Not to start out on a sour note, but I don't think this was a great set for cube. There are very few cards that are slam dunk inclusions and while there are still a bunch that can be discussed a lot of the high profile cards and cycles disappointed. I took this opportunity to look at some classic cube cards that I am not including and change out a couple underperformers. There aren't a ton but it's enough to upgrade the overall quality. Let's get going with the Hour of Devastation cube update!
White
In Out
Adorned Pouncer is a rather unassuming two drop that gets a severe upgrade upon eternalizing. A 4/4 double striker for 5 is a great rate at any point in the game and normally the original body does end up dying. This is definitely only going to fit in aggressive decks but that's fine. There are some scenarios where you really need this to die and your opponent just won't block it or attack into it. However, keeping that in mind you should attack and block pretty aggressively with it as trading with this feels great for you and terrible for your opponent. It's also a pretty good target for sacrifice effects in black decks.
Upon my first reading of Town Gossipmonger I thought that you could attack with him on turn 2 as a transformed creature. As it turns out it's quite a bit slower than that and while it's very easy to actually transform it, the payoff isn't worth the lack of speed.
In Out
Angel of Condemnation is an absolute beating once you untap with it. Having vigilance is huge because it allows you to actually attack and still use the ability to clear out a blocker or use it at the end of turn or in response to something. A key point here is that you can target any other creature including your own to rebuy effects or in response to a removal spell. You can't blink itself which makes it merely very good instead of broken. Exerting the Angel to eliminate a creature permanently opens you up to blowouts should this get killed mid combat but I think that only makes the card more interesting and fun. This should work in both control or aggro decks.
Austere Command is definitely a pet card that it doesn't feel like anyone played but me. It's just too expensive for what you get. Being able to control which creatures live and die sounds great in theory but it's not really ever a total blow out. Usually you end up destroying either one artifact or enchantment and a couple small creatures or one big creature. It's too expensive to actually stem bleeding against an aggro deck and is frustrating to cast if you both control an artifact/enchantment. For six mana you really need it to be best case scenario every time.
In Out
Fiend Hunter provides a really nice option for both aggressive and control decks and it's proven its worth in other cubes up to this point. This was a solid staple that I've decided should probably just be in the list.
Transcendent Master is an interesting case. It has rarely been underwhelming and often does get main decked, two common things I look at when determining cards to include in cube. The problem I have with Transcendent Master is with games in which it is cast actually play out. Usually one of the following two scenarios takes place. A player with a removal spell will immediately kill it and the game moves forward. A player without a removal spell stares at it while it does nothing for a couple turns before it immediately wins the game on the spot whether or not it actually kills the opponent. It's not particularly fun to play against and the only strategy while using it is "pour all your mana into it over the course of a couple turns while avoiding combat and win if your opponent doesn't kill it". I don't think a game involving this has ever been interesting and I don't like cards like that even if they are potent.
In Out
Banisher Priest is a little more aggressive than Fiend Hunter due to the different body and probably only has a home in aggressive decks but that's okay it's still a great ability that I don't mind having multiples of. It and Fiend Hunter have overperformed elsewhere and I'm glad I can include them in my list after an extended absence.
Hallowed Moonlight turned out to be a sideboard card in all cases. I was thinking people might main deck it because it cycled but it never worked out that way. There are just too many proactive cards in cube to justify adding a reactive one like this to your maindeck unless it's just ubiquitously powerful. This never blows out your opponent but will always be "pretty solid". We can do better.
In Out
Condemn is a solid removal spell that control decks will like a lot better than Judge Unworthy. It's guaranteed removal, cheap and the life gain is irrelevant when you have inevitability. Much more reliable than the card selection that Judge Unworthy provides.
In Out
Mana Tithe is hilarious. Nobody sees it coming and no matter what you use it on you feel like a literal, actual God when you cast it. Sure, late in the game it loses a lot of value but its one of the best cards to see in your opening hand or in the first couple turns because you are almost guaranteed to get value off it. The fact that this card creates stories is a huge bonus in its favor. Another card that I'm glad to finally find room for.
Harm's Way does a whole lot for one mana but none of it is exciting enough for people to actually play it. It always overperforms its mana cost and expectations but you can't fight human nature and the card just doesn't read as all that exciting. Time to put something in that serves a similar role but will be played.
