UPDATED: 4-16-13

An 8-player EDH Cube, with 40 (42 if playing with 6 or 7 players) Commanders that are dealt face down to the players before the drafting process starts, they then draft 6-packs of 15 for a 99-card deck.

Commanders


Colorless


Black


White


Red


Green


Blue


Azorius


Boros


Dimir


Golgari


Gruul


Izzet


Orzhov


Rakdos


Selesnya


Simic

I should state that I am very interested in the different variations people use to divvy up the Commanders and also what cards they put in and what cards they took out.

Does anyone use a grading scale for cards? Like 1-5 on Ease to Cast, Utility, Propensity to Win, etc. if so what are they?

I had a commander cube, but ended up taking it apart, as most here would rather draft the real cube, or play their own commander decks.

It was built for 5 people to play either free for all or pentamagic with, and the commanders were put in packs dealt out randomly after seating order was determined. Each pack had one invasion dragon, and one PC dragon, the two that share the same primary color, and a few land to assure you could reasonably play 3 colors without having to fill the cube with an overabundance of mana fixing. each pack came with one of each possible karo (you could only run three, obv) a command tower, and a reflecting pool. seemed to work out well, and there was still a good bit of mana fixing in the cube itself. Most people liked the general packs, since there was a strong feeling of balance, and you were only forced to play one color based on what you got.

To keep things in balance, however, there were zero 3 color cards in the cube, since they would have been useable by only one person each.

My commander cube became a commander realms box. Drafting 6 packs just seemed to take too long for my play group. Now we have 5 piles/libraries (each color). We draft commanders still. Then you can draw from which ever pile you have the color access to. Gold/ colorless get randomly distributed in each pile( A rug card could go in any of the 3 piles and a colorless in any of the 5). If you get a card you can not play due to color restriction you may exile it and draw a new card.

For commanders I have 3 of each color combination available.

That's kind of awesome...I will DEFINATLEY suggest this to my group the next time Experttextpert pulls out the commander cube. Drafting takes forever!

Like the idea, will try it out. With my group is goes fast once you get the color identity down. The first couple packs are difficult and then it goes real quick for the next 4, but that is also a reason we didn't go 7 packs (which was our original thought).

Just so everyone knows this list isn't updated, you got to go to my site in order to see if (at least until I want to put the card code in here all over again.

Philosophically for Cube, do you like putting in all the cool cards/bombs or a bunch of jank so that you can see what people will do with it?

Both for different reasons. I like an all bombs cube so I can play with powerful cards guilt free.

I like all jank cubes to watch the tier 3 and lower cards that I love so much see some play

Depends, I started the cube off with a jank theme limiting it only to commons and uncommons with some of the worst Commanders ever printed. However the multi-player aspect of it and the fact that the closest things to board wipes were Pestilence and Pyrohemia, the games took forever. It started with the philosophy that people would have these armies for their generals to command and cards like Serra Angel would be bombs, I know Minion of the Wastes was huge in the beginning, but the games were taking 5+ hours. So I started to include rares and mythics into the cube and it escalated because my group just has more fun with the bomby type of cards.

I like to have a balance between Bomby McBombertons and the cards that combo well with the Commanders for cool effects. I went out of my way to ensure that are no infinite combos but the escalation of force continues until someone just wins. I wanted more game winners than answers for game winners so that the game can't last forever or just stagnate. The group I generally play with likes to have fun games but not fun 6-hour games. We've found that 4-hours for draft, and 2-3 games of EDH are appropriate for an afternoon and anything longer than that just starts seeming like drudgery.

If I had to summarize a philosophy for my cube it would be: "More players for more fun."

My friend has a normal cube for 1-on-1 games and his are just powerful cards and abuse, playing it reminds me of my childhood as the red-headed stepchild. I know his philosophy was "Epic plays for epic fun."

So it got updated, would love to hear peoples thoughts on it now.

Also if people think a certain card is better in a limited multiplayer setting than one of the cards that isn't in here please let me know. Or if there are changes that you suggest, etc.

UPDATED w/ Gatecrash

Changes:

Black:
Removed: Okiba-Gang Shinobi, Order of Yawgmoth, Fiend of Shadows, Dismember, Blistergrub, Soot Imp, Moriok Replica, and Sorceress Queen.

Added: Ultimate Price, Wight of Precinct Six, Sepulchral Primordial, Ogre Slumlord, Crypt Ghast, Basilica Screecher, Thrull Parasite, and Avatar of Woe.

The main changes in black were the removal of most of the combat discard creatures and the addition of the extort creatures. Also Dismember was cut for Ultimate Price as there are lots and lots of mono-colored creatures in this cube.

