White
Neveron: There are plenty of “one mana creature that gets bigger with set mechanic” cards in white. Ardent Recruit, Steppe Lynx, Pious Wayfarer, Snubhorn Sentry. Boros Elite is one of the easiest to turn on, though, and relatively trivial to swing with as a 3/3 on turn 3. Perhaps even turn two, with Rally at the Hornburg. It’s good, basically… and perhaps it’s time for Steppe Lynx to rejoin the cube as well?
Solset: Neveron is absolutely right, but for our cube going wide is arguably one of our set mechanics. I am not sure this is a slamdunk, but I think it is worth a shot to test how it plays.
Phizzled: I have always liked Elite, and in a hypothetical “typical” cube deck, it’s going to be turned on fairly frequently. The upside is stronger than historical hard hitters Savannah Lions et al. I don’t think it’s a slam dunk, but the cost to test a different flavor of potential aggro creature is low.
Omniczech: I’m on board to try this one out, the ask is relatively low and the upside is a pseudo 1 mana 3/3
Usman: Big fan of how this works well in aggressive decks, especially since there aren’t as many wraths as there are at uncommon+; there’s also some upside with it in decks that spit out tokens, but I get the impression that in our meta, it’ll usually be swinging with creature cards rather than tokens, but I feel like I’ll be pleasantly surprised on that front.
Neveron: It’s Thraben Inspector in a plane that doesn’t have a Thraben. It’s a good card, obviously, but even beyond my personal dislike for duplicates in singleton formats I’m not sure that we need two of them?
Solset: I am normally fine with duplicates, but for some reason I am less than thrilled with two of the inspectors. I suppose it is because I think white’s ETB game is already so strong.. Perhaps I’d support keeping the density but dropping the curve on something like Roving Harper.
Phizzled: White one drops are full* of functional duplicates and rhyming creatures already. I still think of how (years ago) Omniczech called Thraben Inspector “the White Mulldrifter” and how I continue to think it’s a great creature in White-X decks of all stripes. I think having another duplicate is fine, but it doesn’t help signal any of the color pairs when you see both of them in a draft. I’m going to consider this a flavor/art choice rather than a serious contender, at the moment.
Omniczech: I think being able to have a higher chance of having one of these show up per draft and culling one of the 3 drops that’s just barely better makes a lot of sense.
Usman: Easy inclusion is easy, likely the best 1-drop in white.
Blue
Solset: Deduce joins our long list on many variants of the 4 total mana to draw two cards. I think Deduce is good enough in a format supporting any of its subtle synergies. However, without us caring about tokens, artifacts, or sacrifice in blue, it just loses out to the various other upsides like graveyard interaction, scry, or double spells.
Phizzled: Deduce seems reasonable, but it feels like it suffers in comparison to other cantrips. Compared to something like Hieroglyphic Illumination it costs a bit more to draw the first card on a “should-have-mulliganed” type hand, and compared to Impulse it doesn’t dig for the answer you need when you’re behind.
Omniczech: I’m not super amazed here but this probably is a lot more real than it looks, I’m not sure this pushes out any of our current 4 mana draw 2s but I’m at least open to the discussion.
Usman: I tried this out for my “regular cube” and I had liked it decently well enough as more of a “2024 Think Twice” than a 4-mana cantrip. Our meta doesn’t really make use of the artifact that much, but it was nice that the second half couldn’t be countered (although that was usually a bad idea, honestly.) If we end up including more 2-mana cantrips, this is the best one that we’re not playing (Impulse) and I’d rather just have Make Disappear than any of the 2-mana cantrips.
Black
Neveron: Gorehound’s not necessarily an aggro card, although as an evasive one-drop it’ll easily help fill out a list. It’s not necessarily an aristocrats card either, although it provides plenty of card selection in an archetype known for putting lots of low-power bodies on (and off) the battlefield. Is it a Graveyard Matters card, then, slowly milling yourself as you curve out? Personally I think it’s worth considering as a card that helps round out all of the above.
Solset: I am not sold on it, but I am willing to be proven wrong. I think an aggro deck is fine playing it, but should prefer a black savannah lion. For decks that want a long game where all that selection turns into real value, Sinister Starfish will provide it in a safer way while getting you to the late game. It is interesting that both style decks might play it, but most likely reluctantly.
Phizzled: What a nice dog. Gorehound has a lot of text, but doesn’t signal a particular deck that needs it. Menace is a nice form of evasion, but I honestly prefer deathtouch as a deterrent to blockers. I think this is going to end up a flavorful option for some folks who want to try some new one drops, but I agree the aggro leaning decks likely want to hit a bit harder than this will unaided.
Omniczech: I don’t love this one, we don’t currently support black as an aggressive color and I’m not even sure an aggro deck wants this. I see upside with stuff like turning the various Phyrexian Ragers into pseudo Considers, I’m just not sure this is as good as the community thinks it is.
