Welcome to the Dragons of Tarkir Cube Update! Let's get this out of the way...I really am not a huge fan of dragons as a creature type. Sure, they are super iconic and splashy but after you get past that there are very few of them that feel very unique, special or memorable. Cool and fun ones do exist, like the Kamigawa Legendary dragons, but making an entire set around them really felt like they were just going to make a whole bunch of interchangeable flying limited bombs that aren't particularly mechanically separated at all. And that's kind of what they did. However, the rest of the set is chock full of interesting cards that are worth talking about....and yes there are a few dragons that at least get a mention. Which ones are they? Only one way to find out.....let's go!
White
In Out
Anafenza is very unassumingly powerful. It typically either becomes a 3/3 on the turn it attacks and is immediately worth its cost or it spreads out the love among your other cheap threats. It's even pretty decent in a more mid range deck as they are also going to play creatures. Bolster isn't a terribly powerful ability by itself but when it triggers for free every turn it adds up very quickly. This has overperformed whenever I have seen it in play.
I have become rather disenfranchised with the shadow creatures over time, especially in the wake of taking the swords out of my cube. The protection doesn't help its case either in my quest to remove that awful mechanic from my cube (along with hexproof). They aren't bad but they aren't exciting either and I almost always just leave them out of my main deck. There are so few in the cube now that they pretty much read "unblockable and can't block" which is, again, fine but unexciting. I would much rather just try Anafenza out and give her some more play.
In Out
We still aren't at the point where we are cutting one drops for other one drops in white yet and I think that's fine. Usman Jamil said it pretty well when he said that unless you are cutting one drops from your cube deck you don't have enough. I definitely haven't gotten to that point yet as in the aggressive decks they are still a hot commodity. The dragons text is mostly flavor text but when it is relevant it is going to be hysterical.
High Sentinels were fine but turned out to be a bit too slow in cube. The counter ability was strong but more often that not it didn't change combat math and punished you for going all in on this a bit more than it did in regular limited. Also, it's not terribly interesting or needed for any particular archetype like another good one drop is.
In Out
I am not really sure how good Hidden Dragonslayer is. I think he is going to be one of the swingier of the megamorph cycle since there is a very real possibility that the effect can't hit anything. That said, whenever it does hit it's going to be game changing. 3WW for a 3/2 lifelink that destroys a big creature is going to be quite good in white and a large percentage of the time this can just be cast on turn two without looking back. The real test is how often it gets morphed without an immediate target. I think it's worth testing at the very least.
Imposing Sovereign is irritating for the red aggro decks to play against because of how it interacts with haste but the other decks weren't terribly troubled. While the effect was rarely game changing, it was very consistently adequate. That said, I like the upside of Dragonslayer a little bit more since it gives the aggro decks something to do when they draw this as a top deck.
In Out
I went back and forth on Ojutai Exemplars for a long time. Cards like this are the reason I like to wait a little bit sometimes to do these updates. After much debate I decided to include it. Even if you never trigger its ability it is a fine card on base stats alone. The ability is likely going to be incremental value over time as opposed to total blowouts with well timed instants. Part of this dependant on which color combination you are in as this is obviously better with instants than with sorceries. That said, it's pretty solid nonetheless.
I think the time has finally passed where the control decks are excited to be playing giant non-interactive walls. I think that's probably a good thing too. Wall of Reverence triggering off of power was always super irritating as you never played it in decks that actually were able to gain a ton of life and weren't already winning the game since they drew their one finisher. Wall of Omens keeps its space because it replaces itself immediately. Gaining subpar amounts of life is merely annoying, and not as impactful.
In Out
Secure the Wastes's power lies in its instant speed. You don't need to make a ton of tokens for this to be strong, especially with even a single anthem effect. While this is never going to be back breaking it should always be sufficient and its flexibility means that it should rarely get stuck in sideboards for either aggro or control decks.
Enlightened Tutor suffers from the fact that it doesn't actually replace itself because the card goes on top of the library and not in your hand. That means that even when you top deck this you then have to wait a turn to get your card instead of casting it immediately. That difference is gigantic. You also have to take into account that this loses a lot of value with the swords coming out of cube as one of its more powerful modes was "get target sword". I like something a little more immediate impact.
Didn't Make the Cut
Myth Realized has a very low chance of becoming an impact player in cube. I would much rather play Luminarch Ascension and they are fighting for a very similar space. The fact that you can put counters on it with mana is really what makes it playable because it makes it a realistic top deck at any stage during the game. However, decks that want to play this are those that only have a few creatures which almost ensures the other deck is going to have removal dialed up for this when it gets activated. Not a fan.
