#mtgcube

[zoydraft]

Are we designing for CubeCon?

Lost in the Hedron Network, or “Goodhart’s Cube”

[The first draft of this was written before hearing Arlo's episode on Recross the Paths, and you should listen to that instead, because we say a bunch of the same stuff]

[I also recorded myself reading this if you prefer weird voices speaking to you]

I don’t want to follow the wrong incentives.

CubeCon and the cavalcade of regional events over the past two years are incredible. They’ve grown interest in the best way to play a great game. They’ve spawned BCW boxes packed with creativity. Cube has never been in a better spot…

…and it's also found a weird way to measure success. In scare-quotes. Which cubes will be selected for these events? Who will win social media voting? Which cube was the most frequent top-pick on Hedron Network? This past year the answer was often clown-shoes rule-change cubes.

In the meantime, we're left wondering how a "normal" cube can sell itself, differentiate itself, or otherwise convince anyone to pay attention. How do you sell the idea of a cube where you play normal Magic? As a person whose five year old cube could now be described as "Foundations-style," it felt bad for a while, but I think there's a way out. 

The selective pressures on a designer who wants to see their cube ranked at a cube event or discussed online bias heavily towards anything with a hook. Not just rule-change cubes, it's stuff that can be sold in a sentence or two, or even just an evocative name.

Having a good name is good. Having an enticing elevator pitch is good. If there's a way to "win" at cube design, it's obviously to make a cube that people want to play. That feels like a reasonable goal. 

But is that why you built your cube? Now that we have a measure of success, is it a good measure?

I want to design an experience. Selling that experience is necessary, and I bet having your cube at an event is super cool, but I really believe that the way people experience your cube is what your cube is. To quote gaytransmulldrifer, my cube is played “with gay people at my house.”  

Pink Sleeves is the first cube I built, and is still my main cube. The first year was stitched together from the limited environments I had played, but as COVID progressed and I had a kid, the theoretical design vision of “what if this is the only way my friends and I play Magic?" drifted a lot closer to literally true. Over the past five years I think I’ve got it very close to embodying that.

I don't think Pink Sleeves is a great name, but it nods towards the community I've tried to foster, which is very queer-positive, with the same bristliness that comes out when I tell people my favourite movie is Clueless, or if I wear my Carly Mazur Faithless Looting pin. It tries to set an expectation about who is welcome. It's a name with a purpose other than selling the gameplay… and would make no sense in an event context.

My cubes are for my friends. For them, I don't need to differentiate Pink Sleeves from any other "normal" cube, because they know it. They recommend it to their friends. I do not need to make decisions about its design with an event audience in mind. The ways my friends play it IS the cube.

I just cut Flash and Dread Return, because despite what those cards could do, my friends have never noticed or at least never shown any interest in those paths. I held onto them for a long time, because they felt like they fit what I was going for, but if it never happens what are they contributing?

It would be awesome for one of my cubes to be selected for an event, but that's not my goal (I have never submitted a cube to an event, nor been able to attend one!). Being picked or not doesn't make it a success or a failure. I already have my success: people who don't really play Magic, and who might not feel comfortable in an LGS have played my cube and have kept coming back to play my cube, and have become my very good friends.

As much as I love the online cube community, and am thrilled at all the events popping up, I want to encourage you to remember your local context, and the play that is already happening. Getting our online friends excited about new ideas rules, but your cube is how it gets played, so please remember that designing something for your own community is healthy, even if it doesn't get other people excited.

And so, when I put together a new set of changes to one of my cubes, I’m making those changes for my friends.

Thank you for the gift of cube.

[and thank you to Ollie and Parker and Cher for providing feedback on an earlier draft ♥️, and Clayton for providing like half of the original Cats in Pink Sleeves cards]

[myagic]

I'm really hoping that I finally get enough adventure cards to make a good edh deck. Bonus points if I can make an entire eldraine showcase deck! I just love the aesthetic of them, and I can't wait!

[roy-dcm2]

My Ravnica Limited Cube

I created a Cube for me and my friends to play limited with when we get together. Because it's limited, I built it with six packs for 8 players in mind, so it's 800 cards!

