Locations
Hello folks!
Today I wanted to look at my favorite Cubes that I have played, either my own, or others. For this purpose, I am including Cubes on CubeTutor.com, Cubes I have made myself, real life Cubes I've played against, the Cubes on MTGO and more.
I am also going to finish by doing something that I've always wanted to do, but hadn't until now.
Cubes are awesome! If you aren't familiar with them, is this what are you waiting for?
Ready?
Let's do it!
10. My Mono-Black Cube
I created this real-life Cube when I wanted to test my own Cube building. I was looking for some mono colored Cubes online and I couldn't find one. Surely they had been done before, right? It seemed like a low hanging fruit. So I just went ahead and put one together so we'd be okay. Then I uploaded it to CubeTutor, and gave it to you over two articles here as well. It plays nicely, as I have several intended archetypes such as Mono-Black Control, Suicide Aggro, Reanimation, and Discard that play into the color. It has some cool cards as well to consider. It's the Cube where Dark Betrayal is a first pick!
9. Jason's Ravnica Cube
I've only played it twice in real life, but Jason put together a cool Cube of all of the best and most synergetic abilities for the ten guilds across all of the Ravnica sets to create this cool Cube. In some cases, the themes are better in later cards, and when that happened, Jason pushed later cards instead to make the game better. For example, the 
draft archetype of instants and sorceries matter was created for Izzet, but has been a key identity for that color combination ever since, so there are some draft targets that aren't on Ravnica, but have a generic flavor and help make the draft better and more consistent. The result is a really cool Cube that's pretty resonant as well!
8. My Pulp Cube
Anyone who has read of my columns, which clearly includes you, knows just how important flavor is to me. I initially created the Pulp Cube to exemplify the elements of pure pup adventure without it necessarily being playable. I just wanted it to look good! Then that all changed when Ixlalan came out. This was the pulp-iest setting and card mechanics that we had seen so far. I had to turn my flavor Cube into a real one. And I did! I invested a lot of time and energy into making a flavor-first, low magic, Cube that plays well and looks like pure pulp.
7. Toth's Power Cube
In 2012, after being unexpectedly let go from my job, I decided to head back to college, and I went to Palmer Theological Seminary out at Philadelphia. I had a tiny studio apartment that was 15' by 12'. Basically two Abes by two-and-a-half Abes. It included bathroom, closet, and small kitchen. I picked up a futon for the space and that was it. Right beside my apartment complex was a big game store for the suburb I was living in, King of Prussia. The store was viewable from my apartment and about a three-and-a-half minute walk. So I went there all the time. I played there for their HeroClix weekly tournaments more than anything else, and then everything else came second, like Magic, to me. I got some boards games, Battletech, and other games in though, that included my first, and so far only, full-on Power Cube, created by Toth. It had every conceivable card that you would imagine in a Power Cube, including Power 9, stuff like Mishra's Workshop, Library of Alexandria, and more. A Workshop fueled Affinity deck with Moxes in it is a whole new level of nasty. And you can lose a game before you even really play, if you run into a Storm deck or something. But it was fun, and I did enjoy myself.
6. Dave's Artifact Cube
This was probably inspired by the heavy artifact friendly sets of Mirrodin, Kaladesh, and more. The goal is to have the best artifact-friendly cards in all colors as well as the best artifacts ever printed, and then each deck can draft archetypes that play into that color's love. You had a Boros deck built around equipment abuse, a 
artifact reanimation deck that sought to sacrifice and reuse them and lots more. Affinity and such on down! And best part? The Cube only ran four colors, so there was no Green. That was both flavorful and cool as you could better focus the 360 cards out there on the key mechanics.
5. MTGOs Legendary Cube (2nd Version with the better Archetypes)
My favorite of the various Cubes that were made for MTGO was the Legendary Cube, although the latter version was much better after they added more draftable archetypes and pushed the themes better. The first was too crazy and difficult to draft and was a little too out-there for my tastes. But the second version was much better. Did you play it? Which of the MTGO Cubes have you run and which did you like the most? Did you like the 2ndEdition of the Legendary Cube better too?
4. My Crap Cube
The first Cube that I ever created was a Crap Cube that I made and showed you in 2012.
The Cube is basically designed as an anti-Cube that tries to run the worst cards ever printed rather than the best. It's a great Cube to run, and I still have it to this day! My goal was to make it playable, so my colorless mana fixing is the only part of the Cube that's good.
3. The Desert Cube
Go take a look at this Cube. This was the Cube that inspired my flavor. Thanks Loxodon_Meyerarch! Note the large number of Deserts, as well as Kindles, and you can see the Cube. This Cube is set in a Desert and features many flavorful, and yet powerful, cards to draft. It eschews the 1-of mantra of cards to do something different. Note that it stopped being updated pre-Amonkhet, so that Desert matters Block wasn't added. But you can see the majestic flavor of this Cube. I have never played a Cube that was more flavorful. I have never played a Cube that changed me as much as this one, or taught me new ways to see things. It's a piece of art. Go play it!
Also, note that in the rules you are told to draft 18 cards per pack, not 15, and you have to play with the lands you draft, you cannot add more basic lands to the deck.
