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. :) )
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