One of my favorite elements of traditional drafting is combat tricks. When I first started building my cube, I realized I had hardly included any. Here's what I'm using now:
Vines of Vastwood - Versatile and cheap Harm's Way - For just one mana, I find I can often get a 2-for-1 with this Briarhorn - I love flash creatures, and this guy gives you a lot of options Invigorate - Great surprise factor, useful for politics in multiplayer
Currently, I run Vines of Vastwood, Berserk, and Boros Charm. Vines of Vastwood and Berserk are both fringe card at 360 to run, but my playgroup just like combat trick. A well time combat trick can turn around the game like no other creature could.
I find, especially as the cube manager, that I could do just about perfect math in combats initially, which was rather boring. With even a few slots held for appropriate midcombat tricks the combat phase is a lot more interesting.
Hmm, now that you mention it, I've heard a lot of great things about embolden from the pauper cubists. Lanxal even featured it in one of his articles iirc.
Would it or any similar class of trick make the cut in a full-power cube? I've always just kinda disregarded them, but I'm looking pretty hard at them based on the feedback from our sibling format. Shining Shoal especially looks like it has potential. That card was a beast when it was in T2.
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I am also curious. I have rampager in my cube but he hasn't been played yet and Simic Charm is on deck.
Rampager seems pretty good in both its mode. 4/4 trampler for 4 is nothing to sniff at, and the combat trick is pretty brutal. My question is are either of those enough in this environment? Is it really better than the other RG stuff? Depends what you want to run, and I honestly don't have a gut feeling one way or the other.
The Simic Charm is good in tempo decks. It protects your permanents, it's a combat trick (and additional damage) and it can bounce dudes. It's like a Vines of Vastwood that can protect more than just creatures and has a complete 3rd mode on it.
Rampager is a sub-par creature, but it's a great pump spell. Allowing your Jungle Lion to kill their blocker, survive and bolt your opponent is just a sick investment for 2 mana.
Rampager has been good so far. Just the fact that Rampager, Boros Charm and Simic Charm entered our cube has changed the dynamics of play in certain decks. This is a very good thing as combat becomes a bit more exciting and not purely calculable.
Our previous pump spells were either too risky (2-for-1), or too narrow. It is not easy to find combat tricks that are cubable. These new spells have very useful other modes and we hope that pushes them over the edge.
Simic Charm is always useful. It can bounce or boost. Boros Charm has been used more as player burn so far, but was pretty good nonetheless.
Rampager is not a creature with added boost, it is a boost spell with a decent creature as an extra option.
I didn't run any combat tricks in my cube until Gatecrash came and gave us the 3 awesome spells I run currently (Simic Charm, Boros Charm, Ghor-Clan Rampager), mostly because I was listening to everyone here get vapors about the WCS 2-for-1s.
Now I'm kicking myself for not running any tricks earlier. With all the amazing creatures that have been printed over the past few years, combat has become much more central to my cube, which is a shift that I haven't entirely embraced, having grown up with draw-go decks way back when. But I've found that making combat math more interesting and less deterministic has made me enjoy the hell out of my cube more than I have since I first built it.
So I'm thinking that it might be worth it for me to run another couple less powerful cards to run something that will make me happier. What are some of the better combat tricks? The folks in the above-lined pauper thread seem to think that Shelter and Briarhorn top the list. Am I missing any others?
It's a bit of a pet card for me, but Harm's Way 2-for-1's my opponent nearly every time I play it, and once they know you have it in your deck makes combat math and removal agonizing for them.
I run Might of Oaks simply because it's awesome. In my playgroup, there are several players who will try to get the kill with this one card. My group aside, I can understand why it's not run widely.
Hmm, now that you mention it, I've heard a lot of great things about embolden from the pauper cubists. Lanxal even featured it in one of his articles iirc.
Would it or any similar class of trick make the cut in a full-power cube? I've always just kinda disregarded them, but I'm looking pretty hard at them based on the feedback from our sibling format. Shining Shoal especially looks like it has potential. That card was a beast when it was in T2.
My cube is fully power, and combat trick can be extremely fun here. I won't say it's important, as obviously some people disregard combat tricks for a simply more powerful card, and I am no one to say that is wrong.
