Howdy, gamers, and welcome to another breakdown of a Magic release through the perspective of the most Cubeable cards!
Fallout is another Universes Beyond IP that I know about nothing about, and it’s another release that I see as introducing a handful of charming cards that we otherwise wouldn’t see! My early impressions of the Fallout Commander decks put them firmly behind Warhammer 40K and about at the power level of Doctor Who. I did have to stretch a bit to get a list of ten broadly Cubeable cards, but there are some really solid options for more niche Cubes.
Junk and Rad
Before we get to my list, let’s talk about these decks on a more macro level. Two big things going on are the introduction of Junk tokens and rad counters.
I’m pretty firmly anti-milling opponents when it comes to conventional Cubes, and rad counters also have similar problems to the initiative and The Ring regarding having rules text that isn’t printed on the card. As such I’m generally cold on rad, though I could see these cards playing very well in Commander Cubes.
Junk, on the other hand, I think is awesome. I spent the entire preview season hopeful that we would get a couple of awesome ways to make some Junk tokens, and while I wish we would have gotten something a little more powerful in this regard, there are at least a couple of cards that make Junk that I’m excited to play with.
The four Fallout Commander decks have some great tools for their specific themes that offer some fun overlap for players looking to mix and match as well. I would definitely check out the card lists if any of the major themes appeal to you, which are as follows:
Scrappy Survivors
Scrappy Survivors is a Naya deck with a modified theme, so counters, Auras, and Equipment abound. Enchantress is a Cube theme that I’ve dabbled with now and again, and modification is a great way to tie these three colors together. There are some really cool designs here in this space, and some of them even made my Top 10 list!
Hail, Caesar
Hail, Caesar is a go-wide Mardu deck, featuring cards with squad and battalion. Squad usually only appears in Commander releases, though for the most part this deck is kind of “normal” cards. Sacrifice is a very common way to tie these three colors together in Cube, though, and there are some nice cards here for Cubes of assorted sub-themes and power levels.
Mutant Menace
Mutant Menace is a Sultai self-mill deck with some proliferating going on, notably of rad counters. There are some appealing cards here for the Toxic Twobert, and Radstorm is, well, rad.
Science!
Science! is a Jeskai deck with energy and artifacts-matter support, two things I love to see. There are some nice cards for the Artifact Twobert here and more nice cards for larger artifact Cubes.
Energy remains one of the more exciting prospects on my Cube bucket list. White is one of the shallower colors for energy support, so I love Brotherhood Scribe. I kind of doubt that we’ll be seeing more energy in Standard set releases anytime soon or ever, but this slow trickle of energy cards through supplemental products tickles me as a Cube designer.
So what are the standouts from these decks for the world of Cube at large? Without further ado, let’s get to the list!
10. Nuka-Cola Vending Machine
I was between Nuka-Cola Vending Machine and Gary Clone for this slot, and to be clear, neither card is breaking the mold on power level. I actually sat down today to write about Gary Clone, and the longer I sat with it, the more I convinced myself that the card just isn’t realistically playable much of anywhere despite its charm. Nuka-Cola Vending Machine is also pretty below rate, but churning out Foods every turn and giving you Treasures when you sacrifice Food are both powerful, even on just the standalone card.
Again, three mana to start things up is a steep cost, and you’ll probably want other Food sources to really consider a card like this, but this card seems awesome for a Game Objects Cube. I could also see these abilities just being enough to hang in a lot of Peasant Cubes, and realistically, this card would be kind of busted if it only cost two mana to cast it upfront. Note that the Treasures enter tapped, so it’ll be tough to fully combo with this card, but it’s strong as a value engine in the right environment.
9. Well Rested
Auras have always been a high-risk, high-reward card subtype, and Well Rested fits the bill perfectly. A lot of Cubes just won’t touch creature enchantments as a rule, but Well Rested does at least replace itself if everything goes right. It’s awkward, because this usually means giving your opponent an untap and draw step to answer your creature before you can realize any of the value that the card offers, but there’s something here.
Most notably, putting Well Rested on a Devoted Druid is quite strong. It’s not infinite, because Well Rested only triggers once each turn, as if they specifically didn’t want that thing to happen, but it’s still not bad. This is maybe another Peasant Cube type interaction, but putting Well Rested on any mana creature is a great way to get some more value out of your Llanowar Elves as the game progresses.
8. James, Wandering Dad
We’ve come a long way from the days of Stroke of Genius being among the more powerful draw spells, and making Clues instead of drawing is weaker absent any synergies, but a 2/4 body that generates mana to crack Clues and get up to other ability-driven shenanigans does help James, Wandering Dad enter the Cube conversation even in 2024.
In all likelihood this is another Game Objects Cube kind of card, but there is enough generic rate here that this card can hang on an individual card basis in more modest Cubes or complement an artifacts-matter package well.
7. Grim Reaper’s Sprint
Having a second enchant creature on the list is clearly a sign that these decks played things pretty safe as far as two-player games of Magic go, but Grim Reaper’s Sprint incentivizes you to cast it at a point in the turn where you would expect your opponent to have already fired off their removal spells. This card is a breaker for a battlefield stall, one that lets you make good attacks even when your opponent threatens to trade or even eat some of your creatures in combat.