Didn't Make the Cut
Oketra's Warrior suffers from not actually being able to force through combat damage in cube. If you are exerting you should darn well better be having a significant play and this just doesn't do enough to justify sitting out every other turn.
Steward of Solidarity has a different problem. It has an ability that you really want to keep using and a body that makes it seem as though you want to be attacking with it. I would much rather this be a 1/3 so you can actually block with it but as it is you can't make tokens and attack making this a really awkward play. In a token cube it is probably good enough to include, however.
Didn't Make the Cut
If your cube has a dedicated life gain theme (mine does not) then Crested Sunmare is one of the better five drops as it provides an indestructible 5/5 every turn should you reliably turn it on. Alas, mine does not so no horsies for me.
Hour of Revelation is an overcosted sweeper that will never actually enjoy the cost reduction unless you are playing two-headed giant (we don't with my cube). Ten permanents are a lot and the triple white really restricts which decks can cast this. There are more than enough sweepers that are easier to cast and hitting the larger array of permanents isn't that big of a bonus.
Didn't Make the Cut
I'm totally okay with adding lands in the cube that do things. However, they need to do more than just give +1/+1 as a sorcery. This would be fine in an aggro deck but not for five mana and not at the cost of the land in question. You don't have multiple Deserts so you aren't doing this more than once. The whole cycle of sac Deserts suffers from this same problem so I won't be talking about the others either. For the record, the black and red ones are close but are too mana intensive and each has existing lands that do similar things in a better way already.
I am going to take this time to discuss the entire "Desert of the ..." cycle. I really like cycling lands. I am higher on the rare cycle from Amonkhet than I was when I reviewed them and I think these are actually pretty close to cube playable. Being able to cycle excess land is very rewarding and beneficial to any type of deck. The problem is that your lands coming into play tapped is REALLY punishing for cube and my cube is not normally mono colored. These lands replace a basic land and would be best in a cube that prioritizes one color decks. Mine are typically two or three colors due to the amount of people we have and these lose a lot of value in those decks.
In Out
I was really skeptical of how well Delver would perform in a cube environment instead of constructed but with tempo being a supported archetype and it's positive reviews elsewhere I've decided to give it a slot.
Honestly, I didn't know that Calcite Snapper was still even in the cube. Without easy access to fetchlands you can't maximize the landfall ability which is where all the power in this card is. It's long since been upgraded and nobody is going to miss this little guy. Also, one less creature with shroud.
In Out
Nimble Obstructionist is fantastic. It's an evasive body that replaces itself should that not be what the gameplan calls for. The Stifle ability can't be used on your own triggers but it's still a really cool addition to the card. Normally in cube it's very easy to get value on the Stifle ability but rarely is it worth a full card. See Hallowed Moonlight as a good example. This is pasted to a reasonable body that attacks immediately thanks to having flash and fits right in an existing archetype meaning it will almost always get main decked. Great cube card.
I had liked control decks having access to a wall or two but I've since turned the corner. Control decks can play cards like Wall of Omens or Wall of Roots because they further the gameplan in addition to actually serving as a blocker. These are the kinds of defensive creatures that make the best cube additions and this only serves a function in combat. It also only slows down one creature per combat, doing very little to help against swarm strategies or multiple threats.
In Out
Talrand is another card that comes over after having extensive testing in other cubes and proving its worth. It's not the best blue four drop but it doesn't take as many triggers as I initially thought to make it feel worthwhile. By your second spell you are more than paying for the card and anything after that feels really strong. Again, it just fits better into the existing blue archetypes.
Lu Xun, like Thieving Magpie, probably should have been taken out of the cube sooner. It draws a card every turn (since it's unblockable in cube) but doesn't deal enough damage to actually sway the course of a game in a tempo deck. It's all about the card draw here but it's a lot to ask for four mana. If there is such a thing as durdle aggro this is it.
In Out
I really like modal cards in cube. They lead to varied gameplay and more interesting decision making. Supreme Will tacks a Mana Leak onto an Impulse and that makes for great gameplay. You don't have to get this card stuck in your hand if you are behind and need to dig, if your opponent didn't cast anything and you don't want to let your mana go to waste, or if they have a ton of excess mana later in the game. This should be a cube staple and the extra mana tacked on is completely worth the modal functionality.
