Dominaria is one of the best sets I've seen in years. Wizards was able to take a theme that critically failed once upon a time (Legendary) and turn it into a functional and really fun set with some very powerful cards. Somewhat surprisingly, that doesn't translate into a home run set for cube. Instead, it's been more like a ground rule double. We have a bunch of cards that are only slight upgrades and very few must includes. That said, there are a lot of cards that are difficult to asses properly and might end up being better in the long run that it first appears. A couple of notes about the themes in Dominaria before we get going. Firstly, no legendary sorceries will be considered because it's much too difficult to control a legendary creature in cube. It's just not reliable enough to justify including those cards. Secondly, historic matters cards are also not being considered as, again, it's much too hard to turn them on in cube. If your cube has an artifact subtheme, this becomes much more realistic and I've chosen a couple cards to discuss that encapsulate that. Also, as a surprise bonus I'll be covering the Two Headed Giant set Battlebond. My cube is rarely played in teams so I won't be considering many of the cards as that is the obvious set goal but there are a couple of interesting ones to discuss. With that out of the way, let's go back to Dominaria!
In Out
Lyra Dawnbringer is essentially a functional reprint of Baneslayer Angel. The only difference is that she is legendary (irrelevant in cube) and her "flavor text" abilities are different. There has been exactly one game in the history of cube where Baneslayer Angel having protection from Demons/Dragons has been relevant (also, I don't like protection as an ability anyway). There just aren't a large density of those creatures in cube. Lyra Dawnbringer on the other hand does have a number of other Angels present in the white section. This is a small upgrade but an upgrade nonetheless. For those wondering why I don't run both Lyra and Baneslayer, it's simple. The card(s) don't do anything interesting except be a large beat stick. That's good but it's not something I want a ton of in this slot, especially when it would necessitate cutting something that has a lot of variety of play to it. The other options for white finishers are just more interesting, resilient and better.
In Out
Dauntless Bodyguard is probably the best 2/1 for W in cube. The ability to function as a protective barrier around a late game threat makes this card very good in not only aggro lists but midrange as well. It's one of the few one drops in white that retains its value over the course of an entire game and the ability to be impactful if its not in the opening hand is something aggro decks really covet.
Dragon Hunter is out as the least impactful 2/1 for W in the list. It's ability never came up once in its time. As a happy side effect, I eliminated another card with protection! I'm also happy with the density of white one drops so I don't think I want to cut something at a different spot in the curve for it.
Didn't Make the Cut
The best part about Knight of Grace is its casting cost. In the past, this card would have costed WW and it would have been a hard sell. Unfortunately, the power here is in randomly playing against a black deck or actively playing BW yourself. If this is consistently a 3/2 first strike for 1W with marginal upside it's probably making the cut. However, I don't like cards whose power is entirely dependent on the colors your opponent is playing. It makes for feel bad moments and salt. Also hexproof.
The worst part about Benalish Marshal is its casting cost. In the past, this card would have costed 2WW (Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon") and it would have been a hard sell. Unfortunately, WWW is a real cost and upgrading the body from a 2/2 to a 3/3 doesn't do enough to make up for that. Yes, this is arguably better played later in the game because you already have a board presence but there is a difference between strategically holding a card for maximum value and being unable to cast one. Sometimes you just have to run this out there on an empty/small board and only having WW in your pool will be crippling. Also, this card leads to blowouts when removal is used mid-combat. You really want your anthems to be a bit more protected than just 3 toughness.
Didn't Make the Cut
Seal Away looks like a great removal spell but in reality it isn't very good at all compared to the other options cube has. Flash looks good until you realize that the only reason its on the card is to make it functionally work. Yes, it lets you take out attackers mid combat but that's only if they are committed to attacking. Against a defensive deck, this is a stone cold blank. Aggro shells that need cheap removal like this cannot use it to take out blockers making this only playable in control where it's taking out small threats. It doesn't stand up.
