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I’m Usman, the designer of Ravnica Cube. I’ve been playing Magic since 1994—when you could get easily grab Fallen Empires packs just about anywhere. I’ve been deep in the trenches of cube design for over a decade, creating my first cube in 2009. I was the first cube writer to regularly write about Cube and started writing about Cube in 2010 for Quiet Speculation, Star City Games, and at my current home CoolStuffInc. I’ve also been podcasting about Cube with my friend Anthony since 2010—our initial episode spotlighted Stoneforge Mystic and why people should play it more often, and we’ve been #blessed to have several card preview episodes, including one for Dragon’s Rage Channeler! (I’ve provided links to my written content in my Linktree at the end of the article, as well as a card list for Ravnica Cube.)
I’ve generally been the type to challenge cube design orthodoxy (arguably more so in my youth), and this cube is one that’s different from the norm.
While the context of Cube is, for many, defined within the context of Magic Online‘s Legacy Cube and Vintage Cube, this cube is more akin to the roots of Cube, and how the roots of Cube initially started with a high multicolor focus. Because of the constraints of the cube (making it mostly Ravnica with some Plane-generic cards to fill in the holes), it’s closer to a Masters set than what many people think of with Cube, albeit with modern cube design theory in mind.
This cube is a 540-card cube that focuses more on multicolor than the average cube, with more lands and smaller WUBRG and artifact sections. While it does not have the Ravnica signets, there’s artifact ramp with the Keyrune cycle, Chromatic Lantern, Prophetic Prism, and more!
And while it isn’t comprised solely of cards from Ravnica, most of the cards are, and the non-Ravnica cards make sense within the context of the Plane, and you wouldn’t bat an eye seeing one in a Ravnica-themed set. Because the power level is closer to a Masters set than your normal cube, I’ve opted not to include some of the more powerful cards from the block that can take over a game by themselves, like Hydroid Krasis or some of the extremely powerful, punishing cards, like Teferi, Time Raveler.
Lands!
The Plane of Ravnica is lush with mana! In many non-restricted cubes, the fetch-dual mana base is generally a given, because they help to unlock mana costs so easily.
In this cube, I’ve not included the Onslaught and Zendikar fetch lands, but I’ve included a myriad of dual lands, including Ravnica‘s shock lands and a bevy of other multicolor-producing lands and some other miscellaneous utility lands.
Although this cube doesn’t have the tried-and-true fetch-dual mana bases, this cube has more mana-producing lands than the average cube. Play those spells!
Since I’m able to utilize more multicolor cards than the average cube (about 200 of the cards are multicolor, hybrid included, but 135 without hybrid included, which is no slouch), I utilized the multicolor slots to help guide the direction of the color pairs, although you certainly are by no means obligated to play the color pairs and triads in that manner.
Boros
For much of the life of the Boros Legion’s history in Magic, it was centered around combat—attacking in legions, and looking for a wide board to take down the opponent quickly. In Ravnica Cube, Boros plays similarly, using the color pair’s aggression to push through damage with wide boards of aggressive creatures.
Cards like Deafening Clarion are more for other colors to splash, but much of the rest of the color pair plays about how you’d expect it to.
Rakdos
Rakdos plays similarly as a color pair without any cards over a mana value of 4, apart from Bedeck // Bedazzle. Black plays more of a support role with its strong removal spells, and Rakdos is mainly about playing on that axis: play cheap creatures, disrupt the opponent, and overwhelm.
While there aren’t direct Hellbent payoffs aside from the Rakdos-flavored Wheel of Misfortune, cards like Pestilent Spirit work best in Rakdos by letting your burn scale up better. Like Orzhov, it’s also able to use black’s cards that care about creatures dying, providing extra value to burn when it’s not going face.
Gruul
Gruul still loves to smash and plays the part of an aggressive midrange deck by using its larger creatures and cards that tower over smaller creatures. It goes over the top of aggressive decks while aggressively putting pressure on the slower decks of the format with cards like Gruul Spellbreaker, Earthshaker Giant, Deadbridge Goliath, and Nullhide Ferox.
