Howdy Internet, R3id here with my first article, and my first on Cube Cobra!
One of the greatest aspects of the cube format is the versatility of the format and the ability for cube designers to include any and all cards in their cube. That includes both silver border cards and playtest cards! After reviewing Cube Cobra card data for cards played from sets like Unglued, Unhinged, Unstable, and Unfinity a majority of silver border cards have found homes in Un-Cubes with very few finding their way into traditional cube environments. I willing to bet that most cube enthusiasts reading this, if not all of you, can easily make an educated guess as to what the most popular silver border card is (which I will include it at the bottom of this article). With the release of Mystery Booster 2 this past year and Unknown Events at MagicCons across the globe we have been given a ton of cards (that are not specifically 'format' legal) that are absolutely playable in draft environments.
You could be wondering "Why would I consider using these cards?" These cards are fun. They have good vibes. A lot of these cards, while silver in border, are perfectly reasonable to include in your cubes, mechanics-wise. They have potential for a memorable draft and sequential gameplay... they just add a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. Also, halfway through my writing of this article it was announced that Unknown Event Cards will be legal at CubeCon 2025 in the same way that un-set cards were allowed in previous years (cards that are rules complete, unobstructive, and allowed on a case-by-case-basis). Plus, life is too short and we should just do the fun things we want to do if it suits the needs of our cubes and our drafters! No harm in trying, right?
Without any further ado...
Silver Border
Blast from the Past is the perfect embodiment of the kicker half of "everything is kicker or horsemanship." It's one of the most modal magic cards. This cheeky instant can fill slots in plenty of cube archetypes like discard, storm, graveyard matters, prowess, and more! It is currently included in 4896 cubes hosted here on Cube Cobra with several inclusions in some of the most highly-followed cubes.
Earl of Squirrel is the second most popular Un-Creature seeing play in 3054 cubes at the time of writing. It's a decently costed 6-drop that has the ability to get wildly out of hand if it is not handled properly. This card is easy to understand (from an un-perspective), supports token strategies, and could be paired excellently with thematic bite spells, like Rabid Bite. Earl of the Squirrel is featured in The Regular Cube designed by Anthonymattox, one of the most followed cubes on Cube Cobra, which definitely helps boost the popularity of this furry, yet regal, lil guy!
GO TO JAIL serves as a 1 mana Oblivion Ring with the caveat that on your opponent's upkeep there is a 1/6 chance of them being able to get their creature back with the roll of a pair of dice! Micro-chance attempts are common in other TCGs (Pokemon, Flesh and Blood, etc.) and at this point, really don't seem too silver-border in the grand scheme of things. White has notable 1 mana removal spells in Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile, why not play a game of chance and include GO TO JAIL as a potential lower power option? Currently GO TO JAIL is included in 2750 cubes.
Summon the Pack is the Booster Tutor we have at home in the fridge. Yeah it's a sorcery-speed spell that's 7 mana more... but if you're going to be dropping 8 mana into a spell, you may as well have the effect be cool and memorable! Summon the Pack is a more power-level friendly cube include that is currently played in 2191 cubes. There are many different ways to handle "additional boosters" as a cube designer. Some use leftover undrafted cards, others tote around unopened boosters, and someone out there is requiring the caster to purchase and open a booster off the shelf to support their local store (I recommend Legions as a great pack option for Summon the Pack).
Jack-In-The-Mox is one of two moxen I'll talk about in this article, and it is a TREAT! If you have never had the chance to draft a vintage / high-power environment, you should never be upset to take any variation of the original Mox Cycle (i.e. Mox Ruby), even if they are off-color because of how powerful they are. They're free real estate that often puts your drafters up on mana and the only cost is a slot in a deck. Jack-In-The-Mox does it all, with a 1/6 chance of hitting a brutal down-side, and at it's 0.2% the cost of a real (but NOT TOURNAMENT LEGAL) Mox. I am currently running this beautiful, silver Mox in my Low Budget, High Power Cube environment with great success and 2721 other cubes include it as well!
Who // What // When // Where // Why is not as notably beloved like the modal Cryptic Command, but it can serve as an excellent sideboard option in decks of almost every color. Options are everything in cube, and I love giving drafters agency to create something magical. This card brings a bit of magic for each player in the draft pod, and it's currently seeing play in 1110 cube at the moment! If you're immune to decision fatigue, check out Who // What // When // Where // Why in Isticle's Decisions, Decisions Cube.
