Hello folks!

Ixalan has been a pretty flavorful set which many Magic players have connected with. It’s the set of Pirates, Dinosaurs, Exploring, sailing, and adventuring. It’s a lot of fun.

I also enjoy the old-school magic-light styles of the cards that evoke the Pulp sensibilities that this world is clearly trying to evoke. Having just completed the first draft of my Pulp Cube as an actual draftable Cube, I wanted to update it heavily today, post-release of the set, and then call the Cube mostly done, with just a few edits likely in the future moving forward.

I would say that roughly half of the cards in Ixalan meet the flavor qualifications for my Pulp Cube.

Low to no magic, seems realistic, has a pulpy feel to it, and more.

Here’s one example:

This is Brazen Buccaneers. Now, everything here works together. The name is fine, the art is good, the abilities work, and then types work. Everything here works together to make this a great Pulp Cube contender. And it’s certainly not the only contender out there.

Now my Pulp Cube already had some Pirates and Dinosaurs in in pre-Ixalan. I pulled out some cards in anticipation of my using the themes here as well, like Pirate Ship. Get ready to add in some tight cards.

I am also going to remove other cards to help push Ixalan to the forefront. After all, this set inspired my Pulp Cube becoming a reality, so anything I can do to make it more playable I want to focus on.

Now, let’s take a look at the current Pulp Cube:

White ? Pulp Cube| Abe Sargent

• Creatures (32)
• 1 Aeronaut Admiral
• 1 Alaborn Musketeer
• 1 Alaborn Zealot
• 1 Ancestor's Chosen
• 1 Argivian Archaeologist
• 1 Caravan Escort
• 1 Carrier Pigeons
• 1 Dauntless Cathar
• 1 Dearly Departed
• 1 Doomed Traveler
• 1 Gearshift Ace
• 1 Guard Dogs
• 1 Hand of Honor
• 1 Intrepid Hero
• 1 Jamuraan Lion
• 1 Jeskai Student
• 1 Master Healer
• 1 Noble Elephant
• 1 Possessed Nomad
• 1 Rappelling Scouts
• 1 Ronom Unicorn
• 1 Savannah Lions
• 1 Seeker of the Way
• 1 Solitary Camel
• 1 Spectral Guardian
• 1 Staunch Defenders
• 1 Tireless Tribe
• 1 Treasure Hunter
• 1 Unwavering Initiate
• 1 Vizier of Deferment
• 1 White Knight
• 1 Witch Hunter

• Instants (12)
• 1 Act of Heroism
• 1 Afterlife
• 1 Altar's Light
• 1 Argivian Find
• 1 Arrow Volley Trap
• 1 Expose Evil
• 1 Midnight Haunting
• 1 Narrow Escape
• 1 Pitfall Trap
• 1 Scout's Warning
• 1 Spare from Evil
• 1 Survive the Night

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Solemn Offering

• Enchantments (5)
• 1 Cast Out
• 1 Desert's Hold
• 1 Ghostly Possession
• 1 Quest for the Holy Relic
• 1 Seal of Cleansing

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Blue ? Pulp Cube| Abe Sargent

• Creatures (25)
• 1 Augury Owl
• 1 Daring Sleuth
• 1 Deep-Sea Kraken
• 1 Djinn of Wishes
• 1 Drowned
• 1 Ghost Ship
• 1 Hapless Researcher
• 1 Ludevic's Test Subject
• 1 Master Thief
• 1 Murder of Crows
• 1 Old Man of the Sea
• 1 Phantom Monster
• 1 Quicksmith Spy
• 1 Reckless Scholar
• 1 Rishadan Cutpurse
• 1 Rishadan Footpad
• 1 Sage of Lat-Nam
• 1 Sea Gate Oracle
• 1 Sea Monster
• 1 Selhoff Occultist
• 1 Steam Frigate
• 1 Stormtide Leviathan
• 1 Talas Warrior
• 1 Thieving Magpie
• 1 The Unspeakable

• Instants (10)
• 1 Arcane Denial
• 1 Confirm Suspicions
• 1 Deluge
• 1 Murmurs from Beyond
• 1 Peer Through Depths
• 1 Psionic Blast
• 1 Reach Through Mists
• 1 Sift Through Sands
• 1 Toils of Night and Day
• 1 Whiplash Trap

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Amnesia
• 1 Argivian Restoration
• 1 Gone Missing
• 1 Treasure Cruise
• 1 Treasure Hunt