To make it so that Gruul punishes one-for-one removal game plans, it’s able to use cards that emulate the “British Racing Green” archetype from John Terrill’s Cultic Cube. Although it doesn’t utilize the same cards, like Troll Ascetic, Vorapede, and Nightpack Ambusher, it has some tools like Reach of Branches, which trigger off of Stomping Grounds and the other Forest dual lands!
Izzet
The weird Izzet guild also plays similarly to how it generally plays in Ravnica: burninating creatures and drawing cards. I’ve included the many iterations of Niv-Mizzet, not only because of his vain and ever-changing nature, but to provide some strong payoffs for playing the color pair.
Dimir
Dimir’s role in this cube is similar to how it plays from most Planes, as a controlling color pair that utilizes black’s strong removal package and blue’s instant-speed card draw. It can play a Draw-Go style game that plays whatever it can as removal, or as a roadblock with upside, like Dimir Infiltrator.
Azorius
Azorius plays a few different roles in this cube, playing as a control archetype that leverages its control elements and mass removal, à la Time Wipe, but also is able to act as a tempo-style, aggro-control type of deck, using Greg Hatch’s one-time favorite Sky Hussar to leverage small bodies for card advantage, and white’s bevy of one-drops and cheap interaction to disrupt slower game plans.
Selesnya
Perennial everyman, Selesnya plays a wider midrange game than Gruul because of convoke and its payoffs for going wide. Since there aren’t as many mass-removal effects as there are in your average cube, you aren’t as punished for going wide—but be careful of those that exist! White’s token payoffs, like Divine Visitation and Song of the Worldsoul, reward you for caring about tokens as well.
Golgari
Initially, Golgari was a graveyard deck since it’s synonymous with the archetype, but it just wasn’t getting there in this environment. It wasn’t very consistent, and it had a very feast/famine style of gameplay that I wasn’t a fan of. Instead, Golgari is similar to how it plays in its non-Ravnica forms, as the archetypical midrange deck, chock-full of removal and ways to utilize the recursive black creatures if it wants a more aggressive lean. Good ol’ rock.
Simic
The counter theme that encapsulated the Simic combine wasn’t working in this environment, so it’s more of a flash color pair. if Azorius is a split identity of tempo and control, Simic is a split of tempo and ramp, with the color pair having interaction that puts out board presence while having payoffs for ramping into bigger spells.
Orzhov
Lastly, Orzhov. In cubes, it generally manifests as disruption, a supplement to control or a path for Aristocrats via sacrifice synergy. On this Plane, it plays a bit of all of those as well—cards like Humiliate, Shrieking Grotesque, and Sin Collector play to the disruptive aggro angle of the deck, but the deck also works with cards like Ogre Slumlord, Vindictive Vampire, and Malefic Scythe that reward you for creatures dying.
Mostly Green
On the Plane of Ravnica, green represents growth in various forms, and in this cube, it can be utilized to branch into other colors. It’s one of the better ways to play the five-color Niv-Mizzet Reborn decks!
Hybrids
Although the Plane of Ravnica is light on artifacts, I’ve utilized hybrids from the Ravnica blocks and various other Planes, like Shadowmoor, to bring in a lot of hybrid cards to act as the archetypal “glue” for multiple decks to use, as well as bolstering monocolor or mostly monocolor decks.
There isn’t direct payoff like Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, but this cube does utilize the two-, three-, and four-cost hybrid cards to help more aggressive-leaning decks with warm bodies. Cards like Civic Saber, Bloodhall Ooze, Battle Brawler, Wandering Champion, and Conqueror’s Flail provide some incidental benefits for creatures that have multiple colors.
Don’t feel like you have to utilize both halves of a Guildmage to use one. Selesnya Guildmage is just fine with only white or green mana, although the mana fixing does help to activate those abilities in decks that may not normally be able to use them if needed.
