Drafting with Richard - Holiday Power Cube Edition!

Richard Bland

About Richard Bland

Richard is an English pro player. He started playing Magic on a foreign exchange trip to Germany in the dark days of Darksteel, and was running sick homebrew Shared Fate decks at FNM while everyone else was playing affinity mirrors. While he has learned better since then, he still retains a soft spot for combo decks of all hues.

• Platinum Pro Player
• 98 Lifetime Pro Points
• 2nd Worlds 2011
• 2nd GP San Diego 2011
• 3rd GP Barcelona 2011
• 3rd GP Madrid 2010
• 2nd Great Britain Nationals 2010

Drafting with Richard - Holiday Power Cube Edition!

Hello everyone,

It’s a festive time of year, so I thought I’d have some fun and showcase a MODO holiday cube draft, and hopefully draft something fun and ridiculously powerful to do broken things this holiday season. Let’s dive in:

Booster 1 - UD

Pack 1 pick 1:

My Pick: Treachery

First pick and we have a lot to choose from. The most likely cards here are Treachery, Counterspell and Goblin Guide. I like Goblin Guide a lot in mono-red, but Treachery is both better and blue, which is generally where I want to be, and fits into pretty much all blue decks. Counterspell is great, and I always want counters in Cube, but it’s not enough to pass on the control magic bomb.

Pack 1 pick 2:

My Pick: Karn Liberated

A pack of mostly utility cards. Wasteland and Hymn are both very nice, and Keldon Marauders would have gone nicely with the Goblin Guide had we taken it. But we took Treachery, and so the pick is between Karn Liberated and... well, maybe Hymn. Karn is just so powerful and easy to cast, however, and can win games single-handedly. Planeswalkers are rarely the wrong pick in Cube.

Pack 1 pick 3:

My Pick: Mulldrifter

Sulfuric Vortex is there to taunt me about what could have been for a red deck, but never mind, I have one of my favorite blue creatures ever printed to cheer me right up. Mulldrifter is a pile of value and rarely an awkward draw, and interacts with all manner of cards well. Sword of Body and Mind is nice, but with Treachery and Karn, I feel I’m not as likely to be going aggro as I am to want to draw cards.

Pack 1 pick 4:

My Pick: Thragtusk

A difficult pack, and one that tends to show the preferences of the drafter. I am a complete sucker for UG decks in Cube and will draft the make mana -> draw cards -> cast things and win deck whenever the opportunity presents itself. Inkwell Leviathan, Thragtusk, Dismember and Sundering Titan are all options for me here (and Thundermaw for the red deck). Inkwell, I think, is just less useful than the titan at this point. We have some colorless cards in Karn, and more cards that work well with Channel, and titan is just generally more impactful a play than Inkwell. Dismember is a nice catch-all card that can go in any deck, but the life drawback blunts its usefulness against the aggro decks where removal matters, and I’m not sure I’d want it if I didn’t think I was going Black. Besides, many creatures in Cube are at least partially resistant to 1-for-1 removal. In the end I take the Thragtusk, hoping to slide into UG mana ramp, with a card that defends against aggressive decks and presents a decent clock while fighting removal and allowing for bounce-spell shenanigans.

Pack 1 pick 5:

My Pick: Fyndhorn Elves

To make a UG deck work, you need as much mana as you can get. Mana elves are exactly what I want, and there’s not anything else in the pack to distract me from that. Arbor Elf is pretty much just a narrower Fyndhorn, so I take the more reliable mana guy.

Pack 1 pick 6:

My Pick: Careful Consideration

Metalworker has the potential to do busted things, but this deck doesn’t have any artifacts yet, and Careful Consideration is an amazing card for a deck like this, which is a little prone to mana flooding in the late game, and instant-speed potential makes it great with counterspells.

Pack 1 pick 7:

My Pick: Birds of Paradise

A simple pick, Birds is exactly what I want to be doing. Dream Halls is a little too deep for what I want to be doing here, and Genesis Wave too permanent-based.