Unknown Playtest CardsIf you have had the pleasure of attending a MagicCon in the past few years, odds are you've participated in, or at least witnessed, one of Gavin Verhey's (from Wizards of the Coast) legendary Unknown Events. If you haven't, Unknown Events are typically (but not limited to) Chaos Sealed casual-tournaments where you play 3 Rounds of Best of 3 Matches of Magic featuring a variety of recent booster packs with additional playtest cards added to your card pool. These playtest cards are literally playtest stickers stuck on top of another bulk magic card. These playtest cards range in theme from focus on the event city (At Least It's a Dry Heat in Las Vegas, Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago, etc.), playful nods towards notable content creators (The Ash Lizard for Ashlizzlle), or to other silly ideas like riffing off Aaron Forsythe's game adding a comma to a card with the word 'the' to make it legendary (Adding 'The' to The Colossal Dreadmaw).
At the time of writing this article, there are 449 unique 'playtest' cards, and PLENTY of them are great, unique, additions to cube. Currently, these cards are a difficult (and possibly expensive) to obtain if you have not attended a MagicCon.
Mox Poison, the card so nice that wizards printed it twice (once here, and then in again in the Mystery Booster 2 Playtest slot). As mentioned earlier with Jack-In-The-Mox, players are generally never upset to draft a Mox. Mox Poison's drawback of adding 2 poison counters usually limits its use to 4 activations per game, but it is a great cube inclusion. This could be especially punishing in a cube environment where proliferate is something players need to factor in! It's relatively budget at ~$2 and it can fight right in in some higher power cube environments (or lower power proliferate heavy environments!). Currently, Mox Poison is included in only 435 cubes, but considering it has been easily reprinted just a few months ago means it's more accessible than when it was originally printed as a playtest card.
Delve Too Deep, flavor-wise, is one of my favorite magic cards. You dig just a little too deep in a graveyard and now you have a 7/7 demon on your side. Delve cards, like Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time are already quite popular in cubes, but Delve Too Deep is most comparable to Murderous Cut (which is played in 15932 cubes). Unlike Murderous Cut being a straight up removal spell, Delve Too Deep requires a bit of work to set up, it has some unique modality (like the ability to remove indestructible creatures), and could swing a game by dropping a 7/7 into play. It isn't too powerful, if you assume Delve Too Deep to be an 8-drop, 7/7, kill stick. It's an awesome, fun card to consider in lower power environments, and it is only played in 50 cubes at the moment; talk about a unique addition!
If you couldn't already tell, I love modality in my magic cards, and Ensoul Ring is no different. While at a glance this looks like a way to turn one of your tokens or low-cost permanents into one of the best artifacts in cube, it also serves as a potential late game removal spell, turning a would-be blocker, standing between you and lethal, into a sol ring... It's no longer anything else! Ensoul Ring is in only found in 11 cubes right now and could fit in great in mid-to-higher power cube environments.
Original Skullclamp is just a fairer version of Skullclamp. Skullclamp is the 66th most played Cube Card, seeing play in 34494 cubes at the moment. It is a well-oiled card drawing engine! If Skullclamp is turning into a groaner in your cube, why not turn that negative into a positive and try out Original Skullclamp instead! Unlike it's predecessor (or Research & Development Successor?), Original Skullclamp is less the self-fueled engine by not providing an often favorable debuff to toughness, and leads to creative game play decisions. As a player I could see myself using a Lightning Bolt on my own creature equipped with Original Skullclamp if it means drawing into a potential out. Original Skullclamp is included in only 4 cubes and it could easily see play in a ton more.
Mana Conference could be a dual or it could be a basic. In a 4-player environment, it could even be a quad-sic! With both players making a mind-game secret choice, Mana Conference adds an element of fun to gameplay. Do you make the choice you think your opponent will make? Do you make the choice you think they want you to make? Mana Conference weighs differently depending on the length of game, or even when it is first played in a match. It is pretty low-stakes, especially in high power environments, but could be an impactful include if your cube supports archetypes like domain! Mana Conference is a chance to build your own dual, and it's a silly card to include that is currently already listed in 6 other cubes.
