MOM Cube

As a supplement to my cube articles about Mother of Machines and Aftermath on Hipsters, here’s a blog post to talk about the cards that I didn’t talk about in those articles.  It doesn’t mean that these are “bad”, per se, but there’s only so much room to talk about things in the articles.

WHITE

Archangel Elspeth – 

She’s a 4-mana walker, worse than Wandering Emperor and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar which are kinda the bars for 4-mana effect that isn’t Wraths/Geddons that tend to be the fan favorites for that mana slot.

Guardian of Ghirapur – 

I was close to putting this in the article, but 3-mana cards are generally bottlenecked with better cards than this in cube.  In general, I tend to look at this as more a 3/3 for 3 with upside than a bad Flickerwisp, since although 2 toughness doesn’t look like it matters that much, it fundamentally changes the role of the creature as something that can hold the fort and can generally attack easier into things, whereas Flickerwisp can die to a stiff wind.  That said, I’d say Flickerwisp is the better card due to how good it is as a swiss army knife.

Boon-Bringer Valkyrie – 

It’s one of the better Baneslayer variants out there, and gets around some of the traditional weaknesses of Baneslayers by being reliant on the Baneslayer entering combat to gain life (by being able to back something else up if you have something else lying around to pound, in case you need to gain life ASAP.)  Still, it’s a Baneslayer.  You know if you want it.

Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines – 

I’m not really huge on blink decks in cube but this is a way to really payoff that archetype, although this doesn’t do anything when it resolves (although it’s also nice against blinky decks and really annoying vs Mulldriftery decks.)  Not bad.

Excise the Imperfect – 

I’m pretty sure I like this more than Generous Gift, since it doesn’t just immediately make a big threat, whereas the opponent has to sink mana into this (but the opp could just do that EOT) although this is better the cheaper threats get, which is a bit paradoxical since a 3-mana removal card isn’t really what you want in a more mana-efficient format.

Phyrexian Censor – 

We’ve seen a bunch of hate bears that directly attack the hand, although ones like this that limit spells a turn are generally better against combo decks and other decks that chain spells in a turn (like decks that use cantrips.)  Another tool to have in the toolbox.

Progenitor Exarch – 

The ability to transform other incubate tokens is mostly just as a payoff to keep this alive rather than a theme for a deck; this mainly is for casting Hill Giants on an installment plan if flooded out but being a ½ instead of a 2/1 makes it a nombo for aggro decks.  More of a midrange thing but it’s just low impact.

Seal from Existence 

Like the old O-Ring guard, being a 3-cost sorcery play to remove something isn’t great these days, but Ward 3 helps a LOT against the inherent weaknesses of O-Rings (“dying to removal”, sorcery speed) since destroying this is virtually a Time Walk.  I still think you can do better these days, though.

Realmbreaker’s Grasp – 

Oh hey, a better Pacifism… again!

BLUE

Faerie Mastermind – 

If anyone’s the target market for a cheap flash flier, it’s me, but I honestly wasn’t that impressed with this.  The main issue was it just didn’t have a big impact on its own, and its ability was expensive and unlike Orcish Bowmasters, was pretty middling when it wasn’t hosing multiple draws.  It gave me vibes of Azure Mage… and not in a good way.

Oracle of Tragedy – 

A new Merfolk Traders dropped, and it’s nice to have another ability in case you’re in danger of dying to deck damage.  Still, it’s mostly to dump something in the grave.

See Double – 

I love creatures with flash way more than I should, and this had caught my eyes as a virtual clone at instant speed, as I thought about playing Stunt Double back when it was initially printed.  Still, this is mostly just for slow deck mirrors, since they’re much more reliable at being able to hit the “8 in the grave” ala Sheoldred, except you can’t proactively use discard like you can in black.  

BLACK

Archpriest of Shadows – 

I feel like this was to be the black mirror of the backup Baneslayer, and I think pretty similarly of it (but slightly worse) since its recursion is pretty pricey for recursion.

Invasion of Fiora – 

I liked this less than Invasion of Innistrad since this is 6 for a board wipe, but I do like how this lets you selectively choose legendary/non-legendary if that’s a feature of your cube.  It’s generally hard to lose if this flips though, especially since you’re usually in the driver’s seat before it flips and definitely in it after.

Pile On –

Convoke Hero’s Downfall and as such, pretty mana inefficient unless you’re tapping multiple things.  I usually consider 1 mana to be the “convoke tax” and this is just too pricey, even with surveil.  Similarly with Collective Nightmare.

Scorn-Blade Berserker – 

Another sacrifice payoff to get use out of some warm bodies that lie around; not bad.  Ayara, Widow of the Realm falls into a similar archetypal payoff card, as does Grafted Butcher, to an extent, as something to recur.

RED

Chandra, Hope’s Beacon – 

Generally You’re Winner when this resolves, but that should apply to anything that expensive – stuff like Etali does this without requiring extra help, which is why it wasn’t in the main article.

Urabrask – 

I’m pretty sure any of the Battles are better than this.  Poor Urabrask, always getting the shaft on these cycles. 

Voldaren Thrillseeker – 

It’s a 3/3 for 3, and can deal the killing blow but I generally prefer for my red 3s to have a more immediate impact than this, and we already have a boatload of Rabblemasters and friends.

Nahiri’s Warcrafting 

My only concern with this was that it was pretty mana inefficient and slow, but the “yolo draw” helped to make this less of a feelbad when you had to aim this at an X/3.  Still, it does kill X/5s although that’s more of a constructed thing because of Sheoldred, The Annoying.

