Welcome to the Dragon's Maze update to The Awesome Cube! The cube is very fluid and because of this there are always new things that I would like to try out, old favorites that I feel are deserving of their spot again and new contenders for those same coveted spots. While Dragon's Maze didn't contribute the most cards to cube that doesn't mean this wasn't a significant update. Dragon's Maze did a nice job of plugging the few holes remaining from this fantastic gold block in cube. Because of this, all ten guilds are now filled with strong options leaving absolutely no flack that is just taking up space. Secondly, I made some fairly significant changes in the main colors and colorless sections by rotating cards that were really late draft picks and often found themselves in sideboards. Hopefully their replacements will fair better...I am optimistic at this time. And now without further adieu....welcome to Dragon's Maze!
White
In Out
Champion of the Parish is a card that I originally dismissed as a tribal card that was not relevant in cube because of the lack of a strong tribal theme. However, upon closer inspection, there are a ton of incidental humans in my list and in white in particular. Of the 49 creatures in white, 16 are humans and all of them are playable in the same deck that Champion of the Parish would go into. You only need a single human for the Champion to be worthwhile and every additional one is over the top lunacy.
The choices here were either to drop a more expensive creature and shore up on more 1 drops for the white aggro decks but I couldn't find anything I really wanted to cut for the secondary option. Savannah Lions, in addition to not being a human (suddenly relevant), is out-classed in the comparison as long as you play a single human. I like this as a simple upgrade for now.
In Out
This is a very simple change as the only difference between these two cards is the creature type. Adding in Champion of the Parish means that we are rewarded for additional humans and this is a zero-cost upgrade in that vein.
It also has the happy upside of not having to look at Goldmeadow Harrier's misshapen head anymore. Seriously, look at that noggin.
Blue
In Out
Augur of Bolas is a card I have gained a lot of respect for by watching pro tournament coverage. While the impact it has isn't insane, it's so cheap that what it gives you is well worth the mana cost. Even if you brick on your card draw, which is unlikely in the deck you should be playing this in, the body is actually incredibly relevant. The one thing that I felt blue control decks were lacking more than anything else are small creatures like Guard Gomazoa that are able to stall ground guys long enough for the control player to get to stage 2. Three toughness is great because there are a ton of 2/x creatures in all five colors that you need to be able to block and there just wasn't enough ways for control decks to do that before. Hopefully this will alleviate a little of this for the blue mage in all of us.
Fatestitcher is just so slow. His effect is cool, and being able to hit permanents has so many uses, but he takes forever to get online and his unearth ability is mostly irrelevant in a cube setting. Also, he doesn't really fit into any archetype well and is often just kind of awkwardly...there...the emphasis in my cube is on blink and CITP effects rather than abusing tapping abilities.
In Out
AEther Adept is going to fit nicely as a slightly harder to cast Man-o'-War in both aggressive decks and decks that wish to abuse blink effects. I really wanted to work a little more bounce into the cube to help both tempo decks and to just slow some of them down. It's a double-edged sword that I really wanted to be more prevalent. The only reason this was on the sideline was the casting cost but I really don't foresee that being a problem.
Air Servant is a sweet one. However, it is really only good in the mirror as neither Green nor Red have many relevant fliers for its ability. That makes this more of a really good sideboard card than anything else and while it's really good when it's good, it's kind of forgettable when its ability isn't relevant. I think AEther Adept leads to more interesting scenarios and blue shouldn't miss Air Servant too much.
In Out
Everything that I said about Augur of Bolas applies here as well to Sea Gate Oracle with the exception that you will never miss. Having to put one of the cards on the bottom of your library isn't a drawback. Sure sometimes you might draw two awesome cards and have to ditch one, but that means you just drew an awesome card you otherwise would not have had and the ability to get rid of a card you don't actually want to draw is huge.
Sphinx of Lost Truths is just too expensive, doesn't do anything interesting and is not easily abusable in cube. It is easily the weakest of the control finishers as it doesn't actually finish anything. Also, look that art...bleck. An easy cut for something the color actually wants and needs.
