Arena Powered Cube Draft on January 6–20
Greetings! Welcome to Arena Powered Cube, January 2026 edition. This cube goes all out, allowing you to play with many of Magic's strongest and most storied cards of all time. This includes the famous Power Nine: Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, Timetwister, Time Walk, Ancestral Recall, and, of course, Black Lotus.
If you're already well-acquainted with Arena Powered Cube, you can skip ahead to our philosophy for this version of the cube.
Slow Down! What's Arena Powered Cube?
Cube is like Booster Draft but pulls cards from across Magic's history. There are all sorts of permutations of cubes, from high-powered to rarity-restricted, special rules to color-restricted, and many, many more flavors. Arena Powered Cube is:
- Powerful (and power-full): Arena Powered Cube showcases many of the strongest cards available on MTG Arena, including uncollectible cards like the Power Nine. You won't find a Limited format more chock-full of the biggest power-level outliers on MTG Arena.
- Fast: Between the best mana acceleration, the strongest threats, and the most potent combos, this cube requires you to have a plan or be proactive. Arena Powered Cube rewards you the most for doing your homework and having a plan.
- Singleton: Arena Powered Cube contains exactly 540 cards with only one copy of each.
- Phantom: In tabletop, a cube is lent out to players who return the cards at the end of the draft, and the same is true here. Cards drafted are not added to a player's collection.
How to Draft Arena Powered Cube
While some people have been drafting powered cubes for decades, for others, Arena Powered Cube will be their first foray. We want to give you a brief guide before you jump into the deep end.
In general, you should take intrinsically powerful cards like Sol Ring; Minsc and Boo, Timeless Heroes; and Strip Mine that can enable wins all by themselves. However, it's ideal to draft around them to improve their potency. Sol Ring is absolutely busted, but you can find it twice as frequently with Urza's Saga. Minsc and Boo, Timeless Heroes rewards you for having Ancient Tomb (or Mana Crypt) to accelerate the card out a turn or two early. Strip Mine becomes even more misery-inducing fun potent when combined with Icetill Explorer. This heuristic is true for the majority of cards in the cube—Underworld Breach isn't the most straightforward to use, but combine it with Brain Freeze and Lion's Eye Diamond, and you'll almost certainly be able to win the game on the spot (mill yourself to fuel escape, then mill your opponent's entire library). We won't get bogged down detailing every card and card interaction in the cube, but we want to give you a taste of all that you can discover in Arena Powered Cube. Instead, let's focus on some broad archetypes you can use as a guide.
- Aggro: Pick a base color—usually red or white—and draft lots of cheap creatures and removal. You can load up on fixing and play multicolor aggro, you can find aggressive lanes in black or green, and you can even play a full Five-Color Domain Aggro deck.
- Ramp: This is primarily found in green and artifact decks. Generate extra mana in the first turns of the game, then deploy a devastating finisher. This could be an early Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger off an early Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary or Channel; a Comet, Stellar Pup on turn two or three; or a massive Upheaval that leaves you ahead and your opponent discarding eight cards.
- Cheaty: Many decks try to "cheat" a powerful card into play, putting an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or an Atraxa, Grand Unifiier onto the battlefield without paying its mana cost, for example. There are many flavors of this, but the most common is Reanimator, a black-centric deck (often paired with red or blue) that seeks to put a giant threat like Archon of Cruelty into its graveyard and then cast Reanimate or Animate Dead to bring it into play. There are also Sneak decks which avoid the graveyard by using Flash, Sneak Attack, Show and Tell, or Natural Order to put these cards into play from your hand instead.
- Artifacts: Most commonly found in blue and red, these decks take advantage of the cube having a lot of artifacts. Generate a ludicrous amount of mana with Urza, Lord High Artificer or Tolarian Academy; be aggressive with a giant Kappa Cannoneer or Nettlecyst; or Tinker out a Bolas's Citadel.
- Control: Remove all your opponents' threats and win the long game, or keep your opponent off balance long enough and win as a Combo Control deck, such as using Hullbreacher or Sheoldred, the Apocalypse alongside Wheel of Fortune to instantly upend the game.
- Mix and match: Hybridize archetypes, such as a Combo Cheat deck or an Artifact Aggro deck. Make no firm commitments to any one archetype, take lands to keep yourself open, and combine multiple strategies to win.
