Creature Prevalence

Lesson #1 for cube designers is to make sure your format has enough creatures, typically at least half the cards in every color but blue. This cube can probably go a little lower since everyone will automatically have access to their commander, essentially giving them a ninth card in their opening hand that's always a creature.

Unfortunately, most of the archetype support so far has been heavily weighted toward noncreature spells, which is another reason why I wanted to set aside a suite of cards devoted to creature-based tribal themes.

However, just to check my assumptions, I looked at the most popular high power commanders to see how many creatures they actually used. Together, these commanders had 42% creatures versus 58% colored noncreature spells.

Those percentages are not that surprising and confirm my guess that I don't need to worry about creatures as much. However, they do still need to be in here more than any other spell type. As it stands now, I still need to increase the proportion of creatures significantly.

Sealed Playtesting

Having at last input a full 360 cards, I tested this cube out today, building four sealed decks as if I was one of four players:

1. Build around the theme that jumped out most readily from the pool: This resulted in a pretty aggressive deck that couldn't quite find an appropriate commander, settling for Queen Marchesa. This player was frustrated.
2. Build an aristocrats-style value deck: The sacrifice shenanigans might be a little short in supply, but this player found plenty of ways to spam the board with tokens and get some value off of them. Tayam seemed like a decent enough fit.
3. Build a controlling deck with an unusual win condition: This player found exactly what he was looking for as blue supplied some decent interaction and Thassa's Oracle. There are some other stunts, and Xyris will head up this deck.
4. Use the most unusual cards and find synergies with an unpopular commander: Agent of Treachery triggered the notion that there could be a deck that steals other players' stuff. The support for this is pretty thin, but there was just enough to make a playable deck for Marchesa, the Black Rose. This deck will definitely want to upgrade over the course of a league...

Overall, these sealed pools were decent, and I was very glad to see most "players" able to shape the pool to their interests. In addition, the manafixing and ramp was plentiful in every pool, so that absolutely will not be a problem. That said, I can see some issues.

1. If you don't have any preferences, you will be completely lost. You get 90 cards, nearly all of which are complex rares or mythics. On top of that, there are over 100 commanders to pick from. I can see it be very frustrating to take forever building a deck from your pool only to find no commander really works with what you think your deck should be doing or picking out a commander only to find it isn't really supported by your pool.
2. Card draw could be a problem for some colors. With preconstructed decks, you can go out of your way to get card draw from artifacts or the narrow forms of card draw available in your colors. However, card draw is not readily available in every color here, so the Queen Marchesa deck (for example) is probably going to run out of steam. (That said, it is supposed to be more aggressive, and Monarch gives you some extra card draw.)

Playtesting

I did a trial run of the decks I just built, and things worked out well. As always, someone got manascrewed, someone else got out to an early lead, making himself a target. There was a lot of ebb and flow to who seemed to be in the lead, with Queen Marchesa getting in some early hits but then being superseded by Tayam's superior board presence. The two of them kind of got into it while Xyris (manascrewed) and Marchesa, the Black Rose (weak) weren't doing much. The latter deck finally got some synergies going and threatened to deck Queen Marchesa, which I definitely was not expecting. Meanwhile, Xyris finally hit the board and almost instantly churned out four 3/3 snakes before drawing removal. In the end, the Tayam deck proved to be too resilient and managed to get back in the game after the other three decks beat up on each other and finished them all off.

All in all, it definitely felt like Commander. There were big plays and massive resource accumulation. Things were a little clunkier, as some decks were running cards that were not perfectly aligned to their strategy, but that's what you get with a limited format. At no point did it seem like anyone was playing total junk. Queen Marchesa had absolutely no problem with card draw, and apart from Xyris's manascrew the manafixing and ramp was spot on. (If anything, it was better than my own decks typically do!) The removal was right down the middle: of course everyone wished they had more answers to opposing threats, but everyone was able to do something about the most important challenges to their game state. In a sign that things were about right, at one point Tayam felt compelled to bring forth Damnation, which Xyris was able to counter, and Tayam still recovered to win. It felt like just enough back-and-forth.

Playtesting with Player Profiles

To address the main shortcoming of the last playtest, I added "Player Profiles" to the cube description to help players identify commanders they might like before receiving their sealed pool. Using the first four profiles for another round of sealed decks led to the following results:

1. "Combat Shenanigans": This player's first choice is Queen Marchesa, and his pool did not disappoint, providing plenty of options in her three colors. The set's design forced its way through, emphasizing a Voltron build with lots of creatures that want to attack on their own. Mass removal helps to keep the board clear of blockers. The biggest gap was auras and equipment to buff the main attacker, but that's something this player can hope for from pools passed to him. This pool also made it abundantly clear that I should try switching the humans subtheme for angels.
2. "Value Engine": As the most popular high power commander for both aristocrats and graveyard themes, Karador is probably the go-to commander for this player. Although the self-milling was not prevalent in this pool, there were a good number of sacrifice outlets and mass removal spells, suggesting more of an aristocrats build. On top of that, there were a couple ways to sacrifice lands plus the Ramunap Excavator, so the deck can get the lands back. Eerie Ultimatum clinched the deal.
3. "Stealth Mode": Every commander on the list for this player has blue, so I started there. Fortunately, there was bit of interaction along with Jace's Archivist and Karn's Temporal Sundering, which provide the potential for this player's unusual win condition. Red offered up plenty of removal plus a wheel effect, so it seemed suitable as a second color. I could have just gone with Keranos, but part of the test here is to see if a player's preferences can be found within the pool. In this case, there were some black cards that helped, and the fixing was there, making Nekusar a viable choice. Unfortunately, despite having enough cards to make a control deck work, there was only one wheel effect in this pool, so Nekusar is unlikely to go off the way you want him to.
4. "Flexible": This final pool seemed to have the best cards in white and blue, leaning into a control build with limited and unusual win conditions. I picked Merieke Ri Berit as the commander, which required a splash of black.

All in all, every "player" got their first choice, except the fourth player, who picked a commander based on his pool rather than building his pool to a commander. It seems like the cards in this set are flexible enough that you can probably build a viable deck around any commander you pick as long as its got 3+ colors. The manafixing is so prevalent that you'll have no problem at all getting the deck to work.

Playtesting Recent Decks

I pitted the decks I put together last night against each other to see how they'd fare. I was actually pleased to see they were clunkier than I'd expected. It means you can't just mash together all the cards in your three favorite colors and have an awesome deck. However, all of the decks worked, and ironically the deck that tried to build itself most thoughtfully had the earliest exit from the game. The remaining decks felt just right for a league format: they all had a general gameplan but had clear gaps, just the sort of thing you'd hope to improve upon with a new batch of 60 cards passed to you after the session. With this experience, it seems like 3-color decks are fine as the go-to here. If you want more flexibility and risk mana issues, then there are a handful of 4- and 5-color generals. If you want to make sure you don't ever have mana issues and maybe want to go deep on a narrower theme, you'd go for a 2-color deck. The monocolor decks--which unfortunately make up a good chunk of the commander pool--are probably the toughest to pull off here.

As the game continued after the first player left, a lot of the clunkiness receded, as players were jockeying for position going into the endgame. Karador initially seemed the clunkiest, since it did not have ways to get creatures into the graveyard, but once it had some board presence, opponents were happy to stock his graveyard for him with mass removal. His cards were incredibly powerful in combination with each other, essentially allowing for endless mana whenever he wanted, and he didn't care if he had to bin a land or two via the Sylvan Safekeeper to protect his key creatures. The deck was extremely resilient and seemed to always be lurking as a major threat no matter what the other players did.

Meanwhile, Nekusar went from nothing to archenemy. I'd been worried about the lack of wheel effects, but damn just one plus Nekusar himself was enough to bring the other decks to the brink, especially Queen Marchesa, who'd been drawing an extra card every turn due to being The Monarch. Opponents let Bloodchief Ascension stick around, which enabled a massive life swing when Nekusar wheeled. Nekusar had just enough answers to protect this card, which proved to be absolutely devastating. Every time the board was wiped--which was happening often--opponents were getting dinged for 2 life. Every time Nekusar countered a spell, that opponent was losing 2 life. In an amazing comeback, Nekusar ended up winning by casting Balefire Dragon on Karador's end step (via Leyline of Anticipation) and then attacking Karador with it on his next turn. Without any fliers or remaining removal, Karador had to take 6 from the dragon and then another 6 from creatures getting destroyed. That was enough to take him out of the game, and since he'd reanimated one of Queen Marchesa's creatures, that player got dinged for 2 as well, ending the game.

All in all, this game, like the last one, felt like what you'd expect from a casual Commander game. I was a little worried the aristocrats/sacrifice player would win twice in a row, so it was nice to see the wheels player pull off the comeback. Queen Marchesa was in it the whole time but runs out of steam against slower decks; I think making the switch from humans to angels for white's tribal theme will provide a decent boost here. Finally, the "stunt" player got the boot early in both games, which seems entirely appropriate.

Monocolor/Subtheme Playtesting

I wanted to test my sense that monocolor decks are tough to put together, which had cropped up as I was leaning into 3-color decks in the last round of playtesting. I realized I'd been mostly ignoring cards related to tribal and other subthemes and swiftly dismissing hybrid cards, all of which help monocolor decks work. For this round, I figured I'd have four new players, all focused on the following approaches:

1. Tribal: This player aimed for the tribal theme his pool presents, which meant likely being monocolor, but not necessarily. The result was a Karlov deck that mixed angels with lifegain, which is a pretty decent combination. (It might be worth thinking through how tribes can combine with off-color subthemes to strengthen themselves.)
2. Monocolor: This player was fully devoted to picking a color and sticking to it. No exceptions! Fortunately, red presented a critical mass of cards, including some key synergy cards for both Purphoros and Heartless Hidetsugu. The former probably would have been better, but I couldn't resist the latter.
3. Artifacts: This player went all-out for the one main archetype that hadn't made an appearance yet. This pool had very few white cards, driving me toward a UR build. Fortunately, red had a number of anthem effects that might work well with a deck spitting out thopter tokens.
4. Niche theme: This player latched onto a subtheme like lifegain, likely leading to a mostly monocolor deck, but he didn't mind bringing in a second color. With tons of black cards in this pool, it was hard to avoid lifegain as the niche theme of choice, and white of course was the natural pairing. There's a very minor vampires minitheme within the deck that would have the potential to emerge more strongly through a league format.