In Out
AEtherling is exactly what blue wants in its control finishers. Yes, this is very mana intensive and yes, I understand that damage is not put on the stack anymore so the manipulation of the last two abilities loses value. However, this is a lot closer to Thornling than Morphling despite color similarities. Morphling was an extremely difficult to kill creature that attacked THROUGH your opponents defenders whether they liked it or not. Damage going on the stack was crucial to the card's success because it was unable to use its pumping ability enough times to actually be able to kill anything AND survive without shenanigans. AETherling and Thornling on the other hand, just ignore blockers altogether. AEtherling doesn't care if damage isn't on the stack, it will become unblockable and wreck your face regardless of your defenders. The blink ability also allows it to block on the turn right after it attacks and its high toughness allows it to do so regardless of pumps. It's blink ability also allows it to survive any non-targeted removal such as edicts or wraths. This is going to be a nightmare to play against.
Arcanis comes out as it is the lowest on the totem pole for blue finishers. Again, it's super blue and usually just draws a removal spell as soon as its played. I get that if it doesn't you draw cards but you aren't actually beating down with this thing and I want blue finishers that actively finish games.
In Out
I am not sure why Condescend wasn't in my list earlier. Perhaps I thought it was too mana intensive. The reality is that people tap out ALL THE TIME in cube so even as a force spike this card is insane. Being able to tack on an ability to the butt of a counterspell is very strong and I am particularly in love with the options that Scry allows you. This also pulls double duty as being great in both tempo decks and control and I want more counters that are cheap and cost a single blue since they work perfectly in both decks that blue runs.
Exclude was good. I really like drawing cards and it was easy to cast. However, it was a little too slow and narrow for my tastes. I would rather Scry 2 and counter any spell than be restricted to a creature and draw a card. Regardless, this was a tough cut but I think it will prove to be right.
In Out
Careful Consideration is another card that I was able to appreciate more after seeing it do some good work in the Magic Online Cube. More and more I end up playing a deck or seeing decks that desperately want to have a discard outlet. This provides that and so much more. While a more traditional blue control deck would be able to appreciate the instant speed of this, many decks would play this at sorcery speed for the extra card since they only need to discard one card in particular in most cases. Bottom line, this is a very interesting, fun and skill testing draw spell.
Jace's Ingenuity draws one card less for one more mana than Careful Consideration with no happy bonuses or interesting interactions. This is an upgrade both in fun and versatility.
In Out
I know at least one person who campaigned hard for getting rid of Cryptic Command when it was cut in a previous update for Lost in the Mist. The reason was that it was too blue intensive. I have kept a close eye in my decks and I have come to the conclusion that not only is this extraordinarily powerful and versatile but it can reliably be cast in most blue decks as long as you build your deck properly and actually value mana fixing in the drafting process. It's good in every type of blue deck whether it is setting your opponent back in control or actually letting you swing for the win in tempo. It's also a legitimate reason to actually draft blue which, believe it or not, is underdrafted in my cube. For these reasons I am simply making that swap back.
In Out
Another in the line of improving the bounce in blue, Repeal will go a long way in setting people back for control decks. The tricky thing with Repeal is knowing when to play it. Because this can be mana intensive, often times it is simply correct to bounce their two drop and set them back rather than waiting to blow them out later on. However, I don't think that is a knock on the card but rather, just knowing how to play it.
Telling Time just isn't that great. Not much to say.
In Out
I really, really want to try Hidden Strings for the tempo deck. Being able to tap down two blockers and then untap two lands is crazy awesome for the Ux tempo deck. I really think that itself could very well be worth the investment regardless if you are able to trigger it later on. The tricky thing is that you aren't going to be able to get their blockers every turn because the Cipher triggers after damage is already dealt each turn. However, I think there are a lot of uses for this card and I love the possibilities.
Drake Umbra was surprisingly irritating but way too expensive to be reliable. Since so many of the blue creatures already have flying you are really just paying for the +3/+3 and totem armor. That's just not worth it in most cases.
In Out
Shelldock Isle is certifiably bonkers. I really didn't believe it until I had the pleasure of watching numerous Magic Online Cube matches where it had absolutely no problems going off in a timely manner. The fact is, blue decks draw cards so you aren't waiting the full 13 turns it would otherwise take to trigger this. Not to mention, any kind of bounce makes this even crazier since you get to Hideaway again afterwards. The thing that gets lost sometimes is that there is literally zero downside to including this in your deck in the place of an Island. It is not taking up a card slot and acts as a "free" pick in draft. Trust me, this triggers more often than you might think.