I didn't want too many three drop counterspells in cube since they are playable but fairly expensive to hold up over consecutive turns. Hinder is probably the worst one remaining because while the option to put the spell on top is essentially free, I'd rather have the scry from Dissolve or the buyback from Forbid. Dissolve is probably the next one on the chopping block.
Didn't Make the Cut
I really like Champion of Wits in limited, a lot. I'm not sure how well that translates to cube but I think it's borderline playable. My only complaint is that the eternalize is just too expensive. The vanilla 4/4 body is just not worth that cost even if you are getting card advantage. The same is true on the front end where the 2/1 is embarrassingly bad for 2U when you are only gaining card selection. Not to mention how bad this is if you don't actually have any cards in hand when you cast it. Unless you have a really heavy reanimator theme and want more discard outlets I don't see this being worth it.
Unesh is actually pretty close for cube. On the negative side, the body is a little underwhelming for six mana and the cost reduction is absolutely irrelevant. On the positive side you do get an evasive beater with your main phase Fact or Fiction. You also get to rebuy it with any blink or bounce spells. The problem is that I don't think it finishes a game as fast or decisively as the existing blue finishers. Frost Titan provides a unique effect for blue in handling resolved permanents and is harder to kill. AEtherling is a closer discussion as it only fits into control decks due to its cost (4UUU to hold up the blink) but it's just so much more resilient and game ending. I wouldn't fault you for adding this but I'm sticking with what I have until reviews come in saying otherwise.
Didn't Make the Cut
Four mana is very cheap for the effect that Kefnet's Last Word provides. However, this does not cost four mana, it costs eight. The fact that it is spread out over two turns does not make it cheaper unless it was winning the game the turn you cast it. This could happen but that's not usually how these effects play out. The best part about Mind Control effects is that they add to your side of the board while detracting from your opponents, not just one or the other. This does that but it restricts your ability to continue to add to your side of the board, essentially giving your opponent a full turn to find an answer or equalizer from the top of their deck. You just can't afford to take turns off in cube, and that's going to stifle the entire Last Word cycle as you will see in black and green. Note that the white and red ones are just not even worth discussion.
I went back and forth on Riddleform but I think I came to the correct conclusion to not add it in. The flying body is a nice size that dodges sorcery speed removal and the scry is a great bonus even if it does come at a real cost. Three mana every turn is not free. The idea is that you are attacking with this on turns with spells and Scrying into spells on other turns. However, the fact that this is only defensive with any reactive spell really hurts it as they are a very common type of spell in blue. You won't be attacking with this off counterspells or end of turn bounce spells leaving this in an awkward space a good enough percentage of the time that I think I'm fine leaving it on the outside looking in.
In Out
Ammit Eternal is an absolute house. Afflict 3 is a huge deal on such a big body and while the shrinking keeps things in check for a little while your opponent is still likely only playing one spell per turn if you curve out with this. That's going to make it tough for them to actually deal with it in combat. This is great in aggro decks but is actually fine in midrange as your opponent can't just let this hit them and stay a 5/5 all game. If this trades with a 4 power creature and deals them 3 it's still done its job and anything over that is gravy.
Lifebane Zombie is a really effective tool against green and white decks. Ultimately, I'm not looking for cards that work like this. Hyper effective against one or two colors and feel bad elsewhere leads to them just being sideboard cards. Out with those sideboard cards.
In Out
Exhume loses a little bit of steam in my cube because I focus on fair reanimator but it's still going to give good value for the cost and is more likely to get main decked than Corpse Dance. Also, if you are putting this in your deck I'm sure it's because you have a plan for it so you should be able to put something nice in your graveyard while your opponent is getting back a value creature at best.
Corpse Dance holds the record for most common 41st card. It just never makes the main deck, getting cut for other reanimator spells because of how mana intensive and temporary the effect is. It's a good effect but I'd rather just have another pure reanimator card in that slot that will get played.
In Out
Collective Brutality has turned out to be way better than I had anticipated and is a slam dunk cube card. One of the better discard outlets in cube, it attaches a ton of value onto it making it feel like a total blowout should you take advantage of the discard. Even casting it for two abilities and discarding a random land is great depending on your hand as two of these modes should always be live.