All of these decks are a little forced, filling gaps with generally useful cards that don't necessarily have anything to do with their theme. The same could have been said of the last couple iterations, only a little less so.

In the test game, the "niche" deck (Oloro) came on strong and made itself a target, drawing the ire of Saheeli in particular, who wanted to pump out servo tokens but couldn't due to Oloro's Archfield of Depravity. Saheeli wasn't having much problem going off anyway, playing spells for free and having the mana leftover for extra combats on every turn.

Heartless Hidetsugu had been the default target for most of the game because it didn't have any blockers up and was being played by the "player" who'd been most successful in the prior two games. However, without really mounting much of a threat, it soon receded into the background as everyone wailed on Oloro and then started worrying about Saheeli. Then, out of nowhere, this monored deck started doing its thing pummeling everyone with direct damage off Molten Psyche and Spiteful Visions, neither of which are popular cards but both of which did some serious work here. Chandra's Ignition wiped the board of most threats but left Karlov (who was a 10/10) around. Heartless Hidetsugu still hadn't hit the board and didn't have any major threats to speak of, so the other two decks kept beating each other up. When Heartless Hidetsugu came out, Saheeli had been eliminated, and Karlov was at 4 life, very easy to finish off.

Despite playing "niche" decks, this game seemed much more combat oriented than the last two. I don't know if this is going to be typical, but it seemed like the opposite of what you'd want. Ideally, the most obvious, entry-level decks are about getting creatures onto the battlefield and doing some combat, while the decks with fancy strategies are a little more elusive. I'll probably want to test again--after all, there was notably very little blue and absolutely no green among these decks, so everyone was mostly focused on the most combat-oriented wedge in the set. All in all, this was a solid performance, showing there is some diversity in the set after all!

This set finally got played for real this evening. The good news is that strong, functional decks were built. Games felt like Commander, with big swings and dramatic plays. Although some decks (like my Olivia Voldaren deck) did not seem all that functional, Noah was able to use the tools he was given to build a killer deck. My confidence that the set can produce quality decks in the right hands has increased.

However, my confidence that the set is balanced has been shaken. My exuberance for supporting the wheels strategy--particularly as it can manifest with Xyris--was abundantly clear, as Noah's deck was helmed by none other than Xyris itself. Between the snake tokens + Gaea's Cradle and Thassa's Oracle + 40-card decks, his build was unstoppable. The only hiccup was the second game, when Jeremy and I successfully ganged up on him. Even then, he probably would have won given one more turn.

I'm okay with someone having a dominant deck in a session, so I'm not sure anything needs to be done about this just yet. Perhaps going to 60-card decks, imminently doable with just three players, will be enough to put another couple turns onto the clock. If that doesn't work, it's always more interesting to put answers in than to take threats out, so I'll want to add some ways to get graveyards back into libraries. It also didn't help that Jeremy and I were playing without blue; a single counterspell would have ruined Noah's plan and ended his game...but it's not fair that blue is the only color that can cut off this strategy.

All in all, I feel like it was a successful first outing for the set as a whole.

Right on! More perfectly good Commander games came from this set this evening. Jeremy played a fearsome Marchesa deck that made itself an early target. My Voltron decks (Uril and then Rafiq) both got to do their thing: piling up equipment for huge swings in the first game and then using Archangel of Thune and Ajani, Greathearted to pile up the +1/+1 counters in the second game. Ryan's Alela deck had lots of mini-synergies going on, including some minor angel synergies I was very pleased to see!

It was nice to be playing with strong staples while still seeing some unique strategies--largely driven by the commanders themselves--play out across games. We'll be trying a "league" format and upgrading our decks using another player's sideboard next time. I'm already regretting passing that Archangel of Thune...

Last night, we did a second round with our decks from last time, this time with modifications from cards passed to us from another player. I kept my base Voltron strategy but shifted into five colors and used Child of Alara as my commander. This approach worked out well enough, but it put me in the position of being a kingmaker in the first game, as I could easily dispatch one player but would lose to the other.

Meanwhile, Ryan played an upgraded Alela deck that showed its stuff a bit more this time, with some nice synergies working amidst the artifacts, enchantments, flyers, and angels. In the second game, he stumbled into an infinite loop he couldn't escape, technically resulting in a draw. We pretended that I used Dovin's Veto on his combo piece (even though I hadn't), and Jeremy naturally went on to win pretty easily.

I'm feeling pretty good about this format right now. We're playing with excellent but not overpowered cards. The decks feel strong and can work with or without their commander. Themes I installed in the set are showing up effectively, and nothing yet seems to be running away with the game at all. Not bad!

Updates - March 2021

After playtesting on my own and playing several sessions with others, I'm doing a first round of revisions to this cube. I explain each swap below, but overall I'm trying to:

1. Eliminate 2-card combos, though I might try working in some clunky combos requiring 4+ cards later on...
2. Update/Upgrade cards with new additions up to (but not yet including) Commander Legends
3. Enforce collection-wide singleton constraint by removing cards that have made their way into EDH decks
4. Slightly restrain the wheels theme and keep the appeal of blue in check

I'm surprised that these seemingly limited goals are leading to nearly ten percent of the set changing, but I guess a bunch of small goals add up!

White

• Tempered Steel --> Godsend: unsupported "artifact creature" buildaround for decent utility equipment in white
• Archangel of Thune --> Angel of Destiny: combo piece for fun new alternative win condition from Zendikar Rising

Blue

• Laboratory Maniac --> Folio of Fancies: The wheels deck seemed just a little too easy to pull off in our first playtest. A lot of that might have to do with 40-card decks, which we've since increased to 60 cards. Nonetheless, including both Laboratory Maniac and Thassa's Oracle feels a little redundant, so I think I'll experiment with using one or the other moving forward. Folio of Fancies provides another tool for wheels decks while potentially also creating a self-contained milling strategy...
• Teferi's Ageless Insight --> Blue Sun's Zenith: Trying to keep power level even across colors, I'm downgrading the increasingly popular M21 card for a similar but trickier card draw spell.
• Lullmage Mentor --> Merrow Reejerey: Extremely narrow merfolk card for slightly less narrow merfolk card

Black

No changes

Red

Red's swaps are mostly minor upgrades to specific effects. Goblins tribal has yet to emerge, but that might just need the right player to get it going.

• Goblin Chirurgeon --> Legion Loyalist: Weird Voltron protection for a more typical "go wide" goblin support card
• Brash Taunter --> Goblin Offensive / Goblin Goliath: Combo piece for a more straightforward goblins payoff/enabler
• Utvara Hellkite --> Terror of the Peaks: Both of these are fun, splashy dragons, but Terror of the Peaks has become more popular, while Utvara Hellkite seems better in a dedicated dragons deck.
• Dragonmaster Outcast --> Curse of Opulence: A popular card for dragons (which are not really a theme here) for a more generally useful (and interesting) 1-drop
• Gratuitous Violence --> Fiery Emanicpation: Basically the same thing, only better!

Green

Green gets a surprising number of changes. These aren't necessary upgrades; it's mostly diversifying effects to make the cube more interesting.

• Growing Rites of Itlimoc --> Scute Swarm: A Gaea's Cradle (which is in the set already) that makes you work for it versus a potentially fun lands/tokens enabler
• Guardian Project --> Beast Whisperer: Basically the same card except a 2/3 creature instead of an enchantment
• Zendikar Resurgent --> Ancient Greenwarden: Kind of redundant with the cards above for a splashier mythic from Zendikar Rising
• Ramunap Excavator --> Beastmaster Ascension: Redundant effect for "Overrun" effect that's not yet in the set
• Bloom Tender --> Quest for Renewal: Multicolor manafixer for more interesting/unique effect
• Runic Armasaur --> Branching Evolution: Boring defensive card for an intriguing buildaround

Colorless

All the changes here are to the manarocks and manafixing.

• Solemn Simulacrum --> Nyx Lotus: One of the design constraints on this cube is to exclude anything that might be deemed a cube staple, which Solemn Simulacrum most certainly is. I'm replacing it with a relative recent manarock that'll help encourage more monocolor decks.
• Thran Turbine --> Jeweled Lotus: Thran Turbine's usage was extremely narrow and in fact arose mostly as a combo piece, which I'm now trying to avoid. Although I'm holding off on the full overhaul that Commander Legends will likely entail, Jeweled Lotus is an easy addition here.
• Ashnod's Altar --> Mox Amber: Ashnod's Altar so easily combos with other cards, that it is almost impossible to not stumble into an "oops, I win" situation. Mox Amber provides much more typical ramp, and it's something you'll find only in Commander.
• Everflowing Chalice --> Forsaken Monument: Powered cube staple for interesting colorless buildaround from Zendikar Rising that should upgrade filterlands to be more on par with other lands

Multicolor & Lands

• Enchanted Evening --> Steel of the Godhead: Combo piece for more popular hybrid card in the same colors
• 3-color cards --> Modal Double-Faced Cards: Although they are powerful, the 3-color cards work in very few dacks, whereas the MDFCs are extremely flexible and representative of Zendikar Rising's most memorable mechanical innovation
• Trilands --> Triomes: Themes are situated in wedges, so the fixing should lean in that direction too.

