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By: Doctor Anime, Tomer Abramovici
May 12 2014 12:00pm
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I started reviewing Theros months ago for P&P Cube but never finished it. You can check out Part 1 here where I reviewed White and Blue.

In this article I'll be finishing my review of Theros. As a bonus, I've also added my review of Born of the Gods here, as that set is small and there aren't too many cards to discuss.

 

CUBE?

Don't know what Pauper & Peasant Cubes are? Click here.

You can check out my personal Pauper Cube and Peasant Cube, which are currently being overhauled, trimmed down, and having Theros block cards added to.

 

GRADING SYSTEM

Staple. The cream of the crop. These cards will be featured in just about any cube.
Recommended. The nuts and bolts of any good cube. I highly recommend them.
Playable. Worth at least considering adding to your cube. Decent cards that sometimes make the cut.
Unlikely. Either they are bad cards, or they are good cards that require a specific cube that can support them so that they become good.
Never. Never play with these awful cards. I was going to say that these cards are only good for kindling, but turns out that they're not even good for that.
 

 

THEROS

 

BLACK

 

Boon of Erebos

Boon of Erebos - I'm a big fan of cheap, flexible tricks that can be used both offensively and defensively. I've gushed about Gods Willing and Ajani's Presence in previous articles, Boon of Erebos is a similar type of trick. It's not as good as the previous two, lacking the tasty Scry or Strive mechanics, and it actually bonks you for 2.. but it's still worth considering.

Pauper & Peasant - Playable. Undying Evil fulfills a similar role. I like Evil a little more because of its synergy with ETB effects and its ability to counter Black's -X/-X removal spells that regenerate loses to. But Boon is a decent second, since it lets you trade up with higher toughness creatures that Evil can't.

 

Disciple of Phenax

Disciple of Phenax - The 1/3 body is disappointing for a 4-drop, but the ETB effect is very strong. In Theros, it was really easy to see your opponent's entire hand and yoink the best card. I don't think it will be much different in P&P Cube, except there will be a few more times where your opponent will throw a cheap removal spell at the Disciple in response to keep the best / all cards in hand. So, worst case a 1for1, best case  2for1. Not bad at all.

Pauper - Recommended. Compares favorably to other strong 4-drops, like Gravedigger and Faceless Butcher. Pauper has smaller bodies. I happily run it here.

Peasant - Playable. There are some bigger and meaner options for Black in Peasant, such as Marsh Flitter and Skinrender. It's still a fine inclusion though if you're looking for another 4-drop.

 

Erebos's Emissary

Erebos's EmissaryA downright scary play for your opponent when he doesn't have relevant instant speed removal in hand and you have cards in hand. Without that removal, the fear of pump will make the opponent hesitate to block or attack into it, giving you a definite edge in mind games and letting you smash in unopposed or hold bigger creatures at bay. Red's burn spells and Black's -X/-X removal will have a hard time trading efficiently, giving you some resiliency against those colors. Of course, the pump is a double-edged sword, as when your opponent DOES have a relevant removal, like Path to Exile, you might end up on the receiving end of a savage 2for1. The pros definitely outweigh the risk, however, and if you Bestowed then you still have a 3/3 after with the scary pump.

Aside from the great pump mechanic, 3/3 is a beefy size, making Erebos's Emissary a fine creature by itself, and the Bestow cost is more than fair for such a powerful effect.  

Peasant - Recommended/Staple. The more I play with it, the more I love Boon of Erebos. I can't see myself ever cutting this card and highly recommend trying it out yourself.

 

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

Gray Merchant of Asphodel - Lifedrain creatures are incredibly strong in Limited, both offensively or defensively. Almost every Pauper Cube list I've seen runs Bloodhunter Bat and Blind Hunter for this reason. Gray Merchant is even better than Bloodhunter Bat. It costs more and is more defensively statted, and at worst it's a little worse than the bat, but from testing this zombie usually drains for around 4, a huge lifeswing. Gray Merchant goes a long way to let Black Midrange decks stabilize against Aggro, and gives you reach to close out games. If you have ways to replay Gray Merchant for multiple ETB triggers, well, you just win.

