Bar-B-Cube 3

Event Information

The Mana Vault is excited to announce Bar-B-Cube 3, the latest event in our series of 64-player Cube Draft Tournament Extravaganzas! We're featuring 8 baller cubes, awarding over $2,500 in prizing, and best of all, crowning the next Bar-B-Cube Champion!!!

We are thrilled to welcome not one but TWO special guests for this year's Bar-B-Cube! First up is none other than local cosplayer, Magic personality, and content creator Tappy Toe Claws! Tappy, aka Sydney, plans to contribute goodies to a raffle for eventgoers. A passionate advocate for the format, she appreciates how Cube showcases pet cards and puts power in the hands of players who wouldn't otherwise have access to them. As she puts it, "Cube is a way to get to know different cards and the person that built it - the way they want to play Magic."

We're also welcoming Matt Grenier, a long-time cube designer and self-described temperamental Magic streamer who can most often be found drafting Boros decks in Vintage Cube! His highly acclaimed A Study in Harmony was selected as a Spotlight Cube for Magic Online last fall, and you can play it at this event! Matt played a pivotal role in reworking the Magic Online Vintage Cube in the summer of 2023, helping usher in a new era of online Vintage Cube. His cube design philosophy centers on improvisation, unpredictability, and spontaneity with the goal of creating a wild world of unique moments for those who venture in.

Join us for cube, food and fun at The Bar-B-Cube 3!

Event Details

Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026

Location: The Mana Vault MKE, 3807. South Packard Avenue, St. Francis, WI 53235

Entry Fee: $65

Player Cap: 64 players (58 spots remaining)

Structure: 2 Swiss Drafts, followed by Top 8 Draft

Schedule

• 8:30 AM: Doors Open & Check-in
• 9:30 AM: First Draft Begins
• 1:30 PM: BBQ Lunch Break (provided)
• 2:30 PM: Second Draft Begins
• 6:30 PM: Top 8 & Open Play
• 12:00 AM: Event Ends

Featured Cubes

This year’s event showcases 8 uniquely curated cubes:

1. Vintage Showcase – High-powered classics, modeled off the MTGO Vintage Cube, curated by Alex Elendt
2. Design Mistake Retirement Home – A power-maxed Vintage Cube where every broken card, busted combo, and legendary design mistake in Magic's history is not just present, but celebrated., curated by Geoff Appelbaum
3. A Study in Harmony – A deeply synergistic, expert-level cube where artifacts, enchantments, lands, tokens, and graveyards weave together across all colors -- rewarding players who can see past conventional Magic wisdom to build something unexpected and powerful. Curated by Matt Grenier
4. Champion’s Choice: Lavender Desert – A Jeskai cube where every land must be drafted, cheap interaction reigns, and the tension between spells and the resources to cast them is the heart of every pick. Curated by Jordan Kruis and chosen by 2026 Ice Cube Champ Kai Vjorn
5. Kindred Cube – A 540-card typal playground where changelings act as the connective tissue between 12 supported creature types, and powerful lords reward drafters who can harness the chaos of a cube where almost every card cares about what you are, curated by Joe Plumley
6. Life, Death and Undeath – A graveyard-centric cube where every card type lives, dies, and rises again. Built around self-mill, discard, and the rich interplay between your deck, your hand, and the pile of cards you've already used, curated by Matt Wendricks
7. Clean Evergreen Cube – A low-power cube featuring only evergreen keywords, no tokens, and classic Magic staples designed as a palate cleanser for straightforward gameplay that's perfect for newer players while still rewarding experienced drafters. Curated by Julian Koontz
8. Old Border Foil Cube – A love letter to the Premodern era written in retro frame foils, recently expanded from 360 to 450 cards! Curated by Jeff Green

• After registering, rank the cubes you would like to play! Details TBA
• Cube assignments are first-come, first-served
• Top 8 Drafters will play the Mono Red Cube, featuring the most powerful red cards and artifacts, designed by The Mana Vault Cube Community

Prizing

1st Place - Bar-B-Cube Champion Trophy, Free Entry to our next Cube Tournament, and $200 store credit. PLUS free entry to CubeCon 2026 and a seat at the Cheese Stands Alone featured event!

2nd Place - $150 Store Credit

3rd - 4th Place - $75 Store Credit

5th - 8th Place - $50 Store Credit

Additional extra special custom-made event prizes are awarded to all who make Top 8!

In the Swiss rounds, players will be awarded a play booster per win!

Over $300 in various other prizes will be given out as special bonuses to random players throughout the event; among these may be t-shirts, playmats, singles, and other shop goodies.

Rules and Policies

This event will be held at a Regular Rules Enforcement Level to maintain fair play. Play Area Rules:

• Food and drinks prohibited at play tables
• Handle and shuffle cards with care at all times
• Cards must remain at tables unless cleared with a judge
• Refund Policy: Full refunds available until August 13, 11:59 PM.

Contact Information

Phone: (414) 763-9111

Email: [email protected]

Social Media: Follow updates via Linktree