Sagas are difficult to grade out. It's like trying to decipher planeswalkers for the first time. You are getting small, incremental value spread out over a couple of turns. The question being if you are getting enough value over the course of the time the card spends in play. The difference between the two is that Sagas are set to expire after a couple of turns and you have no options to choose from, things just happen for better or worse. That said, it's also much harder for an opponent to interrupt. They can't be attacked or dealt damage so aside from enchantment removal you are looking at guaranteed value. The value here is one 2/2 vigilance token over two turns followed by a single telegraphed attack with two 4/3 vigilant tokens. Token making is very powerful and even small tokens lend their weight very effectively to a game plan. I don't think the knight clause is terribly relevant although white does have a couple incidental knights floating around the cube. My gut says this doesn't do quite enough without the prospect of a bigger alpha strike or more impactful tokens.
Didn't Make the Cut
Arena Rector is a powerful card as there are plenty of sacrifice outlets available to guarantee you getting any planeswalker in play on turn four. However, I'm not in favor of adding cards that make it easier for the game to be all about planeswalkers. They already warp the game when they are in play and I don't think increasing the consistency of getting planeswalkers in play from your deck makes for the best magic you can have.
Brightling is really interesting but ultimately doesn't make for good game play...let me explain. You want to play Brightling in a heavy white deck to be able to cast it with protection. That means 1WWW. After that, you have to dedicate multiple white if you want to take advantage of its abilities...none of which grant evasion. While this is good on an empty board it's purely defensive with any creatures larger than 2/2 in play. The lifelink is best at gaining 1 or 2 life after boosting toughness while blocking making this a much better card in control where you want to be keeping your mana open instead of curving out. This isn't a win condition like AEtherling is where you cast it and win the game because you dedicate the rest of your mana to it. This requires a ton of mana to sit there and act as a wall that picks off small creatures. The lack of evasion really makes this almost unplayable in aggro decks. I'm taking a hard stance here but I think its correct. This card looks way better than it is which is a shame because I love 'ling creatures.
Brightling is really interesting but ultimately doesn't make for good game play...let me explain. You want to play Brightling in a heavy white deck to be able to cast it with protection. That means 1WWW. After that, you have to dedicate multiple white if you want to take advantage of its abilities...none of which grant evasion. While this is good on an empty board it's purely defensive with any creatures larger than 2/2 in play. The lifelink is best at gaining 1 or 2 life after boosting toughness while blocking making this a much better card in control where you want to be keeping your mana open instead of curving out. This isn't a win condition like AEtherling is where you cast it and win the game because you dedicate the rest of your mana to it. This requires a ton of mana to sit there and act as a wall that picks off small creatures. The lack of evasion really makes this almost unplayable in aggro decks. I'm taking a hard stance here but I think its correct. This card looks way better than it is which is a shame because I love 'ling creatures.
In Out
Into the Roil is a really good cube card because it serves different purposes in tempo or control shells and at different points of the game. I'm kind of just explaining kicker but it's really the fact that both modes are so affordable and efficient. I'm definitely in the market for functional reprint like this but don't want the content of bounce spells to get too high as they aren't a permanent solution to a problem and the cube wants a good mix.
The only advantage that Boomerang has that most bounce spells don't is the ability to hit lands. That has come up about once in all the time its seen play in cube. It wasn't fun for anyone when it did happen either. The double blue in the casting cost isn't worth the minor upside when you don't have four copies in your deck that lets you repeatedly bounce the same land while you get multiple drops ahead on mana.
Spellseeker is a really sweet toolbox card that leaves behind a little body that can act as a chump blocker or sacrifice outlet. It hits a staggering amount of spells from my cube and that's not including what it does for powered cubes that run things like Balance, Time Walk, Mind Twist, etc. The active targets in my cube in each color are 9W, 17U, 20B, 16R, 8G, 8 Gold. That's an awful lot of cards to choose from and the effects are varied. Removal, burn, reanimation, counterspells, card draw, ramp, etc. It does quite a lot and that's not including the fact that it triggers on reanimation and blink.
