In the Deck Box: Arcum Dagsson

Happy Thursday, CNG! Wow, has it really been over a year since the last Into the Deck Box? Yeesh. Well, I haven't had the chance to do one yet (and Theros hasn't been sufficiently spoiled for me to rate new cards), so today's article will be about my first Commander, Arcum Dagsson.

SEE DECK!

Let's start with his stats. 3U for a 2/2 means I'm obviously not interested in dealing 21 Commander damage, so he must have a pretty strong ability. 'T: Target artifact creature's controller sacrifices it. That player may search his or her library for a noncreature artifact, put it on the battlefield, then shuffle his or her library' What a mouthful! In short, Arcum targets an artifact creature to Tinker into a noncreature artifact.

Goodbye, Ornithopter and hello Darksteel Forge! I built Arcum as a toolbox-style combo deck, playing answers to just about every threat in the game, while simultaneously having a range of my own threats that interact in powerful, but not immediately degenerate ways. I phrase it like that because most combos are inherently degenerate, but I generally chose to exclude the piece that obviously completes the combo (ex: Darksteel Forge + Nevinyrral's Disk + Mycosynthe Lattice).

The deck started off as a Myr tribal deck (as evidenced by ten Myr-themed cards within) featuring Hanna, Ship's Navigator as the Commander, but Stephen convinced me that Arcum's power level was too high to ignore and I made the switch. This deck is both an exercise and display of effect-availability across colors because most of my answers are colorless due to Blue's weakness to resolved threats. Creatures can be removed by Brittle Effigy and Lux Cannon, some life drain can be prevented by Witchbane Orb, and reanimation can be nipped at the bud by Tormod's Crypt.

There are artifacts I tutor for almost every game such as Myr Turbine to produce more fodder or Spine of Ish Sah to remove troublesome Aura Shards or Planeswalkers, but I usually prefer playing to the cards in my hand. Although I could tutor out the Darksteel Forge every game, it is much more satisfying to instead look at the Myr Battlesphere in my hand and find the Crystal Shard or Coat of Arms, or find Voltaic Key for my Lux Cannon, or use Liquimetal Coating to turn Arcum into an Avatar of Woe with amusing side-effects. The point of a singleton format like Commander is variance, so I try to prevent the deck from becoming stale for myself and my friends and instead search for a victory I have not yet used.

As far as actual combos/interactions go:

• Silver Myr + Arcum Dagsson: turn 3 General with sac fodder on board. Not really a combo, but strong start to a game. 
• Darksteel Forge + Nev Disk: one-sided Planar Cleansing (completed by Liquimetal Coating for Planeswalkers). 
• Voltaic Key + Lux Cannon: Vindicate every other Untap step.
• Etched Champion + Batterskull: 6/6 Lifelink, Vigilance, 'psued-unblockable' pain-train.
• Myr Turbine + Coat of Arms: aggro route, often complemented by Myr Battlesphere off of Turbine's second ability. 
• Inkwell Leviathan + Sculpting Steel + Phyrexian Metamorph: what's better than a 7/11 Shroud, Trample, Islandwalk? Three of them!
• Planar Portal + Caged Sun: Tapping Islands for UU helps feed the mana-hungry portal. 
• Darksteel Citadel + Mana Vault + Mox Opal: turn 1 Arcum. Hasn't actually happened yet, but I cross my fingers every game. 
• Spine of Ish Sah + Sculpting Steel + Krark-Clan Ironworks + Etherium Sculptor + Shimmer Myr: Free, Instant-speed, recurrable Vindicate. Basically ends games that have gone on longer than three hours.

Although the deck runs about as smoothly as I could ask, there are a few cards I might replace. Beguiler of Wills works well with Myr Battlesphere, but Vedalken Shackles are better in a vacuum. Witchbane Orb prevents Drain Life and infinite combos, but is often a dead draw. I'm trying Crystal Shard right now to protect Arcum or punish tap-outs, but it isn't doing as much work as I would have liked. These cards are mostly metagame choices that switch out often. Cards I've considered adding are the aforementioned Vedalken Shackles (for game-changers like Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite), but non-bos with Unwinding Clock), Brainstorm (for those awkward times when you draw the tutorable answer), and Epochrasite (returning Arcum target).

As far as Theros is concerned, the only card I'm genuinely interested in is Curse of the Swine. Blue has trouble spot-removing creatures as it is, and once you throw indestructibility or recursion into the mix, I really only have Brittle Effigy (which exiles itself). Curse of the Swine allows me to answer a number of Avacyn-buffed beaters from Kaalia of the Vast and lets me go over High Market for all but one creature in Karador, Ghost Chieftain. The Bacon leftovers can easily be cleaned up by an Evacuation or Steel Hellkite. Devotion, on the other hand has no place here. Although the mechanic works best in a mono-colored deck, Arcum only has thirteen Blue permanents and Phyrexian Metamorph barely counts. That aside, I'm hopeful that the rest of the set will bring more goodies.