However, combat tricks add another dimension to the game completely. Sure, it's no Tinker or Upheaval, but no creatures (except those with flash, of course) can add dimension to deck building and playing the same way combat trick can.
And thus, that's why I run 2 combat trick in green even in 360 cube, even though from only power wise point of view, they probably don't quite belong there.
My cube is fully power, and combat trick can be extremely fun here. I won't say it's important, as obviously some people disregard combat tricks for a simply more powerful card, and I am no one to say that is wrong.
However, combat tricks add another dimension to the game completely. Sure, it's no Tinker or Upheaval, but no creatures (except those with flash, of course) can add dimension to deck building and playing the same way combat trick can.
And thus, that's why I run 2 combat trick in green even in 360 cube, even though from only power wise point of view, they probably don't quite belong there.
I was actually speaking specifically on the damage prevention tricks. I've got stuff like contagion and might of oaks already, but might of oaks is signaled as subtly as a brick through a window, and contagion is more often just used as straight-up removal. I of course also run momentary blink, but that's yet another class of trick.
My musings were restricted to the damage-based tricks because they always seemed to be the narrowest to me. What i'm wondering is if this narrowest class of trick is perhaps better than they look.
Just got to say, you've definitely earned distinction as an MTGS hero
Quote from Stardust »
Because he's the hero MTGS deserves, and the one it needs right now. So we'll global him. Because he can take it. Because he's not just our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. An expired rascal.
Quote from LuckNorris »
ExpiredRascals you sir are a god-like hero.
Quote from Lanxal »
ER is a masterful god who cannot be beaten in any endeavour.
So I'm thinking that it might be worth it for me to run another couple less powerful cards to run something that will make me happier. What are some of the better combat tricks? The folks in the above-lined pauper thread seem to think that Shelter and Briarhorn top the list. Am I missing any others?
Shelter is my favorite card in limited Magic history. Including it in my cube is my #1 goal. Any time the gameplay or power level of my cubes fluctuates to the point where Shelter isn't getting played, the cube is officially a complete failure. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Also consider Grim Servitude. It was amazing in its time and it still sneaks a lot of utility in a small package.
Also consider Grave Servitude. It was amazing in its time and it still sneaks a lot of utility in a small package.
Or in that same vein, Funeral Charm (and to a lesser extent, Piracy Charm). The added discard utility is nice, and the random unblockable trigger happened more often that I expected it to. It's a lot of value from a 1cc spell. Funeral Charm was pretty good in my classic cube.
There's also Blood Lust. That card is a lot better than people think. The 4 extra power can be a huge buff on an attacker (especially one with first strike) and with pingers and dividable burn, it can help answer cards like Baneslayer Angel and Exalted Angel which can be really problematic for red.
I encourage my opponents to do as much damage as they can to noncreature permanents I control, so I consider the "permanents" clause pure downside. (But seriously, damage can only be dealt to creatures, and has no effect on noncreature permanents.)
As for negating / dealing more damage: it requires 3 mana to get the same effect and doesn't get better until you pay 4 mana. That's just too expensive.
instead of Harm's Way, seems it would give you more flexibility in that you can negate/deal alot more damage
You can, but it's less cost effective and doesn't work as good in the early game, where Harm's Way is at its best. It's not better than Harm's Way until you're paying 3W for it or more. Harm's Way is a pretty good deal.
I also like Shining Shoal more than Divine Deflection. Free spells are pretty baller. That card can be a surprise blowout out of nowhere.
I encourage my opponents to do as much damage as they can to noncreature permanents I control, so I consider the "permanents" clause pure downside. (But seriously, damage can only be dealt to creatures, and has no effect on noncreature permanents.)
The "permanents" wording allows it to save planeswalkers.
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Vines of Vastwood - Versatile and cheap
Harm's Way - For just one mana, I find I can often get a 2-for-1 with this
Briarhorn - I love flash creatures, and this guy gives you a lot of options
Invigorate - Great surprise factor, useful for politics in multiplayer
Also, a lot of the new charms have combat trick modes to them.
Boros Charm
Selesnya Charm
Simic Charm
Other cards I'm considering:
Shining Shoal
Stonewood Invocation
Embolden
What combat tricks do you like for cube?
