Hello and welcome to the first article in my Comprehensive Cube Archetype series.

If you ever wanted to build your own Cube but weren't sure where to start, bookmark this page as it will be regularly updated. In this series, I will break down more than 25 different archetypes that I have personally tested to give you the ins and outs of what works, what doesn't, and which cards you need to include. Before that, let's briefly discuss what a Cube is and some important design philosophies you need to be aware of.

Cube Primer

Cube is a limited format that you design. Generally speaking, it is a collection of 360+ cards that will be randomly sorted into 15-card packs and drafted like any other set of Magic: The Gathering. In most cases, Cubes only contain a single copy of each card and have an even ratio of cards in each color. Much like a regular draft environment, many Cubes include various archetypes that reward players for committing to specific strategies.

Unlike other formats, Cube has an incredible return on investment. Beyond the obvious perk that Cubes are designed to be drafted more than once, you don't need to buy playsets of expensive cards to make them good. Additionally, cards don't get power crept or rotated out of your Cube unless you want them to! If you want a draft environment where Tarmogoyf is always an A+ power level, you can make that happen.

Design Philosophies

If you plan to design a Cube, here are the five questions you need to ask yourself:

• How big is your Cube?

  • If you want a consistent experience, go with fewer cards; if you like high variance in your drafts, include more.

• How powerful is your Cube?

  • Are you trying to play with the most powerful cards ever printed, or do you want a specific experience?

• Does your Cube have a theme?

  • Limitations foster creativity. Is your Cube generic, or do you want to give yourself a restriction to build around? For instance, you could only include Modern-legal cards or focus on colorless and multicolored cards. The options are endless.

• Do I want to experiment with the "Formula?"

  • At the start, I mentioned some "general" rules. Will you tweak those rules by allowing duplicates or including more cards of a specific color?

• What kind of experience do you want to promote?

  • Do you prefer efficient gameplay? Do you think Magic: The Gathering is more fun when people cast 8-drops? Do you hate Planeswalkers? Build the format you want to play.

Examples

I regularly update and maintain two Cubes at the moment. My primary Cube is a 450-card Legacy+ Cube with several specific archetypes. I include two copies of each fetch land, and my core design philosophy favors interaction over power. For instance, I include Poison Dart Frog over Sylvan Caryatid. The latter is objectively stronger because it is very hard to remove, but in my opinion, it isn't very fun. I want players to do powerful things, but I also want there to be variance and answers. Because my Cube is 450 cards, you can't always rely on every card you want actually being in the draft, and your powerful combos are not bulletproof.

My second Cube is called the "Five Fifty Budget Cube." It is exactly 360 cards with a power level similar to a Masters draft. This means archetypes are very consistent, and players are allowed to do strong things without breaking the game. Unlike my primary Cube, this one has a specific theme. Every card in the list must have been worth less than $0.50 at some point in its history and can't currently be worth more than $5.00. This means the Cube is very budget-friendly and a good option to take on the road. Every year I update the list and make sure no cards have crept over the threshold, and so far, it's been a very fun draft environment.

Where to Start?

If you want to build your first Cube, I always give the same advice. Go through your collection of cards and pick out your favorite 360. Draft it with your friends and take notes. Discuss what worked and what didn't. Do you have ramp spells but not enough payoffs? Did you include too much counter magic? Does Black feel underpowered? Make a list of what needs to be adjusted and slowly buy cards that solve those problems. Once you have a good idea of what playstyle you and your group enjoy, consider adding in archetypes listed below to promote specific play patterns.

Broad Topics:

• Aggro
• Midrange
• Control
• Combo vs. Synergy
• Archetype Traps
• Kindred Themes

The Comprehensive List of Cube Archetypes

1. Artifacts
2. Enters the Battlefield
3. Red Deck Wins
4. +1/+1 Counters
5. Cycling
6. Discard
7. Domain
8. Dredge
9. Enchantress
10. Ramp
11. Sneak & Show
12. Lands Matter
13. Lifegain
14. Ponzo
15. Storm
16. Stax
17. Reanimator
18. Sac/Recur/Pod
19. Death & Taxes
20. Wheel
21. Devotion
22. Spells Matter
23. Tokens
24. Twin
25. Wildfire/Upheaval
26. Legends
27. Super Friends

To provide sufficient structure, every article will be formatted in the same way and include the following information:

• Archetype Name
• Theater

  • Is this archetype focused on Aggro, Control, Midrange, Combo, or Synergy?

• Primary & Support Colors

  • What are the core colors that support this archetype?

• Synergy

  • Does it synergize with other archetypes, or is it parasitic?

• Staples

  • What are the cornerstone cards?

• General Notes

  • How does it play, and what does it do?

• Extensive List

  • A larger list of cards that are worth considering, including budget and high-end options.

Did I miss your favorite archetype? Need help with your Cube? Message me directly on Instagram.