Brainstorm is probably one of the most over-valued, misplayed and misevaluated cards in the cube. I have often heard cries of joy at a turn 1 brainstorm because of the card advantage it provides. However, unless you have a way to shuffle your library immediately you aren't actually gaining anything! All you did was draw a single card. You didn't shuffle away useless cards like you can with Ponder or Preordain, you just put back two cards you were going to draw anyway. In smaller cubes, where fetch lands are more plentiful, this is still very good but you just don't see shuffle effects frequently enough for this to be worthwhile in my cube list.
BlackIn Out
Let's just get this out of the way now, Blood Scrivener is no Dark Confidant. You will never be in the same gut wrenching struggle between life and death like you will when playing Bob as this will trigger far less often. However, it will rarely ever cost you a significant amount of life and is still a fantastic top deck late in the game or across the curve at any point in an aggressive deck looking for card advantage that won't distract them from jamming guys sideways. Sure it dies to everything (ITDE) but it's a great deal for only two mana.
Nobody really ever played Nezumi Shortfang // Stabwhisker the Odius (really, that's what the other side is called?). I would much rather play a Scepter of Fugue or one of the other discard variants than this one, especially since it doesn't really ever attack or block...it might as well be an artifact anyway. No great loss here.
In Out
Carrion Feeder is a very unassuming threat. It's easy to ignore since it can't block and the cost to make it relevant is so daunting but you really don't need to go that deep to make this worthwhile. Not to mention that a sacrifice outlet would be greatly appreciated in a number of Rakdos decks in cube or as a way to kill your own Abyssal Persecutor or recoup value on enchanted creatures.
Another in the list of discard creatures that can't attack or block. Let's be honest, nobody has ever channeled this guy and I think he was maindecked once...by me...because I needed a chump blocker against an aggressive deck. Again, no great loss here.
In Out
Oversold Cemetery I randomly ran across in someone else's list and it looked interesting. Getting four creatures isn't very hard to do in most decks and the upside is simply tremendous, especially if you have the right creatures to return and recast. This looks fun and has the potential to get out of hand in a good way.
I had a feeling there was one too many wrath variants in the cube so I took the liberty of cutting the least interesting one. Sure sometimes you got to recast it after it was shuffled in but for the most part it was just too mana intensive for what it did. If I have a ton of mana I would much rather cast Decree of Pain than this.
In Out
Appetite for Brains provides another cheap, targeted discard effect that I think black needed. This should be drafted highly and appreciated by most black control decks no matter how black they are. Because this exiles it is doubly effective against many black mirror matches and various corner cases.
I originally saw Suffer the Past as an alternative win condition for black as it provided a little bit of reach for the late game but it never really materialized into anything. Also, nobody ever really drafted or used it. Oh well, they don't all work out.
In Out
In Out
So it's taken a while but after a lot of consideration I am going to try out Smallpox. It's gotten a lot of good reviews in other cubes and there are more than enough ways to break the symmetry of it. Sure, the double black isn't exciting but I have played a lot of black lately and I don't think it will be a problem, especially since I have added a number of cards that support heavy black strategies in recent updates.
I don't think Tainted Pact it is that bad of a card but it hasn't been seeing much play. I think one of the factors is that there is no advantage to exiling the cards and honestly, it's not the tutor I originally imagined it to be. It creates this weird state where you aren't sure if you should keep trying your luck even though the only copies you are going to hit are basic lands.
In Out
Inquisition is another in the line of cheap, targeted discard that I feel black really appreciates. The nice thing about Inquisition is that you are never going to brick....literally almost ever....if you cast it early game. You will always get something relevant.
Persecute is too high variance for my tastes, especially when we have a much more consistent replacement. Sure, sometimes you wreck that dude playing mono-green and other times I guess you choose white instead of red and actually hit nothing. Not worth the investment, in my opinion.
Red
In Out
I have been meaning to put Squee back in the cube for some time and I think this is a good moment for him to return. There are a lot of ways in cube to abuse his ability, regardless of whether or not you are actually casting him. Sure, he's not a fit in any of the aggressive decks that red loves but there is a good section of red that goes perfectly with black and this is one of them. I really think this addition will help the slower Rakdos decks that are focused on shenanigans.
Countryside Crusher is a big dumb thing that isn't very fast or efficient. Sure, it burns through your lands so that is cool in a deck where you don't need more than 3 or 4 lands but more often than not he just gets chumped....especially with tokens being a thing. He doesn't really fit into any deck and is often just a random 23rd playable in decks that didn't get enough cards. We can do better.
