TLDR
- Vintage Cube is “powered” Magic: fast mana, Power Nine vibes, and games where a turn-one play can make everyone re-check their life choices.
- Legacy Cube keeps the high power and classic archetypes, but trims the most absurd accelerants so games hinge more on interaction and drafting fundamentals.
- Modern Cube uses the post-2003 card pool feel (Modern-era design), so it’s more creatures, synergy, and “fair” engines rather than vintage-level nonsense.
- Commander Cube is built for multiplayer Commander-style play, drafting legends/commanders and enabling big, swingy games with politics baked in.
- Micro Cube is about size, not era. It’s a small cube (often 180–270 cards) tuned for 2–4 players and alternate draft methods.
This post helps MTG players decide which cube style fits their group by explaining how each format plays and what tradeoffs you accept, so you can build (or buy) the right cube without reinventing cardboard.
The problem with “cube labels”
Cube names sound official, like Wizards printed them on a plaque somewhere. They did not. Most of these terms are community shorthand for a bundle of design choices:
- Card pool (all-time vs Modern-era vs “everything but Power”)
- Power level (powered vs unpowered)
- Player count and draft method (8-player pod vs 4-player night vs 2-player grid)
- Deck rules (40-card Limited decks vs 60-card Commander draft decks)
So when you’re comparing types of MTG cubes, you’re really comparing which knobs got turned up, and which ones got duct-taped in place.
Types of MTG cubes at a glance
Here’s the “you have 30 seconds before the pizza arrives” comparison.
| Cube type | What it’s trying to feel like | Typical power | Typical players | Deck building | Best for |
|—|—|—:|—:|—|
| Vintage Cube | Vintage-level broken classics | Very high (powered) | 6–8 | 40-card Limited | Iconic cards, wild swings, “best-of-all-time” moments |
| Legacy Cube | High-power Constructed staples, but fairer | High (usually unpowered) | 6–8 | 40-card Limited | Interaction, tighter games, fewer non-games |
| Modern Cube | Modern-era gameplay and design | Medium-high | 6–8 | 40-card Limited | Synergy, creature combat, modern archetypes |
| Commander Cube | Multiplayer Commander, drafted | Medium-high (varies) | 4 (often) | 60-card (commander draft style) | Big pods, splashy plays, table politics |
| Micro Cube | “Cube, but portable and fast” | Any | 2–4 | Varies, often 40-card | Small groups, travel, quick drafts |
Now let’s get specific.
Vintage Cube: the “no brakes” highlight reel
A Vintage Cube is the version of Cube that asks: “What if we took the most iconic, most powerful cards in Magic’s history and put them all in a draft?” Then it answers its own question by cackling and shuffling.
What defines a Vintage Cube
- Powered cards and fast mana are the headline. This is where the busted artifacts live.
- Explosive archetypes are common: storm, reanimator, artifact ramp, cheat-into-play decks, and other strategies that would make a normal Limited deck call a judge and ask for emotional support.
- High variance, high reward. Some games are tight. Some games are effectively decided by the first two turns. That’s the experience you’re signing up for.
How it plays
Vintage Cube drafts are often about priority picks: fast mana, premium interaction, busted build-arounds, and mana fixing that lets you do something irresponsible in multiple colors. You still get real gameplay decisions, but the ceiling is so high that the “best” line can look like a prank.
Who should choose Vintage Cube
Pick Vintage if your group wants:
- The most famous cards ever printed on the table
- “I can’t believe that happened” stories
- Drafts where knowing archetypes matters a lot, because the format will punish vibes-only drafting
Avoid Vintage if your group hates:
- Swingy games
- Getting “run over” by early acceleration
- Feeling like you lost to a museum exhibit
Legacy Cube: high power, fewer free lunches
A Legacy Cube is usually “Vintage Cube energy, but with fewer war crimes.” It’s still stacked with strong cards and classic archetypes, but it typically excludes the most extreme fast mana and Power Nine-style effects.
What defines a Legacy Cube
- Unpowered, or mostly unpowered. The key difference is removing the most format-warping accelerants.
- More interactive games. When fewer starts are “turn one rocketship,” your removal, counterspells, and sequencing decisions matter more often.
- Similar archetype palette to Vintage, just toned down. You can still support reanimator, sneak-and-show style plans, artifacts, and control shells. They’re just less likely to feel inevitable.
How it plays
Legacy Cube tends to produce:
- More games where both players actually cast spells on turns 2–5
- More drafts where “good cards” and “good curve” are rewarded
- Less pressure to first-pick acceleration above everything else
Who should choose Legacy Cube
Pick Legacy if you want:
- A high-powered “best-of” cube that still feels like Magic, not a demolition derby
- A friendlier on-ramp for newer cubers who will drown in full power
- A metagame where interaction is a feature, not a decorative garnish
Modern Cube: the creature era, plus engines with paragraphs
A Modern Cube usually means the card pool and play patterns resemble the Modern era of Magic: Eighth Edition forward as the baseline, plus the general design philosophy that came with that era.
What defines a Modern Cube
- Card pool anchored in Modern-era sets, which means fewer ancient weirdos and more cards designed with contemporary Limited and Constructed in mind.
- Less broken mana by default. You can add ramp, but you rarely get Vintage-style acceleration without deliberately importing it.