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How have Simic Charm and Rampager been?
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Would it or any similar class of trick make the cut in a full-power cube? I've always just kinda disregarded them, but I'm looking pretty hard at them based on the feedback from our sibling format. Shining Shoal especially looks like it has potential. That card was a beast when it was in T2.
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I am also curious. I have rampager in my cube but he hasn't been played yet and Simic Charm is on deck.
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Rampager seems pretty good in both its mode. 4/4 trampler for 4 is nothing to sniff at, and the combat trick is pretty brutal. My question is are either of those enough in this environment? Is it really better than the other RG stuff? Depends what you want to run, and I honestly don't have a gut feeling one way or the other.
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The Simic Charm is good in tempo decks. It protects your permanents, it's a combat trick (and additional damage) and it can bounce dudes. It's like a Vines of Vastwood that can protect more than just creatures and has a complete 3rd mode on it.
Rampager is a sub-par creature, but it's a great pump spell. Allowing your Jungle Lion to kill their blocker, survive and bolt your opponent is just a sick investment for 2 mana.
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My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
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Our previous pump spells were either too risky (2-for-1), or too narrow. It is not easy to find combat tricks that are cubable. These new spells have very useful other modes and we hope that pushes them over the edge.
Simic Charm is always useful. It can bounce or boost. Boros Charm has been used more as player burn so far, but was pretty good nonetheless.
Rampager is not a creature with added boost, it is a boost spell with a decent creature as an extra option.
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Now I'm kicking myself for not running any tricks earlier. With all the amazing creatures that have been printed over the past few years, combat has become much more central to my cube, which is a shift that I haven't entirely embraced, having grown up with draw-go decks way back when. But I've found that making combat math more interesting and less deterministic has made me enjoy the hell out of my cube more than I have since I first built it.
So I'm thinking that it might be worth it for me to run another couple less powerful cards to run something that will make me happier. What are some of the better combat tricks? The folks in the above-lined pauper thread seem to think that Shelter and Briarhorn top the list. Am I missing any others?
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My cube is fully power, and combat trick can be extremely fun here. I won't say it's important, as obviously some people disregard combat tricks for a simply more powerful card, and I am no one to say that is wrong.
However, combat tricks add another dimension to the game completely. Sure, it's no Tinker or Upheaval, but no creatures (except those with flash, of course) can add dimension to deck building and playing the same way combat trick can.
And thus, that's why I run 2 combat trick in green even in 360 cube, even though from only power wise point of view, they probably don't quite belong there.
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I was actually speaking specifically on the damage prevention tricks. I've got stuff like contagion and might of oaks already, but might of oaks is signaled as subtly as a brick through a window, and contagion is more often just used as straight-up removal. I of course also run momentary blink, but that's yet another class of trick.
My musings were restricted to the damage-based tricks because they always seemed to be the narrowest to me. What i'm wondering is if this narrowest class of trick is perhaps better than they look.
Body Count: GRRRUUUUUUUUUUU
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Also consider Grim Servitude. It was amazing in its time and it still sneaks a lot of utility in a small package.
Instead of what?
Or in that same vein, Funeral Charm (and to a lesser extent, Piracy Charm). The added discard utility is nice, and the random unblockable trigger happened more often that I expected it to. It's a lot of value from a 1cc spell. Funeral Charm was pretty good in my classic cube.
There's also Blood Lust. That card is a lot better than people think. The 4 extra power can be a huge buff on an attacker (especially one with first strike) and with pingers and dividable burn, it can help answer cards like Baneslayer Angel and Exalted Angel which can be really problematic for red.
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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!
As for negating / dealing more damage: it requires 3 mana to get the same effect and doesn't get better until you pay 4 mana. That's just too expensive.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=385729
You can, but it's less cost effective and doesn't work as good in the early game, where Harm's Way is at its best. It's not better than Harm's Way until you're paying 3W for it or more. Harm's Way is a pretty good deal.
I also like Shining Shoal more than Divine Deflection. Free spells are pretty baller. That card can be a surprise blowout out of nowhere.
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!
The "permanents" wording allows it to save planeswalkers.