Some Cube Addition Previews!

Well guys, we're just a few days away from our second Cube Draft! We all had fun playing with cards we normally wouldn't have, and I'm hoping you'll enjoy playing with some of them again...and some for the first time!

I wanted to give you a preview of the fun cards going in! From new stuff to blingy stuff to new old stuff, I've got a bit for you here.

So see what we've got...after the jump!



So the Cube's meant to highlight some of the older, more powerful cards in Magic's history, so what do you say we start with those additions? You might see a few surprises actually...

Yes....that's an English Legends Mana Drain for the cube! I've cast it only once and only online, but Wayne and I can attest, Mana Drain can end games very quickly when used correctly. In that game, I was running a Hive Mind+Pact of the Titan (or any Pact, really) combo deck and packed 1 Mana Drain. I countered a 4- or 5-mana spell from Wayne, so next turn I got 5 colorless mana and only had to tap an Island or two to cast Hive Mind. Immediately after, I cast a Pact. Good...game...  :)

You may also see more Shadow creatures in this shot. Black needs more aggressive ways to attack or more efficient ways of dealing with White's Shadow creatures, so Black got a few more Shadow additions. Most other additions are cards that should have been in but I didn't have them at the time of the original Draft.


Up next...let's go with the new additions! These are the Zendikar-block cards that are getting a first look at in relation to the Cube.

I'm really excited to see how Transcendent Master goes (assuming it gets picked). Will it be an innocuous 1WW for a 3/3, or will it level up a time or two and become a Lifelinking Indestructible 9/9 before their opponent realizes too late they should have taken out when they had the chance? Will Gideon be just as useful in the Cube as in normal Constructed Magic? And will I ever stop asking these questions? Only time will tell.... :)

Thirdly, let's look at more Extended-legal changes to the Cube...

The "filter lands" are actually going to replace quite a few cards in the Cube...like the Ravnica Signets and bouncelands. In reality, though, I'm trading off two sets of fixers for one. The intent is to make you choose your colors for your deck more critically, but if after this we want more fixing back I may put the Ravnica stuff back in along with these Shadowmoor/Eventide lands.

One other notable (and maybe suspicioiusly absent?) addition is Lightning Greaves. I mean, it gives a creature Shroud and Haste, so why was it not considered powerful enough? Could have been Evan Erwin (who I'm using for the majority of our Cube) felt it was too good at one time, but with enough mass removal it's not as bad a threat (especially with only one copy). So we'll give it a run and if we see it we'll see if it gives too much of a boost. :)

And finally, the leftover "bling replacements", mostly foil versions but a couple foreign-language cards added...

The foreign-language cards are Watery Grave and Slaughter Pact. I figured they'd be short and simple enough that a translation wouldn't be necessary (Watery Grave: Island Swamp that enters the battlefield tapped unless you pay 2 life. Slaughter Pact: Destroys target nonblack creature and you pay 2B if you want to not lose on the upkeep). But if I have foreign-language cards in the Cube, I'll do my best to have their English versions or Oracle text for you to read before choosing.


I still have the Cube Draft videos from a bit over a month ago available here in the blog. Just check out the April posts to see what kind of decks we had last time. But with each new Draft comes a new experience, so join us Saturday for some exciting times with some older, more powerful cards (and the new wannabe power cards) of Magic's history.

Take care!