We did a round with the cube post-updates, and it worked out well! I was stunned that the essentially auto-built monogreen Omnath Voltran deck I gave Jeremy worked out so well, giving me and Ryan fits for all three games and giving Jeremy two wins. My cobbled-together Atraxa Proliferate deck struggled with mana on one game because I didn't mulligan but managed to pull off its +1/+1 counter nonsense in both other games. It also had some lifegain synergies that appeared in playtesting but not actual games. Meanwhile, Ryan went the route of aristocrats with Teysa, which seems to be his thing, and commented on the emergent synergies he was discovered during play. Although red was completely absent, we still had a nice range from a monocolor to 4-color deck and probably some of the most interesting commander play we've had in a while. The upgrades I made were not really noticeable except that perhaps I noticed fewer clunkers and squeezed one of the new MDFCs into my deck, so I'd say it was a minor improvement, which is about what I'd expected. Right on!

I updated the recommended commanders under the Player Profiles. They now include options as recent as Strixhaven, which is a big update, since the old list had not been updated in almost a year (i.e., since Theros Beyond Death). In fact, I switched the list of high-power commanders over to this one, which will hopefully continue to be updated in the future.

A couple days before this update, we did another round with the decks we used last time. I used the pool passed to me to upgrade my Atraxa deck to be much more focused on planeswalkers, and it was pretty successful. Jeremy and Ryan had much more threatening board states early on, and casting just one measly planeswalker did little to change my relative threat level. Then I cast another and then another. Once I had three down, they were all interacting with each other, and Atraxa was able to keep them going. I got the ultimate on two of them, which really made me impossible to deal with. It was neat to feel like my deck genuinely improved from one session to the next, so I can see passing pools in the future. However, playing another session with this same deck seems like a stretch, so having all the cards go all the way around every time probably won't happen much if ever.

My recent angels tribal deck required raiding this cube. I originally thought I'd have to swap the angels subtheme for soldiers, but it looks like there are enough angels to go around. The main difference is that my deck wants angels with lifelink and other life synergies, so I'm pulling those from the cube in exchange for other types of angels.

• Elspeth, Sun's Champion --> Cathars' Crusade
• Anointed Procession --> Karmic Guide (angel)
• Resplendent Angel --> Youthful Valkyrie
• Bishop of Wings --> Seraphic Greatsword
• Angel of Destiny --> Angelic Arbiter
• Emeria Shepherd --> True Conviction
• Herald of War --> Finale of Glory
• Sunscorch Regent --> Entreat the Angels
• Luminarch Ascension --> Dawn of Hope
• Dance of the Dead --> Golgari Thug
• Urza's Incubator --> Extraplanar Lens

I'm also swapping out blue's blink subtheme. Very few of the high-power commanders care about this theme, and the cards I've included don't even push the theme that much. In contrast, quite a few high-power commanders have a "theft" theme, and nearly all of them are in blue. As a result, I'm putting some support cards for this them in here instead of the blink theme.

• Sea Gate Oracle --> Steal Enchantment
• Watcher for Tomorrow --> Thieving Skydiver
• Ghostly Flicker --> Commandeer
• Archaeomancer --> Sower of Temptation
• Diluvian Primordial --> Roil Elemental

Other minor changes arose from my zombie/mill deck and tweaks I've been wanting to make.

• Traumatize --> Fleet Swallower
• Knight of the Ebon Legion --> Cordial Vampire
• Dark Confidant --> Keen Duelist

Well, once again some "minor" updates are resulting in turnover of five percent of the cube, so the next iteration might feel a little different.

Here's another update that seems small but is still swapping out nearly ten percent of the cube! These shifts address a few things:

1. Residual redundancies from recent decks: In keeping with my "universal singleton" rule, I'm replacing any cards that have found a better home in a specific deck.
2. Multicolor miscellany: A number of multicolor spells were effected by #1, and I found the "archetype support" this section had been providing was a little inconsistent. As a result, I just went with more general effects here.
3. Recent sets: I brought in a few changes from Kaldheim, Strixhaven, and their associated Commander products. We'll see if these stick, but for now they look exciting!

I notably skipped over Commander Legends because I suspect that set will merit its own overhaul. In fact, I'm considering adding 90 cards to the "sideboard," which I'd add in whenever we have an extra player. I'm holding off on that for now to focus on this more minor update.

Changes

• Mentor of the Meek --> Archaeomancer's Map
• Paradigm Shift --> Mystic Reflection
• Folio of Fancies --> Prosperity
• Harvester of Souls --> Living Death
• Painful Quandary --> Stinging Study
• Murderous Rider --> Rise of the Dread Marn
• Sudden Spoiling --> Cunning Rhetoric
• Rolling Earthquake --> Crackle with Power
• Impact Resonance --> Tibalt's Trickery
• Treasure Nabber --> Cursed Mirror
• Dwynen's Elite --> Elvish Warmaster
• Quest for Renewal --> In Search of Greatness
• Burnished Hart --> Skyclave Relic
• Commander's Sphere --> Chromatic Lantern
• Dreamstone Hedron --> Belbe's Portal
• Hedron Archive --> Primal Amulet
• Blackblade Reforged --> Illusionist's Bracers
• Rogue's Passage --> War Room
• Temple of the False God --> Ghost Quarter
• Growth Spiral --> Oversimplify
• Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord --> Kaya the Inexorable
• Dance of the Manse --> Spell Queller
• Havengul Lich --> Sire of Stagnation
• Master of Cruelties --> Captive Audience
• Dragonlair Spider --> Atarka's Command
• Ashen Rider --> Inkshield
• Poison-Tip Archer --> Underrealm Lich
• Sunforger --> Outlaws' Merriment

I thought it would take another couple sets or diving into Commander Legends for there to be a worthwhile update to the Commander Cube, but continuing to work through the most popular Commander cards has led to enough changes for a full update. Changes fall into the following categories:

1. I had included a number of "build-around" artifacts that were not really getting used. At the same time, the tribal themes have been close but never quite crossed the finish line. I am therefore swapping out the build-around artifacts for some universal (colorless) tribal support.
2. I'm also swapping out some generally useful utility lands for utility lands that more specifically support the set's archetypes.
3. I'll eventually add a "sideboard" that allows a fourth player to play. It will likely include additional themes for each color, like extra turns in blue and +1/+1 counters in green, as well as another cycle of multicolor cards. Some of the cards currently in the cube would be a better fit for this new module, so I'm replacing them with other (usually more popular) cards.
4. Some cards have been reprinted and are now accessible for budget decks, so I swapped these out for pricier options we're less likely to see in paper.
5. I generalized white's auras subtheme to enchantments in general. There weren't enough auras in the set for that theme to ever come together, but there are plenty of enchantments.

Once again, I'm surprised to find a tenth of this set is getting changed!

While I was at it, I checked the list of high power commanders and made some adjustments to the Player Profiles based on the changes to that list.

Changes

• Dispatch --> Sigarda's Aid
• Mirror Entity --> Flawless Maneuver
• Approach of the Second Sun --> Crested Sunmare
• Martial Coup --> Sevinne's Reclamation
• Return to Dust --> Day of Judgment
• Duelist's Heritage --> Puresteel Paladin
• Darksteel Mutation --> Greater Auramancy
• Eidolon of Countless Battles --> Spear of Heliod
• Archon of Sun's Grace --> Replenish
• Heavenly Blademaster --> Sphere of Safety
• Karn's Temporal Sundering --> Spawning Kraken
• Imp's Mischief --> Damn
• Animate Dead --> Dauthi Voidwalker
• Incendiary Command --> Vandalblast
• Beast Whisperer --> Guardian Project
• Kalonian Hydra --> Unbound Flourishing
• Thunderfoot Baloth --> Apex Devastator
• In Search of Greatness --> Bloom Tender
• Mycosynth Lattice --> Pyre of Heroes
• Vedalken Orrery --> Metallic Mimic
• Eldrazi Monument --> Adaptive Automaton
• Mindslaver --> Obelisk of Urd
• Elixir of Immortality --> The Ozolith
• Thousand-Year Elixir --> Mirage Mirror
• Helm of the Gods --> Blade of the Bloodchief
• Spell Queller --> Unsettled Mariner
• Knight of the Reliquary --> Gavony Township
• Dack's Duplicate --> Storm the Vaults
• Outlaws' Merriment --> Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
• Master Biomancer --> Simic Ascendancy
• Murkfiend Liege --> Shield of the Oversoul
• Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx --> Westvale Abbey
• Ghost Quarter --> Geier Reach Sanitarium
• War Room --> Witch's Clinic

I made a few more tweaks in preparation for a more significant change coming down the road. In some cases, I'm reverting to cards that used to be in here; in other cases, I'm adding cards that will make a lot more sense once I complete the future changes...

• Spell Swindle --> Tezzeret, the Seeker
• Jace Beleren --> Intruder Alarm
• Liliana of the Dark Realms --> Professor Onyx
• Indomitable Creativity --> Storm-Kiln Artist
• Gaea's Cradle --> Utopia Sprawl
• Beastmaster Ascension --> Heartwood Storyteller
• Elder Gargaroth --> Zendikar Resurgent
• Extraplanar Lens --> Phyrexian Altar
• Mirage Mirror --> Rings of Brighthearth
• Obelisk of Urd --> Chromatic Orrery

Archetype Shifts

Although I've been updating the lists of eligible commanders for this cube, I had yet to revisit whether the cube still supported these commanders' strategies. For example, despite including graveyard support since the beginning, it took nearly a year for our first graveyard decks to show up. Meanwhile, other decks like equipment-based voltron decks had appeared numerous times.