In Out
Stratus Dancer might be my favorite of the cycle because its base stats are so great. I feel that you will almost always smash this down on turn two if you can and since the megamorph is so cheap it's pretty easy to just cash this in on turn four for a three power flier. The ability is very strong and is pretty tough to play around because its so broad of an effect.
It turns out that six mana is way too much to be able to keep up for any amount of turns. I knew you needed to pull the trigger on this as soon as you could counter literally anything but when you are behind, Kheru Spellsnatcher is just so frustrating. You can't commit to the board and use him because his ability is so mana intensive and even though it is very good when it works, the times it doesn't it is almost literally a blank card. Stratus Dancer is going to be much more consistent.
In Out
Silumgar Sorcerer works very well with tokens and black cards while still keeping tempo and pressure on the opponent. Spiketail Drakeling is in a similar space but oftentimes it is really awkward because your opponent can see and play around it. A good player will just jam something into it and press the opponent to use the counterspell mode and kill their own creature. With Silumgar Sorcerer you have the option to just use it as an overcosted Remove Soul, and that will oftentimes be good enough. The flash also lets you keep up other instants without losing pressure on your opponent. It just has a lot more play to it than Spiketail Drakeling, fits into the same deck and does more.
In Out
I initially dismissed Dissolve as just another mediocre Cancel card but it turns out that Scry 1 is much better than I thought at first. It's not as good as draw a card but it's really not that far off either. It turns out on average I would rather cast Dissolve than Dismiss because of how significant the extra mana is. Four drops in cube are just so powerful that there is real competition at that slot in the curve and its a lot of mana to keep open turn after turn if you have to. The extra mana isn't worth the bonus of drawing a card vs. Scry 1.
Didn't Make the Cut
I recently added Impulse to the cube and I have been pretty happy with it but not overwhelmed. I don't want more card draw/manipulation and I think this is just worse than the other existing effects. It's a powerful card but I don't think this is good enough on pure power level alone.
Icefall Regent was in then out then in and now out again. The extra power isn't worth the extra mana when compared to Dungeon Geists and Frost Titan has consistently been the worst of the titan cycle in part because the last ability just doesn't matter that much. I think Icefall Regent is powerful but just isn't better than the existing options.
Didn't Make the Cut
Unless you are pushing blue devotion I really don't think this guy is very good at all. The triple blue is overstated as I don't think that is what is holding the card back. It's not as big a problem as some people think. The problem is that even if you use the blink ability you really lose out on a ton of power. He is very mana intensive and in cube I have found that cards like this need to take over the game with all of their mana input or pose a real clock. This doesn't do either. He isn't terrible but I don't think he's as good as Morphling and that guy got ran out of cube a long time ago.
Profaner of the Dead is getting some love from different people but I'm not buying it. The body is fairly forgettable and even if you live the dream with the Exploit ability they still get all those creatures back later, CITP effects and all. It's sweet against tokens but is really variable beyond that.
In Out
Sidisi is a big, big game. The body is ridiculous and the exploit effect is a very good way to recycle creatures in the late game and get an immediate impact. It is very difficult to cast this card and have it not be immediately impactful. Diabolic Tutor is close to cube worthy and getting a 4/6 creature with deathtouch on top of it is very pushed. Almost nothing attacks through this on the ground and being able to sac itself in a worst case scenario is just a great option to have even if you never have to choose to do it. This is probably the best five drop in black and should be an auto include in most cubes.
Bestow minotaur was very good when I pushed black aggro but loses a lot of steam otherwise. This is just cleaning out the dregs of the black aggro cards.
In Out
Silumgar Assassin should always have a target for its ability. Its evasion ability means that it is very difficult to profitably block. Like the white megamorph in the cycle its a little more expensive but it is very synergystic. It should kill a creature that would be able to block it and then be able to attack through. This works on multiple points on the curve very well.
Again, just cleaning out the black aggro cards. Dauthi Slayer is fine but unexciting and doesn't fit in the new strategies that black has.
In Out
Pitiless Horde is insanely aggressively costed. The upkeep cost looks scary but if you dash it you don't need to lose life. Also, if you hard cast it just be super aggressive with it and it should almost always trade up. Even without black aggro this is powerful enough for inclusion due to the dash ability.
Viscera Seer is just a little bit too low impact when you don't have a Bloodghast or Reassembling Skeleton in play. It is almost an enchantment since the body is super irrelevant and almost always eventually sacrifices itself.
