Cube Drafting this Saturday, April 30th!

We're Cube Drafting again!

We'll be drafting some of the best of both past and present Magic has to offer. We're talking most of the Power 9, Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain, Figure of Destiny, Force of Will, Noble Hierarch, Steel Hellkite, and many others!

Entry fee will be $2, and we'll start at 11:00 AM. Prizes will come from pack splits of either Rise of the Eldrazi, Scars of Mirrodin, and/or Mirrodin Beseiged (whichever one(s) we prefer and depending on total entry fee).


This will be a strict 11:00 start time. Drafts take time, and that's before deckbuilding. We need whatever time we can get to do the draft.

I don't know how I'll do the draft (how many cards per "pack", minimum deck size, stuff like that).

We'll run the tournament as so: Everyone plays first round, with matchups being determined randomly. After first round, the winning players go into a "bracket" of their own and the rest have their own "bracket." Matchpus will be randomized again within "brackets" and play continues single elimination style, with matchups being determined randomly if they are not already set (for example, last round is set at 2 players, so no randomization is needed). The winners of each bracket get their highest possible position (for 1st round winners, that's 1st place. For others, it depends on how many players are in the 1st round winners' bracket).

E-mail or post here if you have any questions.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Cube Draft Saturday!

Sorry for the late post. I got lazy during the weekend and since just flat forgot to post it.

We will be Cube Drafting this Saturday! It'll include some Scars of Mirrodin cards, as well as some nice, powerful additions and blingy replacements.

If you want to see some of the Power 9 in action, or some nice foil Fetchlands, or even a Beta Black Knight or Demonic Tutor, be sure to come by Saturday.

I will warn, a few cards will make guaranteed appearances in the packs this time around. I'll leave it to you to figure which cards. ;)

We hope to see you Saturday!

Cube Poll 2: Brainstorm Version Poll

Hey guys!

Well, by a score of 1-0, Lotus Bloom beat Lion's Eye Diamond for preference in the Cube. So unless I get more input of which would be a better add-in for the Cube, I'm gonna keep Lotus Bloom until I maybe get a Black Lotus.

This Cube Draft poll is pretty simple: Brainstorm will stay in the Cube, but which version would you prefer?

The options are pictured below (all pictures come from MagicCards.info):

A)

 B)

 C)

 D)

(The promo version, D, is the only foil version available)

In a reply here or in an E-mail, select option A, B, C, or D. The version with the highest total gets preference.

Thanks for your input!

Cube Draft Version Poll #1: Lotus Bloom vs. Lion's Eye Diamond

Here's the first in a series I'm hoping to do to help us with keeping the Cube going strong and healthy.

Every so often, usually once a week, I'll post a poll asking about either A) preferred versions of cards in the Cube, B) Replacements vs. what's in the cube currently, or C) preferred "proxies" of cards that should be in the Cube.

This first poll takes the last option: The preferred proxy for a card that should be in.

I don't have a Black Lotus...yet. But we can get awful close to it with a few cards in the game.

The card I've got in right now is Lotus Bloom:

Lotus Bloom is literally the Suspend version of Black Lotus. Suspend it, and 3 turns later you get a Black Lotus. The only problem is speed: In the late game, Lotus Bloom could be a dead draw.

On the other hand, we've got this to consider for replacement...

Lion's Eye Diamond has the same "get into play QUICK" speed as Black Lotus, but at a steep cost early: you have to discard your entire hand.

BUT...with enough good mana-costing abilities on permanents you've got, and late in the game, it could be worth the hand discard, especially when you could use it the turn it comes down.

So what do you all think? Does Lotus Bloom stay, or do we want to try Lion's Eye Diamond?

Put up a post below and I'll count up the responses in the next week or two.

Until then, take care!

Opinions Wanted: Cube Draft Changes?

Hey guys!
  I want to get some feel on what you feel our Cube needs in order to move it forward and get some variety into the format.

  Currently, blue reigns supreme. The reason it wasn't supported too well this last draft? Because we all had to make a conscious decision to pass up Blue cards. It seems like it didn't matter what Blue cards went around, we had to force ourselves into other colors.

  So what I want, using specific card examples, is:

  1) How can we punish Blue a bit more?
  2a) Is control in general (not just in Blue) too much of an influence? If so, what control-type cards always seem to make it in?
  2b) What aggro/combo cards would you suggest adding to the Cube to help combat control cards?
  3) Is there any effect that's normally "off color" (i.e.: Not normal for that color) that you'd like to see? If so, what is an example(s) of it?


I'm already planning changes for the next cube, including:

1) Taking out cards that never hit the Main Decks. There's no point in including cards that always get put off to the side.
2) Adding Scars of Mirrodin cards, including all 3 Planeswalkers, Molten-Tail Masticore, and Mimic Vat.
3) Replacing Lotus Bloom with another 0-mana artifact that makes 3 of any one color. (sorry to get your hopes up, but it's not that card. Though I am shooting to get one eventually. :)  )
4) Upgrades to current cards, like an original Rorix Bladewing, foil Urza's Saga Avalanched Riders, and a fairly nice upgrade to a dual land.