[Also, the packs contain 16 cards with 1 Rare / Mythic, 4 Uncommons, 10 Commons, and 1 Land]

I've been steadily tinkering with it, making it less shit. It'll never be perfect, but it's an excuse to play cards with my friends.

It's mainly based on Return to Ravnica with cards from the other Ravnica blocks, plus like 50 cards from other planes to fill in some spots.

It's my treasure. It represents the good times I have of my friends.

[9898-mtg]

before this night ends, let us design and create a murder doll

👀

can be anything related, example, an object, ability, keyword, name, mechanic, image, type, cost, rule, symbol, event, token, emblem, etc. "Anything"

[althaeaeliott]

Legends, planeswalkers and mythics from each color and two color pairs for my cube, I just revamped UR, the next thing I need to do is work on the dreaded Boros section of the cube, definitely changing the legendary creature and a bunch of cards for its archetype in the future. If you’re wondering what the most recent change was it was adding Storm to the cube.

Also, I am doing this on a semi budget if you have any recommendations or questions about my other included.

[zero-energy-counters]

It sounds like you would benefit from an environment where you can curate the selection of cards to fit your partner’s playstyle, or otherwise not guarantee that you always have access to the nuke that ends the cold war.

Have you tried cube?

I've been playing MTG with my partner recently (like, two games, and they want to play more) (yes I've vigorously ascertained that they enjoy it and they aren't just humoring me, yes I'm insecure about that). Since they're new, I have to keep reminding myself that they don't have my eleven years of experience, notably the philosophy behind why certain strategies\archetypes\cards don't work like they should.

I have my tastes. I enjoy heavily interactive games where shit gets blown up all the time, I like scrappy games where no one has any agency, I like meticulous games where I have no cards in my hand and half my deck in play... This is all from years and years of losing game after game. I've become jaded to the prospect of losing, and unfortunately, just as numb to winning. I still use everything I have at my disposal to win (otherwise it'd be a disservice to everyone else at the table), but I'm much more interested in seeing how my opponents will try to stop me. I become the archenemy (AKA the other three players team up against me) not because I'm powerful, not because I'm threatening, and not because my opponents are stupid nor because I am smart. I become "the threat" simply because I'm just... Unapologetic about being a Problem.

As I've discovered by talking to my partner, they have their tastes, too. They enjoy stalemates, they like both sides taking small potshots at the other, they like long games of amassing resources... They have never experienced a three-hour slugfest where the game just never ends. Most importantly, they hate losing their creatures. They like their little guys. We've only ever played 1v1. They have no concept of "the archenemy" or "virtual card advantage" or even "not playing into a boardwipe." Those are just things they'll learn, be it this month or six years from now.

I will mention that they are a very very sore loser. Not in an unnanageable way, they're very self-aware regarding their disdain for losing. The joy of success, understanding, and progress was just yoinked away from them in one of the recent games, all because I forgot that they'd never seen a card that essentially says "kill all your creatures. Yes, all of them." I got into the mindset of "see a kill, take the shot, go to round 2" and missed an opportunity to let them keep having fun with their new deck (I foiled up a deck and gave it to them for their birthday).

Context aside, I don't understand how to give them the games they want. I don't mean that I'll roll over and let them win, I mean I want to balance their love for near-stalemates with the overabundance of tools a player has to end stalemates. So many cards say "Kill everything" and even more say "kill that thing," many say "prevent all damage," many more say "gain a bunch of life." I don't know how to solve this. In order for them to understand how to craft enjoyable games, they need to understand how their current games can be transformed into stalemates, cold wars, or battles of attrition. I've been playing for... Longer and still don't know how to do so without killing everything\something they own or winning in a way they can't "block."

There are easy ways to do this, of course. MTG is abundant in strategies which fuck over all players involved. I enjoy these strategies too much, and know that my partner will feel even more helpless when facing them. Stax is aggravating to decks without backup plans. Pox is aggravating to everyone. Pillow fort decks are just annoying and only make new(er) players feel even less empowered. MLD has to be done right, and I do not trust myself (nor anyone I know) to try.

