This guest post is written by Usman Jamil. For those wishing to contribute to cubedrafting.com, contact evan dot erwin at starcitygames dot com.

This 2-part article aims to discuss a handful of these lesser-known cards to help cube designers become informed about the existence and use of these buried treasures to use in their cubes.

Preface

Looking over the cards in my cube with some friends and people who haven’t seen my cube, a card piques the interest of nearly everyone looking at the card with interest. “Is that a real card?” “I had no idea that card existed.” The card was Keldon Champion, a somewhat obscure card in the vein of cards like Ball Lightning and Hellspark Elemental. It was fun to see people become enamored with the card since they had never seen the card before. Later that day, when a friend drafted Keldon Champion, he thought that it was a really good card and it was a good feeling to be able to not only share the experience of the card, but that the champ worked well in his deck.

Magic’s a game with a vast amount of history that spans nearly two decades. Some of the cards are going to be lesser-known or even unknown to many and this 2-part article aims to discuss a handful of these lesser-known cards to help cube designers become informed about the existence and use of these buried treasures to use in their cubes. This article will discuss some cards in white, blue and black and the next article will cover some cards in red, green and the miscellaneous sections that encompass lands, artifacts and multicolor cards. Ready to get started?

White

Miraculous Recovery – White has recently been getting the lion’s share of (playable) reanimation spells, with cards like Marshal’s Anthem, Reveillark and Sun Titan, but one of the more overlooked white reanimation cards in cubes is an obscure card from Visions, Miraculous Recovery. White doesn’t have cards that dump cards in the graveyard as easily as Entomb and Oona’s Prowler, but decks using Miraculous Recovery are usually able to get targets in the grave rather easily by just playing magic. Cards like Karmic Guide and Reveillark have never been short for targets as creatures as one of the certainties of cube drafting is that creatures will die pretty often. Makeshift Mannequin, a marquee reanimation spell, is of the few that can be played at instant speed. It’s been used in decks like 5-Color-Control as a means of creating surprise blockers and reusing creatures with “enter the battlefield” triggers, recycling creatures like Mulldrifter and Cloudthresher to draw 2 cards or clear the skies at instant speed (and if the opponent can’t target them, the caster gets a “free” creature!) Miraculous Recovery does this as well, making the returned creature stronger with a +1/+1 counter. There aren’t many effects that target Mannequinned creatures without costing a card (Gelectrode, planeswalkers and things like that aside) so the lack of a mannequin counter isn’t as good as one may think, but it’s still good that the returned creature doesn’t die to a Vines of Vastwood.

Catastrophe – This is the card that I’m surprised isn’t an auto-include in every cube that can allow its inclusion. Someone asked me why Catastrophe is so good and I replied “If you’re behind, it makes sure you don’t lose and if you’re ahead, it makes sure you win.” This obviously isn’t a 100% true statement, as a well-placed topdeck can change the tides of battle to the opponent’s favor. But, for the most part, this adage rings true. While it’s more expensive than either Wrath of God and Armageddon, its flexibility is worth its weight in gold. Armageddons can be sketchy to run in control decks because it goes against one of the goals of control decks – getting to a high amount of mana to cast expensive threats that win the game. Catastrophe not only gives decks like these a Wrath effect, but the “final nail in the coffin” by destroying all lands when something like a Sphinx of Jwar Isle is on the battlefield. It’s useful as a curve-topper in aggro-control and midrange decks as well, which seek to win through quick creatures and sealing victory with an Armageddon after you cast a threat like a Chameleon Colossus or a Thornling.

Scepter of Dominance – cards like Icy Manipulator and Ring of Gix are great in cubes because of their flexibility. Sometimes, they act as a Pacifism with a 1 mana upkeep that can attach itself onto other permanents at no cost (ala Prison Term), neutralizing an early Call of the Herd token and then moving onto neutralizing a dragon later in the game. Other times it can force players into overextending, making mass-removal effects more deadly, punishing threat-light control decks by neutralizing them, or tapping crucial mana sources on their upkeep ala Rishadan Port. Scepter of Dominance does all of these things, at the speed of Ring of Gix but without the echo cost. Its mana cost makes it harder to cast and use than the older artifact versions, but its main uses and flexibility remain intact. In decks like white-based aggro decks, the cheaper mana cost is key and being able to tap opposing threats and lands help neutralize threats and help to stop them from being cast.