In Out
I had originally dismissed Stromkirk Noble in the same way that I had dismissed Champion of the Parish. I believe that this was wrong. While he's not the best 1 drop in red, he isn't as bad as I originally thought either. The human clause comes up a surprising number of times and you really only need to connect once to make him worth the investment. This is especially true in red since you can burn their blockers away. He gets out of hand pretty quickly.
The echo cost on Goblin Patrol was irritatingly relevant a fair percentage of the time. He's not bad, but I think Stromkirk Noble will end up being a stronger option for red mages.
In Out
Manic Vandal is a cheaper option that is serves better in the really aggressive red decks since it doesn't punish you too badly for casting it.
Keldon Vandals, despite there being two more of them and a weird Russian dude, were really frustrating because oftentimes I REALLY needed the body and the echo was devastating. The four power wasn't as relevant when you had to pay his casting cost twice to get use out of it. Yes, I get that you can block with him but that wasn't really how it ever worked out.
In Out
Not much to see here, just one of the best burn spells ever that I had completely ignored. The fork ability is never relevant so you can ALMOST pretend it just doesn't exist.
I do not have the density of mana rocks to take full advantage of Wildfire like it should. When this kind of effect is completely symmetrical it is passable at best. The Wildfire decks are very different from the rest of red and they really require their own support. However, with a cube my size, I would have to REALLY press mana rocks in order to see them consistently enough and I don't feel that is worth doing with how my aggro and control is balanced right now.
In Out
The flashback on Devil's Play is a lot more feasible than I had originally imagined. Also, sometimes you really need to kill an X/1 early in the game and wasting a Banefire on those always felt like a wasted resource. Devil's Play allows you to cast it as needed and it lingers around until late game to finish the job.
Again, Banefire is really just an uncounterable blaze and the uncounterable ability was relevant approximately never. In practice, if you had time to wait until X is 5 or more then you had time to wait until they had blue mana tapped to kill them. Banefire was good but Devil's Play is better and more resilient.
Didn't Make the Cut
Pyrewild Shaman is interesting but I think ultimately he is a little too slow for the hyper aggressive decks and too mana intensive for the mid-range decks. A lot of people are getting pretty excited for him but so far I just don't see it. I can see him being mildly annoying late game when you have six mana available every turn but he only comes back if you are actually dealing combat damage. How many times can you actually trigger this before your other creatures kill your opponent? My guess is not that many.
You know creatures have come a long way when something like Riot Piker just isn't good enough. Giving Goblin Piker first strike is not enough to offset him having to attack every turn when red has so much better options at its disposal. The only reason I actually mentioned this card is because enough other people mentioned it that I felt at least obligated to humor its existence.
In Out
Fauna Shaman grants access to another Survival of the Fittest effect while also being a creature. While a drawback in terms of ease of disruption, it really is a huge upside too. Sometimes, you just don't want to use the ability and being able to smash for two in these cases or block if you need to is huge. Also, some redundancy in a cube this big is appreciated since you sometimes go long periods of time without seeing a card. While part of the reason I wanted to make the cube this size was the variety is offers, cards that lend themselves to an interesting strategy and are fun to draft around are worth the slight redundancy.
Timbermare was rarely anything other than an expensive Ball Lightning. While this isn't bad, the green decks just aren't built for the hyper aggressive strategies that red is. Unless you can flash this guy or blink him and take advantage of your other hoard of huge creatures, its too much all in for most of what green does. Fauna Shaman is a better fit.
In Out
Scavenging Ooze, from the commander set, fills a role that wasn't super necessary until recently and that is graveyard interaction. This card really punishes decks that rely on graveyard strategies while also being fairly easy to disrupt...at least initially. Depending on when you cast the Ooze it can really get out of hand in a hurry. The ability is extremely relevant even if you aren't pumping it up and it really only takes one or two pumps to make this guy an absolute monster for what you paid. I regret not really taking a serious look at this guy earlier.
Gatstaf Shepherd was rarely bad and I still really like the card but I feel Scavenging Ooze will end up being not only bigger and better but also filling a much needed role in the cube. The werewolf clause hurts a lot more in cube where people are constantly playing spells and maximizing their mana. Skipping your turn to flip him absolutely kills and opponents more than not have something to play.
