Bones (A Cube Judge)
LightNews LightNews
banner
goblingathering.bsky.social
Bones (A Cube Judge)
@goblingathering.bsky.social
550 followers 390 following 750 posts
MtG judge and cube designer.
I made the Amonkar Desert, Museum of Modern, Eiganjo Drift, Alara Reimagined, and Drake-Dráke. Cube links in 📌!
Luckylooter on Discord
he/him
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
goblingathering.bsky.social
Bones (A Cube Judge) @goblingathering.bsky.social · Nov 13
Hello Bluesky, and new followers! I've had the idea to make a pinned thread of all my projects for easy reference. First, I'm a judge who you might have seen at CubeCon (all 3 years), California Cube Champs (both years), Boston Cube Party, or Steel City Cube. Second, I've designed a lot of cubes! 🧵
A mirror selfie in the CubeCon 24 Staff T-shirt. A copy of Goblin Gathering is in my phone case, and trophy pins from multiple Cubes events are on my lanyard.
goblingathering.bsky.social
Had two cool Avatar Draft moments, just before I'll be shifting into nonstop Lorwyn drafts next week

#1: Copy Hama the Bloodbender with opponent's Ember Island. The copy mills them and steals it again!

#2: I'm at 1 life and opponent is at 1 card in library. They have Unagi. Wan Shi Tong for X=4.
When Hama enters, target opponent mills three cards. Exile up to one noncreature, nonland card from that player’s graveyard. For as long as you control Hama, you may cast the exiled card during your turn by waterbending {X} rather than paying its mana cost, where X is its mana value. Create a token that’s a copy of target creature you control, except it’s not legendary and it’s a 4/4 Hero in addition to its other types. I am at 1 life and being attacked for lethal by an unblockable 5/7 Giant Koi. I have Rocky Rebuke but no creatures big enough to kill the Koi. Opponent has 1 card in library and Unagi in play, so if I find a way to draw two cards I can kill them. I cast Wan Shi Tong for X=4 in case they have Quench.
January 12, 2026 at 4:25 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
I'll be judging with the Museum of Modern in tow!
cuberviews.bsky.social cuberviews.bsky.social @cuberviews.bsky.social · 10d
ConnectiCube is coming to Connecticut!

Join us February 28th and March 1st at Pack Rat Gaming, just outside Hartford, CT, for a full weekend of Magic: The Gathering Cube!

Website: connecticutcube.com

Discord: discord.gg/X5mqx46NZW

Follow along: @connecticube.bsky.social

#MTGCube
connecticutcube.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:35 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
I have once again tracked all my cube drafts for the year! I drafted 5 more times in paper than last year, but 8 fewer times in total. My devotion to Red increased slightly, and my winrate somehow remained *exactly* the same 62%. Here's a thread with some of my favorite cubes and decks of the year 🧵
A chart showing all my cube drafts from 2025, with color pie breakdowns on the right.
December 31, 2025 at 3:09 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
My top 10 cards of 2025:
1. Glittering Massif (finish cycle plz)
2. Black Mage's Rod
3. Tersa Lightshatter
4. Zell Dincht
5. Quistis Trepe
6. Ty Lee, Chi Blocker
7. Suki, Courageous Rescuer
8. Kishla Skimmer
9. Far Fortune, End Boss
10. Scorvus Ames, Crimelord
Glittering Massif Land — Mountain Plains ({T}: Add {R} or {W}.) This land enters tapped. Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.) Iridescent debris and chromatic chemical fires litter Kavaron with the beauty of destruction. Black Mage's Rod {1}{B} Artifact — Equipment Job select (When this Equipment enters, create a 1/1 colorless Hero creature token, then attach this to it.) Equipped creature gets +1/+0, has “Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature deals 1 damage to each opponent,” and is a Wizard in addition to its other types. Equip {3} Tersa Lightshatter {2}{R} Legendary Creature — Orc Wizard Haste When Tersa Lightshatter enters, discard up to two cards, then draw that many cards. Whenever Tersa Lightshatter attacks, if there are seven or more cards in your graveyard, exile a card at random from your graveyard. You may play that card this turn. 3/3 Zell Dincht {2}{R} Legendary Creature — Human Monk You may play an additional land on each of your turns. Zell Dincht gets +1/+0 for each land you control. At the beginning of your end step, return a land you control to its owner’s hand. “My weapons are these fists of mine!” 0/3
December 26, 2025 at 4:25 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
I started playing Magic in 2006. My friend
@deinonychus9.bsky.social started in 2020. We're exploring the differences in starting the same game 14 years apart.

