Over the years, I've spent some serious money on Magic cards. I've been lucky enough to buy and hold cards that have gone way up in value, only to sell them later to buy other cards. I'm to the point where I usually don't spend money out of my pocket on cards. It's all just trading.
I'm also lucky enough to know a group of guys that get together once a year for a weekend of playing board games and card games. In preparation for the upcoming game weekend, I've been balancing the Deckbuilding Commander Cube so that we can actually draft the thing.
Here are the recent changes.
Gruul
+Atarka, World Render - She's a legendary creature that can be used as a commander, and the combination of double strike and trample is a savage, savage beating.
+Xenagos, the Reveler - My primary consideration when evaluating a Planeswalker for the cube is if that 'walker can defend himself. Xenagos does that. He also ramps. And his ultimate can be exciting. All this for four mana.
Azorius
+Drogskol Reaver - If you couldn't tell by now, I'm super into double strike. And drawing cards. This guy is great!
+Brago, King Eternal - I needed a legend for this color combination, and this guy brings shenanigans.
Boros
+Aurelia, the Warleader - Two combat phases! Angels are always popular.
+Assemble the Legion - Left unchecked, this enchantment can get out of hand. Flooding the board with dudes is almost always welcome.
+Brion Stoutarm - Another commander option. The idea of flinging dudes at people is too appealing to pass up.
Izzet
+Steam Augury - I like these "mini-game" cards. And if they end up putting more cards in my hand, that's even better.
+Epic Experiment - Spin the wheel! Let's see what we get.
+Dack's Duplicate - A clone with haste, you say? Don't mind if I do.
+Melek, Izzet Paragon - Another legendary creature, but with a cool copy ability and the ability to play things off the top. Future Sight is one of my favorite cards, so anything close to it is worth a try.
Rakdos
+Rakdos Charm - Because if anything, the Rakdos are certainly charming. Lots of relevant modes on this spell, including one that wrecks token decks.
+Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - I'm a sucker for effects like this, where you spend some mana and hope for the best. One of my favorite cards is Temporal Aperture. Grenzo is like a more restrictive, but cheaper and repeatable, version of that card.
Golgari
+Deathreap Ritual - This is relatively easy to bring online and draw a fistful of cards without any additional cost besides simply watching things die.
+Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord - With a double-color mana cost like this, it's all-in Jarad if you decide to go that way. But the abilities are amazing. He scales for beats, growing to epic proportions. You can also dump mana into this guy if the board is clogged with creatures to cause direct life loss.
Three-Color
+Prossh, Skyraider of Kher - Another three-color dragon to go with the others. Plus, he brings friends. And, has an unconditional sacrifice outlet with upside.
+Derevi, Empyrial Tactician - Can be absurdly powerful and avoids the Commander tax. None of the other Bant options jump out at me except for Rafiq of the Many because, hey, double strike.
Colorless
+Myriad Landscape - I hate lands that come into play tapped. This one gets a pass because it ramps and color-fixes.
+Mind's Eye - When in doubt, draw more cards. This gives a strong card-drawing option to colors that don't normally get something like that.
White
+Suture Priest - I really like this card. Token decks can gain life for doing what they are doing anyway. And it can put pressure on opposing token decks.
+Mentor of the Meek - Borderline broken. Card drawing is white is not all that common, especially not cards like this where you can tack on whatever extra mana you have laying around.
+Stonecloaker - It was going to be this or Whitemane Lion, but Stonecloaker has more relevant modes. It's a tricky card that can be used to save a creature or mess with reanimation, but it also combos nicely with Karametra by bouncing itself. Do that a couple of times per turn and you're in business.
+Nahiri, the Lithomancer - There are a quite a few good white 'walkers to consider, but for my money, Nahiri makes the grade. I like all of her abilities. That sword is sexy. The ability to be your Commander is gravy.
Green
+Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury - Another Commander 'walker. She also makes tokens and can defend herself.
+Hunter's Insight - Green needs to draw cards to keep the pressure on. This is a cool, in-theme way to do that. It also plays nicely with the double strike cards in other colors.
+Soul's Majesty - Another way for green to draw cards. Hey, in a color that plays big creatures, this is often like getting a new hand.
Red
+Act on Impulse - This is one of the coolest cards printed in a long time. It is so perfectly red. And gives red a way to "draw" cards.
+Blasphemous Act - A surprising and often cheap sweeper. The flavor is amazing.
+Daretti, Scrap Savant - Another Commander 'walker. Although he can't defend himself directly by generating token creatures, there's a good chance that you can swap a big artifact creature into play with a little planning.
Black
+Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath - I am sensing a pattern here, with yet another Commander 'walker. This one makes tokens, big time. Demon tokens.
Blue
+Tezzeret, the Seeker - It was about time this guy made an appearance. He tutors up artifacts. He untaps them. He turns them into beatdown. It's really quite silly.
Even with all these changes, there are still a few deficiencies in the cube. Notably, there are no legendary creatures in Orzhov. That's a problem. I am also missing a few Planeswalkers. Also a problem. But not a problem that makes this cube imbalanced or unplayable. Now, I need to make a few cuts to really bring this in line.
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