I hope that you enjoy my spotlight cube—thanks to Wizards of the Coast for the opportunity!
Check out my links on my Linktree!
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Click here for the full cube list
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Card Name Color Benevolent Bodyguard White Boros Elite White Dauntless Bodyguard White Doomed Traveler White Elite Vanguard White Haazda Marshal White Healer’s Hawk White Hunted Witness White Law-Rune Enforcer White Selfless Savior White Azorius Arrester White Daring Skyjek White Hero of Precinct One White Precinct Captain White Seasoned Hallowblade White Sunhome Stalwart White Tithe Taker White Tomik, Distinguished Advokist White Wandering Champion White Martyr’s Soul White Militia Bugler White Orzhov Advokist White Battle Screech White Keeper of the Accord White Angel of Grace White Scion of Vitu-Ghazi White Condemn White Bathe in Light White Unbreakable Formation White Sunlance White Council’s Judgment White Single Combat White Ancestral Blade White Demotion White Blind Obedience White Bonds of Faith White Pacifism White Prison Realm White Conclave Tribunal White Faith’s Fetters White Martial Law White Divine Visitation White Song of the Worldsoul White Benthic Biomancer Blue Pteramander Blue Augur of Bolas Blue Fblthp, the Lost Blue Aven Eternal Blue Drift of Phantasms Blue Jace’s Archivist Blue Gigantoplasm Blue Murmuring Mystic Blue Spark Double Blue Sphinx of Foresight Blue Mesmerizing Benthid Blue Dream Eater Blue Soul of Ravnica Blue Narset, Parter of Veils Blue Kasmina, Enigmatic Mentor Blue Consider Blue Gigadrowse Blue Opt Blue Quicken Blue Rapid Hybridization Blue Repeal Blue Syncopate Blue Disdainful Stroke Blue Essence Capture Blue Lazotep Plating Blue Mission Briefing Blue Muddle the Mixture Blue Quench Blue Radical Idea Blue Remand Blue Spell Rupture Blue Telling Time Blue Sinister Sabotage Blue Chemister’s Insight Blue Precognitive Perception Blue Psychic Spiral Blue Callous Dismissal Blue Shimmer of Possibility Blue Clear the Mind Blue Compulsive Research Blue Quasiduplicate Blue Dream Leash Blue Gutterbones Black Pilfering Imp Black Plagued Rusalka Black Battle Brawler Black Despoiler of Souls Black Eternal Taskmaster Black Lazotep Reaver Black Orzhov Enforcer Black Thrill-Kill Assassin Black Midnight Reaper Black Pestilent Spirit Black Plaguecrafter Black Undercity Informer Black Vizier of the Scorpion Black Desecration Demon Black Keening Banshee Black Slum Reaper Black Spawn of Mayhem Black Vindictive Vampire Black Ogre Slumlord Black Skeletal Vampire Black The Haunt of Hightower Black Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage Black Darkblast Black Devour Flesh Black Doom Blade Black Last Gasp Black Liliana’s Triumph Black Terror Black Ultimate Price Black Seize the Soul Black Duress Black Spark Harvest Black Finale of Eternity Black Night’s Whisper Black Bleeding Edge Black Cry of the Carnarium Black Drill Bit Black Toll of the Invasion Black Ritual of Soot Black Malefic Scythe Black Dead Weight Black Dreadhorde Invasion Black Bloodhall Ooze Red Fireblade Charger Red Foundry Street Denizen Red Frenzied Goblin Red Goblin Banneret Red Goblin Glory Chaser Red Grim Initiate Red Legion Loyalist Red Scorched Rusalka Red Tin Street Dodger Red Ash Zealot Red Firefist Striker Red Goblin Cratermaker Red Gore-House Chainwalker Red Krenko’s Command Red