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Why do so many professional football players do ballet? Obviously an athlete of that caliber is also hitting the gym, lifting weights, doing sprints etc. But many professional football players enjoy ballet because it works out a different set of their muscles. They appreciate the flexibility, efficiency in movement, and finesse inherent in ballet and they find it adds to their overall abilities to perform on the football field.
Cube is the ballet of Magic. There's a lot to be said for playing Cube formats, even for the serious tournament grinders out there. Cube drafting allows you to work out different parts of your Magic brain that aren't always engaged in other formats - you have to build fresh mana bases, merge old archetypes, and put cards together in new and interesting ways. The number one goal of cubing is to have fun! Cube formats allow you to explore parts of Magic that aren't usually available. They let you solve puzzles and uncork riddles that are hidden under the veil of "normal Magic". How often can you end a turn with your opponent at -456 life, take 7 turns in a row, or cast Destructive Force 4 times in one turn (and yes, I've actually done that in the Core Cube)? Some of the most fun I've ever had playing Magic was during a Cube draft and you can too.
My name is Jonathan AKA TeamJbro on Twitch and mtgotogo on MODO, and I've been the Cube trophy leader for 7 of the last 8 Cubes (I lost to protosx in one Vintage Cube over the last year). Although each Cube varies (and in most cases wildly so), there are some transcending themes and insights I'd like to share with you.
Cube is by far my favorite format. I still remember my first experience with it, at my friend Tom C's house. I was skeptical because I felt disadvantaged, not knowing the format, but after drafting and playing it I was hooked from the jump. It was a power Cube that got shared within the Milwaukee community. My deck was hella dope, featuring Plow Under, Izzet Chronarch, Repeal, Regrowth, and Time Walk, as well as a myriad of other fun stuff that let me go into basically infinite turn. It was enough to really sell the format.
Often people ask me for advice, and my first piece of advice is if you don't have a Cube in your playgroup, get one and/or build one. It's super fun, can be cheap if you want it to be, and helps build the best kind of community... Cubemunity.
Aside from extolling my love for the format I wanted to share some universal tips, tricks and insights with y'all.
If Your Curve Ain't Tight, Swerve Right!
Cube cards are often of a similar enough power level that being able to cast your cards "on time" and/or casting multiple cards per turn should be a high consideration during your drafting and deck construction. If you find yourself well into pack two without a good curve, fix it (swerve right); you'll thank me later. And I know what you're thinking, "But Jbro, there's so much dope stuff I want to be doing! So what if it all costs four? By the time I get there, it'll be worth it" Naw, by the time you get there you'll be dead.
Put Your Mana Where Your Mouth Is
Swim In The Ocean Of Devotion
Aside from Mono-Red and the occasional Mono-White, I think there is a strange stigma against mono-colored decks. This sort of stigma seems unfounded and can stifle strategies that might be worth trying out. Often there can be a lot of natural synergies within mono-colored decks, and aside from that there's the inherent advantage of having all of your basic lands be on color. This also frees you up to play more non-basic lands like Mutavault, Tectonic Edge, etc., which can add up to a lot of value.
Those Who Can Fix, Those Who Can't Flounder
Why not take fixing aggressively? In most Cubes the cards are close enough in power that making sure you prioritize fixing is usually a good idea. This isn't always a hard and fast rule - in the Vintage Cube, if you're trying to storm off you need the pieces to fit better than streamlined mana. But those types of decks in the overall Cube spectrum are the exceptions, not the rule. Something that sounds so simple but is too oft forgot: if you don't have the mana, you can't cast the spells.
Identify what cards are unpassable. This will vary from Cube to Cube, but typical examples are Grave Titan, Consecrated Sphinx, Smuggler's Copter, etc. They are usually fairly good build-arounds, and sometimes worth forcing for, but aside from that the power level should be such that you want to make sure you can cast all your great cards in an appropriate and timely manner.
Staying In Your Lane Ain't The Only Game
Don't get TOO married to the archetypes. One of the most rewarding aspects of Cube drafting can be finding new or lesser known interactions, synergies, and strategies. The way I view Cube drafting is an opportunity to let my creative juices flow. It's all well and good to be aware of archetypes and LSV does a great job of breaking those down each season, but also keep in mind that there is a lot of room and flexibility within most Cubes to explore the edges and not only gain advantage, but also have fun doing it. I remember early on in the uncommon Cube I identified the durdly creatureless decks as a very powerful strategy and therefore Kiss of the Amesha was an incredibly undervalued card that I could plan on wheeling and would ALWAYS make my deck. Six mana, gain some life, draw some cards? I'm in!
Don't Rain On Life Gain
Life gain is sometimes seen as one of the "noobier" dynamics of the game and a phase that most people encourage their newer magical protégés to grow out of quickly. "1 life is as good as 20" is something I've heard a lot over the years. There is some truth to that but I've also found that life gain can really help with building incremental advantage, and the difference between casting a Lightning Bolt and a Lightning Helix can matter a lot more than you'd expect. How much more so when you can juggle it with Snapcaster Mage and Eternal Witness! My shorthand way to judge is approximately 4 life is usually equal to about 1 card. This isn't a perfect analogy but it's helped me in my evaluation and is a good way to start thinking about aspects of MTG that are often overlooked.
Since we've got a Vintage Cube coming soon here are two TeamJbro hot takes:
It's A Trap!
Storm season will soon be upon us and while I think it's arguably the most consistent and consistently powerful archetype in the Cube, it is also the most hard fought over. That means you can easily miss key elements that really bring the deck together. Storm decks can have a very high ceiling and a very low floor. If you don't get those key pieces it really can spiral downward quickly. Even if you see a storm card late in pack one, be wary unless it's really late, then consider hopping into it :)
Lightning Greaves Is Lightning Great!
Mono-White is often the most powerful sleeper deck in Vintage Cube. You can run a consistently powerful deck that has enough redundancy, a low enough curve, and puts on enough pressure to weaken your opponent's options with ease. If you're going for this strategy I would highly recommend prioritizing the following cards in order: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben (the mana condition adds up quickly in this format and compounds against some of the best decks), Thalia, Heretic Cathar (again, making their non-basic come into play tapped puts significant restraint on your opponent's ability to develop, shutting down their haste creatures and on-turn Sneak Attack targets, stopping blockers they play is all gravy), Stoneforge Mystic (finding and cheating the mana on Batterskull or Sword of Fire and Ice is pretty darn powerful), Lightning Greaves (making all your threats a turn quicker with an added bonus of making their spot removal much harder to use is exactly what you want for the low investment of 2 mana).
I have some other ideas for articles, but please let me know in the comment section if this was helpful, interesting and if you'd like more content from me. This is the first article I've ever written on Magic: The Gathering and it's been an honor to share that experience with you.
Bless up and happy cubing!
P.S. Huge thank you to Vandwedge for inspiring this article and Caleb Durward for inspiring me to start my own stream and all his help along the way!
-Jonathan Brostoff