My Christmas gift to Jake? Magic history trivia, again. At the end, we discuss older decks like Doomsday and Caw-Go.

youtu.be/fSJk6ZaTyTU
Magic in 2010, with Bones and Deinonychus
YouTube video by Austin Hale
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 8:17 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Omniscience Omenpaths draft is cursed and I will never touch it again.
My life total being exchanged, 29 with 4, by my opponent's topdeck. I had the win on-board.
November 3, 2025 at 10:13 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
p1p1 Fleem will guide you to 7 wins in Powered Cube, trust
UB Reanimator deck, p1p1 Goben // Fleem
October 28, 2025 at 4:52 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
@bugsmaytrix.bsky.social Okay I am hooked on Black Mage's Rod in Pauper*

@nyc-mtg.com I'm gonna build this deck in paper in case Pauper events ever happen around me, but I'll def bring it with my to NYC next time.
Two Hero tokens with two Black Mage's Rods attached to each. The opponent is at 6 and conceded, I have 12 more damage worth of spells in hand.
October 22, 2025 at 9:21 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Forgot to post this before, so: I'm part of a local Proxy Vintage League, and a few weeks ago, I did the best I ever have on a Welder deck with some spicy edits. (3rd out of 28. The top 2 were BOTH Oath and Tell, the menace of our meta)

I won a Josh Hass print with a super cool backstory!
A Vintage deck revolving around Painter's Servant + Grindstone, and Time Vault + Manifold Key. Uses Goblin Welder, Engineer, and Oswald Fiddlebender to assemble the combo out of fast mana. A print of Goblin Trailblazer by Josh Hass
October 15, 2025 at 3:03 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Went undefeated in a paper draft of Wilds of Eldraine! p1p1 Decadent Dragon, p1p2 Gruff Triplets (neighbor took a valuable WOT card over it)

I took a p2p1 Agatha of the Vile Cauldron optimistically, but didn't feel like it was better than any of these 24. Would you have run it? If so, over what?
A Gruul WOE draft deck Agatha of the Vile Cauldron (WOE)
October 11, 2025 at 2:51 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Someone on the Arena team loves me, and decided we needed a week of Wilds of Eldraine leading up to the OM1 release. Sadly, I didn't realize this til Friday, so I jammed a dozen drafts as quickly as possible!

Earned a respectable 57-28 record in my favorite draft format. Also discovered 5C Monored!
Screenshot of 17lands, showing 12 WOE Arena draft records, 4 have trophies A mono-Red deck Another mono-Red deck
September 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Having a great time landing perfect shots in Standard Brawl. Thanks @amytheamazonian.bsky.social for reminding me it exists, Taii Wakeen is my new BFF.
Taii Wakeen alone onboard against 63 collective power. In hand is Tectonic Hazard which deals 1 damage to each opponents and each of their creatures. Taii Wakeen is about to activate for X=7, which will result in the opposing board being completely wiped and me drawing 6 cards. This is completely awesome, even though I will still lose this game because Yuna, Hope of Spira is stronger than drawing six cards and destroying 10 creatures.
September 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Strip Mine got added to Brawl and an embarrassing number of players have made it their entire personality
September 17, 2025 at 2:58 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Had a fantastic time in @chriskmooney.bsky.social's Gingercube tonight. In this #mtgcube you get unlimited access to Gingerbrutes after the draft, and my deck wanted 10. Games were fast, fun, and full of Food.

I would highly recommend anyone going to CubeCon next month to give it a try!
goblingathering.bsky.social Bones (A Cube Judge) @goblingathering.bsky.social · Sep 11
Here is the deck I drafted. After a test draft and reviewing the list, I really liked the card advantage and recursion White seemed capable of and lucky me, nobody else in the pod contested it. I was capable of aggro starts, as well as stabilizing with the lifegain cards and card advantage engines.
Mono-white draft deck from Gingercube 13 Plains 1 Windbrisk Heights 10 Gingerbrute 1 Path to Exile 1 Swords to Plowshares 1 Steel Overseer 1 Haliya, Guided by Light 1 Perilous Snare 1 Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit 1 Enduring Innocence 1 Blade Splicer 1 Rigo, Streetwise Mentor 1 The Book of Exalted Deeds 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den 1 Abiding Grace 1 Cosmogrand Zenith 1 Lavinia, Foil to Conspiracy 1 Hourglass of the Lost 1 Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle Pick Order from Gingercube draft. Pack #1 Haliya, Guided by Light Steel Overseer Perilous Snare Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit Cid, Timeless Artificer The Gaffer Windbrisk Heights Chrome Replicator // Gumdrop Poisoner // Tempt with Treats Auriok Salvagers Mechanized Production Faith's Fetters Pack #2 Path to Exile Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender Enduring Innocence Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle Blade Splicer Griffin Aerie Rigo, Streetwise Mentor Loran of the Third Path Digsite Engineer Lone Rider // It That Rides as One Combustible Gearhulk Aetherize Pack #3 The Book of Exalted Deeds Swords to Plowshares Lurrus of the Dream-Den Ajani, Strength of the Pride Abiding Grace Cosmogrand Zenith The Battle of Bywater Lavinia, Foil to Conspiracy Hourglass of the Lost Questing Beast // Dusk // Dawn Experimental Confectioner
September 11, 2025 at 3:33 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
@chriskmooney.bsky.social Hi Chris! We are drafting Gingercube in the CubeCon discord tonight, any specific info or feedback you're looking for?
September 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Can Villain please be added to the Outlaw batch?

