Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh 2UU
Legendary Planeswalker - Tezzeret (M)
The first activated ability of an artifact you activate each turn costs 2 less to activate.
+1: Draw two cards, then discard two cards unless you discard an artifact card.
-2: Target artifact becomes an artifact creature. If it isn't a Vehicle, it has base power and toughness 4/4.
-6: You get an emblem with "Whenever an artifact you control becomes tapped, draw a card."
4 starting loyalty
Probably only worth it for artifact-heavy cubes, but it provides card advantage and can situationally protect itself.
Junji, the Midnight Sky 3BB
Legendary Creature - Dragon Spirit (M)
Flying, menace
When Junji, the Midnight Sky dies, choose one:
- Each opponent discards two cards and loses 2 life.
- Put target non-Dragon creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. You lose 2 life.
5/5
Solid stats, double evasion, and a NASTY death trigger. Might be better than Doom Whisperer. If you like Baneslayer-esque 5-drops, this is probably good enough to test.
Kairi, the Swirling Sky 4UU
Legendary Creature - Dragon Spirit (M)
Flying, ward 3
When Kairi, the Swirling Sky dies, choose one:
- Return any number of target nonland permanents with total mana value 6 or less to their owners' hands.
- Mill six cards, then return up to two instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand.
6/6
Good stats, some protection, provides card advantage. Probably not as good as Consecrated Sphinx but worthy of discussion.
Another Luminous Broodmoth-esque effect, but with a worse body and a pump. Probably only for larger cubes, but normally cards with these effects are worthy of discussion. Definitely has combo potential with sac outlets. I'm considering testing it in my Pioneer Cube.
One of the biggest complaints about my last cube was that people weren't familiar with a lot of the older cards and how they interacted. The skill level necessary to draft it well was quite high; most newer players didn't "get it" until after like 4 or 5 drafts, not to mention my fiance's general bewilderment and frustration. How could I design a cube that's friendly to newer players while also achieving the following goals:
All major theaters of Magic are represented (aggro, tempo, midrange, ramp, combo, control)
No overly confusing or frustrating interactions
No cards people likely won't be familiar with
What solves this? Limiting the card pool to Pioneer. Newer players will know most of the cards, and there won't be any combos that both frustrate and confuse those less experienced with the rules.
The Problems
By only using cards from Return to Ravnica forward and following the Pioneer ban list, one theater of Magic (combo) is heavily nerfed. To work against this, I made sure to include ample aristocrats support, as that deck plays similarly to a combo deck.
The amount of variance reduction also pales in comparison to traditional cubes, as most Ponder effects are not in Pioneer.
Design Philosophy
With these issues in mind, I designed the Pioneer Cube. Curve optimization was a concern at the forefront of design, hence the abundance of 2-drops. The lack of variance reduction also made me cut down on the number of midrange curve-toppers. This is because I didn't want midrange drafters stuck with openers of 3 lands, a 4-drop, and three 5-drops, and designed the curve to try to prevent gluts.
Modal cards are also prevalent in the cube. Without many tutoring effects, being able to increase the number of potential lines of play or forms of interaction is key. There's a fair amount of redundancy whenever possible, especially for the aristocrats archetype.
Since many of the best and most iconic cards in Pioneer are multicolored, I upped it to 7 slots per guild instead of 5. Most decks in this cube are 2 colors.
The Guilds & The Theaters
Each guild is generally focused around one of the aforementioned theaters of Magic.
Azorius: Control. Reflector Mage is only included because they wrongly banned T3feri and I wanted another 3-drop. Dimir: Tempo. This guild is focused on playing cheap creatures that double as card advantage engines (Wharf Infiltrator, Thief of Sanity) and backing them up with cheap hand disruption and removal spells. Recursive black 2-drops are extremely good in this guild. Rakdos: Aggro/combo. There's definitely some aristocrat support in Rakdos, which loves to make tokens and use effects like Priest of Forgotten Gods to generate massive advantage. Gruul: Ramp/midrange. It's possible to draft this guild as aggro, but the guild slots are aimed toward midrange and ramp decks. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and other power-matters cards are good in this guild as well as Simic. Selesnya: Aggro. Venerated Loxodon and other anthem effects are best in this guild. Orzhov: Combo. Generally Orzhov decks will play aristocrats, though midrange is also doable. Trying to do control with this guild is likely a fruitless endeavor. And yes, you can Whip of Erebos + Obzedat, Ghost Council, because combo can exist and be fun without being an instant game over. Golgari: Midrange/control. This guild likes to grind and gradually take over the game. Simic: Ramp. Very straightforward. Izzet: Tempo. Creatures that cost 2 or less, counters, burn spells. Boros: Aggro/midrange. Boros is capable of going either tall or wide, depending on which curve-toppers you choose to go with.