Attrition just needs a little to go right for it to be good. Your opponent can't be playing black and you need a steady supply of fodder to keep it active. For this to be worth the cost you absolutely need to use the ability at least twice and probably more. This also doesn't curve out very well. It's definitely a late game card when you have built up a board state or a number of disposable creatures. Because of that, it's not as cheap and fast as it looks.
Didn't Make the Cut
Dreamstealer has to have 1 power by design due to his ability. In cube, it is unlikely to make that larger due to the lack of pump spells and good equipment (no swords). This puts him in a weird place where he doesn't deal enough damage to be a threat and discarding one card a turn is slow but acceptable. The eternalize is finely costed but by the time you get to that your opponent likely won't have many cards in their hand making that a little misleading. Your opponent isn't discarding four cards every turn. This is great in regular limited but a little underpowered at every point along the line to be worth it in cube.
Rakazeth is an interesting reanimation target in that even if they have an answer, theoretically, you can find your own response or card to turn the tide of the game. In practice, having another creature is not free or guaranteed in a reanimation shell. They don't typically flood the board with fodder. That it's too expensive to actually hard cast makes this a reanimation only target and I don't really like to run those.
Didn't Make the Cut
Bontu's Last Reckoning is not very good. Three mana is inexpensive for a wrath, to be sure, but the cost comes at not being able to commit to the board the following turn. This means that your opponent has two full turns to resupply their board before you have a chance to respond. This, essentially, runs the very real risk of only delaying the inevitable as you are still going to be behind when you eventually do untap. Note also that none of your lands untap so if you used excess lands on another card those don't untap either. This is just too much commitment to save one colorless mana off of Damnation.
My love for modal spells doesn't quite stretch far enough to include a three mana edict effect or three mana discard spells. The difference between this and Supreme Will, above, is that these effects aren't amazing in cube at their normal mana costs so making them more expensive isn't worth the functionality of having both.
Didn't Make the Cut
Torment of Hailfire suffers from the common problem of giving your opponent options in how they want to handle the damage. This might be an X spell but it does not scale to your mana base. This is near unplayable at lower X costs and is still bad at certain board states at higher X costs. This is just too unreliable and easily played around.
In Out
I think I set my standards too high when I originally graded out Young Pyromancer. It only needs to make a couple of tokens in order to make it worth the cost. It's not going to win the game outright but it's a great piece in a deck with sacrifice effects or anthems. It's just a very flexible creature that works in a lot of different decks. I don't think this is the best two drop in red or anything but I do think it does enough to be included.
Magma Spray is the definition of a "fine" card. It has a job and it does it but only being able to hit creatures really limits its usefulness. Shock hasn't been a cube card for years and the exile isn't enough of a boon to override the lack of ability to hit players when you lack viable targets on the battlefield.
In Out
Abrade is the maindeck artifact removal spell that cube has been waiting for. Smash to Smithereens is much better at it but having an out when your opponent doesn't have an artifact is huge. Even though Abrade can't hit players it's still a massive upgrade over Smash to Smithereens because of the versatility it provides.
In Out
Earthshaker Khenra is on the lower end of two drops...I think. The can't block effect is very good on both halves of the card since this has haste. The body is underwhelming on both ends but I think it has enough going for it that it's going to be played more often than not. The small body actually works in its favor on the front side since you actually want it to die and if it actually trades in combat you are feeling great about it.
Vexing Devil has been fine but never really exists as a creature on turn one. It's just a 4 damage burn spell for R. There are times when the choice is interesting but it's never what you need it to be.
Burning-Fist Minotaur actually has pretty good stats as an aggressive two drop if the pump effect didn't require you to discard a card. As it is, the pump is too expensive when it costs both mana and a card while reanimator decks don't care about an aggressive two drop. It's in a weird spot in that it could be playable in cube but the competition is just too good.
As opposed to Young Pyromancer, Firebrand Archer is only good in the RU spells matter deck. My cube has a RU tempo theme which typically plays more creatures than your typical spells matter deck. This is great in multiples but in cube you don't have that luxury and with these factors combined I'm not too excited about it.
Didn't Make the Cut
Hour of Devastation is a five mana wrath in red. It's not good. I don't know why people think it is good. The indestructible and planeswalker clauses are irrelevant when you compare it to other similar spells that are already in cube in red and it just doesn't do anything that special.