• Enchantments (10)
• 1 Coastal Piracy
• 1 False Demise
• 1 Ice Cage
• 1 Ior Ruin Expedition
• 1 Ongoing Investigation
• 1 Seal of Removal
• 1 Trade Routes
• 1 Trail of Evidence
• 1 Treasure Trove
• 1 Unquenchable Thirst

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Black ? Pulp Cube | Abe Sargent

• Creatures (26)
• 1 Big Game Hunter
• 1 Black Cat
• 1 Bogbrew Witch
• 1 Cemetery Gate
• 1 Charging Bandits
• 1 Childhood Horror
• 1 Coffin Queen
• 1 Cosmic Horror
• 1 Death Cultist
• 1 Demon of Death's Gate
• 1 Devouring Swarm
• 1 Disease Carriers
• 1 Doomed Necromancer
• 1 Endless Cockroaches
• 1 Festering Newt
• 1 Fog of Gnats
• 1 Giant Cockroach
• 1 Grave Robbers
• 1 Hell's Caretaker
• 1 Highway Robber
• 1 Infected Vermin
• 1 Phylactery Lich
• 1 Plague Witch
• 1 Python
• 1 Undertaker
• 1 Vampire Bats

• Instants (8)
• 1 Altar's Reap
• 1 Contagion
• 1 Dark Ritual
• 1 Needlebite Trap
• 1 Terror
• 1 Tomb Hex
• 1 Undying Evil
• 1 Word of Command

• Sorceries (6)
• 1 Buried Alive
• 1 Dead Drop
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Diabolic Tutor
• 1 Famine
• 1 Harrowing Journey

• Enchantments (10)
• 1 Black Market
• 1 Enslave
• 1 Haunted Crossroads
• 1 Infernal Tribute
• 1 Krovikan Fetish
• 1 Necromancy
• 1 Oversold Cemetery
• 1 Pestilence
• 1 Seal of Doom
• 1 Underworld Connections

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Red ? Pulp Cube | Abe Sargent

• Creatures (26)
• 1 Aerathi Berserker
• 1 Anarchist
• 1 Avalanche Riders
• 1 Balduvian Horde
• 1 Blood Hound
• 1 Bonebreaker Giant
• 1 Capricious Efreet
• 1 Cave People
• 1 Feral Ridgewolf
• 1 Ghitu Fire-Eater
• 1 Gorilla Shaman
• 1 Kird Ape
• 1 Kird Chieftain
• 1 Leaping Master
• 1 Mountain Yeti
• 1 Pillaging Horde
• 1 Pygmy Pyrosaur
• 1 Raging Gorilla
• 1 Ravenous Baboons
• 1 Reckless Racer
• 1 Roc of Kher Ridges
• 1 Sabretooth Tiger
• 1 Scorched Rusalka
• 1 Skirsdag Cultist
• 1 Speedway Fanatic
• 1 Stone Spirit

• Instants (11)
• 1 Ambush
• 1 Blind with Anger
• 1 Explosive Impact
• 1 Fissure
• 1 Inferno Trap
• 1 Lightning Bolt
• 1 Ricochet Trap
• 1 Stone Idol Trap
• 1 Through the Breach
• 1 Torrent of Stone
• 1 Volcanic Geyser

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Aftershock
• 1 Barrage of Boulders
• 1 Cave-In
• 1 Earthquake
• 1 Lava Burst
• 1 Primitive Justice
• 1 Stone Rain
• 1 Trash for Treasure
• 1 Unearthly Blizzard

• Enchantments (4)
• 1 Caverns of Despair
• 1 Seal of Fire
• 1 Siege Modification
• 1 Zektar Shrine Expedition

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Green ? Pulp Cube | Abe Sargent

• Creatures (31)
• 1 Allosaurus Rider
• 1 Anaconda
• 1 Ancient Silverback
• 1 Ant Queen
• 1 Birds of Paradise
• 1 Briarbridge Patrol
• 1 Carnivorous Plant
• 1 Deadly Insect
• 1 Dune Diviner
• 1 Giant Spider
• 1 Gorilla Chieftain
• 1 Grizzly Bears
• 1 Hornet Nest
• 1 Hunting Cheetah
• 1 Hunting Moa
• 1 Invasive Species
• 1 Jungle Lion
• 1 Killer Bees
• 1 Lotus Cobra
• 1 Nemesis of Mortals
• 1 Pygmy Allosaurus
• 1 Scavenger Folk
• 1 Shefet Monitor
• 1 Sidewinder Naga
• 1 Snake of the Golden Grove
• 1 Spore Flower
• 1 Stalking Tiger
• 1 Tireless Tracker
• 1 Utopia Tree
• 1 Veteran Explorer
• 1 War Mammoth

