The Third Power

Leaf_Crowned_Visionary_EN2.png 195 KB Leaf_Crowned_Visionary_EN.png 194 KB In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman discuss our preview card for Dominaria United - Leaf-Crowned Visionary - and tribal aspects in cube!https://web.archive.org/web/20071214165719/http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/9975.html - Sam Gomersall's cube article from 2006, a cube with some minor tribal themes14:45: Cube Discussion29:15: Supporting Tribal in Cube and how it can be easier to integrate with some tribes vs others.  https://linktr.ee/Usmantherad - Usman's Linktreehttps://twitter.com/Antknee42 - Anthony's Twitter bucket man.gif 1020 KB

1a.png 198 KB 1b.png 182 KB 2a.png 188 KB 2b.png 170 KB In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman discuss their two preview cards from Double Masters 2022, catch up on time past and discuss multicolor cards in cube.Thanks Wizards of the Coast for the free previews!Approximate timeline:20:30 - Catching up45:00 - A WILD SODA APPEARS59:00 - Discussion of Multicolor cards in cube.Usman's Twitter Usman's Linktree Anthony's Twitter Anthony Old Man Yells at Clouds articles on CubeCobra: 1, 2, 3George Carlin - What is Irony? 

Thank you to Wizards of the Coast for this free preview card for Midnight Hunt! Dennick_Pious_Apprentice_EN(1).png 177 KB Dennick_Pious_Apparition_EN.png 178 KB Dennick_Pious_Apprentice_EN.png 175 KB Dennick_Pious_Apparition_EN(1).png 179 KB In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony talk about our Midnight preview, the legendary Dennick, Pious Apprentice!  Not every creature that provides value does so in the usual enters-the-battlefield trigger style, and we briefly discuss how this can impact your cube's metagame by talking about how creatures can live on in the face of dying to removal. Find Anthony on Twitter @Antknee42 and Usman on Twitter @Usmantherad! Check out these  discords for Cube discussion! 

Dragons_Rage_Channeler_EN.png 192 KB In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony talk about our Modern Horizons 2 preview card - Dragon's Rage Channeler!  Thanks, Wizards of the Coast, for the free preview! We discuss Dragon's Rage Channeler in the context of red's role of beatdown in cube, how Dragon's Rage Channeler's myriad of keywords play together, how red does other things than just beatdown and burn and a smattering of other tangents (as usual.)Tattermunge Maniac preview article.Red aggro 1-drop Tier List (courtesy of Kactuus, whose CubeCobra list is here) - Goblin GuideMonastery Switftspear (better in burn heavy red aggro lists, also great in tempo)Grim Lavamancer (better with non singleton fetches and burn heavier lists, also great in most midrange decks)Soul-Scar Mage (better in burn heavy red aggro lists, also good in tempo)Akuom Hellhound (requires a lot of fetches and does not want to be mono C aggro)Bomat CourierZurgo BellstrikerFiredrinker SatyrFalkenrath GorgerJackal PupLightning BerserkerVillage MessengerFervent ChampionRigging Runner (better in very creature heavy red aggro lists that attempt to spam out 1 drops)Foundry Street Denizen (better in very creature heavy red aggro lists that attempt to spam out 1 drops)Stromkirk NobleGhitu Lavarunner (higher ranking in burn heavy red lists)Fanatical FirebrandReckless WaifLegion LoyalistScorch SpitterTorch CourierSkitter of LizardsHall Monitor

Electrolyze, coming soon to Historic and in a fancy new look for cube! In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman once again return to talk about our new-to-Historic Strixhaven preview card from the Mystical Archive, provided by Wizards of the Coast!  Thank you, Wizards!In this episode, we talk about cats, soda, old music, and our favorite Izzet cards in cube.  Enjoy!Usman's Cube Review of Zendikar Rising:  https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/usmanjamil-03152021-zendikar-rising-cube-review

Kabira_Plateau_EN.png 156 KB Kabira_Takedown_EN.png 167 KB Kazuuls_Cliffs_EN.png 187 KB Kazuuls_Fury_EN.png 197 KB In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman preview our first exclusive new preview cards for Zendikar Rising!  We talk about the role of flexibility and modality in cube and how they play an important role in cube (and how these kinds of cards are better than they look!)MTG Cube Brainstorming Discord, where we talk about cube and Usman posts a bunch of cat pictures.Anthony's Twitter, where he occasionally posts pictures of cats.Usman's Twitter, where he also occasionally posts pictures of cats.The occasionally-updated blog for The Third Power podcast.Usman's Cube articles.Anthony's Cube articles.

