Update: February 14th, 2022. 100%. Good things come to those who wait (also, about being thankful)

I don’t know about your current personal project (do you have one? You probably should) but I remember the day when I decided to start this blog. It all came down to one basic thought:I love this game. I love my cards. And above anything, I have a passion for the precious signature. But how can I improve things? Because it’s a bit frustrating that I only get to stare at them when I’m at home, where they’re all stacked in a closed box (also, triple sleeved! Weirdo.) It would be pretty nice to have a place where I can look at them anytime, and from anywhere.

Part of the inspiration also originated from scrolling through some pretty awesome MTG collection blogs from back in the days – more specifically, “the stone rain project” / the disenchant global set / Raphaels Birds / Richards shivan dragons – shout out to those who remember. I believe only Raphaels is still alive out there.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t have the slightest idea that I’d ever achieve 100% one day. It was more of a little bit of side entertainment, my cube back then was vintage non-powered, and featured cards from alpha until the most recent sets. It was pretty obvious that getting cube staples, signed by richard Garfield, from sets printed in 2015 and after, would prove more and more challenging as time went. But I would try anyway.

And then the project became “a thing” on Facebook, and through different online communities. Fellow enthusiasts started talking about it and, more importantly, showed an amazing spirit of support and care by taking the initiative to contact me whenever something appeared on the radar – and felt it should become part of my project.

Let’s be honest, this project would be nothing without the help of the community. As they say, the spirit of the narcissist only survives through the reflections in other peoples eyes – who knows whether I would have kept updating this blog, had the project shown no interest whatsoever among online communities? But it did. And I am so thankful for it.

I am somewhat dedicated to this passion and it’s probably no surprise that I keep track of anything that comes in and out of my collection. I could probably write a Jayemdae Tome about the stories, the anecdotes, the statistics, and the friendships I’ve developed on the path.

There are so many people I’d like to personally thank for their renewed interest and support through the years (and also for being awesome individuals in general). My initial thought naturally goes out to the Facebook & Discord users who tag/PM me every time a new gem pops up in one of the groups – you guys rock my world! In no particular order: Michael, Seb, Fabian, Mark, Alex, Marshall, Charly, Alexandre, Benjamin, Pierrick, Vincent, Thomas, Raymond, Guillaume, Taylor, …and all the others. But these positive thoughts embrace pretty much the entire community of MTG signatures aficionados.

One special big up to ebay and MKM for being such great platforms to uncover some really cool stuff.

So here we are, I finally achieved 100% completion in this project. The cube is located in Montreal, Canada and doesn’t travel much. Do not hesitate to contact me though if you’re as passionate as I am, and happen to be in the region. I am a collector but I’m a player at heart, and it’s always cool to share the (cardboard) love with good people who know how to appreciate the good things.

So, what’s next, hey?

Well, you tell me:

The cube is up to date (but it could always use a couple flavour/playability upgrades here and there – Looking at you, Reflecting Mirror, or the only sliver creature in the 360…).

I should have my maindeck story time OS (competitive) deck also 100% completed this year – new page to be created soon! The sideboard will bring some extra flavour.

I already created a dedicated page about the evolution of the Garfield signature but never took the time to advertise it. So now I guess I can check that box (no guarantee that many people will read this update in its entirety though, but if you are still here, well howdy pal!).

Oh, also- After Cubetutor went down, it took me some time to rebuild my cube on cubecobra. It’s totally worth it – the website offers a visual spoiler list of your cube, where you can also add custom pics for each card. Life is good. Here’s the (pretty awesome) result:

https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/8qg?view=spoiler

If you raised an eyebrow after noticing the keepers of the faith still being featured in the W section, I feel you buddy but, good news: it’ll be replaced by a Thunder spirit as soon as Poste Italiane delivers.

Going forward I believe I’ll always be on the hunt for cool new additions. But I’ll probably be less rabid with my bids.

The hunt for 38 of each basic land, with an old frame design, is probably a never-ending story… certainly however an exciting one.

Alright then. This is not a farewell, it’s a goodbye, many cool updates are yet to come. Let’s finish this article on a question – what would you like to know about the collection?

I will try and answer your questions in the next update!

Take care, and happy Valentine’s Day – I love you all!

Cheers,

The.Garfield.Cube

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Update: August 5, 2021

Completion = 99.99%(*)

(*): Fire//Ice is not technically “Old Frame”…

Is this the last update on the blog?

Probably not.

But it’s incredible how fast this project got completed – I still remember in early January being like “hey, it would be pretty nice if I could achieve 100% by the end of the year”.

Then slowly shifting this goal to mid September, before my birthday.

And now here we are – my son just turned 2 yesterday, and on the very same day I received the 3 mail days I had been waiting for so badly.

The Garfield Cube project is done! It’s not absolutely perfect, since one card isn’t “Old Frame”, but I know I’ll find an upgrade for it eventually. And for the time being, it’s fine being able to feature a double-card in among the 360; even if it’s not the original Apocalypse printing, I feel it belongs in here just like the other 359.

