But yeah totally cool to not engage obviously. I was unaware that this type of discussion could be viewed as toxic, but I respect the perspective of it’s not enjoyable for some.
I haven't cubed in forever due to the pandemic and not playing online but yeah, obviously participation is voluntary But I'm not sure comments like 'this bores me, I've totally outgrow this type of discussion' is "totally cool" lmao.
Is this the first time they defined creating a token like "Walker" without explicitly specifying its characteristics or did we already cross that Rubicon?
hm yeah, good point. although i might even add tokens to the list as well lol. the archetype is strong even without the mtgo staples. and unless they dont see print as common i ignore them.
i pretty muched moved all those archetypes to t2 and see how they compete there, because hexproof and threaten kinda cancel each out. ofc threaten is no control magic, but often you can gain too much ressources. especially Bushmeat Poacher is just unfair lol.
With pauper officially defined and sanctioned the way it is you're basically playing house rules.
Also, I would think your spike cube with an emphasis on fast aggro would be among the most resilient environments against the archetypes you name. I would expect all of them to underperform a bit in that situation acutally.
In response to what I think you're trying to say, modal tap-lands with "discard from hand" abilities have been printed before and seen constructed play, so I'm not exactly sure what you're going on about. On the even more extreme end, I remember Recollect saw standard play back in Kamigawa, meanwhile we just got a version that can be played as a tapped forest in the early game which is clearly a huge spike in powerlevel.
1. How many modal taplands with discard abilities see cube play again?
2. Recollect saw standard play in Kamigawa? Here is what I think of that fascinating factoid:
it sounds like you just stuck a bunch of words together in an attempt to make your reasoning sound more solid. I know contextually what you're trying to say, but I guarantee you those words don't mean what you think they mean in that particular order lol
2. On the other hand, the bolt lands are a lot more interesting - I like how a powerful spell (7-8 cost) could also be a land and could significantly help smooth out draws are incentive decks to play more 6-7 drops and present more interesting games. I've found 5-6 mana planeswalkers/ spells to be alot less interesting in eternal formats because of the balance of having enough lands to reach the mana to consistently cast the spells vs not drawing too many lands to not get flooded to be incredibly difficult.
I don't personally think there are any good 6+ mana PW in powered Cube except maybe ramping into Ugin or Karn (or Bolas -- players LOVE building around him lol)
Thanks once again for doing these. You do such a great service to the community by writing the Previews.
Very surprised to not see Kargan Intimidator and Sea Gate Stormcaller and surprised to see Hagra Mauling and Roil Eruption on this list. Intimidator looks like a better red 2-drop than a few that are commonly run. Stormcaller has a really high ceiling by pairing it with Recall, Walk, or a Tutor.
Cheers,
rant
You want to know a really dumb card like the Stormcaller?
It was a weird card they gave to him for working on a movie or something but we toyed with it in powered cube and it is super annoying. JGL is definitely better than the Stormcaller but the same dynamic is basically at work. Unlike in Vintage cards like Ancestral don't get countered all the time so they actually get doubled and its stupid.
I think the "tax" is on a curve. Going from 1-2 cmc is a much higher tax than 4-5 IMO (thinking of the Llanowar Elf guy and the Force Spike one).
Also, the weird thing IMO is that some of the low drops could probably be 360-able if you wanted because a number of 1 and 2 drops are more or less interchangeable. But I wouldn't call those cards the top cards of the set.
At the very least, I think we can agree all these modal type lands are very far behind something like Shelldock Isle, where you can have your cake and eat it too (get the land immediately and cast something for free pretty easily in a proper cube deck)
I wouldn't speak for everyone if I were you because I think Shelldock Isle is medicore at best and is super overrated and know a good amount of others who share similar thoughts. While I MDFC cards are narrower than I'd like them to be, I prefer most of them over Shelldock Isle since it they give you more options.
I think his larger point is that logically Shelldock Isle does what these cards do -- be a cipt land and also have a lategame "spell" -- except you get BOTH effects. The logic doesn't hinge on the precise strength of Shelldock vs any particular mdfc. I'm struggling to understand how they give you more options since you are literally forced to pick only one.