I want to deny them progress, not agency. I want to make our games strategically difficult, not technically difficult. So, I pose a question to you, dear reader: how? Either in MTG terms or normal human language:

How does one manufacture a cold war without the threat of a nuke?

How does one die to a thousand paper cuts, but only two or three at a time?

How does one turn a volatile power-struggle into a stalemate without removing any weapons?

How can it be feasible, let alone optimal, for an army to beat another by firing only one bullet per day?

I want answers. I want help. I want to figure this out.

[panfex]

spoiler collage for my (in collaboration with some friends) 2nd 500-card unset cube thing, "Unruly: ACT II"

ACT I can be found here: https://www.planesculptors.net/set/unruly-act-i

[ogrillion]

A Brazen Crown's final hours

The campaign ends in a few hours! See it here before it is dragged back into the void from which it came.

This game has been the work of three years. I feel very strongly that the universe would like for it to exist. Maybe not in this form! Maybe not even as a fully-commercial product. But its a standalone card game that plays like a TCG and has a third-party license. People deserve to be free of the ever-present feeling of "your favourite things are owned by five corporations", and this game is meant to leave its ownership in the hands of the audience.

If you have seen this game, if you have thoughts about the game or the art or the design, I would love to hear from you so I can figure out how and where this idea needs to go. It might very well just be "to the nearest receptacle" but I don't think this is the end. Yet. Oh well, that's the post.

[twoscoopsblog]

Card of the Day - 9/24/21

I don't know what to tell you. He's good. I'd run him in the 99 of a Wizards or Control deck, I'd put him in a cube. He's a good wizardy boy.

[drexmaverick]

So I finally got thru most of my nearly 9,000 card collection organized by color. A Dakkon binder for the rares, the MTG one for the foils, and a tribal dragon cover portfolio on the way which my Dragons will be moved to. A Garruk box for my 5 color Dragon and Sliver decks. I got box full of repeat spam that I was refunded for, and a stack my favorite creature types that I expect to put in a binder ... Now what? I do have a couple things still coming ... 🏹 ⚔️ 🐲 🐉 🔥 ⚡ 🤠 ☠️ 🧛 🧝 🧚 🧙 🦄 D&D Guild Of Fantasy Art www.facebook.com/blackbladeofdragonhead Games, Guns& Dragons www.facebook.com/dragonsandtanks #mtg #magicthegathering #mtgproxy #mtglegacy #mtgcube #mtgmodern #oldschoolmtg #mtgvintage #mtgcommunity #mtgedh #mtgcommander #edh #mtgcustom #custommtg #mtgaddicts #mtgtokens #elderdragonhighlander #mtgoldschool #mtgart #mtgstandard #mtgdaily #mtgcard #mtgtrades #mtgcollection #mtglife #magicthegathering #magicthegatherincards #mtg #forgottenrealms https://www.instagram.com/p/CSdQN59s2jl/?utm_medium=tumblr

[yawgmothswin]

First round of cuts and a cry for help

Green sucks. That isn’t to say the decks aren’t GOOD, but they aren’t fun or satisfying to draft. While the cube is still in desperate need of cuts it doesn’t matter how many cards there are if an entire color is feel bad. FlashHulk is a classic archetype that I’m going to support again. Green really needs clearer signposting and build arounds.

For the cuts themselves I’m cutting back on some of the cuter interactions, cards that don’t play into the main archetypes, and some of the lower power stuff.

Cuts: Basking Rootwalla   Krovikan Horror   Hellspark Elemental   Flickerwisp   Serenity   Goblin Lackey   Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor   Restore Balance   Living End   Wheel of Fate  Hypergenesis 

https://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/177577

[zoydraft]

Okay, I just read Upkeep.

I love this micro-moment of sentimentality in cube. The flagship might be the podcast Joe's Week in Magic, in which Joe Anderson talks for 20 to 30 minutes about playing Magic, but is mainly talking about his friends and family and the nice times he has. I made my own attempt at a sentiment tinted recap of our pride draft (but I think I want to go further).