These are the broadest archetypes, but there are plenty of other directions to go toward and card synergies to discover.
Universes Beyond Comes to Arena Powered Cube Version 2.0
When we introduced Arena Powered Cube, we discussed restrictions for the first version and how we would analyze and experiment going forward. For the second version, our primary experiment is adding Universes Beyond cards.
Cards from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ have been around for years and demonstrated their place in powerful cubes, like how Orcish Bowmasters is both a strong card on its own as well as a potent component of the "Draw Seven" archetype where you combine Wheel of Fortune and Timetwister with Sheolded, the Apocalypse and Hullbreacher, or how Samwise the Stouthearted interacts splendidly with Karakas. Cards from Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ and Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™ are newer, but Astrologian's Planisphere and Vivi Ornitier slot nicely into existing blue-red shells, while powerful cards like Phoenix Fleet Airship and Badgermole Cub are still new to the Cube scene. We are excited to add these cards into the mix, open up new gameplay space, support existing archetypes, and hopefully delight players. And as ever, we look forward to hearing about your games and experiences as we continue to iterate and experiment.
The Design of Arena Powered Cube Version 2.0
We're very happy with how the first version of Arena Powered Cube was received, and before its run was finished, we'd already rolled up our sleeves and started work on the second version. We are focused on learning, experimenting, and creating even more fun for even more players. I expect we will always be trying something new with all our cubes and designing for many audiences. There is no final form for this cube, just a variety of avenues to explore. With each version, we aspire to create a fun, novel, replayable, and powerful Limited environment.
What "Must" Be in a Powered Cube?
A powered cube can take on many different flavors. The core definitional trait of "powered" isn't being "highest power level," it's containing the Power Nine—and, for our purposes, all nine of them. Is Sol Ring a necessary card for a cube to be powered? Strictly speaking, no, but it certainly feels close to the Power Nine, as does Mana Crypt. The line spirals outward from there. Tolarian Academy has become a mainstay in many powered cubes (and is a sweet card), but it's not as central to the experience as the Power Nine. One might prefer that every powered cube they play to have Tolarian Academy, but its absence doesn't mean that cube loses its powered status. Psychic Frog is a best-in-class blue-black card and is common in powered cubes that maximize power level, but in our minds, it's further from the center of the spiral than Tolarian Academy. Cards like Grave Titan; Teferi, Hero of Dominaria; and Exploration are far out on the spiral. They're optional spices but not load-bearing pillars.
Putting Black Lotus into any environment sets a high-power-level floor for what can compete, but there are nevertheless many expressions of powered cube. A maxed-out powered cube strives for the most powerful threats and potent combos. A retro powered cube exemplifies a specific moment in the past, either one-for-one replicating, say, 2013's Magic Online Holiday Cube, or by being evocative of a particular era. A high-synergy powered cube swaps out mainstays to create novel gameplay with less-common archetypes and card interactions. One could even create weirder projects, like a cube with the Power Nine and 351 copies of Goblin Piker. Not that one should create that cube, but it illustrates the broadness of the format.
This is all very theoretical, but it hopefully helps get you in the mindset that powered cubes aren't just one thing or for one audience—there are many expressions of the idea. So, with that said, let's talk about the other sizable change we're making in tomorrow's Arena Powered Cube alongside the addition of Universes Beyond cards.
Let's Talk About Boros
One of the narratives from our first Arena Powered Cube is that Boros was not only strong but that it was too strong. And that's true—Boros was both the most popular color pair and enjoyed the highest win rate. In both Premier and Traditional drafts. It was more dominant in play and performance numbers than we'd have liked.
As far as strong decks go, Boros is a fine one. It's interactive and relies mostly on creatures—the most interactable card type in Magic. It tries to end games quickly, and it's better for a top deck to aim to push the match to conclusion rather than excessively draw games out. Its creatures aren't just simple and strong, its incidental value generation and its dynamism give it options when games go long. Perhaps most importantly, Boros is among the most approachable decks in Arena Powered Cube, playing more like a mega-powerful draft deck rather than a more novel deck built around Reanimate or Tolarian Academy. This approachability can cause it to be underdrafted, as players seek more distinct experiences in Cube from what they experience in Booster Draft. All that's to say, Boros is far from the worst top deck one could have. But we do not want Boros to always be the best deck; and even when it is, we don't want Boros to be as strong as it was in the first version of Arena Powered Cube.