Didn't Make the Cut
Damnable Pact is interesting because of the potential power it holds. However, the fact that its a sorcery really hurts its card draw ability because it makes the life lost very dangerous. You can't just draw a ton of cards and hope they are relevant because you will have to wait a turn to use them. The other effect is only good if you can kill your opponent with it making it a pretty bad fireball in aggressive decks. I don't think either of the effects are needed or important.
I think Corpseweft is a little closer to playability than Damnable Pact. The problem is that so many of the creatures in black actually want to be in the graveyard so they can be reanimated making this really awkward a lot of the time since it fights against the deck its going to be in. There is no self mill so the creatures are only going to be in the graveyard in a fair way losing value this card would have in constructed. I think it's ultimately a little too slow and inefficient to see play but it's worth keeping an eye on as maybe just making two 4/4's is going to be good enough. However, I don't think this will ever see a top end much higher than that making it only ever "good" and never "great".
Didn't Make the Cut
Gravecaller really does feel like a Grave Titan when you cast it in limited. When you cast it in cube it feels like a Grave Titan that has defender. That is still very good but a lot of the power of Grave Titan is that you just swing every turn and damn the consequences. This is much closer than some people think, especially with the lack of 5 drops in black, but I think its a little too defensive for cube.
In Out
Zurgo is probably one of the better one drops in cube because it doesn't really have a downside and it has two toughness. The dash is nice when you draw it later in the game or if you are putting your opponent on having mass removal. Like in white, I don't think we are going to be cutting one drops in red either any time soon.
Having put Squee back in the cube I was reminded why I took him out in the first place. He just never makes the main deck. Even when he does he is awful unless you draw your other synergy pieces simultaneously. I added him in to supplement the black sacrifice theme and red's redundancy problem but I don't think it does enough a high enough percentage of the time to warrant inclusion.
In Out
Ire Shaman is a fine man. Probably one of the better red two drops because of the evasion ability, the megamorph is really just icing on the cake if you draw it late. Even a little bit of value is appreciated and red doesn't get card draw so every little bit helps.
Put in the cube just to give red more answers to the swords, I now no longer feel it is necessary with them gone. There are still non-creature artifacts you will want to be able to deal with but so much fewer of them that I don't think this is worth having.
In Out
Dragon Whisperer could go either way. I think it's going to be good enough even if you never actually get to make dragons. If you do make dragons, the card is obviously insane as your dragons only allow you to make more easier. The flying cost is really where this card shines as it allows red to maximize its mana and ensure attacking even through larger blockers. The only question mark is how often you will have excess mana and be able to actually use its first two abilities and how often it sits as a grizzly bear. I think it's worth testing out because the upside is so high. Note that this is probably better in a GR deck than an all in aggro deck because the dragon ability is so powerful.
Not really a two drop in the literal sense, Stingscourger was always a fine card but never felt like it blended in that well. It's not terribly aggressive because unless you cast it real late you are probably never using that echo cost which makes it an unsummon with blocking upside. That's not really an effect that red wants or needs anymore, especially since there are so many creatures that have good ETB effects that it made casting this almost painful at times.
In Out
I think Commune with Lava is going to be a good card on average. Sure, sometimes you are just going to kill someone because you are able to cast this for X=5 in a burn deck. Other times you are going to hit all lands and perhaps lose because of it. However, if that's the case you were losing that game no matter what card this was instead. The thing that helps this card be good enough (in my opinion) is that you can play the lands. That means casting it on your own turn, hitting a land drop, then hitting another land drop next turn and using those to cast your spells you flipped. Most of the time this will probably be an end of your opponent's turn spell but it doesn't have to be and that really helps.
Smelt is the last in the line of cards I added to deal with artifacts due to the dominance of swords. With them gone, again, we can replace this with something more interesting.
Didn't Make the Cut
Twin Bolt is one half of Fire//Ice and I don't think that is going to be good enough. Most of the time this is a two mana shock and while there is a small percentage of the time that it will be more than that it's not high enough for me to get excited about it.
I actually think Lightning Berserker is very close to being added. The dash may seem weird but if you are mono red this is a huge surprise for an opponent to deal with. They simply can't math the damage this could produce out of nowhere. Also, it is going to likely trade up with many things. The one thing I don't like about it is that it is way too reliant on being mono red. Cube decks are typically two colors and while this is nuts in mono red its mediocre when you are playing multiple colors and I think that is the most common case scenario.