Sea Gate Oracle is a better blocker than Spellseeker but your options are just so much less. Yes, it can get any card in your deck but whiffing is a real thing when you look at two lands and grimace. Spellseeker is guaranteed to get you gas and that more than makes up for the lack of two toughness. It's not like Sea Gate Oracle had aggro decks shaking in their boots due to its blocking prowess in the first place.
In Out
Spellseeker is a really sweet toolbox card that leaves behind a little body that can act as a chump blocker or sacrifice outlet. It hits a staggering amount of spells from my cube and that's not including what it does for powered cubes that run things like Balance, Time Walk, Mind Twist, etc. The active targets in my cube in each color are 9W, 17U, 20B, 16R, 8G, 8 Gold. That's an awful lot of cards to choose from and the effects are varied. Removal, burn, reanimation, counterspells, card draw, ramp, etc. It does quite a lot and that's not including the fact that it triggers on reanimation and blink.
Sea Gate Oracle is a better blocker than Spellseeker but your options are just so much less. Yes, it can get any card in your deck but whiffing is a real thing when you look at two lands and grimace. Spellseeker is guaranteed to get you gas and that more than makes up for the lack of two toughness. It's not like Sea Gate Oracle had aggro decks shaking in their boots due to its blocking prowess in the first place.
In Out
Will Kenrith is basically a super sized Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. For one more mana you get a plus that adds an extra loyalty while targeting an extra creature. Sure, they can act as blockers but we are going into full control mode here. The minus is a much more consistent and pleasing two cards and the cost restriction is not irrelevant when you think about the fact that the following turn you will have three new cards in your hand to cast. If any of them are reduced, it goes a long way towards dropping multiple threats. Tamiyo's ultimate is definitely better but those are gravy abilities in the first place and it's not like Will's is awful as copying a spell you cast is still cool and powerful...it just doesn't necessarily win the game when it happens like Tamiyo's does. My only regrets here are a push towards being a true control card as opposed to fitting in multiple shells and that I just don't care at all about who this idiot is. I at least like Tamiyo as a character....I know, I know...first world magic problems.
Didn't Make the Cut
Best case scenario for Tempest Djinn is casting it on turn three with three Islands and you have a much harder to cast Serendib Efreet that doesn't cost you life over the long game. Of course, what it does do over the game is grow in size. However, the casting cost is just too prohibitive. Mono blue tempo decks don't exist as they always have a secondary color to provide removal and what not. The better your mana is in those decks the worse this card gets as it only pumps for basic islands, not lands that create blue. Add in that this loses a ton of value the later in the game it's casted (Unlike Benalish Marshal, above) and you have something that is just too unreliable and low impact.
Time of Ice is a potentially very powerful card in the right tempo deck. You spend two turns removing either threats or potential blockers from your way before returning at least those to hand. I also like that the third trigger won't return your own attacking creatures because it triggers at the end of the draw step, after you have already untapped. It can also make your opponent think twice about attacking with anything else lest those also get returned to hand. The only thing holding this back is that four is a lot of mana for a card that is only going to be good in tempo shells and only over the course of three turns. Control decks would much rather just have a sweeper or an advantageous removal spell at this cost. Ultimately, it has a nice effect but it's a bad combination of too slow, expensive and narrow for cube.
Didn't Make the Cut
Fumble is a bounce spell with upside but has the unfortunate downside of only hitting creatures. One of the upsides of bounce is being able to return troublesome enchantments/planeswalkers/artifacts at the end of your opponents turn and be able to counter them when you have available mana. This is especially true in blue because it doesn't have good answers for noncreature spells once they have resolved, having to rely on other colors to deal with troublesome cards. The upside of gaining control of Auras/Equipment isn't going to be relevant in cube unless you are running swords and are really looking to punish people for playing them. Taking swords out of my cube was seriously the best design decision I've ever made because you don't have to waste slots on things just because they exist in the environment.
