How to Update an MTG Cube Without Reprinting the Whole Thing

TLDR

Do not rebuild your cube after every draft. Gather notes across several sessions before making ordinary changes.
Save a dated snapshot of the current list before cutting anything.
Track every addition beside the card it replaces, plus the reason for the change.
Most updates should be small enough to preserve the cube’s identity while correcting specific problems.
Reprint only the cards that changed unless you are redesigning a large portion of the cube, changing its size, or replacing its physical format.

Learning how to update an MTG cube is less about finding exciting new cards and more about knowing what problem you are trying to solve.

Every cube owner eventually finishes a draft with a small list of grievances. Aggro did not come together. Green had too much mana and nothing worth casting. A build-around appeared in three packs and still found no friends. One planeswalker took over every game in which it resolved.

The temptation is to replace 40 cards before everyone has finished putting their decks away.

Do not do that.

A good cube update preserves what already works, changes what does not, and leaves a record explaining why each card moved. It should not require reprinting the entire cube every time a new set contains three interesting uncommons and a mythic with seven lines of text.

Do Not Update After Every Draft

One draft can reveal a major problem. It can also produce strange results because of shuffled card distribution, player preferences, unusual seating, or one person opening every card in an archetype and deciding to draft something else.

Unless a card creates an obvious gameplay problem, give the cube several drafts before making broad changes.

A useful starting cadence is:

Fix clearly broken cards or rules problems immediately.
Review minor concerns after three drafts.
Make an ordinary update after three to five drafts.
Consider a larger seasonal review after eight to ten drafts.
Reassess the entire environment only when its goals have changed.

This gives you enough information to distinguish a persistent design problem from a weird Tuesday.

Save the Current Cube Before Changing It

Before making cuts, create a permanent snapshot of the existing list.

Label it clearly:

Cube Name: Version 1.0
Date:
Card Count:
Last Drafted:
Main Design Goals:
Known Concerns:

Save the list somewhere that preserves old versions. Cube Cobra, a spreadsheet, or a simple text document can all work.

The important part is being able to answer two questions later:

What did the cube contain before this update?
Why did we change it?

Without a saved version, cube maintenance becomes surprisingly archaeological. Six months later, everyone remembers that a certain card was cut. Nobody remembers what replaced it, when it happened, or whether the replacement was any better.

Start With Problems, Not New Cards

A new card entering the cube should have a job.

Before choosing additions, write down the actual problems observed during drafts.

Common update reasons include:

An archetype does not receive enough playable cards.
A color lacks early plays.
Aggro cannot pressure slower decks.
Control has too many efficient answers.
Mana fixing makes five-color decks too easy.
Mana fixing is too weak for supported color pairs.
A build-around is too narrow.
A card is consistently left in sideboards.
One card is much stronger than the surrounding environment.
Games end too slowly.
Games end before expensive strategies function.
A repeated play pattern is technically balanced but unpleasant.
New players regularly misunderstand a card.
A card no longer supports the cube’s intended identity.

“New card looks cool” is allowed. Cube is supposed to be personal.

But it is not a diagnosis.

Use a One-In, One-Out Update Log

For a fixed-size cube, connect each addition directly to a cut.

Use a simple table like this:

Card Added	Card Removed	Section	Reason	What to Watch
New red one-drop	Weak red four-drop	Red aggro	Lower the curve	Does red start drafting more aggressively?
Flexible graveyard card	Narrow reanimator payoff	Black	Improve overlap	Does the card make multiple decks?
Untapped dual land	Slow fixing land	Lands	Support two-color aggro	Does greedy mana become too easy?

This prevents the update from turning into two unrelated lists, one containing exciting additions and another containing cards you vaguely feel guilty about cutting.

The “what to watch” column is especially valuable. It turns the next draft into an actual test.

How Large Should an MTG Cube Update Be?

There is no universal correct number, but small updates are easier to evaluate.

A practical ordinary update range is:

Cube Size	Typical Small Update	Larger Update
180 cards	3 to 8 cards	10 to 20 cards
360 cards	5 to 15 cards	20 to 40 cards
450 cards	8 to 18 cards	25 to 50 cards
540 cards	10 to 25 cards	30 to 60 cards
720 cards	15 to 35 cards	50 to 80 cards

These are not hard limits. They are a way to preserve useful test data.

