Cube Time
Limited forum
Posted on Jan. 22, 2014, 3:20 p.m. by sonicizslow
So I have a snow day today, and decide to stop procrastinating and finally try to build a cube of 360 cards. Hopefully only commons, although I don't believe I have that many cards of just commons. So commons and un-commons will probably be the cube. Any tips on this?? also sorry if this isnt in the right spot
KrosanTusker says... #3
Use cards you find fun. No Stasis -type cards, make it enjoyable to draft and play with. That's my best advice (admittedly coming from someone who has never cubed!)
January 22, 2014 3:45 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Moved to Limited (cube is a drafting format).
A common/uncommon cube is perfectly fine. The problem isn't getting the cards; it's getting the balance. As long as you can balance what you have in a logical and practical way, you can make an effective cube no matter what rarity its cards are.
January 22, 2014 4:05 p.m.
first of all, in my humble opinion, a cube is the very best way to play magic. it gives you a chance to show off all of your awesome/old/new/foiled/promo/powerful/etc cards and draft them over and over again. it is a true blast for anyone who likes to play limited, so congrats on making this decision.
there are lots of better players than me that have written loads of articles on the topic, so you can definitely find lots of opinions to read if you're looking to do some research. here are a few.
start here - http://www.tomlapille.com/cube/cube.html
tons of cube examples - http://www.cubetutor.com/
another cube site - http://www.cubedrafting.com/what-is-the-cube/
from my personal experience, the way i started my cube wasn't as organized as others. i took a bunch of my "good" cards out of my binder/collection, tried to keep the colors even, sleeved them up and went from there. it's good that you have a goal in mind for your cube (360 cards, all commons) as that is something that is achievable to start.
once you have the necessary amounts, just go from there. have a few drafts with friends, and then talk about what people liked and didn't like. maybe you have too many burn spells and monored always dominates the draft. maybe there aren't enough removal spells, or enough white weenies. the best way to know what your cube is lacking is to play with it a bunch. then as you figure out more directions you want it to go, you can buy or trade for other cards to fill those roles.
i'd recommend you start an excel sheet, or use cubetutor.com or even this site to keep track of what cards are in your cube and to keep your colors balanced.
and most importantly, it's your cube! put in cards that YOU like. maybe you love land destruction and discard. maybe you want it to be all multicolor, or all monocolor, or tribal, or modern legal, or all cards that are terrible in every other format or whatev. do what you like. my cube, for example, is accepting of all cards except for planeswalkers, because i hate them. there is no wrong way to do it, as long as you keep it balanced so one color or strategy isn't always "the best."
good luck!
Avernar says... #2
Why not print some proxies? They're easy to print, and you only need some lands/ crap commons.
January 22, 2014 3:23 p.m.