Set Prospective
Unfinity
This article is one of our set prospectives, a series in which we survey the Cube community about the cards they intend to play in their cubes from a particular set. Our survey is conducted between the set’s full-spoiler and official release and is meant to measure and document Cube designers’ first impressions of new cards.
Unfinity, Magic’s newest Un-set comes with a twist: black borders, and for many cards, legality in eternal formats! Of course, Cube designers have always had the freedom to play whatever cards they like, silver borders and joke cards included, but Unfinity’s broader legality might make curators take a closer look.
Still, at least among our survey respondents, Unfinity didn’t grab anywhere near the attention of a typical, premier set. Only 34 designers responded to the survey, testing on average about six cards apiece.
| Card | Testers▼ | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Saw in Half | 26.5% | 5.6 |
| Clown Car | 23.5% | 7.2 |
| Standard Procedure | 20.6% | 5.6 |
| Nearby Planet | 17.6% | 7.9 |
| Magar of the Magic Strings | 17.6% | 7.7 |
| Comet, Stellar Pup | 17.6% | 5.3 |
| Trigger Happy | 17.6% | 6.5 |
| Park Map | 11.8% | 4.6 |
| Opening Ceremony | 11.8% | 6.4 |
While the flavor is a little grim, our top card, Saw in Half, does in fact feel within the realm of of ‘normal magic’. At first glance, it may look like a removal spell, but I suspect most Cube curators are interested in the option to saw their own creatures in half, doubling down on enter-the-battlefield or static abilities.
Clown Car and Standard Procedure feel like the perfect Un-cards to add a splash of interest to a draft, much like Blast from the Past before them.
Nearby Planet is a card that’s just going to work great mechanically plenty of contexts, even if it’s a little too risky for Eternal formats. At worst, Nearby Planet is a Rupture Spire, but surround it with the right cards and we can dream big.