Our letters

<3

I love you. But I feel you are a bit of a conventional card to love. Back in 2011 Standard you were the card control players feared the most. When you hit the battlefield, your opponent is suddenly transported to a movie scene where there is a ticking time bomb they have to dismantle before it’s too late. Before it all goes boom. 

People hated your play patterns. They hated staring down their fate desperately trying to scramble for answers, forgetting about all their problems. Even if they did dismantle you in time, they would wake up from their fever dream only to realise that 99 other problems emerged in the meantime. 

I loved your playpatterns. You create a mini game within the game, without being able for the opponent to hit pause on the rest. You add so much complexity for your opponent in sequencing their plays, how to solve all their problems. You have been in my Peasant Cube from the day you were printed and you are a perfect fit there. I love having you in that cube because I force my control players to think about drafting answers for you, even if it is only a couple of bounce spells or a Flickerwisp so they are able to keep you in check instead of dismantling you. 

I am a control player. Personally my favourite way to deal with you in my Peasant Cube is to just draft you. Because from my sideboard you are the perfect solution to my control mirrors. Throwing a ticking time bomb my opponents way, to see the despair in their eyes when they  try to dismantle it in time is one of my favourite things to do in that cube.

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

On the 30th of October 2023 I sat down to play the finals of the Cube Invitational I organised. I was playing my dear friend Frank. Frank has played the most of the Cube Invitationals I have organised (I didn’t play all of them myself), but has never won a Cube Invitational. And that is something that we, his friends and multiple times winners Wander, Danny and myself, always tease him with. This not winning something is unusual for Frank. Frank was a Pro Tour competitor and these days is known for tearing through the Premodern and Old School scene. Winning tournament after tournament, putting up some insane runs. Earlier this year Frank won the Italian Premodern National Championships with a 11-0 run. The next day he went on a 7-0 run in the Old School tournament, finally losing in the semi-finals for a total of 18-1 that weekend. Frank is used to winning. 

Prior to this tournament I listened to Lucky Paper Radio their episode with Sam Black about his ‘small game Magic’ theory. I was very interested in this theory and tore through Sam his article about this afterwards. When sitting down for the final draft I wanted to implement small game theory, and the Grixis Cube we were drafting was the perfect cube to do so with. 

I got to draft most of the black discard spells and a lot of good red burn spells. Both are great in small game Magic, because they are very efficient at creating scarcity. Scarcity of cards in hand, creatures in play and life total. I splashed Blue, for you Sedraxis Specter. You were the most overperforming card of my deck. When left unchecked you killed any hope for Frank of playing big Magic. When he did deal with you, you would come back one last time to eat even more resources. Clearing any blockers wasn’t a problem with my red burn and black removal spells, so I could always get you to connect with you and rip cards from Frank’s hand. Together we crushed any dreams Frank had of winning a Cube Invitational that October evening. 

I loved that I could put this theory to practice in that draft. I love that you embodied that theory and I love you for it. I will always curate this Grixis Cube in such a way that you have a place in that cube because I want to cherish this memory. The memory of crushing big magic dreams Frank had that evening. And mostly cherish the fact that I still get to tease him with the fact that he still hasn’t won a Cube Invitational after so many tries. Someone has to keep his feet on the ground. 

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

Back in the 2005/06 Standard season my dear friend Micha-el was tearing through every standard tournament he found with his brew: AzusaLoku. He utilised the freshly printed bouncelands with you and your buddy Azusa, Lost but Seeking and created a piece of art. Because that was what it was looking at Micha-el playing with his deck: art. The flow of the game, the big splashy plays, the smiles on everybody’s faces. 

The deck was actually really good. He had really good results with the deck, combining his strong skills as a player with his strong skills as a designer. The best way I can describe watching Micha-el play this deck is watching Kobe Bryant his last season. You know it is going to end so you just want to soak up every second of it. Because that is the fate of this standard deck, after one year it would rotate out. 

Micha-el had many of these seasons to be fair. The next season it was a blast to watch him play with his new love. Being Micha-el his travel buddy I got to watch him play a lot. That is the fate of a travel buddy when some one makes a whole lot of top 8’s. I remember Micha-el going undefeated at the ‘Open Fries Kampioenschap’. I remember being kicked out of the venue and having to watch Micha-el win a top 8 at a restaurant table. Great memories. Memories of laughter, traveling and great Magic. 

In honour of those memories I designed a cube trying to capture the greatest of Micha-el his deck designs: Mich Masters. A cube in honour of how he inspired me with his unique take on designing Magic decks, seeing potential where others wouldn’t dare to go. That has always been an inspiration for me as a Cube Designer. I love that cube, and I love you in that cube. Bringing me back to those days of being 16 years old and watching Micha-el make art together with you, Meloku. Still putting a smile on my face. 