Pack 1 pick 8:

My Pick: Chandra Nalaar

Exploration really isn’t the acceleration I want, unless I have odd things, involving Land Tax, going on, and so I can choose either Firespout or Chandra here. Spout doesn’t play well with my creature accelerators, so I take a chance on another decent Planeswalker and keep a look out for mana-fix to support URG

Pack 1 pick 9:

My Pick: Ohran Viper

Many tempting cards left in the pack. Now I have a clearer idea of what I want my deck to do, I can dismiss Genesis as too grindy, All Suns' Dawn as too expensive and Wake Thrasher as too mindlessly aggro. Ohran Viper can already come down on turn 2 with my 1-drop mana guys, and the combination of defensive card against aggro and Ophidian against anything else is a great fit in the deck.

Pack 1 pick 10:

Thornscape Battlemage Buried Alive Guul Draz Assassin Keldon Marauders Winter Orb Izzet Charm

My Pick: Izzet Charm

Thornscape is a little too cute for the cost, and I won’t likely kick it twice ever. Izzet Charm is always going to be useful should I be playing red in the deck, and does an ok job at all the things I want my deck to be doing.

Pack 1 pick 11:

Stunted Growth Steppe Lynx Student of Warfare Siege-Gang Commander Thunderscape Battlemage

My Pick: Stunted Growth

Siege-Gang is powerful, but I’m worried my deck will already be weak to sweepers, and Stunted Growth gives me something powerful to be doing when I hit 5 mana that doesn’t require a pile of Mountains.

Pack 1 pick 12:

Flickerwisp Reanimate Kami of Ancient Law Gideon's Lawkeeper

My Pick: Reanimate

Unlikely to play any of these, but this is the most powerful and possible to splash.

Pack 1 pick 13:

Tangle Wire Fauna Shaman Bonesplitter

My Pick: Fauna Shaman

Not much of a contender, but if I draft creature combos this might help, or if I’m really hurting for early drops.

Pack 1 pick 14:

Restock Gloom Surgeon

My Pick: Restock

Pack 1 pick 15:

Honor of the Pure

My Pick: Honor of the Pure

Booster 2 - PRM

Pack 2 pick 1:

My Pick: Time Walk

So here’s the power we were promised! 3 pieces in this pack, as I count Library as power. Library isn’t an ideal fit for this deck as it’s shaping up, as I’m looking to play ramp spells early and won’t have 7 cards in hand in the mid-late, as well as a possible 3-color deck finding colorless mana less than useful. It’s still incredibly good, but Time Walk is exactly what I want in a deck with Planeswalkers, ophidians and big threats and is looking to win the tempo game. Mox Pearl is fine, as are all moxen, but not on the level of the other power.

Pack 2 pick 2:

My Pick: Miscalculation

A cheap counterspell is always welcome and it cycles in the super late game. Edric is also great, but might table.

Pack 2 pick 3:

My Pick: Simic Signet

A tough pick. FoF is obviously a great card, but mana accel is at a premium for this deck, and signet also fixes. Ultimately, I decide I can replace FoF more easily than I can the signet, and I have 2 card-drawing effects in my pile already.

Pack 2 pick 4:

My Pick: Garruk, Primal Hunter

Planeswalker, on-color, no real competition in the pack. Ideal threat, really.

Pack 2 pick 5:

My Pick: Mana Leak

More counterspells, and easy to cast, too. Nev’s disk doesn’t fit with our accel being permanent-based.

Pack 2 pick 6:

My Pick: Electrolyze

A harder pick, with no immediate standouts. Hermit is pretty mediocre and easily replaceable as a generic threat card. Ooze doesn’t quite fit in the deck’s plan, as it’s not a win the game threat/mana or card draw/countermagic. I take a chance on Electrolyze if the red splash fits

Pack 2 pick 7:

My Pick: Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary

A very late Rofellos is a fine gift for the green ramp deck. GG might be a hard cast at times, but tapping for 2-3 mana is absurd. Venser is a fine card but not enough to replace Rofellos as the pick.

Pack 2 pick 8:

My Pick: Regrowth

Another powerful green card to put into my pile. Remand is great, but the chance of regrowing Time Walk, Mulldrifter or Careful Consideration gives it the edge.

Pack 2 pick 9:

My Pick: Phyrexian Metamorph

Metamorph is a very flexible card and can fit easily in the deck, ideally copying something like Mulldrifter or Thragtusk.

Pack 2 pick 10:

Cloudgoat Ranger Palinchron Plated Geopede Awakening Zone Edric, Spymaster of Trest Bone Shredder

My Pick: Edric, Spymaster of Trest

Edric tables, which is nice to see. A great card, improving all the little mana guys on top of everything else.

