MTG Cube Archetype Density: How Many Payoffs and Enablers You Actually Need

This post helps cube designers stop synergy decks from whiffing by giving you a simple archetype density framework (with quick math), plus a worked example you can copy for one archetype.

TLDR

Synergy decks whiff when your draft pool does not contain enough enablers and payoffs, or when the bottleneck role (often a specific kind of card) is too scarce.
In a “normal” 8-player draft, 360 cards get drafted. In cubes bigger than 360, you only see a slice of your list each draft, so you must overstock synergy packages.
Rule of thumb for one supported synergy archetype in an 8-player draft: aim for 12–16 enablers and 6–10 payoffs in the 360-card draft pool (more if the archetype is narrow).
Convert “draft pool targets” into “cube list counts” with one line of math:
Cube Count = Pool Target ÷ (360 ÷ Cube Size).
Worked example below: Orzhov Aristocrats (WB sacrifice) with concrete numbers you can plug into a 540-card cube.

Why synergy decks whiff in cube

You know the feeling: you draft the “cool deck,” your pile looks promising, and then your final 40 is missing a key ingredient. The deck is not bad, it is incomplete.

That usually happens for three reasons:

Not enough of the package shows up in the draft pool.
If your cube is 540 and you only run a handful of the key pieces, some drafts will simply not contain enough of them.
The archetype has a bottleneck role.
Most synergy decks have one role that is harder to replace than the others:
- Aristocrats: repeatable sacrifice outlets
- Spells: real payoffs (Young Pyromancer-style cards)
- Reanimator: discard outlets or reanimation spells
  If the bottleneck is light, the whole archetype collapses.
The “good cards tax” steals your synergy pieces.
If your enablers are also generically great, other drafters take them, and your synergy drafter ends up short. Overlap is good, but overlap also increases competition.

The fix is not “add more synergy cards” in the abstract. The fix is add the right kinds of cards, in the right counts, scaled to your cube size.

A rule-of-thumb framework that actually works

Think in three layers: Deck → Draft Pool → Cube List.

Step 1: Define roles (enablers, payoffs, glue)

Enablers: cards that make the thing happen (tokens, discard outlets, cheap spells, artifacts, sacrifice outlets).
Payoffs: cards that reward you for doing the thing (drain effects, prowess-style threats, artifact-matters engines).
Glue: interaction, fixing, and generically playable cards that keep the deck functional when you do not draw perfectly.

Step 2: Set a “deck target” for a functional 40

For a typical synergy deck, a clean starting point is:

Enablers in the final 40: 10–14
Payoffs in the final 40: 4–7
Bottleneck role minimum: 3–5 (whatever your archetype cannot function without)

If your archetype needs two different enabler types (example: sacrifice deck needs both fodder and outlets), split that enabler target across the sub-roles.

Step 3: Set a “draft pool target” for reliability

Now assume you want one drafter to be able to land the archetype in an 8-person draft.

Use these pool targets (the cards available somewhere in the 360 drafted cards):

Medium synergy archetypes (most cubes):

Enablers in pool: 12–16
Payoffs in pool: 6–10
Bottleneck role in pool: 7–9

Narrow synergy or combo-ish archetypes (need very specific pieces):

Enablers in pool: 16–22
Payoffs in pool: 8–12
Bottleneck role in pool: 9–12

Why these numbers work: you are giving the archetype drafter enough volume to assemble a functional deck even if some pieces get taken, and enough redundancy that a single missing card does not brick the plan.

Step 4: Convert pool targets to cube list counts (the only math you need)

In an 8-player draft, 360 cards are drafted. If your cube is bigger than 360, only a fraction appears each draft:

Fraction seen = 360 ÷ Cube Size
So: Cube Count = Pool Target ÷ (360 ÷ Cube Size)

Here’s the quick multiplier table:

Cube Size	Fraction of Cube Seen in Draft	Multiply Pool Targets By
360	1.00	1.00x
450	0.80	1.25x
540	0.67	1.50x
630	0.57	1.75x
720	0.50	2.00x

So if you want 8 payoffs in the draft pool:

360 cube: run 8
540 cube: run 8 × 1.5 = 12
720 cube: run 8 × 2 = 16

That is archetype density in one sentence: decide what must show up in the draft, then scale it to the size of your list.

Worked example: Orzhov Aristocrats in a 540-card cube

Let’s build WB Aristocrats with the explicit goal of “this deck should not whiff.”

1) Define the roles

Aristocrats is secretly a three-part archetype:

Fodder: bodies you can feed to outlets (tokens, recursive creatures, “two bodies in one card”)
Outlets (bottleneck): repeatable sacrifice outlets (preferably cheap or free)
Payoffs: drain, ping, or value engines triggered by deaths and sacrifices

2) Pick deck targets (final 40)

A functional Aristocrats 40 usually wants:

Fodder: 8–10 sources
Repeatable outlets: 4–6 (try to have 3+ that cost 1–2 mana)
Payoffs: 4–6

That is enough to draw the pieces often, without your deck being 35 do-nothings.

