M21 isn't a standout set for cube compared to the powerhouses that were Eldraine and Ikoria, but for a core set it has pulled its weight by providing a few new includes that will be solid role players.
Since the inception of M10, core sets provide on average 2 cards that remain in my current list. M21 is providing 3 that I am confident will put in some work for the foreseeable future plus a couple others that I might take for a spin just to see how they do.
White:
Seasoned Hallowblade for Glory-Bound Initiate
This is an interesting card. Adanto Vanguard has been stellar as a resilient aggro beater and this guy can do the same thing but for a different, albeit steeper cost.
I think this card has potential and will be a temporary placeholder for Gory-Bound Initiate who has been good but slightly less of a priority for aggressive white decks.
I'm not super optimistic that it will find a permanent spot in my list but I think it warrants some testing to see how harsh the discard drawback really is.
Angelic Ascension for Flickerwisp
This is a pretty big upgrade to its green counterpart Beast Within which has been cut from many cubes over the past few years.
Flickerwisp has one of the lowest maindeck percentages in my cube (35% as of this posting) and that gives me some wiggle room to test another outside chance card.
A Pseudo-Haste 4/4 flyer, or an emergency 2 mana removal spell gives this enough flexibility to test, but again I'm not overly optimistic about its chances.
Blue:
Barrin, Tolarian Archmage for Man-o-War
This is the first of my three definite includes from M21.
Man-o-War has been a staple in cubes since its printing in 1997 and saying good bye to a card that has so many memories tied to it is never easy.
Barrin does everything Man-o-War does and more. Dealing with planeswalkers and adding some nifty card advantage to boot, Barrin is will do an excellent job filling the same shoes that Man-o-War did for 23 years.
Absolute slam dunk for cubes of all sizes.
Ghostly Pilferer for Enclave Cryptologist
I'm not super keen on this card, but many members of the cube community are really excited about it so I figure I should probably at least give it a test run.
Initially I evaluated this card solely as a discard outlet for reanimator decks and with plenty of better options already in my cube, I felt like it was unnecessary for my list. With that being said, this can fill other roles which makes it slightly less narrow. Being a 2-power 2-CMC evasive threat, and a great enabler for Rielle, the Everwise who I am still currently testing, I am interested to see if I judged this card a little too quickly.
Black:
Village Rites for Tasigur, the Golden Fang
This card is janky, but it's also the best version of this effect we've ever had and likely will ever see.
Tasigur has been slacking and a temporary swap gives me a chance to take a look at something that at the very least appealed to the Timmy in me.
There are so many tokens running around in cube these days and with things like Ophiomancer and Bitterblossom, sacking a self replacing 1/1 to draw 2 cards at instant speed, or just gaining some card advantage while blanking an opponents removal spell seems like it could get there.
Again I'm not too optimistic it will find a slot but at least by giving this a test we will be able to confirm whether these types of cards are just too expensive to be competitive since this is the best we are going to get.
Red:
Heartfire Immolator for Dire Fleet Daredevil
Goblin Cratermaker's wizard cousin looks like it should be solid and is the 2nd definite include for my list.
Dire Fleet Daredevil has been in and out of the cube first being replaced by Robber of the Rich and then swapping places with other tier 2 red 2-drops that have been in and out of the cube for the better part of the last 5 years.
The prowess combined with the cheap damage effect makes combat very difficult for your opponent which is exactly what I want my red 2's doing.
Sweet little beater this is going to be.
Green:
Elder Gargaroth for Berserk
Green's Baneslayer Angel.
This guy is definitely a beast and will be an absolute beating if it survives long enough to even be a blocker. However without an ETB, surviving is going to be the hurdle for this card.
I'm going to test this because my planeswalker cap prevents me from filling the green 5 slot with Nissa's.
Whether or not it will make enough of an impact is tough to determine, but I think it shores up a lot of green midrange's problems like flyers and aggro lists that out pace the resilient blockers green currently has.
I think this could find a permanent home in many cubes, as long as you don't find it too boring.
Gold:
Radha, Heart of Keld for Klothys, God of Destiny
The lands deck has its defensive 3 in Courser of Kruphix, and now it has it's aggressive 3 in Radha. This is the 3rd definite include for my list.
Klothys was actually amazing in testing, but was really hard to interact with and was winning almost every game it hit the board. I'm cutting it strictly for interaction purposes but I highly recommend it if you are looking for a Gruul option.
I feel like Radha is pretty straight forward and won't require too much testing to get a feel for how she plays and I am very confident this card will stick around in my list for the foreseeable future.
My only gripe is that they went with the orc looking version of her art instead of the cool Mad Max looking street warrior style she had in her original card.
That rounds out the options I am looking at for my cube. There are a few other great options for lists running more walkers, namely Eliminate as a planeswalker hitting Smother, and the new Teferi will likely also make a meaningful impact for some lists.
Happy cubing!
(Cat Tax)