Any help is greatly appreciated! Let's make the Cube something that's fun no matter when and how we draft. :)

Cube Draft 4 Next Saturday!

Well, apparently we just love the Cube. Yay! That means we get to do this more often, and I'm definitely not opposed to that.

November 13th will be our 4th Cube Draft. The rules are simple: I'll make "Packs" of 15-25 cards each built from certain cards from my collection. We'll draft with 3 "Packs" like we would if we had opened 3 packs of any set. We'll follow our normal draft rules (except no picking a card you "open").

The entry fee will be $2, and prizes will come from Scars of Mirrodin pack splits.


As always, I'll have some additions and replacements to the Cube. For example...

1) A special version of Lightning Bolt.
2) A red Mythic gets a foil upgrade.
3) The oldest, cheapest Black land destruction.
4) One new Mox...but which one??


Guess you'll have to play on the 13th to find out that and more. See ya then!

Video Editing Not Cooperating

I'm working on the Cube Draft 3 videos, but my editing software's apparently giving me fits. :(  I've got Part 1 of Round 1 posted, though:





Enjoy Part 1 as I get the others worked on Friday. :)

Cube Poll: Edition Preferences of Older Cards

(NOTE: All pictures come from http://magiccards.info 's database except the From the Vaults Sol Ring, which is from Kelley Reid of QuietSpeculation.com ) 

Good day, everyone!

Today I want to get a feel for how people feel about the Cube Drafting. Specifically, I'm curious how I should be updating the Cube with different versions of cards.

The Cube is interesting because not only does it represent the general best of Magic but also the personalities of the players who build and play it. Does the person building it love broken cards? In go Time Walk, Sol Ring, Winter Orb, Yawgmoth's Will, etc. Does the player base love newer power cards? Grave Titan, Enclave Cryptologist, and others might be fairly plentiful.

But one thing all Cubists agree on is "We want our Cube to be uber-pimp!!!"

So then we go...what's cool enough to be "pimp"?

Let's take, for example, Black Knight.

I think we can all agree that a card as classic as Black Knight shouldn't have its M10/M11 artwork in the Cube unless there's no way around it:

New modernistic art and reminder text? For the Cube...BLECH!

And ever since White Bordered cards were introduced, "1337" players have hated White Bordered cards, so any version in a Core Set after Beta and not a promo is out:

Nice...if it were black bordered. :(

So what is cool enough to make it in? Generally...

A) Killer artwork, even if it's on a newer-framed card.

B) Foils.

C) The oldest version available in Black Borders (when not ridiculously high in price).

For Black Knight, then, that leaves two versions:

1) Alpha/Beta

2) An FNM Foil with this older artwork and no reminder text:

This may be fairly easy. I'd be tempted to go with Alpha as that's the oldest printing. BUT...if I wanted to "bling" the deck out and be super-shiny wherever possible, I'd be tempted to go with the FNM promo (especially since it uses the original artwork and is still old bordered).

Now let's introduce Sol Ring in.

Sol Ring's had 3 versions available:

1) Alpha/Beta/Unlimited/Revised (here, White Border is pretty well a necessity since Alpha/Beta versions are too expensive, but the older the better, even if it's White Bordered):

The oldest White-Bordered (read: "reasonably priced") Sol Ring from Unlimited.

Then, you've got the Judge Promo. Even though it's the newer 8th Edition border/framing, it's the iconic artwork from Alpha with a beautiful foil artifact frame.

Iconic Art + Foil New-Frame Artifact = ZOMG!!!

AND THEN...we've got the new From the Vault: Relics version with new art but still looking sexy as all get out.

DAMN!!! Stop making sexy foil artwork, Wizards!

I think you see the dilemma now among Cube builders. When we go to upgrade the Cube to its absolute best, we go "...so which version is best? Which one will WOW! my players, maybe even influencing if they'll even play it and build around it in order to get it to work?"

So here's the poll:

If I'm looking to update the Cube for you all and I'm battling between different versions of cards, what's your order of preference of what's considered "cool"/"pimp"/"shiny"?

1) Old Cards with Black Borders: The older, the better...especially if the card's older than me!

2) Foil Cards: Ohh, shiny!!!!  *drools* I don't care if it's new art or new border or whatever, just...SHINY!!!

3) Whatever works: The card's function doesn't change just because it's Old or Foil, so it doesn't matter to me.

Just leave a comment or E-mail me directly (cardgamenut@gmail.com) and let your voice be heard! I want to have the most fun Cube experience possible, even down to what versions of the cards you'd love to see.

