– Degenerate Micro MTG Cube 160 — https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/degenerate-micro-cube?board=mainboard
This is Vintage Cube energy, condensed into a micro format: tiny decks, brutally efficient interaction, and “did that just happen?” combo turns.
Origin / why this list exists
The Degenerate Micro Cube is a well-known micro-cube concept popularized with a full primer: it takes inspiration from Max Hero’s “15 Card Singularity” idea and asks a simple question: what if cube drafts felt closer to high-powered Constructed? The answer is 15-card decks, ultra-consistent draws, and an environment where combo, prison, and control are the main “macro-archetypes.”
What’s in the list / how it plays
This list is powered (it includes Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, and Timetwister) and you feel it immediately.
Expect the core “degenerate” lanes:
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Fast mana + lock pieces: Workshop-style starts (Sphere/Thorn/Trinisphere/Tangle Wire), Chalice lines, and mana denial.
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Cheat-and-win packages: Tinker, Show and Tell, Sneak Attack, Oath of Druids, Reanimator, Channel.
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Free/cheap interaction wars: Forces, Daze, Misstep, Flusterstorm, Pyroblast effects—games hinge on sequencing and reading the matchup.
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Iconic A+B finishes: Depths/Stage, Bomberman-style lines, Welder/Engineer artifacts, and “one threat is enough” haymakers.
It’s swingy, but not random—because the decks are so small, sideboarding and mulligans matter a ton, and you’ll often feel like you’re piloting a sharp 15-card Constructed deck rather than a traditional 40-card limited pile.
Draft + gameplay rules (the “micro” part)
The classic Degenerate Micro Cube rules look like this:
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Draft: each player drafts 2 packs of 10 cards.
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Build: 15-card minimum deck size (basics added as needed).
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Gameplay twist: you don’t lose for trying to draw from an empty library.
For 2-player sessions, a commonly recommended approach is grid drafting 12 packs of 16 so you see the full 192-card environment and don’t miss critical A+B combos.
Who it’s for
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You want Vintage-style broken decks, but you usually play with 2–4 people, not 8.
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Your pod likes combo math, stack fights, prison puzzles, and “find the line” gameplay.
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You want a cube night that can be short, intense, and replayable.
If your group wants classic midrange mirrors and slow value piles, this is… not that.