Anthony and Usman complete their return from the graveyard to finish up talking about War of the Spark for Cube: its Colorless, Artifact, Land and Multicolor cards! 00:08:00 - Ajani (GW), Angrath's Rampage, Cruel Celebrant, Deathsprout 00:15:23 - Domri, Anarch of Bolas 00:18:03 - Dovin's Veto 00:20:45 - Feather, Enter the God-Pharaohs. Anthony's article about combat tricks in cube: https://www.quietspeculation.com/2011/08/scheming-the-cube-combat-tricks/ 00:21:38 - Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God 00:28:08 - Ral Zarek, Storm Conduit 00:29:36 - Roalesk 00:37:00 - Solar Blaze 00:39:45 - Teferi, Ruiner of Formats (aka Teferi, Time Raveler) 00:44:40 - Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves 00:45:55 - Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge 00:47:27 - Angrath, Captain of Chaos 00:50:30 - Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner 00:53:54 - Saheeli, Sublime Artificer 00:59:07 - Ugin, the Ineffable 01:02:40 - Blast Zone 01:04:35 - Karn's Bastion 01:07:00 - Mobilized District (there's a long tangent so don't expect this to be talking about the card for 40 minutes!)

Usman and Anthony return from the grave... again, to cover more War of the Spark cards for cube! 00:00:00 - A... great* drink 00:13:00 - Bolas's Citadel 00:18:15 - Bleeding Edge, Dreadhorde Invasion, God-Eternal Bontu 00:21:45 - Liliana, Dreadhorde General 00:28:00 - Liliana's Triumph 00:30:20 - Chandra, Fire Artisan 00:34:00 - Finale of Promise 00:36:53 - Ilharg 00:48:30 - Krenko, Mizzium Tank 00:58:00 - Sarkhan the Masterless 01:00:45 - Tibalt, Rakish Instigator 01:15:40 - Arboreal Grazer 01:19:55 - Nissa, Who Shakes the World 01:31:46 - Vivien 01:33:28 - Vivien's Bow The MTG Cube Brainstorming discord, check it out! https://discord.gg/77kyYT *https://wolfsoup.com/2012/08/29/delicious-fungus-with-a-pleasant-smack-of-birds-nest/, which as it turns out, in retrospect, isn't that great.

Usman and Anthony return from the grave to finally record an episode about War of the Spark! (This was actually recorded months ago, you'll find out during the episode how long ago.) This is part 1 of 3, with part 2 covering BRG, and the last part covering misc cards. From community response, these are being released in 3 parts. 00:07:55 - Soapbox about Planewalkers in cube. 00:21:50 - A WILD SODA APPEARS 00:34:40 - Soapbox continues 00:45:00 - Gideon Blackblade 00:58:30 - Finale of Glory 01:06:05 - Live preview reaction! 01:12:35 - God-Eternal Oketra 01:16:25 - Law-Rune Enforcer 01:22:39 - Prison Realm 01:26:10 - Tomik 01:37:30 - Callous Dismissal 01:42:00 - Commence the Endgame 01:46:20 - Crush Dissent 01:49:30 - God-Eternal Kefnet 01:55:00 - Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 02:04:10 - Narset, Parter of Veils (and a long tangent about RPGs.) Cube discord where I (Usman) spend most of my cube time these days: https://discord.gg/DZB7E9

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony welcome our guests Zakeel Gordon and Drew Bentley again to cover the rest of 2017's cube sets: Commander 2017, Ixalan and Unstable. Commander 2017 00:07:15 - Alms Collector 00:08:20 - Curse of Verbosity 00:10:40 - Curse of Disturbance 00:12:26 - Curse of Opulence 00:14:33 - Territorial Hellkite 00:21:25 - Qasali Slingers 00:25:30 - Fractured Identity 00:29:36 - Kess 00:33:11 - Heirloom Blade - blog post with Usman's 3-0 cube rotisserie draft deck: https://thethirdpowerpodcast.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/wut-a-blog-post/ Ixalan 00:51:08 - Adanto Vanguard 00:59:13 - Ixalan's Binding 01:00:13 - Settle the Wreckage 01:14:21 - Legion's Landing 01:09:00 - Search for Azcanta 01:11:00 - Chart a Course, Siren Stormtamer 01:18:09 - Kitesail Freebooter 01:22:09 - Vraska's Contempt 01:26:12 - Rampaging Ferostodon 01:35:12 - Carnage Tyrant 01:39:58 - Growing Rites of Itlimoc 01:43:50 - Hostage Taker 01:48:10 - Sorcerous Spyglass 01:55:00 - Treasure Map 01:57:02 - Field of Ruin Unstable 02:06:34 - GO TO JAIL 02:09:27 - Knight of the Kitchen Sink 02:12:49 - Ordinary Pony 02:13:35 - Clocknapper 02:18:55 - Five-Finger Discount 02:20:06 - Crow Storm 02:23:15 - Hangman 02:30:00 - Over my Dead Bodies 02:33:20 - Spike, Tournament Grinder 02:37:45 - Two-Headed Goblin 02:40:24 - Earl of Squirrel, Ineffable Blessing 02:42:10 - Urza, Academy Headmaster

