Cubes

Logo from Cube Cobra, a go-to site for Magic Cube design

I've been sputtering over this holiday season as I explore a concept new to me in Magic: a Cube.

A Cube is "a collection of cards used for drafting and playing limited." This quote (and a great introduction to the format) is from this official link. In other words, a Cube is where you create your own set of Magic cards (from the existing card pool) and put it into packs to play draft or sealed with a group of friends. You could take the 'best of' from different Magic sets, or explore specific themes, or whatever you like. You could build a pauper Cube (meaning the cards are cheap- probably commons), a powerful Cube (everything is high-octane), or whatever you like. It sounds amazing. And like a lot of work to design and pack.

Design

Most Cubes are singleton for whatever reason (balance, per the article, but I'm not sure I buy that), which means there is only one copy of any given card. Common Cube sizes are 360, 540, or 720 cards (this does not count basic lands- those are never drafted, only added at the end as each player makes their deck). 360-card Cubes appear to be the minimum size, enabling eight players to draft with three packs of 15 cards each (like a typical draft experience). A 720-card Cube would enable multiple drafts for that number of players without 'resetting' (reshuffling and re-packing the cards).

The goal in design, per Tolarian Community College (see Resources below), is that "everything is awesome." In other words, create a card pool where every card has value [in this particular format]. Anyone who's done a traditional Magic draft knows that some cards just aren't good for drafting. Customization allows you to avoid those and focus on the gold.

Pack

Once you have your Cube, you have to pack it, meaning randomizing the cards and putting them into 15-card packs so it can be drafted or used for sealed play. Most people first sleeve the cards, and then use plastic pack boxes like Cubeamajigs or Dragon Shield Cube Shells to hold the packs. I've used the former, and it is nice- if time-consuming- to do this. Especially as you'd have to re-pack the cards after every draft.

Resources

In addition to the earlier link, I recommend Tolarian Community College's introductory videos on Cubes (here and here). Cube Cobra is the go-to site for Cube ideas, with thousands of user-created Cubes for every taste and budget. 

Personal Goal

Cubes have been around for a long time, apparently. But I've never designed, built, or drafted one. I'd like that to change this year. I want to build a Cube that I keep over several drafts and continually evolve. Right now, the French Vanilla cube at Cube Cobra is my model. This 540-card Cube focuses on basics with a little bit of 'flair,' but not much. Perfect for newer players or people like me that like to focus on the core of the game. I'm looking at that design and merging it with my general love of core sets to produce something that will (hopefully) be fun and enjoyable for both new players and veterans. We'll see.