Pack 2 pick 11:

Elite Vanguard Goblin Vandal Naturalize Godless Shrine Stupor

My Pick: Naturalize

A sideboard card over cards I’ll not play. Hatedrafting isn’t all that relevant here.

Pack 2 pick 12:

Izzet Boilerworks Call of the Herd Stormblood Berserker Into the Roil

My Pick: Izzet Boilerworks

A nice late mana fix. Call of the Herd really is a bit outclassed these days. Into the Roil is nice, but I’m going to be ok for spells.

Pack 2 pick 13:

Sulfurous Springs Black Knight Loam Lion

My Pick: Sulfurous Springs

All things equal a land is a better hatedraft.

Pack 2 pick 14:

Hypnotic Specter Thelonite Hermit

My Pick: Thelonite Hermit

A possible playable threat if I don’t find many big haymakers in the next pack.

Pack 2 pick 15:

Willbender

My Pick: Willbender

Booster 3 - Avacyn Restored

Pack 3 pick 1:

My Pick: Bonfire of the Damned

Pack three and we’re getting a clear idea of what we’re going to do with our deck. Lodestone Golem would work well for us as a beater with added Sphere of Resistance, with our acceleration making the effect less relevant on us. However, Bonfire is both splashable and very effective in a deck that can make a lot of mana and relies on creatures to get the job done. Overall I think it’s worth the risk to try and play bonfire, as sweepers is something sorely lacking in this deck.

Pack 3 pick 2:

My Pick: Mana Vault

Mana Vault is exactly what I want for getting out a turn 4 Karn Liberated or a turn 2 Mulldrifter.

Pack 3 pick 3:

My Pick: Woodfall Primus

The deck is a little lacking in things to Mana Vault out, and Woodfall Primus is exactly the resilient threat I need. Tarmogoyf is just a guy (in how many formats can you say that with a straight face?) and Cold-Eyed Selkie is fine but too reliant on islandwalk to make the cut

Pack 3 pick 4:

My Pick: Treetop Village

Everflowing Chalice and Mind Stone aren’t the best accelerants for the deck, as they don’t fix much in the way of colors, and Treetop is a card that will help us close out games and combat mana flood without taking a card slot.

Pack 3 pick 5:

My Pick: Mystic Snake

Counterspells are amazing in Cube. Take them over nearly everything.

Pack 3 pick 6:

My Pick: Gruul Signet

A tough pick, but I’m in need of the fixing badly, and I’m not sure how effective Oracle would be in a deck that runs as many non-land accelerants as ours. Fingers crossed that Simic Sky Swallower tables.

Pack 3 pick 7:

My Pick: Plow Under

Plow is an amazing tempo play, and wonderful to Regrowth. Vengevine is just an efficient guy, and we’re looking for game-winners rather than a beatdown curve.

Pack 3 pick 8:

My Pick:

A flexible card that fits into our deck more than any other card here. Greaves doesn’t have many good targets outside of the Ophidians.

Pack 3 pick 9:

My Pick: Lodestone Golem

Lodestone Golem tables, giving Metamorph a very attractive copy target

Pack 3 pick 10:

Entomb Lightning Bolt Wild Nacatl Sylvan Library Goblin Ruinblaster Phyrexian Revoker

My Pick: Sylvan Library

Another massive gift. Library was only narrowly not the pick before, and ensuring the deck maintains its mana curve and a steady supply of threats.

Pack 3 pick 11:

Necromancy Mogg War Marshal Manriki-Gusari Bloodgift Demon Kargan Dragonlord

My Pick: Manriki-Gusari

An anti-Jitte sideboard card is better than any of the alternatives.

Pack 3 pick 12:

Earthquake Sacred Foundry Putrid Imp Porcelain Legionnaire

My Pick: Porcelain Legionnaire

Earthquake isn’t going to work in my deck as a sweeper, and Legionnaire might be a useful sideboard against creature decks.

Pack 3 pick 13:

Nezumi Shortfang Cursed Scroll Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius

My Pick: Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius

I’m still in need of threats, and while red-heavy, this is a pretty good one.

Pack 3 pick 14:

Deranged Hermit Simic Sky Swallower

My Pick: Simic Sky Swallower

A pair of nice finishers to choose from, I take the one that’s harder to answer and more effective with a Mana Vault.

