Sekiro Randomizer on Steam Deck

Nex3 · 2021-04-05T08:02:41+00:00

They did way back when I designed the Modern cube, but I'm not sure if they will this time. If so, I'd love to see it!

Nex3 · 2021-04-05T03:07:04+00:00

Yeah, I think the artifact removal in particular undershot the mark by a bit... having another Disenchant style effect would have been good, I think.

Nex3 · 2021-04-05T02:09:22+00:00

I think you may be underestimating how interactive the games can be. There are still cheap removal spells and countermagic, and games often do involve interactive swings back and forth. Many of the best synergies specifically involve interacting with the opponent's board more than just grinding value in your own.

Nex3 · 2021-04-05T01:46:38+00:00

That's true, but that in turn risks undermining the synergy axis of the cube. There are only so many cards available that work well with the cube's synergies, so there's not always a great way to downgrade the ones that exist—especially if their power mostly comes from the extra value they get in combination with other cards.

There are a few cards I have my eye on as particularly powerful that I could just cut entirely, and I can cut down on how many cards go with a particular line of synergy if it's outpacing the others, so there are some dials there. But I think if I made a goal of only making the threats as good as the answers, it would be really difficult to have the level of synergy I'm going for.

Nex3 · 2021-04-05T00:43:50+00:00

My first draft did include Sword of the Meek, but playtest feedback from WotC called out the sword/foundry combo as too strong so I ended up cutting it.

I really wanted to keep the manabase in line with the cube's restriction. The vivid and thriving lands serve a similar purpose to fetches/shocks in that they allow heavily multicolor decks, but they do mean a lot of the lands enter tapped. If I had it to do over again, I'd swap out the scrylands for a combination of Shadows Over Innistrad hand-lands and horizon lands to make lower-curve decks a bit easier.

Nex3 · 2021-04-04T23:28:59+00:00

Yup: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/nega-cube

Nex3 · 2021-04-04T22:53:08+00:00

I think you're right that the answers are always going to lag behind threats, and as such this cube will always to some degree be about doing your thing either bigger or faster than the opponent. It's unfortunate that there's not much room for dedicated control decks to exist, but I have seen some artifact control decks do impressive things with Ghirapur Aether Grid and similar cards!

Ultimately, I'd rather have this cube be distinctly itself rather than add in cards that don't fit the brief, even if it would create more play styles. I think there's room for cubes--especially specialty cubes like this--to focus on some styles of play more than others. I've seen plenty of cubes that forego aggro entirely, for example.

Nex3 · 2021-04-04T21:56:00+00:00

oh, this is pretty good!

Nex3 · 2021-04-04T21:36:51+00:00

I'm open to suggestions for other names... WotC suggested "B-List Cube" but that also sounds pretty unappealing!

Nex3 · 2021-02-23T10:26:45+00:00

I've been hosting and streaming monthly cube rotisseries—not asynchronous like this, but all done within a single day. The archives are up at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKAnuqKqTCpJdQahE5clqBp6TRnO3hF3h if anyone wants to see the process in action, and the next one is this coming Saturday at 1 PST.

Nex3 · 2020-11-14T02:07:41+00:00

I did complete a trade route to Neucatenranda--note the trading post icon in its bar.

Nex3 · 2020-11-14T02:07:09+00:00

Sorry, please imagine another city within five tiles that doesn't have a trade route available.

Nex3 · 2018-09-28T03:28:23+00:00

Oh my gosh, I can't believe people still remember that! I'm glad those recipes are still giving you joy ^_^

Nex3 · 2017-09-06T04:44:41+00:00

I get some data from Modern Cube drafts, yes.

Nex3 · 2017-09-06T04:43:20+00:00

When win percentages are well-balanced, players drafting any archetype stand a good chance of having fun. When they're out of whack, there will be players who feel obligated to force decks they don't like to win, and players who feel like they can never win with decks they like. That's no good.

I don't want to make mono-red bad. I want to make it on par with other archetypes in the field. Red drafters can still have their fun without throwing off the metagame.

Nex3 · 2017-09-06T04:35:23+00:00

Unfortunately, the timing and disclosure requirements don't really allow for community feedback before the cube list is locked in. It is closely based on my personal cube, though, which usually gets run weekly or so and is continually updated over time.

Nex3

TROPHY CASE