A Complete Guide to MTG Arena Cube

Last updated on November 3, 2025

Fblthp, the Lost | Illustration by Jesper Ejsing

Every so often, you'll see an MTG Arena Cube event pop up in our Arena event calendar. Maybe you've built a cube in the past, or if you’re like me, you weren’t really all that familiar with Cube before it was introduced to Arena.

So what is this format, how does it work, and where did it come from? Let’s talk about that.

The Full Story of Cube, Simplified

Planar Bridge (Secret Lair: Fortnite) | Illustration by Alexandre Leoni

So, Cube. It’s pretty simple, in that it’s basically a custom Draft format. A “cube” is created containing whatever cards the organizer wants to include, usually using between 360-540 powerful cards.

How Does Cube Drafting Work?

Players pick cards to build their deck one at a time from rotating 15-card packs that use cards from the Cube, just like you would in a draft. After the event, the cards go back to the Cube. Basically, Cube is a custom Draft game where the players use the organizer’s cards and the cards are not added to your collection.

Some cubes follow other themes or restrictions or are built around specific archetypes/synergies. Cube is also generally singleton, meaning there’s only one copy of each card in the cube. We’ll get to all that in just a bit, though.

Powered Cube Event Details

The Powered Cube event on Arena is a limited time Limited experience, and includes some of the best cards in Magic's history. I remind you right now that this event is phantom, so you do not keep the cards you pick in the draft. But this is a great opportunity to play more than 100 cards that are new to MTG Arena. The card pool gets deeper with every set WotC adds to MTGA.

To sweeten the deal, the rewards add a new type of pack to Arena, the Cube Prize Pack. Also, if you're at the top of your game, Play-in Points are available to those that max out their wins on Best-of-3. Those Cube Prize Pack are unique in that they include at least two rares, and have a 50% chance of containing a bonus sheet card. So a decent amount of packs will have three rares.

You know they are powerful cards when they needed to be pre-banned in Historic:

• Fireblast
• Preordain
• Pyrokinesis
• Seething Song

Powered Cube Event Rewards

BO1 (Ranked)

BO3 (Unranked)

Arena Cube Event Details

Arena Cube is a phantom event with Bo1 and traditional Bo3 matches. The entry fee is either 600 gems or 4,000 gold.

Arena’s Cube offers a large card pool, including Alchemy cards and some cards that are only legal in Timeless.

MTGA has sets from Ixalan forward along with the Historic Anthologies, non-Standard sets like Modern Horizons 3, Pioneer Masters, and any remasters such as Shadows over Innistrad, Kaladesh, and Amonkhet. It’s generally more fun and provides more variety and opportunity for interesting/unique gameplay that you just can’t get in any of the other formats on Arena. Which, really, is the biggest appeal for Cube to begin with.

MTG Arena Cube

MTG Arena Cube Event Rewards

BO1

BO3

General Play and Deck Building Tips

Phyrexian Arena | Illustration by Svetlin Velinov

You can think of Arena Cube as the MTGO Vintage Cube counterpart—it's all about drafting and playing the most powerful cards available on the client. In other words, aim to pick the best card in each pack.​

One notable aspect of this Cube iteration is the improved mana base, which includes multiple copies of shock lands and fetch lands and allows for more aggressive splashing, even in decks that previously struggled with consistency. For example, you can now consider adding Bloodbraid Elf to your Boros () deck or splash for removal spells if your primary colors lack them.

Additionally, this Cube leans toward aggressive gameplay, especially in best-of-one matches. This is partly due to the inclusion of powerful cards like Kari Zev, Crew of Two and Tajic, Legion's Valor, and the hand smoother feature, which benefits aggressive strategies. When combined with the enhanced mana base, it's crucial not to overlook drafting cheap removal spells to effectively combat opposing aggro decks.

One thing to consider is that this iteration of Cube removed a handful of cards to rein in red-based aggro, which dominated past versions. While aggro decks are healthy for the format—they keep games fast and interactive—red-white became too strong, and it forced players into that lane and made the play/draw advantage matter too much.

To balance things out, cards like Ocelot Pride, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Goblin Bombardment, and even non-red standouts like Psychic Frog were cut. They now join past removals like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Solitude, and Mana Drain to leave aggro still solid but less oppressive.

