MTG Salvation

@wtfwlf: I think it's because there is not really another effect like it in the game as far as I know, and I had never even hear of the card until I started cubing. Tbh I'm not really sure why I hate it so much, but I do and I will never put it in my cube.

Plus I hate the art, which I know is decently accepted, but it has no nostalgic value for me, and I find it kind of ugly.

Quote from Grapefruit21

@wtfwlf: I think it's because there is not really another effect like it in the game as far as I know, and I had never even hear of the card until I started cubing. Tbh I'm not really sure why I hate it so much, but I do and I will never put it in my cube.

Plus I hate the art, which I know is decently accepted, but it has no nostalgic value for me, and I find it kind of ugly.

There's a judge promo to solve the art problem.

I'm surprised you had never heard of Land Tax before you started cubing. It's old as dirt and it's been an amazing card since the dawn of time. White actually has a lot of effects that grab lands when you're behind (Tithe, Weathered Wayfarer, Knight of the White Orchid, etc) which are all "fixed" versions of Land Tax that stem from the original design. Too bad you hate it so much; the card is really good, and is beastly in the cube.

I agree with everything wtwlf said on Land Tax. It's the definition of a classic and amazing card, and the Judge Promo art is gorgeous to boot.

I don't ban any cards for power level reasons. There are some overly powerful cards, but none are insurmountable and they make the experience of winning all the more satisfying.

I do however ban white border cards. I'm not paying £XXX.XX for an ugly WB card, although I would love a reprint of the good P3K stuff like Ravages.

Ehh, I accept I'm in a minority there, I'm fairly certain that my dislike is completely irrational, but I'm not likely to change my opinion on it.

Plus it holds zero nostalgic value for me since I didn't start playing until Zendikar.

Banned in Vintage = Banned in my cube.

Otherwise stuff that's "banned" is just preference for composition of the cube.

For instance, we don't run Pulse of the Fields, Pyroclasm, or Earthquake because they're all too detrimental to aggro. Constant Mists makes the game go on too long, and it's also detrimental to aggro.

Quote from Grapefruit21

@wtfwlf: I think it's because there is not really another effect like it in the game as far as I know, and I had never even hear of the card until I started cubing. Tbh I'm not really sure why I hate it so much, but I do and I will never put it in my cube.

Plus I hate the art, which I know is decently accepted, but it has no nostalgic value for me, and I find it kind of ugly.

Gift of Estates
Tithe
Weathered Wayfarer
That guy from zendikar
Probably some other ones I can't remember.
(Conclusion: White gets these effects. Very rarely. But some of them are quite good.)

Quote from kojiro

For what it's worth, I ban 0 cards for flavor, complexity, or aesthetics.

This. Actually, my cube ADDS complexity since I prefer foreign cards over their English counterparts, regardless of who does/doesn't know what the card does.

Quote from Hicham

We only ban white boardered cards for being ugly. Not based on logic or powerlevel, just old school snobism. The only cards hit are Portal 3 Kingdoms.

And Grim Tutor, not that it's insane or anything in this format (though it's a card in legacy).

There might be a few others, but probably none relevant (Grim Tutor isn't really very relevant either)

Land Tax might be one of the top t1 single card plays in the game, especially if you are on the draw/have a bounceland.

-AA

Quote from meep98324

Here are the list of cards banned from my cube:

Banned Cards for Power Level: Moxen, Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Sol Ring, Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Booster Tutor

Banned Cards for "fun" factor: Armageddon, Ravages of War, Mind Twist, Hymn to Tourach, Moat, Cataclysm, Catastrophe, Stupor

Banned because white having a counterspell is too weird for me: Mana Tithe

Heh. Illumination is not in my cube at the moment, but it's sitting in the 'maybe one day' binder.

Pringlesman, I guess I should specify that when I refer to power level, I mean that the card is too good. Squire and Camel aren't in my cube due to power level either.

This has been an interesting read. Surprised that there are so many people that won't run a card at all due to art/border. I hate bad art too, but it won't prevent me from running a card at all. I run all-English, but that's because I play with people who don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of Magic cards.