• Instants (7)
• 1 Cobra Trap
• 1 Confront the Unknown
• 1 Feed the Clan
• 1 Fog
• 1 Realms Uncharted
• 1 Sandstorm
• 1 Slingbow Trap

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Desert Twister
• 1 Explore
• 1 Forgotten Lore
• 1 Hurricane
• 1 Lair Delve
• 1 Natural Spring
• 1 Rampant Growth
• 1 Roar of Challenge
• 1 Root Out

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Heartbeat of Spring
• 1 Khalni Heart Expedition
• 1 Seal of Strength

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Gold ? Pulp Cube | Abe Sargent

• Creatures (9)
• 1 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
• 1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
• 1 Grave-Shell Scarab
• 1 Jungle Barrier
• 1 Knight of the Reliquary
• 1 Mercurial Geists
• 1 Veteran Motorist
• 1 Voracious Cobra
• 1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Extract from Darkness

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Artifacts ? Pulp Cube | Abe Sargent

• Creatures (10)
• 1 Clockwork Avian
• 1 Clockwork Beast
• 1 Clockwork Steed
• 1 Guardian of the Ages
• 1 Guardians of Meletis
• 1 Haunted Guardian
• 1 Living Wall
• 1 Manor Gargoyle
• 1 Snow Fortress
• 1 Wall of Forgotten Pharaohs

• Artifacts (50)
• 1 Adventuring Gear
• 1 Aradara Express
• 1 Armillary Sphere
• 1 Astrolabe
• 1 Blazing Torch
• 1 Bomat Bazaar Barge
• 1 Braidwood Sextant
• 1 Bubbling Cauldron
• 1 Carnage Altar
• 1 Cobbled Wings
• 1 Crown of Empires
• 1 Cultivator's Caravan
• 1 Cursed Totem
• 1 Dolmen Gate
• 1 Elixir of Immortality
• 1 Erratic Portal
• 1 Expedition Map
• 1 Explorer's Scope
• 1 Flying Carpet
• 1 Fountain of Youth
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Grappling Hook
• 1 Grinning Totem
• 1 Guardian Idol
• 1 Herald's Horn
• 1 Jade Statue
• 1 Leonin Bladetrap
• 1 Magnifying Glass
• 1 Manriki-Gusari
• 1 Medicine Bag
• 1 Mindslaver
• 1 Obsidian Battle-Axe
• 1 Otherworld Atlas
• 1 Panharmonicon
• 1 Pit Trap
• 1 Puffer Extract
• 1 Ratchet Bomb
• 1 Renegade Freighter
• 1 Rocket Launcher
• 1 Scepter of Empires
• 1 Sculpting Steel
• 1 Shuriken
• 1 Sky Skiff
• 1 Temple Bell
• 1 Throne of Empires
• 1 Trailblazer's Boots
• 1 Trip Noose
• 1 Trusty Machete
• 1 Witches' Eye
• 1 Xanthic Statue

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Lands ? Pulp Cube | Abe Sargent

• Lands (40)
• 1 Ancient Tomb
• 1 Ancient Ziggurat
• 1 Archaeological Dig
• 1 Buried Ruin
• 1 City of Shadows
• 1 Crypt of Agadeem
• 1 Desert
• 1 Deserted Temple
• 1 Diamond Valley
• 1 Dread Statuary
• 1 Elephant Graveyard
• 1 Endless Sands
• 1 Ghost Town
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Graven Cairns
• 1 Hashep Oasis
• 1 Inspiring Vantage
• 1 Island of Wak-Wak
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Keldon Necropolis
• 1 Kjeldoran Outpost
• 1 Maze of Ith
• 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
• 1 Painted Bluffs
• 1 Quicksand
• 1 Rainbow Vale
• 1 Rugged Highlands
• 1 Stalking Stones
• 1 Sunpetal Grove
• 1 Sunscorched Desert
• 1 Swarmyard
• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Tropical Island
• 1 Underground Sea
• 1 Undiscovered Paradise
• 1 Volcanic Island
• 1 Westvale Abbey
• 1 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Survivors' Encampment

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There we all, all 360 cards. Now my Pulp Cube includes these archetypes:

— Clues

— Pilots

— Apes

— Sacrificing your stuff

— Arcane

— Dark Knowledge

— Artifacts

— Pestilence and Damage

— Insects

— Deserts matter

The List

Now I had intentionally left some cards in my Cube to be replaced by Ixalan stuff. I didn’t pull out all of my Pirates or Dinosaurs, for example.