If you replace 12 cards in a 540-card cube, you can watch whether those changes solved their intended problems. If you replace 90 cards, change the fixing, add three archetypes, remove another, and raise the power level, the next draft can tell you only that something happened.

Very scientific.

Review the Cube by Function

Do not evaluate cards only by color or popularity. Look at the jobs the cards perform.

Early Plays

Count useful one-mana and two-mana plays in each supported strategy.

A cube can contain many powerful cards while still giving players nothing productive to do in the first two turns.

Interaction

Check the quantity, speed, and flexibility of removal, counterspells, discard, graveyard interaction, and artifact or enchantment answers.

Too little interaction creates solitaire. Too much efficient interaction can make every threat feel temporary and every deck converge toward control.

Mana Fixing

Review fixing by color pair, not only as a total count.

A pile of lands does not automatically support the decks you intend. Fixing should help supported combinations without making color requirements decorative.

Threats and Finishers

Compare expensive threats by role.

If six different cards all serve as interchangeable six-mana value creatures, you may have variety in artwork but not in gameplay.

Archetype Glue

Protect the cards that connect several strategies.

The best cube cards are often not the loudest payoffs. They are the cards that work in sacrifice, tokens, aggro, and midrange without requiring a committee meeting during deck construction.

Sideboard Cards

Review cards that repeatedly go undrafted or remain in sideboards.

One poor showing means little. A card that fails to make decks across five drafts deserves scrutiny, particularly if it occupies a narrow archetype slot.

Avoid Common Cube Update Traps

Chasing Every New Set

New Magic releases create a constant stream of plausible cube cards. That does not mean every release requires an update.

Ask whether the new card:

Performs a missing role
Improves an existing role
Creates better decisions
Supports several decks
Replaces a card that is actually underperforming
Matches the cube’s power level and complexity

A card can be excellent and still be wrong for your cube.

Replacing Role Players With Flashier Cards

Cards that provide fixing, removal, cheap creatures, discard outlets, sacrifice outlets, or flexible interaction may look ordinary beside a dramatic build-around.

Remove too many of them and the cube becomes a showroom full of engines with no belts connecting anything.

Raising the Power Level Accidentally

A few efficient upgrades can increase the speed and power of the entire environment.

Watch for gradual changes in:

Fast mana
Free spells
One-mana interaction
Tutors
Initiative or monarch cards
Cheap card advantage
Highly efficient threats
Combo redundancy

Power creep usually enters through individual cards that look reasonable. It rarely arrives wearing a badge that says, “I am about to change every pick order.”

Adding Too Many Gold Cards

Multicolor cards communicate archetypes clearly, but they also reduce flexibility.

When adding a new gold card, ask:

Can both colors actually support it?
Is it better than the monocolored alternatives?
Will it be drafted outside one exact deck?
Does the cube have enough fixing?
Is another gold card leaving?

Gold sections expand very easily. Draftable decks do not always follow.

Making Changes Without Recording Them

Memory is not a change-management system.

Keep the update log.

Prepare the Reprint List Carefully

Once the update is final, create a separate list containing only the cards being added.

For each card, confirm:

Exact card name
Quantity
Preferred printing or artwork
Frame treatment
Language
Front and back requirements
Double-faced card handling
Custom card notes
Token or emblem requirements

PrintACube accepts Cube Cobra exports or simple lists, including quantities and clearly labeled special cases. Its current custom-cube workflow is designed so owners can reprint changed cards rather than producing the full cube again.

Keep the reprint list separate from the complete cube list. Sending the entire list with a note that says “only print the new ones” creates avoidable ambiguity.

A clean update request might look like this:

Cube: Ryan’s Modern 540
Current Version: 1.2
New Version: 1.3
Cards to Print: 18
List Format: One card per line
Special Notes: Two double-faced cards, front faces labeled
Artwork Preference: Default versions unless specified

Then include the 18-card addition list.

