. Mastering it should be difficult. Games are longer and less dictated by the luck of the opening. Drafting requires some creativity to get the most out of your pool, with most cards requiring some kind of investment in deckbuilding or gameplay risk. Pick orders are subjective.
Booster sizes for fewer players
To mitigate archetype dilution and keep them roughly with the same power with fewer than 8 players, the booster setup depends on number of players:
- 8 players: 3 packs of 15 cards (360 used, 45 picks, 360 impressions, 276 readings)
- 7 players: 3 packs of 16 cards (336 used, 48 picks, 408 impressions, 273 readings)
- 6 players: 4 packs of 13 cards (312 used, 52 picks, 364 impressions, 252 readings)
- 5 players: 5 packs of 11 cards (275 used, 55 picks, 330 impressions, 225 readings)
Sample decks
Samples draft decks
These are the decks from a 6-player draft of version 4.5.
UR Spells
 | | | | | |
| |||||
BG Artifacts
| | | | | |
| |||||
UB Tempo
| | | |
| |||
| |||
WG Flintstones
| | | | |
| ||||
| ||||
UB Horobi Control
| | | | | |
| |||||
WGr Midrange
| | | | | |
| |||||
