Hello and welcome back to another addition of CubeStuffInc. Today I am highlighting 10 of my favorite Cube cards from the past year. These are the cards that created the biggest impacts and stories of the nearly 30 unique Cubes I drafted this year, not just the most powerful. In order of release date here are 10 cards worth picking up if you haven't had a chance to play with them.

Grim Bauble

What most people read as a sorcery speed Disfigure is actually my sleeper pick for best Cube card of the year. While it shows up in only 2,000 Cubes on Cube Cobra as opposed to the 14,000 Cubes Disfigure shows up in. I love this card because it provides depth and utility that every Cube will be happy to have. At its worst it lets you surveil 2 when the game stalls. On average it kills an early threat and lets you cast that Kappa Cannoneer a turn earlier. But at its best, it goes absolutely crazy with cards like Daretti, Scrap Savant.

Gonti, Night Minister

I have a simple rule. If WotC prints a Gonti, I play a Gonti. While it requires a little more set up than the beloved Gonti, Lord of Luxury, the payoff is just as sweet. For starters, the second ability triggers for each creature you control, so if you pair this with a card like Bitterblossom you can expect to be drawing 3+ cards per turn. Secondly, the ability says play not cast, so if you find a land you can play it. Lastly, if you do manage to cast a spell exiled with Gonti, you not only get the joy of using your opponent's deck against them, but you get a treasure token for your trouble.

Coalstoke Gearhulk

Coalstoke Gearhulk is the perfect blend between Reanimate and Sneak Attack that you didn't know you wanted. The ETB effect is fun, flashy, and just restrictive enough to subvert the expectations your players may have about "cheat into play" effects. I love cards that are powerful but not game breaking. They create cool story moments without dominating the game. Coalstoke Gearhulk does just that by providing a powerful but limited effect that checks all the boxes to rebuy my favorite Rakdos card of all time, Lightning Skelemental.

Herd Heirloom

While Green is not the usual home for mana rocks, Herd Heirloom has become an auto-include in many lists. It maintains true to the creature focused design of the color while also providing flexibility and much needed late game card draw. It works in your committed Green ramp decks that want to cast big threats, and it also works in your 4-5 color piles that want to splash for fun off color threats. From personal experience, I will also add that if you thought a post boardwipe Scavenging Ooze was strong, try giving it trample and card draw.

Tersa Lightshatter

If you are tired of seeing Broadside Bombardiers dominate your pod and long for the days where Goblin Rabblemaster was on the premier Red 3 drop, I would convince you to give Tersa Lightshatter a spin. At three mana she provides consistency, aggression, and the card advantage, but more than that she provides a fun gameplay experience. In every game I have seen her this year, I have been impressed and entertained, regardless of if I was winning or losing. There is no better tension being behind on board, attacking with Tersa Lightshatter and giving yourself the opportunity to keep spinning your wheels or maybe even win on the spot.

Mardu Siegebreaker

The "Death Rooster" better known as Mardu Siegebreaker is one of the few cards that can get me to splash a third color when I see it in a Cube. If you know me, you know that I prefer to draft a 1 to 2 color deck. The fact that I am willing to splash a third in colors that generally don't splash easily is saying a lot! Rather than going into detail about Mardu Siegebreaker's play patterns, allow me to illustrate my point with a haiku. This is based on a true story of how I lost in the finals of our weekly game night.

Cryogen Relic

If you liked Grim Bauble but wished that it was more durdley, look no further than Cryogen Relic. This card packs a surprising punch at many different power levels. Whether it shows up in a Pauper Cube and helps you tempo together a victory or you're blinking it every turn with Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd you're going to draw a lot of cards with this unassuming artifact.

Seedship Broodtender

Many new players can struggle to understand the power of a self-mill strategy when presented with a card like Stitcher's Supplier. Seedship Broodtender overcomes that by playing the role of the enabler and the payoff. If you support value graveyard strategies, and find that your newer players struggle to piece together the right cards in your Cube, this is the answer you've been looking for.

Starfield Shepherd

Outside of fetchlands, I personally avoid most tutor effects in my Cubes. Demonic Tutor is powerful but it downgrades the usefulness of other cards and effectively gives you a second copy of whatever you need. Like Coalstoke Gearhulk, I love Starfield Shepherd because of its restrictive nature. While it is possible to live in a magical dream land where you get to target this creature with an early Ephemerate and bury your opponent in value, the average experience is much more compelling to me. It's never the best card in your deck, but you're normally happy to see it. Starfield Shepherd will find your Mother of Runes or a Plains, and it will come back later when you need it.

Icetill Explorer

Ramunap Excavator and Oracle of Mul Daya had a baby and its favorite toy is Strip Mine. Most of the cards I highlighted today are fun, unique, interesting choices for your Cube, but Icetill Explorer is none of those things. It's a cold efficient killer that will thin your deck and lock your opponent out of the game before they can ask themselves how a Naga and an Elf gave birth to an Insect. In the correct environment, Icetill Explorer is the perfect roleplayer for unfair land strategies.

Those are the cards that made my list from the past year, but that's just the beginning. If you're interested in reading about more cards you might have overlooked from the past year, be sure to check out the list of cards from my fellow authors at CoolStuffInc. As always, thanks for reading and happy cubing.