GREEN

Ozolith, the Shattered Spire – 

I almost put this in the main article since this is not just for +1/+1 counter decks, since this effectively lets you pump something +2/+2 for 1G.  Cycling is awesome as a backup for these kinds of things when you don’t have a board.

Ancient Imperiosaur – 

A big doofus, but one that can get big via help; Trample+Ward helps it not just get stopped by chump blockers or Doom Blades, which is always nice for big green things

Deeproot Wayfinder – 

My main concern with this may have been from seeing board states in Alchemy where everything’s a 3/3 and makes this look silly.  

Back in the Kami: Neo article, I talked about Reinforced Ronin and how that card can, contextually, be a dome-only Shock with buyback but only if decks aren’t playing to the board.  In a way, this can be matchup-dependent since a control deck isn’t going to play to the board very often early in the game, but aggro and midrange can… but this can change as well if control decks have ways to play to the board via Walls and small Mulldrifters, so it isn’t as polarized a paradigm as it may seem, but it’s mostly true.  

This also is best in decks with a lot of ways to get lands into the grave via fetchlands and looters, and/or decks that have a lot of cheap interaction to get there, but I always say that saboteurs without evasion play worse than they look.  But this at least has 3 toughness, which helps in the early game.

Invasion of Shandalar – 

Triple Nature’s Spiral is not awful for the cost, but it’s still just so slow, since it requires a lot to be in the graveyard (permanents, no less) so it’s usually just a way to fuel up in the later game.  Shame too, since I always love references to Shandalar but like Soul of Shandalar, this ain’t great either.

Streetwise Negotiator – 

Another Watchwolf.  Kinda.  Mostly just a 3/3 beater in green.  You know if you want this too.

Polukranos Reborn – 

A leatherback baloth that becomes a Wurmcoil?  Ok sure, nice red deck ya got there.  “Big green” tends to manifest as mono/mostly green in a lot of cubes, so this costing GGG isn’t the worst and has a nice upfront payoff, unlike Tribute to the World Tree.

OTHER

Kogla and Yidaro – 

Mostly a disenchant with a draw attached (ala Slice in Twain) that can be a giant doofus, if need be.  Some nice flexibility, since it can be crowd control, or a disenchant, or something to punch, and 6 mana isn’t the absolute worst either for mana costs.  Not bad.

Zurgo and Ojutai – 

I like how this generally at least gets one hit in via hexproof and flying, and then just is a nice little Air Elemental after that has a saboteur ability (but since it has flying, can actually connect!)  Probably not as good as Jeskai Aragorn in LOTR but still serviceable as a midrange beater.

Invasion of Tolvada – 

Not bad as a reanimation effect ala Obzedat’s Aid.  Flipside is one of the worst ones, but slowly accrues advantage if you get it out for several turns, and it at least virtually makes 2/1 fliers, so that’s… something?  I dunno, it’s yet another high-cost reanimation thing.

Bitterthorn, Nissa’s Animus – 

Body-wise for 3-mana, this living Weapon that isn’t a terrible creature in rampy decks but it still doesn’t ramp until the turn after, and then that land enters untapped.  I don’t think this really gets there.

Samut, Vizier of Naktamun and Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival – 

As I alluded to in my Aftermath article, the problem with both of these is that they’re pretty anemic if you don’t have the critical mass to reliably trigger these – Samut at least triggers off of her self and can draw it connects (but, having no evasion, can be difficult.)  It’s a nice combo with the good rabblemasters (Rabblemaster, Legion Warboss) but I feel like the critical mass for either of these is somewhere around 6 and there isn’t that critical mass for Pia.  Maybe Samut, but doubtful.

Nahiri’s Resolve – 

I know that it’s intentional, but having these enter the battlefield on your upkeep is really weird, since it means that the creatures can’t hold the fort.  At least the creatures have haste, so they can hit the ground running but… I’m not sure that I like this, and even in formats like Chromatic Cube, not being able to block with your creatures was annoying; that and being a 5-mana sorcery spell.  Eh.

Sigarda, Font of Blessings – 

Tribal payoff is tribal.  Mostly for white creatures via Humans, but I do like how subtly useful it is to be able to peek at the top card of your deck, especially if you have shuffles.  

Feast of Victorious Dead – 

Not a bad payoff for sacrifice decks or decks with a lot of warm bodies that can chump attack into things, so long as you have other things lying around – but that’s pretty common for BW aggro and tokens decks, and it’s nice that it’s not just a 1 counter thing like we’ve seen so often these days.  Surprisingly good given at that it’s an uncommon.

Gold-Forged Thopteryx – 

Also not bad as a way to protect planeswalkers and other legendary cards, since (as I’ll mention in MTGxLOTR), supporting legendaries as a naturally supported theme is getting easier and easier as sets come out.  Although this is worse than the set’s Pippin, this isn’t bad as a supplemental card, but worse in power than the Teferis of the world.

Rocco, Street Chef – 

The symmetry is slightly broken by you still getting rewarded if the opponent plays their exiled card, but the payoff isn’t that amazing (a counter and food), especially since the opponent gets first crack.

Niv-Mizzet, Supreme

So much better 5-color payoffs these days, but not bad.  It is nice, though, that this can give things like counterspells Jump-Start is great for getting uses out of lands or when the gold interactive spell isn’t the right one (a Dovin’s Veto when you need a Lightning Helix to win, etc.)