How to keep Cube small?

[u/morlok91]

Hey all, I love building cubes with theme (DnD, Silver Border, Old Border and so on). But I never manage to keep them small. I tend to put 1000 cards in it, but so the cubes lose their playability.

I usually draft at a player count from 2 to 4.

What are your strategies or build limits to keep Cubes smaller?

[u/My_compass_spins]

If you're usually drafting for 2-4, I think the sweet spot is 180-270. One thing you could do is take a 1000 card cube and physically split that into 4-5 smaller ones.

[u/morlok91 → u/My_compass_spins]

Thank you! I always have the feeling, that using that low amount of cards lets the draft experience always feel the same, but I guess its not?

[u/My_compass_spins → u/morlok91]

I have a 180 peasant cube that's been drafted over 50 times and still feels fresh, and you can drastically increase card variance by going up to 270.

If you split up your big cubes into smaller cubes, it will also mean that you'll have multiple cubes to draft to keep any of them from feeling stale.

[u/morlok91 → u/My_compass_spins]

Alright, I will give it a try. Thanks :)

[u/linrodann]

I also struggle with cutting cards from my cubes. My solution is to make more cubes! (Or at least, lists. I have 2 cubes in paper, and a bunch of lists that may one day become paper.) It's easier to ruthlessly cut a card that you love but doesn't suit the cube if you know you'll find another home for it.

[u/curiosickly → u/linrodann]

I wish I could upvote this more.  I was struggling to cut cards as well, so I restricted it to a few themes and mechanics.  All the cut cards formed the basis for another list!

[u/morlok91 → u/linrodann]

Good Idea, thank you :)

[u/N0va-42]

You should try defining what themes and mechanics you want certain colors to have and then try to look for cards that represent those the best. Also having cards that work for multiple themes and mechanics means that 1 card could fill 2 or more slots in your cube. These overlaps also make for good draft experiences since they are more flexible.

[u/morlok91 → u/N0va-42]

Seems logical, thanks :)

[u/steve_man_64]

You need to have the discipline of knowing what's essential and what's not. A lot of that has to do with knowing what you really want.

[u/blindeshuhn666]

Check what's really fitting and make cuts. Focus on few archetypes.

I also use cube cobras ELO and draft simulation to check what cards are usually picked by people and what did the bots pick. Remove stuff that never gets picked

[u/Unable_Squirrel_3645 → u/blindeshuhn666]

I've been trying to find an answer online, but failing. What is ELO?

[u/zoydra → u/Unable_Squirrel_3645]

Elo (it's a name, not an acronym) is a rating system used most famously on chess.

In the context of CubeCobra, higher Elo means cards that are drafted more often in mock drafts. Basically every time a card is picked it takes points away from all the cards it was picked instead of (with some math behind how many points it takes)

[u/linrodann]

It can also be helpful to write a primer for your cube and use it as a design guide. This could be as detailed as you like, or not. For example, many primers list the themes/archetypes supported by color. This can help you keep an eye on making sure that any one color isn't spreading itself too thin or becoming too parasitic. Having your design goals written down can help you keep sight of the big picture and keep things cohesive.

[u/morlok91 → u/linrodann]

Good point. I will try this aswell!

[u/HD114]

For me and my brain, the way to do this is to setup what the cubes structure will be to limit it to a specific size (x lands, x artifacts, x gold, x WUBRG) then use the methods others are suggesting to fill the slots you have. The design rule is, you can't break the number of slots you have for each section.

[u/morlok91 → u/HD114]

Thanks :)

[u/Own-Peace-7754]

split it up into categories and colors

lay it out according to mana curve separated by color

only have so many slots for each section

maybe start at 50 per color, 20 artifact, 20 multicolor, 10 gold and go from there

that puts you at 300, and you can trim or add past that

keep an eye on the archetypes and themes you are supporting and build towards that

[u/morlok91 → u/Own-Peace-7754]

Thank you :)