Didn't Make the Cut
Despite being a house in constructed, the dragon ability here is likely only going to trigger on itself. I really don't think that negatively affects this that much. It basically threatens seven damage when it lands since they will have to deal with it eventually and they can't just let it hit them forever. The problem is that red doesn't want a lot of expensive creatures and I don't think I have anything I want to cut for this. I am on the same fence with Ashcloud Phoenix which overperformed my expectations. I just don't have enough slots. The weakest options to cut are probably Siege-Gang Commander or avalanche riders and those are very good cards that have rarely disappointed. I am however putting both of those cards on the "to watch" list so there's a chance they sneak back up again in a future update. For now though, I want to see other people's results with them.
In Out
Den Protector is sweet. It has a great evasion ability that guarantees it will only ever trade up and the Eternal Witness ability is awesome. That ability makes this better if you draw it late and the evasion ability makes it a nice tempo play if that is your plan. This might be the best of the cycle and all are cube worthy.
Twinblade Slasher was fine but unexciting. It lost a little value when green aggro left and it felt really awkward in the decks it was played in because it never really fit the other cards it was with.
In Out
Surrak hits very hard. Being able to give itself haste (which I missed at first) makes this so much better than it otherwise would be. Formidable is very easy to trigger and this is so much more of an aggressive and proactive card than Phantom Centuar. One less protection card is exciting and I am glad to get rid of it.
In Out
You are never going to cast the formidable ability. Ever. Okay, now that we can look at this objectively, the body is really what makes this exciting because it can actually perform admirably in combat should it need to. It actually lives through some burn spells and combat and the ramp ability is so awesome. I don't think this is going to stick around forever but I want to at least see it in play a couple of times because ramping two mana gets to you a lot of crazy things quickly.
Soul of Zendikar was not a good card. It was slow and plodding. I knew this and just wanted some more beef for green to ramp into. Not even green wants to ramp into this.
In Out
I was really impressed with Curse of Predation. Even without green aggro this is awesome and the one counter really does add up very quickly as the creature gets the counter before damage is dealt making blocking a nightmare.
Berserk was always on its way out as it is just so monetarily expensive and it isn't that powerful to begin with. Sure, it's a removal spell but it's not a combat trick and that is when it would be interesting. Green needs better non creature spells so I am excited about this swap.
Didn't Make the Cut
Two mana 3/2 creatures are just so depressing. I have seen a bunch of them and they always underperform by trading with every other two drop immediately. The counter ability is very irrelevant and the reach and trample does not make Avatar of the Resolute any better than the other options at the same cost and P/T.
Deathmist Raptor is probably my favorite card in the set for constructed but in cube it falls into the awkward space of not being able to take advantage of its most impressive feature. There are so few morph cards in cube that you are almost never going to be able to reanimate this let alone play them in multiples which is where this really shines. That said, green three drops are so unexciting in general that the body and deathtouch almost gets there by itself. So sad!
In Out
This is a battle of narrow planeswalkers that most likely have one marginal ability and one ability that is situationally insane. I think I've only ever used the unblockable ability on Venser once but at least that's the minus ability and he builds towards a sweet ultimate. The problem with Venser is that if you don't have a relevant permanent to bounce then you just bounce lands and race towards the ultimate with isn't exactly fun. Narset has a similar problem in that her plus one is more than likely to miss unless your deck is specifically built to abuse her. Her ultimate is worse than Venser's and her minus ability is potentially better. Really it's just a matter of preference as in limited I think these are interchangeable. The only significant difference is mana cost and starting loyalty and the loyalty issue is a little overblown since Venser pumps up by two every turn. In the interest of mixing things up I am making this swap but I don't think it's a significant change in power level.
In Out
Ojutai's Command is just solid value. None of the abilties are going to be game changing but because of the gain 4 life and draw a card mode you are never going to have a blank even in a stalemate. None of the combinations are particularly exciting but they are all going to be very good in practice. I don't think this is my favorite command but I am such a huge fan of flexibility that I am going to give it a try.
Lavinia never really lived the dream of blinking someone into submission and without that she is just a protection creature that shuts down their blockers for a turn. That's not bad but it's not great for 5 mana in cube when the body she leaves behind is fairly forgettable. To be honest I forgot she was still in the cube and if that's not a sign to try something new I don't know what is.
Didn't Make the Cut
I'm not the biggest fan of Ojutai in cube because the hexproof ability really isn't terribly relevant. All decks are still going to have an instant speed answer for it when you inevitably attack. Without the hexproof ability I don't think this is good at all especially because you have to give up the hexproof ability in order to trigger the other ability. This card is good it's just a little awkward. I would add it in instead of Lavinia but I am trying out the Command instead and I don't think it's better than the other options. If the command doesn't work then I could see moving in on the Elder Dragon but not before.
In Out
Dragonlord Silumgar is a beast. The ETB effect works perfectly with the sacrifice cards and the body is large enough to pose a problem. I am glad it doesn't have hexproof like its younger self because while that card was also very good it was miserable to play against. This should be more interactive while still being powerful.
I have had Oona around since the beginning of my cube but I think it's finally time to change things up. She is really only good because of her activated ability which is swingy at best. Sometimes you get a bunch of fliers and kill your opponent, other times you miss horribly and mill your opponent. Neither feels terribly interactive and the mana cost is pretty unforgiving despite being hybrid. I am excited about mixing things up.
Didn't Make the Cut
As much as I love modal cards I think this is a little bit too expensive to cast reliably. There are three realistic modes on this since the planeswalker ability is pure gravy. This most closely resembles a mix of Dimir Charm and Far // Away but I think both of those cards are better because of their cheaper casting costs (Far // Away being the same when you Fuse it but not having to do that is huge). Sure, this is more powerful when you cast it but cheaper utility is oftentimes just better to have, especially since they are doing the same thing.
In Out
I originally had Ghor-Clan Rampager in there as a concession for combat tricks since it worked so well naturally in the Gruul decks. However, Atarka's Command can play a similar roll while being able to do so in a much more flexible way. None of the modes are irrelevant, even if the rampant growth ability is less exciting than the others, and for only two mana this is a lot of value.
Didn't Make the Cut
Dragonlord Atarka is just a little bit too expensive for me to get excited about it. Sure, it's a giant dumb beat stick but that's about it. Gruul decks are usually about cheaper beef and I think this one is a little too much. It's certainly powerful but I cut Bogardan Hellkite for a reason and it wasn't because it didn't do it's job, it's because it never got played.
In Out
Kolaghan's Command is yet another command making the list....man i love modal spells. They're just so flexible! Sure, all of these abilities cost only 1 mana by themselves but together they are really going to be able to get a lot of value. Instant speed discard is not irrelevant even if its probably the least used mode....that or the raise dead...yeah....that one's not terribly exciting even if every card in your graveyard is totally insane in cube. Well when you put it that way, doing it end of turn and shocking something is pretty nice. Like with Dromoka's Command later it also gives you a free artifact removal spell which is always appreciated.
Sarkhan the Mad, like Squee earlier, got put back in in an effort to be too cute with the sacrifice theme. The fact is that it's just not that great because there's no way to maintain its loyalty. And that ultimate...yuck. Reducing planeswalkers is never a bad thing either. I like them to be a special spice as opposed to the main course, it really does change how games are played.
Didn't Make the Cut
Kolaghan reminds me of Rorix Bladewing and Urabrask, the Hidden a lot. The last ability is literally flavor text in cube and I don't have a great desire for this card when compared to its younger self. I just think that one is more interesting and has a lot more play to it because of the dash ability. This is a big hastey dragon which is kind of the definition of uninteresting.
In Out
Dromoka's Command is so flexible. The most common mode has to be the last two but having main deck enchantment destruction is a really great, free bonus. Not sure how often the top ability will come into play but it's a very realistic option and in almost no games should this ever be a dead card should you hold it or cast it as soon as you have targets. I love commands...=D
You gain 100 life. I seriously just can't look at this stupid ultimate anymore...it's just so stupid. Sorry Ajani, I liked your other abilities but as soon as something came along that was shiny and exciting you had to know this was going to happen. The only saving grace is that nobody ever gained 100 life. Bullet dodged.
Didn't Make the Cut
Dromoka is just way more expensive than the existing options in Selesnya and they are all insane. I also hate the typical "can't be countered" creatures in gold, I just don't like the design space, it's not interesting.
Didn't Make the Cut
I am a big fan of this card but I am not convinced it's that much better than Savage Knuckleblade and it's a planeswalker. If I can limit the number of planeswalkers in cube I am fine with that. I think this is good enough for cube, I just don't have enough slots in the tri-color cards and I would rather roll with Mr. Knuckleblade for now. He looks better sitting in the passenger seat anyway, more intimidation factor.
Like I said in the introduction, I really am impressed with how many cards are quality in this set. Sure, the dragons weren't the exciting part even though they are in the name but everything else is just nuts. I am glad I got to remove some more protection creatures and cut down some fatty planeswalkers too. All in all this was a solid update. Next up is going to be Magic Origins....it's the last core set so you know there is going to be some special stuff in it. I can only hope they are at least cube discussion worthy. Until then..
Enjoy!
