Hello cubers!
The new M14 set is here, and with the pre-release behind us its time to shove some of those fresh pulls into our cubes. I have been playtesting the new M14 cubes since before the release, and have come up with the following list of cards that I think are worthy of discussion. Without further ado, let’s play Jitte or Shitte!
(Note: Jitte does not mean a card as powerful as Jitte, but rather a card that is probably at least worth playtesting for your cube).
White
Archangel of Thune
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This card has been pretty impressive for testing. A lot of times in draft I wish I could have another Baneslayer, and she does a pretty decent job of delivering. She fills a great role of making your early drops relevant again in the late game if your opponent landed an annoying blocker as well as gaining you life to catch up against aggro decks while starting out of most burn range.
Banisher Priest
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Jitte
I cut Fiend Hunter long ago in my cube and don’t think this guy is much better. I definately don’t think most cubes want to run both, and this guy loses the fun abusable synergy Fiend Hunter had with bounce & blink effects (Erratic Portal is so brutal).
Celestial Flare
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This is a neat new effect for White. White’s instant speed removal drops off quite a bit after Path / Swords, so its nice to see something new and cheap enter the arena. This card’s power level will depend on how creature / combat centric your cube is, and I think it is a lot better in control decks than aggro decks. Mileage may vary on this one.
Fiendslayer Paladin
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
I’m only mentioning this card because I think in most cubes still running Paladin-en-Vec, this guy will be better. The lifelink is quite relevant and makes him a pretty good target for equipment. Still probably too weak for most cubes though.
Imposing Sovereign
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
I’ve liked this little lady a lot in testing. She makes it impossible for your opponent to plan for blockers, and makes their flash guys a lot worse. She also can fill the defensive role of slowing down aggro decks by a good margin (and making cards like Hellspark Elemental useless). I like her a lot and I hope we get more guys like her and Thalia to give white weenie a more interesting Death & Taxes feel.
Blue
Sad, but I don’t think there is a single card from blue that can break it into most cubes. I could definately see the Tidebinder Mage making it into tribal cubes that support Wizards and/or Merfolk, but for your average powered / unpowered cube, there’s nothing worth discussing here.
Black
Artificer’s Hex
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
It’s nice that they gave black an answer to equipment. I could see running this if equipment are the most busted thing in your cube (in a lot of unpowered cubes they are). Otherwise, this is a definate pass for most but an interesting option to keep in your back pocket.
Dark Prophecy
Powered: Probably Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
I’m mentioning this because I think it could be cool in a number of archetypes. If your cube runs any sort of sac / pox archetype, I could see this being a great engine card for it. I could also see it just being fine in a black aggro deck, making your Bloodghasts unblockable.
Grim Return
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Shitte
Most cheap reanimation spells are worth talking about. This card would of been totally playable if it didn’t read “from the battlefield”. As is, it’s probably a pass aside from very large cubes.
Lifebane Zombie
Powered: Probably Shitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This guy is alright. If you already have a ton of 187 kill dudes in your cube, I could see cutting something like a Boneshredder for this guy. For a long time my Cube ran Ogre Marauder, and this guy definately seems better than that. He’s also additional zombie support for Gravecrawler / Graveborn Muse, which is worth mentioning.
Liliana’s Reaver
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This card got a ton of hype when it was first spoiled, but in testing it has been totally mediocre. Dies to bolt is super relevant here, and this guy ends up trading off or dieing 90% of the time. If you are supporting some sort of black mid-range deck, this guy is fine I suppose.
Shadowborn Demon
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This dude is pretty legit. He kills a guy and blocks for a turn at worst, or starts getting in for a ton and eventually negates his drawback. In testing hitting the graveyard threshold has been pretty rare, but so was not having a few less valuable guy you can pitch to him for a few turns. It’s especially nutty with black’s recurring dudes like Bloodghast and Bitterblossom.
Xathrid Necromancer
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
This is a solid value three drop in black. Not super exciting, but for tribal cubes it is a big win and for larger cube it’s probably worth considering as well.
Red
Chandra, Pyromaster
Powered: Probably Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
Mixed feelings about this Chandra. I think most cubes will either run this one or Firebrand, but not both. I think those supporting storm or wildfire decks will want the latter, but for more combat focused cubes this one will prove much better.
Goblin Diplomats
Powered: Probably Shitte
Unpowered: Jitte
In testing this guy has been really fun. While 2/1s for two aren’t the most exciting thing in the world, this guy has a really unique effect that pairs really well with other colors. In my opinion, red’s low drop dudes could use a little cross-archetype synergy, so this guy is worth testing.
Mindsparker
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This one will be controversial, but I really like this dude. Red’s three drops are pretty lacking and this guy is a welcomed addition to my 450 cube. A 3/1 first strike is pretty decent (alot of cubes run Splatter Thug), and this guy has a pretty awesome hoser ability attached. In my opinion, this guy is the most playable of his cycle.
Ogre Battledriver
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Shitte
This guy’s effect just isn’t good enough for any cube. If it included himself, it totally would of been. As is, there are too many good options at 4 mana for red for this to be good in anything but large cubes.
Young Pyromancer
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
This guy isn’t bad. He is not as insane as the community made him out to be in the beginning, but if you could get one activation off of him, he’s already a better Mogg War Marshall. Most red sections can support an oversaturation of 2 drops, so this guy is a good inclusion for most cubes.
Green
Elvish Mystic
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
Want another elf? Well here you go. At the very least, foil versions of this will be replacing white-bordered Fyndhorn Elves in many cubes. The saturation of one drop mana dorks is a matter of taste, but personally I’ll take all I can get.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Shitte
Honestly, I’m super glad this Garruk sucks for cube. I was not looking forward to potentially cutting one of the other Garruks, and this guy made the decision easy. By far the weakest of the Garruks, I could only justify playing this guy in very large cubes.
Kalonian Hydra
Powered: Jitte
Unpowered: Jitte
I think this is the one of the most powerful cube cards in the set (which is sadly not saying much). In testing this has been a must answer card all by itself, which is not something that many of green’s 5 drops can say. I’d recommend it for testing in most cubes.
Kalonian Tusker
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
We get mono-colored Watchwolves now! Wait, who cares? In a world where Goyf, Scavenging Ooze, Rofellos, and Skinshifter, this guy just doesn’t stack up.
Witchstalker
Powered: Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
This guys not bad, but I don’t think he’s good enough to warrant inclusion. His body isn’t that interesting and I’m not convinced he’s any better than Great Sable Stag.
Colorless
Strionic Resonator
Powered: Probably Shitte
Unpowered: Probably Shitte
Wizard’s seems to have a thing with making sweet 187 creatures lately, and this card makes them even sweeter. I’ll be picking one up and stashing it in the old cuts binder to see how Cube shakes out in the next few sets.
So that does it! How did M14 fair for your cubes? Let me know in the comments, as well as your first pick this week!
