View all cards mentioned in the episode → Andy, Anthony, and Parker talk about the results from the Dominaria United community set review. Almost 350 Cube designers submitted the cards they were interested in from DMU and rated them on how likely they expected to stay in their environment long term. Our hosts talk about the most tested and top-rated cards, examine trends, look at how the set compares to past sets, and offer their own qualitative observations. Check out the full survey results . ...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 115
Our Cube Prospective Surveys for Dominaria United and accompanying commander sets are closing soon! Andy and Anthony discuss the new cards from Dominaria United they’re interested in for their own Cube environments. They talk about some powerful new options for Andy’s eternal cube, off-color kicker cards and clean variations on classic cards for Anthony’s unrestricted cube, and a few cards that fit more novel environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Domi...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 114
Our Cube Prospective Surveys for Dominaria United and accompanying commander sets are now open! Andy and Anthony talk about the new mechanics, themes, and their first impressions of Dominaria United and what they’re most excited about for Cube. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay. Timestamps: 1:40 — Episode Structure and Introduction 3:50 — Enlist 9:37 — Read Ahead 13:18 — Domain 19:55 — Kicker 27:19 — Stun Counters 32:22 — Defende...
Sep 05, 2022•49 min•Ep. 113
Andy and Anthony are joined by competitive grinder, latent Cube content creator, and actually good Magic player Dom Harvey to talk about his relationship with the game. Together, they discuss Dom’s storied competitive career, the early days of Cube, how a Cube can serve as a document of your personal history with Magic, whether or not experience with constructed Magic can inform playing and designing Cubes, and how to think about combo as a strategy. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Thi...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 112
Having discussed the impact of different densities of removal ad nauseam, Andy and Anthony turn their attention to the different types of removal spells and how they play differently. They examine the costs of playing too much unconditional removal, wax poetic on their love of "small" removal spells like Portable Hole and Disfigure, and discuss how given two removal spells with equal costs, sometimes the one that hits fewer targets is actually better. They recorded this episode before Cut Down w...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 111
Andy and Anthony are back at it again, returning to the font of endless Magic discussion: Baneslayers and Mulldrifters. After years of not consciously thinking about this dichotomy, Andy has discovered that his primary cube has skewed heavily towards “Baneslayers”. The boys get into why this descriptor is so often used derogatorily, some reasons why “Mulldrifter” maybe should be used derogatorily, and how people’s perceptions of the difference between these two iconic cards changes when you choo...
Aug 15, 2022•53 min•Ep. 110
6:35 — Listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 14:45 — Overview of the State of Design article 19:06 — Complexity in Magic in 2022 26:40 — Adjustments to the color pie, how that reflects high-level changes in Wizards’ approach to design, and how good game design does or does not have an inherent tension with success under capitalism 46:57 — Feedback Andy was surprised by from CLB 48:36 — Our favorite things from the last year in Magic 56:18 — Closing thoughts View all cards mentioned in the episode → ...
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 109
Andy and Anthony compare their main cubes, Andy’s unpowered Vintage Cube that emulates the gameplay of Legacy and Anthony’s comparatively low powered Regular Cube which is more akin to a masters set draft. They compare the cards shared between the two and how they function in these very different environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from michaeldkarp’s Box of Cards . Timestamps: 3:59 — Listener Submitted Pack 1, Pick 1 8:40...
Aug 01, 2022•57 min•Ep. 108
View all cards mentioned in the episode → Read Andy's article informing this episode! Andy and Anthony talk about how many lands to run in a Cube. While Cube design is subjective and largely a matter of taste, our hosts discuss things we can objectively measure about the proportion of lands included in a Cube, and precedent from other Magic formats. Andy breaks down data from Cube Cobra from his new article on the same subject about how Cubes are generally constructed. Our listener submitted pac...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 107
View all cards mentioned in the episode → Andy and Anthony discuss Commander and their personal approaches to deck building. They talk about some of their favorite decks, what they look for in the format, and what motivates them to brew. Discussed in this episode: MythBusters Lucky Paper Commander Map Guardian Project Podcast Command Zone’s New Commander Deck Template Catcher in the Rye EDHREC Deck: Zedruu Voltron: Little Auras, Great Beats Deck: Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith Spy Kit Deck: Andy’s G...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 106
The show notes for this episode are too long to fit in the RSS feed, so check out our website for linked timestamps, cards mentioned, and the full list of links . One of the great aspects of Cube is that it is somewhat all-encompassing — anything you like about Magic, whether it’s part a Commander deck, the Legacy metagame, or a specific sideboarding strategy in Pioneer, can inform how a cube is designed. On this episode, Andy and Anthony share all of the Magic podcasts, videos, and articles tha...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 105
View the Commander Map! Andy and Anthony are joined by Jett to talk about Lucky Paper’s brand new project: the Commander Map! The map visualizes the wide world of EDH showing every deck on EDHREC organized in 2d space based on the cards they contain. Like the Cube Map , the Commander Map algorithmically organizes every deck, (all 1.2 million of them!) into an interactive visualization showing patterns in the way people build decks. They discuss how the map was made, what else the dimension reduc...
