I love the singleton nature and point system that Canadian Highlander offers however I find 100 cards too many, it rules out a lot of the more aggressive decks and generally favours control and midrange. This is fine, those are good games if a little on the long side! I personally think 50 would be pretty optimal for good design space. I am however going to start out with 40 as it will help me balance the points best as I am that much more familiar with the 40 card deck designs.
The points system used by Canadian Highlander and other similar formats ( I understand there is an Austrian one with 60 card decks and a point system that extends to 7). I actually think the Austrian variant is fairly optimal if you want a good vintage style meta that is well balanced yet allows the use of power. Simply put these formats all seem to be ways of playing constructive with the power available but balanced so games are more fair and decks are less intense on finances.
I wanted to do something different, rather than assure some fair number of super powered cards in every deck I wanted to create a points constructed system which forced a choice between playing with power or playing with a much higher quantity of the best of the more reasonable cards. I don't just want you to have to pay points for Black Lotus, I also want you to have to spend them on dual lands, Birds of Paradise, Lightning Bolt etc. There are two reasons for this and one mild drawback.
Logistically it is a much taller order having a point system that extends beyond the power. It is harder to balance and contains substantially more cards. Designing decks might be a little tedious simply through having to refer to the points list however I feel this is a fine trade off for the potential gains of the format. To allow for the increased range of cards I have had to increase the points per deck limit to 20. This might merit some tweaking as I am sure will the points list. I in fact intend to maintain the points list to some extent based on the number of times a card is played as well as the performance of decks.
One of the positives of having a greater number of cards on the points list is that it will diversify the meta as well as the decks. I have played enough cube that I know pretty much what I am aiming for with most archetypes and I know which directions they can go in. Certain cards just get so much more play than others and by forcing you to spend even just one or two of your twenty points on such cards will hopefully reduce the frequency they turn up and incentivize players ot be more creative. If you find a comparably good alternative to a two point card with a free card then you might be able to fit a piece of power into your list.
The second positive of this format design is how I intend to use it. I have a cube with one copy of each card while most of the people I play with either have no cards or more current stuff for constructed. I want players to be able to build their decks primarily from my cube and its substantial reserves which means strongly disincentivizing people using the same cards as other people. Costing the staple cards used in cube play will do this to some degree however I intend to take it one step further.
Usually when we get together as a group to cube we do some type of draft on the day, play the games and be done. Instead of doing that I hope to do a mini constructed tournament instead of a draft event. We will pre-designing our decks, turn up on the day and play them. As we will be 6 to 8 players I can do a highly unusual design and "registration" process.
The idea is that the number one seed (either the person who won the last event of this style or just as we choose to start us off) creates a deck using the point system. They then submit this list to the rest of the group via e-mail. Each card that they have used in the list has +1 point added to its value. Then the number two seed builds their list using the new modified points list and so on until all players have submitted their lists. The high seeds have the advantage of a slightly cheaper pool of cards to build from however the lowest seeds have a much much greater advantage in that they know what they will be facing and will be able to build accordingly.
To do this will take at least 1 day per person, perhaps two and so you will need a week or two notice before planning to do a mini tournament like this. Because of the increased cost of already used cards the hope is that very few players will use duplicate cards and there will be very very few instances of three or more copies of a card in the event. This means that it is much much more feasible to do constructed style events with a single cube and not leave out players lacking cards. I imagine I will have to proxy the odd things but it will still be a much more pleasant experience than the total proxy fest it would be without the addition of the increasing points within an event to the points system.
I have no idea how many people find themselves cubing often with people who don't themselves have many cards and so I have no idea if I am simply solving a problem exclusive to my group or one shared by the community. The primary aim of this project was to create a constructed feeling competitive environment that didn't involve some form of extensive draft precursor and would allow people to leisurely think about the design problems in their own time.
You could simply use this points system and ignore the crazy inclusive construction process if your group has all the cards. That would work well too. I will give a report on how it works out when I have managed to get one done. I expect I will have some modifications to the points list at that time however any thoughts any readers might have as to sensible changes on the points value of things would be appreciated. Here is my starting points valuation of things. There is an awful lot of one point cards, a good chunk of two points cards and then it rapidly starts to fall off from then on up.
