MTG Arena Powered Cube adds 22 new cards for October return

A refreshed Powered Cube arrives on MTG Arena

Wizards of the Coast has detailed the October edition of Arena Powered Cube, which returns to MTG Arena on 20 October and runs through 10 November. The draft format brings together a powerful 540-card singleton pool from across Magic’s history, and cards drafted in the phantom event do not become part of a player’s collection.

This update is a sizeable change for regular Cube drafters: Wizards says it is adding 22 cards that are new to MTG Arena, alongside 16 new pieces of artwork. The list includes cards previously unavailable on the client, such as Through the Breach, Oath of Druids, Walking Ballista and Blightsteel Colossus.

Classic art and collectible versions join the update

The visual refresh includes older art or frames for several cards. Jace, the Mind Sculptor returns with Jason Chan’s original art and its Worldwake frame, while Tolarian Academy, Upheaval and Vindicate use older bordered treatments. Wizards also says Ancestral Recall and Black Lotus will receive their original Alpha artwork, by Mark Poole and Christopher Rush respectively.

Some cards added to the Arena client will not appear in the Cube list itself. Deceiver Exarch and Gravecrawler are among the new additions Wizards says will instead be collectible through Cube Prize Packs, and the publisher says none of the additions are pre-banned in Historic, Timeless, Brawl or Competitive Brawl.

Splinter Twin returns as a format experiment

The update also puts the Splinter Twin combo into the spotlight. Wizards has added both Splinter Twin and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, alongside several creatures that can enable the combo. The team says it wants to observe how players respond to a combo that can involve many repeated actions, including how often opponents concede and whether the experience is one players want to see again.

That makes the Cube run more than a card refresh: its results may inform future decisions about complex combo play on Arena. Wizards has not announced a permanent change to the client or a broader format policy; the stated plan is to monitor this event’s player response.

• 20 October–10 November: October Arena Powered Cube run
• 22 cards new to MTG Arena and 16 new art treatments
• Splinter Twin and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker feature in the Cube list
• Wizards will monitor player response to the click-intensive combo