Usman: Agreed that this dog doesn’t really have a home, I do like that this at least has menace so that if it’s not Surveiling, it’s at least (usually) getting in there. It’s nice with tokens, though.
Red
Neveron: As someone who’s not a fan of functional duplicates, I’ll heavily consider swapping one of our Wrenn's Resolves for something that’ll occasionally be a two-mana draw-two. Whether or not it’s good enough for the official version of the cube, though… that I’m less sure of.
Solset: The ability to trigger your Gixian Infiltrator is cute, and the instant speed is nice over our current options. It may be slightly worse on average, but I think the spirit of most cubes prefers close side grades over duplicates when possible.
Phizzled: I’ve enjoyed the various rummaging spells in pauper constructed in the past, and this is a clean upgrade over them. However, I think i still prefer the impulsive draw spells because they are better when you’re in top deck mode. I’ll have to see how many incidental artifacts I have available next time I play a Red deck. Maybe I’ll change my mind.
Usman: Marginal upgrade on something is marginal, like Deduce, it’s the best variant of something we’re not really playing. When I tried it in my cube, it never sacrificed an artifact and I assume that in our meta, it’ll happen not often either.
Neveron: Let’s be clear: Valley Dasher isn’t a great card. As much as people joke about how “attacks each combat if able” is just reminder text, it’s a legitimate downside the moment your opponent lands a 2/3. The question, then, is whether or not cashing this in for a card once it’s useless makes it actually playable?
Solset: The red two drop spot is crammed full of good options, so it is always hard to break in. I think this is close enough to try out so I am giving it a tentative yes, but I’m not sure it has a guaranteed seat long term. If we get a few red options that feed on incidental sacrifice like Body Dropper, this could look stronger.
Phizzled: It feels weird that a 2/2 for two is only “okay” in modern Red creature design. I think there are enough, slightly less fragile options we could play (or bring back) before a hasty 2/2. Cashing in to draw a card is decent when you’re in need of help, but in the abstract, Red should be able to draw some burn or another threat to help get its other 2/2s through, right?
Omniczech: I don’t think that I’m wildly high on this but it likely is just fine. We jammed Viashino Pyromancer for ages, and I think this fills a similar role while also being able to convert into a card later on down the line.
Usman: Being able to sacrifice this does help with times where it’s forced to chump attack, which is a very nice upside (even if it does “lock you in” to using the ability, in case you have other things to do.) I think this is probably mid-low tier in our red 2s, if we include it, but it may be better than some of the mediocre red 3s.
Neveron: For reference, there are currently only two creatures with defender in the cube (Mnemonic Wall and Wall of Roots). Gingerbrute, meanwhile, is blocked by some dozen creatures. I’ve always had a soft spot for this card so it’s hard for me to judge it impartially, but you can definitely get worse cards than this for your aggro deck.
Solset: The ability of Gingerbrute to go into any mono aggro deck sets it apart for me. I think a few of the red 1 drops that pump like Fearless Pup.might seem more interesting for both power and play pattern, and they struggle to find a spot. Without equipment, 1 damage is hard to justify in a colored spot without some card advantage or utility tacked on.
Phizzled: For me, the point of comparison is Frenzied Goblin. You’re trading the ability to remove a particular blocker with the strong chance to make one creature unblockable. Alone, these feel about the same, but stopping a 4/4 from blocking anything is generically nicer. I’m with Solset here. This feels similar to a card I like, but is limited in a way Gingerbrute isn’t.
Omniczech: Agreeing with others here, I know this looks similar to a card many of us love, but I’m not sure that this is actually even in the same neighborhood as the brute. If we had more pump effects I might feel differently, but right now this feels like Curse of the Pierced Heart that costs 1 per term.
Usman: I’ve positive memories of playing this in mono red in 2019 when I was starting my Arena journey as a free-to-player as something that is guaranteed damage (for the most part) in a color that sometimes just needs something to end the game when the opponent’s at low life. Probably better than Goblin Motivator/some of the middling 3s?
Green
Neveron: One mana creature that mills two cards and also provides value if it happens to be milled itself. It’s a wonderful little synergistic piece, but is it good enough? While I seem to recall people suggesting that we cut Wary Thespian for this, I’d argue that 3/1s have a distinct face-beating advantage over non-evasive 1/1s .
Solset: I feel this is one of the bigger gaps between NPS and my opinion. Perhaps it is because we just don’t have enough beatdown green decks to entice me, but I’d rather run early dorks and bigger midgame options than this in our cube. Without adding more graveyard matters cards, or a green curve that wants non-ramp 1 drops, I pass.
Phizzled: Scavenge is a fine ability, even though it usually feels costed to fairly for me. I think an early surveil could position Green-X constructed decks for turn 3 or 4 success, but Green’s cube success seems defined by the 3 and 4 mana threats having keyword “fat.” The scavenge cost doesn’t feel like it adds enough beef to make losing a ramp opportunity worth it.