Koma, Cosmos Serpent 3GGUU
Legendary Creature - Serpent
This spell can't be countered.
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 3/3 blue Serpent creature token named Koma's Coil.
Sacrifice another Serpent: Choose one—
• Tap target permanent. Its activated abilities can't be activated this turn.
• Koma, Cosmos Serpent gains indestructible until end of turn.
6/6
Good reanimator fatty, not in the top 4 for the guild but probably good enough to warrant discussion.
This deck is fast, consistent (turn 3-5 kill), and highly proactive. If you want to make infinite creatures and push through opposing disruption, try Siona - she's surprisingly strong when optimized for cEDH.
She struggles against spell-centric combo decks (storm and Demonic Consultation stuff) and mass removal, but does well against decks packing targeted disruption and often gets under or around countermagic and popular stax/hate cards.
2UU
Legendary Planeswalker - Tezzeret (M)
The first activated ability of an artifact you activate each turn costs 2 less to activate.
+1: Draw two cards, then discard two cards unless you discard an artifact card.
-2: Target artifact becomes an artifact creature. If it isn't a Vehicle, it has base power and toughness 4/4.
-6: You get an emblem with "Whenever an artifact you control becomes tapped, draw a card."
4 starting loyalty
Probably only worth it for artifact-heavy cubes, but it provides card advantage and can situationally protect itself.
3BB
Legendary Creature - Dragon Spirit (M)
Flying, menace
When Junji, the Midnight Sky dies, choose one:
- Each opponent discards two cards and loses 2 life.
- Put target non-Dragon creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. You lose 2 life.
5/5
Solid stats, double evasion, and a NASTY death trigger. Might be better than Doom Whisperer. If you like Baneslayer-esque 5-drops, this is probably good enough to test.
4UU
Legendary Creature - Dragon Spirit (M)
Flying, ward 3
When Kairi, the Swirling Sky dies, choose one:
- Return any number of target nonland permanents with total mana value 6 or less to their owners' hands.
- Mill six cards, then return up to two instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand.
6/6
Good stats, some protection, provides card advantage. Probably not as good as Consecrated Sphinx but worthy of discussion.
Gryff's Boon > Spellbinder Adept
Herald of Torment > Sedgemoor Witch
Ruinous Path > Baleful Mastery
Merfolk Branchwalker or Whisperer of the Wilds > Emergent Sequence
Despark > Vanishing Verse
Ionize > Prismari Command
Chained to the Rocks > Rip Apart
Something > Plargg/Augusta
Prime Speaker Zegana > Resolute Rejection
Butcher of the Horde > Extus/Awaken the Blood Avatar
GU
Instant (U)
Choose one—
• Target creature you control fights target creature you don’t control.
• Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays 3.
Flexible, but sorta situational. Not sure it's worth a guild slot even in larger cubes despite the versatility.
Another Luminous Broodmoth-esque effect, but with a worse body and a pump. Probably only for larger cubes, but normally cards with these effects are worthy of discussion. Definitely has combo potential with sac outlets. I'm considering testing it in my Pioneer Cube.
One of the biggest complaints about my last cube was that people weren't familiar with a lot of the older cards and how they interacted. The skill level necessary to draft it well was quite high; most newer players didn't "get it" until after like 4 or 5 drafts, not to mention my fiance's general bewilderment and frustration. How could I design a cube that's friendly to newer players while also achieving the following goals:
What solves this? Limiting the card pool to Pioneer. Newer players will know most of the cards, and there won't be any combos that both frustrate and confuse those less experienced with the rules.
The Problems
By only using cards from Return to Ravnica forward and following the Pioneer ban list, one theater of Magic (combo) is heavily nerfed. To work against this, I made sure to include ample aristocrats support, as that deck plays similarly to a combo deck.
The amount of variance reduction also pales in comparison to traditional cubes, as most Ponder effects are not in Pioneer.
Design Philosophy
With these issues in mind, I designed the Pioneer Cube. Curve optimization was a concern at the forefront of design, hence the abundance of 2-drops. The lack of variance reduction also made me cut down on the number of midrange curve-toppers. This is because I didn't want midrange drafters stuck with openers of 3 lands, a 4-drop, and three 5-drops, and designed the curve to try to prevent gluts.
Modal cards are also prevalent in the cube. Without many tutoring effects, being able to increase the number of potential lines of play or forms of interaction is key. There's a fair amount of redundancy whenever possible, especially for the aristocrats archetype.
Since many of the best and most iconic cards in Pioneer are multicolored, I upped it to 7 slots per guild instead of 5. Most decks in this cube are 2 colors.