Guttersnipe Red Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin Red Legion Warboss Red Pyrewild Shaman Red Scab-Clan Berserker Red Krenko, Mob Boss Red Rubblebelt Maaka Red Ilharg, the Raze-Boar Red Fiendish Duo Red Tibalt, Rakish Instigator Red Jaya, Venerated Firemage Red Shock Red Abrade Red Electrodominance Red Heartfire Red Jaya’s Greeting Red Lightning Strike Red Searing Spear Red Char Red Risk Factor Red Demonfire Red Lava Coil Red Light Up the Stage Red Skewer the Critics Red Wheel of Misfortune Red Mask of Immolation Red Mizzium Tank Red Seal of Fire Red Experiment One Green Pelt Collector Green Wasteland Viper Green Dryad Sophisticate Green Gyre Sage Green Incubation Druid Green Kraul Harpooner Green Paradise Druid Green Quirion Dryad Green Undercity Troll Green Vinelasher Kudzu Green Borderland Ranger Green Carven Caryatid Green Civic Wayfinder Green Evolution Sage Green Renegade Krasis Green Selesnya Eulogist Green Slaughterhorn Green Beast Whisperer Green Deadbridge Goliath Green Nullhide Ferox Green Penumbra Spider Green Yeva, Nature’s Herald Green Conclave Naturalists Green Indrik Stomphowler Green Mitotic Slime Green Earthshaker Giant Green Protean Hulk Green End-Raze Forerunners Green Vivien, Champion of the Wilds Green Beast Within Green Chord of Calling Green Reach of Branches Green Prey Upon Green Farseek Green Finale of Devastation Green Sprouting Renewal Green Explosive Vegetation Green Vivid Revival Green Planewide Celebration Green Squirrel Sanctuary Green Urban Utopia Green Guardian Project Green Judge’s Familiar White-Blue Azorius Guildmage White-Blue Curse of Chains White-Blue Puresight Merrow White-Blue Augury Adept White-Blue Dovin, Hand of Control White-Blue Plumeveil White-Blue Mirrorweave White-Blue Thistledown Liege White-Blue Cunning Nightbonder Blue-Black Dimir Guildmage Blue-Black Inkfathom Infiltrator Blue-Black Sygg, River Cutthroat Blue-Black Nightveil Specter Blue-Black Whisper Agent Blue-Black Footlight Fiend Black-Red Rakdos Cackler Black-Red Rakdos Guildmage Black-Red Rakdos Shred-Freak Black-Red Ashenmoor Gouger Black-Red Fulminator Mage Black-Red Angrath, Captain of Chaos Black-Red Ashenmoor Liege Black-Red Din of the Fireherd Black-Red Tattermunge Maniac Red-Green Wild Cantor Red-Green Gruul Guildmage Red-Green Vexing Shusher Red-Green Boggart Ram-Gang Red-Green Boartusk Liege Red-Green Giant Solifuge Red-Green Samut, Tyrant Smasher Red-Green Dryad Militant Green-White Rhys the Redeemed Green-White Safehold Elite Green-White Selesnya Guildmage Green-White Mercy Killing Green-White Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers Green-White Wilt-Leaf Liege Green-White Beckon Apparition White-Black Orzhov Guildmage White-Black Gwyllion Hedge-Mage White-Black Immortal Servitude White-Black Debtors’ Knell White-Black Blistercoil Weird Blue-Red Frostburn Weird Blue-Red Noggle Hedge-Mage Blue-Red Piston-Fist Cyclops Blue-Red Saheeli, Sublime Artificer Blue-Red Call the Skybreaker Blue-Red Deathrite Shaman Green-Black Slitherhead Green-Black Hag Hedge-Mage Green-Black Rendclaw Trow Green-Black Canker Abomination Green-Black Creakwood Liege Green-Black Sapling of Colfenor Green-Black Gleancrawler Green-Black Figure of Destiny Red-White Boros Guildmage Red-White Rise of the Hobgoblins Red-White Boros Reckoner Red-White Duergar Hedge-Mage Red-White Blade Historian Red-White Biomass