In Out
Another card from the commander set, Hornet Queen fills the role of big dumb green finisher in a way that is pretty different from most of the other options. For seven mana you get six power of fliers...a very rare thing in green. Also, all of them have deathtouch which is completely devastating against any aggressive or control deck especially if blink is involved.
Avenger of Zendikar is certifiably insane with any fetch lands but the problem is that if you don't stockpile them you risk getting nothing more than useless 0/1 plants. You also want to save some ramp cards to make the most of your plants but that is hard for something that is so expensive. It's just a little too hard to make the most of outside of constructed.
In Out
Birthing Pod is a nice build around me card that also goes pretty nicely in a number of other creature decks that aren't specifically built to abuse it. I have seen it use to do some pretty fun things in the MODO Cube and I look forward to it having repeated successes in mine.
Bear Umbra was kind of quirky but was never amazing which is weird because it seems to do a lot for the mana cost. Auras have to be really really good to feel worthwhile and most of the time I just kind of ignored this when it was on another creature because it didn't really matter too much outside of giving them one sweet turn.
In Out
Farseek was taken out because it was the worst ramp spells among those in my cube list. However, I think we needed one more ramp spell for a little more consistency for that strategy. Because of this, Farseek is being brought back.
Moldervine Cloak is another unexciting aura that does little other than being an expensive annoyance. Sure, the dredge might come in handy in some instances but for the most part it's just not that great and doesn't further any specific strategies.
In Out
Overrun doesn't need to much explanation as to why it is a limited and constructed all-star. It might be a little unruly and expensive to cast in some situations, in most it is a game ender that requires a certain level of respect.
Overwhelming Stampede, while easier to cast than Overrun, varied a little too much for my tastes in effectiveness. In most cases, +3/+3 is sufficient to get the job done and the potential for extra damage with Stampede didn't really mitigate the worst or same case scenarios where the pump is similar to Overrun.
Didn't Make the Cut
Anytime you have a grizzly bear with this many relevant key words on it you at least have to respect the thing. Unfortunately this feel more a kick in the junk to blue, and only blue, than anything else. I think this is closer to White Knight and Great Sable Stag in that they are designed for a specific purpose and they do that very nicely. I don't think this is aggressive or defensive in any other instances and therefore not worthy of inclusion.
In Out
Lavinia is one that actually snuck up on me around the tenth time I read it (LSV would be proud of that one). To be honest what will make or break her inclusion is the usefulness of her detain ability. I think that she can really excel as a curve topper in an aggressive Azorius build or as a really good blink target to set yourself up for any number of different alpha strikes. We will see how she performs but I am optimistic.
Aven Mimeomancer was on the lower spectra of Azorius cards and I think Lavinia will do a fine job in its stead. Mimeomancer wasn't really that highly drafted and Lavinia works better with what Azorius wants to do overall.
In Out
I had a very strong feeling that Master Warcraft was going to work its way back into the cube once I had tried out all of the exciting new options that Gatecrash had to offer us, it was only a matter of having a chance to weigh the contenders. Warcraft is a win condition for any aggressive deck containing EITHER red or white due to its hybrid status. It allows for one sided blowouts or lethal attack steps. This reach is something these decks really do need so its an important inclusion.
Firemane Avenger was the weakest of the Gatecrash additions since without Battalion triggering it is a completely forgettable body. True, the Battalion trigger was awesome but its not a unique effect or something the guild particularly needed in order to be successful.
Didn't Make the Cut
The competition in cube is really insane that this doesn't get in but....I just can't find room for it. The only possible cuts are either Slayers' Stronghold or Aurelia, the Warleader but both of those cards have been very good. This card loses some value in cube because 99% of your creatures are going to be only getting one of the two pumps so its not exactly a Crusade effect. Also, in aggressive decks you really just want the +1/+0 if you can't have both so you don't get much of a bonus if your deck is filled with white aggro creatures. The blink effect is amazing but I have a hard time thinking that alone is better than the other cards in Boros right now. Maybe after some playtesting things will change but for right now I just don't think this makes it.
Dimir
In Out
Far // Away is exactly the card that Dimir wanted in this slot. There are so many different ways to use this card since both modes can target creatures that you or your opponent controls. This means being able to sacrifice unwanted creatures on your end such as Abyssal Persecutor or bouncing your own creature in response to a removal spell or just to get more value on an effect. You can also wreck your opponents board or do some combination of the two. I love the options this card presents.