Relentless Assault variants tend to be win-more and they don’t typically make their way into Cubes, but there are some Sacrifice synergies going on here with the morbid cost reduction and the +2/+2 and haste to give this card some wider applications. This isn’t a Vintage or even Legacy Cube-caliber card, but it does strike me as an intriguing option for Cubes as lower power levels.
6. Pre-War Formalwear
Pre-War Formalwear has a steep equip cost, and the casting cost means that you’ll never be getting back anything that costs more than the Formalwear itself, but the equipped creature does at least get +2/+2 for your trouble. If people are into Unearth, why not this?
I don’t expect this card to be a Cube staple by any means, but it does offer a cute interaction with Stoneforge Mystic. Either tutoring up the Formalwear itself or already having it in hand when you grab your Batterskull or Kaldra Compleat insulates you nicely as you set up to get your giant living weapon online at a discount. This strikes me as a solid addition to most 540-plus-card Cubes containing everyone’s favorite Kor Artificer.
5. Vault 21: House Gambit
Vault 21: House Gambit is perhaps a little unassuming, perhaps a little slow, but it does some powerful things. My mind immediately goes to Bitter Reunion overperforming my expectations in Vintage Cube. Granted, Bitter Triumph is card parity, while this is card disadvantage, and haste is a big part of what puts Bitter Reunion over, but making Treasures is a way for Reanimator decks to hard-cast their big creatures and is just a generally powerful thing to do.
Chapter III promises up to five Treasures, though the realistic output is closer to two, especially considering that casting this card does put you down a card in hand. There is also tension between trying to match mana values, presumably at lower points on the curve, and using the Treasures to power something out. This is one of those cards that I’ll have to try and report back on because there are a lot of variables, some good and some bad, but it’s worth trying.
4. V.A.T.S.
V.A.T.S is one of those cards that in most games won’t be terribly exciting, but that offers enough upside that it will be worth considering even in higher-power Cubes. Any time that you can randomly tag two or more pieces of cardboard will be awesome, and V.A.T.S. is generally a strong answer to token decks. The split second also means your opponent won’t be able to activate something like a Griselbrand if you’re able to take it or sacrifice anything for value in response. All at instant speed!
It makes sense to me to be averse to a four-mana removal spell in high-powered Cubes. It’s a steep cost! I’ve been somewhat unhappily keeping Damnation around in my Vintage Cube, and I intend to try this swap there.
3. Kellogg, Dangerous Mind
Kellogg, Dangerous Mind is one of those cards that just gives you enough rate so that it’s hard to ignore. A three-mana creature attacking with first strike and haste means that it’s probably connecting if your opponent doesn’t immediately have a removal spell, and when that happens, you get a Treasure for your trouble. Call me old-fashioned, but that plus making a Treasure on subsequent attacks leaves a lot to like! Admittedly, this card isn’t up to snuff for higher-powered Cubes, but in more modest environment, Kellogg applies a good amount of pressure while ramping you from three to five.
There are tons of ways to make Treasures these days, which also means that in some Cubes you’ll be able to get good mileage out of Kellogg’s ability to steal opposing creatures. I would be a lot more excited if Kellogg’s body made Junk tokens, but as things stand, I see Kellogg as being much better positioned to succeed in the average Cube than Boomer Scrapper, a card that I wish had even just a little more juice.
2. Assaultron Dominator
Assaultron Dominator simply isn’t on the level of Inti, Seneschal of the Sun, but it is a two-mana creature that can scale a little with the game to continue to make good attacks as the game progresses, which you can’t say about a lot of red two-drops. The most common play pattern will be to just make this a 3/3 and then a 4/4, but giving it first strike is real, too.
Notably, the ability to add counters triggers on any artifact creature attacking, so if you want to put all of your eggs in the Bomat Courier basket, then that’s a pretty strong one-into-two curve. Assault Dominator will be stronger the more artifact creatures are available, and naturally plays better in environments with other ways to make energy. Optimizing for this one requires some highly specific stuff, but it does come at a solid rate on its own and most Cubes will have some other artifact creatures to spread the love around.
1. Veronica, Dissident Scribe
I might have the order on one and two backwards here, given that three-drops have steeper competition for Cube inclusion than twos, but Veronica, Dissident Scribe is easily the more exciting of the two cards. A three-mana 3/3 menace body is more or less what we expect these days, with the looting ability not being all that exciting in isolation. What makes Veronica awesome is that the ability to make Junk tokens is an independent clause that triggers on any discard. That makes Veronica an awesome follow-up to Inti; Smuggler’s Copter; Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel; or any of a wide range of discard outlets.
I don’t see these synergies as being enough to put the card over something like Laelia, the Blade Reforged in Vintage Cube, but it’s not a non-starter in high-powered environments. At the very least, I can say that this one is going right into Spooky Cube. I’m really excited to make some Junk tokens!
Fallout is another Universes Beyond product that looks awesome for fans of the source material while giving the rest of us some cool game pieces without going overboard. There’s a part of me that wishes we got a more powerful and efficient Junk engine, but in general, the power level that these decks came in at strikes me as the right way to go about this sort of thing. There are some cool Cube cards here, but nothing that you couldn’t skip for most Cubes, while offering unique tools for more niche designs as well.
