Vodalian Mage is awful and probably never should have been in the cube in the first place. Eel is more playable and can make for an interesting play with Red/Blue.
Ydwen Efreet is a personal favorite, but he's really hard to play at RRR in cost. We removed Ball Lightning for a couple of reasons and that was one of them so he's out. Rukh Egg has some interesting combo potential with cards like Earthquake and Nevinyrrals Disk.
Morale is bad for 1WW. Blessing is only marginally better, but better is better.
Pendrell Mists out
Pendrell Mists is too hard to play around. It's a powerful effect but the cards needed to make it effective don't exist in the cube. Pendrell Mists > Sapphire Charm
Ward of lights is another annoying enchantment (and color-hate) and Ivory Charm is more versatile with a lower cost. Ward of Lights > Ivory Charm
Superior Numbers is too conditional and Feral Instinct is a nice trick/pump effect with draw. Surprised I didn't have it in the first place. Superior Numbers > Feral Instinct
Growing Green
The green creature list was pretty weak considering how many big fatties that green has in the block. I should have made these changes a long time ago. The cards being removed were unimpressive and hard to use. Again, conditional abilities are not very useful.
Wave Elemental out
Wave elemental is just not good enough for it's high cost. It's power and toughness do not matter much and it's ability is replicated/surpassed by other cards in the cube. Avizoa is a more playable cost at 3U and has an interesting evasive/pump power.
Black changes
Some changes for black. Kaervek's Spite is just too awful a drawback for 5 life, even as a finisher. Phyrexian Tribute is a 3 for one in cards for an artifact, and there aren't that many in the cube. Necratog is iconic, but hard to power up. Tar Pit Warrior is easier to splash and make use of. Kaervek's Spite > Ebony Charm Phyrexian Tribute > Ashen Powder Necratog > Tar Pit Warrior
Suleiman's Legacy out
The card is too hard to use and Zebra Unicorn has some needed lifelink in the cube. Suleiman's Legacy > Zebra Unicorn
The most-often-passed cards of the '94 cube as the list stands today are the legends. They are hard to play, they aren't very good for their costs and their abilities are generally unimpressive. The few that are "useful" or playable are pretty hard to get onto the table. The Elder Dragons in particular are the biggest offenders. That being said, I think the Elder Dragons belong in the cube. They are flavorful and iconic. I can't bring myself to take them out.
There are only 15 total legends in the cube. Leaving the 5 Eldar Dragons in means that there are only 10 other Legends to consider. The change I am making here is to include one of each "allied" color legend. The other 5 also just happen to match the colors of the Elder Dragons besides being the big, iconic legends who do cool things like Sol'Kanar. I feel that two color legends are much more likely to get picked and played than the 3 color ones, however, if you're going to play 3 colors, you might as well go all-in with not only the Elder Dragon but the big matching legend too.
Angus Mackenzie > Sunastian Falconer
Angus Mackenzie is not very good. His ability is powerful but defensive. I've been trying to promote more aggro in the cube and this is an easy pick to replace. Sunastian Falconer is a decently big body for the cost and he has a mana ability. While I'm not sure how much acceleration he provides, it's something you might use for an X spell or a big artifact. If you don't tap him for mana, you can smash face with his 4/4 body. Also this gives Red/Green a Legend where they had nothing before.
Tetsuo Umezawa > Nebuchadnezzar
Tetsuo looks powerful and has some cool abilities but they require 4 mana of 3 different colors to use. He just wasn't getting picked. With Nebuchadnezzar, you might swing with his 3/3 body and you also might use his X and tap ability. He's just more playable. He also represents Blue/Black as a legend pretty well.
Boris Devilboon > Tor Wauki
I actually really like Boris Devilboon, but he gets passed all the time. His ability is pretty expensive for making a token and his body is weak. Tor Wauki has a potentially useful ability and also has a 3/3 body you might swing with. This gives Red/Black a legend that's more in line with what Red and Black as colors are trying to do.
Juggs has been smashing face for a cheap 4 colorless mana in my MTG playgroup since 1994. I welcome his return and smashed face with him again during this last weekend's pre-release.
I played the cube with an old friend very familiar with the block last year and he had some suggestions that I never got around to implementing but I am doing so now.
There are probably too many enchantments in the cube so I am replacing some of those with non-enchantment spells and I'm also trying to increase the count of removal spells at the same time. Furthermore, defensive or slow-play spells are getting cut for more aggressive spells.
I briefly considered Apprentice Wizard. He does help accelerate out bigger threats like obsianus golem or moti, but he's just so bad by himself, he has no power.
I guess he goes in the 2nd tier of replacement options. Dandan, homarid shaman and vodalian war machine might be in that 2nd tier also.
It finally happened. Leviathan is just unplayable. It get's passed every time.
The question is, what blue creature to replace it with? Well, I see 3 reasonable options at this point:
1. Electric Eel - This card was in the cube briefly and this is probably the best choice. It's pump-able and at the very least a 1/1 for 1 mana.