To me this card is the real teat. A powerful card for a reasonable mana cost, that is situational bad/excellent. But I like it more than the combat trick ones because you get to sculpt a plan with it. They effect is also usually better late, when you dont need land. So if excellent i may try more flip catds
Personally I don't think the upside of the land in the early game is much of an "upside" since etb tapped is so horrible.
You know what is also absolutely horrible? Every single mode on Izzet Charm. In fact, I would rather have an extra colored tapland in my deck over UR: any single mode of Izzet charm. Zero of those individual modes would make a 2000 sized cube. However, the card is fantastic and a lower-sized-izzet-section-staple because it provide full coverage: a set of options such that one is always useful. I view MDFCs in a very similar light.
The modes on Izzet charm are individually subpar because they are each situational. So there is an additive effect having a number of them available on one card. A etb mono-colored tapped land is horrible because it is horrible.
I can see what your leaning toward but the issue is as always going to be the re equip cost, and Adventuring Gear has that beat hands down and we still don't play it. If we bounced artifacts or permanent's in some way beneficial to us overall then it wouldn't be a issue. As it stands anything we would equip it to basically has a target painted on it, that it may only get one swing or two if possible and while those swings could be very very big ones it still shrinks at end of turn.
Don't agree that Adventuring Gear beats it hand downs.
That's because Red Aggro is far better than Green Aggro, and aggro one-drops are more important than aggro three-drops. Green's best thing to do will always be ramp, as as much damage as the Mammoth does, it's still an awkward (though not impossible) fit there. A red Steppe Lynx is seriously bonkers, looks more like a Modern Horizons printing or something.
Oh, I definitely agree in the right format(s) the Hellhound is nuts.
Surprised you don't have Kazandu Mammoth as staple along with Akoun Hellhound. It's 7/7 with a fetch and comes down t2 off mana elves. Ahd, honestly, I would be thinking about Territorial Scythecat. After two fetches its a permanent 6/5 trample.
I haven't cubed in forever due to the pandemic and not playing online but yeah, obviously participation is voluntary
With pauper officially defined and sanctioned the way it is you're basically playing house rules.
Also, I would think your spike cube with an emphasis on fast aggro would be among the most resilient environments against the archetypes you name. I would expect all of them to underperform a bit in that situation acutally.
1. How many modal taplands with discard abilities see cube play again?
2. Recollect saw standard play in Kamigawa? Here is what I think of that fascinating factoid:
I don't personally think there are any good 6+ mana PW in powered Cube except maybe ramping into Ugin or Karn (or Bolas -- players LOVE building around him lol)
You want to know a really dumb card like the Stormcaller?
It was a weird card they gave to him for working on a movie or something but we toyed with it in powered cube and it is super annoying. JGL is definitely better than the Stormcaller but the same dynamic is basically at work. Unlike in Vintage cards like Ancestral don't get countered all the time so they actually get doubled and its stupid.
Also, the weird thing IMO is that some of the low drops could probably be 360-able if you wanted because a number of 1 and 2 drops are more or less interchangeable. But I wouldn't call those cards the top cards of the set.
I think his larger point is that logically Shelldock Isle does what these cards do -- be a cipt land and also have a lategame "spell" -- except you get BOTH effects. The logic doesn't hinge on the precise strength of Shelldock vs any particular mdfc. I'm struggling to understand how they give you more options since you are literally forced to pick only one.
The modes on Izzet charm are individually subpar because they are each situational. So there is an additive effect having a number of them available on one card. A etb mono-colored tapped land is horrible because it is horrible.
Don't agree that Adventuring Gear beats it hand downs.
If only we'd gotten the color shifted Steep Lynx. But we did get Skyclave Pick-Axe.
EDIT: sorry didn't recognize the alt art. Thought you were talking about Kazandu Mammoth
Oh, I definitely agree in the right format(s) the Hellhound is nuts.
Surprised you don't have Kazandu Mammoth as staple along with Akoun Hellhound. It's 7/7 with a fetch and comes down t2 off mana elves. Ahd, honestly, I would be thinking about Territorial Scythecat. After two fetches its a permanent 6/5 trample.