In late 2009, I had an idea to create a cube different from those at my local gaming store. Focusing on commons (which was great) and multicolor cards (which was not) led to meeting friends, sharing ideas, and a small community dedicated to crafting cubes. Ten years later more than 100 patrons and thousands of…
Core Set 2020 is a wonderful reprieve from the intense series of updates that were the War of the Spark and Modern Horizons changes. In fact, Core Set 2020 was a set so light on obvious cube changes that I didn’t run a PTR or record the live Q&A session as there was so little to dig down…
It’s been the preview season that never ends! Core Set 2020 was fully revealed, so it’s time to take a look at a much more reasonable set of Magic card that might make the Pauper Cube. White has tough competition at the five-drop slot in white. The combination of solid life gain, flying, and power makes it close…
It’s no secret that War of the Spark was a massive shakeup for the Pauper Cube. In our new Magic set design world, Standard sets will now “have more interesting commons” available which seemed to have translated to more powerful commons. So it begged a question: What would the commons look like if a set was designed…
If you haven’t seen Part 1 of the Modern Horizons Quick Hits, be sure to check it out for a look at the key white, blue, and black cards to consider for the Pauper Cube! Red feels thematically similar to , but there’s a huge difference in play style. Invader lets you attack and force the…
Modern Horizons is a set absolutely stacked with amazing commons. While War of the Spark was no slouch when it came to Pauper Cube intrigue, Modern Horizons cranked it up to 11. There are so many cards that have potential or are worth taking a closer look at this is the first Quick Hits pass that takes…
War of the Spark is absolutely packed with powerful commons. The lengthy Quick Hits article for War of the Spark, even after paring down repeatedly, demonstrates that the newer design philosophy of “powerful commons are ok” leads to many more decisions than in recent updates. After testing with some friends in Boston the other weekend,…
Just how many cards from War of the Spark can make it into the next Pauper Cube update? The live patron Q&A for the latest Magic set is here, recorded in 1080p HD for anyone who missed all the action. The format is more like a podcast than a live stream, so I strongly recommend putting…
War of the Spark is like Game of Thrones meets Magic meets a Masters Edition set. Characters dying, powerful card designs at common, and a wonderfully detailed story arc are packed into just 375 cards. Unlike all that, a quick review of amazing new commons in each Magic release is powered by the wonderful patrons of the Pauper…
With five more multicolor slots open and many more amazing cards to consider, Ravnica Allegiance was a great set to pore over for updates. There’s a lot going one, so let’s get started. Color In Out — — — — — — — — — — Token Changes Color Count Token From Add/Cut? 4 1/1…