Taking a closer look, it became clear why this has been happening. The artifacts theme in URW synergizes with the voltron theme in RWB, strongly pushing a RW Voltron Equipment strategy. Meanwhile, the number of commanders that care about the graveyard has gradually diminished, so, even if you have all the right cards, you're less likely to find a commander that'll work for you.

As a result, I'm making some changes to the archetypes:

1. Voltron (RWB --> WBG): A number of the most compelling voltron commanders are in green, but until now I have not had any explicit support for this archetype in green.
2. URW Artifacts --> Noncreature Spells: I'm generalizing this theme, assigning each color its own role--White = enchantments, Blue = artifacts, Red = instants and sorceries. This shift opened up room for white to get blink as a new subtheme, which supports several commanders that used to be "fringe competiive" but are now eligible for this cube.
3. BGU Graveyard --> +1/+1 Counters: It turns out there are more high-power commanders that care about +1/+1 counters than those that care about the graveyard! They just so happen to be in these colors, so I switched the theme for this wedge. Graveyard synergies are still present for some black-based commanders, moreso than lifegain, so I kept black's graveyard suite around instead of its lifegain subtheme.
4. Aristocrats (WBG --> RWB): We've yet to see a genuine "aristocrats" deck that includes green, but red has dabbled in it despite not having a full suite of support.

The following card swaps support the archetype shifts I just outlined:

• Leonin Shikari --> Eldrazi Displacer
• Greater Auramancy --> Flickerform
• Godsend --> Eerie Interlude / Skyclave Apparition
• Leonin Abunas --> Cosmic Intervention
• Open the Vaults --> Karmic Guide
• Increasing Confusion --> Dictate of Kruphix
• Cephalid Coliseum --> Flux Channeler
• Search for Azcanta --> Contentious Plan
• Bloodchief Ascension --> Knight of the Ebon Legion
• Night's Whisper --> Eternal Thirst
• Twilight Prophet --> Phyrexian Scriptures
• Witch of the Moors --> Black Market / Grave Endeavor
• Cavalier of Night --> Hatred
• Bloodthirsty Aerialist --> Flesh Carver / Feast on the Fallen
• Expedite --> Underworld Breach
• Unleash Fury --> Goblin Bombardment
• Molten Psyche --> Imperial Recruiter
• Embercleave --> Mob Rule
• Goblin Welder --> Aria of Flame / Electrostatic Field
• Goblin Engineer --> Increasing Vengeance
• Cursed Mirror --> Bonus Round
• Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep --> Past in Flames
• Balefire Dragon --> Pyromancer's Goggles
• Evolutionary Leap --> Canopy Cover
• Awakening Zone --> Ancestral Mask
• World Shaper --> Bear Umbra
• Mycoloth --> Soul's Majesty
• Primal Growth --> Hardened Scales
• Prismatic Omen --> Gyre Sage
• Splinterfright --> Champion of Lambholt
• Splendid Reclamation --> Path of Discovery
• Golgari Grave-Troll --> Kalonian Hydra

I've also been feeling it's a little too easy to do a 4+ color "good stuff" deck. Meanwhile, we've been missing some quality utility lands, so I'm trimming the manafixing in exchange for the most generally useful utility lands.

• Indatha Triome --> Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• Raugrin Triome --> War Room
• Zagoth Triome --> Ghost Quarter
• Savai Triome --> Karn's Bastion
• Ketria Triome --> Command Beacon

Finally, the tribal themes I've been pushing have rarely come together. When they do, they rely on the commander moreso than the cards in the cube. As a result, cards that help you cast creatures of a specific tribe are not that helpful.

• Pyre of Heroes --> Extraplanar Lens
• Herald's Horn --> Mutavault
• Belbe's Portal --> Gauntlet of Power
• Door of Destinies --> Maskwood Nexus

Despite seeming like a major overhaul, I'm changing "only" about ten percent of the cube, similar to prior revisions. In addition, many of these swaps are just putting back cards that used to be in here. Nonetheless, these changes are attacking significant themes in a way I have yet to do, so I suspect it will feel more dramatic than usual.

Tribal Tweaks

Based on playtesting, tribal themes do seem somewhat viable as long as a couple criteria are met:

1. There are commanders or cards in the cube that produce tokens of the creature type in question.
2. The commander available for the tribe is in two colors, which increases the number of cards available to build the deck, even if the second color has nothing to do with the tribe.

Angels, vampires, and elves all seem to work because they meet these criteria, with angels working the best so far. Goblins are a little weaker, but hopefully these minor changes can improve things slightly:

• Legion Loyalist --> Goblin Rabblemaster
• Imperial Recruiter --> Goblin Sharpshooter

Unfortunately, things seem pretty hopeless for merfolk. Fortunately, most of them happen to be wizards, which is a less demanding tribe. Wizards tend to be about spells, a theme already supported in the cube, but make those decks slightly better if you have a wizard or two in play. To support this shift, I made the following changes.

• Master of the Pearl Trident --> Shapesharer
• Flux Channeler --> Sage of Fables
• Merrow Reejerey --> Lullmage Mentor
• Distant Melody --> Vedalken Archmage
• Fleet Swallower --> Docent of Perfection

Multicolor & Manafixing Shifts

I have quite a few more changes. These are in response to some trends I've been noticing as we play.

1. I have been feeling like there's an overabundance of mana rocks. In retrospect, this is not surprising, as I included enough for four player's decks. We've been playing with just three players for all but one session, so I'm replacing a quarter of the mana rocks with some more "fun/build-around" cards.
2. I have also been feeling like it's too easy to put together 4- or 5-color "good stuff" decks. This is a common problem in cubes, but I didn't worry about it as much here, since I figured you'd want as many colors as possible available to play 3-color decks on "average." It turns out Saskia, Atraxa, etc. are all too easy to assemble, and 5C "Superfriends" is too tempting too often. Part of this is because the best removal is all multicolor, so it only makes sense to gather it all up and play some kind of durdly control deck. In response, I'm replacing this multicolor removal with monocolor options. The new spells are considerably less flexible in terms of what they can do, but they can go in more decks and draw the focus away from 5C nonsense.
3. A few iterations ago, I gave up on the "signpost" multicolor cards, opting instead for assorted "miscellaneous" effects. This has only added to the hodgepodge "good stuff" feel of the multicolor section, even though some of the options weren't that "good" at all. With the recent shifts in archetypes, I revisited this portion of the multicolor section and found excellent options for all the themes I'm supporting here.
4. Hybrid cards also had "good stuff" quality to them, as they were simply comprised of the best cards I could find. While they sometimes showed up, they have generally not seemed useful or strong enough, especially when you can just play whatever multicolor cards you want. I overhauled the hybrid options to make sure they are playing into the themes of this set.
5. Finally, I exchanged the bond lands for another cycle of hybrid cards. This swap will make multicolor good stuff decks a little harder to pull off while providing more deckbuilding tools for monocolor and two-color decks. In order to do this, I lifted my budget restriction and put quite a few cheap cards in.

Here are the changes:

• Mox Amber --> Angel of Invention
• Coldsteel Heart --> Fatestitcher
• Extraplanar Lens --> Species Specialist
• Primal Amulet --> Leyline Tyrant
• Caged Sun --> Golgari Grave-Troll
• Unsettled Mariner --> Oath of Teferi
• Sire of Stagnation --> Mnemonic Betrayal
• Captive Audience --> Kolaghan's Command
• Atarka's Command --> Fires of Yavimaya
• Gavony Township --> Knight of the Reliquary
• Storm the Vault --> Fevered Visions
• Underrealm Lich --> Culling Ritual
• Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion --> Sunforger
• Dovin's Veto --> Grasp of Fate
• Lim-Dul's Vault --> Sublime Epiphany
• Bedevil --> Deadly Rollick
• Decimate --> Incendiary Command
• Mirari's Wake --> Chain of Acid
• Anguished Unmaking --> Darksteel Mutation
• Counterflux --> Devastation Tide
• Journey to Eternity --> Finale of Eternity
• Boros Charm --> Red Elemental Blast
• Oversimplify --> Force of Vigor
• Geier Reach Sanitarium --> Arcane Lighthouse
• Serra the Benevolent --> Starnheim Unleashed
• Steel of the Godhead --> Mistmeadow Witch
• Privileged Position --> Mercy Killing
• Divinity of Pride --> Dramatic Finale
• Fiend Artisan --> Ravenous Squirrel
• Balefire Liege --> Master Warcraft
• Sea of Clouds --> Enchanted Evening
• Morphic Pool --> Memory Plunder
• Luxury Suite --> Torrent of Souls
• Spire Garden --> Manamorphose
• Bountiful Promenade --> Overbeing of Myth
• Vault of Champions --> Debtors' Knell
• Training Center --> Teach by Example
• Undergrowth Stadium --> Worm Harvest
• Spectator Seating --> Waves of Aggression
• Rejuvenating Springs --> Manifestation Sage

Whew! That's yet another alteration of about ten percent of the cube. These changes are more dramatic than prior ones, except the archetype shifts I did recently. Altogether, about a fifth of the cube has changed, so it will be interesting to see how these changes manifest themselves in actual play!

Combos

I expect this batch of changes will be the last for a while. They address a couple things:

1. Upgrades from Commander Legends
2. Removing combo pieces that will never meet their other half in this set
3. Adding in one combo per color

Those last two warrant a bit more explanation. I've promised my players that there are no combos in this set, and I've made good on that so far. I've been planning creating an add-on that activates various combos, so we can play that way if we want to, but that requires taking some cards out. My approach to this is to have a 30- or 40-card module that can be swapped for a "combo module," and I have a sense of what that module will be. However, it can't include cards that combo with the combo module, so that's what a lot of these swaps entail.

