MagicCon: Chicago Cube

We at Pastimes Events are excited to bring you MagicCon’s first official cube event, The MagicCon: Chicago Cube! Thank you to Annika Short and Alex Hurley who worked hard to put this together and jam as many little reference’s, puns, and themes in to celebrate the Windy City.

The 15 card boosters are built so that every pack will have a multicolored land. The typical “Rare” slot is full of synergy cards and bomb spells. The “Uncommon” slots contain all the multicolored cards and the rest is randomly distributed among the “Common” slots. Because we wanted to show a bit of everything Chicago has to offer, the cube pushes players to draft multicolored decks. Most players will end up two colors with a splash into a third, so grab the mana fixing early and often.

Color Pairings Primer

O’Hare International Airport
(W/U - Azorius)

It’s flyers flyers flyers. Tempo that races to the finish. Keep opponents' boards in check using your airport security and stay ahead on life with mile-high cuisine.

Chicago Mob (U/B - Dimir)

Are you a cold criminal? Control the battlefield with disruption and go for the long haul with value engines.

Light Up the Stage (B/R Rakdos)

Bring your inner Artist to life! Musicians, dancers, chefs, and dinosaurs - a veritable zoo with accompanying special effects to keep your opponent off balance.

Size up for the Winter (R/G - Gruul)

Now is not the time to Hibernate! Use treasures and +1/+1 counters to get ahead of the icy curve.

Freezer Burn (U/R - Izzet)

Chicago is Hot in the Summer and Cold in the winter. Can you invoke these elements to spell your way to victory?

Cruel Cooks (B/G Golgari)

Be a Top Chef! Using ultimate meal manipulation - kill creatures and serve up the deepest dish.

The People’s Parade (W/R - Boros)

Join the Chicago citizens in our many festivals and parades. Don’t forget to use your vehicles to dodge that downtown traffic!

Natural Wonders (G/U - Simic)

Can you survive in the great gorgeous Chicago outdoors? Chilling temperaments can freeze down the opponent while you have your wild creatures overrun the enemy.

Growing the Army (W/U/G - Bant)

Don’t get Totally Lost in the sprawl - Grow your numbers quickly with counters and food tokens to swarm your opponents.

Sky Scrapers (W/U/B - Esper)

Aim for the heavens, you could even buy your way there. Fly higher than the rest with gargoyles, or be the head honcho of your own building.

A City Under Construction
(B/R/G - Jund)

A city needs more than just construction workers! Build an infrastructure utilizing demolition crews to burn down opponents while building yourself up.

Rowdy Mascots (W/R/G - Naya)

It’s time to represent the hometown teams! Beat down your opponent with a menagerie of Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks.

The Meat Packing District
(B/W/R - Mardu)

Butcher the Masses to create mobs of tokens and sacrifice them for value.

Tastes of Chicago (G/W/B - Abzan)

Create a massive feast! Use all the best food cards to push your opponents into a food coma.

World’s Fair (U/W/R - Jeskai)

Necessity, the mother of all invention - creatively sequence your spells to create overwhelming value.

Undercover Operations (B/U/G - Sultai)

Keep your business hidden, amass a villainous wealth while you boast a facedown typal.

Bears are Music to our Ears
(R/U/G - Temur)

Serving up ultimate hometown Pride. Bears and friends will keep tempo.

Cube Themes

As our Utopia Sprawls cemeteries that used to be on the outskirts of town are now the centers of neighborhoods. White and Black primarily are the colors that represent any of its Lingering Souls.

Chicago’s most infamous tragedy, the Great Chicago Fire, was said to have been started by Liberated Livestock and is well represented here. But be careful as a gang of Goblins, primarily in Red, are trying to take the blame with cards like Five-Alarm Fire.

The citizens make the city, from the Titan’s of Industry and its Legitimate Businesspersons all the way down to the sewers and rat holes where cutthroats and Rakish Scoundrels dwell. The multicolored cards show that people come from all walks of life to make up this city, but that Black rules the underbelly while Bant lives in luxury.

Known for its infamous criminals, there are plenty of mobs and gangs throughout this cube. In Black you’ll primarily find an assortment of crimes from Deals Gone Bad to Outrageous Robbery. Whereas in Red you’ll find most of the criminals including the Mob Boss himself.

Here in Chicago we wave our flag with pride. Each color has a banner to match our spirit!

What is a city without its cuisine? Food plays a part in the lives of all Chicago’s inhabitants. Primarily in White, Black, and Green you’ll find cards that take your meal from farm to table and every step in between.

Uniquely situated at the bottom of a Great Lake and the mouth of a major river, Chicago is filled with wildlife. Blue will take players on a tour of its water features while Green will show them the majesty of our squirrel laden local parks.

Of course there are those that will stand up to Crime and they primarily fall under White and Blue. Covering all parts of the Justice system from the police (Azorius Arrester) to the courts (Call a Surprise Witness) and on to the Diplomats that enact the laws (Mangara, the Diplomat). Some investigators even go undercover to Extract the Truth.

Nods to Chicago’s many sports teams appear throughout the cube from Taurean Mauler to Vampire Nighthawk. Our biggest team has to be The Bears and The Cubs. Primarily in Green, bears show up big and small.

Chicago is a place of Giant Opportunity for the Arts. There are stage productions, Open mics, and art installations everywhere, not to mention the fantastic museums where you can see the likes of Sue the greatest Rotting Regisaur. These cards primarily show up in Black and Red.

Downtown is called the Loop for a reason. And White and Red are the primary colors for the roadways/railways. You’ll need a Veteran Motorist to navigate the sinkholes and avoid getting Caught in the Brights.

Chicago “The Windy City” you better believe it’s a freezing cold cube. Primarily in Blue you’ll find all matters of chilling effects to leave your opponents Out Cold. But cold winds creep into each other color in their own ways as well.

In 1933 Chicago played host to the World’s Fair and thus the cube contains many inventors and celebrations primarily in Blue, Red, and Green.

To see a full list of the cards within the cube, please click here.