Upkeep fits beautifully into the niche. Six short pieces about Magic: the Gathering and cube that have very little to do with the game. Instead we get mental health and introspection. I think I'll do some reflections.

[myagic]

P1p1 of the fae cube!

How about a pack one pick one of the fae cube today? I think I'm pretty high on heartflame duelist since adventures are so strong in limited in general. Hard to go wrong with removal tacked on a creature. What looks good for you all?

[scarytheeandmisery]

Mox Emerald proxy for a friend's cube. Wanted to both harken to the original art and include the suggested shape of the green mana symbol. Still unsure if I succeeded, but I'm still happy with the result :) #mtg #mtgart #cube #proxy #MoxEmerald . . . . . #Mox #PowerNine #customart #magic #MagicTheGathering #fantasy #fantasyart #drawing #artifact #micron #artistoninstagram #mtgcube https://www.instagram.com/p/B6jZsW1Hc7C/?igshid=1c2rn7b8wm62j

[kreativemtg]

This one is going in a powered cube! #mtg #magicthegathering #alteredart #cardalters #painting #wizardsofthecoast #handpainted #alters #tradingcardgame #gaming #altered #mtgalter #commander #edh #magictcg #mtgalters #tradingcards #cardalter #mtgart #mtgcube #mtgcubepimp #tcg https://www.instagram.com/p/B1HUgKcnCMi/?igshid=16h0cj7112icc

[cursed-minus-seventy-five-points]

Basic Cube Building

The pillars of any cube are its 10 archetypes; with each archetype centered around a particular color pair. Each archetype consists of 14 cards:

1 dual-colored “payoff” card

3 creatures for each color in the pair

Cards that make creature tokens when they enter the battlefield or resolve count as creatures

3 non-creatures for each color in the pair

Be sure to consider lands that produce only one color of mana

1 colorless card

Be sure to consider lands that produce only colorless mana

The dual-colored card should usually be a permanent, and should reward playing a certain strategy with either a persistent buff or by generating repeated value.

The cards in the archetype should generally be of a variety of different mana costs; tending to skew lower.

As an example, we’ll build an archetype around Urza, Prince of Kroog.

He gives artifact creatures a large bonus and can (expensively) make copies of them.

Considering this, I add:

White Creatures: Court Homunculus, Barbed Spike, Cataclysmic Gearhulk

White Non-Creatures: Tempered Steel, Glass Casket, Paladin's Shield

Blue Creatures: Master of Etherium, Armguard Familiar, Sharding Sphinx

Blue Non-Creatures: Winged Boots, Disruption Protocol, Rise and Shine

Colorless Card: Steel Overseer

Good Payoff cards:

Edgar, Charmed Groom - Rewards you for playing vampires

Savai Thundermane - Rewards cycling

Stonebrow, Krosan Hero - Rewards tramplers

Bad Payoff cards:

Centaur Healer - Its effect doesn't scale with any of the other things you're doing.

Death Frenzy - Not a permanent.

Ral, Caller of Storms - Its effects don't scale with any of the other things you're doing.

Cube Breakdown

14 cards/archetype

1 cycle of dual lands

5 role-players per color

5 colorless role-players

After building each archetype, you will need 10 dual lands; one of each color:

You can do one cycle of 10 or a cycle of allied and of enemy.

Finally, you add the 30 “role-players”; 5 of each color and 5 colorless. These cards are usually

removal

generically efficient threats that don’t fit into any archetypes

pet cards

cycles

Cube Breakdown

14 cards/archetype

1 cycle of dual lands

5 role-players per color

5 colorless role-players

At the end of this process, your cube might look like this:

