Hello, my name is Philippe Gareau and I have been playing competitive Magic the Gathering for over 2 decades. Over the years, I have played many different constructed formats, but in the past 5 or so years I have developed a stronger affinity for limited formats, and Cube is by far my favorite. I will be making a series of articles for The Mythic Store, in which I will be sharing cards that I play in my Power Cube, but may be under appreciated by other cube designers.
This Onslaught original may have fallen out of favor in recent years due to it not having the 2 power most white 1 drops have had lately, but this little guy’s job isn’t to get frisky in the red zone. His goal is to set your manabase. Whether it’s getting your Strip Mine to slow your opponent down or pick up a crucial piece for your Dark Depths/Thespian Stage combo, this little farmer is there for you. Oh, and did I mention that at land parity you can sacrifice a fetch land, holding priority, to get extra value?
Originally printed in Lorwyn, this shapeshifter packs a real punch when you can turn your team of measly tokens into an army of 6/6 Mutant Samurai Cat Wizards! Pump spells in cube have historically been narrow and undesired. However, since this is a creature and its activated ability can be done at instant speed affecting your entire board, it pulls a lot more weight. The other neat thing it does is give your guys every creature type, which interacts profitably with cards like Lyra Dawnbringer and Nightpack Ambusher. Last bit of combo interactions it has is the 2008 special: Mirror Entity+Reveillark+Venser, Shaper Savant+Body Double Combo:
- Activate Mirror Entity X times, all while holding priority
- After the first Mirror Entity ability resolves, all your creatures die to statebased effects since they are all 0/0s
- Bring back Body Double copying Reveillark and Venser targeting an opposing permanent
- Let a new copy of the Mirror Entity’s ability that was waiting on the stack resolve
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until opponent concedes
Other 2 power or less creature may substitute for the Venser in order to have a more definitive kill (see Mogg Fanatic).
3. Reveillark
I don’t think I have a bigger history with any other card on this list than this resurrecting elemental. This guy was responsible for one of the biggest value engines of the late 2000s. There are 2 reasons he translates so well to Power Cube: First, it’s a leave the battlefield trigger, and a lot of the value creatures in Power Cube are small. Reveillark can be exiled, bounced or destroyed, its effect will always trigger. Second, the list of dudes it interacts with is endless: Glen Elendra Archmage, Venser, Shaper Savant, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Karmic Guide, Body Double, Courser of Kruphix, Goblin Rabblemaster, Duplicant and the list goes on. Even though this card was printed in 2008, it is on par with other value engines in 2020.
This is a new one from Zendikar Rising that should be a staple in Power Cube for years to come. When looking for “Hate Bears” in cube, you need to check 2 boxes: Does it disrupt my opponent sufficiently, and is the creature combat effective? This archon does both these things quite efficiently. Restricting players to 1 spell a turn is very potent in a high power environment since most decks will attempt to use mana acceleration to get to their broken things ahead of time. Locking out all of the rituals, snapcaster mages and plays of mana rock + spell, will go a long way to giving fair decks a shot at winning. Flying is another key component to this card's arsenal since it keeps the pressure on the opponent without running into “speedbump creatures” like wall of omens or solemn simulacrum.
5. Arena Rector
Back in the days, Academy Rector was a hallmark of cube, searching out powerful enchantments like Opposition and Sneak Attack. While those cards may still exist in cube, enchantments are no longer one of the most powerful types of permanent. That title now belongs to Planeswalkers. With the printing of Arena Rector in Battlebond, I believe it was a natural switch in order to keep up with how magic is played nowadays. Anyway, who doesn’t like cheating Karn Liberated or Ugin the Spirit Dragon onto the battlefield on turn 4?
Ah, the Adventure mechanic, Throne of Eldraine’s bread and butter value engine. By now, everyone knows how good this mechanic is, but I still find that this guy doesn’t get the respect he deserves in cube. The 2 biggest reasons to have the shepherd in your lineup are: the adventure side is instant speed and it targets PERMANENTS! This part is rather simple, it saves your stuff. It’s the second part that is so relevant in cube. Ever bounced your Tangle Wire at the end of your opponent’s turn when it only had 1 counter left? How about re-buy your saga with the 3 chapter of the stack? Still not convinced? Here is a doozy: Activate Parallax Wave multiple times while holding priority, then respond to it by Ushering it to Safety, and watch your opponent’s board disappear into thin air (“The Oblivion Ring Trick”).
With the 4cc white slot being so crowded these days, I can understand why this angel has left many cubes. While white may have a bunch of cool options, in Power Cube, white is one of the “fairest” colors. This means it needs to bring the other colors down to its level. Linvala is great at shutting off the mana creatures of opposing green decks, keeping your life total up versus Grim Lavamancers and Pia Nalaar, as well as stop a Griselbrand from going berserk. The shiny new white 4 drops of recent years may be correct for lower-powered environments, but I assure you, this hate angel deserves its spot on the power line up.
8. Karmic Guide
You may have seen this pop up in older cubes. Maybe you thought it looked unexciting or outdated, but I am here to tell you that it's neither. While reanimation effects may cost lower in other colors, having it attached to a creature has its upsides. Creatures are much easier to abuse with blink effects, and easier to tutor up. The fact that this has echo is the least of your concerns, most of the time you won’t pay it. Sometimes you are looking to block with it, and for the most part it is just another combo enabler. Here is a short list of cards that appreciate Karmic Guide: Survival of the Fittest, Animate Dead (reanimating her will in turn reanimate the real creature you want back) Reveillark, Kiki-Jiki, Recruiter of the Guard and Sneak Attack.
This is a recent addition from Commander Legends that may not have proven its mettle yet, but I assure you; it won’t take much convincing. Planeswalkers have become a cornerstone of modern day Magic, and I feel as though we have just begun to receive appropriate answers to them. While 5 mana may be more than what you are used to paying for a sweeper, in this day and age of Power Cube, players are much more likely to curve out planeswalkers and generate value, then curve out creatures that attack you. Why not handle both problems with the same card?
10. Approach of the Second Sun
If you have ever played versus this card in Standard, you know that fighting it requires a specific set of answers, and that the Armageddon clock that it starts doesn't actually take 7 turns. Fast mana and limited answers accentuate this in Power Cube. White typically looks to interact with the opponent, this card does quite the opposite. It gives its owner inevitability since you will never be able to deck yourself without having seen this card. Not being obligated to have multiple different win conditions will really strengthen specific control or combo strategies that are able to leverage its high deck building requirements.
11. Court of Grace
Proactivity in 2020 Magic is key to one's success. Being able to punish the opponent for refusing to interact with us, or holding them at bay while value is gained are 2 very good angles of attack. This card provides both. White historically lacks in the “raw card draw” department, but the Monarch mechanic has done a great job at getting white back on track. Since the mechanic is based on creature combat (an area of expertise for white) it is much more plausible for the white mage to stand their own ground and amass resources before delivering a lethal blow. Generating free 4/4 flyers and drawing an extra card will do that.
12. Parallax Wave
While this card is much more of a veteran than some of the cards on this list, I find that respect for it has been on the decline, and wrongfully so. This thing has more plays to it than a Mutavault has creature types! Need to remove a blocker? Got it. Need to protect a creature from removal? Check. Want to protect your team from a sweeper, or set up your own? It does that. Want to generate value by blinking your enter the battlefield trigger creatures? No problem. Want to exile your opponents team and while holding priority you bounce it to your hand and all their guys remain in exile? That’s a thing (a bit of deja vu). There is a reason cards like this don’t get printed these days, and it speaks volumes to its effectiveness and power level.
Join me next week for another dozen of Power Cube’s hidden gems