In addition to that, I'm actually adding in one combo per color so we can just see how this goes in a small way. I don't plan on using them myself, but I think it could be fun for other players to discover them if they want to.

The changes are as follows:

• Seraphic Greatsword --> Bishop of Wings
• Training Grounds --> Ancestral Vision
• Intruder Alarm --> Nadir Kraken
• Fatestitcher --> Master of Waves
• Keen Duelist --> Nether Traitor
• Red Elemental Blast --> Jeska's Will
• Scourge of the Throne --> Port Razer
• Tempt with Vengeance --> Treasure Nabber
• Crackle with Power --> Malignus
• Utopia Sprawl --> Sylvan Awakening
• Nature's Lore --> Earthcraft
• Champion of Lambholt --> Squirrel Nest
• Elvish Archdruid --> Imperious Perfect
• Noxious Revival --> Krosan Grip
• Rings of Brighthearth --> Mirage Mirror
• Aetherflux Reservoir --> Lithoform Engine

These minor tweaks reduce some repetitiveness in the cube.

• Winds of Abandon --> Oblivion Ring
• Blind Obedience --> Knight of the White Orchid
• Sevinne's Reclamation --> Martial Coup
• Entreat the Angels --> Approach of the Second Sun
• Anointed Procession --> Akroma's Will
• Delay --> Remand
• Devastation Tide --> Flood of Tears
• Dismember --> Force of Despair
• Damn --> Go for the Throat
• Tempt with Discovery --> Parallel Lives

We've continued playing this over the past few months, gradually bringing July's slew of changes into the card pools. New themes have successfully manifested themselves, including +1/+1 counters (Skullbriar) and light tribal (goblins, elves). We even had our tightest series of games with the most recent pools, with all three coming down to the wire: each player won one, the losers were both in it till the last one or two turns, and the winner was always about to lose as well.

We've got another pool to go before all the changes from July are fully manifested, and then there will be an opportunity to update the cube with all the new sets that have come out since then.

Commander Updates Since July 2021

I added new commanders to the roster of options under the Player Profiles. They include:

• Arcum Dagsson
• Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
• Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
• Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient
• Breena, the Demagogue
• Alibou, Ancient Witness

Several new commanders work with tokens:

• Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
• Beledros Witherbloom
• Koma, Cosmos Serpent
• Chatterfang, Squirrel General

As a theme, tokens have felt well supported in the cube so far, even though I did not do so intentionally. As a result, I don't anticipate making changes, but it could be that I work to support this theme more fully or concentrate it in BGU, in case the new +1/+1 counters theme does not work out.

Some commanders moved out of the "high power" tier. Most dropped to "mid power," but a couple are now deemed "fringe competitive."

• Iymrith, Desert Doom
• Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
• Ertai, Wizard Adept
• Razaketh, the Foulblooded
• Daretti, Scrap Savant
• Arjun, the Shifting Flame
• Olivia Voldaren
• Tanazir Quandrix
• Tishana, Voice of Thunder

Unfortunately, most of the partner commanders I'd included were moved, so you're stuck with one of the handful of 4- or 5-color commanders if you're looking to maximize the flexibility of your deck's color identity.

• Prava of the Steel Legion
• Esior, Wardwing Familiar
• Sengir, the Dark Baron
• Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
• Kamahl, Heart of Krosa
• Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

At long last, we're at the point where this cube is just getting a regular old update based on a relatively new set. A couple of these are leftover from sets earlier in 2021, but for the most part we're just bringing in fun new cards from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.

• Cosmic Intervention --> Teleportation Circle
• Bishop of Wings --> The Book of Exalted Deeds
• Serra Ascendant --> Cleric Class
• Flesh Carver --> Vorpal Sword
• Stitcher's Supplier --> Plumb the Forbidden
• Bone Miser --> Revel in Riches
• Incendiary Command --> Crackle with Power
• Treasure Nabber --> Xorn
• Pir's Whim --> Force of Vigor
• Constant Mists --> Druid Class
• Earthcraft --> Werewolf Pack Leader
• Squirrel Nest --> Lair of the Hydra
• Arcane Lighthouse --> Treasure Vault
• Sunforger --> Fighter Class
• Huatli, Warrior Poet --> Nahiri, the Harbinger

Midnight Hunt

I'm somehow surprised by the number of changes Midnight Hunt is bringing, but it's actually less than Forgotten Realms--around three percent of the cube. That'll be enough to notice, but it's not a major shift.

• Day of Judgment --> Vanquish the Horde
• Angelic Arbiter --> Serra's Emissary
• Ancestral Vision --> Malevolent Hermit
• Nadir Kraken --> Poppet Stitcher
• Go for the Throat --> Infernal Grasp
• Damnation --> The Meathook Massacre
• Priest of Forgotten Gods --> Morbid Opportunist
• Scute Swarm --> Augur of Autumn
• Nissa, Vital Force --> Wrenn and Seven
• Apex Devastator --> Tovolar's Huntmaster
• Ulvenwald Hydra --> Elder Gargaroth
• Dovin Baan --> Narset Transcendent

Crimson Vow

Despite all the busted rares, Crimson Vow is bringing only a handful of changes to the cube...though there are a lot more changes on the horizon after this!

• Teferi's Protection --> Welcoming Vampire (probably temporary)
• Cryptic Command --> Overcharged Amalgam
• Dig Through Time --> Hullbreaker Horror
• Kalonian Hydra --> Avabruck Caretaker
• Lair of the Hydra --> Cemetery Prowler

Archetype Shift: GUR Wheels --> Tokens

This batch of change shifts the focus of GUR from wheels to tokens. I originally went with wheels to support Nekusar and Xyris, and it's been fun to see those two built a couple times. However, the wedge archetypes are much more interesting if they support more than just a couple commanders, and we have not seen anything else emerge in this theme.

Reviewing the new commanders from the past year or so, tokens have emerged as an interesting potential theme, particularly in GU, so I'm making some changes to see if I can promote those commanders.

• Heartwood Storyteller --> Awakening Zone
• Rites of Flourishing --> Growing Rites of Itlimoc
• Parallel Lives --> Second Harvest
• Ohran Frostfang --> Doubling Season
• Dictate of Kruphix --> Mist-Syndicate Naga
• Prosperity --> Timestream Navigator
• Jace's Archivist --> Nadir Kraken
• Blue Sun's Zenith --> Curiosity Crafter
• Consecrated Sphinx --> Alrund's Epiphany
• Winds of Change --> Hanweir Garrison
• Wheel of Fate --> Twinflame
• Chain Reaction --> Manaform Hellkite
• Reforge the Soul --> Cavalier of Flame

Additional Changes

The shift to GUR Tokens made me reconsider some other aspects of the cube. Tokens have actually been a strong subtheme in the set, largely due to the presence of token producers in white, which I'd included to support the aristocrats theme. As a result of this, actual aristocrats shenanigans seemed hard to come by (though it has not been for a lack of trying). I am making a few more changes to really hone in on the aristocrats theme in white.

In addition, there are some long overdue upgrades and other shifts based on what's in/out of my constructed decks.

• Archaeomancer's Map --> Esper Sentinel
• Martial Coup --> Teferi's Protection
• Secure the Wastes --> Hallowed Spiritkeeper
• Divine Visitation --> Sevinne's Reclamation
• Tezzeret, the Seeker --> Galecaster Colossus
• Mechanized Production --> Thopter Spy Network
• Pull from Tomorrow --> Serpent of Yawning Depths
• Victimize --> Necropotence
• Dictate of Erebos --> Bolas's Citadel
• Chandra's Ignition --> Brass's Bounty
• Hellkite Tyrant --> Balefire Dragon
• Malignus --> Embercleave
• Elder Gargaroth --> Vigor
• Dryad of the Ilysian Grove --> Scute Swarm
• Chromatic Orrery --> Caged Sun
• Hammer of Nazahn --> Darksteel Plate
• Sublime Epiphany --> Chain of Vapor
• Fevered Visions --> Storm the Vault
• Spiteful Visions --> Fulminator Mage
• Nissa, Steward of Elements --> Kasmina, Enigma Sage
• Sea Gate Restoration --> Glasspool Mimic

Finally, I'm replacing a suite of equipment with artifacts that specifically support the archetypes of the cube. This diminishes the overall support for WBG Voltron, but that archetype has been doing fine, perhaps even showing up a tad too often.

• Masterwork of Ingenuity --> Colossus Hammer
• Trailblazer's Boots --> Aetherflux Reservoir
• Bloodforged Battle-Axe --> Eldrazi Monument
• Illusionist's Bracers --> Idol of Oblivion

Multicolor Reversion

Last summer I made the very clever shift of switching a bunch of 2-color cards to hybrids, which can fit into way more decks...except that this is Commander, not regular limited, so these cards are just as restricted as their 2-color counterparts. Today's round of swaps put things back to mostly the way they were before.

• Mistmeadow Witch --> Unsettled Mariner
• Memory Plunder --> Lim-Dul's Vault
• Fulminator Mage --> Captive Audience
• Vexing Shusher --> Dragonlair Spider
• Shield of the Oversoul --> Mirari's Wake
• Dramatic Finale --> Ashen Rider
• Teach by Example --> Thousand-Year Storm
• Ravenous Squirrel --> Journey to Eternity
• Master Warcraft --> Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
• Overbeing of Myth --> Alchemist's Refuge
• Enchanted Evening --> Drogskol Reaver
• Dire Undercurrents --> Sire of Stagnation
• Torrent of Souls --> Last One Standing
• Manamorphose --> Atarka's Command
• Mercy Killing --> Gavony Township
• Debtors' Knell --> Doom Foretold
• Dominus of Fealty --> Expressive Iteration
• Worm Harvest --> Underrealm Lich
• Waves of Aggression --> Assemble the Legion
• Manifestation Sage --> Body of Research

Neon Dynasty

Neon Dynasty brings a pretty typical number of swaps to the cube, including replacing the entire cycle of MDFC lands with the channel lands.