The Unknown Charm Five (Innistrad Charm,Kamigawa Charm,Tarkir Charm,Theros Charm and Ulgrotha Charm) are excellent cards to include in set cubes, especially if your set cube features one of the aforementioned! Jokes aside, these cards offer great utility, they are appropriately costed, and they are the set-cessors to Jund 'Em Out. These modes on these charms may cost 1 mana more than the cards referenced (Duress costs 1 mana, while Innistrad Charm costs 2) which is not a steep price to pay for utility! I really enjoy this cycle as a whole and what they potentially bring to a draft environment. Currently these cards are not all that popular, included anywhere from 4-6 cubes a piece.
Mystery Booster Playtest CardsWhen Mystery Booster Convention edition released in 2019, each booster pack included playtest cards. This was continued in 2024 when Mystery Booster 2 released! These cards, while similar to the Unknown playtest cards, are fully printed on a magic card and sometimes include a little snippet as if it were stickered on top of another card (i.e. Indicate looking as if it is printed on Vindicate).
Common Black Removal an excellent addition to a cube if you love spells like Bake Into A Pie, Grim Bounty, Blood Curdle, Grisly Spectacle. At instant speed with modality, it's an upgrade to any of those aforementioned cards while maintaining the vibes of a common removal spell. Common Black Removal could fit in great in a pauper cubes or other similar powered environments. Currently, it's only included in 54 cube lists!
Glade of the Pump Spells is pay to play, which means it can't be countered! This land drop essentially pumps a creature +2/+2 and gives trample for one mana, and Glade is immediately able to tap for 2 GG mana. Glade of the Pump Spells could be a great way to both push through damage and ramp up mana for future turns. If you are able to put Glade in from an effect due to a spell or ability, i.e. putting it into play with Elvish Reclaimer, you do not need to pay the cost to play it, and you get the pump effect. Although it may be a little confusing at first, Glade of the Pump Spells is a fun card that offers a lot of utility in a paid land drop that is currently included in 76 cubes.
Do you run a Pauper cube with no bling or special promos whatsoever? If this is you, then Lutri, Pauper Otter is the companion for you! Despite the name 'Pauper Otter', this card literally does not care about rarity. The companion restriction is tied to the color of an expansion symbol. Sorry for y'all running the FNM Promo Spellstutter Sprite in your pauper cubes, like commander, Lutri isn't welcomed. I'll admit, I'm including this card on my list because I'm a Lutri fan in every constructed format. This lil fella is legal and especially in cube. Although this isn't the most powerful companion effect, Lutri is a great way to refuel your hand stapled on a 5 mana 3/4. I'm going to test Lutri, Pauper Otter in my in-progress pauper cube, along with the other 66 designers testing the waters of the companion mechanic in pauper environments.
Luxior, Ignited soft launched Artifact Planeswalkers just a few months before we got The Aetherspark in Aetherdrift. Unlike The Aetherspark, Luxior, Ignited can be attacked as a planeswalker when equipped to a creature, but that doesn't mean it isn't unplayable! Luxior could fit in great in environments that utilize equipment heavily or environments that care about Planeswalkers or Artifacts. Right now, Luxior, Ignited is played in only 68 cubes, but is worth exploring and testing if your environment can support it!
This card, the early predecessor to the Bloomburrow Seasons cycle, was not on my radar despite it showing as the highest Mystery Booster playtest card on total cube count. I'm going out on a limb here and assuming that it's actually supposed to be Pick Your Poison from Murders at Karlov Manor, as this card seems to be quite a high cost for the effect!
Planeswalkerificate is a fun Aura that lets you build your own, less powerful, Chandra Torch of Defiance. This aura turns your creature into a planeswalker that can add mana, impulse draw, and spend toughness of your creature-walker to deal damage to any target. It's nothing flashy, it isn't overpowering most environments, but it's a fun card to include to get players out of a potential jam. Right now, Planeswalkerificate is included in 62 cubes but could be a nice cheeky interaction if you're one of the 331 cube designers who are currently running The Pride of the Hull Clade.
Stone Drake is a great card to include in your cube if you consider yourself a fan of Disney's 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice.' If you didn't piece it together, you're not alone! Stone Drake is a combination of fictional cards, Enthrall and Distract on a 4/4 Drake, named after the villain of the movie, Drake Stone. This card is nothing crazy, but a fun card to add in your cube if you like to inject a bit of history into your draft environment!