Pack 3 pick 15:

Teetering Peaks

My Pick: Teetering Peaks

Deckbuilding

I end up with plenty of playables, a not uncommon situation for cube draft, and a decision as to whether a red splash is at all necessary. My mana base is not the sturdiest, with minimal dual lands and the splashable spells, while nice, aren’t insanely powerful. Cards like Rofellos, Garruk, Primal Hunter and Treetop Village, encourage me to stay heavy green, and the entire point of a deck like this is to get a fast start and cast something big early, so having mana issues is going to be a big problem for the deck’s chances of winning. The Bonfire and Electrolyze would deal well with any potential creature decks, and if the opponent is on a mono-red plan, counterspells would be of limited use, so the red deck remains a potential sideboard option.

I submitted the following:

Round 1 vs Juntti U/B/w

Game 1: I keep a promising seven and plan for a second Forest off the top to hit Rofellos into Time Walk and Signet then Lodestone Golem, but unfortunately, I fail to draw a land, and have to cast Sylvan Library over acceleration. My first library view misses too, so I have to burn the Time Walk and pay 8 life, but I finally hit land and double accel out, following with a Karn Liberated on his Dimir Aqueduct.

I take more damage from my Library to keep making land drops, then drop a pair of Lodestone Golems to get the concession.

1-0

Game 2:

My opponent leads with Dimir Signet, while I execute my gameplan of acceleration into Time Walk, into Regrowth. I fail to find a threat, however, and have to content myself with Careful Consideration before passing back. My opponent drops down some Lingering Souls tokens followed by a Frost Titan, which I manage to Treachery for 7 mana, then drop down Garruk, Primal Hunter and Simic Sky Swallower while holding up Miscalculation and locking down Dimir Aqueduct. Eventually the pair of 6/6 beaters go the distance.

2-0

Round 2 vs Hiquaine (UW)

Game 1:

I make a somewhat speculative keep with Sylvan Library, hoping to draw into something to do on turns 3 and 4 from it. I find Rofellos on turn 3 while my opponent gets beating with a Looter Il-Kor. Turn 4 Garruk, Primal Hunter with Mana Leak for his Dungeon Geists and a Sky Swallower follow up gets the swift concession.

1-0

Game 2:

I keep another fun hand.

My opponent starts with Isamaru, Hound of Konda, while I make a turn 3 Karn Liberated. These things are not the same, and this game is a reminder to not try to play fairly in Cube, if at all possible. I start working on his hand and trade off a Mulldrifter for his Isamaru then Regrowth it back. He scoops again when Karn Liberated is at 15 loyalty and his board is 3 lands.

2-0

Round 3 vs (BW)

Game one I keep a rather risky hand on the draw, with a turn 1 birds, lands and 5-drops. I hope to hit another piece of accel or a 3-4 drop in the first 3 draw steps, but it is not to be, and Hypnotic Specter and Bone Shredder on my Birds of Paradise leave me too far behind by the time I can cast my Garruk.

0-1

Game 2:

I keep a much better hand in the second, with acceleration into Lodestone Golem. I cast Mulldrifter but fail to hit my lands afterward, while he plays some signets. I hold up countermagic and keep bashing in with the Golem and Elf, and Mana Leak the Rout when he plays it. A Mystic Snake on his next play was enough to tie the match.

1-1

Game 3

In the deciding game I keep a hand with Signet, Ohran Viper and Lodestone Golem, and draw into Karn and Timewalk. My opponent has plenty of removal, Nekrataal-ing my Viper and Vindicating my Golem, but my Time Walk into Karn sticks and starts chewing up his hand, forcing him to drop Mirror Entity and Hypnotic Specter. I exile the Entity and play out Mulldrifter, holding Mana Leak up. Sadly, his next play of Bone Shredder gets around my Mana Leak, and puts my Karn low, but I Regrow the Mulldrifter and play it out again, holding up Mana Leak once more. As expected, he chooses to not pay Echo and put it on top with Volrath's Stronghold, tapping him low enough to have the Shredder fall to the Mana Leak. The time this buys me allows me to find a finisher in Woodfall Primus and destroy the Volrath's Stronghold, ending his plans of clearing my board. With no recursion and playing off the top of the deck against Karn and Primus, he concedes the match.

2-1

Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!

Richard

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