In Out
Jossu Vess is a nice card that will fit into many shells as an efficient body with evasion. The upside of the kicker shouldn't come into play in many situations but when it does it will probably win the game outright.
I really wanted Disciple of Bolas to do more than it did but I've just been so disappointed in it. The main problem is I never have a creature that I want to sacrifice to its ability. Part of this problem is because as a vanilla 2/1, Disciple of Bolas is worthless as a body and it can't sacrifice itself in a pinch. That means you have to have good value on the sacrifice ability. If your hand is empty and you have a big threat, you don't want to get rid of it for the prospect of more cards and sacrificing tiny creatures is hardly worthwhile. You might not need to actually draw too many cards for this to be worth its cost but it never feels like it is. That part is important because it leads to this, for right or wrong, not being played in any maindecks. Instead, its relegated to sideboard duty against white decks reliant on Pacifism effects. If its not getting played it's time to shake something up.
In Out
The trade off for Despise to Divest is the ability to hit artifacts as opposed to planeswalkers at the same cost (as both hit creatures). This is actually a much more significant upgrade than you might think at first glance as black as no actual way to answer artifacts once they hit play without adding a secondary color. There are a couple of spells that outright kill planeswalkers in black and this provides a unique effect that it really appreciates.
In Out
Cast Down is just another cheap, efficient removal spell that is splashable and black is always in the market for those. I think this fills the quota of this type of effect though as I don't want the removal density to be too high.
I honestly didn't even know that Urborg was in my list. It doesn't do anything. It's mana fixing for heavy black decks which is...fine...I guess. It just isn't accomplishing anything. There are very few decks that ever get played that get better because they drafted an Urborg.
In Out
Rite of Belzenlok does a lot that black wants to do, it's just so durdly. If you are in the black sacrifice deck though, I'm pretty sure this is the card you want to open. Getting four tokens over two turns is quite a bit and black is in the need of more sacrifice fodder cards. The fact that this gives you a 6/6 win condition afterwards is nice but a little awkward as the drawback is significant. Again, you can always sacrifice the 6/6 in those decks if you want to as well. The 0/1 tokens obviously aren't a threat in combat but they do a nice combination of buying you time and synergizing with the color strategies that I want to at least give it a trial run.
Enslave is still a powerful ability but it doesn't fit into what black is trying to do and the life loss bonus doesn't make up for the excessive casting cost. It's very bad against aggro or mid-range and super awkward against utility creatures whose power is tied into their CITP effects. There is a reason I don't run Mind Control in blue, it's just too expensive for what you get. Cube isn't regular limited.
Enslave is still a powerful ability but it doesn't fit into what black is trying to do and the life loss bonus doesn't make up for the excessive casting cost. It's very bad against aggro or mid-range and super awkward against utility creatures whose power is tied into their CITP effects. There is a reason I don't run Mind Control in blue, it's just too expensive for what you get. Cube isn't regular limited.
Didn't Make the Cut
For comments on why Knight of Malice didn't make the cut, see Knight of Grace, above.
Dread Shade suffers from the same pitfalls as Tempest Djinn does, above with the further complication that black doesn't even support an aggro strategy in my cube. If mono black and aggro are supported in your lists then this might be an interesting pickup, especially if things like Nantuko Shade perform well.
Didn't Make the Cut
Belzenlok fits perfectly into the slot of black finisher, along with the other cards that are already at that slot. This is an evasive threat that essentially replaces itself when cast. I can't imagine ever drawing more than a card or two off of this and as such, it just doesn't do enough compared to the existing threats that effect the board or are more resilient.
Vicious Offering is a flavorful and interesting removal spell that would slot nicely into many sacrifice shells. Ultimately, at two mana, it's just more expensive and restrictive then straight up cube worthy removal spells like Cast Down, seen above.
Didn't Make the Cut
Unlike with Rite of Belzenok, in order to get your money's worth here you really need to hit on the first and second abilities in conjunction while having your opponent coincidentally not have any artifact creatures. The third ability is actively worst in a black deck and you have another cost. This could cost BBB and it wouldn't be very good.