Of course, big bombs like Etali, Primal Conqueror or Emrakul, the Promised End are around the corner and are prime targets for deckbuilders to try the busted strategies, so consider prioritizing mythics at the beginning of each new pack.

Cube Strategy

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Planeswalkers are more prevalent in the Arena Cube than typical Limited formats, making it essential to have answers for them. Establishing an early board presence, utilizing creatures with evasion, or including flexible removal spells are effective strategies. For instance, Lightning Bolt is a versatile choice that efficiently deals with creatures and planeswalkers alike, while Sheoldred's Edict is a flexible card that would also do the job. Additionally, drafting planeswalkers yourself is a very good idea, especially powerful ones like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria or The Wandering Emperor.

When selecting creatures, avoid those that are merely “vanilla” or have basic stats without additional value. Unless you're drafting an aggressive deck, aim for creatures that generate card advantage, impact the board immediately, or contribute to a synergistic engine.​

Many cards in the Cube like Legion Warboss or Esika's Chariot generate tokens, which can lead to overwhelming board states.

If you're leaning towards a control or ramp strategy, it's crucial to include a few board sweepers to reset the board and regain control when behind.​ Luckily, this version of the Cube has a wide variety of them, including Toxic Deluge and Burn Down the House.

Notably, the latest Cube features multiple copies of fetch lands and shock lands, enhancing mana fixing and making playing three or more colors more feasible. Prioritize drafting these lands early, sometimes even over powerful spells.

For example, choosing a land like Zagoth Triome over a medium power-level spell can be beneficial, as powerful spells are often more replaceable than reliable mana fixing.​

The inclusion of fetch lands not only improves mana consistency but also powers up mechanics like delve by filling your graveyard. This synergy makes cards like Dig Through Time more accessible.​

Creature lands such as Den of the Bugbear, are valuable additions to any deck. They provide additional threats and can be particularly useful in control decks as win conditions or in aggro decks to maintain pressure.

Be mindful that many of these lands enter the battlefield tapped. Including too many tapped lands without adequate early-game interaction can leave you vulnerable to aggressive strategies. Balancing your mana base to ensure timely interaction is key to navigating the Cube successfully.

Arena Cube Draft Archetypes

Mono-Colored

Mono-colored decks are builds with just one color in the entire list, with little to no splash. The most powerful are mono-red and mono-white followed by green, black, and finally blue holding last place.

Embercleave sets mono-red apart from the other mono-colored decks in the Cube. This card wins games on the spot, and nothing does this legendary equipment‘s job better. Mono-red also has access to powerful haste creatures in the form of dragons that pressure your opponents in the later stages of the game. On top of that, red has tons of spot removal that can deal direct damage to your opponent.

Mono-white has its tools, building cheap boards with a mix of creatures and tokens and finishing the game with pump spells or combat tricks.

Mono-black can also be played aggressively with cards like Cult Conscript and Evolved Sleeper, which apply early pressure to your opponents, backed by solid creatures such as Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, or  Graveyard Trespasser that provide value in the long run.

However, this deck mainly relies on its cheap removal, and black has access to the best options in the form of Cut Down or Fatal Push, to name a few. Because of this, you can also build mono-black in a pseudo-control manner that’s centered around removal, discard spells like Thoughtseize or Hostile Investigator, and potent card draw engines like Darkstar Augur to take over the game.

Mono-green is all about ramping, utilizing cards like Explore or Gilded Goose to cast potent spells such as Esika's Chariot or Elder Gargaroth ahead of schedule and pressure your opponents.

This strategy works exceptionally well when you can align the right cards, especially when you're on the play with a turn-1 Llanowar Elves into a turn-2 Surrak, Elusive Hunter or another ramp spell, which allows you to play a turn-3 5-drop. However, this can be tricky as it heavily depends on having cheap mana dorks in the first turns, which then become somewhat useless in the late game and are vulnerable to early removal.

Nevertheless, thanks to the hand-smoother, this strategy gains some consistency in best-of-one formats.

Mono-blue is the last on this list, and it's the weakest color for a mono-colored deck since it's harder to properly assemble. The best way to do it is to prioritize cheap value creatures with flash like Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel and Faerie Mastermind to put yourself into the tempo role. The problem with this is the removal; it's too narrow since a big spell resolved is painful to come back from. Your plan is to counter everything before that happens, but it's tough if you let something slip through or if you're on the draw and can't answer a solid 2- or 3-drop.