So let’s first go into the sweet stylings ofIxalan and make a few swaps:

Swaps

Pirates

One of the things I was looking to Ixalan to do was to have a good number of Pirates to swap into my Pulp Cube for the older Pirates that were already here. I always had a Pirate theme, but I was pulling out some of the Pirates in the first run to get to the right number of cards here. There are a number of “right” cards to run, and I want to pull all existing Pirates, save for Talas Warrior, which is still fine as a Phantom Warrior variant that has extremely cool art with the guns.

See?

So awesome! Now, what Pirates and other swaps am I making to support a Pirate subtheme in my Pulp Cube?

Out Rishadan Footpad for Daring Saboteur

I think this is an obvious swap. Both are two-powered Blue creatures, and one just costs two mana. Daring Saboteur is on-curve, and a solid limited body vs the tempo-tastic nature of Rishadan Footpad. The Footpad requires a very specific build to make sense in a modern Cube’s context . . .  and that’s not my Pulp Cube.

Out Rishadan Cutpurse for Deadeye Quartermaster

Can you see why? Again, the Rishadan cycle from Mercadian Masques is a bit unsupported. This will continue to add in quality cards into my Pulp Cube. I do have some vehicles and equipment in my Cube, and have a lighter artifact subtheme. This gives you a solid option for those builds, and it is definitely buildable, right? Right!

Out Medicine Bag for Sleek Schooner

This is a Cube that cares about flavor. I have assigned every card in the Cube to one of about 23 flavor archetypes to ensure that I have a flavorful Cube that represents a lot of different traditions, styles, genres, and eras in the Pulp era. Examples of those behind-the-scenes concepts include Exploration and Dark and Ancient Secrets of the World. Medicine Bag is one of the few entries in the Natives subcategory. But it’s just not a good card. Sleek Schooner clearly wants to head in to give me another target for crewing up my Boros pilots, being an artifact that will play for Azorius, and can be fetched with my Deadeye Quartermaster. This is an on-theme swap for a card that is flavorful too!

Out Phylactery Lich for Fathom Fleet Cutthroat

The Lich is clearly the better class of card. Liches with Phylacteries and such, similar to this card, are similar to the Liches created and run into in Clark Ashton Smith’s work, especially his Xothique series of short stories. So, it’s also very, very pulp. But it’s harder to cast, and harder to make work here. It doesn’t fit the Cube’s mechanics. But the Cutthroat does! It supports, gently, without name calling it, the Pestilence theme of White and Black while also working a solid body and potential removal option. It’s the better card here.

Out Balduvian Horde for Brazen Buccaneers

My issue isn’t that my Pulp Cube is not running Balduvian Horde. That’s a fine card. The issue is that it was running two of them, with Pillaging Horde in there as well . . . 

Both Hordes hit my Barbarian theme perfectly. But I don’t need duplicative cards. So, enter Brazen Buccaneers, which are a solid, menace leading entry into my Red section of the Cube. Four mana invested reaps a solid hasting body that explores upon arrival. It’s a perfect 10 for 10 for my Cube, as the card name, art, type line and mechanics all line up perfectly. Flavor and playability! Welcome to my Pulp Cube.

Out Ambush for Repeating Barrage

One of my major things I like to do to stretch a theme with flavor is to pull it outside of the obvious home and let it breathe elsewhere. For example, without me telling you what the Green and Red theme is, would this card in the Cube help a bit?

You might look at Primitive Justice and assume that the Gruul theme is mechanical, and could be anti-artifacts or Sorceries. But would it surprise you to discover that it’s Apes? Of course not. And Primitive Justice evokes the flavor of Apes.

In a similar way, Repeating Barrage underlines my Pirates and nautical themes.

That’s a good and solid start with my Pirating pulls.

Dino-Inspired Pulls

I also ran some cool Dinosaur themed cards in my Cube as well, and while some were pulled, like Magmasaur and Dromosaur. Now I expect to pull most of the remaining Dinosaurs, although there is one that I will find it rough to yank . . . 