Fungal Infection does a lot for a single black mana. Messing up combat math and providing a sacrificial body is no small feat. The competition is too strong overall for a card that really needs to remove a creature with the -1/-1 to be worth the spot and that's just not a guarantee.
In Out
Hazoret is a beast. I definitely underestimated the combination of his ability and how he turns into a creature. The fact that it's very realistic for this to be a creature on turn four and that the haste is actually relevant at any point during the game make this a huge threat. It's very difficult for your opponent to react to.
Firedrinker Satyr is a fine one drop but, like Jackal Pup before it, the damage ability makes it a very awkward topdeck if you aren't way ahead. The pump ability isn't very good as it's so expensive (both mana and life) and even for all-in aggro decks it's just not worth the multiple costs.
Didn't Make the Cut
Verix Bladwing is a nice mono-red play on Broodmate Dragon and I think in slower cubes that are able to run more four drops she is definitely good enough. As it is, however, I would rather stick with the varied threats that I currently have a glut at the position and that's without running a card I would like to add in Pia and Kiran Nalaar. This, when you come right down to it, is just an evasive beater. The other cards are more interesting and have more play to them.
Goblin Chainwhirler suffers from being a boring card at a really restrictive mana cost. Like all the other cards in this cycle, it's fine but you have to play it on curve to maximize its effectiveness. Fortunately for it, red is the one color where this is likely to actually happen due to the propensity of mono-red in the format. So why is this not included? Firstly, the mana cost makes it ONLY playable in that deck. I'd rather have cards that are good there and elsewhere more. Secondly, this doesn't have evasion and the body is just okay for what you are paying. If your mono red decks are having a lot of trouble fighting off token decks then I can see this being good in your list. That's not really an issue in mine so the ping ability is just okay.
Didn't Make the Cut
Jaya is a weird planeswalker. She's incredibly difficult to cast and has one extremely specific ability. She is probably very good in a spells matter deck but I struggle to think of any other deck that would actually want to run her. She doesn't impact the board or provide card advantage (only selection). She's very much a card with constructed consistency in mind and not limited variance. As such, she really doesn't have a home in most cubes.
For our second disappointing red planeswalker, we get Rowan Kenrith. She's expensive, only affects the board conditionally (based on toughness and being tapped) and her plus ability does literally nothing in 1v1. Just completely unplayable.
For our second disappointing red planeswalker, we get Rowan Kenrith. She's expensive, only affects the board conditionally (based on toughness and being tapped) and her plus ability does literally nothing in 1v1. Just completely unplayable.
In Out
I think Territorial Allosaurus is probably a transitional mainstay as it's not much better than the other parade of 5/5 for 2GG creatures that green has had in the past. The fight ability is realistic to trigger and if only a mana away it is reasonable to either cast or wait for a land depending on board state. It does have some play to it. Ultimately, it's good but unexciting/uninteresting and those are usually the ones on the chopping block for future goodies.
Let me get this out of the way that I think Thrun, the Last Troll is one of green's better four drops. I'm cutting it because games involving Thrun slow to a crawl and become incredibly noninteractive. Thrun is almost impossible to kill either inside or outside of combat. It just stays there as a huge Abyss against aggro and near unbeatable win condition against control. It's just not fun or interactive and blue based control doesn't have a stranglehold on my cube like it does in other people's lists where this serves a very important balancing purpose.
In Out
Speaking of future goodies and Territorial Allosaurus being boring and unexciting!!! Bramble Sovereign can do some really cool stuff while still interacting favorably in combat. Given the choice between an efficient but unexciting card and an efficient card that will sometimes do really cool stuff, the choice is clear. Note that you can technically give your opponents multiple copies of a creature they bring back if it has some sort of hilarious drawback.