Check Physical Consistency Before Mixing the Cards In

When the update arrives:

Compare the dimensions with the existing cube.
Check the corner shape.
Compare the card backs.
Inspect color and finish under ordinary light.
Sleeve the new cards using the same sleeves as the rest of the cube.
Compare shuffle feel.
Count the update before removing the old cards.
Match every addition with its recorded cut.

Sleeves help maintain a consistent draft experience and protect cards through repeated handling. PrintACube recommends sleeving cubes for smoother shuffling and longer wear.

Do not put the old cards in a random drawer afterward. Keep a labeled cut archive.

Some cards return. Cube owners occasionally discover that the card they blamed for everything was merely standing near the actual problem.

Randomize the Cube After an Update

New cards should not remain together after being sleeved and inserted.

A freshly updated cube often contains obvious clusters:

New cards in one stack
Removed cards replaced in sequence
Colors grouped from list checking
Archetype packages inserted together
Lands sorted separately

Fully randomize the cube before the next draft. Otherwise, the “new cards draft” may tell you more about sorting than design.

When Should You Reprint the Entire Cube?

Small updates are usually enough, but a full reprint makes sense when:

More than approximately 20 to 25 percent of the list is changing.
The cube is moving to a different card count.
The power level or card pool is being redesigned.
You are changing card backs, frames, or visual treatment.
The existing cube mixes several noticeably different print sources.
Older cards are worn enough to feel different in sleeves.
The cube is being converted from temporary test cards into a finished version.
The physical format no longer matches how the group uses the cube.

PrintACube currently offers custom cube sizes and describes full-cube printing as a way to produce one unified set with consistent cut, readability, and handling.

The deciding question is not simply how many cards changed.

Ask whether the updated cube will still feel like one physical product.

MTG Cube Update Checklist

Before submitting an update, confirm:

The current list is saved as a dated version.
Every addition has a corresponding cut.
Each change has a stated reason.
The update addresses observed problems.
Card names and quantities are correct.
Artwork or printing preferences are identified.
Double-faced cards are labeled.
Tokens and emblems are included when needed.
The total cube size remains correct.
The print list contains only the new cards.
The cut cards will be archived.
The updated cube will be fully randomized before drafting.

Final Thoughts

The best cube updates are focused, documented, and slightly conservative.

You do not need to preserve every card forever. You also do not need to treat the cube like a software product that requires a patch every Friday.

Save the current version. Identify the problem. Change a manageable number of cards. Record what you expect the change to accomplish. Then draft the cube enough times to learn whether it worked.

That process lets the cube evolve without requiring a full reprint every time your group discovers that one pet card is, regrettably, still not good.

FAQs

How Often Should I Update My MTG Cube?

For ordinary tuning, review the cube after three to five drafts. Fix obviously broken cards sooner, but avoid broad changes based on one unusual session.

How Many Cards Should I Change at Once?

Change enough cards to address a specific problem without obscuring the result. For a 540-card cube, approximately 10 to 25 cards is a useful ordinary update range.

Should Every New Card Replace a Similar Card?

Not necessarily, but each addition should have a corresponding cut and a clear role. Replacing within the same color, mana value, or function often makes the impact easier to understand.

Should I Keep Cards That Were Cut?

Yes. Store them in a labeled archive with the version number or update date. Previously cut cards can become useful again when the cube’s goals change.

Can I Reprint Only the Updated Cards?

Yes. PrintACube’s custom-cube workflow supports printing changed cards without reproducing the full cube. Submit a clean list containing the additions, quantities, and any special printing notes.

When Is a Full Cube Reprint Better?

Consider a full reprint when a large portion of the list is changing, the cube size or physical design is changing, or mixed print batches would make the finished cube feel inconsistent.

References and Related PrintACube Guides

Print Your Own MTG Cube. Supports Cube Cobra exports, simple lists, custom quantities, special-case labeling, and update-only reprints.
Frequently Asked Questions. Covers materials, protective finish, sleeves, colors, custom backs, double-faced cards, tokens, and update reprints.
How Much Does It Cost to Print an MTG Cube? Compares full-cube production, small update batches, at-home testing, and full reprints.
Choosing an MTG Cube. Explains cube sizes, card counts, player counts, and the tradeoff between consistency and variety.