To weaken Boros, we're starting with a relatively gentle touch. We're removing a few of the top-performing cards like Guide of Souls. Ocelot Pride might be the de facto stronger card, but Guide of Souls's slightly lower profile (it was picked noticeably later than Ocelot Pride) and more aggro-focused gameplay made it the highest-win-rate card in Arena Powered Cube. We're also cutting some of the density of support. Lightstall Inquisitor and Kari Zev, Skyship Raider weren't lynchpin cards for Boros, but the sheer quantity of replaceable cheap creatures made it too easy for Boros decks to wheel everything they needed to fill out their mana curves.
In their place, we're adding some red and white cards that better fit other archetypes for the colors, as well as shifting a few Boros card slots to other colors. We considered a variety of further adjustments and exclusions, but we settled on what we felt would be best to keep the format strong, competitive, and fun. We cannot please everyone equally and concurrently, but we can promise to continue experimenting and cycling cards in and out.
Wrapping Up
We hope you have an absolute blast playing Arena Powered Cube and experiencing over 30 years of Magic history in the process. We look forward to seeing how you all feel about it and hearing your thoughts on this second iteration. Until next time, I hope to see you in the draft queue!
Arena Powered Cube 2.0 List
-
White -
Descendant of Storms
Esper Sentinel
Giver of Runes
Mother of Runes
Ocelot Pride
Thraben Inspector
Ademi of the Silkchutes
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Cathar Commando
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Containment Priest
Intrepid Adversary
Lion Sash
Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Samwise the Stouthearted
Staff of the Storyteller
Stoneforge Mystic
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
Anointed Peacekeeper
Cosmogrand Zenith
Elite Spellbinder
Flickerwisp
Lingering Souls
Loran of the Third Path
Monastery Mentor
Ranger-Captain of Eos
Sage of the Skies
Steel Seraph
Yera and Oski, Weaver and Guide
Beza, the Bounding Spring
Dion, Bahamut's Dominant
Serra Paragon
Solitude
Timeless Dragon
Eagles of the North
Overlord of the Mistmoors
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
The Wandering Emperor
Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Enlightened Tutor
Ephemerate
Mana Tithe
March of Otherworldly Light
Path to Exile
Swords to Plowshares
Get Lost
Reprieve
Unexpectedly Absent
Oust
Prismatic Ending
Balance
Winds of Abandon
Day of Judgment
Wrath of God
Sunfall
Ultima
Portable Hole
Aang's Iceberg
Touch the Spirit Realm
Parallax Wave
The Legend of Yangchen
Virtue of Loyalty
Leyline Binding
-
Blue -
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
Astrologian's Planisphere
Faerie Mastermind
Goben, Gene-Splice Savant
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
Phantasmal Image
Snapcaster Mage
Thieving Skydiver
Thundertrap Trainer
Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
Abhorrent Oculus
Brazen Borrower
Chrome Host Seedshark
Hullbreacher
Tishana's Tidebinder
Trinket Mage
Displacer Kitten
Enduring Curiosity
Phyrexian Metamorph
Subtlety
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Quantum Riddler
Kappa Cannoneer
Narset, Parter of Veils
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
Ancestral Recall
Brainstorm
Consider
Mystical Tutor
Spell Pierce
Stern Scolding
Brain Freeze
Consult the Star Charts
Counterspell
Daze
Flash
Mana Drain
Mana Leak
Memory Lapse
Miscalculation
Remand
Force of Negation
Frantic Search
Three Steps Ahead
Cryptic Command
Force of Will
Mystic Confluence
Dig Through Time
Gitaxian Probe
Ponder
Preordain
Time Walk
Show and Tell
Stock Up
Timetwister
Tinker
Lórien Revealed