Pauper & Peasant - Staple. Just like the Standard environment it currently dominates, Gray Merchant is an absolute powerhouse in both Pauper and Peasant Cube.

 

Mogis's Marauder

Mogis's MarauderBlack Aggro got another treat in Theros. Marauder beats face reasonably well on turn 3, and lategame remains a relevant play by pushing through more damage against scarier board states. In short, it does exactly what Black Aggro wants to do, deal damage.

Peasant - Recommended.

 

Read the Bones

Read the Bones - Divination on steroids. The combination of scry and draw is very potent here. Comparable to Night's Whisper, which I'd say is roughly equal to. Play it. Love it.

Pauper & Peasant - Staple. One of the best card draw options, plain and simple.

 

Rescue From the Underworld

Rescue From the Underworld - Okay, I'm totally biased when it comes to talking about this card. I love it. I love everything about it. I love how the name, the superb art, and mechanics all match up wonderfully with the Greek mythology it was inspired by. I can totally imagine a hero journeying to the land of the dead, crossing the River Styx, and returning back to the land of the living with their beloved. It's fun, flavorful cards like Rescue From the Underworld that make me love Theros, and Magic in general.

Aesthetics aside, Rescue From the Underworld is actually playable. It's a very sweet response to removal, saving the targeted creature while getting another one back. All the better if the sacrificed creature has an ETB effect that you just got a second trigger from.

Of course, this card is also inconsistent. You need a creature in your graveyard, preferably a good one. It costs 5 mana, so you probably won't have the mana to cast it in response to removal. On a positive note, since the sacrifice is part of the cost, your opponent can't gib you in response with instant speed removal.

Peasant - Playable. While not always spectacular, it's a very fun pet card. If only it was 4 mana!

 

Tormented Hero

Tormented Hero - As I've mentioned in previous articles, 2-power one mana creatures are the gold standard for aggro. This is especially relevant in Black, because the card pool in Peasant & Pauper Cubes allows one to construct an incredibly power Aggro archetype. Tormented Hero joins his friends Diregraf Ghoul, Vampire Lacerator, Carnophage, to make a very consistent, very powerful Black Aggro. Ignore the Heroic ability -- it's not great and not needed.

Peasant - Recommended. An integral part of Black Aggro.

 

RED

 

Deathbellow Raider

Deathbellow Raider - Big for its cost with a nasty restriction. A strong early play that quickly sours later in the game when your opponent has a bigger blocker. The regeneration is alright, giving you the option of holding on to it for a while if you want.

Pauper - Playable. A decent play for aggro decks.

Peasant - Unlikely. Red aggro has better options.

 

Fanatic of Mogis

Fanatic of Mogis - Red players fell in love with Fanatic the moment they started playing it in Limited. It applies pressure or is an outright finisher, exactly what Red wants from an upper end spell. Peasant Cube is no different.

Peasant - Recommended.

 

Ill-Tempered Cyclops

Ill-Tempered Cyclops - Hill Giant with some upside is becoming the norm for 4-mana red commons. Rubblebelt Maaka and Gorehorn Minotaurs are strong cards that the Cyclops can find company with. Lategame turnining into a 6/6 trampler is huge in P&P Cube, though it's unlikely it will live long enough to swing as that.

Pauper - Recommended. Competes well with alternative 4-mana creatures.

Peasant - Unlikely. The upgrade from Pauper to Peasant 4-mana options is enormous. Cyclops cannot stand with Flametongue Kavu and friends.

 

Lightning Strike

Lightning Strike - A functional reprint of Searing Spear.

Pauper & Peasant - Recommended. Worse than Lightning Bolt or Incinerate, but still excellent.

 

Magma Jet

Magma Jet - A reprint with sweet art. The size of creatures in Peasant Cube are on average smaller than most other formats so Magma Jet is fairly consistent removal and that Scry 2 is amazing.