Some of these reskins are SO charming to me for #mtgcube
Scorvus Ames, Crimelord Cam and Farrik, Havoc Duo Crash, Reckless Endrider Desecrex, Gift of Servitude
September 10, 2025 at 4:54 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Had a fantastic time judging at @cubeforacause.upkeepnewyork.com this weekend!

Afterward, @domrikade.bsky.social and I took the train to Baltimore and attended Tuesday cube night, where I got to play Sacred Geometry by @andy.luckypaper.co for the first time. Built a super fun RG Dragon Control deck
A Red-Green control deck in Sacred Geometry.
August 29, 2025 at 12:05 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
I started playing Magic in 2006. My #mtgcube friend
@deinonychus9.bsky.social started in 2020. We're exploring the differences in starting the same game 14 years apart.

2009 features Conflux, Alara Reborn, M10, and Zendikar. Welcome to the year of Zoo!

youtu.be/AIQBF6AHPhM
Magic in 2009, with Bones and Deinonychus
YouTube video by Austin Hale
youtu.be
August 20, 2025 at 1:59 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Re: the latest Lucky Paper Radio episode addressing the control deck in 100 Ornithopters, @domrikade.bsky.social made this meme captioned "How I imagine Bones every time Andy describes him drafting."
Watchmen comic panel of Ozymandias, with my face pasted on top. "Draft it? Andy, I'm not a republic serial villain. Do you seriously think I'd explain my masterstroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome?" "I drafted it thirty-five minutes ago"
August 13, 2025 at 3:50 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
I carry two minigames with me for in-between games, usually while waiting for draft/cube games to finish up. One is DrakeDrâke which most people following me already know about, the other one is this!

Split my Vintage Hollowvine deck (and some sideboard cards) in half and you get a fun mirror match
2 Bazaar of Baghdad 2 Vengevine 2 Hollow One 2 Basking Rootwalla 2 Blazing Rootwalla 2 Squee, Goblin Nabob 2 Wasteland 2 Force of Negation 2 Force of Vigor 2 Force of Will 2 Noxious Revival 2 Master of Death 1 Echoing Deeps 1 Snapback 1 Misdirection 1 Endurance 1 Subtlety 1 Fury
August 10, 2025 at 2:25 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
For my birthday and @domrikade.bsky.social's, we had a Cube Day with 20 friends!

My innovation for this event, inspired by regional cube events' trophy pins plus @bearlylupe.bsky.social was a Gold Skull bead for each match win, ultimately added into a friendship bracelet for each player.
A friendship bracelet that says CUBE GOBLIN, with 3 gold skulls, on a playmat A Green-Blue Old-Border cube deck in Ancient Desert A Red-White Cube deck in Eiganjo Drift
July 28, 2025 at 1:48 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Drafted @janemckinney.bsky.social's The Ball Pit last night. In this cube, every single card can be cast as though it has Chromatic Sphere on the back. You also draft 4 packs of 15, and must play every card you draft: no deckbuilding phase!

I went 1-2 and had the time of my life. Absolutely unreal.
A Ball Pit deck with 7 Energy Chambers Chromatic Sphere Artifact 1 1, T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color. Draw a card.
July 25, 2025 at 2:13 AM
goblingathering.bsky.social
My first time trying this out!
mtgds.bsky.social Magic Data Science @mtgds.bsky.social · Jul 22
Think you know Limited?

It's time for the Edge of Eternities #𝐏𝟎𝐏𝟏 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞!

Pick 8 cards (1 common of each color, 2 of any other common, and 1 #2CUDS), with the goal of maximizing their collective GIH Win Rate on @17lands.bsky.social.

details👇, and this time again...
July 23, 2025 at 4:10 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
Drafted the Amonkar Desert #mtgcube at the LGS today, I went 3-0 guided by a p1p1 Katilda and Lier. Manabase came together really nicely, and found tons of little fun synergies throughout my games.

Lost 1 game to a friend on Monoblack Mill with Scavenger's Talent, his first time in any Desert!
Bant Humans/Legends/Graveyard/Clues/Food/Explore deck
July 12, 2025 at 10:17 PM
goblingathering.bsky.social
I started playing Magic in 2006. My friend
@deinonychus9.bsky.social started in 2020. We're exploring the differences in starting the same game 14 years apart.

2008 features Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide, and... what was that 4th set? (Your guess is better than Jake's)

youtu.be/OPLk5Zvf5fo
Magic in 2008, with Bones and Deinonychus
YouTube video by Austin Hale
youtu.be
July 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM