Cuber DJ – Avacyn Restored Black & Red (Part 2 of 3)

Here we are for round 2 of the Avacyn Restored set review!  Let’s get to it!

BLACK

Appetite for Brains

This is not Duress or Thoughtseize.  I can see it making larger cubes, but it doesn’t seem useful enough for my mid-size cube.  I don’t run Inquisition of Kozilek either.

Barter in Blood

This is a fantastic reprint for Innistrad block.  It is also a decent cube card.  It is often a Damnation and works great to get you back into a game if you fall behind.  It is also capable of cementing your creature advantage if you are ahead.  I prefer playing Barter in Blood with cards like Bitterblossom or Sorin, Lord of Innistrad.  These creature machines allow me to easily stay above the two creature threshold.  I am more fond of the original art from Mirrodin, however.

Dark Impostor

Activated, permanent creature exile is a powerful ability.  The mana cost is a little high for cube, but I am excited to test its mettle. Black needs all the help it can get in cube, nowadays.  It is the least powerful color to draft.

Death Wind

I prefer Profane Command by a wide margin here.  It’s worth the additional black mana and sorcery speed. I mention this card in the review only because I feel it may be playable in some Pauper cube lists because of its common rarity.  With enough mana, it can kill just about anything, even indestructible creatures.

  Demonic Taskmaster

I’ve notice in my personal cube’s games, that unless you are playing tokens, there are, typically, only one to three creatures on the battlefield at any given time.  The removal in the cube is top notch and sets up leaner battlefield conditions.  This creature could dominate in this environment.  I will be testing this one.

Driver of the Dead

This is not quite, Reveillark. I feel as though, Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed is a stronger choice with a similar ability and stats. The timing is more restrictive, but you are not limited to smaller creatures, and you don’t have to find a way to kill it first. They both can be quite interesting in Recurring Nightmare decks.

Gloom Surgeon

This card reminds me of Arc-Slogger in some respects, but I don’t feel black aggro is worth it enough to run this card. Each card you draft in cube is precious.  You will lose more value with this in cube than any other format. This one will stay on the sidelines.

Grave Exchange

Neat art. Neat ability. Not Spike-y enough of a mana cost for cube, however.

Griselbrand

Despite the quadruple black, I will be running this card for a while to see how it works out.  The Necropotence-like ability is worth the awkward mana cost.  Also, there are enough reanimator elements in the cube to make him playable. Griselrand’s lifelink ability can reset the card draw, turn after turn.  Griselbrand’s activated ability is reminiscent of Contract from Below, the most powerful card ever printed! I really want this card to rock! Black could really use the boost.

Killing Wave

Killing Wave is yet another “punisher” card.  These types of cards tend to be terrible because they allow your opponent to pick the best option for themselves.  Arguably, Browbeat was a decent “punisher” choice, back in the Stone Age of cube. I don’t run these types of cards at all because there are plenty of all upside cards to choose from or those with more reasonable drawbacks. The only cards similar to these effects that I run currently are Fact or Fiction and Gifts Ungiven. And what-do-you-know? They are both blue cards!

RED

Archwing Dragon

Lightning Blast with free buyback, this is a solid addition to the cube.  Red, four-drop creatures are quite populated already, but this plays more like a spell.  It’s fantastic against board sweepers and plays nicely with reanimation. I run many of these Ball Lightning variants in the red section of my cube.  They are a strong facet of what makes Red exciting and powerful to play.

Burn at the Stake

I have had some success with this card in Avacyn Restored sealed and draft.  The triple red will make it tough to cast, but I feel that drawback is manageable.  With only three creatures, you can deal nine damage! This card is a fantastic red finisher and gives the color even more reach late game.  I feel this card will perform well in testing.

Dangerous Wager

This could be good, but I think keeping Red’s spells primarily burn is the way to go. Wheel of Fortune and Faithless Looting are still the better cards here in most situations despite the sorcery speed.

Lightning Mauler

Yes! A strong, splashable, red, two drop, this is just what the doctor ordered.  The two power is crucial for aggro. It can give any of your future creatures haste or pair with your one-drop and attack right away.  This card is a staple card for cube.  It will be in my cube for many years to come.

Thunderous Wrath

I really feel that cubes should just run Lightning Bolt or Beacon of Destruction for these effects.  There’s a lot more I’d rather do in cube than spend six mana for five damage.  Fireblast is a much better card that is often castable for free and is a fantastic topdeck late in the game.  Fireblast is a miracle on its own without the mana cost monkey business.

Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded

Tibalt is a decent enough card, but most red decks in my cube will not be able to utilize him early making his two mana cost almost irrelevant.  I will reiterate that Wheel of Fortune and Faithless Looting are better choices for digging for the burn you need.  The Sudden Impact and Insurrection abilities are rarely going to matter with him.  Waiting for these abilities to happen, one turn at a time, is not really what Red wants to be doing.

Vexing Devil

Oh my goodness, I’m going to receive rants on my evaluation of this card!  This card is being debated for inclusion in multiple formats right now.  I’m not digging the hype on it.  My status on these types of cards is clear: No Thank You! The opponent will always pick the most advantageous aspect of the card to use.  The creature form is pretty weak. Most of the cube removal is great at killing creatures of three toughness or less.  I don’t feel a singleton format is where Vexing Devil is going to shine.  I do expect to play it in other cubes, however. It will be merely okay, even in tight red builds.

Zealous Conscripts

I’ve tried for quite a while to find a powerful, Threaten-like spell for my cube.  Word of Seizing, Conquering Manticore. and Act of Aggression are a few cards I’ve tried and later ejected. Wizards has printed the card I’ve been looking for! Haste makes this creature top-notch. I can’t wait to steal fully loaded planeswalkers and awesome fatties with this creature.  It’s a slam dunk!

Join me next time for the conclusion of my Avacyn Restored review with Green, Artifacts, Multicolor, and Lands!

Signing off,

DJ

cuberdj@gmail.com

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