Peasant - Recommended/Staple.

 

Purphoros's Emissary

Purphoros's Emissary - Cubers at least initially overlooked this Emissary, but it turns out he's just as great as the rest of the cycle. Aggressive beatdown at its finest, cast as a creature or as a lategame finisher with Bestow.

Peasant - Recommended. If you haven't tried it out yet, please do! You won't be disappointed.

 

Spearpoint Oread

Spearpoint Oread - 2/2 first strike is underwhelming as a 3-drop. The Bestow ability is great, but the mana cost is a bit high. Overall it's fine, if a bit underwhelming.

Pauper - Playable. If you need more flexible 3-drops, this could work.

Peasant - Unlikely.

 

Stoneshock Giant

Stoneshock Giant - Red is lacking quality high-end plays in Peasant Cube. Thankfully, Stoneshock Giant is a solid addition. The whopping 8-mana Monstrosity is a game winner if you can get to that point. Before then, a 5/4 for 5 is already big, though a little overcosted. Stoneshock Giant is riskier here than in Theros block due to the much better pool of high quality removal, but he still gets the job done and there's almost no competition in the 5+ mana creature spot for Red.

Peasant - Recommended. I prefer Purphoros's Emissary for a lategame blowout, but I run both since there's so little competition.

 

GREEN

 

Leafcrown Dryad

Leafcrown Dryad - A bear with reach is fine. It can trade with the cheaper flyers of the format so that's nice. The Bestow ability is the real gem here and thankfully it's pretty cheap. +2/+2 with reach is no joke since it's likely to give you the biggest creature on the board and can easily halt your opponent's offense. 

Pauper - Recommended. One of the better Bestow commons.

Peasant - Playable/Recommended. There are a few superior additions in Peasant but I think Leafcrown Dryad still is solid enough to include.

 

Nemesis of Mortals

Nemesis of Mortals - This card is raw beef, plain and simple. It's consistently undercosted, usually 4 mana for a 5/5 that eventually turns into a 10/10 for cheap. Lategame it's even cheaper. Nemesis shines best in Green/Black Graveyard decks, where it's most consistently super cheap to play and monstrofy(?). No reach, no trample, nothing fancy tacked on, but you can't have it all. Most cases, your 10/10 will be eating a chump blocker each turn as your opponent accuses you of overcompensating. Otherwise it's trading for 2+ creatures, or less often 1for1 with a premium removal like Doom Blade.

Peasant - Recommended. It was hard to judge initially, but through playtesting I've come to love Nemesis.

 

Nessian Asp

Nessian Asp - Speaking of huge snakes, check this out. A tad smaller than Nemesis for usually the same cost, but boy is that Reach so clutch here. Often times you'll play this 4/5 and not feel 100% confident attacking with it into your opponent's blockers, but Nessian Asp at least serves as a fantastic blocker until you can Monstrofy it, and the Reach is a big part of its defensive prowess. Once it's an 8/9 monstrosity, most board states will crumble to its girth. 

Pauper - Staple. It sucks when it dies to Doom Blade. Most often it's a huge beater that is a headache for your opponent to deal with.

Peasant - Recommended. Still amazing and highly recommended, but not quite a staple in this more high-powered environment.

 

Nessian Courser

Nessian Courser - A functional reprint of Centaur Courser. 3/3 is one of the biggest in the 3-drop category and it's run in many Pauper Cubes. I personally don't run it in my own Cube since I find it a bit bland and already run the superior Trusted Forcemage.

Pauper - Playable. 3/3 for 3 is solid.

Peasant - Unlikely. We get the superior Wolfir Avenger here. 3/3 for 3 still works but Peasant Cube usually wants more.

 

Nylea's Disciple

Nylea's DiscipleThe lifegain here is huge and sure to put a damper on your aggro opponent's day. Far less exciting against a control deck, however 3/3 is rarely bad.

Pauper - Playable/Recommended. Green has quite a few solid 4-drops competing for this spot but if you want some more answers to Aggro in your Cube, this is a strong option.