Soltari Champion – 3 mana unblockable 2/2s (let’s be honest, you’re not going to block with this guy) aren’t that big of a deal on their own, as white has the Soltari brothers Monk, Priest and Trooper at 2 mana, all of which offer 2 attacking power. Soltari Champion, however, combines the usefulness of anthem effects with being a respectable attacker. A problem with equipment and global pump is that without creatures to enhance, they effectively do nothing until you get another creature. As mentioned prior, a 2/2 unblockable creature for 3 mana isn’t the biggest threat in the world, but it’s a respectable threat, much like Pianna, Nomad Captain, who is essentially an attacking 3/3 for 1WW. These creatures make your attacking aggro hordes stronger, but Soltari Champion has an added edge in that it isn’t typically subjected to creature combat, as it slips through defenders (as well as an easier casting cost,) which is relevant if there’s an opposing dragon or titan on the other side of the field.

Cloudgoat Ranger – Originally, when I saw Cloudgoat Ranger starting to pop into cube lists, I thought that it wasn’t a good card. Sure, it was an all-star in Lorwyn draft and kithkin decks with tons of other kithkin to support it, so how could it be good in cube, where there aren’t nearly as many kithkin for support? As it turns out, I was quite wrong. Cloudgoat Ranger’s strength doesn’t lie in the fact that it gets help from other kithkin but due to the fact that it provides 6 power of creatures for 5 mana. While the Ranger’s ability to use tokens isn’t as strong and is more disruptable than something like Siege-Gang Commander’s, the ability to become a 5/3 flying attacker happens a lot more than one would think and is a nice way to trade with an attacking dragon, while leaving you with 3 1/1s. Cloudgoat Ranger, like Siege-Gang Commander, is equally at home in aggro decks and control decks, the former for its ability to make a lot of power for relatively cheap (and through a single card) and the latter for its ability to act as an army of chump blockers.

Blue

Thieving Magpie – The bird that could is a card that doesn’t really get as much respect in cube lists as it should or a card that’s borderline for cubes. Constant sources of card advantage like Phyrexian Arena and Jace Beleren are heralded for their ability to give its caster more cards to win the game. Thieving Magpie provides this as well by being an evasive creature. While it, like pretty much every creature in the game, is vulnerable to removal and therefore is easier to disrupt, blue’s myriad of countermagic usually ensures that your card advantage machine stays alive. If you don’t mind playing Portal 3 Kingdoms cards, there’s the oft-forgotten Lu Xun, Scholar General, but if you plan on running Lu Xun, you should run Thieving Magpie as well, because even if Magpie’s worse than Lu Xun, Magpie’s still a great blue creature.

Miscalculation – Mana Leak, the amazing counterspell returning in M11, has been a cube staple since the format began, as it essentially is a counterspell for 1U. Unfortunately, while Mana Leak has been in pretty much every cube, Miscalculation’s much less common in cubes. Miscalculation retains much of the same functionality of Mana Leak: punishing players for tapping out (or nearly tapping out) for spells and stopping early spells (since they’re harder to neutralize for control decks) effectively acting as a 1U counterspell. Of course, neither Mana Leak nor Miscalculation help much against a Swords to Plowshares when the opponent has plenty of mana available, but Miscalculation’s cycling helps with that. Miscalculation’s cycling, at its worst, can help its caster dig for needed spells or mana sources. It can also be used to help dig for “hard” counters like Cryptic Command and Mana Drain, as well as other spells that you may need, which is the game-winning play. Maybe you just need a Decree of Pain to clear the board. Maybe you need a burn spell to deal 3 lethal points of damage. Maybe you need to find your Sphinx of Jwar Isle to fly over ground forces and win the game. Miscalculation’s cycling helps with these situations by helping to find these cards.