The Guilds & The Theaters
Each guild is generally focused around one of the aforementioned theaters of Magic.
Azorius: Control. Reflector Mage is only included because they wrongly banned T3feri and I wanted another 3-drop.
Dimir: Tempo. This guild is focused on playing cheap creatures that double as card advantage engines (Wharf Infiltrator, Thief of Sanity) and backing them up with cheap hand disruption and removal spells. Recursive black 2-drops are extremely good in this guild.
Rakdos: Aggro/combo. There's definitely some aristocrat support in Rakdos, which loves to make tokens and use effects like Priest of Forgotten Gods to generate massive advantage.
Gruul: Ramp/midrange. It's possible to draft this guild as aggro, but the guild slots are aimed toward midrange and ramp decks. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and other power-matters cards are good in this guild as well as Simic.
Selesnya: Aggro. Venerated Loxodon and other anthem effects are best in this guild.
Orzhov: Combo. Generally Orzhov decks will play aristocrats, though midrange is also doable. Trying to do control with this guild is likely a fruitless endeavor. And yes, you can Whip of Erebos + Obzedat, Ghost Council, because combo can exist and be fun without being an instant game over.
Golgari: Midrange/control. This guild likes to grind and gradually take over the game.
Simic: Ramp. Very straightforward.
Izzet: Tempo. Creatures that cost 2 or less, counters, burn spells.
Boros: Aggro/midrange. Boros is capable of going either tall or wide, depending on which curve-toppers you choose to go with.
The List
W
U
B
R
G
WU
UB
BR
RG
GW
WB
Cartel Aristocrat
Cruel Celebrant
Despark
Dire Tactics
Anguished Unmaking
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Obzedat, Ghost Council
BG
GU
UR
RW
WUBRG
X
LandS
3GGUU
Legendary Creature - Serpent
This spell can't be countered.
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 3/3 blue Serpent creature token named Koma's Coil.
Sacrifice another Serpent: Choose one—
• Tap target permanent. Its activated abilities can't be activated this turn.
• Koma, Cosmos Serpent gains indestructible until end of turn.
6/6
Good reanimator fatty, not in the top 4 for the guild but probably good enough to warrant discussion.
The combo is Siona + Shielded By Faith. Cards like Blasting Station and Crashing Drawbridge make it a same-turn kill; I'm also looking into adding Altar of the Brood.
She struggles against spell-centric combo decks (storm and Demonic Consultation stuff) and mass removal, but does well against decks packing targeted disruption and often gets under or around countermagic and popular stax/hate cards.
Decklist
1x Alpha Authority
1x Aura Shards
1x Canopy Cover
1x Carpet of Flowers
1x Concordant Crossroads
1x Darksteel Mutation
1x Enchantress's Presence
1x Ethereal Armor *
1x Flickering Ward
1x Grasp of Fate
1x Hyena Umbra
1x Keen Sense
1x Kenrith's Transformation
1x Mask of Law and Grace
1x On Thin Ice
1x Reprobation
1x Sage's Reverie
1x Season of Growth
1x Shield of the Oversoul *
1x Shielded by Faith
1x Sixth Sense
1x Snake Umbra
1x Spider Umbra
1x Sterling Grove
1x Sylvan Library
1x Utopia Sprawl
1x Wild Growth
1x Fragmentize
1x Idyllic Tutor
1x Open the Armory
1x Regrowth
1x Three Dreams
1x Bountiful Promenade
1x Brushland
1x Cavern of Souls
1x City of Brass
1x Command Tower
1x Flooded Strand
1x Fortified Village
1x Gaea's Cradle
1x Hall of Heliod's Generosity
1x Mana Confluence
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Prismatic Vista
1x Razorverge Thicket
1x Savannah
1x Serra's Sanctum
5x Snow-Covered Forest
3x Snow-Covered Plains
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Bastion
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Blasting Station
1x Chrome Mox
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mox Diamond
1x Skullclamp
1x Sol Ring
1x Arbor Elf
1x Argothian Enchantress
1x Auratouched Mage
1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Crashing Drawbridge
1x Eidolon of Blossoms
1x Elvish Mystic
1x Fyndhorn Elves
1x Gaddock Teeg
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Heliod's Pilgrim
1x Kor Spiritdancer
1x Llanowar Elves
1x Satyr Enchanter
1x Sram, Senior Edificer
1x Apostle's Blessing
1x Blossoming Defense
1x Chord of Calling
1x Crop Rotation
1x Eladamri's Call
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Ephemerate
1x Gods Willing
1x Heroic Intervention
1x Natural State
1x Nature's Claim
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Veil of Summer
Asterisked cards are the first likely cuts.
Also, I made a Discord channel for discussion of this commander in cEDH.