What is Cubelet?

Cubelet was introduced to the world casually by Alex Steacy of LoadingReadyRun in a podcast episode. The premise of this causal Magic: The Gathering format is fairly simple.

At the very core, Cubelet:
  • Supports 2 – 4 players, each with a starting life of 20, or 10 if you are playing a quick game.
  • A single deck containing 100 cards, singleton.
  • No lands.
  • Shared library, graveyard, and exile.
  • If playing multiplayer, multiplayer rules are in effect (1st player will draw on their first turn).
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Gameplay is straightforward as well:
  1. Each player starts with the maximum seven cards in their hand. No Mulligans!
  2. During your turn, you may play up to one card from your hand face down. It becomes a land that taps for one of any color. If you are playing with those cards that need colorless mana, they tap for those as well.
  3. It is recommended that these lands have shroud, but you ultimately decide whether players can target lands or not.
  4. Other than that, play the game as normal​.

Why Cubelet?

TL;DR
  • Easy to build.
  • Easy to carry.
  • The "Draft" happens while you play.
  • Every game is different.
  • Anyone at any skill level can play with ease.
A Cubelet fits inside one deck box that can easily slide into a bag. Set up and clean up is extremely easy. You do not have to worry about having extra lands on hand. There is no draft component, but it plays very similar to a deck you would draft in a cube. You just set up and go.

Decisions you make throughout the entirety of the game influence the game itself. You choose if you want to hit your land drops. You choose what is removed from that game to become a land. These decisions reward players who can think about the long term while dealing with what is happening at that moment. For skilled Magic players, there are lots of mini tests along the way. For beginning players, there is a lot of flexibility, so you get to play the game for what it is.

Lastly, many of the aches and pains of the other formats. You never get mana screwed or flooded. There is always an opportunity to play something. You get to play the cards you love and avoid ones that you hate. In a lot of ways, it is the game at its purest form.