@wtwlf:
We will probably have to agree to disagree on the classification of Blistering Firecat and the Jihad comparison, HOWEVER your intense support of the card has led me to believe that I should try it again, so I will find a way to add it back in.
All the morphs that take less than 3 mana to unmorph I consider 3-drops. Why would I classify them elsewhere? Why would I put Firecat in the 4cc slot when it doesn't play like a 4-drop? I have to have at least 3 mana for them. They come down on T3 quite often. I never need more than 3 mana to use them. It seems perfectly logical to classify them there.
Also:
Jihad requires WWW for an anthem type effect. It could be really good, but it's narrow and mana intensive.
Ball Lightning requires RRR for a Ball Lightning type effect. It could be really good, but it's narrow and mana intensive.
Glorious Anthem is less mana intensive, and can see play in more decks. Because of that, it's a better card.
Blistering Firecat is less mana intensive, and can see play in more decks. Because of that, it's a better card.
I don't see why that comparison seems so absurd to you.
You spend 3 mana on both Jihad and Glorious Anthem with Glorious Anthem being strictly less mana intensive by 1 white mana, but you spend 3 mana on Ball Lightning and 5 mana on Blistering Firecat for the Firecat to be less mana intensive by 1 red mana. That is a huge difference. This is in addition to the fact that Jihad is a weird, inconsistent pump spell for all white creatures, and Glorious Anthem is a consistent pump spell for all of your own creatures with no strings attached.
Blistering Firecat doesn't do what you want it to until you spend 4+ mana on it. If you want Blistering Firecat to have its full effect, you can't play a 4-drop on turn 4 or even turn 5. This is why it competes with other 4-drops. You have to choose whether or not you want your Blistering Firecat or another 4-drop on turn 4. Yes, it gives you the option to have a Gray Ogre on turn 3 and play a 4-drop on turn 4, but then you are competing with more 4 or 5-drops on turn 5 if you ever want your Blistering Firecat. The key is asking which cards it competes with.
I count it as a 3-drop. Because it gets played for 3 mana. And requires less mana than that to morph.
And I think the Anthem/Jihad comparison is pretty apt when you look at Firecat/Lightning.
But... It's a Gray Ogre for 3 mana! Do you consider all of these morphs to take the 3-drop slot? And there's no way you're willing to back down on the Jihad/Glorious Anthem claim?? I just don't know how to argue with that comparison, because it makes no sense to me.
It doesn't have echo at all. You're in complete control over when you want to Morph it. Sometimes it's better to leave it face-down for a bit until it can get in for the kill. Maybe you have a Sword you want it to carry, who knows. But the fact that it can do multiple different things for the caster ...and take 1/3 of their life away in one swing... is pretty awesome.
I agree that it is a good card, but I would be curious to hear from everyone why it is better than the other red 4-drops. My example wasn't any worse than the Jihad/Glorious Anthem comparison, you have to admit... Haha.
Edit - Where would you rank Blistering Firecat among these creatures:
I don't like Ball Lightning in the cube either. But Blistering Firecat is a totally different beast. Not only does it bash for 7, but it doesn't have to be a creature that dies at the end of turn if you don't want it to be, and you don't need RRR.
Hmm I don't know about that comparison... It would be more like saying I don't like an Anthem that costs 3 with an echo of 1W and you don't get the effect until you pay the echo - if Glorious Anthem was bad for me.
I'm actually surprised by how many people love Blistering Firecat. There is so much competition for that slot, and I just don't see how it's better than the other cards. I hate Ball Lightning, so maybe I'm biased.
Better to test out the new stuff anyways. Nether void does feel less like archtype support, and more like a build around me card, that requires its own support. So I totally understand the decision.
Like everything, not including it is personal preference, but I disagree with this statement. You play it in any aggro deck that would want an Armageddon effect. It's one of the best 5 spells for BR aggro for example. You have to build around it about as much as you have to build around Armageddon which is considered one of the top 5 white cards in Cube.
I think you need Moxen and Fast Mana to play Academy. It's quite easy in a powered artifact deck to have it tap for UU with regularity. And that's pretty bonkers in itself.
I can definitely see Tolarian Academy being very good in a small, powered Cube.
Tolarian Academy was very bad in my Cube, and I tried to support artifacts heavily. Granted, I have an unpowered Cube. It's unfortunate, because it's such an iconic card.
