Premodern Cube
Times were different in the 90s. Way before planeswalkers, and the creatures didn't double as spells, we had busted spells. Survival of the fittest, vampiric tutor, Armageddon, tinker, and fireblast were all available at 4 copies a piece. So naturally this cube with no cards as 'new' as original mirrodin plays a bit different from other cubes. Here's a guide to help.
If you want just a quick cheat sheet, just read the beginning for a general overview of the major archetypes and key cards. For more info on smaller archetypes, combos, and how the cube has changed, and why certain cards aren't there, keep reading. And if there's a sweet card I've left out, let me know!
Archetypes by color pair with example cards
White/Blue
Classic Control: Absorb Wrath of God, fact or fiction, morphling, sacred mesa
Counter-White: Linn-Sivvi, whipcorder, soltari priest, mana leak, mother of runes
Blue/Black
Control: Shadow mage infiltrator, mutilate, counterspell, gush, psychatog
Reanimator: entomb, buried alive, petradon, exhume, verdant force
Black/Red
Aggro: jackl pup, carnophage, lightning bolt, ankh of mishra
Midrange: void, terminate, laquatus's champion, seige-gang commander
Red/Green
Aggro: jungle lion, kird ape, Albino troll, rancor, chain lightning
Midrange: fires of yavimaya, saproling burst, birds of paradise, arc lightning
Green/White
Swarm/midrange: deranged hermit, battle screech, glorious anthem, mirrari's wake, kamahl, fist of krosa
White/Black
Aggro-disruption: gerrard's verdict, hymn to tourach, phyrexian arena, swords to plowshares, dauthi horror
White/Red
Aggro: savannah lions, grim lavamancer, Armageddon, sulfuric vortex, cursed scroll
Midrange-prison: ensnaring bridge, enlightened tutor, goblin trenches, meek stone, hammer of bogarden
Black/Green
Classic midrange 'rock': pernicious deed, spirit monger, powder keg, duress
Red/Blue
Flying aggro: cloud spirit, incinerate, memory lapse
Control: Treachery, Forbid, thieving magpie, earthquake, shard Phoenix
Green/Blue
madness: wild mongrel, merfolk looter, survival of the fittest arrogant wurm, basking rootwalla, wonder
Other major archetypes
Artifact acceleration: grim monolith, thran dynamo, mind stone, tinker, wildfire, covetous dragon
Multicolor-green: rampant growth, birds of paradise, harrow, wall of roots, krosan tusker, tradewind rider, Armageddon, terror, opposition, deranged hermit, lightning bolt
Goblins: goblin warchief, goblin piledriver, goblin matron, goblin grenade, siege-gang commander
Color aggressiveness
Red: high
White: high
Black: medium/high
Green: medium
Blue: low
Color Removal
Black: high
Red: high
White: medium
Blue: low
Green: none
Cube inspiration
First, I wanted this cube to be highly nostalgic, bringing a play experience reminiscent of the times I played and read about decks of the time. The artifact tinker/wildfire deck, reanimator, and survival of the fittest strategies were early additions, followed by the red 'slights' deck, control variants, and madness, black-green 'rock' and multicolor-green.