Re: manual dexterity cards, I am running Chaos Orb due to theme, and yes, you have to flip it.

Quote from markslack

I am running Chaos Orb due to theme, and yes, you have to flip it.

Damn straight you have to flip it. I think that it's cool you play that card and require the dexterity. Props.

Quote from wtwlf123

Damn straight you have to flip it. I think that it's cool you play that card and require the dexterity. Props.

Its kind of a hassle having to flip it IMO and it distorts the game a bunch. We've done different stuff. There is an unglued card that makes you play three card monte with three permanents -- we've thought about making Chaos Orb do something like that.

I hate custom erratas far more than having to flip the card. At least playing it the way markslack does is as the card was designed/intended to be played, which is why I was giving him props for it.

Quote from wtwlf123

I hate custom erratas far more than having to flip the card. At least playing it the way markslack does is as the card was designed/intended to be played, which is why I was giving him props for it.

Well, I don't think its any more arbitrary than playing or not playing cards that are legal in every sanctioned format based on whim and the same-old-same-old can get tired after a while so a little spice can be a good thing

Quote from KBH

Well, I don't think its any more arbitrary than playing or not playing cards that are legal in every sanctioned format based on whim

I do, and it's not arbitrary or based on a whim.

Quote from KBH

and the same-old-same-old can get tired after a while so a little spice can be a good thing

That's why the cube rotates new cards in and old cards out. Not creating new rules for existing cards. But that's just my $0.02.

Obv have to flip Chaos Orb; I wouldn't want to ever play it any other way. WAY too iconic to not have to flip the damn thing.

-AA

I do, and it's not arbitrary or based on a whim.

I guess I'm confused then, because when people are not playing cards because they're white bordered or because they're copies of cards from another color that seems like whim/arbitrariness to me.

I consider white-border bans and ugly art bans to be arbitrary. I also don't like the idea of banning cards because of color-pie bleed or because it's a functional reprint either.

But not playing cards that were never intended/designed to be played alongside other cards doesn't feel arbitrary. At least, not to me.

Quote from wtwlf123

I consider white-border bans and ugly art bans to be arbitrary. I also don't like the idea of banning cards because of color-pie bleed or because it's a functional reprint either.

But not playing cards that were never intended/designed to be played alongside other cards doesn't feel arbitrary. At least, not to me.

Hahaha, I think arbitrariness just went meta

Whoa, it's arbitrary what people think is arbitrary? Hipsters.

Quote from meep98324

Whoa, it's arbitrary what people think is arbitrary? Hipsters.

I thought it was arbitrary before it was cool to think it's arbitrary.

My banned list as it has stood since I made my cube:


1. Black Lotus
2. Time Walk
3. Sol Ring
4. Mind Twist
5. Ancestral Recall
6. Mana Crypt
7. Mana Vault
8. Library of Alexandria
9. Mox Emerald
10. Mox Sapphire
11. Mox Jet
12. Mox Ruby
13. Mox Pearl
14. Mana Drain
15. Black Vise

The only change I've made since I created the cube was to remove Grim Monolith and add Black Vise. 5 years ago when I built the cube, Monolith was far too dangerous as aggressive decks weren't good enough to compete with turn 3 six-drops. Now though, I'm fine with how Monolith has played and it makes for another exciting card to open that pushes the envelope of power in my cube. Vise is a card that is sometimes completely awful, but when it is good it feels really unfair. It led to too many lopsided games that weren't very interactive at all. I've definitely run the cube with no banned list a few times for periods of a month or two at a time to see if my players would enjoy it, but in the end it was always reversed at the request of nearly everyone.

Only the ante cards are banned in my cube. I also like to restrict milling because, personally, I think it takes something away. (only thing in the cube that mill are Oona and Sword of Body and Mind). Love playing power because both players have the potential to do broken stuff, though I have never actually played unpowered.

Quote from goodsirgooch

(only thing in the cube that mill are Oona and Sword of Body and Mind).

And the Jaces?

Not playing Jace 3