Last night we replaced our usual casual draft with cube draft night.
We had a pretty decent turnout, ten this time, over six last time. This time I got the decks given back in at the end so I could have a look over what people made.
I can’t recall the exact order of the final results but the first and second place decks are at the end of the page.
NOTE: I’m Danny if you hadn’t guessed from the URL.
BR Aggro/Midrange: Two players turned out to be competing over the vampires and goblins and both ended up with a little of each (It doesn’t help that I really need to add an extra goblin lord and I’m missing one of the vampire lords so it can take slightly too long to work out that vampire and goblin tribal are things).
[d title="Adam: BR Aggro/Midrange"]
Creatures
1 Legion Loyalist
1 Fire fist Striker
1 War-Name Aspirant
1 Rix Maadi Guildmage
1 Pyrewild Shaman
1 Markov Patrician
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Falkenrath Noble
1 Erebos's Emissary
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
1 Bloodfray Giant
1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
1 Mogis, God of Slaughter
1 Manor Gargoyle
1 Shadowborn Demon
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Gurmag Angler
1 Hangarback Walker
Spells
1 Searing Spear
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Dragon Fodder
1 Dreadbore
Land
1 Savage Lands
1 Temple of Malice
1 Blood Crypt
5 Swamp
9 Mountain
[/d]This deck worked pretty well losing only to my mono white aggro. I was unsure about the power level of True-Name Nemesis, but in this case it sort of enabled a hard counter based control deck in base blue, in a very different build to how I would have done it.
[d title="Jack: Bant Control"]
Creatures
1 Jeskai Elder
1 Lhassa, God of the Sea
1 True-Name Nemesis
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Lavinia of the Tenth
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
1 Rubinia Soulsinger
1 Myr Battlesphere
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
Spells
1 Serum Visions
1 Planar Outburst
1 Feeling of Dread
1 Impulse
1 Essence Scatter
1 Counterspell
1 Dissipate
1 Scatter to the Winds
1 Cryptic Command
1 Force of Will
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Sphinx's Revelation
Land
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Thornwood Falls
1 Tranquil Cove
1 Forest
3 Plains
9 Island
[/d]There’s a bonus synergy in this that I never realised was in there, which is Champion of Lambholt and Krenko, Mob Boss. I lost a game to that and nearly lost the round.
[d title="Rich: Jund Ramp"]
Creatures
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Blood Seeker
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Managorger Hydra
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Temur Sabertooth
1 Hellrider
1 Krenko, Mob Boss
1 Throat Slitter
1 Jiwari, the Earth Aflame
1 Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper
1 Grave Titan
1 Rampaging Balts
1 Omnath, Locus of Rage
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Scythe of the Wretched
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Bow of Nylea
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Spells
1 Go for the Throat
1 Terminate
1 Prey Upon
1 Crater's Claws
Land
1 Crumbling Necropolis
6 Forest
6 Mountain
5 Swamp
[/d]This is the second deck that was slightly weakened by the two players switching between vampires and goblins part way through the draft. I don’t think it worked out too badly though as both players ended up with some strong stuff, just weren’t able to go all out on the tribal aspects.
[d title="Johan: Izzet Goblin/Midrange"]
Creatures
1 Signal Pest
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Goblin Wardriver
1 Goblin Chieftain
1 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Oracle of Bones
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of War and Peace
Spells
1 Ponder
1 Krenko's Command
1 Divination
1 Hordeling Outburst
1 George
1 Clan Defiance
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Brainstorm
1 Negate
1 Battle Hymn
1 Lightning Strike
1 Izzet Charm
1 Brimstone Volley
Land
1 Mana Confluence
1 Steam Vents
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Forest
4 Islands
8 Mountain
[/d]Someone did manage to pull off a tribal heavy deck and that was the zombie deck. It’s not 100% tribal but it does have a good assortment of lords, token makers and some nice effects.
[d title="Martin: Dimir Zombies"]
Creatures
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Sultai Emissary
1 Servant of Nefarox
1 Lifebane Zombie
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Diregraf Captain
1 Lich Lord of Unx
1 Cemetery Reaper
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Havengul Runebinder
1 Liliana's Reaver
1 Relentless Skaabs
1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
1 Vela the Night-Clad
1 Silent-Blade Oni
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Corpseweft
Spells
1 Think Twice
1 Murder
1 Far//Away
1 Moan of the Unhallowed
1 Barter in Blood
Land
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Cathedral of War
8 Island
8 Swamp
[/d]Something went wrong with the round pairings and I ended up playing against this deck in round 3 instead of the eventual winner, but I really don’t mind because we had a seriously good pair of games ending in a tie in game three at closing time.