I can’t write this article without mentioning the amazing support I received from the online signed MTG communities. You know you who are. You have no idea how much I appreciate the help you’ve given me along the way. You guys have showed me a level of appreciation that was unbelievable at times. And for this, I am so so thankful.

So, what’s next now?

I believe I have one last project on the go, signed mtg wise…

I play “Story Time” in Old School, and I only need 7 last cards to complete my Main Deck 60 cards:

3x Order of Leitbur

2x Plateau

1x Shahrazad

1x Savannah Lions

Do you happen to know where to find them?

Man, I can’t wait to be able to play paper mtg again, it’s been too long.

Looking forward to meeting more players around a table anytime soon!

Until then, take care and stay safe!

Cheers,

The.Garfield.Cube

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June 21st: Happy World Music Day!

“The Fête de la musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June.”

(source = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%AAte_de_la_Musique)

Growing up in France, the “Fête de la Musique” was a pretty huge deal on June 21st. The end of school days, combined with the official beginning of summer, made for a pretty perfect day to gather with friends and go outside to enjoy live music performances all around the downtown!

I have awesome memories of wandering across the streets, stopping at one place to enjoy the music, losing sight of some friends who wanted to keep walking, bumping into other friends that were passing by, and having an awesome night altogether!

I’m not too much of a musician myself (I guess I’m fine with a tam-tam but that’s about it) but I always enjoyed live music events. Especially music festivals, which I believe have strong ties with my home region (Brittany) – being the homeland of many huge venues and also benefitting from a strong “party culture” from the local youth. At least in my generation.

Looking through the various alters / doodles /sketches made by Richard Garfield on the cards I own, I realize that my favorite doodle is actually the music notes! It also happens that among all the alterations I own, this is the one single element that appears the most often in my collection. I’m going to guess this is probably Richard’s preferred fun alteration. Interestingly enough, the depiction of an entire city made of brass can play a little melody!

On the mathematical side of things (what a brutal transition, right?), if I own 682 cards signed by the Creator… 217 of them show some type of doodle / alter besides the awesome signature. Among these 217, a total of 34 notations appear on the cards. Again, it’s also the most common alter (before exclamation marks, and “shocked” lines).

So here they are below, all in one page now and sorted by alphabetical order…

Stay tuned for the next update! 🙂

The.Garfield.Cube

(article edited on August 6th, 2021: I forgot my 5ED Nightmare, just added it to the list)

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Update: June 1st, 2021

Only TEN cards missing…

Current achievement rate: 97.22%

(One green creature coming in the mail this month)

What I need seems fairly simple now:

  • 5 Black cards and 4 Green cards (more creatures ideally, but I won’t be too picky on the quality!),
  • printed before Mirrodin,
  • that I do not already own a copy of,
  • … and signed by Richard Garfield ( 😛 )

Where are the last pieces?

If you see anything, please let me know!!!

Take care,

The.Garfield.Cube

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Update: May 20th, 2021

The Cube is 96.67% complete!

Today I had the pleasure to finish the white portion of the Cube… 3 white cards were missing, and I received in the mail the great Visions combination of Zhalfirin Commander, Retribution of the Meek, Honorable Passage, and Longbow Archer!

Since I was only missing 3, it was also the perfect opportunity to kick out this horrible Animate Wall. 🙂

Only 12 cards short of unlocking this 100% achievement (virtually 9, since two green cards and one Multicolor are coming in the mail soon…).

Getting so close is too exciting, can’t wait for the next update myself!!!

Take care,

The.Garfield.Cube

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Update: May 8th, 2021

Current achievement rate: 95.93%

(and 5 more cards arriving in the mail anytime soon…)

I changed the display of images in the pages, so that it reflects more adequately the listings from CubeTutor. A little bit of added consistency never hurts!

Only 15 cards missing now. And when this mail day happens, it will be only ten!!! Which would be broken down into:

  • 5 black cards
  • 5 green cards

I should start giving offerings to the Golgari God. 🙂

When the lockdown is over, I can start drafting it again!!! Certainly another important thing I’m looking forward to.

Recent additions to my collection:

Unlimited Bayou
Antiquities Powerleech
Legends Spirit Link
Arabian Nights Ifh-Biff Efreet
Weatherlight Abeyance
Promo Plains
Onslaught Stag Beetle
Urza’s Legacy Scour
Nemesis Blastoderm
Urza’s Legacy Karmic Guide

Stay safe,
The.Garfield.Cube

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Update: April 15th, 2021

Current achievement rate: 95.28%

(and 5 more cards arriving in the mail soon…)

Do you know that feeling, when you switch the view you have on a project, and instead of saying “I have accumulated XX so far”, you rather see it as “now I only need YY before it’s finished!”.

