Card/Deck What mana sinks are you running in your cubes?

Rasmus Källqvist

Rasmus Källqvist

We've been having some recent discussions about what makes for better draft formats and what combats some inheritent quirks about the game. Everyone's gotten mana flooded at least once, so having somewhere to dump all that excess mana is great for reducing non games. Really I just want to sort of compile a list of the best ones, since it's a pretty tricky thing to search for in a card database.

Ex
frostburn weird
ludevic's test subject
figure of destiny
scavenging ooze
deathrite shaman
grim lavamancer
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

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I wouldn't really classify the last two as mana sinks, since they activate for no more than a single mana each turn, and they don't let you spend more mana after activating them (Crystal Shard targeting your own etb creature is a nice example of a "single mana" mana sink). They're both conditional as well to boot.



And some equipment of course, though most of my equipment has a really low equip cost.
 
spicewitch

spicewitch

Fucking Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage. Sure, it breaks a stalled board, but in the slowest, saddest way. "Ah, we both have cool cards! We're in a topdeck wa-! oh, no we're not. My opponent has a card that happens to go infinite if I don't draw removal."
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

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James Stevenson said:
How's this card been? I'm interested. There's a theoretical control deck in my cube that wants Ion Storm and I thought Contagion Clasp could be a good fit, but it could also be very slow.
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It almost always gets played by one control deck or another. There's enough X/1's that a -1/-1 counter matters, and if you run any cards at all that can use the proliferate you're gold. It's excellent in the late game with a planeswalker or in a green deck with lots of +1/+1 counters. It's never going to be your best card, but you'll never be sad to run it. In short: nice little role-player.
 
Peter LaCara

Peter LaCara

The funny thing is I was just thinking of starting this thread, and lo and behold here it is.

Here's what I run currently:

 
Peter LaCara

Peter LaCara

James Stevenson said:
That thing looks unbeatable. No?
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I was a little worried about it at first, but it's turned out to be fine. It doesn't affect the board at all, so if you're under pressure it just does nothing. It's a clock for sure, but it's got to do all the heavy lifting by itself, and you either need a stalled board or board control in order to have time to win with it. It's way more fair than Jace, Memory Adept.
 
Rasmus Källqvist

Rasmus Källqvist

Onderzeeboot said:


And some equipment of course, though most of my equipment has a really low equip cost.
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Have you gotten a chance to play with scroll of masters? Also, how keen are you riptiders on actually making sure including mana sinks? Or is it just something that ends up sort of happening on its own. I know Grillo mentioned mana sinks being one way to combat the feel bad of mana screwing (also one reason why its a travesty they fucked up bestow the way they did)
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

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Rasmus Källqvist said:
Have you gotten a chance to play with scroll of masters? Also, how keen are you riptiders on actually making sure including mana sinks? Or is it just something that ends up sort of happening on its own. I know Grillo mentioned mana sinks being one way to combat the feel bad of mana screwing (also one reason why its a travesty they fucked up bestow the way they did)
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Nope, not yet. I don't cube too often, as I'm blessed with different priorities ;)
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
I will say, having to play scroll before all the instants and sorceries, and still having to pay mana later really turned me off it
 
Onderzeeboot

Onderzeeboot

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Chris Taylor said:
I will say, having to play scroll before all the instants and sorceries, and still having to pay mana later really turned me off it
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What do you mean, instant or sorcery? It triggers on nonland spells! Artifacts and enchantments count as well! :)

I think it's best in a threat-light deck. Something like UB control with utility creatures like Man-o'-War and Sea Gate Oracle that can smash in for huge amounts of damage once you've stabilized.
 
Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Onderzeeboot said:
What do you mean, instant or sorcery? It triggers on nonland spells! Artifacts and enchantments count as well! :)

I think it's best in a threat-light deck. Something like UB control with utility creatures like Man-o'-War and Sea Gate Oracle that can smash in for huge amounts of damage once you've stabilized.
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Okay sure, but the whole "having to play it before everything" still sucks :p
Despite the increased number of synergistic cards, I still think runechanter's pike is better
 
CML

CML

Contributor
Rasmus Källqvist said:
Have you gotten a chance to play with scroll of masters? Also, how keen are you riptiders on actually making sure including mana sinks? Or is it just something that ends up sort of happening on its own. I know Grillo mentioned mana sinks being one way to combat the feel bad of mana screwing (also one reason why its a travesty they fucked up bestow the way they did)
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complete abortion

even pike is kinda poopy
 
CML

CML

Contributor
tried mastery of the unseen in cube the other day, by which i mean i played against it in draft and killed him with my onslaught of feral krushoks (shouting "straight outta stronghold" of course.) i mean, it did something, so it was better than luminarch ascension, but, uh ...
 
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