12 Black Lotus
11 Ancestral Recall
Time Walk
Sol Ring
10 Mana Crypt
Fastbond
9 Tolarian Academy
Mishra's Workshop
8 The Good Mox
7 Tinker
Mana Drain
Time Spiral
6 Demonic Tutor
Natural Order
Upheaval
Force of Will
Show and Tell
5 Vampiric Tutor
Imperial Seal
True Name Nemesis
Time Twister
Balance
Strip Mine
Swords to Plowshares
Treasure Cruise
Imperial Recruiter
Ravages of War
4 The Sac Lands
Karakas
Armageddon
Auriok Salvagers
Academy Rector
Library of Alexandria
Shelldock Isle
Birthing Pod
Channel
Wasteland
Goblin Welder
Mind Twist
Lion's Eye Diamond
Ancient Tomb
City of Traitors
Mana Vault
Path to Exile
Lightning Bolt
Brainstorm
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
Flash
Cryptic Command
Dig Through Time
3 Sneak Attack
Survival of the Fittest
The Dual Lands
Rishidan Port
Gaea's Cradle
Lake of the Dead
Oath of Druids
Replenish
Recurring Nightmare
Yawgmoth's Will
Wheel of Fortune
Grim Monolith
Deathrite Shaman
Courser of Kruphix
Rofellos
Lotus Cobra
Bird of Paradise
Protean Hulk
Noble Hierarch
Stonefore Mystic
Aetherling
Snapcaster Mage
Thundermaw Hellkite
Dark Confidant
Griselbrand
Thoughtsieze
Necropotence
Baleful Strix
Kitchen Finks
Fire / Ice
Vindicate
Pernicious Deed
Skullclamp
Umezawa's Jitte
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Land Tax
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Pact of Negation
Cataclysm
Sulphuric Vortix
Fireblast
Sensei's Divining Top
Opposition
Trinket Mage
Wurmcoil Engine
Tangle Wire
Chrome Mox
Mox Opal
Mox Diamond
Memory Jar
Gilded Lotus
Crucible of Worlds
Brainfreeze
The Two Point Cards
2 The Shock Lands
The Man Lands
Bloodbraid Elf
Supreme Verdict
Manamorphose
Kolaghan's Command
Ashiok, the Nightmare Weaver
Dragonlord Atrarka
Lotus Petal
Emrakul, the Eons Torn
Blightsteel Colossus
Winter Orb
Spellskite
Scroll Rack
Cranial Plating
Metalworker
Frantic Search
High Tide
Temporal Manipulation
Time Warp
Foil
Personal Tutor
Mystical Tutor
Mystic Confluence
Delver of Secrets
Gitaxian Probe
Spell Pierce
Lat-Nam's Legacy
Cyclonic Rift
Negate
Counterspell
Remand
Arcane Denial
Ancestral Visions
Merchant's Scroll
Mind's Desire
Simean Spirit Guide
Seething Song
Orcish Lumberjack
Abbot of Keral Keep
Monastery Swiftspear
Goblin Guide
Young Pyromancer
Chain Lightning
Faithless Looting
Kiki Jiki Mirror Breaker
Splinter Twin
Stoke the Flames
Inferno Titan
Enlightened Tutor
Wrath of God
Day of Judgement
Terminus
Kytheon, Hero of Akros
Mother of Runes
Soulfire Grandmaster
Lingering Souls
Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Dark Ritual
Toxic Deluge
Damnation
Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Grave Titan
Liliana of the Veil
Cabal Therapy
Inquisition of Kozilek
Duress
Sinkhole
Living Death
Death Cloud
Hymn to Tourach
Yawgmoth's Bargain
Reanimate
Exhume
Llanowar Elf / Elvish Mystic / Fyndhorn Elf
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Elves of Deep Shadow
Elvish Spirit Guide
Garruk Wildspeaker
Craterhoof Behemoth
Green Sun's Zenith
Thragtusk
Primeval Titan
Worldspine Wurm
Eternal Witness
Regrowth
Tarmogoyf
Sylvan Library
The One Point Cards
1 The Pain Lands
The Filter Lands
The Check Lands
The Quick Lands
The Scry Lands
The Vivid Lands
The Battle Lands
The Bad Sac Lands
The Artifact Lands
The Tri Lands (shard and wedge)
City of Brass
Mana Confluence
Tendo's Ice Bridge
Mishra's Factory
Inkmoth Nexus
Blinkmoth Nexus
Mutavault
Kessig Wolf Run
Nykthos Shrine to Nyx
Myriad Landscape
Temple of the False God
Treetop Village
Faerie Conclave
Grove of the Burnwillows
Academy Ruins
Flagstones of Trokair
Barbarian Ring
Lightning Helix
Voice of Resurgence
Qasali Pridemage
Thopter Foundry