I hope you enjoyed this Into the Deck Box and feel free to ask any questions, make suggestions, etc. Next month, once the set drops like a fat beat, I'll bring you the Top 8 Commander cards from Theros. Until next time, folks!

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-Javier Remy

Unlimited Dimensions: Introduction to Cube Design

I'd like to start off with a little mental exercise. Imagine, if you will, you are a Magic player. You have been playing for a good amount of time. You've gone from liking the game to loving the game. You want to make a commitment. You want to take your favorite aspects of Constructed, Limited, and Casual fun and combine them all into a time-consuming and rewarding endeavor. You want to build... a Cube.

Wait, what? 

Alright, perhaps a bit of explanation is in order. Cube is loosely defined as a format composed of a collection of the best Magic cards ever printed. The primary function of this collection is Limited play, i.e. Draft and Sealed. Most Cubes abide by a 'singleton' rule that states no nonbasic card with the same printed name are allowed much like EDH. That's pretty much the long and short of it; the format itself is relatively open-ended.

Starting Off:

There is no wrong way to construct a Cube; however, it is most helpful to have some semblance of direction. Choosing from the list below provides a strong starting point as these Cube types already have supporting theory within the community. Also, what kinds of cards someone personally enjoys can inform this decision.

• Powered: Known primary for the use of the Power Nine and similarly broken cards, this Cube is the pinnacle of overpriced and overpowered. Powered Cube is comparable to drafting Vintage decks since it features cards like Sol Ring, Library of Alexandria, and Mind Twist.
• Unpowered: The only restriction placed upon this Cube is that the previous Powered cards are considered unhealthy for Limited or completely out of budget. It is utilized and has been popularized by Magic: the Gathering Online.
• Peasant: Any cards that have ever been printed at Common or Uncommon find a place within this Cube. It is probably a solid middle ground for those who want to maintain the Cube power level experience while still keeping some money in the bank.
• Pauper: The most restrictive in terms of rarity, this Cube eschews all but cards that have been printed at Common. Many people enjoy Pauper because the gameplay focuses on what makes the five colors fundamentally unique.

The above options are by no means the only directions that can be taken. Cubes that focus on tribal synergies, specific archetypes, or amassing combinations of cards (Combos) have their own distinctive appeal.

Numbers Game:

Cube sizes can range anywhere from a nonzero number to infinity, but typically land on three integers: 360, 450, and 720. The smallest option, 360 cards, is the minimum required to provide three draftable booster packs of 15 cards to eight people at a table, or alternatively, 6 booster packs to four people for sealed. This is my personal favorite number, since it keeps the overall cost down and allows for a tightly controlled format. 450 cards is a strong middle ground if eight people regularly draft a Cube; the extra cards keep the environment from feeling too stagnant. The final possibility is the big daddy, 720 Cube. Only half of the pool will be circulating in a typical eight man draft; specific cards are much harder to find. The MTGO Cube uses this number and the large cube is probably at its best Online due to the sheer amount of people drafting it.

Establishing certain ratios between the colors, multicolor, and colorless within the Cube goes a long way for organization. About 70% of a cube will be delegated evenly to the five colors, 10% to multicolor, and the last 20% to colorless spells and lands. Using 360 as an example, these percentages roughly yield 50 of each color, 40 multicolor, and 70 colorless spells and lands.

Homework isn't so bad:

Now that the shell is in place, it is time to find some sweet cards to go in the Cube. Researching whole Cubes and specific cards is an essential step before jumping into the trading and buying phase.

The new site, Cubetutor.com is my preferred method of not only storing my cube list, but also scouring lists. The Cube Index page is a fantastic resource that provides up-to-date Cubes which have been compiled on user averages. Sites such as TappedOut.net and the MTGSalvation forums provide additional lists, but might not be as comprehensive.

Gatherer.wizards.com and Magiccards.info both have advanced search options to fill any noticeable gaps within a Cube that haven't been filled by looking at other lists. Dredging through pages of results isn't exciting, but finding diamonds in the rough definitely is.

Necessary Evils:

This last section includes things that always get glossed over, but may very well be the key parts of this whole process. First, card sleeves! Any prudent collector will advise that protecting investments is the highest priority, and only the best card sleeves can be considered for this job. Black or Silver Dragon Shields offer the most durability out of any brand I've personally used.

The Cube can't be enjoyed if there aren't enough people willing to put in a few hours. Local card shops attract players of all skill levels and can assist in founding a Cube player base if there isn't already a dedicated group. It's sad to admit that gathering interest and bodies for Cube can be a struggle. This piece requires some perseverance, and hopefully will lead to decent play-testing sessions.

Okay! Hopefully I've laid some ground work and sparked some interest in this amazing format. Join me next month when I delve into 'Designing a Better Cube'!

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-Kris Barrett