Being mono-color is a good bet. If you spot that a color's being under-drafted early in the cube, you'll end up with a compelling deck. This strategy excels in Bo1 since hand smoothing helps a lot and it's easier to curve out.

2-color Aggro Decks

One of the most straightforward approaches in Arena Cube, particularly in best-of-one formats, is to draft white- or red-based aggro decks.

The key is to prioritize drafting inexpensive creatures like Kellan, Planar Trailblazer, Esper Sentinel, Monastery Swiftspear, or even Grim Lavamancer. Pair these with formidable threats like Adeline, Resplendent Cathar and Hellrider to hasten your opponent's demise.

While Boros () is arguably the strongest combination, your choice for the second color can vary based on what's available. I recommend avoiding blue as it often leads to drafting a tempo deck rather than an aggressive one.

Tempo Decks

Drafting this archetype can be challenging as you must fully commit to it from the outset. Most often, these decks are blue-based and leverage countermagic and other tricks. Key cards like Snapcaster Mage or Venser, Shaper Savant are essential for the deck to truly shine.

To enhance this strategy, pair it with cheap removal spells like Lightning Bolt or Molten Impact. This combination allows for efficient control of the game's flow, disrupting the opponent's plans and gradually gaining an advantage throughout the match.

Once you gain control of the game, the goal is to swiftly close out the match. This involves maintaining pressure with efficient threats like Monastery Swiftspear, preventing the opponent from stabilizing, and ensuring that the game doesn't reach the late stages where other decks might excel.

Sacrifice

This archetype has been featured in previous cube iterations, but it’s gained significant momentum with recent additions.

The core strategy is to pair token generators like Bitterblossom and Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia with sacrifice payoffs from cards like Marionette Apprentice and The Meathook Massacre to gradually drain your opponent’s life.

Additional cards that complement this strategy include recursion creatures that return to the battlefield, like Tenacious Underdog and Gutterbones, sacrifice outlets such as Priest of Forgotten Gods and Falkenrath Aristocrat, and reanimation options like Reanimate, Lurrus of the Dream-Den, and Emperor of Bones. Together, these cards provide enough value to steadily wear down your opponent.

For this archetype, I recommend leaning slightly toward an aggressive playstyle as powerful late-game spells—especially Alchemy-exclusive ones—can easily overwhelm you if the game drags on.

Landfall

With cards like Tannuk, Memorial Ensign, Ambassador of Evendo, and Hydroponics Architect, the cube makes it easy to build a green-based deck that really takes advantage of all the fetch lands floating around.

Lotus Cobra and Nissa, Resurgent Animist give you powerful ramp options, while big payoffs like Goldvein Hydra, Omnath, Locus of Creation, and Ugin, Eye of the Storms let you turn that mana into explosive turns.

With so many bombs in the cube, you can mix and match your favorite landfall synergies and decide how you want to turn all that extra mana into game-winning plays.

5-Color Nonsense

This is probably the most fun and challenging archetype to draft. You want to focus almost all of your initial picks on lands. Except for signature spells that have four or five colors.

Unlike mono-green, I prefer green-based ramp decks with a twist: avoiding mana dorks. As mentioned earlier, mana dorks are incredibly susceptible to early removal. Given the abundance of efficient removal spells in the Cube, the chances of these creatures surviving are quite slim.

In contrast, cards like Explore and Sylvan Caryatid allow for effective ramping, which propels you ahead of the game. Opponents have limited options to thwart this strategy unless they're equipped with countermagic. I use the term “green-based” because most ramp spells are concentrated in that color. However, you can pair green with other colors like black for removal or blue for card advantage, addressing potential gaps in your deck.

Consequently, you may find yourself drafting decks with more than three colors, and even up to five, depending on the draft's direction. The significant payoffs you seek are game-changing spells like Titan of Industry or powerful planeswalkers like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Nissa, Who Shakes the World.

Remember that many cards, like removal spells or bombs, have overlapping functions (there are plenty to choose from). However, some cards are nearly irreplaceable, like Jace, the Mind Sculptor. As long as you’re running three or more colors, you should be fine.

The Complete Card List for Arena’s Cube Draft

Can I Keep the Cards I Draft in MTG Arena Cube?