Blue:
Removed: Wizard Replica, Argent Sphinx, Esperzoa, Deadeye Navigator, Slow Motion, Careful Study, and Mystical Tutor.

Added: Augury Owl, Merfolk Wayfinder, Sea Gate Oracle, Faerie Mechanist, Diluvian Primordial, Cloudfin Raptor, and Jace's Phantasm.

It was hard fought but Deadeye Navigator had to be cut because I don't allow infinite combos in my cube and well he led to a couple (even though they were four card combos). I also wanted to cheapen up blue creatures a little so that they have more mana for instants and abilities.

White:
Removed: Gerrard Capashen, Kataki, War's Wage, Guardian Seraph, Soul's Attendant, Protective Sphere, and Springjack Shepherd.

Added: Luminate Primordial, Syndic of Tithes, Knight of Obligation, Blind Obedience, Basilica Guards, Sanctum Gargoyle.

I just removed cards that people weren't playing to add in the extort creatures and add a artifact recursion card.

Red:
Removed: Matron Stromgald, Brimstone Volley and Fling

Added: Molten Primordial, Five-Alarm Fire and Skullcrack.

Matron was good with a butt ton of tokens and combat steps and such but no one was using him, I'm much more confident that people will use these cards. I like the repeatable aspect of the 5AF rather than the conditional aspect of the Volley, and you can always unload your tokens from the fire at instant speed. Fling was for the big guys like Malignus or Scourge of Grier Reach but no one was using it so it got cut.

Green:
Removed: Magus of the Candelabra, Wall of Blossoms and Sylvok Replica.

Added: Experiment One, Gyre Sage, Sylvan Primordial.

This was just a small tweak to make Green more awesome.

Multi-Color:
Removed: Divinity of Pride

Added: Merciless Eviction

While an 8/8 flying lifelink for 5 is really good, it was also conditional and semi-difficult to cast. I like the options of Merciless Eviction more than the conditional state of the DoP.

Colorless:
Removed: Prophetic Prism, One-Eyed Scarecrow, Isochron Scepter, and all 10 of the bounce lands.

Added: Glaring Spotlight, Illusionist's Bracers, Grand Coliseum and all 10 of the shock lands.

This I consider an upgrade on lands, etc. also one of the reasons the Magus was taken out.

***

Anyways I am always interested in opinions on why certain cards and not others or suggestions for cards.

Updated, added 90-cards so that it can house 8-players instead of 7 and doubled the Commanders.

Sever the Bloodline for Oubliette, here it is an upgrade from an exile effect for an exile effect. Oubliette was good with Zur but Sever the Bloodline is more universal as it still exiles (important vs. indestructible creatures), answers swaths of tokens, and has flashback.

Dark Hatchling for Abyssal Specter, Abyssal was a relic of when black cared about discard, but in a multiplayer game discard is much less effective so murder was the case that they chose. While the jump from 4 to 6 is a bigger jump than normal turn 6 is really when creatures need to start dying.

Ghost Quarter for Sun Droplet, no one used Ghost Quarter and the Sun Droplet seems like a fun card.

Perilous Myr for Arcbound Crusher, Perilous Myr is being removed because creatures that have effects leaving the battleground are being removed and while Perilous Myr is good with Glissa the Arcbound Crusher should be bigger and better. Also while generally I try to keep the 'honey comb is big' to creatures that have some defense mechanism I think the modular fulfills that need.

Spawning Pit for Peace Strider, Spawning Pit is a generally good card full of utility however because cards like Arcbound guys, Sphinx Summoner, Master Transmuter, etc. more artifact creatures were needed.

The following are being added to aide in the artifact creature boost as well as to take away some from the mono-colored and increase the colorless in the cube.
Stitch Together for Pierce Strider
Compulsive Research for Viseling
Spirit Cairn for Arcbound Slith
Mitotic Slime for Mirror Golem
Stromkirk Noble for Death-Mask Duplicant

Seedguide Ash for Genesis, very similar to the Perilous Myr situation about leaving the battlefield effects being removed. I consider land ramp a much more valuable use especially with green and green has a lot of resources that are good with the graveyard but Genesis is just a bomb.

Naturalize for Algae Gharial, green has lots of artifact and enchantment removal and doesn't really need this card and a big honey comb with shroud is never a bad thing.

Adamaro, First to Desire vs Firewing Phoenix, Adamaro is a good 6/6 or 7/7 on turn three, but that's all he is and red is transitioning (slower than I would like) over to a number of repeatable/recurrable cards that should give red the longevity that it needs.