• Austere Command --> Farewell
• Paladin Class --> Drumbellower
• Chief Engineer --> Kappa Cannoneer
• Xorn --> Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• Mutavault --> Secluded Courtyard
• Last One Standing --> Hidetsugu Consumes All
• Kasmina, Enigma Sage --> Tamiyo, Compleated Sage
• Emeria's Call --> Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• Glasspool Mimic --> Otawara, Soaring City
• Agadeem's Awakening --> Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• Shatterskull Smashing --> Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• Turntimber Symbiosis --> Boseiju, Who Endures

In addition, there are a few changes I meant to make last time:

• The Book of Exalted Deeds --> Bishop of Wings
• Treasure Vault --> Maze of Ith

Archetype Tweaks

Quite a few sets have come out since I tightened up the archetypes in the cube, and over that time a few things have gotten off track. Voltron decks went from being ever-present to nearly extinct. The suites devoted to noncreature themes (URW) have gotten a little unfocused. This round of swaps tries to clean things up a bit.

• Puresteel Paladin --> Robe of Stars
• Stonehewer Giant --> Mantle of the Ancients
• Hallowed Spiritkeeper --> Brought Back
• Bastion Protector --> Fanatical Devotion
• Ethersworn Canonist --> Authority of the Consuls
• Spear of Heliod --> Karmic Justice
• Grand Architect --> Mirrodin Besieged
• Docent of Perfection --> Thought Monitor
• Lullmage Mentor --> Wizard Class
• Retribution of the Ancients --> Knight of the Ebon Legion
• Plumb the Forbidden --> Priest of Forgotten Gods
• Morbid Opportunist --> Bastion of Remembrance
• Electrostatic Field --> Harmonic Prodigy
• Pyromancer's Goggles --> Mizzix's Mastery
• Soul's Majesty --> Unnatural Growth
• Thaumatic Compass --> Silent Arbiter

There are some spillover effects from these changes that I'll address in a future round of updates.

Archetype Tweaks II

This next round of swaps gets into the set's subthemes and also tries to more closely align the multicolor section with the overarching themes of the cube.

• Karmic Guide --> Breathkeeper Seraph
• Emeria, the Sky Ruin --> Resplendent Marshal
• Vedalken Archmage --> Seafloor Oracle
• Bloodcrazed Paladin --> Vampire of the Dire Moon
• Sanctum Seeker --> Bloodline Keeper
• Grave Endeavor --> Kindred Dominance
• Conspicuous Snoop --> Warren Instigator
• Lim-Dul's Vault --> Fate Transfer
• Captive Audience --> Mayhem Devil
• Gavony Township --> Shield of the Oversoul
• Doom Foretold --> Cruel Celebrant

Multicolor Staples

This cube strives to include popular Commander staples, and multicolor cards offer up some of the most popular removal spells in the format. I'd set these cards aside because I wanted to prioritize more interesting multicolor spells, but I'm now realizing I could really upgrade the removal here and open up the flexibility of the multicolor cards by bringing these removal spells back in.

• Grasp of Fate --> Dovin's Veto
• Chain of Vapor --> Drown in the Loch
• Deadly Rollick --> Bedevil
• Deflecting Swat --> Decimate
• Force of Vigor --> Aura Mutation
• Austere Command --> Anguished Unmaking
• Flood of Tears --> Counterflux
• Finale of Eternity --> Assassin's Trophy
• Crackle with Power --> Boros Charm
• Chain of Acid --> Oversimplify

Since I'm not increasing the fixing to support these multicolor additions, I am going to cut back on a cycle of the more generic/general multicolor spells. In their place, I'm returning a suite of equipment, which I'd previously cut because I thought voltron strategies were to prevalent. However, I think the scales have tipped toward the token/aristocrats themes, and a lot of RW commanders are useless without more equipment on hand. I'm also bringing back the modal land suite I recently cut for the channel lands.

• Unsettled Mariner --> Colossus Hammer
• Sire of Stagnation --> Helm of the Gods
• Hidetsugu Consumes All --> Shadowspear
• Atarka's Command --> Trailblazer's Boots
• Mirari's Wake --> Hammer of Nazahn
• Ashen Rider --> Emeria's Call
• Thousand-Year Storm --> Glasspool Mimic
• Culling Ritual --> Agadeem's Awakening
• Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion --> Shatterskull Smashing
• Alchemist's Refuge --> Turntimber Symbiosis

Good Stuff

Looking back at my notes from last summer, I'm seeing I took out all the multicolor removal because it too easily enabled 4C/5C "good stuff" decks. Although I've cut back on the manafixing a bit, I'd rather have the push for these repetitive durdle decks show up only on occasion, so I'm going to undo a bit of the most recent changes, simply reverting to the decent and more diverse multicolor options I took out, using them to replace the multicolor removal.

In addition to this rollback, I'm also addressing some of the "good stuff" cards outside the multicolor section of the cube, making the following swaps:

• Knight of the White Orchid --> Grand Abolisher
• Akroma's Will --> Court of Grace
• Thopter Spy Network --> Archmage Emeritus
• Bloom Tender --> Heroic Intervention
• Tovolar's Huntmaster --> The Great Henge
• Mindslaver --> Thran Dynamo

Diversification

This round of swaps does quite a few things. To start, it cleans up after the last nine months of changes since 2021's "overhaul." Sometimes I add a card without realizing how similar it is to a card that's already in here. Other times, I add a card that seems like it will be popular, but it ends up not being so hot. These swaps clean things up, often just reverting to whatever was in here before.

• Norn's Annex --> Parhelion II
• Overcharged Amalgam --> Cryptic Command
• Hero's Downfall --> Toxic Deluge
• Infernal Grasp --> Go for the Throat
• Bastion of Remembrance --> Deadly Dispute
• Army of the Damned --> Nirkana Revenant
• Rise of the Dread Marn --> Sudden Spoiling
• Ancestral Mask --> Guardian Augmenter
• Zendikar Resurgent --> Genesis Wave
• Woodfall Primus --> Sandwurm Convergence

In addition, a number of the cards in the cube combo with cards in the "combo module" I sometimes swap in. Where these cards have close equivalents that don't combo with anything, I'm swapping in these non-combo cards, saving their combo counterparts for whenever the combo module is being used.

• Master Transmuter --> Thopter Spy Network
• Mana Geyser --> Mizzix's Mastery
• Doubling Season --> Tendershoot Dryad
• Branching Evolution --> Hydra's Growth

Finally, I realized the extra suite of equipment I recently added back in could do a better job specifically supporting the set's themes, so I a making a few swaps there:

• Shadowspear --> Spellbinder
• Hammer of Nazahn --> Sword of the Meek
• Trailblazer's Boots --> Blade of Selves

That concludes this year's overhaul. I expect I'll be making lots of other swaps this year based on new sets, and I might need to revise one of the archetypes...but I don't anticipate making this many changes all at once till 2023.

Diversification Addendum

Apparently, I missed some of the changes in my last update. I am also swapping:

• Remand --> Delay
• The Meathook Massacre --> Damnation
• Leyline Tyrant --> Disrupt Decorum
• Goblin Goliath --> Kindred Charge
• Increasing Vengeance --> Final Fortune

The Prismatic Piper

Looking back that the decks that have been built over the course of more than 20 sessions, I'm seeing only two monocolor decks. I thought I'd encourage them by replacing multicolor cards with hybrid cards last summer, but I forgot that you can't play hybrid cards in monocolor Commander decks. I've recently undone those swaps, as a lot of those hybrid cards were not seeing play due. I guess we could have done a house rule, but it felt too unusual to me so I did not propose it.

Instead, we're going to try out a different house rule that I think will be a lot more palatable--and easily reversible if it goes awry:

All monocolor commanders have "Partners with The Prismatic Piper."

Too facilitate this, I'm making the following swap:

• Void Winnower --> The Prismatic Piper

This switch should encourage one player per session to try out a monocolor commander if they want.

In addition to that swap, I'm making a few other tweaks to stick to the "collection singleton" rule.

• Karmic Justice --> Mesa Enchantress
• Hullbreaker Horror --> Reflections of Littjara
• Serpent of Yawning Depths --> Sublime Ephiphany

New Capenna

Although New Capenna looks like it'll be bringing quite a few changes to our battle box, it's not doing a lot for the cube. I don't mind, as there've been quite a few changes recently, so hopefully we'll have a chance to settle into the cube's new feel.

• Drumbellower --> Halo Fountain
• Poppet Stitcher --> Ledger Shredder
• Sandwurm Convergence --> Bootleggers' Stash
• Ashen Rider --> Life Insurance

Commander Legends 2: Battle for Baldur's Gate

I suppose it should be no surprise that the newest commander-focused set brings with it quite a few changes, but the first Commander Legends didn't have that many changes, so consider me pleasantly surprised by this batch!

• Grand Abolisher --> Deep Gnome Terramancer
• Approach of the Second Sun --> Ancient Gold Dragon
• Parhelion II --> Legion Loyalty
• Starnheim Unleashed --> Battle Angels of Tyr
• Galecaster Colossus --> Ancient Silver Dragon
• Malevolent Hermit --> Displacer Kitten
• Necropotence --> Black Market Connections
• Nirkana Revenant --> Ancient Brass Dragon
• Species Specialist --> Uchuulon
• Chaos Warp --> Wild Magic Surge
• Chandra, Awakened Inferno --> Ancient Copper Dragon
• Electrodominance --> Chandra, Torch of Defiance
• Bonus Round --> Bothersome Quasit
• Siege of Towers --> Spectacular Showdown
• Vigor --> Ancient Bronze Dragon
• Vizier of the Menagerie --> Monster Manual

From Modules to Rarities

Over the past few months, I've been rotating a "combo module" in and out of the cube to increase variety and give combos a brief shot at making an appearance in our games. I recently did the same thing with a "multicolor module," and there are enough spillover cards that I had another 40-card module in the works.