Perfect name, art, and concept. Only the Elf type feels a little off, but that’s it, and as of right now, that feels good to me. It’s my Talas Warrior for Dinosaurs.

Out Carrier Pigeons, In Imperial Aerosaur

The Imperial Aerosaur is a vastly improved card to draft for limited purposes. Check it out. It’s a Phantom Monster, four mana for a 3/3 flyer, with an advantage. That’s not something you normally get in draft! And here that guy all sorts of sexy. It’s a big improvement over the admittedly free Carrier Pigeons. Aerosaur on!

Out Pygmy Pyrosaur, Rampaging Ferocidon

This was the closet pull I considered. The 2mana firebreather that the Pyrosaur brings is not nothing. There is a lot to unpack there, and you can swing with impunity into larger creatures knowing you can trade if they block. So, I wanted to make sure that the replacement was worth it. How about Rampaging Ferocidon? That’s going to be worth it. A 3/3 for three mana with a strong menace board presence, preventing life gain and a bit of an anti-creature context. It’s not a shabby card, and it certainly fits the Cube quite nicely.

Out Pygmy Allosaurus, In Snapping Sailback

I don’t know about you, but I certainly would want a five-mana flash 4/4 with enrage copy of the Fungusaur trigger rather than a 3-mana 2/2 Swampwalker all day long. Right?

Right!

Out Noble Elephant, In Kinjalli's Sunwing

My Pulp Cube wanted a bit more flying and a bit fewer creatures that are underwhelming. The Sunwing is a huge upgrade on the Noble Elephant from every angle. This is a clear win.

Out Trade Routes for Search for Azcanta

Trade Routes is great, but it’s not card advantage. You convert lands to cards. And you can bounce lands for more converting. That’s really, really good, but there is no pure card drawing. Search begins the same way with card quality, and then, when you transform it, you get a card that’s true advantage. It makes sense to send it in.

Out Caverns of Despair for Vance's Blasting Cannons

I know, so sad. Caverns of Despair is one of the remaining obvious inclusions in this “Places to Explore” that used to include Pillar Tombs of Aku or An-Zerrin Ruins. But the Blasting Cannons are a useful route of Red’s new card advantage and can provide an interesting flip later for pushing yourself into a winning state.

Out Heartbeat of Spring for Growing Rites of Itlimoc

This is an obvious switch that really is so obvious that I doubt I need to sell it. Goodbye Heartbeat of Spring!

Out Clockwork Beast for Thaumatic Compass

I already run three separate and distinct Clockwork creatures, and the Beast, Avian and Steed are all pretty cool additions to the Pulp Cube. I can pull one pretty easily though, and Thaumatic Compass on the front end is a solid Journeyer's Kite and on the back end, is a better Maze of Ith. Both are great!

Out Puffer Extract for Vanquisher's Banner

I want to put in Treasure Map, Dowsing Dagger and perhaps one more Ship. But first I need another tribal helper that can give my Apes, Insects, Pilots, Dinosaurs, Pirates, and such a little bit more help. Thus, Vanquisher's Banner joins the fray as another cool support.

Now I really like Puffer Extract. If it only cost three mana to drop, then I’d be all board. It does a lot of good work. But here it’s a bit overly priced. So the Banner heads in.

Out Leonin Bladetrap forTreasure Map

Could I pull the Trip Noose or Pit Trap instead? Nah, this was the obvious pull for Treasure Map. It’s pricier, and the evocation of Mirrodin’s blade-world concept feels a little off in the Pulp Cube, as you can see above. Meanwhile, Treasure Map is awesome!

Time for one more swap!

Out Shuriken for Dowsing Dagger

I hate this pull so much. But Shuriken, in a Pulp Cube devoid of Ninjas, doesn’t get played. No one wants to dive away their Shuriken. I’m sure they’d rather have Dowsing Dagger and try to get through some Plant Walls than run Shuriken. Note that we do have a number of hard-to-block foes that would kill the Walls, as well as ways to take them out like Pestilence. Enjoy your new Dagger Toy!

I suspect this is going to be the final article I devote to the Pulp Cube. For the first time, it feels like it’s set. I’ll just do updates of it moving forward in my Updates for Set X article that tends to follow each new set that it released.

Want to draft it?

Check out the visual spoiler over at Cubetutor.com and draft away! Build your decks, and save them, so I can take comments for improving the Cube Experience. Thanks!

I hope you liked Pulp, Cubes, Ixalan, and more!