Mutation Green-Blue Cold-Eyed Selkie Green-Blue Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner Green-Blue Selkie Hedge-Mage Green-Blue Snakeform Green-Blue Spitting Image Green-Blue Azorius Charm White-Blue Dovin’s Veto White-Blue Absorb White-Blue Azorius Herald White-Blue Azorius Keyrune White-Blue Court Hussar White-Blue Deputy of Detention White-Blue Elite Guardmage White-Blue Grand Arbiter Augustin IV White-Blue Supreme Verdict White-Blue Sky Hussar White-Blue Time Wipe White-Blue Warrant // Warden White-Blue Dimir Charm Blue-Black Dimir Infiltrator Blue-Black Lazav, the Multifarious Blue-Black Tyrant’s Scorn Blue-Black Dimir Keyrune Blue-Black Shadowmage Infiltrator Blue-Black Notion Thief Blue-Black Far // Away Blue-Black Ribbons of Night Blue-Black Dinrova Horror Blue-Black Discovery // Dispersal Blue-Black Connive // Concoct Blue-Black Angrath’s Rampage Black-Red Dreadbore Black-Red Dreadhorde Butcher Black-Red Rakdos Charm Black-Red Rakdos Headliner Black-Red Rix Maadi Reveler Black-Red Squealing Devil Black-Red Bedevil Black-Red Judith, the Scourge Diva Black-Red Rakdos Keyrune Black-Red Crypt Champion Black-Red Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch Black-Red Carnival // Carnage Black-Red Bedeck // Bedazzle Black-Red Cindervines Red-Green Domri’s Ambush Red-Green Goblin Anarchomancer Red-Green Gruul Charm Red-Green Savage Twister Red-Green Tin Street Hooligan Red-Green Domri, Anarch of Bolas Red-Green Gruul Keyrune Red-Green Gruul Spellbreaker Red-Green Rhythm of the Wild Red-Green Ghor-Clan Rampager Red-Green Ruric Thar, the Unbowed Red-Green Thrash // Threat Red-Green Selesnya Charm Green-White Voice of Resurgence Green-White Congregation at Dawn Green-White Knight of Autumn Green-White March of the Multitudes Green-White Selesnya Keyrune Green-White Advent of the Wurm Green-White Glare of Subdual Green-White Loxodon Hierarch Green-White Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves Green-White Trostani Discordant Green-White Trostani’s Summoner Green-White Assure // Assemble Green-White Cruel Celebrant White-Black Humiliate White-Black Orzhov Charm White-Black Kaya, Orzhov Usurper White-Black Mortify White-Black Oath of Kaya White-Black Orzhov Keyrune White-Black Shrieking Grotesque White-Black Sin Collector White-Black Teysa, Orzhov Scion White-Black Basilica Bell-Haunt White-Black Kaya’s Wrath White-Black Pyrrhic Revival White-Black Revival // Revenge White-Black Izzet Charm Blue-Red Electrolyze Blue-Red Ionize Blue-Red Izzet Keyrune Blue-Red Crackling Drake Blue-Red Experimental Overload Blue-Red Fire // Ice Blue-Red Hypersonic Dragon Blue-Red Expansion // Explosion Blue-Red Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius Blue-Red Niv-Mizzet, Parun Blue-Red Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind Blue-Red Nucklavee Blue-Red Abrupt Decay Green-Black Assassin’s Trophy Green-Black Lotleth Troll Green-Black Putrid Leech Green-Black Golgari Keyrune Green-Black Putrefy Green-Black Varolz, the Scar-Striped Green-Black Status // Statue Green-Black Underrealm Lich Green-Black Casualties of War Green-Black Deadbridge Chant Green-Black Izoni, Thousand-Eyed Green-Black Aurelia’s Fury Red-White Boros Challenger Red-White Boros Charm Red-White Justice Strike Red-White Lightning Helix Red-White Skyknight Vanguard Red-White Boros Keyrune Red-White Deafening Clarion Red-White