MTG Salvation

I didn't see a thread made yet, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling. Truth be told, this seems like a poor set for my Cube, I don't see much in the way of cards I want to test. Curious to see if any cards caught anyone else's eye this spoiler season!

No slam dunk staples in MKM/MKC/CLU, but there are a few solid role players I plan to include.

Makeshift Binding replaces Quarantine Field
Proft's Eidetic Memory replaces Forbid
Steamcore Scholar replaces Barrin, Tolarian Archmage
Sharp-Eyed Rookie replaces Quirion Beastcaller
Edit: Lonis, Genetics Expert replaces Duskwatch Recruiter

Most of the set mechanics didn’t jive with what I’m going for in cube:

• Investigate is a great returning mechanic and I’m happy to be including Sharp-Eyed Rookie and Lonis, Genetics Expert.
• Disguise looks very fun for MKM limited where there will be a high density of disguise cards, but it isn’t a good enough rate for cube, and to keep the face-down mystery going you would need to devote a high density of cube slots to disguise cards.
• Cloak could work in cube, but I haven’t seen a specific card I wanted to add. I can imagine power level tweaks that would have gotten there... maybe if Veiled Ascension triggered the turn you played it, or if Vannifar, Evolved Enigma cloaked from the top of a library instead of from your hand?
• Suspect is a downside mechanic and it’s hard to track, which are both strikes against it.
• Collect evidence cards work against one another, against other graveyard-as-resource mechanics like delve and reanimate, and against graveyard counting cards.
• Cases I was very hyped for and was hoping for something to include, as this kind of ETB effect + mini-quest enchantment can be a lot of fun. I’m not sure which specific case card(s) would fit in a cube environment. For me Case of the Gateway Express (the ETB is nice with lifelink or deathtouch, but vulnerable to instant speed creature removal) and Case of the Shifting Visage are closest. The timing restriction of solving on your end step makes the payoffs all a little slow.

I haven't found a cut for these two:

- Escape Tunnel
- Sharp-Eyed Rookie

None for regular cube.


for artifact cube there are a few, and most of them are Clue related:
Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy
Forensic Gadgeteer
Sharp-Eyed Rookie
Demand Answers
Lavinia, Foil to Conspiracy
Lonis, Genetics Expert
Novice Inspector
Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth OR
Ezrim, Agency Chief (Im inclined to use the latter)


Will introduce more Clue cards now that there is a lot of clue interactions!

CLU is interesting.
MKM is weak overall.

Slamming:
Carnage interpreter
Headliner scarlett

testing:
novice inspector
forensic gadgeteer (maybe)
kellan, inquisitive prodigy (maybe)
Unruly Krasis (CLU)(maybe)

a few cards I have my eye on as sleepers/roleplayers, but uninterested in testing at the moment.

None for regular cube.


for artifact cube there are a few, and most of them are Clue related:
Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy
Forensic Gadgeteer
Sharp-Eyed Rookie
Demand Answers
Lavinia, Foil to Conspiracy
Lonis, Genetics Expert
Novice Inspector
Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth OR
Ezrim, Agency Chief (Im inclined to use the latter)


Will introduce more Clue cards now that there is a lot of clue interactions!

This set is incredibly dry compared to the past few.

Adding:
Novice Inspector
Escape Tunnel

Testing:
Carnage Interpreter
Headliner Scarlet
Ransom Note
The surveil land cycle

Definitely not a spectacular set for cube. Not a fan of disguise/cloak or collect evidence.

Strangely enough the easiest includes (being upgrades to existing cards) are also the least exciting, as they don't add THAT much compared to what they replace: Headliner Scarlet (for Hero of Oxid Ridge) and Escape Tunnel (for Evolving Wilds).

I am excited about testing Anzrag, the Quake-Mole, and I also want to test Lazav, Wearer of Faces and Afterlife Insurance.

Watch list: Vein Ripper, Case of the Gorgon's Kiss, Case of the Stashed Skeleton, Case of the Locked Hothouse, Carnage Interpreter, Proft's Eidetic Memory, Intrude on the Mind and Sludge Titan.

Having a set with only a few pickups is kinda refreshing!

White:
None

Blue:
None

Black:
None

Red:
Hellrider -> Headliner Scarlett
Invasion of Mercadia -> Demand Answers

Green:
None

Multicolor:
Fetid Pools -> Undercity Sewers
Thassa, Deep-Dwelling -> Lazav, Wearer of Faces (moving Rona to blue)
Edric, Spymaster of Trest -> Unruly Krasis

Colorless:
Shimmerdrift Vale -> Escape Tunnel

White:
Delney, Streetwise Lookout (We think people are sleeping on this one)
Novice Inspector
Call a Surprise Witness (Testing)

Blue:
Nothing

Black:
Massacre Girl, Known Killer (Testing)

Red:
headliner scarlet

Green:
archdruid's charm

Multicolor:
warleader's call (We support Boros tokens, this is a slam dunk for that)
carnage interpreter
sludge titan
unruly krasis
New Surveil Land cycle

Colorless:
Nothing

Hot Takes:
We think people are sleeping on Delney, Streetwise Lookout, not seeing her being added to many cubes. Also, if you look at your red section and have all the goblins that generate tokens, I would take a good look at warleader's call. We have recently had people run the tables with red/white tokens and this card will make that deck even better.

Question:

We want to like Unyielding Gatekeeper (blink support/save your dudes/remove a threat), but with all that tech is it still too slow/mana-hungry for its effect?

Another card we keep considering is Cryptic Coat. It has a lot of potential synergies with Blink and card advantage, but is it too slow?

Is No More Lies better or worse than then Supreme Verdict?

Adding: nothing
Considering: Sharp-Eyed Rookie and Carnage Interpreter
Maybe considering: surveil duals and Sludge Titan.

I like:

• Case of the Uneaten Feast
  
• Delney, Streetwise Lookout
  
• Makeshift Binding
  
• Forensic Researcher
  
• Proft's Eidetic Memory
  
• Barbed Servitor
  
• Case of the Stashed Skeleton
  
• Homicide Investigator
  
• Illicit Masquerade
  
• Leering Onlooker
  
• Massacre Girl, Known Killer
  
• Outrageous Robbery
  
• Snarling Gorehound
  
• Demand Answers
  
• Gearbane Orangutan
  
• Harried Dronesmith
  
• Torch the Witness
  
• Hard-Hitting Question
  
• Pick Your Poison
  
• Sharp-Eyed Rookie
  
• Buried in the Garden
  
• Escape Tunnel
  
• Headliner Scarlet
  
• Lavinia, Foil to Conspiracy
  
• Lonis, Genetics Expert
  
• Sludge Titan
  
• Merchant of Truth
  
• Final-Word Phantom

And I'll grab the surveil lands after they get super cheap.

I think Final-Word Phantom is my favorite new card. Looks very fair and very fun. As always, I'm not looking for the most powerful cards. Just the fun ones.

My set review is up:

https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/the-cube-forum/articles-podcasts-and-guides/831476-set-p-review-my-top-20-lost-murders-at-karlov

unruly krasis in for growth spiral
headliner scarlett in for hellrider
intrude on the mind in for thought monitor

Pretty standard stuff. Think headliner will be in for a long time. Can't see the others staying long term.

Quote from steve_man »

My Murders at Karlov Manor HOT TAKES article is now up on CubeCobra!

https://cubecobra.com/content/article/dfa9da1b-fd81-4969-8579-05d30baf34b8

Sorry for the delay on this, it was sitting in their article queue for over a week.

Awesome! Thanks for the article!