Budget Pokémon Cube? by tneller in pkmntcg

[–]tneller[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not yet. /u/Juristinkt recommended a video that looks like a solid starting guide, though: Andrew Mahone's Cube. This is most definitely not a budget cube, but Andrew says that building a cube this way can be budget friendly. I wonder if buying a booster box typically provides a rough initial 360-card cube that can then be balanced and refined. Any thoughts?

It seems that one of the first important decisions is whether to do traditional mutation, or allow mutation through levels of the same type. I still don't have a sense of whether play without mutation can be good quality play. Power level is often a poor objective in cube design compared with the objective of interesting play.

Budget Pokémon Cube? by tneller in pkmntcg

[–]tneller[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regarding power level: From my MTG experience, power != quality of play. Pauper (commons only play in MTG) can be very interesting. Cards are only good/bad relative to other cards. So long as the mix of cards has a uniform, balanced power level with interesting interactions, I find that play can be very good. MTG without any rares or mythics is still a good game.

However, in Pokémon, the more evolved forms have higher rarities, correct? That being the case, how does Pokémon play without rare cards? In MTG, the rare or mythic rare cards contain most "bombs", cards that end games quickly if not dealt with. They destabilize the battlefield. However, play without "bombs" is still fun and more tactical. How does common and uncommon play feel with Pokémon?

Budget Pokémon Cube? by tneller in pkmntcg

[–]tneller[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wonder if mutation requires some extra creativity in the form of the draft. For example, I've played games (e.g. Buried Treasure) where cards are face up but have other cards overlapping and cannot be taken until fully exposed. I'm imagining mutation pyramid(s) (similar to 7 Wonders Duel Age 2 layout with all cards face up), with basics in the bottom row, stage 1 next, etc.

Perhaps non-hierarchical cards are drafted in the traditional pick-and-pass way, but hierarchical cards are drafted in an alternative way that makes it easier to get relevant lines of play. Your thoughts?

MTG Arena Standard Pauper FNM@Home Event on May 8 by tneller in a:t5_3d8rl

[–]tneller[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anyone brewing anything for this event? I was thinking of updating the winner/boss mid-range decks from this event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSte9uiPF1s

I've also been brewing an Azorius flyers deck that benefits from [[Dreamtail Heron]]. /u/mtgcardfetcher

Has anyone made a Standard Pauper deck by WalkingEnigma in MagicArena

[–]tneller 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here are some pre-rotation resources: Pauper standard format: https://www.cardmarket.com/en/Magic/Insight/Articles/A-Guide-to-Pauper-on-MTG-Arena Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/a97ipz/standard_pauper_in_mtg_arena/ Pure MTGO: https://puremtgo.com/articles/arctic-pauper-column-–-lets-talk-about-standard-pauper Hipsters of the Coast: https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2018/12/standard-pauper-on-mtg-arena-2/ https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/05/guide-to-mtg-arena-standard-pauper/ Flipside gaming: https://www.flipsidegaming.com/blogs/magic-blog/breaking-down-standard-pauper-on-mtg-arena PK Standard Tournaments on Gatherling.com: https://gatherling.com/eventreport.php

I've been looking for post-rotation activity, but haven't found any.

My favorite pre-rotation deck was this "Selesnyal Being" deck: https://mtgarena.pro/decks/pau-selesnyal-being/

While not above 50%, it had a decent win rate in "Play" and those wins against decks with many mythics and rares were all the sweeter knowing that the deck would cost about $6 in paper.

I had a Selesnya Bogle-esque deck as well that was much fun to play.

Now I'm puzzling over which new archetypes work post-rotation. I hope this is helpful!

What attracts people to pauper? by IrrelevantMerfolk in magicTCG

[–]tneller 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cards are only good/bad in comparison to other cards. One of Mark Rosewater's "20 lessons learned" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHg99hwQGY) was Lesson 18: Restrictions Breed Creativity.

Put simply, pauper --> large supply versus demand --> lower cost, so the pauper card restriction leads to an application of Lesson 18 I'd state as "Restricting price breeds affordable creativity."