Jul 05, 2022•49 min
View all cards mentioned in the episode → Most Cubes are ever-changing, with a constant stream of cards being added as new sets are released and the designer’s sensibilities evolve over time. There is a dark side to the joyous, Christmas-morning feeling of putting new cards in one’s cube, though: making cuts. On this episode, Andy and Anthony talk about how to find cuts from a cube, tackle some common pitfalls newer designers often fall into when removing cards from a Cube list, explore high-lev...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 104
View all cards mentioned in the episode → View the full survey results → Andy, Anthony, and Parker talk about Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, reviewing the results of the Cube Survey and what the new and returning mechanics offer for cube designers. Special thanks to Kennedy McAlister for this week’s intro music. Timestamps: 5:53 — New Mechanics 6:09 — Backgrounds 9:57 — The Initiative 15:43 — Myriad 17:00 — Gates 22:59 — Survey Overview 29:00 — Archivist of Oghma 34:15 — Displacer ...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 103
Andy and Anthony collaboratively draft a deck from Anthony’s Regular Cube , discussing how they approach the environment and the roles individual cards play. From the individual cards, they jump into bigger conversations about the environment and what they think successful draft strategies look like. Follow along with each pick of the draft to see the full set of cards in each pack. Draft the same seat on Cube Cobra to compare how your own approach. Discussed in this episode: Anthony’s Regular C...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 102
After teasing it on their Centennial Retrospective , Andy and Anthony are revisiting the topic of one of their notable past episodes, number 31: Bread and Butter Breakdown . With some small revisions to his categorization system, Andy tallies up the density of disruptive cards in the current iteration of his Bun Magic Cube and compares them to the numbers from January of last year, with some surprising results. What starts as a nuts-and-bolts discussion of how the density and quality of disrupti...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 101
On their milestone, 100th show, Andy and Anthony reflect on important past episodes and things they’ve learned in the last two years of Lucky Paper Radio. Timestamps: 4:15 - Overview of a Self-Indulgent Episode 6:49 - "Pack 1, Pick 1" (The Whitemane Lion Tier List) 18:58 - Episode 5: The Problem with 5 Color Good Stuff 24:03 - Episode 17: How and Why to Build a Cube 29:10 - Episode 24: Setting the Tempo 31:41 - Episode 31: Bread and Butter Breakdown 36:17 - Episode 39: A Flat Power Level 38:25 -...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 100
Have you always wanted a Cube of your own? Do you have a box full of jank and draft chaff taking up space that you can’t bring yourself to get rid of? You’re in luck! On this week’s show, Andy and Anthony discuss how to build a Cube from your existing Magic collection. They talk about the pros of working within novel constraints. Building from a collection likely means working with cards you already have some connection and familiarity with. The unique constraint fuels coming up with unique and ...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 99
After watching Caleb draft his Powered Synergy Cube on Magic Online for hours, Andy is dying to support some more sweet, synergistic decks in his Bun Magic Cube . After some reflection, he’s not sure if that would even work, so he’s bringing his hopes and dreams to Anthony to discuss whether it’s even possible to support Bazaar of Baghdad, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, or Molten Vortex in a cube that is over one-third interaction. Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Donald K...
May 23, 2022•58 min•Ep. 98
If you’d like to support the show, we’d love help annotating old episodes ! Andy and Anthony are going deep on fetch lands. They discuss the long tail of exciting interactions, the powerful mana fixing, and the real costs to gameplay experience associated with them. What are their benefits as a player? What are their benefits as a Cube designer? What are their biggest downsides? Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from LuckyLooter’s Amonkar Desert Cube where players have to sta...