While swapping these modules in and out helps to increase variety, there would be even more variety if I just lumped them all together and included a random portion of them in each pool. Such an approach is basically a step removed from having a rarity structure, which is something I have for most of my other cubes, so I decided to go ahead and take that additional step here.

"Rarities" are broken down as follows:

• Rares include the splashiest cards, which would probably finish the game were they played in a 1v1 match. This includes the "big time" module, the combo module, and most planeswalkers.
• Uncommons include the most popular Commander cards, namely most mass removal and the strongest spot removal, a cycle of generally useful multicolor cards, painlands and talismans, channel lands, a bunch of Commander staples, the "fun & build-around" module (which had been being swapped in/out for the combo module), and a new module of various miscellaneous effects. By making them "uncommon," they'll still be present but not as frequent.
• Commons include all the cards that need to show up in every pool for the cube to function properly, such as all support cards for the various archetypes (wedges, monocolor, tribal), most spot removal, mana fixing (manarocks, filter lands, reveal lands), and equipment to protect your commander. Although I've pushed a lot of other effects up in "rarity," I am including a baseline of mass removal, splashy big mana spells, and some colorless build-arounds.

I will not be representing the full extent of all rarities here, instead sharing just a "default" setup. Components noted with italics above are not part of this default configuration.

To reflect this new default setup, all I'm doing is swapping the checklands (which are moving up in "rarity" and therefore not always be included) for the reveal lands, which will be "common." More changes are forthcoming.

"Common" & Budget Removal

I'd like a baseline of mass removal guaranteed to be present in every session, but it does not need to be the most popular, powerful spells. To support this, I'm swapping out some of the mass removal all-stars for more subdued versions at "common." The removed cards will still be included at "uncommon," but not in the default configuration shown here.

In addition, the premise of this cube is to try out more expensive cards online that are less likely to make an appearance face-to-face due to budget constraints. With the plethora of recent reprints, the price on some of the removal in this cube has gone down, so I'm swapping in some fancier options.

Overall, every color gets a swap:

• Austere Command --> Doomskar
• Flood of Tears --> Devastation Tide
• Damnation --> Blood Money
• Blasphemous Act --> Rolling Earthquake
• Krosan Grip --> Denting Blows

Uncommon & Rare Modules

I have updated the cube's structure to allow for "uncommon" and "rare" modules, which should last three players two and four sessions, respectively. I am including only default selections in this version of the cube, consisting of half the "uncommons" and a quarter of the "rares." The overall intent is to create a structure by which modules I used to swap in/out en masse (e.g., the "combo" module being all in or completely out of the cube) are mixed together in a rarity structure that increases variety without undermining the foundational structure of the cube.

As such, the cube is not in need of major changes, but there is some streamlining that needs to happen, especially as some effects essential to the cube get upshifted and are therefore less prevalent than they should be (e.g., mass removal). As a result, there are about a dozen "swaps" to be made. Very few of the departing cards are truly leaving the cube; they are merely going to a section of the cube I'm not representing here as the default configuration.

The channel lands are a prime example. These are popular auto-includes in any deck of their corresponding color and will therefore remain as part of the broader "uncommon" module. However, the default cube is in need of more mass removal, so I made the following "swaps":

• Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire --> Winds of Abandon
• Otawara, Soaring City --> Mystic Confluence
• Takenuma, Abandoned Mire --> Damnation
• Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance --> Blasphemous Act
• Boseiju, Who Endures --> Pest Infestation

Though not in the default configuration seen here, talismans are also being added to the cube at "uncommon," therefore reducing the need for manarocks. That's convenient because recent reprints have made quite a few of the manarocks in the cube affordable enough to be easily acquired in paper. Taking these out allows for a smoothing of options along the mana curve in the uncommon module:

• Arcane Signet --> Approach of the Second Sun
• Fellwar Stone --> Time Warp
• Worn Powerstone --> Massacre Wurm ("rare")
• Archfiend of Depravity downshifted from "rare" to "uncommon"
• Expedition Map --> Mana Geyser
• Skyclave Relic --> Ohran Frostfang

A couple other tweaks along these lines:

• Delay --> Pact of Negation
• Sunbird's Invocation --> Scourge of the Throne

Building up the "Common" Module, Part I

I've typically been swapping out the "fun & build-arounds" module for other modules (e.g., the "combo module") on occasion. With these modules upshifted to higher rarities and mixed together for a constant--albeit less frequent--chance of showing up, some space has been carved out at "common." I'll be using this space in various ways, and the first one, articulated through the swaps below, is to augment the primary themes of the cube.

The cards I'm adding in are not new; they've been in the cube before, and I'd been swapping them in and out between sessions to increase variety. Now they'll always be in here, while the higher rarities flicker in and out of pools from session to session.

• Flawless Maneuver --> Martyr's Cause
• Malevolent Hermit --> Poppet Stitcher
• Species Specialist --> Lucille
• Fable of the Mirror-Breaker --> Bothersome Quasit
• Cemetery Prowler --> Branching Evolution
• Crested Sunmare --> Colossus Hammer
• Kindred Discovery --> Primal Amulet
• Revel in Riches --> Nesting Grounds
• Mana Geyser --> Phyrexian Altar
• Golgari Grave-Troll --> Retrofitter Foundry

Part of the impetus for these changes is to eliminate the constant swapping I was doing for increased variety, and I'm making a few other swaps that make a choice between cards I've been swapping frequently. Some cards are now affordable in paper, while others have become a little redundant with new additions to the cube.

• Thopter Spy Network --> Master Transmuter
• Nadir Kraken --> Quasiduplicate
• Dictate of Erebos --> Living Death
• Thousand-Year Storm --> Cryptic Pursuit
• Assemble the Legion ("uncommon") --> Prosperous Partnership ("common")
• Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion upshifted to "uncommon"
• Alchemist's Refuge upshifted to "uncommon"
• Body of Research downshifted to "common"

Building the "Common" Module, Part II

With the "commons" showing up in every session, variety and structure are more important for these cards than others. Although most cubes support a high level of complexity, some streamlining can help players understand the set and provide a bit of mechanical focus. In this case, I am finding a few themes that are in nearly every color:

• Transforming enchantment-lands
• Classes
• Modal double-faced lands
• "Choose a creature type"

To get these themes into every color, I'm making the following swaps.

• Starnheim Unleashed --> Kindred Boon
• Imperious Perfect --> Caller of the Hunt
• Kindred Dominance --> Blood Tribute

In addition, the design skeleton of typical Magic sets ensure color pairs are connected with evergreen keywords. While evergreen keywords are not that prevalent in this set, other keywords can step in to provide this loose structure:

• WU foretell
• UB kicker
• BR haste
• RG reach
• GW indestructible
• WB lifelink
• UR miracle
• BG trample
• RW flashback
• GU ascend

It's pretty minor, but I'm just smoothing things out so that there are two instances of these effects at "common." In some cases, I have to add a card with the relevant keyword; in others, I'm removing one.

• Rolling Earthquake --> Bonfire of the Damned
• Past in Flames --> Manaform Hellkite
• Wayward Swordtooth --> Tireless Tracker

Beyond this almost every other keyword at common is showing up just once. The exceptions are protection, hexproof, and shroud, which are essential to encouraging voltron strategies. Rather than cutting back on these, I might want to consider finding similar mechanical identities for other archetypes (e.g., myriad for GUR), but I will save those changes for a future iteration.

• Roil Elemental --> Blatant Thievery
• Shapesharer --> Sigil Tracer
• Go for the Throat --> Malicious Affliction
• Golgari Thug --> Cabal Ritual

Building the "Common" Module, Part III

Although this cube has kept creature counts at about the right level, they are not present in the normal proportions in each color. For example, blue has far more creatures than it typically does, perhaps explaining why the usual UR Spells deck has come together so infrequently.

I'm making a few marginal changes that adjust these proportions in the right direction, but to perfect things I'd need to swap two blue creatures for a white and a black creature and do the opposite for spells. Future additions will also address the disparities, ultimately getting the "common" module pretty close to what you'd expect.

• Replenish --> Hallowed Haunting
• Sigarda's Aid --> Giver of Runes
• Deepglow Skate --> Inexorable Tide
• Stonybrook Banneret --> Merrow Commerce
• Cabal Ritual --> Golgari Thug (yes, again)

Building the "Common" Module, Part IV

This final batch of adjustments to the "common" module is mostly about adding in some placeholders that properly adjust the creature-noncreature balance. Most of these cards are fairly harmless inclusions that'll provide some variety while they're in here but won't necessarily be missed when inevitably replaced by the oncoming onslaught of cards from Commander Legends 2. Other cards could very well become staples in this cube. For the most part, these cards don't really fit into any specific archetype (though they might support them in indirect ways) and just provide some nice miscellaneous effects at a lower level than similarly positioned cards in the "uncommon" module.

