Has anyone on here tried to use Booster Tutor in their cube? I'm trying to add some un-cards in my cube and this seemed to be the most exciting one for the black one. The card just seems to ask to be included in a cube! However, in thinking it through, it seems to be horrific logistically.
I've decided to go with the method to make packs of trying to keep all the colors about the same. But, how do I do that and make extra packs to tutor into? Also, if I do make extra packs, do I need to make nine (three rounds, three possible games in each round).
If anyone has any experience using Booster Tutor in their cube, I would really like some insight into how it plays out and how well it worked for them.
Hi NecrOmancer! I use Booster Tutor in my cube, and it seems to work just fine. I run a 540 vintage cube, and there are always excess cards from which to make packs. The power level of the cube is high enough that including the tutor is strong, and that the caster is generally not devoid of targets. What kind of cube are you trying to run?
However, in thinking it through, it seems to be horrific logistically.
On top of expanding your card by 15 cards so that you have an extra cube booster on hand (something I've done to accommodate Lore Seeker), I recommend puttng a sticker on the inner sleeve of your Booster Tutor explaining that this is a choice in addition to using a regular retail booster.
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QuadNines and MerfolkMagic discussed this briefly on one episode of the podcast. QuadNines's house rule is that before the draft starts the player with Booster Tutor pulls a seven-card pack. That is the pack for BT for the entire draft, but the player doesn't get to look at it until the first time BT is cast. It's fewer cards, but it does make it easier to plan around in the later games.
Not sure if I would do it that way, but it's an interesting idea.
I would recommend booster tutor very highly, because of the power level of cube cards your always getting something great.
My group is small so we never draft the entire cube so we usually work it by another player pulling 15 random cards from the box (the un-drafted cards)and handing it the player who cast it. It can get a bit awkward when someone recurs/copies it a few times but it happens rarely enough that it's more of a fun story than a big problem. My recommendation would be to run your cube at about 30-60 more cards than your draft usually takes, this fills 2 roles: 1) it gives you extras for booster tutor. 2) when you draft you won't see all the cards meaning there is a bit more mystery to what people are playing.
Booster tutor makes for great stories and is powerful in its own right, you mightn't always get a game changing spell but to offset that it can save you from mana screw in a pinch. When you do hit a game changing spell or something that works well in your deck it's feels awesome.
The only downside is you do have to remember to remove the card from your deck after the game, we have forgotten that a few times.
If you are adding un cards booster tutor is proabaly the one I would recommend highest followed second by blast from the past it looks kinda weird at first but it's versatile and fun.
I use Booster Tutor in my conspiracy module. It just "opens" a pack of 15 random cube cards, just like the ones that are created for the regular draft process. It's never been a problem or caused any logistical concerns at all.
I'm trying to put together a cube that simulates the power level of a real limited environment while playing with cards that are generally overlooked by cube and commander players alike. Think Aven Mimeomancer
Thanks for all the quick replies! I didn't think that I would get so many so fast and I appreciate everyone's input!
I should be clear that I'm less concerned about if it will be a good / fun card for the cube and more that it will make building packs an issue. For example, if I just take the entire cube and have packs made with it ahead of time, it shouldn't be an issue. But if we build packs right there and we have 6 drafters, that would be 270 cards. I'd pull an even amount from the various piles and make the packs. The colors will be evenly distributed among packs in the draft. But if I have to make packs for booster tutor, I either have to make more packs for the draft, risking that the colors may be skewed towards the unused packs, or make packs as we go witch would really just mean that they would be grabbing cards out of the pile that they really want.
If you draft the entire cube with each draft, just increase the cube size by 15 for each copy of Booster Tutor/Lore Seeker you use. That way, there's always at least 1 extra booster pack worth of unused cards floating around.
I would go to 360 cards in your cube, it supports 6 people (each getting 4 15 card packs, or 3 people with 8 and each pack picking one and discarding another) or less people leaving spare cards for your booster tutor. I also like not having drafted all the cards as there's more unknowns then.
I wouldn't worry about balancing colours in each pack, just shuffle the whole cube very well and make the packs randomly. When I first made my cube I was worried about uneven colours in the boosters but over time I have realised that is part of the drafting process, it helps people make choices (by not always giving them access to all colours) and forces them to think about other problems such as "I haven't seen a lot of black, does that mean there is a mono black player?" or deciding to jump to another colour because it is open.
Not to say you shouldn't colour balance each pack but to me it's a lot of effort for something that in my eyes takes some of the fun and variety out of drafting.