In Out
While looking through the green and red sections I noticed that they both needed a bit of a push in color identity, especially together (something I'm still working on with Gruul...no solutions yet). I noticed that green fits perfectly with white and black with tokens and then realized I wasn't running one of the best token making cards printed in Sprout Swarm. Oversight corrected.
Tangle is a cute combat trick but that's just not where decks want to be in cube. It could lead to a blowout but didn't fit into many green decks. Sprout Swarm is just more cohesive with what green is trying to do.
Didn't Make the Cut
I've never cared for cards that are dependent on the number of lands you control because they end up being worthless to cheat into play, you just have to end up casting them. As it is, Multani is an "evasive" threat who is difficult to kill through normal removal as you should always have the lands to return. You might not be able to cast this right away if this happens before you get to seven mana though. This just doesn't stand up to the other green finishers. It's slow, has to attack to function and while the recursion is nice, it doesn't take over a game when you have to cast it on curve.
Everything already said about the cycle of CCC creatures reviewed earlier can be extended to Steel Leaf Champion. It's a boring beatstick that has to be played on curve to maximize usefulness but it's mana cost makes that very difficult outside of a mono colored deck that rarely actually comes together and the power of the card doesn't stand up to its restrictiveness. Phew, got there.
Didn't Make the Cut
I actually rather like Untamed Kavu for aggro decks as it provides a reasonable body early and an actual threat later, as is the power of kicker. Green aggro decks don't really exist in my cube so it find itself in an awkward spot of having trouble making main decks where it doesn't really fit the themes.
Saproling Migration is not quite Sprout Swarm, seen above. It's just really fairly balanced. It's good at making tokens and if you are in the need for more of that effect you could do worse but I'm happy I added Sprout Swarm instead.
Didn't Make the Cut
It's unfortunate that according to the way the rules work you cannot cast this for the land ability without also have a target for the Naturalize effect as well. I'd rather have the instant speed than have marginal upside.
Grothama is a pretty cool card. It's massively oversized for the cost but completely lacks evasion. Also, in order for your opponent to actually kill it in combat they need to trade at least two creatures with four power. Of course, if they do do that they get to draw a million cards which sounds terrible. It's a really weird card that has only downside since you aren't dealing 8 damage to it by yourself unless you have the greatest Earthquake turn of all time. Note that there is also completely the possibility that your opponent doesn't want to kill it and it just acts as an Abyss until they draw a removal spell. So weird. Not good. Just weird and cool.
Grothama is a pretty cool card. It's massively oversized for the cost but completely lacks evasion. Also, in order for your opponent to actually kill it in combat they need to trade at least two creatures with four power. Of course, if they do do that they get to draw a million cards which sounds terrible. It's a really weird card that has only downside since you aren't dealing 8 damage to it by yourself unless you have the greatest Earthquake turn of all time. Note that there is also completely the possibility that your opponent doesn't want to kill it and it just acts as an Abyss until they draw a removal spell. So weird. Not good. Just weird and cool.
In Out
Karn is a card advantage machine with a ton of loyalty and variety in play. You will typically play the +1 ability first to replace itself but after that it's entirely dependent on board state and what cards were revealed with the plus ability. That variety in play is what I'm looking for with planeswalkers. The fact that it has three interchangeable abilities instead of an ultimate works in its favor here as it can do different things not only from turn to turn but from game to game. I also like that the token making ability is not a plus as that would quickly be the only thing you ever do.
It turns out that Crew 3 is just a little bit too much and this only ever served as a mana rock. The color fixing was nice but I have enough mana rocks in the cube that I won't miss removing one for a pretty huge upgrade in power.
Didn't Make the Cut
As discussed before, Crew 3 is a big ask and while this provides an evasive threat, it does nothing without being Crewed. The historic trigger loses a lot of value in cube where the actual hits are few and far between. This is just too big of an ask.
Traxos is probably very good in a dedicated artifact deck that many cubes are able to put together. You only need to attack once or twice with this to make it more than worth the cost. My cube just doesn't have the density of artifacts or supported artifact strategy to make this shine.