Peasant - Playable. Even more competition with big hitters like Briarhorn. Still, Nylea's Disciple is one of the best anti-aggro picks for this slot here as it is in Pauper.

 

Nylea's Emissary

Nylea's Emissary - If you hadn't noticed, I love the entire Emissary cycle. Every single one has been added to my personal Cube and they've all earned their spots. While the Blue and Black ones are my favorite, Nylea's Emissary is still fantastic. Trample is the most innocent looking ability of the Emissaries, but suit up a creature with +3/+3 and you'll quickly appreciate the immunity you gain from annoying chump blocks.

Peasant - Recommended. I love all the Emissaries.

 

Sedge Scorpion

Sedge Scorpion - 1/1 deathtouch is pretty standard for early Control plays. You're happy to trade it with just about anything and as a bonus it can hold back a powerful creature for a while. The 1 toughness becomes a liability if your Cube has a lot of pingers, however.

Pauper - Playable. The more Vulshok Sorcerers and other things that can randomly ping it, the worse X/1's get.

Peasant - Unlikely. There are better Control options.

 

MULTICOLOR

Horizon Chimera

Horizon ChimeraInsanely powerful at racing. Hits for 3 in the air and gains at least 1 life each turn, a net gain of 4 lifeswing each turn. Flash lets it trade if necessary and avoid sorcery-speed removal for one turn. 2 toughness makes it vulnerable, but I feel it's worth the risk.

Peasant - Recommended. A risky but very efficient racer.

 

Pharika's Mender

Pharika's Mender - Gravedigger on steroids. Very impressive body and added flexibility of grabbing an enchantment instead of just creatures. The card advantage is very sweet, made all the sweeter if you support Black/Green Graveyard archetype in your cube.

Peasant - Recommended/Staple. Of the Golgari options, this card is probably my favorite in terms of consistency.

 

Sentry of the Underworld

Sentry of the UnderworldZombie Serra Angel lost some weight but makes up for it by being a total pain to kill. Careful not to dip too often for the regeneration fee as that lifeloss will start adding up fast.

Peasant - Playable. Orzhov has tons of great options. This is a pretty good one, though not my favorite.

 

Shipwreck Singer

Shipwreck Singer -  I wasn't sold on this card until I started trying it out for myself. Singer is the queen of combat. Early/midgame she makes attacking into you a mathematical pain. Lategame she starts picking creatures off. Unanswered on an even boardstate, she takes over. It's deliciously evil.

Peasant - Recommended/Staple. One of the most powerful Dimir options out there.

 

ARTIFACT

 

N/A - Nothing noteworthy.

 

BEST COMMONS:

White - Gods Willing
Blue - Benthic Giant, Nimbus Naiad, Omenspeaker, Prescient Chimera, Vaporkin
Black - Read The Bones, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Disciple of Phenax
Red - Lightning Strike, Ill-Tempered Cyclops
Green - Leafcrown Dryad, Nessian Asp, Nylea's Disciple
Multicolor - N/A
Artifacts - N/A
 

BEST UNCOMMONS:

White - Heliod's Emissary
Blue - Horizon Scholar
Black - Erebos's Emissary, Mogis's Marauder, Tormented Hero
Red - Fanatic of Mogis, Magma Jet, Purphoros's Emissary, Stoneshock Giant
Green - Nemesis of Mortals, Nylea's Emissary
Multicolor - Shipwreck Singer, Horizon Chimera, Pharika's Mender
Artifact - N/A  

 

Theros is very kind to Pauper & Peasant Cubes. We picked up quite a few staples and even more strong options. What a pleasant surprise for Pauper especially, since we rarely get this many playable commons added in one set.

 

BORN OF THE GODS 

 

WHITE

Archetype of Courage

Archetype of CourageGiving all your creatures first strike is a massive combat advantage, especially for blocking, when your 2/2's can't attack into your opponent's 4/4 but can gang up and take it out in a block. Any opponent without removal in hand would have a headache going into combat with you. Unfortunately, given the high volume of amazing removal in P&P Cube, Archetype of Courage's 2 toughness and lack of resiliency is more vulnerable than ever, with Magma Jet, Staggershock, and all the value removal spells happy to trade with him, especially during a combat step where you planned on having first strike for.