(PS: Just because you're not in the area or don't come to SMM, don't think your input's less influential. I'd love whatever opinions I can get. :)  )

Cube Draft #2 Tournament Report

For the second time in as many tournaments, we only had 3 participants. So again, we did a 3-way tournament. It was a "winner-take-all" event, as we were late enough starting and couldn't afford to drag out a second or third game at the place we decided to go for lunch.

Tiffanie drafted a U/W control deck featuring 3 Planeswalkers, including the ever-lovely Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Ajani Goldmane. Counterspells (including hard counters like Mana Drain to soft counters like Mana Leak) and strong defenders helped with keeping the board under control.

Wayne drafted a Naya-flavored Aggro deck with an Isochron Scepter + Orim's Chant lock possible. Most of the rest seemed to be a beatdown featuring efficient creatures like Tarmogoyf and Giant Solifuge and cheap powerups like Umezawa's Jitte helped to fuel his aggro advances.

I drafted a B/R aggro/burn deck featuring Ob Nixilis, the Fallen for a Lightning Bolt to a player per turn and trying Abyssal Persecutor for the first time for me. A slight recursion sub-theme (via Bloodghast and Corpse Dance), evasion (via the Persecutor, Ob Nixilis [in a way], and minor splashes for Lightning Angel), and 


The game starts off slow for Wayne. Tiff and I are building up our forces, Tiff with her Ajani leading the way and me with Ob Nixilis.

At one point still early in the game, Wayne says he's taking a gamble and shows us the payoff...

 +

=

The best multi-player negotiating tool EVAH!!

Now the wheeling and dealing is on!

As Tiff keeps making deals to not be hit by the ScepterChant combo, her Ajani builds up to 6 counters and she gets a 24/24 Avatar token off his ultimate. Tiff keeps gaining 2 life, I keep landfalling for 3 against Wayne (twice in one turn due to a misplayed Powder Keg on Wayne's part). Some counters come off Ajani while attacking, just to see them start back on. I try to keep pace, at one point getting Ob Nixilis back out from a kicked Corpse Dance to hit her Ajani for 3. But with Wayne casting Pulse of the Fields each turn and Tiff Instant-Casting Rout after my attack, my work's quickly made worthless. A few turns later I lose out from one of Tiff's attacks.

Now the game really gets going!

Tiff drops a Jace, the Mind Sculptor and starts going to town getting him built up and always choosing to look at the top of her library. A Nevinyrral's Disk when Wayne was tapped out ended any potential Scepter locks.

Meanwhile, Wayne starts running and gets Giant Solifuge out with Umezawa's Jitte...but the Jitte can't equip it because of Solifuge's Shroud! The Solifuge gets in for one good hit against Tiff. Wayne next turn tries to drop a Marshal's Anthem to get back one of his big creatures, but it's met with Tiff's Force Spike while Wayne had no mana. Wayne later tries an Enlisted Wurm, only to have it met by an Exclude and no immediate help off the Wurm's cascade (remember, even if the card with Cascade gets countered, the Cascade is a separate trigger that happens when you cast the spell with Cascade).


A Transcendent Master lands with no problems for Tiff as Wayne has no mana with which to respond. She immediately pumps 6 mana into the Master, turning it from an even 3/3 for 3 to a 6/6 Lifelink threat for a total of 9 mana. She has a Lightning Greaves but chooses not to use it.

Next turn, Wayne gets Tarmogoyf back thanks to a Regrowth and equips Umezawa's Jitte to it.

But it's too late for Wayne.

Tiff pumps another 6 mana into Transcendent Master, now making it a 9/9 indestructible lifelink creature. Even if Tarmogoyf attacks as an 8/9 and the Jitte gets 2 counters, he'd need 9 eventually to take out the Master.

A few turns later, Master wins the game for Tiff!


So from the 3 of us, and anyone who's reading this blog, what do you think was the MVP for Tiff? Was it one of Wayne's misplays? Did she make an awesome play? Did any one card contribute heavily to her win, or was it a combination of factors from all players? Leave your comments here!

Remember we have a free play day this weekend, so I'll probably use it to show off Archenemy in preparation for our Planechase/Archenemy free-for-all tournament next weekend. Please come by and enjoy some Archenemy craziness!

Until then, take care!

Cube Draft Report...3 Weeks In the Making

Our group had our first Cube Draft nearly 3 weeks ago, but school and other business has prevented me from putting together a report...until now.

We didn't use the whole Cube. I'd say less than half the cards we started with remained unused. We did 3 packs each of 20 cards per pack with a turnout of 4 people. (So think about that...with more people, more cards get used...just saying...  ;)  ). We upped the minimum deck size to 60 since we had 15 more cards go around than in normal drafts.

We based our Cube around Evan Erwin's list on CubeDrafting.com. My budget doesn't allow us to use Power 9 or some of the higher-end cards (dollar-wise), but I've stretched a bit for the betterment of the Cube power level. :)

See what happened...after the Jump!