Dom Harvey joins Andy and Anthony for a recap of the second annual CubeCon . They discuss their experience at the con, the variety of cube they played, and get Dom’s take on how to be successful when approaching new, and sometimes strange, environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: MTG Cube Con Worlds 2012 Cube Draft CubeCon VODs Sam Black’s Podcast Episode about Cube Dominaria’s Judgment Matisse’s “The Dance” Dr. Who Survey Parker’s Article: Pulp Nouvea...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 172
Andy and Anthony talk about accessibility in Cube design: why it’s important, especially to the many of us who are trying to expand our local Cube playgroups, and key things to consider. They talk about the practical, surface level issues of cards that can be difficult to understand, as well as ways to design a Cube to make drafting it for the first time feel easier. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Finn’s F360 , a classic sty...
Oct 23, 2023•51 min•Ep. 171
We’re on our way to the second annual CubeCon ! If you’re not able to attend, make sure to tune into the live stream , which Andy, Justin, and the rest of the coverage team have been working really hard on. If you’re attending CubeCon, we can’t wait to meet you or see you again. Please introduce yourselves and remind us of your online handle, if relevant, as we are old and have awful memory. We are sorry. Shout out to the Uber Cube Podcast for all of their thorough primer episodes for Cubes lead...
Oct 19, 2023•13 min
Andy and Anthony talk about mana curves in cubes. They talk about how it influences gameplay and the relationship between curve, speed, and the more difficult to pin down “power level”. They also talk about how they as cube designers think about the mana curve. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: You Look Nice Today Lonely Sandwich Magic Data Science CubeCon Analysis Thread Anthony’s Stats of Cube Con Article Spike University Part 1 and Part 2 The Tempo Cube Gw...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 170
Andy, Anthony, and Justin continue last weeks discussion through the Cubes that will be featured in the imminent Cube Con of 2023 reviewing the second half of the cubes that will be featured on live and recorded coverage. They talk about their approaches to drafting each unique environment and what to expect. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Spike University Part 1 Cube Con Schedule Cube Con Stream (NRG Esports) Creatureless Cube Old Border Foil Cube The Reg...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 169
This is your last chance to pre-order a Cube Map Print for Cube Con! Pre-order now Andy and Anthony are joined by Justin Parnell to talk about the Cubes that will be featured on coverage in Cube Con 2023. They go through the first half, cube by cube, and talk about what the Cube is, and how they’d approach drafting it, ending with a pack 1 pick one from every Cube. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut NRG @cloudgoatranger on Twitter...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 168
Andy and Anthony give a primer on drafting Andy’s Bun Magic Cube . They talk about how the environment compares to similar Cubes that play many of the most iconic, powerful cards in the game. They discuss key cards, strategies, and potential pitfalls players could fall into. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Cube Con 2023 Cube Map Print Regular Cube Draft Primer Episode Turbo Cube Draft Primer Episode The Bun Magic Cube Cultic Cube on MTGO Timestamps: 0:00 - ...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 167
Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the results of the Cube community set review of Wilds of Eldraine . They discuss the top cards from the set. No surprise, adventure cards dominate. They also reflect on some of the potentially changing attitudes of the Cube community reflected in the differences between this, and past set reviews. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 5:27 - Overview of episode 9:06 - Breakdown of the popularity of the set’s mechanics 24:14 - 13. Th...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 166
Andy and Anthony talk finally follow up on episode 6 and discuss control decks. They talk about what makes a control deck, what it takes to make them functional, and the different ways they look in different Cube environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Episode 132: Designing Set Cubes with Aran Episode 6: The ABCs of Aggro Control Decks | MAGIC: THE GATHERING Next Level Deckbuilding PV’s Playhouse – Control WOE Survey 4c control in legacy on MTG top8 ...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 165