Braid of Fire vs Sandstorm Eidolon, Braid of Fire was too slow and the recurrable creature every time you cast your Commander or another multi-color creature was a good option.

Burning Palm Efreet vs Aladdin, Aladdin is so underrated and with the increase in artifact creatures his ability to steal them was more powerful than the Efreet's ability to clear the skies.

Archon of Justice vs Springjack Shepherd, another exit the battlefield effect being removed. The Shepherd should do some work with overrun cards, or just Marshal's Anthem and Elesh Norn.

Knight of Meadowgrain vs Soul's Attendant, one less mana and a lot more life gain. The Knight is good but double white is also harder to cast.

Mistmoon Griffin vs Mass Calcify, another exit the battlefield effect being removed. Calcify seems good at being a mostly one sided wrath.

Updated with Dragon's Maze

Cards still looking for Notion Thief and Deadbridge Chant.

Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts replaced Teysa, Orzhov Scion.

Pyrewild Shaman replaced Onslaught.

Varolz, the Scar-Striped replaced Dreg Mangler.

Pontiff of Blight replaced Plaguebearer.

Blaze Commando replaced Figure of Destiny.

Scion of Vitu-Ghazi replaced Kor Sanctifier.

Rishadan Footpad replaced Soul Barrier.

Cho-Manno's Blessing replaced Rebuff the Wicked.

Added another cycle of dual-colored cards.
In:
Debt to the Deathless
Gaze of Granite
Zhur-Taa Druid
Haunter of Nightveil
Boros Battleshaper
Progenitor Mimic
Hanna, Ship's Navigator
Sarkhan the Mad
Trostani's Summoner
Blast of Genius

Out:
Thought Prison
Quicksilver Amulet
Blazing Torch
Cathedral of War
Isolation Cell
Mogg Maniac
Chainer's Edict
Yavimaya Elder
Phyrexian Rebirth
Jace Beleren

I've been playing my Commander cube for a few years now. The cards change frequently, but I have settled on a few practices and extra rules that make the format fun for me and my group. Most of them can be adopted independently of each other. Maybe one or more would work for your group.

My cube is 628 cards. That's 72 cards each in the WUBRG, artifact, multicolored, and land categories, plus 52 commanders (3 per dyad, 2 per triad, and 2 5-color).

We draft a pack of 6 commanders first. One of the commanders you draft will be your commander, but you don't have to choose finally until deck construction. Any or all of the other 5 can be part of your deck, if you want. (I also allow players to choose as their commander any legend they pick later in the draft, but in the cube's current form there aren't any legends along the 72 multicolored cards, so this is rarely done.)

If a player chooses their 4th, 5th, or 6th pick legend as their commander, they start the game with 8 cards and an 8-card maximum hand size. This rule discourages forcing powerful commanders that go early and rewards experimenting with weirder generals.

In lieu of constructed color rules, we prohibit decks from including basic lands that do not match the commander's color identity. You can splash anything you draft, but to cast it you must rely on the nonbasic lands and artifacts that you draft. This makes the draft format an appealing opportunity to experience, for example, 5-color Mayael, the Anima or Grimgrin with white tokens.

We build 60 card decks. (The commander is 61.) Most of a 99 card deck will never affect either of the two or so games a cube deck plays before it is deconstructed. You may as well not have drafted those cards, nor bothered with them in deck construction. We leave more time for play by drafting fewer cards. I picked 60 as the deck size because players already have experience building mana bases for that size.

With a group of 5 players, we draft 6 packs of 9. With a group of 6, we draft 5 packs of 11. These numbers cause each player to see each pack at most twice and permit each player during deck construction to cut around 20 cards (minus land picks), the same as booster draft players are used to cutting.

I make the packs by combining one random card of each category (WUBRG, artifact, multicolor, and land) with a random assortment of cards to fill the desired pack size. So in a 5-man, the packs have one of everything and a wild card; in a 6-man, one of everything and 3 wild cards. This practice cuts back on tedious preparatory cube-shuffling and prevents the imbalanced packs that would result anyway. It makes signaling possible and rewards it.

I am not going to post a list, because mine changes often and lists are so dependent on personal preference, but I will note that I routinely include cards that are banned in constructed. Many banned cards are quite fun when players can't reliably assemble combos.

I'll also observe that average cube power-level, average commander power-level, and synergy are all in competition with one another. As you increase one, the other two will become less important features of your games.

I'm happy to answer questions and take suggestions from people on this. I am pretty much tired of constructed EDH, but this format continues to engage me after several years.