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony welcome Zakeel Gordon and Drew Bentley of the "What's In the Box" cube podcast after meeting at GP/MagicFest Memphis to talk about what 2017 brought for cubes. Aether Revolt: 00:08:40 - Walking Ballista 00:12:22 - Aethersphere Harvester 00:15:45 - Heart of Kiran 00:22:57 - Lifecrafter's Bestiary 00:26:00 - Metallic Mimic 00:32:30 - Planar Bridge 00:39:43 - Untethered Express 00:46:20 - Treasure Keeper 00:47:26 - Felidar Guardian 00:52:54 - Baral, Chief of Compliance 00:56:54 - Disallow 01:00:30 - Fatal Push 01:01:40 - Gifted Aetherborn 01:03:20 - Glint-Sleeve Siphoner 01:05:40 - Kari Zev, Skyship Raider 01:08:58 - Rishkar, Peema Renegade Amonkhet: 01:12:39 - Angel of Sanctions 01:20:30 - Cast Out 01:21:50 - Gideon of the Trials 01:30:14 - Glory-Bound Initiate 01:36:48 - Pull from Tomorrow, Liliana, Death's Majesty 01:42:40 - Ahn-Crop Crasher, Glorybringer 01:49:50 - Hazoret, the Fervent, Soul-Scar Mage, Insult//Injury 01:55:54 - Manglehorn, Rhonas the Indomitable (3-0 decklist referenced was in Usman's Ravnica Allegiance review article: https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/usmanjamil-02282019-ravnica-allegiance-cube-review ) 02:08:34 - Throne of the God-Pharaoh, cycling lands 02:13:14 - Champion of Wits, Supreme Will 02:18:40 - Abrade 02:22:31 - Firebrand Archer 02:25:30 - The Scarab God 02:28:50 - Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh The Third Power's blog: https://thethirdpowerpodcast.wordpress.com/ Follow: Anthony: @antknee42 Usman: @UsmanTheRad Zakeel: @ZakeelGordon Drew: @QuadNINES

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss this set's options for cube! 00:09:50 - General discussion starts 00:14:45 - Tithe Taker 00:24:35 - Angel of Grace 00:25:40 - Hero of Precinct One 00:29:15 - Unbreakable Formation 00:29:45 - Mesmerizing Benthid 00:35:30 - Pteramander 00:41:15 - Sphinx of Foresight 00:45:30 - Benthic Biomancers 00:48:15 - Precognitive Perception 00:50:50 - Drill Bit 00:53:45 - Gutterbones 00:55:10 - Pestilent Spirit 00:59:00 - Spawn of Mayhem 01:04:25 - Electrodominance 01:09:35 - Light up the Stage 01:12:10 - Rix Maadi Reveler 01:15:05 - Skarggan Hellkite 01:19:30 - Skewer the Critics 01:24:30 - Biogenic Ooze 01:32:20 - End-Raze Forerunners 01:36:00 - Incubation Druid, Wilderness Reclamation 01:41:30 - Deputy of Detenion 01:48:10 - Dovin, Grand Arbiter 01:59:50 - Domri, Chaos Bringer 02:05:30 - Gruul Spellbreaker 02:08:40 - Ravager Wurm 02:17:05 - Bedevin, Judith 02:23:40 - Theater of Horros 02:28:30 - Captive Audience 02:33:00 - Ethereal Absolution 02:35:00 - Kaya 02:43:10 - Hydroid Krasis, other Simic things 02:58:15 - Wrapup

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss Aether Revolt and its impact in cube! Crack-a-pack.  

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony return to talk about the cards for cubes in sets we didn’t have time to discuss previously (Eldritch Moon, Commander 2016 and Conspiracy: Take The Crown!) Usman’s Cube Reviews of Eldritch Moon, Commander 2016 and Conspiracy: Take The Crown! Timetable: 00:03:42 – Crack-a-pack. 00:13:34 –...

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony return to discuss Kaladesh for cube! 00:03:45 – You Make The Cube discussion- Usman’s 540-card pauper cube submission. 00:12:08 – Crack-a-pack from the above pauper cube. 00:28:00 – Cultural discussion about Kaladesh. 00:52:16 – Actual card discussion onward. 00:57:57 – Aerial Responder (“Dwarven Lighthawk?”) 01:03:08 –...

