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Cube is one of the best and most customizable ways to playMagic: The Gathering. It’s a curated list of cards put together by a cube designer, with the intention of providing a tailored, repeatably draft environment. While it mimics a typical Limited format, cubes span so many different themes and designs that anyone can find (or create) cubes that fit their own personal playstyle.
Cube is a highly adjustable experience, with a devoted community and events like CubeCon dedicated to bringing cube designers and players together. Even Magic Online recognizes its Vintage Cube as one of the main appeals of the platform. If you’re stepping into cube design for the first time, you’ll need to know some basic parameters, from cube size to general classifications.
What Size Should A Cube Be?
The size of your cube depends on the number of drafters you intend to play with and what your specific goals are.The most common card count is 360, which supports eight players, each receiving three 15-card packs,similar to a normal Draft environment. With this setup,every card in the cube will be openedin an eight-player draft.
If you want more variance between drafts, orif you plan on supporting up to ten players, you’ll need to increase your size, with450 and 540being the next most common cube sizes. These card counts mean some cards won’t be opened in a typical eight-player draft, making the cardpool slightly different each time. Of course, cube size is entirely at the discretion of the cube designer.
How Are Cubes Classified?
There’s some generally accepted terminology when classifying what type of cube you’re building, based on the cardpool you’re working with. The nomenclature usually mimics the corresponding Constructed format; for example, a ‘Modern Cube’ only uses cardswithin the Modern-legal cardpool. Some of the most common classifications are as follows:
Uses the Modern Constructed cardpool.
Peasant/Artisan Cube
Uses only cards that have been printed at common or uncommon at least once.
Pauper Cube
Uses only cards that have been printed at common at least once.
Set Cube
Uses cards from a specific set or group of sets, usually from the same Magic plane (i.e.: ‘Innistrad Cube’).
How Many Cards Of Each Color Should A Cube Have?
Cubes do nothave tohave equal sections, but fledgling cube designers should strive to play the same number of cards in each monocolored and multicolored section and adjust after some playtesting. You’ll also need a healthy number of mana-fixing lands and ideally a robust colorless section as well.
In a 360-card cube,try starting with 50 cards in each monocolored section, for a total of 250 cards. Adding four dual-lands and four multicolored cards per two-color pair contributes another 80 cards, for a total of 330.The last 30 slots should be dedicated to colorless cards, including artifacts and utility lands that can go in multiple different decks.
What’s Needed For A Cube Besides The Cards?
Assuming you’re building a paper cube and not something meant for digital play,you’re going to need the physical copy of the cards you intend to play. Since Cube isn’t a sanctioned tournament format,you’re free to proxyany expensive cards to stay within a reasonable budget.
You’ll also want to sleeve your cards, andyou’ll need enough pre-sleeved basic lands for your players; a cube with 360 cards and 30 of each basic land requires 510 of the same sleeves. It can also be helpful to acquire the tokens your players need for the cards they’ll be playing with.
How Do You Update A Cube?
As the cube designer, you have the final say in your cube’s update process, thoughyou’ll want to account for player feedback. If there are cards that everyone’s miserable playing against, consider removing them. And of course,don’t be afraid to test out new cardsyou’re unsure of; the glory of Cube is being able to make adjustments if something ends up being too weak or too powerful.
You also want to be conscious of ‘power outliers,’ cards that are either too strong or too weak relative to the average power of cards in your cube.Aiming for a flat power levelacross your cards is ideal for balance and newcomers to the environment you’ve sculpted.
