As I am rethinking the whole "which size is the best for cube"-thing I thought it would be a good idea to open a poll.
Maybe a little comment on your choice would be nice.
I'm a big fan of varied drafts and lots of options, so 720-800 is basically my preference these days. There are so many possible cube cards from the last couple of years that cubes this size aren't even too much of a drop in power level from smaller lists.
I'm a big fan of varied drafts and lots of options, so 720-800 is basically my preference these days. There are so many possible cube cards from the last couple of years that cubes this size aren't even too much of a drop in power level from smaller lists.
360 for me. It's partly for "budget" maintenance cost too. Don't get me wrong, it's not cheap to maintain 360 cube. But it's certainly cheaper to buy and maintain than a bigger size cube.
In theory, I like 360 best. I like 8 player drafts, and 360 is the smallest size possible to support that and there are enough cards available to support the archetypes I want without much stretching.
In practice, I have a 450 cards cube, because sometimes we are 10 drafters.
The few times I play, I only play with 4-6 people. So "using every card every draft" isn't a problem for me. Also, I have a themed Cube and I like the ratios I'm using for specific card types and those ratios can't be supported by a larger Cube until they print more cards.
I usually draft with 6-7 people. My cube is enough for this number plus half as much again for variance. The most I have ever drafted with is 9, and I like not knowing that every card is in the draft. This number also allows 5 player sealed, which occasionally happens as 6 is, I feel, the minimum for a 'proper' draft.
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People are just going to vote for the size of their cube. This poll seems pointless
Eh, I think you're right, but it's more to do with confusion. I just re-read the thread title and then the OP.
This: "Whats ur favorite cube size"
And this: "which size is the best for cube"
Are two different things. The title suggest's "what size is your cube?" (Which is the question I answered.) And the OP is more of a "cube theory" question. (Which I didn't answer.)
360. It's more concentrated and easier to maintain a balance.
I like the idea of having a lot of variance with a larger cube, but then the "bombs" would probably have a much larger affect and might skew games. 360 allows for less of the luck factor.
I started with a 360, as I had limited cards, and I worked very slowly up to 500.
I did the exact opposite. I found I always wanted to improve the list and make it tighter, leaner and more competitive. I cut down from 500 to 360 in phases, and I like the list a lot more now.
Started at about 750 I think and cut down to 400 because I never play with enough people to justify that number. I miss some of the fun fringe cards, but the better power level is worth it. It makes drafting much tougher. I could see going down to 360 in the future, possibly.
500 to 600 cards are a nice size, because it provides lots of variance without being too large. My cube had initially 400 cards and drafting it with six people quickly became a bit repetitive.
I have the feeling 540 leaves more room for pet cards and experiments, and that each upcoming set reduces the powergap with the smaller cubes.
I agree on both accounts.
1. A 360 card list would have almost no room for a few good-but-not-great pet cards. Stuff like Urabrask or Silvos are reasonable in midsized cubes but would simply not make it into smaller ones.
2. Zendikar block, Scars block an Innistrad block (so far) have been great for cube. Add to this that we get new cards in the yearly core sets now and it results in 30+ really good cube cards a year. This means that you can grow your (unpowered) cube by at least 50 cards every two years without reducing its overall power level! A 600 cards cube might have had a significantly lower power level and higher power variance among cards than a 400 cards list five years ago, but that is no longer true.
What is funny is that even with the increase of powerful cards, cubes tend to grow smaller, not larger. Maybe that trend will stabilize and even reverse over time.
540 for me, but then that's the cube size I'm finishing out now. Hopefully I'll post it up shortly, but it's a LOT of typing! lol! I like having enough cards that I can't be sure what I'll see or have to face. Also makes the few powerhouse cards I've left in (Grim Monolith, Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Light and Shadow) real gems.
Maybe a little comment on your choice would be nice.
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Agree.
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In practice, I have a 450 cards cube, because sometimes we are 10 drafters.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
The few times I play, I only play with 4-6 people. So "using every card every draft" isn't a problem for me. Also, I have a themed Cube and I like the ratios I'm using for specific card types and those ratios can't be supported by a larger Cube until they print more cards.
Thread | Draft
I usually draft with 6-7 people. My cube is enough for this number plus half as much again for variance. The most I have ever drafted with is 9, and I like not knowing that every card is in the draft. This number also allows 5 player sealed, which occasionally happens as 6 is, I feel, the minimum for a 'proper' draft.
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Eh, I think you're right, but it's more to do with confusion. I just re-read the thread title and then the OP.
This: "Whats ur favorite cube size"
And this: "which size is the best for cube"
Are two different things. The title suggest's "what size is your cube?" (Which is the question I answered.) And the OP is more of a "cube theory" question. (Which I didn't answer.)
Thread | Draft
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I like the idea of having a lot of variance with a larger cube, but then the "bombs" would probably have a much larger affect and might skew games. 360 allows for less of the luck factor.
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Are you going to make your cube bigger at some point?
I started with a 360, as I had limited cards, and I worked very slowly up to 500.
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I did the exact opposite. I found I always wanted to improve the list and make it tighter, leaner and more competitive. I cut down from 500 to 360 in phases, and I like the list a lot more now.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
I agree on both accounts.
1. A 360 card list would have almost no room for a few good-but-not-great pet cards. Stuff like Urabrask or Silvos are reasonable in midsized cubes but would simply not make it into smaller ones.
2. Zendikar block, Scars block an Innistrad block (so far) have been great for cube. Add to this that we get new cards in the yearly core sets now and it results in 30+ really good cube cards a year. This means that you can grow your (unpowered) cube by at least 50 cards every two years without reducing its overall power level! A 600 cards cube might have had a significantly lower power level and higher power variance among cards than a 400 cards list five years ago, but that is no longer true.
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