May 16, 2022•58 min•Ep. 97
Andy, Anthony, and Parker discuss the results of Lucky Paper’s Streets of New Capenna Cube Community Set review. They talk through the top cards most appealing to the largest portion of the Cube community, theorize on why cards may appear where they do, analyze interesting outliers, compare the results to past sets, and offer their own opinions of cards in the new set. View cards mentioned in the episode Timestamps: 2:42 — Explanation of Show Format 3:52 — Overview of New Capenna Commander 5:21 ...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 96
Our Streets of New Capenna survey is open! Please take a few minutes to let us know what you’re testing in your cube from the new set. Caleb Gannon joins Andy and Anthony to talk about his Powered Synergy Cube which is about to be featured on Magic Online! Caleb goes into detail about the environment, which takes what’s loved about the MTGO Vintage Cube and dials up the synergistic aspects while tuning down other themes and cards that win the game on their own. The Cube is full of complex, overl...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 95
Our Streets of New Capenna survey is open! Please take a few minutes to let us know what you’re testing in your cube from the new set. Andy and Anthony take a step back and talk about Cube and Cooking, the many things two of their favorite hobbies have in common, and what they love about them. Both are creative endeavors that are interesting things to master in their own right as well as tools to bring people together and serve as an entry point for broader personal growth. Our listener submitte...
Apr 25, 2022•56 min•Ep. 94
Our Streets of New Capenna survey is open! Please take a few minutes to let us know what you’re testing in your cube from the new set. Andy and Anthony discuss each card their interested in giving a try in their own Cube environments, including Andy’s Bun Magic Cube , a high powered legacy environment, Anthony’s peasant-ish Regular Cube , and a few other more novel environments. Visit our website for detailed, linked show notes and a visual spoiler of every card mentioned in this episode in chro...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 93
Andy and Anthony talk about the headline mechanics of Magic’s latest premier set, Streets of New Capenna , a set featuring five, three-color factions, the families, each with their own named mechanic. They discuss each abstractly, breaking down the possible design space, how they fit into existing contexts, and what kinds of individual card designs they’re hoping to see. 27 weeks to CubeCon ! Timestamps: 5:33 — The mechanics of Streets of New Capenna 7:52 — The Brokers (Bant): Shield Counters 13...
Apr 11, 2022•59 min•Ep. 92
Andy and Anthony revisit the topic of the rock, paper, scissors metagame on the axis of tempo and respond to listener feedback from last week’s episode . In addition, they share some highlights and bad-beats from a long weekend playing a range of Cubes. Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Gasedup’s Micro Grixis Cube . Timestamps: 1:56 — Brags and Bad Beats: A Cube Weekend Recap 8:43 — Cube Con: The long anticipated, premier Cube event 14:28 — Pack 1, Pick one from Gasedup'...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 91
After alluding to it in passing multiple times, Andy and Anthony are finally going deep on Andy’s contentious assertion that there are no intrinsically favored matchups between aggro, midrange, and control as the common heuristic suggests. In this episode, they define the macro-archetypes, talk about where they come from, and cover appropriate and innappropriate applications of these kinds of thought technologies. Then, they discuss how each matchup is won and lost for all the permutations of ag...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 90
Andy and Anthony are off this week, but fear not! Friends of the show Parker LaMascus and Jason Waddell are filling in and discussing one of their favorite, non-Magic card games: Slay the Spire. You do not need to have played Slay the Spire to appreciate this episode as Parker and Jason tie their experience with the game back to Cube design and Magic more broadly. Check out Jason’s Twitch stream where he has been playing Slay the Spire recently. If you have a question for the show, or want us to...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Andy and Anthony discuss the new, popular two player draft format, Hausman draft, where players draft a series of rounds exchanging cards from hidden hands with a shared, face-up, set of cards. They talk about their experience with the format, the kinds of decks it creates and pros and cons for this style of drafting. In closing, they touch briefly on the strengths and weaknesses of some other popular draft formats for two players. Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Monst...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 89
Andy and Anthony explore at length a question from the MTG Cube Reddit . As Cube designers, how do we think about cards with strong build-around, signaling potential when they seem like they may not be a good fit for the environment. View linked timestamps and our kitchen tier list on our website . Discussed in this episode: Birthday brunch Irregular Cube u/jselzo’s Reddit post on unintended signals Modern Greasefang Combo No one ever got fired for buying Microsoft Thermapen Cooking Issues David...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 88