Peasant - Playable. Archetype of Courage still has potential, but it's not as strong here as it could be.

 

Ornitharch

Ornitharch - Both modes are powerful for its cost, so you usually will be happy with either version the opponent gives you. It's a little disappointing when your opponent gives you the 5/5 and then Doom Blades it, but at least both versions are resilient enough that it's hard for popular burn spells like Lightning Bolt to trade efficiently.

Peasant - Recommended. It compares well enough to the other White 5-drops, Belfry Spirit, Serra Angel, and Cloudgoat Ranger to warrant inclusion. I'll certainly be sleeving it up.

 

BLUE

N/A - Nothing of note.

 

BLACK

Drown in Sorrow

Drown In Sorrow - Hey, Infest? Yeah, you're good and played in many cubes, but I think we're going to have to let you go. Sorry. No, it's not you, it's just that they reprinted you and added Scry to it. Yeah, they really did. So you're getting cut. Yup. See ya!

Peasant - Staple. Infest is a fantastic card that made its way into many cubes. This is a better Infest. Run it!

 

RED

 

Everflame Eidolon

Everflame Eidolon - Early game, fear of potential pump will make your opponent hesitate to block, letting you get in for free damage. Later on, the firebreathing lets you burn excess mana for more damage. Either way, firebreathing is great for trading up. The Bestow cost is low and perfect for potentially trading up twice. The only downside is that being a 1 toughness creature, it's vulnerable to being efficiently killed off by a random ping ability like Cunning Sparkmage, but I think the card is strong enough to be worth the risk.

Peasant - Recommended. Firebreathing done right.

 

Reckless Reveler

Reckless Reveler - A reprint of Torch Fiend. Underwhelming, but quite useful if your opponent is packing some of the more powerful artifacts, like Grafted Wargear or the game breaking Skullclamp (assuming you run that card).

I'm curious what you guys think about these "sideboard" cards in Cube. Do you run them? I run a few, but not many. Not sure how I feel about them.

Pauper & Peasant - Playable. Flexible artifact hate in aggressive Red decks.

 

GREEN

 

N/A - Nothing good here.

 

MULTICOLOR

 

Fanatic of Xenagos

Fanatic of Xenagos - Like Ornitharch, both versions are very good. If Fanatic was monocolored, it would be an instant staple, but multicolor sections are much smaller and far more competitive. For Gruul, I'd without a doubt be running Bloodbraid Elf first and foremost. After that the decisions are not as clear-cut. Ghor-Clan Rampager, Boggart Ram-Gang, Flinthoof Boar, Tattermunge Maniac, Scab-Clan Mauler, Burning-Tree Emissary, Kird Ape -- there are a ton of strong Gruul options, and Fanatic now joins that list.

Peasant - Recommended. Fanatic of Xenagos compares favorably to the other Gruul options, so pick your favorites.

 

ARTIFACT

 

N/A - Nothing here.

 

BEST COMMONS:

White - N/A
Blue - N/A
Black - N/A
Red - Reckless Reveler
Green - N/A
Multicolor - N/A
Artifacts - N/A
 

BEST UNCOMMONS:

White - Ornitharch
Blue - N/A
Black - Drown In Sorrow
Red - Everflame Eidolon,
Green - N/A
Multicolor - Fanatic of Xenagos
Artifact - N/A 

Not a great haul here. Ornitharch, Drown In Sorrow, and Everflame Eidolon have made their way into my Cube, so that's something at least.

 

Wow, that was a long one! If you're reading this, thanks for sticking it out and I hope you enjoyed this double whammy article. That'll be all for my Cube reviews until M15 comes out. Next article will be back to Budget Commander, I think.

 

PAUPER & PEASANT CUBE ARCHIVE