Announcing: Cube Spotlight Series!
Greetings, friends! Today I am happy to announce the arrival of the Cube Spotlight Series on the TL:R server! This has been a longtime dream of mine, to share my love of this unique format that not only by its very nature almost requires community support, but also thrives on, enhances, and is compounded by the community around it.
Cube is both the most pure form of Magic and the least Magic-like format I have encountered yet. The near-infinite degree to which a Cube can be customized, the fathomless depth of the available card pool to draw from, the boundless creativity of the human spirit, and the expression of these to meet any of a number of varying goals means that no two Cubes are alike, and even the same Cube will play differently each time.
By hosting this recurring, bi-weekly draft series, I aim to continue strengthening our community through shared experience, providing opportunity for creative expression both in gameplay and cube creation, fostering mentorship between players and creators of all skill levels, and offering a "palate cleanse" for those who may be experiencing burn-out from the more competitive aspects of other formats.
I have compiled a brief FAQ, though I welcome any questions not answered (and those not answered satisfactorily) to be brought to the ask-a-judge or tavern channels in the official TL:R discord. I do suggest pinging me (@Gray | Judge Dad), which can help increase visibility of your query. It is my sincere hope that, if you don't already, Cube can be a way for you to experience the unbounded joy of Magic (and its communities) that I feel.
As always, be safe, be well, and be good to each other. - Gray, Judge Dad
What is the “Cube Spotlight Series”?
The Cube Spotlight Series is a new, recurring, no-stakes event for Cube and Limited fans of all ages and skill levels. On a bi-weekly basis (at least at the start), I will host a Cube draft on the TL:R server showcasing a different Cube. Participation is entirely at-will, players can join as often or as little as they like, and there is no harm to losing or boon to winning (unless you count bragging rights, though don’t take it too far).
What is a “Cube”?
A Cube is a specially curated draft environment, sometimes with rules changes for draft and/or gameplay. There is no specific description of “what” for a Cube, as a Cube can be whatever the designer wants it to be (though there are some “typical” traits). Most cubes are 360+ cards, often include a number of nonbasic lands for utility and/or mana fixing, and are designed to be drafted as 3x15 (3 packs of 15 cards) with normal gameplay rules. Some cubes can vary from these characteristics quite wildly, it’s truly an expressionist format!
How do you draft a Cube?
For the most common method, players will draft cards by opening a pack, selecting one card, and pass the remaining cards to their left. They then pick up the pack being passed from their right, select one card, and once the pack they are passing is picked up, pass the new pack to their left. This process repeats until no cards remain in the pack. Then the next pack is opened, and the process begins anew, this time passing to the right. The third pack follows the same path as the first pack.
Note that some Cubes may have different rules regarding the number of cards in a pack, the number of packs being opened, the number of cards picked at a time, or even the contents of a pack. Desert Cubes, a variety of cube where players can only use lands they draft, often use a combination of these variations to help ensure players have sufficient mana to play. Always check if a cube has special rules before drafting, as gameplay rules can also affect card choices.
What Cube(s) will be used for the Spotlight Series?
The inaugural draft, special occasions, holidays, and certain circumstances the host (most often me) will decide the Cube. Typically the winner(s) of the previous draft will get to choose the next Cube. The inaugural draft and drafts without a winner selection will use Tiny-Leaders-In-A-Box. Special occasions and holidays may use thematically-appropriate cubes, such as Horror Flick for Halloween.
Is choice of the next Cube the only “prize”?
Not always. For certain cubes winners may also have the choice of changing one card in the Cube. For some Cubes, a flawless victory can grant an additional swap choice.
How are Cubes drafted and played?
Server-hosted drafts will be conducted with Draftmancer.com as the draft engine. Games will be played on Cockatrice.
How will I know about an upcoming draft?
Those interested in Cubing will be able to get the “Cuber” role. The Monday prior to a draft, an announcement will be made pinging this role listing the date(s) and time(s) of the draft flight(s), a link to the flight-specific thread(s), and a brief description of the Cube with a link to the CubeCobra list. This information will also be the first post of the thread, and the thread will serve as the communication hub for that flight. Questions pertaining to the draft may be asked and answered in that thread as well.
What is a “flight”?
A draft flight is a term that broadly means “draft session”, with more nuanced applications not really applying to our purposes (usually pertaining to multiple sessions with or without changes to the card pool).