In this episode of The Third Power, in the spirit of Eternal Masters, Usman and Anthony talk about some older cards in cube and reflect upon their use and how they and their perceptions have changed over the years.   00:01:40  – Crack-A-Pack. 00:09:35 – Winter Orb Errata 00:22:35 – Elesh Norn 00:25:20 – Mystic Confluence,...

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss Shadows over Innstrad and its impact in cube! Usman’s SoI cube article @ GatheringMagic. 00:02:31 – Crack-a-pack. 00:11:17 – Archangel Avacyn 00:15:50 – Town Gossipmonger 00:16:55 – Always Watching 00:22:43 – Bygone Bishop 00:24:13 – Declaration in Stone 00:26:56 – Thraben Inspector 00:29:42 –...

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss Oath of the Gatewatch’s impact on cube! Crack-a-pack. Usman’s articles on Gathering Magic about Oath of the Gatewatch, part 1 and part 2. Usman’s guest episode of “What’s in the Box.” 2015 Cube Wrapup episode of “What’s in the Box.”

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss Commander 2015 and what it brings for cube. Usman’s GatheringMagic article about Commander 2015 for cube. Timeline: 00:02:35 – Crack-a-pack. 00:14:44 – Dawnbreak Reclaimer 00:16:44 – Grasp of Fate 00:20:14 – Kalemne’s Captain 00:22:30 – Oreskos Explorer 00:23:10 – Righteous Confluence 00:26:20 – Gigantoplasm...

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony talk about Battle for Zendikar and its impact in cube! Crack-a-pack featuring Usman’s newly rebooted pauper cube. (Timetables and whatnot to come later. )

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss how Magic Origins impacts cube! Crack-a-pack. Usman’s MTG Origins Cube Review at GatheringMagic. 00:02:17 – Crack-a-pack. 00:17:24 – Overall MTG Origins Talk 00:22:51 – Archangel of Tithes 00:27:19 – Consul’s Liutenant 00:34:47 – Kytheon 00:36:07 – Kytheon’s Irregulars 00:38:04 – Relic Seeker 00:43:19 –...

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony go deep on talking about the method  to the madness of cutting cards from your cube. Crack-a-pack. Cube expansion pack article by Usman. Time: 00:03:22 – Crack-a-pack 00:16:30 – Addendum to Green episode (pauper) 00:17:30 – Cuts (why) 00:36:20 – Cuts (how) 01:22:00 – Real...

In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman complete the WUBRG discussion by talking about how green plays out in cube, talking about its strengths, weaknesses, reasons people have given for its historical weaknesses (signets, planeswalkers,) and how to build around these in cube. Crack-a-pack for today’s episode.

In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman talk about what this deceptively powerful set brings for cube, from the obvious adds to the cards which require some more mental calories to process. Usman’s GatheringMagic Cube Review! Crack-a-pack. Tavish’s Cube Stream. (who’s developing an Android cube app and will be streaming cube drafts.) Usman’s...

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony bring on Limited Resources host, commentator and article writer Marshall Sutcliffe to discuss approaching cube from a drafter’s point of view and cube drafting strategies, along with some questions taken from viewers! Crack-a-pack. Anthony’s Twitter. Usman’s Twitter. Marshall’s Twitter. Limited Resouces Subreddit.

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony talk about how Fate Reforged impacts cube! Crack-a-pack: https://idratherbecubing.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/2311/ Blog post from Usman’s cube blog about inclusion of tri-hybrids: https://idratherbecubing.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/tri-hybrids-etc/ Usman’s Review of Fate Reforged: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/usmanjamil-011215-fate-reforged-cube-review/ Usman’s most recent cube draft walkthrough: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/usmanjamil-012715-cubing-with-usman-legacy-cube-2/

In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony talk about this year and how its sets had an impact on cube! Crack-a-pack! Time stamps: 00:06:50 – Crack-a-pack 00:23:13 – Born of the Gods 00:33:10 – Journey into Nyx 00:39:45 – m15 00:58:25 – Conspiracy 01:23:25 – Khans of Tarkir 01:42:25 – Commander 2014...

In this episode of The Third Power, Anthony and Usman talk about how their impressions of Khans of Tarkir’s cube cards before talking about Commander 2014’s impact on cube! Timestamps: 00:04:12 – Khans Revisited 00:18:45 – Yasova Dragonclaw/Crux of Fate 00:23:25 – Nahiri the Lithomancer 00:29:13 – Comeuppance 00:31:37 – Containment Priest 00:35:48 – Hallowed...