- Synergy-first archetypes: tokens, counters, spells-matter, graveyard value, artifact midrange, sacrifice, and all the modern classics.
How it plays
Modern Cube is usually:
- More board-centric, with creatures and planeswalkers doing the heavy lifting
- Less about single-card haymakers that end the game on the spot
- More about engine-building (value permanents, recursive threats, scalable spells)
It’s also easier to tune for a specific vibe. Want a grindy midrange soup? Easy. Want a tempo-forward environment with cheap threats and clean answers? Also easy. Modern-era card design gives you lots of knobs.
Who should choose Modern Cube
Pick Modern if you want:
- A draft environment that feels closer to today’s Magic
- Cleaner archetype lanes and fewer “what does this 1996 rare even do” moments
- Less dependence on ultra-expensive staples as the identity of the cube
Commander Cube: draft, then politic, then pretend you didn’t do it on purpose
A Commander Cube is built to recreate the multiplayer Commander experience, but via a draftable card pool. It’s the format for people who want their cube night to feel like a Commander pod, including the part where someone says “I’m not the threat” while being extremely the threat.
What defines a Commander Cube
- Multiplayer focus, often 4 players.
- Commanders are draftable: the cube includes a deep bench of legendary creatures (and sometimes backgrounds/partners, depending on the build).
- More fixing and more ramp than a typical 1v1 cube, because multiplayer games go longer and color requirements are real.
- Different deck construction rules. Many Commander Cube setups use Commander draft-style rules: draft more cards, build 60-card decks, duplicates allowed, and pick commanders from what you drafted.
How it plays
Commander Cube gameplay tends to emphasize:
- Big swings and splashy top-ends
- Table dynamics (threat assessment is a skill, even when everyone is bad at it)
- Engines that scale in multiplayer: repeatable value, board-wide effects, and “if I untap, we’re all going to have a conversation” permanents
Common design choices
Commander Cubes often add structure so drafts don’t collapse into color-identity sadness:
- “Partner-like” safety nets for commanders
- Extra fixing
- A higher density of broadly playable cards so decks don’t end up as 60-card regret piles
Pick Commander Cube if your group is usually four players and already loves Commander. It’s basically built for your calendar.
Micro Cube: small box, sharp decisions
A Micro Cube is primarily defined by size, usually 270 cards or fewer, with 180 being a common sweet spot. It exists because not everyone has eight drafters on standby like it’s a Pro Tour waiting room.
What defines a Micro Cube
- Small card pool, often 180–270.
- Designed for 2–4 players, using alternate draft formats like grid draft, Winston, Winchester, or custom pack structures.
- Higher overlap, fewer narrow archetypes. With fewer cards, you cannot afford twenty different “only works in this deck” build-arounds unless you love dead picks.
How it plays
Micro cubes tend to produce:
- More consistent decks (you see more of the cube)
- Faster setup and faster drafts
- A premium on flexible cards that play in multiple shells
And yes, you can absolutely have a “Micro Vintage Cube” or “Micro Modern Cube.” Micro is the container size. The other labels are the contents.
A quick framework for choosing the right cube
If you’re deciding among these types of MTG cubes, here’s a simple way to choose without making a spreadsheet you will never open again.
Choose Vintage Cube if…
- You want the most iconic cards and the most explosive starts
- Your group loves high-variance, high-ceiling gameplay
- You enjoy drafting archetypes with sharp edges and real punishment for mistakes
Choose Legacy Cube if…
- You want “best cards ever” energy, but with fewer non-games
- You value interaction and incremental advantages
- You want a high-powered cube that feels competitive without feeling like a slot machine
Choose Modern Cube if…
- You want modern-era gameplay and synergy-driven drafting
- You want to avoid the most historically broken mana without writing a thesis
- Your group likes creature combat, planeswalkers, and engine-y midrange decks
Choose Commander Cube if…
- Your default group size is four and you want multiplayer games
- You want drafting plus Commander dynamics in the same night
- You like big splashy plays and social gameplay as part of the format
Choose Micro Cube if…
- You routinely draft with 2–4 people
- You want a portable cube you can actually use often
- You like tight curation, high card density, and fast drafts
FAQs
Is a Vintage Cube the same thing as a powered cube?
Most of the time, yes in spirit. “Powered” usually means including the Power Nine-tier cards and other extreme fast mana. “Vintage Cube” often implies that same ceiling, especially if it’s modeled after the Magic Online Vintage Cube.
Can a Legacy Cube still be “broken”?
Absolutely. “Unpowered” does not mean “fair.” It usually means you removed the most format-defining accelerants. You can still support strong combos and brutal openings. They just happen less often, and interaction matters more.
Does a Modern Cube have to follow the Modern ban list?
No. A cube is curated. Many Modern Cubes use the Modern card pool as a baseline, but ignore ban lists because the environment is self-regulating through draft scarcity and designer choices.
How big should a Commander Cube be?
Bigger than you think, because commander drafting needs density of commanders, fixing, and role-players. Many people start around 360–540 depending on how often they draft and how much variety they want.
What’s the easiest cube type for newer players?
Usually Modern Cube or Legacy Cube (unpowered). Vintage Cube is amazing, but it can be overwhelming because the power spikes are extreme and some archetypes require very specific knowledge to draft well.