There // They're // Their is a Lesson everyone should learn. Did you catch that? Pop Quiz, did you realize that There // They're // Their is actually a lesson that can be learned (tutored from your sideboard by resolving a spell with 'Learn')? School jokes aside, this modal spell has a ton of utility. It's an instant blue swiss army knife that is totally reasonable to be included main deck even if your cube environment doesn't feature the lesson / learn mechanic. I've said it a few times and I'll say it again right there --> I love modal spells and the utility they provide. Right now There // They're // Their is only included in 73 cubes, but could be seen there, there, there, and there (your cubes)!
Wrath of Leknif is what you get when you cross the mana value of Supreme Verdict, the ability of Wrath of God, oh and tack on an Unwind untap ability for good measure. This may be, one of the best 4 mana Wraths, as the UW+ control player casting it also is able to hold up lands to defend themselves the turn after clearing the board. Supreme Verdict and Wrath of God are played in 18834 and 36834 cubes respectively, and Wrath of Leknif is a great alternative if you so choose! If you didn't already know, Leknif is 'Finkel' spelled backwards, and this spell was originally designed by Jon Finkel after his invitation win. To really drive this one home, as pointed out by u/InfernalHibiscus, this card appears to be printed on top of Finkel's actual printed invitational card, Shadowmage Infiltrator. Currently, Wrath of Leknif is only included in 239 cubes.
Wrenn and One is such a unique card, as it is a planeswalker version of Dryad Arbor that can actually tap the turn it comes down (with an uptick activation) as planeswalkers are not impacted by summoning sickness. They can also defend themselves by creating a token (a little 1/1 squirrel running out of a tree), and if you're fortunate enough to get this planeswalker to 4 loyalty and protect them, you can ultimate for a pre-combat main phase Gaea's Cradle emblem. Wrenn and One could be especially powerful in environments with a high level of proliferate support! This adorable planeswalking duo is currently included in 99 cubes... Yours could be the 100th!
Lands but not least... The Mystery Booster playtest cards, while often silly, are also exploratory design for potential future cards! Outside of the lands already mentioned, there are plenty of unique and interesting tri, dual, and other specialty lands that could fill a niche role in a landslot in your cube! Save money and replace Bayou from your cube and slap in Noxious Bayou (that thing can fit so much poison in it)! Pump up your goblin-kindred support with the goblin land, Gobland. Try lifting your drafter's spirits by ascending them to the truth of playtest cards with Temur Elevator. There are a lot of fun, supportive, lands in the Mystery Booster Playtest set that they're worth checking out. See what you could fit in with your own cubes!
Silly Ways To Start a GameNot sold on silver border or playtest cards in your cube? How about we break the ice and introduce some fun ways to decide who is on the play!
I was recently introduced to "Choose a Champion" from a buddy in my playgroup, Jr., and it is my current favorite way to start a game of Magic. You and your opponent will choose a different champion among your neighboring players and have the outcome of their die roll (or however they decided who is on the play) to serve as the outcome of your die roll. It's silly, but it gets people talking at large events and builds a bit of comradery. It's often exciting when your champion wins their die roll, or rallies from losing their die roll to ultimately winning their match!
Take two extra cards you have on the table (one creature, one non-creature), shuffle them around, and have a player pick a card. If they find the creature, they get to decide who goes first!
Take the decision making out of your hands and provide each pair of players (or provide one set to your draft pod and make them share) a set of Rock Lobster, Paper Tiger, or Scissors Lizard! General playground Rock, Paper, Scissors rules apply.
End StepI'm hoping this is a nice kickstart for others to explore the un-possible options to play(test) in their cubes! I have included the search syntax I used in my research at the bottom of this article if you would like to check out more. I'm sure there are plenty of other cards to consider or other silver border cards that went unmentioned, so feel free to let me know in the comments below, on Bluesky (@r3id.bsky.social), or reach out on any of the various Cube discords (@R3id)!
Cleanup StepYou've made it to the end (or you have skipped to see if your suspicions were correct on the most popular un-cube card). It should be no surprise that the most popular silver border card, with 5549 cube inclusions (2.17% of all cubes hosted on Cube Cobra) is.....
Cube Cobra search used: "set:ugl or set:ugh or set:unf or set:ust or set:und or set:cmb1 or set:cmb2 or set:DA1"
CMB1, CMB2 = Mystery Booster Playtest set codes
DA1 = Gavin Verhey's MagicCon Unknown Event Playtest Cards