Didn't Make the Cut
Ramunap Excavator is a terrible magic card. People are all excited about adding it to their cube so they can abuse Strip Mine. That's it. That's not fun. That's not interesting or interactive. In fact, that sounds like the worst and least entertaining idea I've ever heard of.
Pump spells lose so much value at sorcery speed because your opponent gets to declare blockers with full information. Because of that, Resilient Khenra loses a ton of steam. The other problem is that green isn't actively trying to win through aggro so it doesn't really fit into the usual strategy for green.
Didn't Make the Cut
Rhonas's Last Stand might be good enough in a cube supporting green aggro just because of how cheap it is and how much value there is in a 5/4 on turn two. However, the land untap clause really is that significant that even if your support the archetype, I'm not sure it's worth the cost. I don't support green aggro so it's an easy pass for me.
In Out
Mirage Mirror carries a whole lot of value for the continuous mana requirement. The fact that the copy does not retain the Mirror clause restricts what this can really do but being able to become the best creature on the table every turn is very strong. The mana input is a real cost but keep in mind that this dodges sorcery speed removal fairly well and copying an artifact/enchantment in cube is not irrelevant. The land probably is....but...I guess it can poorly mana fix you one out of every twenty games.
I haven't been impressed with Sword of the Animist. The pump isn't worth the cost and while getting lands out of the deck are nice, but it's not enough of a bonus to make this worthwhile. The decks that want equipment don't care about the ramp and the ones that do don't attack enough to really abuse this.
In Out
God-Pharaoh's Gift is a really unique effect and powerful to have in colorless. Being able to upgrade mana dorks to hastey 4/4 Zombies is a really nice effect and the fact that they remain the same creature makes this work well with all ETB effects and utility creatures as well. It's a little awkward when you bring back a creature larger than 4/4 but even then they usually have some sort of utility abilities that are still good on the smaller body. Not being able to hit your opponent's graveyard hurts this a lot as that usually ensured you were always live with something like Debtor's Knell. It also makes copies and exiles the card so you can't reuse the same creatures over and over, something else that Debtor's Knell could do. I've been wanting a card like Debtor's Knell back in cube for a while and I think this is worth testing out as even ramp decks play a fair number of creatures and it's a definite way to end a game. The risk, of course, is playing this and reanimating one creature or having an empty graveyard which is a colossal failure but it should come down late enough in a game to be worthwhile. This is a trial run.
Act of Aggression was fine until you played it in the aggro mirror and then it was just horrible. It always got sideboarded out because you couldn't afford the four life payment and five mana was too expensive for the effect. Instant speed was the only other thing going for it but it didn't come up as often as I thought it would. Add to that that mostly only red decks played this and it's time for a change.
Didn't Make the Cut
I like Sunset Pyramid but it's really mana intensive and slow. I thought about adding it in place of Crystal Ball but I'd rather have the continuous Scry 2 rather than pay more mana for Scry 1. The fact that it requires mana hamstrings your ability to actually cast the card you would draw with it which is also not in its favor.
In Out
The Scarab God is really strong. The return to your hand clause should play very well in cube. It would be too good to return to the battlefield and there are enough drawbacks returning it to your hand to balance it (don't get to use upkeep effect, uses up your mana so you can't cast things or use its ability immediately, can't attack). This is true for all three Hour of Devastation God cards. With the Scarab God, you get an exile effect from any graveyard that triggers its own ability that kills your opponent and gives you card advantage. Along with some ancillary zombies in black you have a really powerful ability. This is one of the better finishers in cube.
Ribbons of Night suffers a bit from people not realizing how good it is. For five mana you kill a creature, gain 4 life and draw a card. That's a lot of value even at sorcery speed. However, I'm the only person that ever plays it. That's part of the problem. On the other side, even for all of it does, five mana is a lot in cube for a removal spell that doesn't kill ubiquitously. It's a great pet card though.
Didn't Make the Cut
Samut might be the worst planeswalker ever printed. Ok, yes, obviously Tibalt is a worse card but this one has a much worse response as you read it. It's a great mana cost and good starting loyalty but then you go down the list and his plus and minus are just awful. His ultimate is fine but that's always the least important card of any planeswalker. Comparing this to something with high play variety like Arlinn Kord is ridiculous. Shame on you, Samut! You were better before you sparked!