Time Warp
Echo of Eons
Time Spiral
Upheaval
Treasure Cruise
Aether Spellbomb
Fresh Start
Proft's Eidetic Memory
-
Black -
Cecil, Dark Knight
Concealing Curtains
Nethergoyf
Caustic Bronco
Dark Confidant
Dauthi Voidwalker
Deep-Cavern Bat
Emperor of Bones
Mai, Scornful Striker
Orcish Bowmasters
Sorin of House Markov
Sunset Saboteur
Barrowgoyf
Graveyard Trespasser
Preacher of the Schism
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER
Archfiend of the Dross
Elegy Acolyte
Grief
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Harvester of Misery
Overlord of the Balemurk
Crabomination
Grave Titan
Troll of Khazad-dûm
Archon of Cruelty
Griselbrand
Liliana of the Veil
Booster Tutor
Cut Down
Dark Ritual
Entomb
Fatal Push
Vampiric Tutor
Bitter Triumph
Go for the Throat
Infernal Grasp
Sheoldred's Edict
Snuff Out
Murderous Cut
Bone Shards
Duress
Inquisition of Kozilek
Reanimate
Thoughtseize
Unearth
Collective Brutality
Demonic Tutor
Hymn to Tourach
Life // Death
Night's Whisper
Persist
Unmarked Grave
Mind Twist
Toxic Deluge
Yawgmoth's Will
Damnation
Tendrils of Agony
Wishclaw Talisman
Phoenix Fleet Airship
Bolas's Citadel
Animate Dead
Virtue of Persistence
Fire Nation Occupation
Necromancy
Recurring Nightmare
-
Red -
Bomat Courier
Dragon's Rage Channeler
Grim Lavamancer
Monastery Swiftspear
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Stadium Headliner
Voldaren Epicure
Amped Raptor
Cori-Steel Cutter
Embereth Shieldbreaker
Fear of Missing Out
Generous Plunderer
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
Ivora, Insatiable Heir
Magda, Brazen Outlaw
Nia, Skysail Storyteller
Robber of the Rich
Anje's Ravager
Broadside Bombardiers
Detective's Phoenix
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
Laelia, the Blade Reforged
Screaming Nemesis
Seasoned Pyromancer
Tersa Lightshatter
Hazoret the Fervent
Hellrider
Pyrogoyf
Rampaging Raptor
Fury
Glorybringer
Goldspan Dragon
Nova Hellkite
Oliphaunt
Overlord of the Boilerbilges
Trumpeting Carnosaur
Etali, Primal Conqueror
Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Burst Lightning
Galvanic Blast
Galvanic Discharge
Lightning Bolt
Monstrous Rage
Redirect Lightning
Unholy Heat
Abrade
Manamorphose
Ghostfire Slice
Seething Song
Mine Collapse
Fireblast
Pyrokinesis
Chain Lightning
Faithless Looting
Flame Slash
Suplex
Tribal Flames
Wheel of Fortune
Fiery Confluence
Pyrite Spellbomb
Legion Extruder
Underworld Breach
Sneak Attack
-
Green -
Birds of Paradise
Delighted Halfling
Elvish Mystic
Elvish Reclaimer
Ignoble Hierarch
Llanowar Elves
Noble Hierarch
Sylvan Safekeeper
Badgermole Cub
Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
Cankerbloom
Fanatic of Rhonas
Keen-Eyed Curator
Lotus Cobra
Mosswood Dreadknight
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Scavenging Ooze
Scythecat Cub
Springheart Nantuko
Sylvan Caryatid
Tarmogoyf
Tifa Lockhart
Endurance
Eternal Witness
Nissa, Resurgent Animist
Ramunap Excavator
Reclamation Sage
Scrapshooter
Sentinel of the Nameless City
Six
Surrak, Elusive Hunter
Tireless Tracker
Axebane Ferox
Evolved Spinoderm
Icetill Explorer
Ouroboroid
Questing Beast
Sowing Mycospawn
Ulvenwald Oddity
Elder Gargaroth
Titania, Protector of Argoth
Generous Ent
Vaultborn Tyrant
Avatar Kyoshi, Earthbender
Craterhoof Behemoth
Woodfall Primus
Worldspine Wurm
Nissa, Who Shakes the World
Nissa, Ascended Animist
Once Upon a Time
Tear Asunder
Green Sun's Zenith
Seismic Sense
Channel
Esper Origins
Explore
Malevolent Rumble
Regrowth
Pest Infestation
Natural Order
Esika's Chariot
Exploration
Fastbond
Utopia Sprawl
-
Multicolor -
Makdee and Itla, Skysnarers
No More Lies
Teferi, Time Raveler
Fractured Identity
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
Baleful Strix
Psychic Frog
Ertai Resurrected
Fallen Shinobi
Bloodtithe Harvester
