a playground of magic featuring fierce, board-based battles using some of the all-time coolest cards

a midpower tempo/value environment, sporting a strix 5n

changelog chat on mtg cube talk discord

turquoise is custom pink is silver border

rule zero<<<

each player gets one [[prismatic vista]] for free

there's 11 custom cards included - a re-imagining of the 'sword' cycle

actions targeting an existing ward or similar effect are always allowed a rewind; it's protection, not a gotcha

[[mesa chicken]] has first strike

[[magical hacker]] can't hack planeswalkers

all other customs are retemplates without functional alteration

singleton - except fetches, shocks, and some colorless shapeshifters

curve is low at ~2.25 average mv

decks are (usually) 2 to 3 colors

almost every action costs mana. there's exactly one combo that offers an 'infinite', exponential, or one-turn win, and it costs 11 mana to go fully infinite

instead, synergies grow linearly and take mana to achieve. they're easy to find and combine

major synergies include: ‣ spellslinger ‣ hero ‣ artifacts ‣ counters (eg +1/+1) ‣ tribal ‣ flicker ‣ flash ‣ madness ‣ evasion ‣ lifegain ‣ recursion

that's it - let's play!

reference<<<

pack drafting is most seamlessly integrated here on cubecobra. so you can draft here and export your list for cockatrice directly - no need to use draftmancer!

note: be sure to swap the placeholder 'sword of the animist' for any custom 'sword of something something's you draft

also: remember to add your free prismatic vista!

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downloads<<<

[updated 2024-06-15]<<<

7-zip a (way) better zipping utility than the built-in windows tool for opening the above download list for draftmancer (for a pack draft, recommend doing it here on cubecobra)

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the following two links are purely for updating an existing cockatrice install: custom images (for patching /data/pics/custom) custom set (for patching /data/customsets)

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drafting methods:<<<

work in progress, pardon the mess<<<

can support up to 29 drafters using conventional 3x15 pack draft

built to handle any draft format; err toward more cards seen and selected when possible

4 packs of 12, with a bonus pack of 5 after each main pack, pick1trash4. this is the default/preferred draft here on cubecobra

take turns choosing face-up cards, then revealing adjacent (non-diagonal) cards. picks go clockwise and in 'snake' order (1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1...) til card count is reached. trash what's left, reset the board, then pass first pick to the left. each board should have the center and corners flipped, plus any adjacent.

minesweeper sizes: 2p: 5x5, 8 rounds, 6 cards (or housman/grid/solomon/glimpse) 3p: 7x7, 6 rounds, 8 cards (or housman/glimpse) 4p: 9x9, 4 rounds, 12 cards (or 7x7 8rounds 6cards, or 12x4+5/housman) 5p: 9x9, 5 rounds, 10 cards (or 4x12+5) 6p: 9x9, 6 rounds, 8 cards (or two 3p pods, or 4x12+5)

for 7p+, recommend breaking into smaller pods for drafting; 3-4p are ideal sizes. to avoid duplicates: open the draft list with spreadsheet software, shuffle rows, then split list among the pods.

https://luckypaper.co/resources/formats/housman-draft/

https://luckypaper.co/resources/formats/grid-draft/

https://luckypaper.co/resources/formats/solomon/

heritage<<<

ultimate synergy contains dna from:

japahn's elegant cube - primary influence anthony's regular cube john's petty nobility brad's solely singleton cube andy's bun magic cube

aegis gaming official riptide lab, both jason and the community chillmtg

cubecobra community - via recommender, elo, and similar data edhrec community - via scryfall edhrec sorting, related cards, and similar data

all goals from the elegant cube are mirrored here. go check out japahn's writeup, as it's fantastic. i approach it a bit differently, as i'm not using a rotating 'occasional' section - it's one big card pool.

the nerdy stuff<<<

as a product, i intend to build this cube card-for-card irl (proxied) as a ready-to-play, easily maintainable cornerstone of my broader game library. i considered a few goals for the project to inform my design process:

accessible - be intuitive for newbies varied - feel fresh for veterans every session big - support any size playgroup consistent - decks come together readily destructible - can be used for most any game style ergonomic - easy to maintain, store, and play fun - promote player agency, empower creativity, and encourage active play patterns

