UP HGC Pauper Cube Draft Discussion Page

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoDrgR8TctSudE5TQjFPREV6NGI1bldTb29YMjZHbWc&usp=sharing

Link to our the new cube list with the Theros update. It's a sortable spreadsheet now. Check it out!

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One day till the release. Let's look at Ill-Tempered Cyclops

Pro: A trampling Hill Giant with an on the curve monstrosity [a 6/6 trampler for 6 mana]. 1 of 2 common monstosity cards; good mana sink

Con: Red isn't really big on ramping to big mana unless splashed in other colors

Ill-Tempered Cyclops Create polls that only your friends can see or public ones that you can share with the wider Facebook community. Create your own polls or just vote on other peoples polls!

Gray Merchant of Asphodel up for votes!

Pro: Guaranteed at least drains 2 life points, more life swing if set-up well and superb "blink"/recursion target. Our modern pauper "corrupt".

Con: 2/4 is a small body for 3BB. 5cc creature is expected to have some sort of card advantage [Okiba Gang Shinobi, Warren Pilferers].

Replace: Bloodhunter Bat. Almost similar effect and lots of black flyers have recently been added

Gray Merchant of Asphodel Create polls that only your friends can see or public ones that you can share with the wider Facebook community. Create your own polls or just vote on other peoples polls!

Theros card of the day: Benthic Giant [as previously promoted]

Pro: All-star in limited. Hexproofed fattie, definitely good with auras/equipment. 1 cost and gets 1/ 1 compared to Rubbleback Rhino

Con: Huge cost, relatively low stats for a creature with no other abilities. Could've slapped Monstrosity or another keyword

Replace: Errant Ephemeron or Makeshift Mauler. Similarly huge creatures

Benthic Giant: In or Out? Create polls that only your friends can see or public ones that you can share with the wider Facebook community. Create your own polls or just vote on other peoples polls!

The first Theros card up for discussion is Hopeful Eidolon

Pro: Weaker Mark of the Vampire, but cubers know it's a bomb especially on fatties/flyers. Sprouts a small body to deny 2-for-1

Con: 1/1 lifelinker for 1 isnt spectacular unless you've drafted lots of equipments and auras. Might not be played at full potential

Replace: Master's Call or Arrest. Weaker redundant cards

Hopeful Eidolon: In or Out? Create polls that only your friends can see or public ones that you can share with the wider Facebook community. Create your own polls or just vote on other peoples polls!

Theros auto-includes for the cube. One for each color plus multicolor:

Gods Willing - Strictly better than Stave Off.

Nimbus Naiad - Best bestow card at common. Wind Drake stats + bit overcosted Spectral Flight in one card? Not bad. Will replace the underdrafted Zephyr Charge.

Read the Bones - Best common card in the set in my opinion. What this card will replace is still undecided.

Lightning Strike - Searing Spear functional reprint is obviously auto include. Will replace Yamabushi's Flame [its extra effect is ignorable most times].

Leafcrown Dryad - The other good bestow card. Efficiently costed as a bear and as a buff. Will replace the underdrafted Groundswell.

Scholar of Athreos - Have been looking for good Orzhov cards to match the other color pair's power level. I can imagine this in "cancer" decks. Theros just gave us a replacement for Dutiful Thrull.

Well Theros is here. I bet there is going to be a big change in our current cube pool. So watch out for Theros in the following days!

Cube Update 9/19/13

M14 Revisited Patch

# The following cards are removed:

- Obelisk of Bant
- Obelisk of Esper
- Obelisk of Grixis
- Obelisk of Jund
- Obelisk of Naya
- Scuttlemutt

Reason: These mana accels are too overcosted and are often picked last or almost last in drafts. [They are rarely picked for tri-color fixes.] I feel that the two-mana myrs are enough to provide the cube with mana dorks. I am still looking to the possibility of adding the ten ravnica signets as suggested.

# The following cards are moved to the 'COLORLESS' slot of the cube to replace the cards above:

- Porcelain Legionnaire
- Spined Thopter
- Vault Skirge
- Pith Driller
- Slash Panther
- Thundering Thanadon

Reason: These phyrexian mana creatures can, instead of being seen as colored creatures that can be cast with any color, they can be also seen as colorless creatures, that can be cast with colored mana [as already discussed in a previous poll]. Most of the time [or even preferably], they are indeed colorless and often played as colored creatures only during the late game where they don't shine as much.

# The following M14 cards are added to the cube due to the poll votes, and the cards they replace appear next to them:

- Master of Diversion -> Porcelain Legionnaire [moved to colorless]
- Assault Griffin [foil] -> Sanctum Gargoyle
- AWOL -> Dawn Charm * its M14 competitiion lost in votes
- Dawnstrike Paladin [foil] -> Ballynock Cohort
- Trained Condor [foil] -> Spined Thopter [moved to colorless]
- Co**se Hauler [foil] -> Pit Keeper
- Accursed Spirit -> Vault Skirge [moved to colorless]
- Deathgaze Cockatrice -> Pith Driller [moved to colorless]
- Academy Raider [foil] -> Somberwald Vigilante
- Marauding Maulhorn [foil] -> Slash Panther [moved to colorless]
- Advocate of the Beast -> Thundering Thanadon [moved to colorless]
- Rumbling Baloth -> Young Wolf

# The following cards are added to support the "Enchantments Matter" theme of Theros as preparation, replacing underperforming cards that appear next to them:

- Auramancer [foil] -> Doomed Traveller
- Ethereal Armor -> Mana Tithe
- Eel Umbra -> Traumatic Visions
- Curse of the Pierced Heart [foil] -> Artillerize
- Seal of Primordium -> Edge of Autumn

# For the same reason, the following cards are added to the cube wishlist to replace the card that appears next to them:

- Seal of Doom -> Hideous End
- Seal of Fire -> Lightning Axe

# The following non-M14 cards are added to replace the underperforming cards that appear next to them:

- Augur of Skulls -> Butcher Ghoul
- Sigiled Behemoth -> Rhox Bodyguard

# The following cards that are already in the cube have been pimped:

- Daring Skyjek
- Fortify
- Runner's Bane
- Stormbound Geist
- Voidwielder
- Altar's Reap
- Beetleform Mage
- Drakewing Krasis
- Frilled Oculus
- Frostburn Weird
- Stonefare Crocodile
- Sluiceway Scorpion
- Zur-taa Druid

PS: Na-realize ko na kung bakit may sobrang sleeve kanina nung draft. Nasama yung foil na Zur-taa Druid kahit di pa napalitan yung non-foil. So doubler ang Zur-Taa Druid sa cube ngayon. Xo Ayusin na lang next time.

http://www.syntaxassassin.com/40-card-combat/

Sad state of limited format in the Philippines. Let's practice our limited skills for Theros by cube drafting, guys!

40 Card Combat and the Limited Revolution Here's a testament to Limited from Ray De Guzman.

M14 Week is finished. Watch out for Theros Week once it is fully spoiled. Don't forget to vote for the cards that you want to get the slot in the cube. Happy Cubing!

I'll finish the week by revisiting M14 green.

Black is finished. Next is red.
Maybe tomorrow coz I'm going to bed.