Didn't Make the Cut
I'm not currently running a planeswalker in Azorius and I don't think Teferi is the one to crack through. I really need a planeswalker that is playable in both control and tempo as those are the two UW supported archetypes. Unfortunately, Teferi is a bit expensive and only really good in control where you can make use of the untapped mana in the plus ability. The tuck ability is good but very expensive and it's likely he dies after using it once. Just too expensive and low impact.
Raff is a victim of not being able to have a high enough density of historic spells for his flash ability to be relevant. It's a shame because he's very close without it but I don't like adding cards that seem like build arounds that actually don't have that functionality. It leads to misleading draft strategies for those less familiar with the list and that's not fun for anyone.
In Out
Aryel fits right into BW token and midrange strategies as an aggressively costed army in a can that isn't quite as slow as it looks due to how well vigilance works with the tap abilities. You don't ever have to take a turn off attacking to trigger these abilities and the knight tokens also have vigilance so they can still attack and be tapped with the black ability. With not supporting black aggro I can see this on the lower end of the combo but for now this is worth testing out.
Ashen Rider is just too hard to ever cast outside of being reanimated and I don't like running cards whose only role is to be cheated into play. When things go wrong they just sit in your hand for days getting bad reviews. The ability was powerful but nobody is going to miss this thing.
In Out
Garna is a much more reliable and flexible threat as opposed to Tymaret (see below). She functions in so many different ways. You can cast her at the end of your opponent's turn and follow up with a creature for a ton of surprise damage due to flash and haste. You can flash her in midcombat to eat a body and still do that too. You can flash her in after combat or after removal to return whatever died. You can flash after sacrificing your dudes to recoup your losses and then cast those creatures with haste. Five mana is not cheap and the body isn't huge but there is so much blowout potential here, especially with the diversity of threats that cube provides.
I really like Tymaret on principle but in practice he's just so mana intensive. Having to have access to both colors of mana to really work also inhibit his effectiveness. If he could hit creatures with his plus ability or if he returned to play instead of your hand with his black ability he would be much more appealing but as it is, it's just really slow and uses too many resources to be reliably effective a high enough percentage of the time. You have to have a board presence and a wealth of available mana of the right colors in order for this to shine.
Jund
In Out
Darigaaz's only competition for the Jund slot is currently Hellkite Overlord and this is both easier to cast and a mana cheaper. The recursive element of it is very slow but you aren't going to have regeneration mana available the turn you cast Hellkite Overlord anyway. If you untap with either of these still in play and actually get to attack twice the game is just over in either cast. There isn't a functional difference between a 7/7 and an 8/8 since they have the same abilities and the firebreathing on Hellkite Overlord is never actually required. It usually just ends the game when it comes into play. I expect the same thing to happen with Darigaaz Reincarnated except that it will get hardcasted a turn earlier.
Didn't Make the Cut
Muldrotha's competition in Sultai is against cube all-star Tasigur and while I really like the ability on Muldrotha, Tasigur has been extremely impressive and a really nice way to push someone towards three colors with a card they will actually draft highly as opposed to things like Muldrotha which people will just avoid on mana cost alone until Pack 3.
If I've learned anything over the course of this post it's been that I want to go back and check the thematic identity of all the colors and guilds and make sure that I am supporting the strategies that I want drafted and played. I feel good about some colors and guilds (White, Blue, Rakdos, Boros) but there are some others that I think could use a little closer inspection (Red, Green, Gruul). I think the main color cards need to be focused on making certain strategies draftable and the gold cards need to punch your drafter in the face and tell them what's possible. It just makes for a really positive drafting experience. I don't think I'm too far off but some massaging might be in order here and there. We'll see what happens. We have a core set next for some (probably) generic goodies before returning to Ravnica for a couple sets. I'm really hoping that some of the guilds that are less well defined get a clear focus while we are on Ravnica for the third time. I'll wait to do my massaging once we see what the gold set provides. Until next time, have fun cubing!