Archetypes

Artifact Aggro

Urza, Prince of Kroog

Armguard Familiar

Barbed Spike

Cataclysmic Gearhulk

Court Homunculus

Disruption Protocol

Glass Casket

Master of Etherium

Paladin's Shield

Rise and Shine

Sharding Sphinx

Steel Overseer

Tempered Steel

Winged Boots

Instant Speed

Nymris, Oona's Trickster

Aetherize

Bonds of Quicksilver

Brineborn Cutthroat

Dreamspoiler Witches

Drudge Reavers

Faerie Duelist

Faerie Tauntings

High-Speed Hoverbike

Hired Blade

Mutual Destruction

Omen of the Sea

Succumb to Temptation

Wavebreak Hippocamp

Sacrifice

Body Dropper

Artillerize

Blood Aspirant

Blood for Bones

Costly Plunder

Furnace Celebration

Gixian Infiltrator

Havoc Jester

Prowling Geistcatcher

Rapacious One

Ruthless Knave

Taste of Death

Thatcher Revolt

Witch's Oven

Trample

Stonebrow, Krosan Hero

Agressive Mammoth

Almighty Bushwagg

Archetype of Aggression

Bronzeplate Boar

Fire Urchin

Fists of Ironwood

Footfall Crater

Hornbash Mentor

Messenger’s Speed

Meteoric Mace

Ram Through

Rancor

Vorrac Battlehorns

Vigilance

Frondland Felidar

Adarkar Valkyrie

Bitterbow Sharpshooters

Brave the Sands

Brushstrider

Builder's Blessing

Cryptolith Rite

Half-Elf Monk

Overwhelm

Segovian Angel

Sprouting Renewal

Swallow Whole

Warden of Geometries

Wary Okapi

Vampires

Edgar, Charmed Groom

Anointed Deacon

Arterial Flow

Blood Gutton

Bloodbond Vampire

Cradle of Vitality

Duskborne Skymarcher

Gift of Fangs

Glass-Cast Heart

Martyr of Dusk

Queen’s Commission

Squire’s Devotion

Vampire’s Zeal

Voldaren Estate

Dice

Farideh, Devil's Chosen

Arcane Endeavor

Arcane Investigator

Berserker's Frenzy

Brazen Dwarf

Chaos Channeler

Chaos Dragon

Critical Hit

Diviner's Portent

Feywild Trickster

Goblin Morningstar

Netherese Puzzle-Ward

Scion of Stygia

Vexing Puzzlebox

Graveyard

Lord of Extinction

Cabal Therapy

Crawling Sensation

Crow of Dark Tidings

Dakmor Salvage

Dodgy Jalopy

First-Sphere Gargantua

Greater Mossdog

Kraul Foragers

Necrotic Wound

Reassembling Skeleton

Splinterfright

Sylvan Might

Wand of Vertebrae

Cycling

Savai Thundermane

Abandoned Sarcophagus

Astral Drift

Cast Out

Desert Cerodon

Drannith Healer

Drannith Stinger

Flameblade Adept

Flourishing Fox

Go for Blood

Renewed Faith

Slice and Dice

Unpredictable Cyclone

Winged Shepherd

+1/+1 Counters

Bred for the Hunt

Animation Module

Arbor Armament

Essence Capture

Feral Hydra

Fertilid

Floodchaser

Forced Adaptation

Helium Squirter

Ordeal of Thassa

Simic Fluxmage

Solidarity of Heroes

Swarm Shambler

Unity of Purpose

Land: Skybridge Towers, Waterfront District, Tramway Station, Racers' Ring, Botanical Plaza, Silverquill Campus, Prismari Campus, Witherbloom Campus, Lorehold Campus, Quandrix Campus

Role-Players

White

Destroy Evil

Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant

Marble Diamond

Neck Snap

Wrath of God

Blue

Opt

Repulse

Sky Diamond

Tromokratis

Urza's Rebuff

Black

Charcoal Diamond

Diabolic Tutor

Doomfall

Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief

Murder

Red

Abrade

Etali, Primal Storm

Fire Diamond

Reckless Impulse

Twinferno

Green

You Happen On a Glade

Broken Wings

Llanowar Elves

Moss Diamond

Silvos, Rogue Elemental

Colorless

Gateway Plaza

Smuggler's Copter

Sword of Vengeance

Ulamog's Crusher

Unstable Obelisk