I support it, it's one of the better cards. It'll probably also increase in price some what as people go "Cube crazy" a little bit whenever the next Conspiracy releases. So if you're looking at specifics, probably best to get your copy now. While I wouldn't expect like a $25 increase in price or something. But $0.50 or whatever, you get the point.
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Yeah, I use it and it's a high pick around the table. I modded it to read something like "pick 15 random cards from the pool of undrafted cards and choose one" so we didn't have to explain how it worked to inexperienced players. I use all sorts of Un cards and cards like Common Courtesy are hilarious.
I'd also save your self the hassle of building packs before hand with the worry that colors will be unbalanced. It will work it self out as packs get passed around.
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Draft my old school cube and I'll draft yours...hell, I'll draft it twice!
You're the only one that gets to pick a card right?
Or does the booster go around the table after you picked?
Well, it's an Un-Card, so you could always set your own house rules. (I mean, you can do that with a real card anyway, but I digress...)
The intention is that the caster is the only one who gets a card though. Allowing each player to choose a card would be an interesting multiplayer variant, but it really decreases the power level of the card, to the point of making it a bit of a liability to cast.
I've decided to go with the method to make packs of trying to keep all the colors about the same. But, how do I do that and make extra packs to tutor into? Also, if I do make extra packs, do I need to make nine (three rounds, three possible games in each round).
If anyone has any experience using Booster Tutor in their cube, I would really like some insight into how it plays out and how well it worked for them.
Thanks in advance!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=63536
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On top of expanding your card by 15 cards so that you have an extra cube booster on hand (something I've done to accommodate Lore Seeker), I recommend puttng a sticker on the inner sleeve of your Booster Tutor explaining that this is a choice in addition to using a regular retail booster.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Not sure if I would do it that way, but it's an interesting idea.
My group is small so we never draft the entire cube so we usually work it by another player pulling 15 random cards from the box (the un-drafted cards)and handing it the player who cast it. It can get a bit awkward when someone recurs/copies it a few times but it happens rarely enough that it's more of a fun story than a big problem. My recommendation would be to run your cube at about 30-60 more cards than your draft usually takes, this fills 2 roles: 1) it gives you extras for booster tutor. 2) when you draft you won't see all the cards meaning there is a bit more mystery to what people are playing.
Booster tutor makes for great stories and is powerful in its own right, you mightn't always get a game changing spell but to offset that it can save you from mana screw in a pinch. When you do hit a game changing spell or something that works well in your deck it's feels awesome.
The only downside is you do have to remember to remove the card from your deck after the game, we have forgotten that a few times.
If you are adding un cards booster tutor is proabaly the one I would recommend highest followed second by blast from the past it looks kinda weird at first but it's versatile and fun.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
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I'm trying to put together a cube that simulates the power level of a real limited environment while playing with cards that are generally overlooked by cube and commander players alike. Think Aven Mimeomancer
Thanks for all the quick replies! I didn't think that I would get so many so fast and I appreciate everyone's input!
I should be clear that I'm less concerned about if it will be a good / fun card for the cube and more that it will make building packs an issue. For example, if I just take the entire cube and have packs made with it ahead of time, it shouldn't be an issue. But if we build packs right there and we have 6 drafters, that would be 270 cards. I'd pull an even amount from the various piles and make the packs. The colors will be evenly distributed among packs in the draft. But if I have to make packs for booster tutor, I either have to make more packs for the draft, risking that the colors may be skewed towards the unused packs, or make packs as we go witch would really just mean that they would be grabbing cards out of the pile that they really want.
Is this a concern for anyone else?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=63536
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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!
I wouldn't worry about balancing colours in each pack, just shuffle the whole cube very well and make the packs randomly. When I first made my cube I was worried about uneven colours in the boosters but over time I have realised that is part of the drafting process, it helps people make choices (by not always giving them access to all colours) and forces them to think about other problems such as "I haven't seen a lot of black, does that mean there is a mono black player?" or deciding to jump to another colour because it is open.
Not to say you shouldn't colour balance each pack but to me it's a lot of effort for something that in my eyes takes some of the fun and variety out of drafting.
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I'd also save your self the hassle of building packs before hand with the worry that colors will be unbalanced. It will work it self out as packs get passed around.
Or does the booster go around the table after you picked?
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Well, it's an Un-Card, so you could always set your own house rules. (I mean, you can do that with a real card anyway, but I digress...)
The intention is that the caster is the only one who gets a card though. Allowing each player to choose a card would be an interesting multiplayer variant, but it really decreases the power level of the card, to the point of making it a bit of a liability to cast.