>>> # 🧊 Defender of the Polyverse 🧊 <<< >>>_Note that my own understanding of my goals is constantly evolving, and best outlined through my [changelog posts](https://cubecobra.com/cube/blog/polyversal)._<<< > >>> _An unpowered, eternal environment aiming to be fun, approachable, strategic, and elegant._ <<< >>> ## 🔭 _High level goals_ 🔭 <<< 1. **Approachable** - Avoid comprehension and trivia checks. 1. **Deep** - Enable drafters to be creative and expressive. 1. **Interactive** - The real Magic is playing together. 1. **Aesthetic** - Drafting and playing should be a beautiful experience. 1. **Functional** - Decks should have access to what they need to perform their best. 1. **Consequential** - So far as winning is concerned, choices matter! >>> ## 🔬 _Resulting decisions_ 🔬 <<< * Prioritize both draft experience and play patterns, **not** raw power. * A low mana curve, but enable decks to play at various paces. * Lots of lands - for both fixing and utility. * Abundant card selection. * Spend complexity carefully, focused on interesting build-arounds. * Prioritize cards with simply worded effects. * Avoid top-down archetypes, minimize highly narrow cards with low floors. * Avoid "win-now" bombs. * Provide plentiful and diverse interaction across all game zones. * No **hexproof** / **shroud**, or similar non-interactive mechanics. * Double-faced cards and esoteric mechanics must pass a high bar. * Game-state tracking mechanics (_monarch_, _initiative_, _daybound_, etc.) are not present. * Minimize repeatable life gain. * Keep games small - fewer game pieces with more impact > many pieces with small impact. * Don't ignore art, foiling, nostalgia, or elegance when making card choices. * Basic lands may be signed and altered for drafts marking special occasions. >>> ## 🔩 Draft tips 🔩 <<< > - The cube is singleton except for 2x fetch lands + 2x shock lands - Lots of fixing - consider your mana base to build an optimal deck. - Low curve means hands empty fast. Card advantage is powerful. - Most decks play 2 or 3 colors. - Many decks interact with the graveyard in one way or another. - Don't expect strong typal decks, fast mana, combo decks, or cheat-into-play strategies. >>> ## 🔦 Example decks 🔦 <<< > >>> Uploads of decks that have performed well. <<< | Colors | Description | |------:|:-----------| | {u}{r} | [Izzet tempo](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/c03cf3ef-07d7-4a97-b9f8-c627f06e1d5f) | | {u}{b} | [Dimir draw-go control](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/68b43cae-4dcb-41eb-8e12-2239c2b2833a) | | {u}{b}{r}{g} | [Lots of Lands](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/71797ab5-2eef-44d8-b12d-3ef0759a14ef) | {u}{b}{g} | [Bombardment](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/e20a688f-fd9e-4f8d-bf78-64594eb4e05f) | | {w}{b}{g} | [Go-wide tokens](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/2bfd15bb-1f7a-4431-9a0b-b078db1bd3b6) | | {w}{u}{b} | [ETB tempo](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/6b4c603d-803e-48ce-922d-e03a272e3cc3) | | {w}{r} | [Equipment aggro](https://cubecobra.com/cube/deck/06ab6ec4-7b53-453e-a4d1-68b2d16e6180) | >>> ## 🐐 Achievements 🏆 <<< > | Achievement | First Achieved | Who | |-------------|-------|-----| | [[Fall of the Thran]] + [[Titania, Protector of Argoth]] | 10/21/2023 | Dom | | Win with 0 cards in your library | 10/21/2023 | Dom | | Win a game with 1 life remaining | 12/02/2023 | Cara | | Awaken the [[Thing in the Ice]] | 12/02/2023 | Xander | | Attack with an infinity/infinity creature | 12/13/2023 | Cara | | Get more than 3 copies of [[Gruff Triplets]] on the field at once | 03/28/2024 | Parker | | Win a match with a deck drafted from the back of an Uber | 05/14/2024 | Jen | | Cast ~~three~~ four board-wipes in one game | 05/18/2024 | Greg | | Deploy a 5/5 [[Territorial Kavu]] | 12/07/2024 | Matt D | | Win a match with no basic lands in your deck | 06/12/2025 | Joe2 | | Infinite damage from [[Murderous Redcap]] | 06/29/2025 | Kevin Z | | Deploy a 6/6 (+) [[Territorial Kavu]] | | | | [[Wrath of God]] on an opponent's turn | | | | Lose due to mill | | | | Win due to mill | | | | Ninjutsu [[Moon-Circuit Hacker]] 3 times in a game | | | | Win a game before or on your 5th turn | | | | Deal 10 or more damage to your opponent with burn spells | | | | Go 3-0 with a 5-color deck | | | | Go 3-0 with a mono-color deck | | | | Use [[Dreadhorde Arcanist]] to cast a spell with mana value >=3 | | | | Have both a whale and a shark out together | | | | Destroy three of your opponent's lands in a game | | | | Make 10 goblins with [[Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin]] in a game | | | | ??? Suggest your own! ??? | | | >>> ## About <<< > >>> Draft data is collected and analyzed using [cube tools](https://github.com/caseydavenport/cube-tools) <<< The eponymous **[Cube, Defender of the Polyverse][cube]** video is a classic. It tells the story of a game decades in the making that puts you, the player, in control of navigating a multi-dimensional world of color. _This_ cube is much the same. It was first created in 2022, solely from cards I had haphazardly collected since 2006. Originally a way to kill time while I laid in bed with COVID-19, it is now an ongoing project reflecting my ever evolving taste for the game of **Magic**. Cards are foiled where convenient to do so, and a select few cards are hand altered by me because art is fun. I keep the exact versions and status of cards up-to-date in cube cobra. >>> **The fun cannot be halted.** <<< [cube]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aGDCE6Nrz0