2. Devouring Deep - A 1/2 for 3 mana is pretty bad, but it does have Islandwalk which is interesting. 2 toughness is actually kinda good. It can survive a decent amount of smaller things and there are often people splashing some blue so it can walk over to hit them. The cost helps him be splashable as well.
3. Elder Spawn - This is probably the best direct replacement for a huge creature in blue like Leviathan. Still, difficult to play and a pretty nasty upkeep. Not splashable, pretty dubious "evasion" on red blockers. Also 6/6 isn't very inspiring for it's 7 mana cost. I think this would get passed often also, but it's more playable.
I'm deciding on Devouring Deep for now. I may change my mind later.
So with the changes to FNM promos (only going to be double-sided token cards now), is there any hope of saving Standard? I mean, when was the last time there was even an FNM promo worth keeping in the first place?
A small anecdote. I was out over the weekend and at the local Toys R' Us. I bought a puzzle for my daughter and I noticed as I was walking out that the shelf where they keep the duel decks and box sets of MTG products was packed to the gills. No one was buying...
In the past, those used to get cleaned out, there were good cards in those decks.
I could tell this sort of situation was approaching when Standard turned into nothing but bland chaff right after Return to Ravnica. That was the last set that had a lot of eternal-relevant cards. There have been a few sprinkled in here and there, but nothing worth buying packs/boxes, drafting or playing Standard for. Honestly, as a long-time player (1994), that was a huge reason I ever kept playing in Standard. The woeful lack of support for eternal formats in _Standard_ is a problem. Long-time players are a core of the player base that has to be maintained because face it, every new player eventually becomes a long-time player who would like to keep using their old cards.
I don't know why WoTC doesn't understand this. They have popular eternal formats in Legacy and Modern and just can't figure it out?
The return of the core set with reprints could help this. It was always nice to hop into some standard games knowing that my old cards would still be standard legal.
Argivian Restoration was too situational as was Mind Harness. Both replacements make more sense.
Wave of Terror has potential to be good, but every time I drafted it I never played it.
Argivian Restoration > Inspiration
Mind Harness > Betrayal
Wave of Terror > Agonizing Memories
Ydwen Efreet > Rukh Egg
Vodalian Mage > Electric Eel
Morale > Blessing
Vodalian Mage is awful and probably never should have been in the cube in the first place. Eel is more playable and can make for an interesting play with Red/Blue.
Ydwen Efreet is a personal favorite, but he's really hard to play at RRR in cost. We removed Ball Lightning for a couple of reasons and that was one of them so he's out. Rukh Egg has some interesting combo potential with cards like Earthquake and Nevinyrrals Disk.
Morale is bad for 1WW. Blessing is only marginally better, but better is better.
A few more tweaks to the artifact count and some more aggressive cards.
Dragon Engine > City of Shadows
Barl's Cage > Pendelhaven
Regeneration > Storm Seeker
Feldon's Cane > Sword of the Ages
Pendrell Mists out
Pendrell Mists is too hard to play around. It's a powerful effect but the cards needed to make it effective don't exist in the cube.
Pendrell Mists > Sapphire Charm
Ward of lights is another annoying enchantment (and color-hate) and Ivory Charm is more versatile with a lower cost.
Ward of Lights > Ivory Charm
Superior Numbers is too conditional and Feral Instinct is a nice trick/pump effect with draw. Surprised I didn't have it in the first place.
Superior Numbers > Feral Instinct
Growing Green
The green creature list was pretty weak considering how many big fatties that green has in the block. I should have made these changes a long time ago. The cards being removed were unimpressive and hard to use. Again, conditional abilities are not very useful.
Mwonvuli Ooze > Llanowar Behemoth
Llanowar Druid > Redwood Treefolk
Quirion Druid > Panther Warriors
Sylvan Hierophant > Fungus Elemental
Helping white creatures
Just bumping up some white creature choices.
Benalish Missionary > Mtenda Herder
Femeref Healer > Femeref Knight
Spectral Guardian > Southern Paladin
Wave Elemental out
Wave elemental is just not good enough for it's high cost. It's power and toughness do not matter much and it's ability is replicated/surpassed by other cards in the cube. Avizoa is a more playable cost at 3U and has an interesting evasive/pump power.
Wave Elemental > Avizoa
Black changes
Some changes for black. Kaervek's Spite is just too awful a drawback for 5 life, even as a finisher. Phyrexian Tribute is a 3 for one in cards for an artifact, and there aren't that many in the cube. Necratog is iconic, but hard to power up. Tar Pit Warrior is easier to splash and make use of.
Kaervek's Spite > Ebony Charm
Phyrexian Tribute > Ashen Powder
Necratog > Tar Pit Warrior
Suleiman's Legacy out
The card is too hard to use and Zebra Unicorn has some needed lifelink in the cube.
Suleiman's Legacy > Zebra Unicorn
The most-often-passed cards of the '94 cube as the list stands today are the legends. They are hard to play, they aren't very good for their costs and their abilities are generally unimpressive. The few that are "useful" or playable are pretty hard to get onto the table. The Elder Dragons in particular are the biggest offenders. That being said, I think the Elder Dragons belong in the cube. They are flavorful and iconic. I can't bring myself to take them out.