Here's a great example. I just hit 18 cards and set the Cube. Now, what do you take? If you looked at the Cube list, then you'll know that the Cube includes a lot of Red stuff, as well as a full set of four for cars like Nesting Wurm or Avarax that search for something on arrival at the battlefield. So what? Remember that you have to draft your lands. I like Avarax, but there are other cards in there that I enjoy too, like Khalni Heart Expedition or Vendetta. Let's say I went with Avarax. Next?
Now what? Kindle? Grixis Panorama? Ancient Amphitheater? Let's Kindle, for the sake of argument.
Pick 3?
Here's pick 3
Do you see how awesome and different the Desert Cube is? What would I do now? Another Kindle? I'd probably do Hell-Bent Raider because I want earlier dorks, but you get the idea.
2. My Random Cube
I got this cool idea from John-Michael Gariepy who was doing a "Gatherer Cube" over at his blog. He would randomly select a card for his Cube with Gatherer, and then would design a card that he would use to go with it, and those would head to his Cube. It's a great idea, but I wanted to do it differently. For my own Cube, I would hit the Random Card button at Gatherer, and then select another card from the game that played into that theme. By doing this, I was able to have odd random themes, such as Rakdos colorless matters or Orzhov Tap and Kill archetype that we would sometimes make randomly. It was an awesome experience, and the Cube works! I wrote it for you over a few weeks.
I started it here. Second part is here. Third, and Fourth.
That's more than ten thousand words on this thing.
The best part about this was my ability to actually play in real life as none of the cards were something I couldn't add. It's not like Ancient Kavu, Wall of Stone, or Hankyu were stopping me from playing it. And it was a blast. Each draft felt random.
1. My Commander Cube
My Piece de Resistance. This is my best work, ever. It's a Commander drafting Cube that I have invested hundreds of hours of play, writing, and building. Feel free to check it out over a Cube Tutor. It's awesome, and you should head over and draft it later. Note this is a real life Cube and thus is subject to the actual cards I own.
Actually, let's do something I've always wanted to do!
Let's draft a deck right now!
For example, here is a random set of 6 packs, 15 cards:
Now, I would recommend that the first few times you draft, that you follow the leader. The archetypes are visible. You see two possible Commanders there already; let's go with Xenagos, God of Revels as my leader and so a Fires-esque Commander build.
Pick 2? I like Lifecrafter's Bestiary. We'll be emphasizing dorks.
Pick 3? The Sword and Render are both fine but not amazing for me. Flameblast Dragon? Let's go for that, as it comes down the turn after we cast our Commander.
Pick 4 is Essence Warden
Pick 5 is Domri Rade who is perfect for my deck
Planar Bridge I guess
Flamecaller.
I wheel Exotic Orchard, Grab the Reins, High Market, Reiterate, and three cards off color.
Next pack:
Hmm . . .  Cultivate or Earthquake? Both are fine. I do Cultivate.
Far Wanderings. It was close to the Arsonist.
I do something I normally wouldn't - I think the Naturalists fit Xenagos better.
Rough. I love Sneak Attack in this deck, but Fauna Shaman is Fauna Shaman. I do the Shaman.
Anger is a backup Fires.
Chief
I wheel Rolling Earthquake, Arsonist, Vivid Crag, Fissure, Wild Ricochet, Heat Shimmer.
3rd pack:
This is not easy. 'Clamp? Scourge? I do the Clamp.
Hmm... Conscripts? Sphere? Hellkite? Conscripts
I'd normally go Grip here. But the Inferno Titan spells Xengaos with the initial arrival and then the immediate swing - it's a massive synergy.
Dark-Dwellers
Jugan? Fierce Empath? Creeping? I do Jugan.
Hmmm... Kazuul.
I like the Firewing Phoenix as I can pull it back anytime and then haste it out with my leader and that gives it more edge.
Temple.
I wheel Rapacious One, Guttersnipe, Diviner's Wand, Savage Twister, Faithless Looting, Adaptive Automaton, Dissension in the Ranks.
Now we are half way done. I'll just do the top three picks for the last three packs to give you a good idea of how the rest of the Cube feels.
Ooze.
Vegetation
In this pack I take, of note, Carnage Tyrant, Multani, Maro-Sorcerer, Shamanic Revelation, Conquering Manticore, Punishing Fire, Hull Breach, Magma Jet, Chartooth Cougar
Pack 5
Aggravated Assault, duh
From this pack I also took of note: Fleetwheel Cruiser, Purphoros, God of the Forge, 9/9 Automaton, Akoum Firebird, Flamekin Village.
Pack 6! Final pack
Godo.
Hydra.
I finish with Batterhorn, Slice in Twain, Paliano, the High City, Terramorphic Expanse, Stigma Lasher, Incendiary Command, Loaming Shaman, Hamletback Goliath, Commune with Lava, Generator Servant
That's not a bad Commander deck right? Xena-fires!
By the by, I am currently working on a Chaos Cube. The goal is to run various effects that play into an unknown, chaotic company. It includes mechanics and draftable archetypes that have a chaotic quality to them, like miracles, coin flipping, morphing, dice rolling, and random discard. It includes cards like Fact or Fiction, Krark's Thumb, Wall of Fortune, Terminus, and such. I'm still in the planning stages, but I have pulled a lot of cards for it. Once it's completed, I'll give it to you in article form for you to check out and makes some suggestions.
And there we go! Ten Cubes that I thought were really fun and interesting! What's been your experience with them? Next? Let's draft some today!
