Cubes and Cube Drafts

A cube is a card list you draft from instead of a set. You build it once, then deal packs from it at a draft table as often as you like.

Building a cube#

A cube is a deck with the Cube format. Make one with + Build or Import on the Decks page and pick Cube as the format.

  • Any cards you like. There are no legality rules, so banned cards, silver border and cards legal nowhere are all fine.
  • Duplicates are fine. A quantity of 6 means six copies go into the packs.
  • No size rules beyond the usual 2,000 card deck limit.
  • Leave basic lands out. Everyone gets free basics when they build their deck, and any basics or tokens in the list are skipped when packs are dealt.

Your cubes live in Yours with the rest of your decks. The Cube filter chip shows only them. A cube never shows up when you pick a deck to play, because it is a list to draft from, not a deck.

Importing from CubeCobra or CubeForge#

In Import, use From URL and paste your CubeCobra or CubeForge cube link. It brings the cube's name, the main list, and the printing chosen for each card. CubeCobra's maybeboard and CubeForge's considering list are left behind.

A CubeForge .txt export pastes in as text just as well.

A pasted list works too, as long as each line has a quantity, like 1 Sol Ring. A list of bare card names with no numbers will not import yet.

The house cube shelf#

The Cubes section on the Decks page is a hand-picked shelf of well-known cubes: the MTGO Vintage Cube, the Pauper and Peasant cubes, LSV's, a couple of Commander cubes, some two-player Twoberts and a few themed ones. Filter by category or search by name or curator.

You don't need to copy a house cube to draft it. It shows up under House cubes when you create a cube draft table. Each one is kept in step with its curator's list on CubeCobra, so a cube that turns over every season stays current here too. Open one to see who curates it and follow the link to their page.

Want a cube added? Post it in the forum's Ideas section. The rule of thumb: public, no custom cards, under 2,000 cards, and still being updated.

Drafting a cube with your pod#

  1. Create Table and choose Cube Draft under Limited in the format list.
  2. Open Cube to Draft. Your own cubes come first, then the house shelf, each tagged with its card count.
  3. Set Packs per player, Cards per pack (5 to 30) and Min deck size (40 to 100). The label above the cube picker shows how many cards a full table needs against how many the cube has.

The table won't be created if the cube is too small. A 4 seat table with 3 packs of 15 needs 180 cards.

Only the host needs the cube. Everyone else joins and readies up like any other draft table. Nobody else sees the list, only the packs.

The draft itself is a standard one: open a pack, pick a card, pass it on, repeat. The whole cube is shuffled once and dealt out, so a card turns up at most as many times as the cube lists it. There are no rarity slots. Card borders in the pack show rarity: grey for common, blue-grey for uncommon, gold for rare, orange for mythic. Your current pick gets a thicker gold outline, and in a Commander draft a red outline marks a card outside your commander's colour identity.

Afterwards everyone builds a deck from their picks plus free basic lands, and the game starts when every deck is in.

Drafting a cube on your own#

Games, then Playtest, then Draft (pass & play), and pick your cube. You draft every seat yourself on one device. It is the quickest way to see how a cube's packs feel before bringing the pod in.

Commander cube#

Any draft table has a Plays as setting. Leave it on Standard for a normal 40-card, 20-life game, or switch it to Commander to end the draft in a Commander game instead:

  • Everyone builds a Commander deck from their picks. Any legendary creature you drafted can lead it, partners included. Mark it with Commander on the card in the deckbuilder.
  • The deck stays in your commander's colour identity. Cards outside it are flagged before you submit.
  • Minimum deck size defaults to 60 with the commander included. The host can set anything from 40 to 100.
  • Starting life is 20. Wastes join the free basic lands so a colourless commander can be built around.

It is a table setting, not a property of the cube, so the same cube can be drafted either way.

What it doesn't do yet#

  • You can draft your own cubes and the house shelf, but not another player's public cube.