Well, that’s where I’m at, these days. On the 360 cards total in the Cube, I only need 17 cards to reach my goal. Seventeen! Only seventeen cards before I can call it a complete success. Where are they? Not sure yet, but I know I’ll find them. Here is a list of what’s missing, broken down by color:

  • 7 Green cards
  • 5 White cards
  • 4 Black cards
  • 1 Multicolor card

…and that’s it!

Since the last update, I had the great pleasure to add 54 cards to my collection (I won’t mention the many ones I had to sell in order to afford these…):

Urza’s Destiny Attrition
Ice Age Jester’s Cap
Ice Age Jester’s Cap
Urza’s Legacy Avalanche Riders
Urza’s Legacy Avalanche Riders
Urza’s Legacy Avalanche Riders
Urza’s Legacy Avalanche Riders
Revised Edition Plateau
Legends Rabid Wombat
Revised Edition Frozen shade
Revised Edition Birds of Paradise
Ice Age Gaze of pain
Revised Edition Scryb sprites
Onslaught Rorix Bladewing
Promo Mana Crypt
Revised Edition Mahamoti Djinn
Unlimited Lightning Bolt
Unlimited Lightning Bolt
Unlimited Lightning Bolt
Unlimited Lightning Bolt
Ice Age Necropotence
Revised Edition Badlands
Beta Black Vise
Legends Crookshank Kobolds
Legends Kobolds of Kher Keep
Legends Crimson Kobolds
Promo Island
Alpha Purelace
Legends Chain Lightning
Legends Chain Lightning
Legends Chain Lightning
Legends Chain Lightning
Revised Edition Air Elemental
Antiquities Atog
Beta Shatter
Beta Fireball
Urza’s Saga Thran Quarry
Tempest Mirri’s Guile
Visions Uktabi Orangutan
Unlimited Badlands
Alpha Counterspell
4th Edition Rod of ruin
Alliances Phelddagrif
Mercadian Masques Squee, Goblin Nabob
4th Edition Clockwork Beast
Beta Granite Gargoyle
Prophecy Denying Wind
Mirage Spirit of the Night
Urza’s Destiny Yavimay Hollow
Promo Swords to Plowshares
Tempest Diabolic Edict
Urza’s Saga Shivan Gorge
Exodus Ertai, Wizard Adept
4th Edition Shivan Dragon

Once again, a huge THANK YOU to anyone and everyone who’s helping me along the way (you know who you are!). Either by tagging me on FB when a new cards shows up, either by sending me a PM when you’ve spotted a card somewhere, or letting me know when there is a new listing on ebay… I really, really appreciate it. Kudos to you my friends!!!

Cheers,
The.Garfield.Cube

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Update: January 7th, 2021

Current achievement rate: 92%.

We are still on track for project completion by September!!!

I’d like to write a special note to the many individuals who automatically think about me when they see a Garfield signed card popping up somewhere: your help is extremely appreciated, since I can’t be everywhere all the time, and for this I am extremely thankful.

It actually feels more and more challenging to locate the missing pieces, but I know I will get there one day. And it feels really good to know that I can enjoy the support of the signed cards community to achieve it.

The last three months have actually been very prolific in terms of finding&purchasing a number of beautiful gems – many of which are still temporarily lost in the mailing traffic, somewhere in between Canada and the Bermuda Triangle I guess… But I know they will get here eventually! I expect many very exciting mail days within the next 3 or 4 weeks.

Here is the full list of the many cool additions to my collection since the last update (in no particular order):

Alliances Kjeldoran Outpost
Urza’s Saga Morphling
Beta Clone
Beta Clone
Beta Clone
Alpha Clone
Arabian Nights Serendib Efreet
Portal Armageddon
Portal Second Age Armageddon
Mirage Dissipate
4th Edition Wrath of God
4th Edition Armageddon
Urza’s Saga Exploration
Legends Urborg
Unlimited Counterspell
4th Edition Drain Life
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Tempest Swamp
Exodus Recurring Nightmare
Ice Age Necropotence
Urza’s Destiny Yawgmoth’s Bargain
4th Edition Yotian Soldier
4th Edition Lightning Bolt
Alpha Kormus Bell
Alliances Helm of Obedience
5th Edition Wrath of God
Unglued Swamp
Ice Age Jester’s Cap
Ice Age Brainstorm
Beta Sinkhole
Invasion Fact or Fiction
Homelands Merchant Scroll
Homelands Merchant Scroll
Stronghold Mana Leak
Stronghold Mana Leak

Yes, this was a whopping ELEVEN tempest swamps in one shot! 😀

Last but not least, my quest to build a 100% Garfield signed “Story Time” deck is going pretty well, and I am only missing nine cards now to complete the 60 main deck list:

4x Order of Leitbur
3x Plateau
1x Shahrazad
1x Savannah Lions

Can’t wait to see this one come together as well!!!

Stay safe,
The.Garfield.Cube

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