3x Meloku, the Clouded Mirror

2x Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

2x Godo, Bandit Warlord

2x Keiga, the Tide Star

4x Azusa, Lost but Seeking

4x Sakura-tribe Scout

4x Vinelasher Kudzu

4x Compulsive Research

4x Remand

2x Tidings

3x Savage Twister

1x Tatsumasa, the Dragon’s Fang

1x Umezawa’s Jitte

2x Forest

3x Tendo Ice Bridge

2x Breeding Pool

1x Stomping Ground

4x Yavimaya Coast

1x Okina, temple to the Grandfathers

1x Minamo, School at water’s Edge

1x Oboro, Palace in the Clouds

4x Izzet Boilerworks

2x Simic Growth Chamber

3x Gruul Turf

SB: 

2x Umezawa’s Jitte

3x Electrolyze

3x Carven Caryatid

3x Soratami Savant

4x Sundering Vitae

With love, 

Hanjo 

<3

I remember. I remember those days where you were a Vintage Cube staple. I loved those days and I loved you in that cube. With that cube I’m mostly talking about my friend Tim his Vintage Cube we used to play a lot when we were young. 

There were so many fun things to do with you after trading. Bouncing you with Man-o’-War. Or even better, bouncing you with Tradewind Rider, again. And again. And again. Exiling you with Parralax Wave to steal even more. My personal favourite is exiling you with Venser, the Sojourner because: “Exile target permanent you own”. Again and again. 

You seem quite fair. I love cards that seem quite fair, and then surprise surprise, can be completely abused. Drafting these synergies and playing them is so much fun. Unfortunately you have been lost to Vintage Cube for a long time now and quite frankly, that makes me sad. Because you should become better with the power creep. The better the creatures you can steal, the worse the deal is the opponent is getting out of the trade. And creatures have gotten a whole lot stronger over the years. 

I hope you get reprinted into Standard. Because these days they only add flashy new cards to the MTGO and Arena Vintage Cube’s that look unfair, but in the end turn out to be quite fair and therefore not good enough. And I think we need some more of those cards that on the surface, seem just fair. 

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

I forgot that I loved you. Talking to reader Joe about his cube made me remember. I commented on his ‘Kamigawa-Time Spiral Museum: Golden Age of Standard’ cube that I missed the good old Scryb Ranger and Spectral Force combination in there. As an example of a list from that time I found this article, describing Naoki Shimizu’s run with Scryb&Force at Worlds 2007. Shimizu explains why he chose you, Yavimaya Dryad, for his deck. Reading made me remember. 

Back in 2007 I played multiple variations of Blue and Green decks in Standard. I built versions with Scryb Ranger and Spectral Force and also versions without. I also built versions with you, because you are a great card. On the face you are just a ramp spell packed in a body. But you are so much more. You are reach to a green deck like it has never seen before. Giving the opponent a Forest, thus making yourself unblockable to get in for the last points of damage is such a fun little quirk about you. And I love that about you. 

At the same time that I was talking to Joe about this, I was also updating my Duplicate Sealed Cube for my upcoming Cube Invitational. I wanted to add Wood Elves to that cube, but to my surprise, getting 8 copy’s wasn’t actually all that cheap and I didn’t have any copies laying around. Then I checked how many copies I still had of you and to my surprise I had more than enough. So now I am happy to say that I have not forgotten about you and will never forget again, because after all these years you’ve finally made it into one of my cubes. 

With love

Hanjo

<3

I love you. You are in my dear friend Frank his Artifact Cube. You are a card people don’t notice, or find too difficult to play because of your 3 colours. But they don’t see what I see. I go out of my way to splash you. 

In the earlier stages of this cube Frank and I did a lot of 2 player drafts with this cube. Frank designed it to be a 2-4 player cube. You have been in the cube from the start and I always went out of my way to splash you. Because you are amazing. Even in decks with some of the most powerful cards of this cube like Scrap Mastery, you were the shining light guiding me to victory. 

In a cube filled with artifacts, sacrifice and artifact synergies, you shine so bright. You take over the game completely if left unanswered, and that is what you did so many times for me Jan Janssen. Every time I see you in the draft of that cube my heart just jumps because I love you. And I will go out of my way to splash you. All that is left now, is to build a cube of my own for you to shine. Because being dependent on Frank his cube to play you is just not good enough. 

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

In 2023 my dear friends Danny, Frank and Wander convinced me that building a duplicate sealed experience with cube was a great idea. Crafting a list for a pauper cube of 300 cards, then getting 8 copies of each. I remember an insane order of 1183 cards from one seller. A crazy project to take on, and complete. But an amazing project nonetheless. 

I discovered my love for you the first time we played this Duplicate Sealed Cube experience, you were part of the first 90 cards pool. I created multiple decks in that pool, but the first deck I started on each match was a Red and White aggro deck featuring you. And you were a beast. You dominated combat, and therefore games. You were like a bomb rare in a pauper environment. I fell in love with you there, but I fell even more in love with you earlier this year. 