Grimgrin is cute. Really cute. Almost too cute. He is ludicrous when paired with any number of tokens or reusable creatures like Gravecrawler but without them he is wonky and expensive, not to mention a terrible topdeck on an empty board. Basically, too much has to go right for him to be insane and his normal case scenario is just too varied to be reliable.
In Out
I guess I never really read Life//Death in previous times looking at Golgari cards. I noticed it in a lot of other lists and decided to give it a look. The two sides both have their merits and I think the combination of the two is good enough. Death in particular is very strong as another reanimation spell while Life can give you the edge in a close game decided in the red zone. Definitely interesting and worth a look.
Oh, Spiritmonger. Your days of dominating people in the sun have come to an end. The fact is that he is a big dumb thing that gets bigger and dumber as he attacks. He is hard to kill but he has no evasion and doesn't do anything interesting either. This is one instance where raw power alone wasn't enough.
Didn't Make the Cut
If this didn't have such an onerous casting cost I would really like it because the effect is sweet. However, in order to destroy things of a casting cost of 4 you need to input 7 mana. That is a lot of mana and by that time in the game the value of destroying things changes. Pernicious Deed is sweet because of the threat of activation. Once it sticks your opponents sometimes stop playing things which can work into your hands. With this, they don't know its coming so while that can be a good thing it also changes how the card is valued. Golgari is very strong right now and I just think this is a little too mana intensive.
Didn't Make the Cut
As sweet as this guys last ability is, the rest of this card is just a mess. Vigilance and Reach make absolutely no sense on this guy and it drives me crazy. The attacks each turn, sure whatever and I guess he is huge. But seriously, you aren't casting this is in a bunch of Gruul decks because it's too expensive to be a curve topper in those decks. I would much rather bring back Scab-Clan Mauler than this guy if I was going to cut something.
In Out
Ral Zarek can do a whole lot and costs the perfect amount for a powerful planeswalker. Coming in with 4 loyalty is quite a chunk and it means you can get two Lightning Bolts off in a row if you really need to. His plus ability will be good for decks looking to clear away blockers or get extra uses out of their abilities or lands. I don't really look at planeswalkers ultimates anymore because in practice they rarely occur but this is one that is actually feasible in pulling off. This is definitely one of the more powerful and robust Izzet options in cube.
Mercurial Chemister was a space filler, plain and simple. He was drafted once and looped around so many times in the Anaconda draft that he was permanently affixed to the snake's butt. Here's looking forward to better things.
In Out
Turn // Burn is like a homeless guy's Fire // Ice. It's not quite as good as the original but sometimes you get a good tip and are able to pull off both sides of this card. This basically kills any non-shroud creature outright or can blow someone out in combat and go to the dome afterwards. This isn't the wackiest card but it is very efficient and every Izzet deck will play this regardless of strategy.
Gelectrode is sweet in constructed where you can really abuse the untap ability but its just not that reliable in cube where it basically cannot attack or block. It has some real upside but I like the options given to you by Turn // Burn much more than Gelectrode. Sorry little Weird man.
Orzhov
Didn't Make the Cut
Obzedat's Aid is a sweet card for constructed but for cube I think being only able to hit your graveyard is a huge detraction. Sure, you can get back any permanent but Orzhov is so amazingly deep that you would need to be pretty ridiculous in order to breach the cut. I think the weakest cards are Angel of Despair or Putrid Warrior and both of those cards do real work in their decks. This is a hard one because I really do like this effect but I think its right.
Rakdos
Didn't Make the Cut
Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch loses a lot of value outside of Ravnica limited where you don't have access to her haste ability because there are virtually no +1/+1 counters in cube to make it relevant. So basically you have a 4/4 haste, first strike for 4 and I think the other options in Rakdos are both more interesting and more helpful for the decks they support.
Spike Jester is very comparable to Rakdos Shred-Freak and I like the Freak more. Basically I am giving up one power in order to be able to cast it in mono-red or mono-black. While the black decks could go either way the red decks REALLY appreciate the flexibility so I will stick with what we have for now.
Selesnya
In Out
Voice of Resurgance provides Selesnya with a great amount of advantage because of its minor token theme. If this comes into play and dies immediately you are getting a 2/2 and a 1/1 for two mana. Best case scenario your opponent gets really punished for every counterspell they cast and you don't have to worry about losing out on tempo. The only downside is that this REALLY wants to get casted on turn two. This is mostly a test run for Voice as I think it may have more of a home in constructed than cube but I would like to find out for sure.