[d title="James: Orzhov Midrange"]
Creatures
1 Knight of Infamy
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 War Prist of Thune
1 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Eidolon of Countless Battles
1 Brimaz, Kimg of Frescos
1 Flickerwisp
1 Sin Collector
1 Drana's Emissary
1 Athreos, God of Passage
1 Sublime Archangel
1 Restoration Angel
1 Molten-Tail Masticore
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Abhorrent Overlord
Non-Creature Permanents
1 Banishing Light
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Spells
1 Honor's Reward
1 Unburial Rites
1 Black Sun's Zenith
1 White Sun's Zenith
Land
1 Scoured Barrens
9 Plains
7 Swamp
[/d]I didn’t get to see many of this decks games but I saw some properly silly board states such as Thragtusk with a Batterskull and Sword.
[d title="Pete: Slightly Abzan"]
Creatures
1 Dryad Militant
1 Experiment One
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Avatar of the Resolute
1 Vault Skirge
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Undergrowth Champion
1 Eternal Witness
1 Briarpack Alpha
1 Thragtusk
1 Vorapede
1 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
1 Hydra Broodmaster
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Prophetic Prism
1 Hedron Archive
1 Umezawa's jitte
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Batterskull
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Karn Liberated
Spells
1 Putrefy
1 Murderous Cut
1 Overrun
Land
1 Mutavault
7 Forest
6 Swamp
2 Plains
[/d]Sadly I saw even less of this decks games.
[d title="Nate: 4 Colour Goodstuff"]
Creatures
1 Mother of Runes
1 Vhitu-Ghazi Guildmage
1 Voice of Resurgence
1 Shaman of Forgotten Ways
1 Yasova Dragonclaw
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
1 Silent Arbiter
1 Prognostic Sphinx
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Lurking Automaton
1 Scuttling Doom Engine
1 Void Winnower
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Ral Zarek
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 From Beyond
1 Primeval Bounty
Spells
1 Rampant Growth
1 Wrath of God
1 Urban Evolution
1 Simic Charm
1 Lightning Helix
1 Selesnya Charm
1 Fact of Fiction
Land
1 Temple of Plenty
1 Jungle Shrine
3 Mountain
6 Forest
3 Island
4 Plains
[/d]My deck made second place in the end. I will admit that this is a slightly refined version of the deck I changed to after a couple of games. The original tried to include a couple of nice green cards. I could have easily done a quite nice Selesnya build but would realistically have had to ditch Lingering Souls so I opted for the mono white with flashback cost in the end.
[d title="Danny: Mono White Aggro"]
Creatures
1 Doomed Traveler
1 Elite Vanguard
1 Soldier of the Pantheon
1 Gideon's Lawkeeper
1 Containment Priest
1 Nearheath Pilgrim
1 Seeker of the Way
1 Knight of Glory
1 Azorius Arrester
1 Archetype of Courage
1 Monastery Mentor
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Fiendslayer Paladin
1 Field Marshal
1 Crusader of Odric
1 Gideon's Avenger
1 Silverblade Paladin
1 Daghatar the Adamant
1 Knight of Obligation
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Skullclamp
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
Spells
1 Midnight Haunting
1 Lingering Souls
1 Spectral Procession
Land
10 Plains
2 Swamp
1 City of Brass
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Arcane Sanctum
[/d]The eventual winner, in only his second cube draft (in fact second draft full stop) is this grinding unkillable graveyard deck.
From what I’m told most games were won through clogging up the board with the regenerators and Tarmogoyf and then just waiting until some late game value engine could guarantee the win.
I saw at one point Deadbridge Chant reanimating a Pontiff of Blight. I’m told one game went long enough for Silence the Believers to be a one sided board wipe and another was one through just sitting on Sheoldred.
I do think that the deck could stand another graveyard themed one drop on top of Deathrite Shaman (who should get a boost when I add fetches) but it certainly works.
[d title="Ollie: Golgari Graveyard"]
Creatures
1 Child of Night
1 Jade Mage
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Wolfer Avenger
1 Nyx Weaver
1 Graverobber Spider
1 Lumberknot
1 Korozda Monitor
1 Cudgel Troll
1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
1 Garret's Packleader
1 Silumgar Butcher
1 Rakshasa Gravecaller
1 Golgari Rotwurm
1 Pontiff of Blight
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
Non-Creature Permenants
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Deadbridge Chant
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Vraska the Unseen
Spells
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Ultimate Price
1 Silence the Believers
Land
9 Forest
8 Swamp
[/d]The version of the cube which we played with was not 100% matching that in the online version but it wasn’t far off.