Lim Dul's Vault
Mirari's Wake
Time Sieve
Swans of Bryn Argoll
Sphinx of the Steel Wind
Figure of Destiny
Dack Fayden
Dreadbore
Siege Rhino
Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Coiling Oracle
Shardless Agent
Abrupt Decay
Jori En, Ruin Diver
Shadow of Doubt
Wildfire
Burning of Xinye
Magus of the Wheel
Searing Blaze
Punishing Fire
Goblin Rabblemaster
Eidolon of the Great Revel
Daretti, Scrap Savant
Burst Lightning
Grim Lavamancer
Fiery Confluence
Dualcaster Mage
Bonfire of the Damned
Goblin Lackey
Goblin Recruiter
Goblin Matron
Goblin Ringleader
Goblin Sharpshooter
Mana Flare
Siesmic Assualt
Obliterate
Jokulhaups
Empty the Warrens
Scrap Mastery
Grape Shot
Gorilla Shaman
Disenchant
Baneslayer Angel
Hallowed Spiritkeeper
Global Ruin
Wing Shards
Unexpectedly Absent
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Containment Priest
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Thalia, Guardian of Threben
Mana Tithe
Wall of Omens
Restoration Angel
Entreat the Angels
Monastery Mentor
Orim's Chant
Ethersworn Cannonist
Opalescence
Kataki, War's Wage
Solitary Confinement
Iona, Shield of Emeria
Entomb
Grey Mechant of Asphodel
Flesh Carver
Ophiomancer
Dismember
Transgress the Mind
Animate Dead
Unmask
Tendrils of Agony
Patriarch's Bidding
Hatred
Smallpox
Shriekmaw
Tainted Pact
Liliana, Heretical Healer
Ad Nauseam
Goyro's Vegeance
Corpse Dance
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Den Protector
Aluren
Heartbeat of Spring
Priest of Titania
Wirewood Symbiote
Heritage Druid
Glimpse of Nature
Sylvan Caryatid
Explore
Sakura Tribe Elder
Wall of Roots
Reclaimation Sage
Hermit Druid
Crop Rotation
Nostalgic Dreams
Scavenging Ooze
Joraga Treespeaker
Arbor Elf
Avenger of Zendikar
Hornet Queen
Oath of Nissa
Strangleroot Giest
Worldly Tutor
Summoner's Pact
Woodfall Primus
Terastodon
Spell Snare
Force Spike
Mental Misstep
Mana Leak
Memory Laspe
Windfall
Snap
Jace Beleren
Jace, Architect of Thought
Fact or Fiction
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Glen Elandra Archamge
Phyrexian Metalmorph
Vendilion Clique
Gush
Inkwell Leviathan
Treachery
Serum Visions
Ponder
Preordain
Opt
Slight of Hand
Temporal Mastery
Looter il-Kor
Impulse
Mindbreak Trap
Thirst for Knowledge
Tezzeret the Seeker
Turnabout
Dream Halls
Mind Over Matter
Daze
Stifle
Intuition
Palinchron
Talismans
Signets
Ankh of Mishra
Cursed Scroll
Sword of Fire and Ice
Batterskull
Elixir of Immortality
Thran Dynamo
Vedalken Shackles
Myr Battleshpere
Sundering Titan
Zuran Orb
Lotus Bloom
Engineered Explosives
Phyrexian Revoker
Arcbound Ravager
Black Vise
Myr Retriever
Voltaic Key
Aether Vial
Goblin Charbelcher
Mishra's Helix
Sphere of Resistance
First amendment to this is going to have to be a points increase to 30 per deck and a slight raise (<50%) to those few cards valued at 5 or more points. I also feel I probably need to reduce the price of sac lands to 3 as well. The reason for all this being the savage degree this system nerfs 3 or more colour decks. At 20 points you cannot even build a good mana base with 20 points, let alone putting in powerful spells.
ReplyDeletewhat do you think of the riptide lab forums format? breaking singleton
ReplyDeletejoin the board on riptide lab forums. youll be at home
DeleteHi Dan, I've spoken with Jason Waddell about non-singleton cube. Essentially he is right, the best and most balanced cubes come from breaking the singleton rule. The issue for me is again a logistical one. I don't have the time to test out all the variants of card rations nor do I have the money to create such a cube!
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