There has been nothing wrong at all with little Smiter but I wanted to try out the Voice and see what he could do and the Smiter was the most logical cut for the time being. If Voice doesn't work out (or even if it does) I am keeping Smiter on the backburner much like I am still doing with Scab-Clan Mauler and previously with Master Warcraft. The only way you find out about new cards is to test them and this is what that is.
Didn't Make the Cut
This was a tricky card to evaluate but in the end, without a way to abuse the fact that it is a token, it's just a 5/5 creature for 4 and the other options in Selesnya are more interesting and exciting. The casting cost makes is a little rough and casting it after turn four loses a lot of value. Sure, you can ambush something but for the most part this card just doesn't excite me.
In Out
Shardless Agent has turned out to be a lot more useful than I had previously imagined. The cascade effect is easy to play around, just build your deck correctly. You have to realize when you can and can't cast this guy and when your deck just won't work with him. If you are running a heavy counterspell deck or a deck heavy in removal you probably can't afford him but in any other scenario he will be gravy even if he does nothing more than nets you an extra mana through a ramp spell.
Mystic Snake used to be good when the body was relevant but for four mana you are basically just casting an expensive Cancel and a chump blocker. At least with Shardless Agent you can use him in an aggressive deck where the body is a little more relevant. I think it's just a better fit overall.
In Out
Progenitor Mimic has the potential to do some hilariously fun and interesting things. It's an expensive clone but it's a clone that keeps on cloning with no additional input or exertion. There are a lot of applications for this and more than that, it just seems really fun.
Ok so stop screaming. Simic Sky Swallower is good and nearly impossible to deal with but he costs 7 mana. Yes he attacks for days but he literally doesn't do anything else or anything interesting. This is simply a fun update for a more exciting finisher and I didn't think I had room for both of them. If it doesn't work out, old Swallower will be right back in.
Didn't Make the Cut
Basically, either this or Mystic Snake would have made it in and I cut Mystic Snake above already. I like the other options better as this casting cost is just ridiculous. Yes, it's a powerful effect but by the time you have the mana to cast this, who knows if you can really take advantage of the mana provided. If you can't it's just a horrible Cancel. That's why Mana Drain was stupid because you ALWAYS gained value with the extra mana because the card was so cheap you could cast it when you didn't have access to any mana yet. Mana Drain this is not.
In Out
Fellwar Stone is back in and will do its old job of fixing your mana in whatever way your opponent feels like they could be most helpful. Thanks opponent! I felt the cube needed one or two more mana rocks to help ramp a little bit. I always feel like whenever I try to play the ramp deck I never get the rocks I need. This should help.
I don't think anyone has ever casted a Howling Mine in cube. Ok, maybe there was that one time but this really won't be missed by anyone or I would be shocked. Giving your opponent cards in cube is completely devastating in most cases and makes this way too scary for maindecks and medicore in the sideboard as well.
In Out
Coldsteel Heart is the second mana rock added for the aforementioned reason (See Fellwar Stone directly above). This not only accelerates but directly fixes whatever mana problem you need, something that will be greatly appreciated in those control decks trying to splash one or two cards for good stuff. Coming into play tapped shouldn't be relevant most of the time and hasn't been in the games I have seen played with the MODO cube.
Mindslaver costed approximately a million mana and a turn and more often than not did nothing other than tapped all your opponents mana for a turn. Any time it would be any better it is either destroyed before activation or your opponent correctly rids themselves of the one troublesome card they would otherwise have to deal with should they hold on to it.
So this turned out to be a much bigger update than I had originally anticipated. Granted, Dragon's Maze had only a little to do with the final outcome but still. As I said before, cube is fluid and I am constantly looking for cards I may have missed out on or cards that are underperforming, not getting drafted or played in maindecks. Watching streams of the MODO cube has been a very interesting resource since not only do I get to see more data on cards but a lot of them are cards and strategies I am not using. As always, please let me know what you think about the updates as we work together to make this thing great. My only request is that you comment here so everyone can join the think tank and so I can get at the thoughts later on for easier references.
The next update should be for Magic 2014 unless there are amendments to this one ala Gatecrash's update. Until either of them though,
Enjoy!