In 2025 I’ve added you to my Hanjo Masters #1 cube based on my experience with you in that Duplicate Sealed pool to support the token theme in that cube. And you are amazing in that cube. At my last Cube Invitational weekend early in 2026 my friend Tristan discovered why you are amazing in that cube. Because he had a chance to live the dream you offer in that cube: chancing your entire board with Mirrorweave into you. Tristan told me about it with such a big smile on his face. 

It is the chance to offer my players these dreams why I love cube so much. And why I love you so much, Rhox Veteran. 

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

There are 8 copies of you in the mail arriving soon. I can’t wait to meet you. I’m adding you to my Duplicate Sealed Cube that I am playing in 3 weeks at this Cube Invitational I am organising. I do hope you will be part of the pool, because I just know you are going to be a lot of fun to play with. 

Initially I built my Duplicate Sealed Cube with only commons except for some uncommon lands. Having to have 8 copies of each card for this cube made me consider costs and pauper seemed like a good initial starting point. After 5 times of playing a duplicate sealed pool with this cube I’ve made the decision to include more uncommons. Not the classic Peasant Cube banger uncommons, but uncommons that matched the lower power level of this pauper based environment. And you are one of the new inclusions. 

The great thing about duplicate sealed that it is up to the players to break the pool. To assess the power level of the cards correctly, to find hidden gems that the others miss. And I hope that you are in the pool, because you will always be a hidden gem. Your play patterns seem really strong and fun to me and I can’t wait to abuse them. Dreaming of your play patterns have made me fall in love already, and I can’t wait to fall in love even more when actually playing with you. 

I hope you will be in the duplicate sealed pool for the Cube Invitational. And then I hope I am the only one finding you as the hidden gem. Because I want to win this invitational. Danny and I are tied at 3 wins a piece at this moment and I want to be alone on that mountain again. 

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

I love you man. You helped me win my second Cube Invitational when the top 4 draft was a silent auction draft with my Pauper Cube (which evolved into my Duplicate Sealed Cube). I drafted a low to the ground Green and White deck and you were one of the all stars of that deck. I freaking love combat tricks, and you are one of my favourite combat tricks. 

To be fair, you have won a high level constructed event: Grand Prix Montreal in 2007. In a Green and White aggro deck in the Block Constructed format. A constructed environment where a combat trick is actually good, sounds like a great environment to me. That is why I personally didn’t get the problem with Monstrous Rage. When a combat trick is one of the best performing cards in your constructed environment, sounds like a dream to me. Same reason why I personally don’t have a problem with Echoing Boon in the 100 Ornithopters Cube. Any card that makes combat tricks good enough in a cube, is a card I love to see (I do think it is completely valid that Andy cut it from the cube from a stifling design restriction). 

I used to not like regular limited because I didn’t like playing with the Grizzly Bears and Hill Giants of this world. That is what drew me to cube, a limited format without bad cards. But I don’t like power maxed limited environments either, too much variance for my taste. Plus in those environments combat tricks are never a thing. And this is what cube has to offer me, that amazing in between space where I get to create the type of limited that I love to play. No bad cards, but combat tricks a plenty. I have created 14 cubes with at least one combat trick in them. I love each and every one of those combat tricks. 

And I love playing with you Thrill of the Hunt, and I know we will be seeing a lot more of each other in the future. 

With love, 

Hanjo

<3

I love you. But not for reasons I normally love Magic the Gathering cards. I like it that I’ve put 6 copies of you in one cube, together with 4 copies of your mother Bogbrew Witch. I have nice memories of tilting people on through Magic the Gathering Online with the two of you in a weird standard brew I’ve made. Beautiful thing by the way, how easily weird brews can trigger the most tilting reactions on MTGO. Anyways, I did bring that cube, Hanjo Masters #4, with me to the second to last official Wizards of the Coast tournament I have ever played: Grand Prix Liverpool 2018.

Grand Prix Liverpool 2018 was a team event: unified Modern. I played in the tournament with my friends Frank and Tom, and we had such a blast that weekend. That weekend is such a fond memory. We got to play the first round on camera, for Twitch coverage. When we walked over, Rich Hagon told us why we were there, and did so a bit harshly. “You are not here because of you, you are here because you are playing the Mexican national team that is playing Worlds next weekend”. Gee thanks Rich. 

The commentators in the booth were Tim Willoughby and Frank Karsten. Thanks to Tim having a very, very hard time pronouncing my name I gained a whole bunch of nicknames that are used till this day 8 years later. Fellow countryman and co-commentator Frank Karsten telling him “you’re doing great” with the pronunciations made them so much better. The evening of watching coverage back at the AirB&B was filled with laughter thanks to Tim’s pronunciations. 

On those evenings filled with laughter we also drafted my Hanjo Masters#4 Cube. And you Festering Newt became one of the many inside jokes that were created that weekend. Writing about it now, it sounds silly, but I think that was the point: just pronouncing “Newt” funny made us burst into laughter the whole weekend. 8 years later and still shouting “Newt” that way sparks smiles to the insiders. Seeing you in that cube always brings back such fond memories. And for that, I love you. 

With love, 

Henno the Fries