MTGO Cube Drafts

[menace13]

If you guys haven't yet seen the Cube Drafts CFB-Crew is doing I suggest you check it out. Format looks so fun and the videos of LSV/PV/Conley drafting storm or Dream Halls decks kills me. They never win with those decks but god damm if they aint trying to live the dream!

http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/channel-lsv-cube-draft-7/

[KevinTrudeau]

Entered a cube draft a few days ago and built a decent enough stereotypical G/B deck (Thoughtseize, GSZ, Maelstrom Pulse, etc., although I did unfortunately miss out on seeing a Pernicious Deed), managing to actually win the whole thing. Feeling good as I'd just won eight packs (OLS was the throwback draft format, so 2 Onslaught packs, 3 Legions packs, and 3 Scourge packs were my prizes), I go to immediately sell them for tix and see that Legions and Scourge packs are both worth $0.50 to sell, while Onslaughts were selling at $1.50 (combined ~$6.00 for the whole pool). Cube drafts cost 7 tix to enter. Argh. Kind of sucks that I lost money after winning a tournament in a situation that didn't involve hostages/terrorists.

Bottom line is, don't ever cube when OLS is the throwback draft format. In fact, don't ever cube on MODO at all unless Standard-legal packs are the prizes (will probably never happen since it would heavily decrease the market clearing price for them), as I also got slightly short-changed (from what I was expecting) when TPF was the throwback format as well, although not nearly to the degree as I just did a few days ago (as in, I still eked out some profit).

Disclaimer: yes, I know I should have checked the values of all prize packs before entering.

[Koby]

Word of caution on MTGO Cube drafts

At the expense of "fun" you will always lose out on "value". The system is designed to be huge negative EV. Even if they awarded Master's Edition packs, those too would become devalued in mere days.

Quick math -
8 people
7 tix each
42 tix in, $42 retail
12 packs awarded, at $4 retail = $36

The only maintenance required is:
1. developing the cube
2. server expenses

These are already paid for with normal MTGO revenue. Tix consumed is income. Packs awarded have no cost (what's the cost of 10 zeros and ones?) Effectively, each draft skims an extra $6 from the players, making the draft HUGE NEGATIVE VALUE.

Don't support the idiots at WotC.
Don't Cube draft on MTGO.

[cdr]

People don't cube for EV, they cube because it's incredibly fun. Cubing IRL is terrible EV too, you can't even win anything!

I would just hold on to the packs if possible, they should at least double in value on a moderate timeframe.

Watching cube streams on http://twitch.tv is also +++EV if you can't be arsed to cube yourself. Matt Sperling doing live drunken commentary on Tom Martell's cube draft was about the best thing to ever happen.

[Koby]

Matt Sperling doing live drunken commentary on Tom Martell's cube draft was about the best thing to ever happen.

Meh, kind of burnt out on Sperling cube drafts. I can do that every Wednesday in person :P

[menace13]

People don't cube for EV, they cube because it's incredibly fun. Cubing IRL is terrible EV too, you can't even win anything!

I would just hold on to the packs if possible, they should at least double in value on a moderate timeframe.

Watching cube streams on http://twitch.tv is also +++EV if you can't be arsed to cube yourself. Matt Sperling doing live drunken commentary on Tom Martell's cube draft was about the best thing to ever happen.

Wow.. So, he proceeds to draft 5 color control with 4 duals, 2 fetches, 5 Planeswalkers, 4 sweepers, Gilded Lotus, and Shelldock Isle. Seems good

http://www.twitch.tv/tommartell/b/325196900

Edit:Make that 6 Walkers, 3 sweepers, 6 Duals, 1 Fetch, Bunch of things that Vindicate, every draw spell ever, and a Maze of Ith, because, why not play constructed 40 card singelton.

[KevinTrudeau]

All MTGO needs to do really is award tix as prizes instead of awarding packs. That would 100% fix the problem. I'm not missing something when I say that, right? Seems way too obvious to be correct.