Joe van den Berg

@goblingathering.bsky.social

I did just notice this... 13 years later

Joe van den Berg reposted

Bones (A Cube Judge)

Sorry for jumping to the end here, since this isn't *a* perfect #mtgcube card, it's *the* perfect cube card.

FiniteMTG@finitemtg.bsky.social

Hey, you! Name a perfect #mtgcube card. I’ll go first: Glimmerlight

Joe van den Berg reposted

Hanjo

@dearmtg.bsky.social

Dear Regrowth, The 181th of my 365 daily love letters is for you: dearmtg.com/2026/10/24/1... #mtgcube

youtu.beNew Cube Case Study: Magnum Opus Pt. 1YouTube video by Degenerate Cuber

With an astonishing NINETY-THREE test drafts in the books, I've been logging what people put into their Opus and how that has shifted my design philosophy to combat this. The results are quite surprising from what I've noticed. Some of this I still should have anticipated though. Let's begin!

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

youtu.be/h7H58_py77c The cooking shall continue until morale improves #mtgcube

I'm definitely playing with fire here. There are definitely some things I 100% should not be doing. Buyback is/was a mistake. I cut all retrace for being repetitive, why not with buyback? Yet at the same time, am I wrong for thinking cheap convoke and buyback spells are cool? Please let me know!!

shit shit shit shit #mtgcube

youtu.beNew Cube Case Study: Magnum Opus Pt. 1YouTube video by Degenerate Cuber

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

youtu.be/h7H58_py77c The cooking shall continue until morale improves #mtgcube

6) An Opus with a counterspell in it has only been represented once. I anticipate this cause is twofold: 1) Players are realizing counterspells are better when your opponents don't know about them and 2) In order to have a counterspell in an Opus, your Opus needs to be all instants (a real cost!)

7) Opuses seem to fall into one of two categories: 1) An efficient pile of cheap spells or 2) A late-game inevitable value engine bomb This reinforces what I thought: Players perceive the right way to play is to go well underneath or *way* over the top. I still have no idea what is right.

youtu.beNew Cube Case Study: Magnum Opus Pt. 1YouTube video by Degenerate Cuber

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

youtu.be/h7H58_py77c The cooking shall continue until morale improves #mtgcube

4) Gather Courage has one of the highest ceilings in the cube Gather Courage being able to grant any Opus convoke for just one additional mana is very powerful. Players are finding a lot of cool things to do with it, including DIY Convoke Forth Eorlingas. I'm not sure yet what I want to do about it

5) Song of Totentanz is the *most* represented card in an Opus among the sample It's clear why! Card is cool as hell. Make a bunch of hasters and attack. More fair than fireball, combos with a lot of stuff in the cube, very appealing. I just hope the card isn't oppressive! Time will tell

youtu.beNew Cube Case Study: Magnum Opus Pt. 1YouTube video by Degenerate Cuber

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

youtu.be/h7H58_py77c The cooking shall continue until morale improves #mtgcube

Early on, too many Opuses were cheap versions of Explosive Singularity. Limiting the density decreased the appearance rate!

3) Time Warp is *only* being used in unfair (still cool) connotations Time Warp + Ghostly Flicker (with Archaeomancers in the deck). Time Warp + pump spell + Feather the Redeemed. You get it. Players are finding *plenty* of ways to abuse Time Warp in the current list in a way I find cool. Dream big!

youtu.beNew Cube Case Study: Magnum Opus Pt. 1YouTube video by Degenerate Cuber

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

youtu.be/h7H58_py77c The cooking shall continue until morale improves #mtgcube

1) Cheap spells that offer some form of recursion that trade for a full card were highly selected for Opuses by players. This included but was not limited to: Raven's Crime, Darkblast, Flame Jab, Ruthless Negotiation. To combat this, I made recursion spells limited to 2 mana (Life from the Loam)

2) Full burn packages of an Opus consisting entirely of burn has only been pulled off twice. Since I took steps to limit the amount of burn that could hit the opponent in the cube, this has virtually disappeared.

Brine Hag appreciation post

This really needs test drafts. I want you all to break the cube, help me weed out the bad play patterns/beyond the pale stuff. What is the most broken opus you can come up with during test drafting? I would love to see it!!