Andy and Anthony talk about their first impressions of Wilds of Eldraine. Fresh off the new set’s prerelease they talk about the mechanics, both returning and brand new, and what they offer Cube designers. Then they dive into the specific cards each of them is giving a try in their Cubes. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Wilds of Eldraine Cube Prospective Survey Good Luck High Five WOE Rules with Judge Rob Drive to work #1065 and #1066 Magic the Gathering Data...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 164
Andy and Anthony talk about mechanics and cards that interact with drafting. Coming just from the two conspiracy sets this small, unique set of cards change based on when they’re drafted or let players take additional actions during the draft. They focus in particular on Cogwork Librarian that’s a perfect draft twist that finds its way into many cubes . View all cards mentioned in the epi sode → Discussed in this episode: Settlers of Catan Carcassonne Rotisserie Draft Irregular Cube Draft Matt...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 163
Andy and Anthony talk about Mark Rosewater, Magic’s lead designer’s, yearly article on the game’s state of design for 2023. They reflect on the past year’s sets and how Mark’s internal design perspective lines up with their own experience. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Labyrinth Oppenheimer Mark Rosewater’s State of Design 2023 Lucky Paper Radio State of the Game 2022 Heritage: Legacy with Only Premier Set Cards The Dark Crystal Bojack Horseman Adventure Ti...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 162
Andy and Anthony’s plan for this week’s episode fell through, so instead they’re sharing the audio from a stream in which they discussed Aquaone’s legendary Powered Cube with the designer himself. Discussed in this episode: Aquaone’s Powered Cube Caleb Gannon’s Algomancy on Kickstarter Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay. You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra: Andy’s “Bun Magic” Cube Anthony’s “Regular” Cube If want us to do a pack 1, pick 1 from your cube submit it ...
Aug 14, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Andy and Anthony look at the cards recommended by Cube Cobra ’s ‘recommender’ which analyzes every Cube on Cube Cobra, and generates a list of cards that are unusual among similar lists. They look at the ‘suggested cuts’ for their main cubes and talk about why, or why not, they think these unique inclusions make sense. They also take a step back and talk about how these tools can be useful, but where they are not, and things we need to consider when interpreting their suggestions. View all card...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 161
Andy and Anthony talk about Cube restrictions. As they often say, restrictions breed creativity, but they can also provide an identity and structure to Cubes. Our hosts discuss how and why players choose design constraints, the advantages they bring to the table, and when to loosen up on them. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Barbie Movie Oppenheimer The Pauper Cube Local Cube group “logos” on “Twitter” The Breya Cube and Forgiveness Cube TPug’s The Jund Cube ...
Jul 31, 2023•50 min•Ep. 160
Andy and Anthony talk about Wishes! Wishes are a special class of cards that let you access cards from outside your game. In competitive play and drafts, this means any card from your sideboard. In casual play anything at all from your collection. Andy talks about why it’s interesting to him and the challenges he’s faced trying to design a Cube focused around the wish cards. Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Deinonychus’s The Bodleian Cube . Thanks, Deinonychus ! View al...
Jul 24, 2023•59 min•Ep. 159
Andy and Anthony dig into two kinds of cheese: “cheesing people out” in games of Magic and how to serve it up when hosting game nights. They talk about moments in games where it feels like one player steals a game that they shouldn’t have won. Are these positive or negative experiences and how can we curate Cubes to enable to discourage them? Next they talk about how they approach hosting and cooking for groups, discussing the things to consider and some of the meals and approaches that work bes...