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for accessibility, i accomplish this by keeping things simple. this design aesthetic is desirable for all players, as it helps respect player time and promote an active gaming experience. but it's especially important for newbies, to reduce complexity and comprehension fatigue

1. hand revealing (and thus targeted discard) doesn't exist, to avoid time spent reading and tracking cards

2. cards are selected with careful consideration to their textual, mechanical, and tracking complexity

3. deck searching is minimized - the only common sources are fetchlands, and all other tutors are similarly type-restricted

4. minesweeper draft ensures most card reading is done all at the same time during draft, and players have a rough idea of what each other have available the entire way through. (this helps new players especially by introducing them to cards, and allowing for table talk to help get new players up to speed.)

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for variance and bigness, well, they're the same thing, and support each other inherently.

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for consistency, i address it a few ways:

‣ cards are chosen with strategic overlap in mind

‣ card costs are low

‣ color fixing is abundant

‣ majority of cards are single-pipped, colorless, or hybrid; in contrast, golds are signature signposts and/or key value engines, and (almost) exclusively 2-color

‣ all color pairs and triads are mechanically compatible at a meaningful level

‣ effects are redundantly offered on core effects, to ensure effect coverage is high and decks get what they need

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destructibility is maintained through:

‣ all the efforts that support consistency

‣ ratios of cards and effects are carefully crafted such that any truly random slice of of cards should net enough of any effect

‣ no card is singularly essential for a set of cards to meaningful come together

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ergonomics are a challenge with such a large cube, but important to ensure long term success

‣ tokens are handled using reusable erasable blank cards, so as to minimize the number of game pieces required

‣ counters likewise are handled using reusable erasable blank cards

‣ when finished, cards simply need shuffling into the cube to reset for the next session, no collation or organization necessary

‣ as the cube is built around overlapping synergies instead of distinct archetypes, new cards can be readily added without drastically impacting the textures of the environment

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work in progress, pardon the mess<<<

fun is a nebulous term, but there's known ways to create the conditions for it to occur. i aim to lend a sense of engagement with every game action. i want players to put their own spin on things, combining cards in creative new ways. they should feel in control of their game experience, both in draft and in match.

i take a multi-pronged approach:

‣ snowballing and single-card power swings are kept to a minimum. protection and indestructibility are rare, and almost always temporary.

‣ threats are mid in strength (especially at higher mana values), while removal is plentiful and mono-colored. managing advantage on the board is the primary method of interacting with your opponent and building a win, but respecting board wipes and other punishing answers is important.

‣ tricks and single-target removal usually cost 1-2mv. permission is soft at 2mv and hard at 3mv. curves cap out around 4-5mv.

‣ the hand is fairly sacred, but net-positive draw is somewhat rare. value is instead gained in more flavorful and interactive ways, such as recursion, selection, modality, mana dumps, repeatable abilities, and tricks. most interaction is done from the hand.

‣ color pie is respected with regard to restrictions and flavors.

‣ mechanics are redundantly supported, and overlap between archetypes is high, so decks should feel cohesive. mana costs are ratioed to be consistent with anticipated deck needs. the law of large numbers puts in a great deal of work, ensuring a fairly even coverage of important categories of cards despite the large size. dud drafts should be rare and the result of the performance of the player.

‣ on the 'small to large' spectrum, this aims for slightly small, in that sources of permanents and removal of permanents are roughly balanced.

‣ emphasis on 'yes, and' cards that do as many things in as few words as possible. increased card flexibility maximizes deckbuilding creativity while also maximizing in-game playability.

‣ i minimize obstacles. each a turn should provide options of play, so nothing feels like you 'got stuck' and many lines are available.

‣ i seed joy by placing a quirky mechanic here and a little nostalgic hit there, as a nod to seasoned players and a preview to new folk. these cards combine in creative often unexpected ways, lending a sense of discovery and creation for the player.