In Out
The Locust God fits right into Izzet's ideology, pumping out evasive threats as you play the game and being able to make its own at instant speed. The loot ability is a little overpriced but when you factor in that you also make a 1/1 flying token every time you activate it, it becomes more palatable. This is just a better and more consistent finisher than Keranos even if it does cost one more.
Keranos was a little disappointing because it almost never turned into a creature. Seven devotion is an awful lot for Izzet decks to get up to. It's just not usually how they play out. They don't go wide on board, they ping you here and there until you are dead. As an enchantment that draws and bolts it's not bad but it takes a couple of turns to be worth the mana investment and not being able to control which you trigger really does matter when you are trying to finish out a game.
In Out
Bloodwater Entity is currently being underrated by the cube community. In the Izzet decks you will always have something in your graveyard for you to return and the evasive body is perfectly sized with prowess. Keep in mind that this returns something for you to trigger prowess with making this essentially a 3/3 guaranteed on the first attack. Even returning a counterspell and making your opponent play around it is a big game and the fact it comes with an evasive body is just fantastic. It fits right into the Izzet tempo decks and Izzet spells matters decks alike.
Turn // Burn was at its best when it was a two for one...obviously. Pick off a utility creature and destroy something attacking in combat. Or kill something in combat and then deal two to the face. All of the power was in actually making sure you got something out of Turn. The card might as well be Turn with kicker where it was REALLY important that you paid kicker. Just casting Burn did happen but not at the frequency that makes this good. I think this card is still fine but I'm pretty sure Bloodwater Entity will do more work on the average.
In Out
The Scorpion God is the kind of exciting finisher that draws people into a color combination. There isn't a ton of -1/-1 interactions in cube but being able to use his ability twice the turn after you cast it really bungles combat math for your opponent. It also picks off utility creatures while giving you card advantage on top of its huge recursive body. Way more interesting than Kolaghan.
Kolaghan attacks. That he sure does. He doesn't do anything else interesting though and I ask for more in my gold cards. Thanks Scorpion God! Sorry, The Scorpion God.
Didn't Make the Cut
Pride Sovereign is such a weird card. I'll give cat tribal a pass since that's actually a thing in Amonkhet block. What I can't give a pass is a card that gets incrementally larger the more you use it's ability that requires it to tap. You can't actually attack with this if you want to keep making it larger. The tokens have lifelink which makes me think this is actually better as a defensive card. However, it also only stays large if your cats stay around which means they aren't blocking anything. In which case, why did it get bigger if you aren't attacking or blocking with it?! It's just so odd. I get that the tapping and exert was done for balancing reasons but having to make the choice of more cats or attacking feels bad. This is an interesting decision but it's not a powerful one. This is also totally unplayable if you don't have the white mana.
Didn't Make the Cut
This iteration of Nicol Bolas goes up against Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker in a head to head duel to figure out which will represent Grixis. Point goes to new for an easier casting cost as the single black makes it playable in more than just a base black deck and for costing 7 as opposed to 8. New gets another point for 2 more starting loyalty than original. 2-0 new. Old NB gets its first point for plus abilities as it builds faster and with a more significant plus ability. 2-1 New. I'm going to give the old NB a point for minus abilities but note that it's fairly close. Mind Control is a stronger ability than 7 on the surface but 7 to the face can just end a game. The difference is that old NB can minus twice in a row whereas new NB is sometimes just an expensive removal spell. I'd rather own the creature than kill it. We are at a 2-2 tie moving to the ultimate. Old NB ultimate is way, way cooler than just a board wipe and it gets there faster than new NB does. That finishes us at 3-2 with a win for Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker which leaves our new God-Pharaoh on the sidelines. Thanks for playing and I'll see you in Ixalan, folks.
Even disappointing sets have their fair share of cube cards and, if nothing else, provide plenty of interesting discussion. The debate really is my favorite part sometimes. I have a really good feeling about pirate and dinosaur land, Ixalan coming up next and you should too! I also have a couple of cards from Commander 2017 to throw in there for spice. I just want to let those cards marinate for a little bit before I make decisions on them. Have fun cubing in the interim!
