Building a Vintage Cube is the ultimate labor of love for a Magic player. It's a "greatest hits" album of the most broken, efficient, and fun cards in history. While everyone knows you need a Black Lotus, the core of a good cube is defined by the cards that support its archetypes.

Here are 15 must-have staples that should be in every powered cube.

1. Black Lotus

The King. It allows for the most unfair starts possible. Turn 1 Jace? Turn 1 Tinker? It does it all. No Vintage Cube is complete without it.

2. Ancestral Recall

Drawing three cards for

is fundamentally broken. It fits in every single blue deck, from control to storm.

3. Time Walk

Taking an extra turn for

functions as a free "Explore" at worst, and game-winning tempo at best. It's never a bad topdeck.

4. The Moxen (Jet, Sapphire, Ruby, Pearl, Emerald)

We're cheating and counting all five as one "staple slot." Fast mana is what separates Vintage Cube from Legacy Cube. Being able to play ahead of the curve is critical.

5. Sol Ring

Often better than a Mox. The raw ramp of

enables strategies that rely on colorless mana like Artifacts or Eldrazi faster than anything else.

6. Mana Crypt

See Sol Ring. The damage is irrelevant. The explosive mana is everything.

7. Oko, Thief of Crowns

A modern mistake that rivals the Power Nine. Oko invalidates your opponent's best creature or artifact by turning it into an Elk. He gains loads of loyalty and is almost impossible to remove through combat damage.

8. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

The best red one-drop ever printed. In a powered environment, "Dash"ing him in to steal a Mox or a cantrip from your opponent is devastating.

9. Tinker

Sacrifice a Mox/Artifact land -> Search for Blightsteel Colossus or Bolas's Citadel. Tinker is a one-card combo that demands an immediate answer or wins the game.

10. Channel

The classic GG. Turn 2 Channel -> Emrakul/Ulamog/Blightsteel/Walking Ballista. It's high risk, high reward, and quintessentially Vintage.

11. Reanimate

The most efficient reanimation spell. For

, you can bring back Griselbrand or Archon of Cruelty on turn 1 (with Dark Ritual/Entomb).

12. Sneak Attack

The "Cheaty Face" red enchantment. It allows you to put massive threats into play for

and give them haste. Combine with Griselbrand to draw 7-14 cards instantly.

13. Strip Mine

Uncounterable land destruction. Combine with Crucible of Worlds or Ramunap Excavator to lock your opponent out of the game entirely.

14. Force of Will

The glue that holds the format together. It stops the Turn 1 degenerate combos and ensures the game goes past the upkeep step.

15. Lightning Bolt

Simple. Efficient. Valid. Even in a format with Black Lotus, passing the turn with

up and a Bolt in hand keeps you safe from a lot of shenanigans.

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15 Must-Have Staples for Your Vintage Cube