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
Carnage Interpreter
Fire Covenant
Kolaghan's Command
Questing Druid
Territorial Kavu
Wrenn and Six
Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes
Bumi, Unleashed
Arwen, Mortal Queen
Torsten, Founder of Benalia
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Vindicate
Unburial Rites
Expressive Iteration
Third Path Iconoclast
Dack Fayden
Lutri, the Spellchaser
Pinnacle Emissary
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
Vivi Ornitier
Deathrite Shaman
Pillage the Bog
Wight of the Reliquary
Witherbloom Command
Grist, the Hunger Tide
Figure of Destiny
Lightning Helix
Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant
Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury
Comet, Stellar Pup
Showdown of the Skalds
Nadu, Winged Wisdom
Oko, Thief of Crowns
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
Kefka, Court Mage
Loot, the Pathfinder
Leovold, Emissary of Trest
Sin, Spira's Punishment
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
-
Colorless -
Haywire Mite
Phyrexian Revoker
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
Myr Battlesphere
Summon: Bahamut
Sundering Titan
Triplicate Titan
Tezzeret, Cruel Captain
Karn, Scion of Urza
Ugin, Eye of the Storms
Dismember
Black Lotus
Chrome Mox
Lion's Eye Diamond
Lotus Petal
Mana Crypt
Mishra's Bauble
Mox Diamond
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Opal
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Urza's Bauble
Zuran Orb
Candelabra of Tawnos
Chromatic Star
Currency Converter
Expedition Map
Lavaspur Boots
Mana Vault
Retrofitter Foundry
Shadowspear
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Soul-Guide Lantern
Agatha's Soul Cauldron
Grim Monolith
Lightning Greaves
Pentad Prism
Reckoner Bankbuster
Smuggler's Copter
Talisman of Conviction
Talisman of Creativity
Talisman of Curiosity
Talisman of Dominance
Talisman of Indulgence
Talisman of Progress
Umezawa's Jitte
Unlicensed Hearse
Andúril, Flame of the West
Coalition Relic
Crucible of Worlds
Nettlecyst
Palantír of Orthanc
The One Ring
Batterskull
Memory Jar
The Mightstone and Weakstone
Coveted Jewel
Nexus of Becoming
Kaldra Compleat
The Endstone
Portal to Phyrexia
-
Land -
Celestial Colonnade
Flooded Strand
Floodfarm Verge
Hallowed Fountain
Meticulous Archive
Seachrome Coast
Tundra
Creeping Tar Pit
Darkslick Shores
Gloomlake Verge
Polluted Delta
Undercity Sewers
Underground Sea
Watery Grave
Badlands
Blackcleave Cliffs
Blazemire Verge
Blood Crypt
Bloodstained Mire
Raucous Theater
Restless Vents
Commercial District
Copperline Gorge
Restless Ridgeline
Stomping Ground
Taiga
Thornspire Verge
Wooded Foothills
Hushwood Verge
Lush Portico
Razorverge Thicket
Restless Prairie
Savannah
Temple Garden
Windswept Heath
Bleachbone Verge
Concealed Courtyard
Godless Shrine
Marsh Flats
Restless Fortress
Scrubland
Shadowy Backstreet
Fiery Islet
Riverpyre Verge
Scalding Tarn
Spirebluff Canal
Steam Vents
Thundering Falls
Volcanic Island
Bayou
Blooming Marsh
Overgrown Tomb
Restless Cottage
Underground Mortuary
Verdant Catacombs
Wastewood Verge
Arid Mesa
Elegant Parlor
Inspiring Vantage
Plateau
Sacred Foundry
Sunbaked Canyon
Sunbillow Verge
Botanical Sanctum
Breeding Pool
Hedge Maze
Misty Rainforest
Restless Vinestalk
Tropical Island
Willowrush Verge
Spara's Headquarters
Raffine's Tower
Xander's Lounge
Ziatora's Proving Ground
Jetmir's Garden
Savai Triome
Ketria Triome
Indatha Triome
Raugrin Triome
Zagoth Triome
Abandoned Air Temple
Ancient Tomb
Ba Sing Se
Boseiju, Who Endures
Field of the Dead
Gaea's Cradle
Karakas
Library of Alexandria
Mana Confluence
Mishra's Workshop
Multiversal Passage
Otawara, Soaring City
Prismatic Vista
Shelldock Isle
Shifting Woodland
Starting Town
Strip Mine
Tolarian Academy
Urza's Saga
Wasteland