No, it was fine. When I cut down in size, it didn't cut it, and when I added back in, I went for more archetype support stuff. I'd be adding it back in if I was going to 540.
Nether Void is the definition of archetype support in my opinion. If you include Black Aggro creatures, it seems like Nether Void is auto-include. I was include Nether Void regardless of the size of my Cube if I supported black aggro.
I have been out of forum posting for a while, but I am going to post my proposed M13 changes. I'd like to post more often about my Cube; I just often get lazy and stalk the forums to glean info from the Cube pros without posting a lot. I really appreciate everyone who posts often on these forums, because there is so much good Cube information. Whoever made the MTGO list really needs to check out these forums for some tips...
Anyways, here are my proposed changes for M13:
White
In:
-Knight of Glory
-Ajani, Caller of the Pride
-Sublime Archangel
I feel good about these swaps. Celestial Crusader is the only one that I don't feel 100% about, but I like Hokori a LOT more, and nothing else is really up for consideration in that area. Thraben Doomsayer was underwhelming most of the time, and I feel like I've been trying too hard to push tokens.
Blue
In:
-Void Stalker
Out:
-Shaper Parasite
Shaper Parasite has been a personal favorite of mine, but Void Stalker curves out much nicer and can deal with the strong creatures you need to get rid of in the midgame. This looks like an upgrade to me, but Void Stalker seems like one of the first cards to cut for a better blue card in the future.
Black
In:
-Knight of Infamy
-Griselbrand
Out:
-Highborn Ghoul
-Life's Finale
I will add Liliana later if lots of people have success with her. I do not like her at all right now though... This aggro creature swap seems easy to me. I'm glad I get a couple decent aggro creatures that are easier to cast in black and white. I want to try Griselbrand, but I wonder if his applications will be too narrow... I don't know, he just seems almost auto-win against any matchup if you can get him out.
Red
In:
-Ashmouth Hound
-Searing Spear
-Flames of the Firebrand
-Thundermaw Hellkite
Pyroclasm gets some great reviews on the forums, but it has been so narrow. It's hit or miss; sometimes it does literally nothing in a matchup, but sometimes it will destroy an archetype for 2 mana. I like the x-sweepers better, and I run 3. The second Arc Lightning seems like a reasonable replacement for Pyroclasm. The other adds seem a lot better than their previous counterparts. Skirk Marauder is so slow, and I wanted to add another red 2-drop, so the hound is coming in with the new cards.
Green
In:
-Yeva, Nature's Herald
-Thragtusk
Out:
-Kodama of the North Tree
-Brutalizer Exarch
I debated whether or not I would keep in Obstinate Baloth, and I think I will for now...
Land
In:
-Hellion Crucible
Out:
-Reflecting Pool
I wanted a red utility land since red lands are underrepresented in the nonbasic section. Reflecting Pool has been underwhelming as a fixer and doesn't help you splash a color.
Multi
In:
-Flinthoof Boar
Out:
-Boggart Ram-gang
Very similar cards, but the boar is more flexible and curves out better.
Colorless:
No changes.
Feedback is welcome; thanks!
Btw - still looking for an English Moat to try in the Cube... This is the only card that I wish I could try but currently do not because I don't own one. It was discussed above.
We will probably have to agree to disagree on the classification of Blistering Firecat and the Jihad comparison, HOWEVER your intense support of the card has led me to believe that I should try it again, so I will find a way to add it back in.
Now if you can convince me on Willbender...
You spend 3 mana on both Jihad and Glorious Anthem with Glorious Anthem being strictly less mana intensive by 1 white mana, but you spend 3 mana on Ball Lightning and 5 mana on Blistering Firecat for the Firecat to be less mana intensive by 1 red mana. That is a huge difference. This is in addition to the fact that Jihad is a weird, inconsistent pump spell for all white creatures, and Glorious Anthem is a consistent pump spell for all of your own creatures with no strings attached.
Blistering Firecat doesn't do what you want it to until you spend 4+ mana on it. If you want Blistering Firecat to have its full effect, you can't play a 4-drop on turn 4 or even turn 5. This is why it competes with other 4-drops. You have to choose whether or not you want your Blistering Firecat or another 4-drop on turn 4. Yes, it gives you the option to have a Gray Ogre on turn 3 and play a 4-drop on turn 4, but then you are competing with more 4 or 5-drops on turn 5 if you ever want your Blistering Firecat. The key is asking which cards it competes with.