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

www.cubecobra.com/cube/about/9... #mtgcube Got the list finalized. So excited to build this.

youtu.beNew Cube Case Study: Magnum Opus Pt. 1YouTube video by Degenerate Cuber

youtu.be/h7H58_py77c The cooking shall continue until morale improves #mtgcube

When are we getting The Rootwater Saga the card? Can someone forward this idea on to the higher-ups I think this one's a winner

docs.google.comSFBCC Cube Event Submission!Submit your cube for SFBCC 2027, January 23rd and 24th!!

#mtgcube announcement!! SAN FRANCISCO BAY CUBE CLASH IS HERE! Come join us January 23rd-24th at the beautiful Fort Mason IN San Francisco for two full days of cubing! Price: 65$ hedron.network/events/sfbcc... If you would like to submit a cube for the event, you can do so below! So excited!!

This is the location and building. We are right by the water! If you wanna come hang and cube in one of the most beautiful locations San Francisco has to offer, come join us!!

discord.ggJoin the San Francisco Bay Cube Clash Discord Server!Check out the San Francisco Bay Cube Clash community on Discord - hang out with 146 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

Our discord invite!! discord.gg/BPmJnxcjS

Joe van den Berg reposted

Ben Clemens

@benclemens.bsky.social

Sporadic MtG content: tonight two of my friends and I are playing in the finals of the Lotus League team cube draft tournament, against the end bosses: Hall of Famer LSV and his crew (who are no slouches themselves). We've got this, though. Go Team Big Trees. Watch it at twitch.tv/lsv at 6pm PT

twitch.tvLSV - TwitchMagic Hall of Famer and writer for TCGPlayer - I also work on games from time to time — LSV streams live on Twitch! Check out their videos, sign up to chat, and join their community.

www.cubecobra.com/cube/about/9... #mtgcube Got the list finalized. So excited to build this.

Joe van den Berg@hardcasting.bsky.social

I think I'm really cooking with this one #mtgcube Stay tuned especially if you like broken spells and spell slinging 👀

I think I'm really cooking with this one #mtgcube Stay tuned especially if you like broken spells and spell slinging 👀

@muppetpastor77.bsky.social I need help. I need spellslinging creatures and cool white spells

@worklifevalue.bsky.social if Monoskelion is Magnemite and Triskelion is Magneton, would Walking Ballista be Magnezone? Or something else? As the official pokemon mtg expert, the people need an answer!

Why do I love silly spells like these? Extremely hard to cast but epic in scale. Someone talk me out of building the big spells cube where fixing is rampant. And definitely don't share your favorite epic spells with me, that would be a bad idea

How do you view an aspiration of balance in #mtgcube design, understanding true balance can never be achieved? - Overrated? - Underrated? - Appropriately rated?

Joe van den Berg reposted

Hanjo

@dearmtg.bsky.social

Dear Gifts Ungiven, The 168th of my 365 daily love letters is for you: dearmtg.com/2026/10/11/1... #mtgcube

Favorite decks of the World Championship Museum, CCC edition! The cube was featured for three drafts, and this thread will cover my favorite decks from the event. Without further ado, let's begin!

Deck #8, and my favorite deck from the weekend: AFFINITY COMBO Record: 3-0! Did you know Yawgmoth's Will plus ways to sacrifice your artifacts is a powerful combo? If not, now you do! KCI and Ravager are real engines here, and Tinker finds what you need. 26 total artifacts; 19 Myrs with a Disciple!!

#mtgcube

Favorite decks of the World Championship Museum, CCC edition! The cube was featured for three drafts, and this thread will cover my favorite decks from the event. Without further ado, let's begin!

Deck #6: Rec-Sur! Record: 1-1-1 Love Rec-Sur! This deck's got some spice with the Opposition package too. Good little toolbox here! Who doesn't love FTKing until your opponent concedes??

Deck #7: Tempo Tog Madness!! Record: 2-1 Always love a good mashup! Psychatog + Countermagic + other cheap threats is a winning combination. Love seeing Masticore and Forbid in Madness too, quite strong!

Favorite decks of the World Championship Museum, CCC edition! The cube was featured for three drafts, and this thread will cover my favorite decks from the event. Without further ado, let's begin!

Deck #4: UR Wildfire/Upheaval! Record: 2-1, losing in finals This deck is very very sweet. Tinker assembles Icy + Winter Orb, Upheaval and Wildfire let you go way over the top. Masticore gives you gave against midrange, and Karn helps you finish the game off! Very cool! Who doesn't love fireball??