Willbender – Ben Bleiweiss noted the saying that if Willbender unmorphs, you win the game. Bleiweiss noted that it’s not far from the truth and in cube, that’s pretty true as well. Willbendering a Mind Twist to its caster or making it so that you draw 3 cards from an Ancestral Recall is just insane, but Willbender has many other uses, all of which are typically gamechanging. If the opponent knows that you have a Willbender in your deck, suddenly the morph must be dealt with before casting targeted spells of any type, acting as a 1U on-board counterspell, whether the morph is actually Willbender or not. He can’t stop Wraths or Geddons, but he stops many other things, turning 1-for-1s into 2-for-0s. Flametongue Kavu my guy? Nah, he’ll kill himself. Mindslaver me? Take control of your own turn. His ½ body is hardly amazing either, but it’s something that can carry equipment or chump-block if need be.

Kira, Great Glass-Spinner – Some of the best finishers in cube are that way because they have shroud as a way to defend themselves from spot removal. Spot removal tends to help to get rid of troublesome creatures and shroud gets around that. Kira occasionally pops up in decks to success, like Mike Flores noted in 2009’s Extended format and Alex Bertoncini used in his 2nd place Legacy Merfolk deck in the St. Louis 10 Legacy Event. So what makes it so useful? Kira not only gives itself a rather odd form of shroud, but gives it to all of your creatures. As mentioned earlier, there aren’t many cards that can break Kira’s shield without costing its caster a card, making spot removal less effective. However, there’s a more subtle effect with Kira. It’s absolutely amazing with counterspells, which I’ll illustrate with a story. I was playing a UG tempo-based deck and my opponent was playing a BU control deck. I had a Kira out, protecting some creatures and he needed my Kira to die. At the end of my turn, he cast Gifts Ungiven – finding a Slaughter Pact, a Snuff Out and a couple of other insignificant spells. Since I had countermagic in hand, I let him keep the spot removal. He cast Slaughter Pact to break the shield and attempted a Snuff Out, which I countered with a Plaxmanta. Kira allows plays like this which allow counterspells to be even more effective than they are, which is quite impressive since counterspells are extremely good anyway. Such as…

Desertion – Much like how cards like Smash to Smitherens and Keldon Champion encompass red’s traits well by combining two of the color’s themes efficiently, Desertion does the same with blue, as blue loves to counter things and steal things. Desertion can’t steal creatures on the battlefield, but it can steal ones that are cast. Similarly to Draining Whelk, this gives you a threat in addition to neutralizing an opponent’s threat, but typically, getting the creature is better than its respective worth in +1/+1 counters – creatures like Tarmogoyf are obviously “worth more” than 2 mana, but most of the creatures in cube are exceptionally efficient for their mana cost. Although Desertion doesn’t get much benefit from countering things like planeswalkers, the reduced mana cost from Draining Whelk, as well as the ability to get the better end of the deal on countering creatures (and artifacts – stealing a Mindslaver is insane as well) more than makes up for the Whelk’s universal +1/+1 counter ability.

Black

Duress – Too many times I’ve seen Duress not included in cubes, because of a perceived lack of targets. This can’t be further from the truth as Duress is able to nab a Rolling Thunder, Capsize or Opaline Bracers in common cubes and planeswalkers, Wrath effects and power 9 from powered cubes. Duress is disruption at its cheapest and has been used in many formats for its ability to get rid of annoying cards and in cubes, Duress’ disruptive capabilities remain intact and amazing.

Graveborn Muse – Phyrexian Arena has rightfully earned its place in cube lists as an efficient card draw engine, allowing you to trade life for cards, ranging in decks from suicide black aggro decks to black-based control decks. Graveborn Muse adds an extra mana to its cost to become a 3/3. A 4 mana 3/3 isn’t the biggest threat in the world (and, unlike Phyrexian Arena, can be bolted) but the cards drawn supplement the threat provided by Graveborn Muse and support rest of your board position and hand. In other words, while the Muse itself as a 4 mana 3/3 isn’t striking fear into the hearts of men, its meager body is bolstered by the card advantage that it creates. Its ability to interact with other zombies is somewhat useful as well, as there are a few good zombies for cubes, such as Carnophage, Sarcomancy, Wretched Anurid, Blind Creeper, Stillmoon Cavalier, Undead Gladiator and Grave Titan (through the zombies it creates through its trigger) – not counting zombies in other colors like Putrid Leech, Tidehollow Sculler and Thraximundar.