Usman: I’m pretty eh on this – looks like it does a lot of small things but unsure if the overall package works out for us. It probably doesn’t.
Multicolor
Neveron: There was a lot of talk about this one good member of the multicolor Disguise cycle. If this were a red card I’d call it worse than Ratcatcher Trainee // Pest Problem, Beetleback Chief, and maybe even Emrakul's Hatcher… but as specifically a White/Red multicolor card the competition is much sparser. I’d say that it beats its direct comparison, Keldon Strike Team, and perhaps there’s an argument for having it over something like Wojek Halberdiers.
Solset: I am a big fan. However, I tend to run a lot of 3/1’s backed with removal to grab early wins. This seems like an unpopular strategy. Even for those who love long games with value, this is pretty high in our options for Boros gold. If you like aggro or value, this card likely provides more options than our current roster. I am high on this one.
Phizzled: Some of my peasant cube friends are trying to figure out if the disguise creature is already worth its cost, because Ward 2 might be big game in “fair” removal environments. I’m not sure I love the 3/1 body, but having a bit more effectiveness when top-decked late doesn’t hurt. If the choice is between getting a card that helps you go wide and a card that rewards you for already being wide, I’d prefer the enabler to the reward.
Omniczech: this is fairly high for me, not on virtue of its own merits but by nature of the boros section being so middling. The fact this can functionally be a mono colored card is some nice bonus on top of a generally reasonable card.
Usman: Potentially an annoyance when it’s “oh, you’re playing a Disguise card, it’s Dog Walker” a la “Oh, it’s Willbender/Exalted Angel” in a lot of cubes a decade ago, which can reward people who know more about the cube. Still a nice overall card – decent 2-mana rate with “kicker”, kinda.
Neveron: This combination Flying Men/Cursecatcher is a wonderful little card… which is why I’m sad to say that it’s probably not good enough for the cube? If this were a mono-white card it’d get in in a heartbeat, but as hybrid blue/white I don’t think it makes the cut for those four competitive gold slots. I’ll keep it in mind for the hypothetical future where we completely rework the multicolor slots by putting off-color kicker/flashback in multicolor and have dedicated hybrid slots, but until then it might be a bit too cute to get in.
Solset: With a dedicated hybrid spot, this may be the best option as a secret sleeper signal for UW skies. In our current support, this doesn’t add much to UW blink, U control, or W aggro. I am not opposed to generically good cards, but I am reluctant to put them in a gold spot.
Phizzled: Two of our current Azorius cards support the blink archetype, two are efficient flyers, and two are strong removal cards. Familiar is “just” an efficient reactive card, but hypothetically that Blue-White flyers deck wants to be proactive. I know this is a fine card, and more than fine in Pauper constructed, but I can’t convince myself cutting something will help us facilitate having more (in quantity) interesting draft decisions.
Usman: Another card that I’ve played over the years in my regular cube that I’ve liked on a pure power level and think it’s a good fit for aggressive decks, especially against spell-heavy decks. Easily better than Lawmage’s Binding and probably better than Silver Drake.
Neveron: Have you ever wanted to mill a +1/+1 counter directly from your library onto your creature? Well, this is the card for you. It fits nicely into green/black’s graveyard-based strategy, and could probably also see a home in red/black aristocrats and green/white counters. Much like Judge’s Familiar, though, we need to ask ourselves whether it makes the cut for those four slots. I’m not sure it does.
Solset: With a dedicated hybrid spot, this may be the best option as a secret sleeper signal to bridge both Green midrange counters and black grave value. However, in our current support, this doesn’t add much to GB graveyard which is more about true value, Green midrange ramp, or B control. I am not opposed to generically versatile cards, but I am reluctant to put them in a gold spot.
Phizzled: I couldn’t convince myself Rubblebelt Maverick was ready to take a spot from Green. Even with the cheaper scavenge cost, I can’t get exited about a card that is just a “free” buff, but which can’t put itself in the graveyard. I’m a pass.
Omniczech: I have no idea why this was doing well, it’s got some level of utility but it’s just so minimal.
Usman: Too low-impact, I think.
Lands
Neveron: If you add any card from these sets, it’ll probably be this one. Goodbye, Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds! You served us well.
Phizzled: Strictly better cube staple? This doesn’t feel like it requires much discussion – adding reach to your color fixing is a net plus.
Solset: A card that is typically only wanted by control adding an option to be used by aggro, slam dunk inclusion.
Omniczech: Yeah, there’s nothing I can really add here, this is just better than the aforementioned fetches.
Usman: Easy add is easy. Probably doesn’t replace Terramorphic/Evolving (I’d much rather cut something middling like Star Compass/Wayfarer’s Bauble/Cave of Temptation/Tocasia’s Dig Site over something better, just because we have something that strictly upgrades them.)