3) Choose pool targets (in the 360 drafted cards)

Because outlets are the bottleneck, we overbuild them a bit:

Fodder in pool: 14
Outlets in pool: 9
Payoffs in pool: 8

These are “comfortably draftable” numbers for one Aristocrats drafter.

4) Convert pool targets to 540-card cube counts

A 540 cube uses a 1.5x multiplier.

Fodder: 14 × 1.5 = 21
Outlets: 9 × 1.5 = 13.5 → 14
Payoffs: 8 × 1.5 = 12

Result: In a 540-card cube, Aristocrats should have roughly:

21 fodder cards
14 sacrifice outlets
12 payoffs

That sounds like a lot until you remember two things:

Only 2/3 of them show up each draft.
Many of these cards can overlap with other archetypes (tokens, recursion, grindy midrange, even some aggro shells).

5) Sanity check with “expected in draft” math

If you only ran 8 outlets in a 540 cube:

Expected outlets in draft pool ≈ 8 × (360/540) = 8 × 0.67 ≈ 5.3

That is a recipe for whiffs, because the deck wants 4–6 outlets in the final 40, and you do not get all of the outlets that appear.

At 14 outlets in the cube:

Expected outlets in draft pool ≈ 14 × 0.67 ≈ 9.3

Now we are in the zone. Even if some get taken or never make your pile, the drafter can still assemble the core engine.

6) What “14 outlets” actually means (without turning your cube into rails)

You do not need 14 copies of Viscera Seer-style cards. You need 14 cards that function as outlets, spread across a few tiers:

Premium repeatable outlets (high priority): cheap, repeatable, usually free
Good repeatable outlets: cost a little more, still repeatable
Functional outlets: not perfect, but they convert bodies into value (often spells)

That last tier is how you hit density without filling your cube with narrow junk. Your Aristocrats drafter will still take these highly, and other drafters will sometimes want them too, which is fine.

7) The “no-whiff” overlaps to bake in

To keep the archetype strong without being parasitic, aim for overlap like this:

Fodder overlaps with go-wide, equipment, sacrifice, and blink (tokens and “two bodies” cards play everywhere).
Payoffs can overlap with generic midrange (drain engines and value engines are often playable as stand-alone cards).
Outlets are the hardest to overlap, so this is where you pay the density bill.

If Aristocrats is whiffing in your cube, it is almost always the outlets.

Quick troubleshooting checklist (use this when a deck keeps failing)

Bottleneck check: What role is non-negotiable (outlet, payoff, discard outlet)? Add 2–4 more of that role first.
Appearance check: How much of your cube is seen in a draft (360 ÷ cube size)? If you are at 540 or 720, density needs to be higher than your instincts.
Redundancy check: Do you have multiple cards that do the same job at different mana values?
Overlap check: Are your enablers also useful elsewhere (tokens, cheap spells, artifacts), or are they narrow trap cards?
Competition check: Are your key pieces generically great, so other decks steal them? If yes, either add more, or swap in a few more archetype-specific options that wheel.
Fixing check: If the archetype needs two colors (or a splash), make sure drafters can actually cast the deck they drafted.

The real tradeoff: density vs variety

Higher archetype density buys you:

cleaner signals
fewer nonfunctional “almost decks”
more repeatable archetype experiences

It costs you:

fewer “one-of pet cards”
more drafts where the same lanes exist
more balancing work (especially at 540+)

My recommendation for most cubes: pick fewer synergy archetypes, then support them harder. A smaller number of well-supported lanes drafts better than a large number of half-supported ideas.

FAQs

How many archetypes should I support in a 540-card cube?

Fewer than you think, if they are synergy-heavy. A common pattern is 8–12 major lanes, with overlap so that “lanes” are not rigid guild boxes.

Do I count flexible cards as enablers?

Yes, and those are your best enablers. A token maker that multiple decks want is an enabler that does not rot in sideboards. Just remember: flexibility increases competition, so you may still need higher counts.

What if we usually draft with 4 players?

Your draft pool is smaller (often 180 cards if you do 3×15), so density demands go up fast. The easiest solution is usually a smaller cube, or a draft format that sees more of the pool.

My synergy decks draft fine, but play poorly. Is that density?

Sometimes. Often it is curve and interaction. A synergy deck that is 22 synergy pieces and 1 removal spell is going to feel great in draft and awful in games. Keep enough glue.

Should guild sections define archetypes?

They can, but density math does not care where the cards live. Support the archetype across colors, artifacts, and lands where it makes sense, and avoid trapping drafters into one exact pair.