General Tutors

CML

Contributor
So we all know that tutors can lead to incredibly repetitive game states if done incorrectly (there's this one stupid format where you get to tutor for this guy at the beginning of every game), and that tutors can be lots of fun when the power level, targets, themes etc. are well-conceived. here's the long list:



and here's the shorter list:



faves?
 

James Stevenson

Steamflogger Boss
Staff member
I really like Captain Sisay, but let's be honest. She sucks. She never fetched more than one thing without dying, and usually died immediately. She dies to every burn spell and removal spell. I really wanted that effect in my cube, so I made this thing:
iifWFlt.jpg

Nowadays though, a lot of legends have been taken out of my cube so it doesn't do all that much. It does get Rafiq.
 
Aside from supporting combo, what other reasons drive including tutors in cubes?

I think in small doses they're fun. I think they can reward good players in some ways. Knowing when to tutor and what to tutor for may not always be obvious.
 

Jason Waddell

Administrator
Staff member
I think it's important to take a moment to consider the design impact of tutors. You may look at a card like Demonic Tutor and kind of wonder what it's really achieving design wise, and perhaps the biggest benefit is to give decks that require certain pieces some redundancy. I always like when I play a cube deck with a unique gameplan, and something like Demonic Tutor can really tie it together. I also consider them to be rather decision dense cards. Sometimes you have to tutor for a land. Sometimes you have to spend mana on it in an earlier turn because you need to tap out on following turns, and have to try and guess where the game will progress. It's pretty rare that a given tutor will always grab the same card in one of my decks, and I find that pretty enjoyable.

Trinket Mage packages are also super fun, and cube actually provides an appropriate power level for them depending on your configuration. It's a card that goes in and out, based on whether I have Dimir Tezzeret in or not.
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Aside: what's in most people's trinket mage packages? I've heard of the artifact lands and having him be skullclamp No.2, but aside from that everything I've seen fetched or added with that idea in mind is really bad :(

Like, who would actually play brittle effigy unless they were REALLY desperate?
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Comments on the above cards:
  • Chrome Mox: This seems super bad to fetch :( (Same for mox diamond, while we're at it)
  • Engineered Explosives: This is more like it. Is it good in the cube without him? I've never played with the card, so I don't know.
  • Basalisk Collar: Maybe, but blue traditionally doesn't have the creatures to pair with this thing now that pinging moved to red. Does anyone run tim or tim look alikes in their cube anymore? (Did they ever?)
  • Bonesplitter: Fine card, not so great on turn 4. This seems okay.
  • Cursed Scroll: I've never got this card to be good other than the fact that it isn't a red source of damage, so it kills silver knight. In which case I must ask: WHY ARE YOU RUNNING SHIT LIKE SILVER KNIGHT?
  • Leonin Bola: Really? I've played this and it never did more than tap one or two blocks in exchange for the defender taking like 5 less damage. I'm feeling the brittle effigy comparison here.
  • Pithing Needle: I've heard people say this is flexible, but I don't buy it. Also the gut reaction that it's mostly good against walkers and jitte isn't doing any favors.
  • Sylvok Lifestaff: Again, this is great at what it does, but I'm not sure any cube needs a card like this. It gives a small power bonus, but in the end it's still just a pure lifegain spell.
  • Wayfayer's Bauble: Is this what we want to be spending turn 4 doing? Obviously not, this is turns 1 and 2, optimally. It kinda makes trinket mage better, but that is some seriously marginal value
  • Everflowing Chalice: This actually curves out well (3 > 4 > 7) while being a good card on it's own as well, and supporting some themes (Proliferate mostly)
So I like Explosives, Chalice, and Collar, and I guess cursed scroll and bonesplitter add up to 1. In my cube he also fetches colorless elite vanguard, and I'm still not excited.
 

CML

Contributor
I think it's important to take a moment to consider the design impact of tutors. You may look at a card like Demonic Tutor and kind of wonder what it's really achieving design wise, and perhaps the biggest benefit is to give decks that require certain pieces some redundancy. I always like when I play a cube deck with a unique gameplan, and something like Demonic Tutor can really tie it together. I also consider them to be rather decision dense cards. Sometimes you have to tutor for a land. Sometimes you have to spend mana on it in an earlier turn because you need to tap out on following turns, and have to try and guess where the game will progress. It's pretty rare that a given tutor will always grab the same card in one of my decks, and I find that pretty enjoyable.

Trinket Mage packages are also super fun, and cube actually provides an appropriate power level for them depending on your configuration. It's a card that goes in and out, based on whether I have Dimir Tezzeret in or not.


I'm with ya, "combo" is intrinsically strong in large formats but could use some explicit help in Cube. I really should throw DT back in (I also like Rune-Scarred Demon)
 

FlowerSunRain

Contributor
I'd be perfectly happy with a trinket mage in my deck if I had an artifact land in my deck and any two of the following:

Pithing Needle
Zuran Orb
Engineered Explosives
Cursed Scroll
Everflowing Chalice

Of those cards, I run the first four of basically always (along bonesplitter and basilisk collar). I also sometimes run lifestaff, hex parasite (a pretty useful card to search for!) and brass man, so trinket mage seems like a reasonable include for me.
 
trinket mage is much better than each potential individual mode of it would indicate. compare it to most charms, none of those are cards you would run individually, but together it is quite good.

trinket mage targets in my custom cube
Salvageyardfull_zpse178cf00.jpg
EngineeredExplosivesfull_zpsc15f95cb.jpg
EverflowingChalicefull_zpse7dcd27c.jpg
MoxCrystalfull_zps4318f3dd.jpg
DispellersSpherefull_zps2d6f6eb3.jpg
ExecutionersShredderfull_zpsfdfa569e.jpg
BonesplitDaggerfull_zpsa9a13117.jpg
ContagionClampfull_zpsa30151ab.jpg
ExpeditionMapfull_zpse5a6d2eb.jpg
FlamecastEffigyfull_zps6644fc5b.jpg
SenseisDiviningTopfull_zps7d71dd36.jpg
WayfarersBaublefull_zpse3f6819b.jpg
CarapaceFaeriefull_zpsec2d09eb.jpg
AluminumHierarchfull_zps80b944ac.jpg
IronGolemfull_zps20842d93.jpg
SilverGolemfull_zps3a449984.jpg

edit: whoops, my etched champion still says it costs {4} instead of {X}
 
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