Deck #5: Jeskai Astral Slide Control?? Record: 2-1 This deck is sweet! Astral Slide + Wrath of God is a helluva drug, and even better when you add Balance in the mix! Flicker your own threats out, wipe the board! Lots of burn and countermagic in here too. Would have loved an FTK!!

Favorite decks of the World Championship Museum, CCC edition! The cube was featured for three drafts, and this thread will cover my favorite decks from the event. Without further ado, let's begin!

Deck #2: Mono-W Cloudpost Ramp! Record: 2-1 Talk about innovating! This deck features the classic Cloudpost + Decree of Justice engine, but it also features Worn Powerstone and Thran Dynamos to make absolutely lethal masticores. Ate some Arrogant Wurms for breakfast! Opalwave combo to top it off!

Deck #3: Grixis Tog! Record: 2-1 Classic Tog! Draw cards, answer threats, and grind out the game with Psychatog + Upheaval. Well-constructed! Lost in the finals

Favorite decks of the World Championship Museum, CCC edition! The cube was featured for three drafts, and this thread will cover my favorite decks from the event. Without further ado, let's begin!

@scottmirts.upkeepnewyork.com

DECK #1: Necro + Opalwave combo! Record: 2-1, lost in finals This deck is so cool! Really unfortunate it couldn't take it down. But using Necro to find combos is a tried and true strategy, and this deck showcased that theory to a T. Despite having no BW fixing lands in the entire cube, it works!!

Joe van den Berg reposted

Scott

Pals If you can please support Robin and Rena and the Lotus Bloom Community. These folks are crucial to creating safe and blossoming local scenes here in NYC!

Lotus Bloom@lotusbloomnyc.bsky.social

Hi!!! We are so proud of this community we've built. We invest a lot of time, energy, and money into running Lotus Bloom, and we've made a Ko-Fi if you want to support our programming. Times are tough for everyone, and any amount is incredibly kind and appreciated. 💞 ko-fi.com/lotusbloomnyc

ko-fi.comSupport Lotus Bloom NYCSupport Lotus Bloom NYC

Joe van den Berg reposted

victoria zeller🫛 (RISEBALL, summer ‘27)

@dirtbagqueer.rocks

between this article and the northwestern student paper thing (that i think bsky mostly managed to avoid, but has been raging on twitter for days), something i wish straight sports fans understood is: many women and queer ppl reject sports bc everything the culture rejected them first

Steven Godfrey@stevengodfrey.bsky.social

Take a second today and check out @fmckindra.bsky.social on his reckoning with Arkansas fandom as a gay black man, and the story of E. Lynn Harris (which I certainly didn't know about) arktimes.com/food-and-cul...

arktimes.comCan a Black gay man still call the hogs? - Arkansas TimesWhite heteronormativity has long dominated the University of Arkansas. What does that mean for Black gay Arkansans?

Joe van den Berg reposted

United Wizards of the Coast - CWA

@uwotc-official.bsky.social

This morning, the D&D team and Magic's Studio X informed our leadership of our intent to unionize. We love the games we make and the work we do, and unionizing is how we protect that work. unitedwizardsofthecoast.com/news/dnd-stu...

unitedwizardsofthecoast.comDungeons & Dragons and Studio X Join United Wizards of the Coast - CWAToday, October 6, 2026, the designers, artists, writers, producers, and workers behind Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters, D&D Beyond, and countless other games are uniting in soli...

Joe van den Berg reposted

Ryan Overturf

@ryanoverdrive.bsky.social

And now it's time for some 30-50 Feral Hogs gameplay! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAZ6...

youtube.comPlaying 30-50 Feral Hogs with Andy MangoldYouTube video by RyanOverdrive

Ryan Overturf@ryanoverdrive.bsky.social

Also live today is the draft portion of my exhibition match of 30-50 Feral Hogs against @andy.luckypaper.co! www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7nw...

youtube.comDrafting 30-50 Feral Hogs with Andy MangoldYouTube video by RyanOverdrive

@basicmountain.bsky.social I have a cube called the World Championships Museum. The cube is all gold-bordered. The the cube was drafted at California Cube Championships, and my buddy Sam drafted one of the best decks I have seen. Thought you might appreciate it! Did not take damage till match 3!!