But... It's a Gray Ogre for 3 mana! Do you consider all of these morphs to take the 3-drop slot? And there's no way you're willing to back down on the Jihad/Glorious Anthem claim?? I just don't know how to argue with that comparison, because it makes no sense to me.
I agree that it is a good card, but I would be curious to hear from everyone why it is better than the other red 4-drops. My example wasn't any worse than the Jihad/Glorious Anthem comparison, you have to admit... Haha.
Edit - Where would you rank Blistering Firecat among these creatures:
1 Ravenous Baboons
1 Oxidda Scrapmelter
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Keldon Champion
1 Hellrider
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Hound of Griselbrand
1 Rakka Mar
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
I can see a good argument for it being better than Hound of Griselbrand, but I don't think I like it more than any of those other cards.
Hmm I don't know about that comparison... It would be more like saying I don't like an Anthem that costs 3 with an echo of 1W and you don't get the effect until you pay the echo - if Glorious Anthem was bad for me.
Like everything, not including it is personal preference, but I disagree with this statement. You play it in any aggro deck that would want an Armageddon effect. It's one of the best 5 spells for BR aggro for example. You have to build around it about as much as you have to build around Armageddon which is considered one of the top 5 white cards in Cube.
I can definitely see Tolarian Academy being very good in a small, powered Cube.
Nether Void is the definition of archetype support in my opinion. If you include Black Aggro creatures, it seems like Nether Void is auto-include. I was include Nether Void regardless of the size of my Cube if I supported black aggro.
Anyways, here are my proposed changes for M13:
White
In:
-Knight of Glory
-Ajani, Caller of the Pride
-Sublime Archangel
Out:
-Kor Aeronaut
-Thraben Doomsayer
-Celestial Crusader
I feel good about these swaps. Celestial Crusader is the only one that I don't feel 100% about, but I like Hokori a LOT more, and nothing else is really up for consideration in that area. Thraben Doomsayer was underwhelming most of the time, and I feel like I've been trying too hard to push tokens.
Blue
In:
-Void Stalker
Out:
-Shaper Parasite
Shaper Parasite has been a personal favorite of mine, but Void Stalker curves out much nicer and can deal with the strong creatures you need to get rid of in the midgame. This looks like an upgrade to me, but Void Stalker seems like one of the first cards to cut for a better blue card in the future.
Black
In:
-Knight of Infamy
-Griselbrand
Out:
-Highborn Ghoul
-Life's Finale
I will add Liliana later if lots of people have success with her. I do not like her at all right now though... This aggro creature swap seems easy to me. I'm glad I get a couple decent aggro creatures that are easier to cast in black and white. I want to try Griselbrand, but I wonder if his applications will be too narrow... I don't know, he just seems almost auto-win against any matchup if you can get him out.
Red
In:
-Ashmouth Hound
-Searing Spear
-Flames of the Firebrand
-Thundermaw Hellkite
Out:
-Skirk Marauder
-Bogardan Hellkite
-Pyroclasm
-Puncture Blast
Pyroclasm gets some great reviews on the forums, but it has been so narrow. It's hit or miss; sometimes it does literally nothing in a matchup, but sometimes it will destroy an archetype for 2 mana. I like the x-sweepers better, and I run 3. The second Arc Lightning seems like a reasonable replacement for Pyroclasm. The other adds seem a lot better than their previous counterparts. Skirk Marauder is so slow, and I wanted to add another red 2-drop, so the hound is coming in with the new cards.
Green
In:
-Yeva, Nature's Herald
-Thragtusk
Out:
-Kodama of the North Tree
-Brutalizer Exarch
I debated whether or not I would keep in Obstinate Baloth, and I think I will for now...
Land
In:
-Hellion Crucible
Out:
-Reflecting Pool
I wanted a red utility land since red lands are underrepresented in the nonbasic section. Reflecting Pool has been underwhelming as a fixer and doesn't help you splash a color.
Multi
In:
-Flinthoof Boar
Out:
-Boggart Ram-gang
Very similar cards, but the boar is more flexible and curves out better.
Colorless:
No changes.
Feedback is welcome; thanks!
Btw - still looking for an English Moat to try in the Cube... This is the only card that I wish I could try but currently do not because I don't own one. It was discussed above.