There are only 15 total legends in the cube. Leaving the 5 Eldar Dragons in means that there are only 10 other Legends to consider. The change I am making here is to include one of each "allied" color legend. The other 5 also just happen to match the colors of the Elder Dragons besides being the big, iconic legends who do cool things like Sol'Kanar. I feel that two color legends are much more likely to get picked and played than the 3 color ones, however, if you're going to play 3 colors, you might as well go all-in with not only the Elder Dragon but the big matching legend too.
Angus Mackenzie > Sunastian Falconer
Angus Mackenzie is not very good. His ability is powerful but defensive. I've been trying to promote more aggro in the cube and this is an easy pick to replace. Sunastian Falconer is a decently big body for the cost and he has a mana ability. While I'm not sure how much acceleration he provides, it's something you might use for an X spell or a big artifact. If you don't tap him for mana, you can smash face with his 4/4 body. Also this gives Red/Green a Legend where they had nothing before.
Tetsuo Umezawa > Nebuchadnezzar
Tetsuo looks powerful and has some cool abilities but they require 4 mana of 3 different colors to use. He just wasn't getting picked. With Nebuchadnezzar, you might swing with his 3/3 body and you also might use his X and tap ability. He's just more playable. He also represents Blue/Black as a legend pretty well.
Boris Devilboon > Tor Wauki
I actually really like Boris Devilboon, but he gets passed all the time. His ability is pretty expensive for making a token and his body is weak. Tor Wauki has a potentially useful ability and also has a 3/3 body you might swing with. This gives Red/Black a legend that's more in line with what Red and Black as colors are trying to do.
Urborg Justice is too conditional and Peacekeeper is too defensive and difficult to actually use with control in this format.
Urborg Justice > Fatal Blow
Peacekeeper > Iron Tusk Elephant
Null rod is not very good when there are so few activated artifacts that it hits.
Mana Prism is unexciting compared to the kaleidoscope which also makes mana and dudes.
The green cards were all either expensive enchantments that were defensive or too conditional to play.
Null Rod > Thran Forge
Mana Prism > Diamond Kaleidoscope
Dense Foliage > Serene Heart
Katabatic Winds > Tranquil Domain
Lure of Prey > Elven Cache
Brushwagg > Wild Elephant
There are probably too many enchantments in the cube so I am replacing some of those with non-enchantment spells and I'm also trying to increase the count of removal spells at the same time. Furthermore, defensive or slow-play spells are getting cut for more aggressive spells.
Elephant Grass out and Superior Numbers in
Serra's Blessing out and Divine Offering in
Helm of Awakening out and Touchstone in
Zombie Mob out and Shauku, Endbringer in
Tombstone Stairwell out and Phyrexian Tribute in
Infernal Tribute out and Infernal Harvest in
Prosperity out and Thirst in
Ancestral Knowledge out and Reality Ripple in
Lightning Cloud out and Builder's Bane in
Elkin Lair out and Heart of Bogardan in
Cadaverous Bloom out and Energy Bolt in
Circle of Despair out and Simoon in
More updates soon.
Web out and Untamed Wilds in
Untamed Wilds also helps fix mana and that's absolutely something the cube needs more of. It has some synergy with Sylvan Library also.
Other cards I considered were:
Aspect of Wolf
Storm Seeker
Fastbond
I briefly considered Apprentice Wizard. He does help accelerate out bigger threats like obsianus golem or moti, but he's just so bad by himself, he has no power.
I guess he goes in the 2nd tier of replacement options. Dandan, homarid shaman and vodalian war machine might be in that 2nd tier also.
The question is, what blue creature to replace it with? Well, I see 3 reasonable options at this point:
1. Electric Eel - This card was in the cube briefly and this is probably the best choice. It's pump-able and at the very least a 1/1 for 1 mana.
2. Devouring Deep - A 1/2 for 3 mana is pretty bad, but it does have Islandwalk which is interesting. 2 toughness is actually kinda good. It can survive a decent amount of smaller things and there are often people splashing some blue so it can walk over to hit them. The cost helps him be splashable as well.
3. Elder Spawn - This is probably the best direct replacement for a huge creature in blue like Leviathan. Still, difficult to play and a pretty nasty upkeep. Not splashable, pretty dubious "evasion" on red blockers. Also 6/6 isn't very inspiring for it's 7 mana cost. I think this would get passed often also, but it's more playable.
I'm deciding on Devouring Deep for now. I may change my mind later.
Leviathan out and Devouring Deep in.
A small anecdote. I was out over the weekend and at the local Toys R' Us. I bought a puzzle for my daughter and I noticed as I was walking out that the shelf where they keep the duel decks and box sets of MTG products was packed to the gills. No one was buying...
In the past, those used to get cleaned out, there were good cards in those decks.
Magic is in a bad place.
I don't know why WoTC doesn't understand this. They have popular eternal formats in Legacy and Modern and just can't figure it out?
The return of the core set with reprints could help this. It was always nice to hop into some standard games knowing that my old cards would still be standard legal.
Falling Star out and Manabarbs in