• Dawn of Hope --> Ethersworn Canonist
• Halo Fountain --> Puresteel Paladin
• Court of Grace --> Keeper of the Accord
• Ledger Shredder --> Estrid's Invocation
• Mystic Reflection --> Dress Down
• Archmage Emeritus --> The Magic Mirror ("rare")
• Sublime Epiphany downshifted to "common"
• Sudden Spoiling --> Filth
• Cabal Ritual --> Keen Duelist
• Cunning Rhetoric --> Rotting Regisaur
• Sudden Spoiling --> Body Launderer
• Curse of Opulence --> Cursed Mirror ("uncommon")
• Crimson Wisps downshifted to "common"
• Siege of Towers --> Spellbinging Soprano
• Disrupt Decorum --> Scrap Mastery
• Sylvan Awakening --> Ranger Class
• Sanctum Weaver --> Quest for Renewal
• Vizier of the Menagerie --> Mycoloth

Building the "Common" Module, Part V

After some playtesting, I'm making the following changes to the "commons":

• Sphere of Safety --> Starfield of Nyx
• Scrap Mastery --> Disrupt Decorum
• Growing Rites of Itlimoc --> Circle of Dreams Druid
• Mycoloth --> Doubling Season ("uncommon")
• Elder Gargaroth downshifted to "common"
• Steel Hellkite --> Void Winnower
• Oath of Teferi --> Disorder in the Court
• Maze of Ith --> Blast Zone

"Uncommon" Creature-Noncreature Balance

Through playtesting, I realized that the "uncommons" had quite a few too many noncreature spells, making it tough for most colors to develop a solid curve. Most of the changes I'm making are behind the scenes to parts of the uncommon module that aren't represented here. Ironically, the swaps below favor noncreatures over creatures, but including all the uncommons balances things out.

• Martyr's Cause --> Guardian of Faith
• Cathar's Crusade --> Sphere of Safety
• Leyline of Anticipation --> Archmage Emeritus
• Archfiend of Depravity --> Revel in Riches
• Alchemist's Refuge --> Double Major

"Rare" Creature-Noncreature Balance

...and of course when I go up to "rare," I find that there are a few too many creatures. No wonder this cube has seemed fine with all the "rarities" are smashed together! I am making a few final swaps to get the right balance at rare.

While I'm at it, I'm powering down the massive bombs at uncommon. I'd been thinking they should be included alongside all the most popular Commander staples like Smothering Tithe at this rarity, but there's a difference between a card that accrues so much value that it's in every deck and a card that basically says "I win" (and therefore goes in every deck). It wouldn't quite feel like Commander if Smothering Tithe were showing up every so often, but I'd rather have the win conditions as varied as possible.

• Approach of the Second Sun upshifted to "rare"
• Basri's Lieutenant --> Cathars' Crusade
• Legion Loyalty ("rare") --> Open the Vaults ("uncommon")
• Bolas's Citadel upshifted to "rare"
• Nirkana Revanent ("rare") --> Wound Reflection ("uncommon")
• Embercleave upshifted to "rare"
• Balefire Dragon downshifted to "uncommon"
• Nyxbloom Ancient --> Zendikar Resurgent
• Genesis Wave --> Praetor's Counsel
• Boundless Realms downshifted to "uncommon"
• The Great Henge upshifted to "rare"

Minor Tweaks

The shift to "rarities" seems to be working well. Pools feel like they have more variety, in part because there are just more cards in the mix but also because some of the old staples are showing up less frequently. At the same time, the underlying structure of the cube remains consistent: themes are still apparent, and build-arounds keep circulating, creating tempting unique directions for deckbuilding.

That said, there are a few adjustments to be made. Several of these changes are to cards not listed in this core 360, but the following are.

• Serra's Emissary --> Herald of the Host: Serra's Emissary is a very strong finisher, and it had become an auto-include in white decks. I'm replacing it with a less powerful card at "common" and moving it up to "rare."
• Mesmeric Orb --> Academy Manufacturer: Mesmeric Orb can be interesting for the occasional mill deck, but I kept using it for other purposes and shooting myself in the foot. Even though I lost to myself, others did not enjoy the fear that they would lose to decking, so I'm removing it for now.
• Adaptive Automaton --> Herald's Horn: This is just a minor upgrade to tribal support at "common."
• Robe of Stars --> Felidar Umbra: I don't really remember why I'm making this change, but it's going in!

Baldur's Gate Redux

Although I made updates for Commander Legends 2 previously, I had to undo them because of some difficulties updating Cockatrice. Those issues have been resolved, I'm going ahead with these changes now.

• Grand Crescendo --> Ancient Gold Dragon
• Mist-Syndicate Naga --> Cackling Counterpart
• Spawning Kraken --> Ancient Silver Dragon
• Chaos Warp --> Wild Magic Surge
• Avabruck Caretaker --> Ancient Brass Dragon

Dominaria United & Warhammer 40k

We have several swaps from these sets that are likely locked in because they seem like solid upgrades.

• Port Razer --> Bloodthirster
• Disrupt Decorum --> The Reaver Cleaver
• Pir's Whim --> Silverback Elder
• Captive Audience --> Blood for the Blood God!
• Atarka's Command --> Shadow in the Warp

Another fifteen cards seem like decent alternatives that we're trying for now but might just swap in and out randomly. (Once the number of cards I'm swapping in and out between sessions becomes too cumbersome, I'll probably just increase the size of the cube.)

Finally, in other news, we're experimenting with a new format--a hybrid between Archenemy and Two-Headed Giant that pits two players against one. We'll still have Commanders, and we aren't using Schemes, but we're borrowing a mishmash of rules from across these formats to create something more specifically suited to 3-player games.

Tweaking Themes

There've been some complaints about blue's sub-theme of stealing other players' stuff. Meanwhile, I've noticed that spell decks are hard to put together, so I'm swapping those themes. I've also made some updates to my constructed decks and am making tweaks here to maintain the "collection singleton" rule.

• Giver or Runes --> Sigarda's Aid
• Contentious Plan --> Slip out the Back
• Chasm Skulker --> Deepglow Skate
• Steal Enchantment --> Arcane Proxy
• Thieving Skydiver --> Thing in the Ice
• Commandeer --> Haughty Djinn
• Sower of Temptation --> Teferi's Ageless Insight (uncommon)
• Archmage Emeritus downshifted to common
• Blatant Thievery --> Spawning Kraken (rare)
• The Magic Mirror downshifted to common
• Wrenn and Seven --> Nissa, Who Shakes the World
• Elvish Reclaimer --> Tireless Provisioner
• Biophagus --> Gyre Sage

Streamlining Double-Slots & The Brothers' War

Recently, whenever a card comes up that seems to compete with another card already in the cube, I just go ahead and make the swap temporarily to see how things go. Sometimes the old card falls by the wayside, and I move it to the battle box. Other times the new card doesn't pan out, and the old card goes back in. However, I often just keep both cards and rotate between them from session to session. That's fine when it's just a few cards, but it had grown to become dozens, which is quite cumbersome. I decided to streamline things and make some decisions about what's sticking around.

As a result, we've got the following "swaps" that aren't really swaps at all, as we've actually been playing all these cards for a while.

• Resplendent Marshal --> And They Shall Know No Fear
• Herald of the Host --> Serra Paragon
• Sigil Tracer --> Vodalian Hexcatcher
• Archmage Emeritus (duplicate) --> Vesuvian Duplimancy
• Finale of Eternity --> Necron Deathmark
• Doom Whisperer --> Tomb Fortress
• Necropotence --> Black Market Connections
• Mob Rule --Brazen Cannonade
• Chain of Acid --> Haywire Mite
• Bootleggers' Stash --> Defiler of Vigor
• Scapeshift --> Awaken the Woods
• Dance of the Manse --> Enchanted Evening
• Rogue Class --> Time Sieve

In addition, we've got some some new options from The Brothers' War. It's surprisingly few, so I'm just packaging them with the other changes above.

• Guardian of Faith --> Tocasia's Welcome
• Scourge of the Throne --> Blast-Furnace Hellkite
• Forsaken Monument --> The Mightstone and Weakstone
• Void Winnower --> Portal to Phyrexia

Additional Tweaks

While I'm at it, I tidied up a few rough edges, such as cards that are now affordable or really popular. Uncommon and rare modules continue to be larger than what's displayed here, and several changes have been happening to those that aren't visible here. We should be ready for another iteration of pools now.

• Mystic Confluence --> Cryptic Command ("common")
• Sublime Epiphany upshifted to "uncommon"
• Fierce Guardianship --> Delay
• Living Death upshifted to "uncommon"
• Revel in Riches --> Dictate of Erebos ("common")

More Tweaks

I've gotten tired of seeing the same equipment coming out in every session to protect Commanders. I'm swapping out the easiest additions for something clunkier and something that supports tribal themes instead.

• Lightning Greaves --> Hammer of Nazahn
• Swiftfoot Boots --> Stoneforge Masterwork

I also want to keep the most popular spells at "uncommon," so they don't saturate our play sessions. I'm doing a minor tweak in green's removal suite to address this.

• Krosan Grip --> Beast Within ("uncommon")
• Song of the Dryads downshifted to "common"

Creature-Noncreature Balancing

Some players have complained about not having enough creatures in their pools. While I'm guessing it's mostly variance leading to this issue, I double-checked and did find that the creature count was slightly below what I'd want. It's to the tune of maybe less than two creatures per sealed pool, which nobody would notice if they were getting the "average" pool every time, but it's probably enough that the chance of someone having a bad run of creature-light pools is up a smidge too high. As a result, I'm making a few more swaps:

• True Conviction --> Wakening Sun's Avatar
• Grave Betrayal --> Nirkana Revenant
• Brass's Bounty --> Scourge of the Throne
• Mirari's Wake --> Faeburrow Elder
• Double Major --> Progenitor Mimic I guess this shouldn't really count, but let's try it anyway.
• Stoneforge Masterwork --> Adaptive Automaton
• Fate Transfer --> Soul Diviner

That's a Wrap!

After providing us with enough play for fifty sessions, this cube is being retired. Maybe I'll do a few swaps here and there to get it through March of the Machines, just for posterity, but I don't see it being played again any time soon. It served us well through the pandemic, and I learned a lot from the iterations of actual play. The "rarity" structure seemed to work very well, providing both variety and consistency, and it's something worth using in other cubes. Farewell!