No, you don’t get to keep any of the cards that you pick. Here's your reminder that the Cube events are “phantom.” On the flip side, though, you’ll see more rares and mythic rares in the Cube because of this and so you’ll be able to build a more kick-ass deck than you would in a normal draft.

Source

Is Arena Cube Ranked?

No, Cube is not ranked, and the rewards are smaller than many other events. Have fun and play with incredible cards! Who knows, you might find some that sing to you and become your next favorite mythic to craft in Arena.

How Much is the Cube Draft in MTG Arena?

The cost to enter Cube Draft in MTG Arena is 600 gems or 4,000 gold. This is same as buying four regular Arena boosters, and less than a Quick Draft. If you bought gems at their most expensive rate, you pay about $4 to play an Arena Cube event.

How Much is the Powered Cube Draft in MTG Arena?

You can enter the Powered Cube Draft on Arena for 10,000 gold or 1,500 gems. A player draft token is also accepted as an entry fee.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 28 – Nov. 18, 2025.

What Cards are in the Powered Cube Prize Pack Bonus Sheet?

There are 26 cards on the Powered Cube Prize Pack bonus sheet, and every one of them is remarkable for at least one deck or two. Think of cracked commons like Preordain and Snuff Out as well as ridiculous rares like Myr Battlesphere and Winds of Abandon.

• Carnage Interpreter
• Coalition Relic
• Dack Fayden
• Death-Greeter's Champion
• Dress Down
• Figure of Destiny
• Fireblast
• Glimmer Lens
• Leovold, Emissary of Trest
• Mine Collapse
• Myr Battlesphere
• Preordain
• Pentad Prism
• Pyrokinesis
• Seething Song
• Snuff Out
• Titania, Protector of Argoth
• Torsten, Founder of Benalia
• Tourach, Dread Cantor
• Unexpectedly Absent
• Unmarked Grave
• Upheaval
• Vampire Hexmage
• Winds of Abandon
• Woodfall Primus
• Zuran Orb

Is Arena Cube Worth It?

If you want to play a different format to have fun with, then I say it’s worth it. If you’re not particularly interested in Cube, and are just wondering if the entry fee is worth the rewards, then it's a resounding no.

You don’t need any fancy math to see that the event is not worth the entry fee, though, at least not in terms of rewards. At least 5 wins in Bo1 and 2 wins in Bo3 gets you back more than your entry fee. The lack of gems as a potential reward make it obvious that this event is meant for players to have fun with, rather than to offer enticing rewards if you manage to max out your wins. In terms of Arena events, 600 gems or 4,000 gold is a pretty hefty price to pay for a fresh format.

Is Arena's Powered Cube Worth It?

Yes, the unique draft experience of Powered Cube on Arena is worth it, especially if you can amass at least four wins in BO1 or two in BO3. With the Premier Draft entry cost of 10,000 gold or 1,500 gems, and Cube Prize Packs that stack up double the value (about 400 gems) on a regular booster (about 200 gems)

Here's the math for Best-of-1:

At 4 wins you earn 1,400 gems which is 100 shy of your entry fee, the three reward boosters push it over since they add up to about 600 in gem value.

The math for Best-of-3:

With 2 wins you earn 1,000 gems, the 2 Historic boosters are about 400 gems, and the one Cube Prize pack of about 400 gems means: 1,000+400+400 = 1,800 in gem value for two BO3 wins.

Wrap Up

Gelatinous Cube | Illustrated by Olivier Bernard

That’s all we’ve got for you today! Hopefully, we shed some light on this exciting Arena event.

Cube is a great format and certainly a breath of fresh air for MTGA. It’s fun, unique, and an awesome combination of Limited and Constructed. If you’ve never played, it's worth a shot if you’ve got the gold or gems to spare.

Alternatively, if you’re into Limited in general and draft like there’s no tomorrow, Arena Tutor is your best friend. Not familiar with my usual spiel? Perfect! Arena Tutor is our awesome tracker for MTGA drafting that can also help you with your picks thanks to our signature AI. Sometimes you need to recognize the box before you can think outside of it, even if you play Cube.

What are your thoughts on Arena's Cube? If you’ve played it, did you enjoy it? Chat it up in Draftsim's Discord or let us know in the comments!