Yawgmoth’s Will – Yawgmoth’s Will is a card that I’ve frequently seen misevaluated in cube due to incorrectly transferring context. Yawgmoth’s Will claim to fame as of late is to enable lethal storm counts by recycling cheap cards and rituals from the grave, letting the caster win with a lethal Tendrils of Agony. Thus, Yawgmoth’s Will gets misevaluated when designers and drafters think that the card is bad because plays like this are not possible in the cube. While this statement has truth – you can’t kill someone with a lethal storm spell in cube, there are still many uses for Yawg Win. By essentially giving everything (including lands) flashback, Yawgmoth’s Will can help its caster to go from a losing board state to a favorable one, recycling fetchlands, tutors, planeswalkers and other cards to create a tidal wave of card advantage. Even a Yawgmoth’s Will that merely returns a manland, Vampiric Tutor and an Edict can result in a win by the created card advantage. While one may think “But if I just bring back a Terror, it’s a 5 mana terror and that’s bad”, Yawgmoth’s Will is analogous to an X-spell because while it CAN be used early in the game, its optimal use is later in the game when you can “flashback” more cards. There are times that the suboptimal play of a “5 mana Terror” may be the correct one, it’s similar to using a Banefire to kill a Dark Confidant. It’s neither a very flashy play nor the intended of Banefire when included, it can be the right play and a good use of the card for that time. Yawgmoth’s Will is similar in terms of scalability.

Braids, Cabal Minion – Braids is a card that is probably familiar to many, as she is one of the more evil generals in EDH history, earning herself a ban on being a general. Much like another banned EDH general, Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary (who will be discussed later) – her ability to be used as a general isn’t the reason why she’s the best black 4 drop in the cube (yep, really.) Braids is a disruption machine and, much like other disruptive powerhouses like Smokestack and Tangle Wire, your opponent is affected by the symmetrical effect first. Much like the aforementioned artifacts, she can absolutely demolish control decks which rely on high casting cost threats, as Braids will force the control player will to sacrifice lands when there’s nothing else to sacrifice. The deck with Braids, however, either doesn’t care about losing lands because it has a low curve, has plenty of cheap creatures to sacrifice or has cards like Squee, Goblin Nabob, Bloodghast, creatures with echo and token generators to feed to Braids, by exploiting her symmetrical nature. She can easily steal a game that the caster had no business winning by keeping the opponent out of Phase 2 and 3 and thus, is an extremely good cube card.

Yawgmoth’s Bargain – Gaming magazine Inquest said that Necropotence was the worst card in Ice Age when the card came out. Many people thought similarly. After all, not only do you skip your draw, but you have to pay life to draw cards, how horrible! This was, of course, before the infamous “Black Summer” of 1996, when Necropotence decks ravaged the Standard (Type 2) metagame. One of the “monkey touching the monolith” moments in a magic player’s development is when the player realizes that life is a resource to be utilized and Necropotence was an engine that fueled life into cards (and winning.) Yawgmoth’s Bargain does just that in cube. Cubes don’t have the massive Drain Lifes that powered Necropotence decks have, as lifegain in cube cubes in small chunks, from Vampire Nighthawk and Sorin Markov and creatures equipped with lifelink-bestowing equipment. Its strength comes from refilling its caster’s hand again and again at the cost of a resource that the caster didn’t care about in the first place. You’ve probably seen first-hand how amazing a card like Wheel of Fortune due to its ability to turn an empty hand into a full one. Imagine being able to do this again, once that hand is out of cards. And again. Therefore, it’s better utilized in aggro decks that can go through the drawn cards quickly. Many decks that will find excellent use out of Bargain serve as enchantment removal to remove the bargain such as Warpriest of Thune, Kor Skyfisher, Indrik Stomphowler, and in those decks, it’s even better.

Conclusion

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this look at some of the more obscure and lesser-known cards in the cube format. Part of the fun of cube design is discovering excellent new cards that you and those who play your cube have never seen before or may have only heard about in writing. I’ve personally used these cards to great success, using these cards to tweak the strengths and weaknesses of each of the cube’s various sections. These cards, as well as the cards that I’ll cover in the next article, will help to give you additional tools to make your cube a balanced, powerful and fun environment to draft, which essentially, is what cube drafting is all about.

Cheers and happy cubing!

- Usman Jamil