Tajic, Legion’s Edge Red-White Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice Red-White Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant Red-White Heroic Reinforcements Red-White Integrity // Intervention Red-White Coiling Oracle Green-Blue Combine Chrysalis Green-Blue Plaxmanta Green-Blue Simic Ascendancy Green-Blue Simic Charm Green-Blue Bounding Krasis Green-Blue Plaxcaster Frogling Green-Blue Simic Keyrune Green-Blue Frilled Mystic Green-Blue Prime Speaker Vannifar Green-Blue Mystic Genesis Green-Blue Urban Evolution Green-Blue Prime Speaker Zegana Green-Blue Hit // Run Jund Ghired, Conclave Exile Naya Pure // Simple Naya Chamber Sentry Five-Color Niv-Mizzet Reborn Five-Color Signal Pest Colorless Monoskelion Colorless Civic Saber Colorless Conqueror’s Flail Colorless Glass of the Guildpact Colorless Prophetic Prism Colorless Sword of the Animist Colorless Chromatic Lantern Colorless Heirloom Blade Colorless Heraldic Banner Colorless Bottled Cloister Colorless Tome of the Guildpact Colorless Sphinx of the Guildpact Five-Color Adarkar Wastes Land Azorius Chancery Land Celestial Colonnade Land Deserted Beach Land Glacial Fortress Land Hallowed Fountain Land Hengegate Pathway Land Mystic Gate Land Seachrome Coast Land Clearwater Pathway Land Creeping Tar Pit Land Darkslick Shores Land Dimir Aqueduct Land Drowned Catacomb Land Shipwreck Marsh Land Sunken Ruins Land Underground River Land Watery Grave Land Blackcleave Cliffs Land Blightstep Pathway Land Blood Crypt Land Dragonskull Summit Land Graven Cairns Land Haunted Ridge Land Lavaclaw Reaches Land Rakdos Carnarium Land Sulfurous Springs Land Copperline Gorge Land Cragcrown Pathway Land Fire-Lit Thicket Land Gruul Turf Land Karplusan Forest Land Raging Ravine Land Rockfall Vale Land Rootbound Crag Land Skarrg, the Rage Pits Land Stomping Ground Land Branchloft Pathway Land Brushland Land Overgrown Farmland Land Razorverge Thicket Land Selesnya Sanctuary Land Stirring Wildwood Land Sunpetal Grove Land Temple Garden Land Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree Land Wooded Bastion Land Brightclimb Pathway Land Caves of Koilos Land Concealed Courtyard Land Fetid Heath Land Godless Shrine Land Isolated Chapel Land Orzhov Basilica Land Shambling Vent Land Shattered Sanctum Land Cascade Bluffs Land Izzet Boilerworks Land Riverglide Pathway Land Shivan Reef Land Spirebluff Canal Land Steam Vents Land Stormcarved Coast Land Sulfur Falls Land Wandering Fumarole Land Blooming Marsh Land Darkbore Pathway Land Deathcap Glade Land Golgari Rot Farm Land Hissing Quagmire Land Llanowar Wastes Land Overgrown Tomb Land Twilight Mire Land Woodland Cemetery Land Battlefield Forge Land Boros Garrison Land Clifftop Retreat Land Inspiring Vantage Land Needle Spires Land Needleverge Pathway Land Rugged Prairie Land Sacred Foundry Land Sundown Pass Land Barkchannel Pathway Land Botanical Sanctum Land Breeding Pool Land Dreamroot Cascade Land Flooded Grove Land Hinterland Harbor Land Lumbering Falls Land Simic Growth Chamber Land Yavimaya Coast Land Blast Zone Land Ghost Quarter Land Guildmages’ Forum Land Karn’s Bastion Land Mana Confluence Land Mobilized District Land Mutavault Land Pillar of the Paruns Land Rogue’s Passage Land Thespian’s Stage Land Vivid Crag Land Vivid Creek Land Vivid Grove Land Vivid Marsh Land Vivid Meadow Land
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