Jul 17, 2023•57 min•Ep. 158
Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the Cube community response to The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. Magic’s first full, draftable crossover set comes with plenty of opportunities, and some surprises, for the Cube community. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Community Set Review Article Commander Review Part one of our LTR Cube Set Review Magic: the Gathering is Easy to Understand ThrabenU Episode on Call of the Ring Ryan Overturf’s LTR Set Review Po...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 157
This is your last week to fill out the Lord of the Rings and associated commander deck surveys! Share your own perspective on the new set. Andy and Anthony take a first look at Magic’s first, full crossover set: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. They talk about the mechanics and their first impressions of the set. Share some of the cards their interested in trying out in their own Cube environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: LTR Mechanics Ar...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 156
After tracking his wins and losses across all of his Cube drafts for six months, Andy is reviewing the results with Anthony and discussing why he is abandoning this practice. But, if he’s not tracking the results of his Cube matches, how does he know if he is growing as a player? What actually matters, and how do you measure it? Plus, our hosts ask an important question: is playing Magic fun? View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: The Quantified Self Feltron Datum...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 155
After a long weekend of Cube drafts, Andy doesn’t have time to edit a proper episode of the show, so instead he piles four of his buddies into his cozy little basement studio to talk about a recent rotisserie draft of his Bun Magic Cube. Which deck came out on top? Are newer, more committal and synergistic cards pulling their weight? If Andy finally adds Scrabbling Claws is everyone going to draft it and put it in their decks like they say they will? Unfortunately there are no timestamps for thi...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 154
Andy and Anthony are joined once again by the legendary Ryan Saxe to talk about his approach to drafting and how he applies that to Cube. Building off the approach Ryan describes in an episode of Limited Level Ups they discuss about how and when it makes sense to ‘force’ a draft and focus on optimal outcomes over investing in reading the table. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: The Art of Forcing on Limited Level Ups From Picks to Paths Drafting the Hard Way ...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 153
Andy and Anthony talk about custom rules in Cubes. Cube is a unique Magic space where designers truly have full control over the game and can change it however they like. Beyond just choosing the cards they include, designers change the game fundamental with plane-like effects. Our hosts discuss the very substantial risks of custom rules to accessibility and even fun for enfranchised players. They talk about some of the rules they’ve experienced that didn’t work so well, and the successful ones,...
Jun 05, 2023•59 min
Andy and Anthony talk about “Xerox Theory” a strategic Magic concept involving cantrips, land count, a balance of resources. Andy explains the history and origins of the idea, as documented by Mike Flores’s 2005 article . They talk about how the concept applies differently in early and contemporary Magic and how it’s relevant, or not, to different types of decks. They also talk about Gunk Slug for some reason. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: UB Trippin’ by...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 151
Andy and Anthony talk about the current state of Andy’s Neoclassical Cube . They look at how drafts have played out, potential areas for change, and some specific directions Andy’s considering taking the cube. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Andy’s Neoclassical Cube Regular Cube Update Episode with James The Degenerate Micro-Cube MTGCubeCon on Twitter March of the Machine: Aftermath Survey Timestamps: 00:00 Mind Twist Corner 02:39 Early Impressions of the N...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 150
Andy and Anthony talk broadly about [ramp](Rampant Growth). They talk about what the mechanic or strategy is all about, it’s important role as part of Green’s identity, how it’s different in limited and constructed, and how it fits into their own Cubes. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from soskwatch’s Graveyard Cube . Discussed in this episode: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Mark Rosewater’s Drive to Work Timestamps: 0...
May 15, 2023•51 min•Ep. 149
Andy and Anthony are joined by James from their local play group for an in depth review session of Anthony’s Regular Cube . They bring James in to add his experience and perspective to the conversation. The three of them discuss how the environment has played recently and things that could be improved. They sort through the cards and discuss potential cuts and things they could change. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Forgiveness Cube Breya Cube The Regular ...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 148
Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the results of the March of the Machine community Cube set review . As always we surveyed the community on the cards they’re interested in for their cubes and how likely they expect to keep playing them long term. Our hosts review the results, discussing the top cards in terms of the number of people interested in them, patterns and theories about the community response, and some things that surprised them. They also dive deeper into Battles, Magic’s newest card ...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 147
View the game size breakdowns for the Bun Magic Cube and Regular Cube . You can also copy this template and fill it out to calculate your own cube’s game size! Andy and Anthony follow up on their recent discussion with Sam Black on ‘big’ and ‘small’ games of Magic. Sam coined these term in an article he wrote describing a nuanced understanding of card advantage including how effects create, or benefit from, high and low resource games. Our hosts expand on the topic and respond to feedback from t...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 146
Our Cube Prospective Surveys for March of the Machine and March of the Machine Commander are now open! Let us know what you are testing in your cube from the latest set. Andy and Anthony take a first look at March of the Machine: the fist set since Lorwyn to introduce an entirely new card type. They discuss the new mechanics from a design perspective and how they generally apply to any kind of Cube environment. They also pick out individual cards that might end up in their own, varied Cube lists...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 145
